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elliespuns · 1 year

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So, apparently, there are many people who don't understand why Ellie went furiously after Abby, wanting revenge so badly, only to let Abby go at the end.

I think a lot of people don't realize that Ellie doing this was never really about revenge. It was about her nature and what kind of person she is underneath the thick layer of her tough attitude. It was always about her proving once again how good a person she really is.

As we know, Ellie and Joel weren't on good terms for a long time, and Ellie knew how much Joel hurt not being able to connect with her anymore. So when Abby took him away from her, she not only robbed Ellie of the person she loved but also robbed her of the opportunity to forgive him. Which gives us a much better understanding of Ellie's hatred towards Abby. Because just as the hope for a restored relationship with Joel came back into her life, Abby snuffed it out with one hit.

That kind of messes with you as a person, and that's why Ellie became so vengeful all of a sudden; because she thought this was the right way to 'make it up' to Joel somehow. She wasn't doing it for herself; she wasn't doing it because she would enjoy killing either. She was doing it because she felt she owed it to Joel.

If you remember, there were more than a few times when Ellie killed innocent people and immediately felt bad about it. She was in shock after beating Nora to death. She felt sick after realizing she had killed a pregnant Mel. And all of it was just so well portrayed that this only makes you realize how fragile Ellie actually is, regardless of all the hate that's been tying her up.

So, when Ellie arrives at the beach and finds both Abby and Lev tied to the wooden stakes, utterly exhausted and beaten up, she realizes that they have suffered immensely during the past few months. It becomes apparent that Abby has already endured way more suffering than Ellie could've ever hoped to inflict on her. And just as she frees Abby, you can see in Ellie's face that she's doubting her intentions of wanting to hurt Abby some more.

And then she follows Abby to the boats, and that's where we can see that Ellie has come to understand that killing a tormented person would be both needlessly cruel and pointless. So she's about to let Abby and Lev go, but after seeing a flashback of Joel's face covered in blood, the desire to avenge Joel strikes her once again and she tries to go for it, challenging Abby to fight her.

But even now at this very scene, you can see it's really not in Ellie's nature to want this. You have to understand that by this time, Ellie is already extremely conflicted about whether to kill Abby or not. And this decision does not come out of nowhere.

Because right before Ellie drowns Abby, she gets another flashback; this time it's Joel playing his guitar on his porch. This flashback is absolutely integral to understanding why Ellie decides not to drown Abby in the end.

The flashback is a representation of the last conversation between her and Joel. Joel admitted that he "would do it all over again." And so Ellie indicates that she would like to at least try to forgive him. If she can forgive Joel for what he did, then perhaps she can also forgive the woman who killed him... and she does. So in that sense, the flashback reminds her of the fact that she is capable of showing mercy. And by not killing Abby, she does not only forgive Abby - she also comes to terms with what happened between her and Joel, proving that she can indeed forgive other people who wronged her.

So Ellie redeems herself by letting Abby go. She knows she has killed so many innocents, and it has clearly taken its toll on her. Killing Abby would have shown that she not only lost friends and loved ones in her quest for revenge but also her humanity.

Ellie used revenge as a tool to distract herself from Joel's death to avoid having to deal with her loss in a mature way; because when the hatred is gone, everything that's left is grief and pain.

Deep down, Ellie knows that she hurt Joel more than anyone else by disconnecting from him, and she hates herself because of that.

So this ending actually redeems Joel. And despite this being the most heart-wrenching end of a story I've ever seen, it's absolutely understandable why Ellie did what she did.

I guess there has always been more humanity to her character than most people are able to see.

#the last of us #tlou #ellie williams #ellie tlou #ellie and joel #ellie and abby #abby anderson #the last of us game #tlou game #joel miller #the last of us part 2 #tlou part 2 #the last of us talk #elliespuns analyses

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hyprmemes · 2 years

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what we almost had starters edit as you see fit!

it’s not like i never tried to tell you

why did you never say anything?

why did you just let me go?

i used to think that would be us some day, you know

remember when we used to speak of ‘forever’ like it meant something to someone else?

i try so hard not to look back but... every time i see you, it’s like a whiplash straight into a myriad of what if’s

if i had any idea that feelings would resurface this easily, i wouldn’t have shown up

was there ever a time where you thought, you know, maybe there is a chance after all?

did we ever figure out why it didn’t work

this is the part where i say ‘i wanted us to last’ but without any ‘us’ to begin with, what should i say?

how do you speak to someone who doesn’t know just how long you’ve loved them?

you could have said something, you know, anything would have worked

i would have jumped at any opportunity to actually try

were we just cowards or did we see some danger another version of us ended up suffering through?

okay, but if you’d known, would you have said anything?

i loved you, i really did, i loved you enough to wish i’d never started

new home, new people, new life, i feel out of place by how out of place i feel near you

we were nothing to each other, nothing like that, so why do i feel like an awkward ex?

how do you look into the eyes of someone you’ve ever only confessed in silence to?

or maybe you were just leading me on or maybe i was or maybe it doesn’t matter anymore

people used to ask me all the time if we’d finally taken that step

sometimes it’s just like that, nothing happens and no one knows why

would you have loved me if given the chance?

no, you’re right, i thought i had all the time in the world and made you wait needlessly, endlessly

you could have stayed, you could have sat down, stayed longer, held my hand, instead of running away again and again and again

thinking back on all the glances and the nothings after feels like drifting through underdeveloped memories, where your mind knows what should have been but the image doesn’t intend to lie for its sake

i should have said something, maybe, or maybe i should have said less

would it have worked if we’d wanted it less or did we never want it enough

maybe it didn’t work out because we were placeholders, just set in place to long for fruitlessly to avoid pursuing something real

looking into your eyes and seeing how you’ve moved on, what am i even doing here?

even if i don’t want you know, i still can’t help but want that you’d wanted me back then

is it vile of me? to hope some part of you regrets never having held a part of me?

i did never get to learn how to love you loudly, that sticks around, you know

how many people have you kissed wondering if i might have tasted the same

i’ve never seen someone to substitute you but i’ve never not thought of you as a standard to choose by, either

it would have happened, if your efforts had been in earnest, direct, serious, i would have been yours and yours only

it’s because neither of us ever said anything, we’re barely speaking of it now

should we seriously stop beating around the bush now and address what we can’t change?

maybe we should just let the past be the past and stop wondering about a future together we never had

it feels so final, that’s the worst part, feeling as though i will never be allowed to love you again

even if i’d reached out, even if you’d reached back, would it have been worth it?

the misery of longing for a choice unmade with unknown consequences

for all we know, we could have been that missing puzzle piece for each other

for all we know, never having met in the middle led us to the happiest versions of ourselves

#sentence starters #sentence memes #sentence prompts #meme prompts #inbox memes #writing prompts #ask memes #ask prompts #rp starters #meme starters #dialogue prompts

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glamour-witch-bitch · 10 months

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Hand-Washing Visualization Exercise for my Anxious Witches

Hello all, I mentioned this strategy in my most recent glamour witch tips post, but I’d thought I’d share a more extensive post that I hope will be able to reach more people. I like many many others in this world has suffered from an anxiety disorder my entire life and was recently this year was diagnosed with OCD. I know what you’re thinking, with the exercise being around hand washing isn’t that bit stereotypical when it comes to OCD? So I’d thought I’d take some time to explain what exactly OCD is and isn’t. If you wish to just read about the exercise and the exercise only scroll though until you see the pink hearts (💖🩷💗💞💘💕💓). If you stick around, thank you for reading and much kudos to you.

While many people who have OCD do have the compulsions you see on television such as excessive cleaning and hand washing, that’s not the only kind of compulsions an OCD sufferer can have. OCD is much more complex then just the need for cleanliness. (But for obvious reason if you do have a hand washing compulsion I wouldn’t recommend this visualization exercise for you.)

What causes anxiety is what known as Intrusive thoughts. Now Instrusive thoughts ARE NOT Impulsive thoughts. While intrusive thoughts are usually impulsive in nature, the context of the thoughts is often taboo. Often involving harming or violating another being and/or oneself. They’re not the “What if I dye my hair at 3 am?” Or “What if I just shouted Penguins! Right now?” Or “What if I drop my phone into the river?” Those are impulsive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts are normal believe it or not, even the very awful horrible taboo ones, everyone has them to varying degrees. Now what happens with people who have OCD is the sufferer assigns to much value to the thoughts. Believing that having these thoughts means something about their character and morality. When it’s not the case.

Here’s some charts explaining different subtypes of OCD, to which there are many.

There is also themes where the suffer obsessed over real events. Such as times when they made a mistake or acted in a way that they’re not particularly proud of. What happens is that their brain over estimates the importance of the action for what it means for themselves and others involved. This theme is particularly sticky because it can create false memories. Which is when your brain combines both intrusive thoughts and your past memories creating disturbing images that you can’t really sort reality from fiction in your own head.

This is a theme I particularly recently have been struggling with recently and it is quite possibly one of the most difficult themes I’ve ever experienced. But with a combination of therapy and medication I am doing much better.

Some themes and compulsion I have also experienced are religious/scrupulosity with compulsive praying. Harm where I would constantly check in with my friends to make sure I never said or did anything to have hurt them. Hypochondria where I would routinely check my temperature over and over again. The over estimation of fault where I have the belief that events that have nothing to do with me are my fault to some degree.

I won’t lie, it’s scary and isolating to experience, but there is hope and there is effective treatment out there. There is hope, but got to have the courage to seek out treatment. Please don’t do what I did and tried to do it by myself my entire life, it’s not an effective strategy. There is no honor in suffering needlessly.

If you want to learn more or think you are struggling with OCD yourself I recommend downloading the app NOCD. I have personally found it very helpful and I actually had it before my official diagnosis. Please take care of yourself and thank you all for reading.

💖🩷💗💞💘💕💓

Visualization Exercise.

Items Needed

-soap (I recommend something lavender or lemon scented for their anti-anxiety properties)

-a sink

Instructions.

1. Take a moment to identify where you hold your anxiety the most. How I do this is based off of my own symptoms. For me i experience gastrointestinal issues, racing heart, chest pains, racing thoughts and headaches.

2. Turn on the water and close your eyes and begin lathering up your hands with the soap. I recommend using cold water for this as well as it’s been proven to help ease anxiety symptoms.

3. Begin to visualize your anxiety in the places where you hold it in your body. What I do is I visual the color red in my head chest and stomach area. Take a moment to really sit with this even if it’s uncomfortable.

4. Then visualize your anxiety traveling through your body slowly until it reaches your hands. Then visualize your anxiety seeping through your skin until it’s almost like a paint or glue is covering your hands.

5. Then visualize yourself washing it all away and the color going down the drain.

6. Open your eyes to see clean hands.

I hope this helps and please take care of yourself and seek out help when you need it. Thank you.

#witchcraft #witch #anxiety witches #anxious witches

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clubmargot · 7 days

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The Great Equalizer

Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be a musician. I spent many, many years shuffling through other ideas, other better-paying avenues for a livelihood. All of them, although different in discipline, were connected by the same throughline: my desire to help others and make them feel less alone. All my life I have longed to find someone who understood, so I myself now aim to be the one who understands.

I hesitate to compare myself to people like Viktor Frankl, who spent three years in four separate Nazi concentration camps. He was forced to watch everyone around him die, brutally and tragically. His study, after being released from the camps, focused on the meaning of life. Existential ennui comes naturally to me, so I recognized Frankl’s point as being that the meaning of life is not to suffer, but to use our suffering to find meaning. We should acknowledge our suffering, but not dwell. Think about your past to learn, not to remain stuck in what cannot be changed.

This mindset is reflected here in each post I make, especially in an upcoming post about gut feelings (no spoilers, though). I can’t change what I’ve done, but I can make sure it won’t happen again. I can face my own death and mortality with dignity and integrity, as Frankl as called his audience to do. The story of the late neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi has also called me to this, but for different reasons.

Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36. He received his care at Stanford. Everyone in my immediate family has had cancer. My mother and sister have a genetic variation that codes for diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer. They both received their care major life-altering and life-threatening surgery, at Stanford. It was in the halls of the Stanford Cancer Center that I felt that first pang of existential ennui. I didn’t understand the point of the seemingly never-ending pain that was around me.

That pain, nearly six years later, has opened the door to community and a deeper understanding that with suffering comes love. I understand Kalanithi and his wife, Lucy, because I have, literally and figuratively, stood where they did. Perhaps the meaning of life lies hidden in the hallways and gardens of the Stanford Cancer Center.

As I’ve said, I think what drives a lot of us, or at least what drives me, is a fundamental desire to love and be loved. I am attentive to those around me, I ask unusual questions, because I suffered alone. Grief and death and hardship make people terribly uncomfortable, but it is through these natural human experiences that deeper connection is formed. Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, kept her husband’s calcified heart in her desk after he died. She wrapped it in one of his love poems.

Once again, I draw parallels to my own life, and the life of Lucy Kalanithi. Death is not the end of love, rather a shift in where that love goes. I don’t have a book or documentary clips or a calcified heart by which to remember my love. Instead, I have a guitar pick, a tattoo on my arm, and a bass that I never touch. Our individualized experiences of grief and love are what make us human. And, by extension, our experiences of death are what make us human.

Death is an equalizer in that it connects us to our humanity. We all meet the same end, albeit by different means. I believe that societally we are too far removed from what death actually is. In open caskets, we see puppets, not human bodies. Bodies with their blood pumped out, replaced with toxic embalming chemicals that needlessly preserve them for years, even though they will only be seen for hours at most. We place eyelids on spikes and jaws on wires, give our dead masks of makeup to make them look “lifelike”, like they are only sleeping.

I do not see a way, in this, to find any meaning. All suffering occurs behind closed doors. There is no community, only hiding from what we know to be true. Grief is private, grief is ugly. Grief should not be seen by others. The meaning of life must therefore be to live happily, even if it is fake. The meaning of life must therefore be to live forever, to never die. The only meaning of life that can be found in this scenario, in this society, is to run away from death. I don’t think we should be running to death (that is the other unhealthy extreme), I think it should be factored into our lives somehow.

To finalize this piece, I will leave you all with some more questions: How can we, as Frankl implores us, find meaning through suffering if we do not suffer honestly? Is there a lens by which to look at these circumstances and see something different? Are there other ways by which to find a meaning to life that do not come from pain? Can those definitions include death? What do you think? How do you live?

Thank you once again for reading!!

Until next time <3

Much love,

Margot

#txt

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universestreasures · 3 months

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Extension / Spinoff Of This Thread With @shacchou

🎶"Looking up at the sky with you, two bright shining stars call to us. Here we are, standing strong. Shining with our Buddy Lights..."🎶

The gentle and soothing singing voice of his friend was pleasant on the young boy's ears. Never in a million years did he think Tasuku had such a hidden talent, and yet here he is listening to him sing a song from the heart just to try and help him feel better. Then again, the Buddy Police Boy Wonder was good at a lot of things: Buddyfighting, school, investigating; just to name a few. So, him being good at yet another thing shouldn't be too surprising by this point to Mokuba.

He really was just like...Seto, wasn't he?

Drawing those comparisons between Tasuku and his brother was what the young boy had begun to do unconsciously since their initial meeting, but such things slowly became more and more common as he spent more time here. In fact, even now as he sits there listening to the other sing his tune, he can't help but visualize a younger Seto there soothing him instead, despite the fact Mokuba's never heard his brother ever sing before in his life.

Yes, the pre-teen seemed to embody the positive qualities that Mokuba associated with his elder brother from the past: warmth, gentleness, selflessness, compassion, happiness, protectiveness, honesty; all of those things he saw in Tasuku. Perhaps it was those qualities in him that had drawn the younger boy to seek out his help specifically during this time. After all, this entire situation came about because of his own feelings regarding the past, a past he can't seem to stop trying to chase despite promises of a prosperous future.

Such feelings did not change ever since being here. In truth, being around the blue-haired boy just made them stronger, the younger Kaiba feeling a semblance of what was lost the day he and his older brother were adopted. That just spoke though to a simple fact, a fact the boy knew deep down but did not want to admit to himself: that Mokuba had not yet fully accepted in his heart who his brother was today, in spite of their improved relations after Duelist Kingdom.

Mokuba wasn't so naive as to think that neither him or Seto wouldn't change over time. That would be nonsensical, especially considering the circumstances of their lives since becoming Kaiba's. No, what Mokuba couldn't seem to comprehend, and felt frustration and sadness towards, was why his brother was still...well...a stick in the mud, to put it nicely, long after their stepfather was gone.

From his viewpoint, that man was the sole reason for Seto's major shift in demeanor. So why did he have to keep acting so cold and grumpy now? Like he wasn't looking forward to the future he had been preparing for them all this time? The question went unanswered in his mind, no matter how much he tried to come up with an answer.

It had taken Mokuba some time to regain his own true smile after everything that's happened, no part in short thanks to Yugi's crew and his own he managed to make. He wants the same for his brother, to heal past the pain of Gozaboru's tryannny and be able to be as happy as he was prior to it. That selfless desire that seemed so far out of reach was a key part of why he was so hurt. He felt like his brother was just keeping himself miserable needlessly, overworking himself to death and isolating himself from and rejecting anyone who dare try to add some happiness into his life.

He just wanted his brother to be happy again like he was before, to play with games again truly for the fun of it and not in pursuit of revenge or victory. Was that so wrong to wish? To wish his brother could try to start to heal after the suffering they both went through, like Mokuba had?

Clearly, that sentiment was wrong. Otherwise, the elder Kaiba wouldn't have rejected his feelings that night so fiercely. In spite of his good intentions, Mokuba's feelings were burdening his brother, trying to drag him to a place he didn't want to go near for reasons not understood. It's something he's felt since a young age and seen time and time again to the point where he questions whether his inclusion in Seto's life was ever a good thing.

If Mokuba wasn't around, then his brother no doubt would have been adopted quickly and potentially not by a monster like Gozaboru.

If Mokuba wasn't around, his brother wouldn't have had to fight so hard to protect and care for him all the time, to secure a future for them both when securing one for a genius like him alone would have been easier.

If Mokuba wasn't around...perhaps he never would have lost his smile to begin with.

The very thought causes tears to come from his purple eyes, syncing up with the end of Tasuku's sweet song. His breaths came out shaky, unable to stop the floodgates from flowing. Without needing to think, his hands move to clasp the pair of lockets around his neck, as if he would die without doing so.

"Why...? Why?! Why am I such a burden?! Such a bad brother?!"

His voice echoed throughout the small apartment room, his voice portraying the inner pain he felt akin to being kicked in the gutts. Why did he have to follow Gao's advice? Why did he have to speak his mind and say such hurtful things? Why didn't he just let things be as they are despite wanting so much more, like he's done before? Why did he do something that would risk his staying in his brother's life?!

Perhaps taking that risk was why Seto had yet to contact him since he left. Because maybe he felt the same thing Mokuba was starting to think: that he didn't want him to come back. That way, his brother wouldn't have to entertain the younger boy's 'nonsense' anymore, and he could live his life without being reminded of the past he clearly was repulsed by.

Maybe...things were better off this way, after all...

"Mokie Mokuba."

The all-too-familiar voice reaches his ears, and an all-too-familiar touch can be felt on his shoulders. Mokuba opened his teary eyes slowly in response. In front of him, with his vision blurred by the water, he...saw him. He saw his brother, but not the one of the past, but of the present.

Did he come here to see him? Did he come here to take him home? Did he come here because...he still loved him?

"S...eto...?"

"You're not..."

"A burden or a bad brother." The illusion Mokuba's mind had created shattered with Tasuku's next words, as gentle as they were. The young Kaiba was now thrust again into reality, purple hues glancing up at his friend who had been the one speaking the whole time. Seems like his mind and heart were continuing to play tricks on him.

How cruel.

"Listen to me. You've done nothing wrong. It's your brother who has. Don't blame yourself for his mistakes." Mokuba is then pulled into the other's arms, him being comforted by Tasuku's warmth. "Never think you can't express how you're feeling or that it's wrong to feel how you do, no matter who tells you."

The embrace lasted as long as he needed to calm himself. After having cried himself to death, the older kid lets go, gently standing up from his position of sitting next to the boy in order to gently try and guide Mokuba to lie down once again. Once he is set, he watches Tasuku grab the blankets, scattered at the bottom of the bed, and attempts to tuck him back in, not realizing his method of tucking was not to Mokuba's preference (it was too tight). Still, the young Kaiba didn't voice anything to the contrary, for he had lost his voice from all that crying.

"Now, try to get some rest, okay? Gao is coming over tomorrow. He said he wants to have a game of Capsule Monsters with you. I'm sure you two will have a blast." Tasuku then moves to the door's exit, Mokuba glancing over at the soft smile he can see through the light coming from the rest of the apartment. "Sleep well, Mokuba. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or Jack. We're here for you."

The door then closes, leaving Mokuba alone in the room whose only light source was a nightlight Tasuku had gotten for him. He reaches for his Blue-Eyes plush, hugging it tightly for support. It's then he reaches with one of his arms to open his own locket, staring at the picture of Seto inside intensely until he passes out from emotional and physical exhaustion.

#💎 Crystalized Hidden Gems (Drabble)#💎 Vice Treasure (Mokuba Kaiba)#💎 Wonder Treasure (Tasuku Ryuenji)#💎 President With A Blue-Eyed Lighting (Shacchou)#💎 Vice's Monochromic Alternate Path (Mokuba Manga Verse)#💎 Wonder's Game Of Life (Tasuku Yu-Gi-Oh! DM Verse)#tw long post #tw ptsd #(I told Ani a spin off drabble of Mokuba's POV during this angst fest was coming and here it is. ;;;;;#(mokuba's pain just hurts me so much like bby no you're not a burden and your brother loves you ;;;;;#(this takes place the night before gao's visit where he pitches that idea to tasuku further showing why tasuku was not about it #( i also wanted to have a specific thing for Tasuku to reference for the eventual interaction with Seto #(the song tasuku is singing here is actually the ED his va does sing in the show and is a song other chrs have sung IN universe too #(plus Soma Saitou has such a beautiful voice like omg ;;;#(I thought it was fitting and sweet to include it. tasuku doesnt like share his singing talent with others that much unless they are close #(more so because he figured he'd start getting people to want to turn him into an idol if it went public #(its something he learnt how to do from his mother much like seto with his piano playing from what Ani has told me which #(another thing these two have in common icb this LOL #(the song is linked on all the lyrics in the reply if anyone wants to listen to it! soma saitou tasukus va has such a wonderful voice ;;;#(but yeah i hope ani and anyone else who reads this enjoys it despite the angst! it's good to have mokubas headspace written out prior to #(his inveitable talk with seto #(providing context as to where he's at and such #(also getting to dive into mokubas sub concious projecting of seto onto tasuku that just really shows how he needs #(his brother rn despite tasukus best efforts to try and be that sort of figure for him rn

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dilfdoctordoom · 9 months

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Absolutely just preaching to the choir at this point but like, I don't care I'm also going to complain LOL I cannot get over how it seems Gunn had a legit grudge against Gamora (and Mantis!!!) because the treatment of both of them feels so specifically targeted that you would think both characters broke into his house and kicked his dog or something. He's definitely not as dumb as the Snyder fans would have you believe, I know he reads the source material even if he ignores the majority of it, but I do not see how even if you ONLY read GotG 2008 that you'd come away with wanting to intentionally write the women like that, it's so unhinged.

I'd ask why the HELL Vol. 3 struggles so much with its WOC when he's shown to have the ability to Try and improve on this in his other work post Vol. 2 (Mind you i think The Suicide Squad also had issues with racism AND ableism- if it's supposed to be this commentary on the USA strong arming and trying to cover up their involvement with other countries, why is the film presenting it as a big joke that Bloodsport and Peacemaker are violently murdering these POC freedom fighters by accident? I know Gunn is a big horror nut and violence and an R rating blah blah blah but Maybe read the room. And don't get me started on everything with Polka Dot Man oh my god) but by now I think the Vol. 3 issues are because he just could NOT put himself mentally into the characters headspaces, like he literally couldn't relate to them At All so they just had to get these half assed resolutions at best or written out to never to return at worst. (other than Rocket, obviously, who even then ALSO suffers from the writing!! NO ONE TRULY WINS!!!)

I genuinely think the only reason the leading lady in Peacemaker (Leota, a black queer woman) didn't get treated like ass is because of Gunn's own comment that the character shares a name with his mother. Like, bruh. If the only way you can treat these characters with different backgrounds than you with the bare minimum of respect is because of vaguely nepotistic reasons or because you absolutely HAVE to relate to/project onto them, then idk what to even say 😵‍💫

This is a safe space to be mad about the treatment of women (& women of color specifically) in the Guardians franchise because god, it always just gets worse the more that I think about it.

(Random tangent: Like, you have Michelle Yeoh! The Michelle Yeoh! And she's just... cameo doesn't do anything doesn't ever appear again. My god if we're gonna force Gamora to be a Ravager at least bring her back).

There was some improvement in his DC work (though definitely not in his treatment of disabled characters lmao that's a consistent shitshow). Ratcatcher felt like a person, didn't get needlessly fridge like I'd assumed she would. Harcourt and Leota actually feel fledged out. Leota especially as that's a queer woman of color... and now it's just cause she has the same as his mother lmao.

Guardians 3 I think is the most disappointing movie in the entire MCU because I just fundamentally do not buy these resolutions for these characters. Peter's going back to Earth? Awesome, but he already did that. Rocket's fine with everyone leaving? Strange since for them, they were dead for five years.

What happened to Gamora and Mantis goes beyond Gunn's favoritism like he was so casual about killing Gamora... leading woman of color, and he talks constantly about how he just wanted to kill her, that's, uh, that's not great.

Mantis drives me crazy because you could not convince me that that man has read a single comic starring her. How do you adapt someone so horrifically? Comic Mantis isn't great, nor am I ever gonna claim she is, but she's still somehow better than the MCU depiction.

#q & a #kicking gunn in the face as we speak

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telemna-hyelle · 2 years

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Fi (headcanons and WIP)

Headcanon A: realistic

Hmm. Well, I'd say that Fi is tied to the Hero's Spirit, so she's aware of them pretty much as soon as they're born, watches over them from afar in spirit and considers all of them her masters, whether or not they actually wield her or not. Though it can get rather stressful for her, because she's stuck watching and not being able to protect them.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

...this isn't really a "headcanon" but a really dumb crack theory that Kiwi and I came up with really late at night, but the theory is that Ghirahim (in this au/theory he's the Lorulian master sword) and Fi fall in love and magically forge twin children--being the sword spirits of the Four Sword and it's Lorulian counterpart.

...as i said it's really dumb but I think it's hilarious.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

The whole reason the seven-year-sleep happened in OOT is because Fi panicked because she'd only ever been wielded by an adult before. She didn't want to send a child off to fight the King of Evil and was terrified that he'd die, so she sent him to sleep to protect him/ensure he's old enough to actually fight. Being a sword, she didn't realize the effect this would have on him, and once she realized... well. It was too late. She's been burdened by the guilt and blames herself for... basically everything bad that happened to the Hero of Time and the Adult Timeline on her foolishness. She's vowed to never do anything like that again, hence why the Hero of Winds and the Hero of Legend could wield the sword at a young age.

The guilt is even worse for her in the Downfall Timeline, because she had Link sleep for seven years so he'd be able to face Ganondorf and it was all for naught. She made him suffer needlessly.

So yeah. She has a lot of guilt and thinks she's disgraced her very being--her purpose is to protect her master, after all, and she was the one that hurt him this time.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

The Hero of Legend can hear Fi and even on occasion see her, and they're best friends.

As for WIP...

“FI?” Wind grinned, looking the sword spirit up and down. “Why do you look like that?”

“Master Link assured me it was an important function of my role in the festivities.” Fi said, unruffled as ever. “I am supposed to be representative of the Crimson Loftwing.”

#ask game #hc ask game #wip ask game #lu-four my beloved #you ask tellie answers #loz fi

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firefrightfic · 2 years

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I just finished reading The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast and before anything else, damn this book is good. The art, the writing. Everything is well put together and intense, you will not come away from reading it without some level of emotional damage, that's for sure. It's a definite must read for any Caleb fans, moreso than the Jester book (which while very good, didn't break any barriers on what we already knew about her past). Which, that said, spoilers below the cut...

I wanted to cry from the very beginning. Seeing Caleb's home, his parents, the original Frumpkin (who ran behind the cart after him when he left for Soltryce!). Everything about Caleb/Bren's origins is immediately overshadowed by our existing knowledge of the tragedy that's about to come, and the book does a very good job of making you fall for this despite that. Which! Is the best kind of tragedy, because you in your mind you can't help but yell at the characters, knowing what horror is about to befall them and being powerless to stop it.

It was sweet the comic took time to show us how Caleb was happy at Soltryce to begin with. That despite some classism for where he came from, he did settle in, excel and make friends. There was even a little moment where one of them was shown to be taken aback by Bren's transformation after Trent took him, Astrid and Eadwulf under his wing, and that felt very real to what would have happened as Bren suddenly cuts his hair and starts to isolate himself from everything beforehand.

And speaking of Astrid and Eadwulf, is was interesting to see that they weren't actually childhood friends as fans theorised. Their relationship didn't exist at all until they started the Volstrucker training, which I think some people may dislike, but I found a fun revelation. It really makes the lasting impact they had on each other across such a relatively short span of time all the more meaningful for how Caleb was able to reach out to them again at the time of the campaign (and of course many thanks to Liam O'Brien and the writer/artist for the many explicitly bisexual sex scenes in this comic, as well as other queer moments).

Trent is, of course, as horribly gross and cruel as we expected. But to see that he actively fostered the growing codependency and sexual relationship between the three was an extra level of yuck. God, hate that man, but he really was an expert level manipulator; careful to use the carrot as much as the stick in training his Volstrucker. Every span of suffering was soothed by a reward to make sure the three continued to validated in what they were doing as a necessary hardship, rather than the torture and conditioning it was. Eventually topped by the use of Modify Memory to plant the false memories of the three's parents being traitors to the Empire.

Which, okay... the death of the Blumendrei's parents, I'm... I'm never going to be over Caleb's parents holding each other and the og!Frumpkin as their home burnt down around them. CR how dare you...

Which leads me into the other big surprise of the comic! That after Bren snapped, Astrid and Eadwulf actually left him outside his home, where he was found by the villagers the next morning. Trent, of course, then shows up and reveals to the villagers that Bren burnt the house down, with a side of manipulation and blaming it on Bren having mental health issues rather than the full truth. It's such a... almost needlessly cruel action? Except it was also insurance for Trent that if Bren ever did snap out of his catatonia, he'd never be able to go back to Blumenthal again without repercussion. Now I really can't help but think of that with Caleb in the present time of the campaign, if he even consciously remembers Trent doing that, and how that must agonise him alongside everything else. Trent really did take everything from him, so when the woman in the sanitorium heals him, you feel it with Caleb as the rage comes into his eyes.

(the brutal murder of the guard there, ow. But you deserve some murder, Caleb, lbr. I really liked the design used for the anti-scry necklace, too).

It was an excellent choice to then show us the beginnings of Caleb's life on the run. The different identities he used, the struggles he faced, and of course ending with him meeting Nott. Perfect.

I know I'm going to have so many more thoughts than this when I reread the book later. But really, 10/10. So much love for our sad truama wizard and everyone involved in making his story.

#critical role #cr2 #caleb widogast #mighty nein origins

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sepublic · 3 years

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God seeing Marcy in that tank, floating and healing, unconscious… A part of me is relieved as hell, but;

A part of me is still in utter despair. It still hurts to watch; Not only because of what happened, the emotional and mental and PHYSICAL anguish she went through… But also, even if she’s recovering, well, she still WENT through that to begin with, she shouldn’t be in this kind of state, EVER! She’s literally a child and Marcy has gone through unimaginable trauma of multiple forms, and it shouldn’t have happened at all!

She’s not fully safe yet, she’s still by herself, still wounded… Hurting, scarred already- GOD, can you imagine Marcy handling a scar for the rest of her life, of her most traumatic experience!? Dreaming, possibly having nightmares, not even fully aware or realizing that she’s alive- She might think she’s dead, or is in too lucid of a coma-like state to even realize or remember, too lucid to be relieved and given hope. She looks so lonely in there, so forgotten...! So small, but also weirdly peaceful and tranquil, like a dead body resting... It’s bittersweet and leaves me conflict and confused like her. Blissfully unaware... of the pain but also that she’s safe and still alive, so she’s trapped in that terror in a sense. The void- She must FEEL dead and I hate it. That this is the rest from life she wanted all along...

And I’m sad because… Marcy was so afraid of being left behind. Sasha and Anne didn’t even KNOW she was going to leave them, can you believe that?! How they’d have reacted if Marcy told them, but she didn’t trust them, didn’t feel safe enough to admit this first at least? They had no idea that they were about to lose her too, they would’ve found out on Anne’s BIRTHDAY… Marcy was so afraid of being left out, behind, alone from the others, and she kind of was on that day; Anne and Sasha had fun (well mostly Sasha) as they forgot about Marcy, who had to grapple with the worst news of her life all by herself.

Watch Sasha and Anne’s antics, knowing that somewhere out there, Marcy is having a borderline panic attack and feels so incredibly isolated and detached, desperate even- It’s the end of the world for her, while for Sasha and Anne, it’s just goofy antics; The worst thing for Anne is being late to her own birthday, but at least there will be more birthdays, and more times to hang out with her friends. But Marcy…

Now, Marcy is left alone, once again! Because Sasha and Anne… They have company. They have people, REAL friends. And they’ll no doubt reunite and put in the work to stop Andrias. Sasha is going to learn and heal from her mistakes, but Marcy… She’s probably going to float in that tank, all by herself, taken advantage of by Andrias’ master, for who knows how long. Marcy’s going to miss out on so much, the chance to grow and develop and be with her friends against Andrias, because now she’s trapped with them…

Even though Marcy lived… Just. The WAY the show handled it. The complete and utter breakdown. The despair, the terror, the regret… The genuine belief that she was dead, the shock from Marcy and everyone else. It all felt real, and still does, in the moment, that you keep forgetting she lives- Like you’re actually there, reliving the moment as if it were new, each time and feeling the dread alongside everyone else. For a moment, Marcy DID die- And they’ll never forget that. She went through the experience of believing, of feeling she was dead, and for all intents and purposes she was. Marcy shouldn’t have EVER been dead…

We would’ve had to wait who knows HOW long before we got reassurance that Marcy lived, had True Colors aired properly. Even if Marcy lives, that trauma… She’ll NEVER be the same after this, the innocent girl she was, it didn’t grow into someone else- It felt more like it was brutally murdered to make room for another, more mature yet scarred Marcy.

Marcy may not have literally died in True Colors… But it was the death of her innocence. Her spirit, her hope, and dreams and fantasy… The fun, the carefree attitude that every kid is owed; And the trust from her friends, the trust towards others, the belief in herself. Marcy may not be completely dead, but a part of her DID die, irreparably I feel… And I’m just afraid that Marcy is going to return rather late in Season 3, and be forced to catch up on all this growth she missed out, on the time Sasha and Anne had together. Still left out…

But, hopefully they’ll stick with her, to let Marcy know they’re never leaving her behind. But DAMN it sucks that Marcy might not get this full development on-screen, and it just feels so unfair and descriptive of her life, always overlooked and ignored, given the short end of the stick… Barely making through with the bare minimum of a victory, and just being grateful for that! I swear, I NEED to see Season 3 fully delve into Marcy’s recovery from her wound, let her realize she’s alive and still has a chance, fully develop her hope, rekindle friendships with Sasha and Marcy, actual time to do so, at her own pace (mostly)…

Just… let Marcy be here. Let her participate like the rest of the girls, and not be forgotten and sidelined again. NOBODY deserves this, least of all a literal child like her… She just wanted to avoid loneliness. She could’ve learned her lesson without this sort of trauma, so all of it, all of Marcy’s suffering- It’s just pointless and needlessly cruel, and accomplishes nothing but to break her. And she had NO ONE to listen to her, no one who actually cared… So dammit, I want to see Marcy reconcile and vent and admit to Sasha and Anne, and have them listen and forgive her, and let Marcy know that she’s HEARD, all right! I just need some full emotional closure for her, some on-screen, canonical development, inarguably there and described, and not just alluded to or set up in an off-screen epilogue.

And I need Marcy to know that it’s all right. That as she floats, she’s going to be dreaming a lot, and… A lot of her dreams will be nightmares. She won’t wake up for a while, she’ll be trapped in her fears, reliving trauma and isolation and despair, over and over again, not realizing that there’s an end or even that there was ever anything else to begin with. But you’ll wake up soon, Mar-Mar, and it’ll be all right… It wasn’t just a bad dream, a lot of it DID happen- But the rest, Sasha and Anne will fight to make sure it never occurs, no more pain. No more suffering and anguish… They know what happened and they will FIGHT for you this time! They’re here to protect and defend, and you can trust them, rely on them, to come for you in the end… They’ll come back, I promise.

I want to see it- The hope, the glimmer and realization, the new life and invigoration and joy in her eyes, when Marcy first realizes that Anne and the others are coming back for her. I want to see it. And I want her to experience and appreciate this joy by herself, to be left alone with it, without Andrias or his master or anyone else there to ruin it.

...Not too long ago, she was so HAPPY singing with Anne and Sasha. She really thought it’d all be okay and she was looking forward to it, even! I see her in that tank and I want to hold her, cherish her, cuddle and comfort Marcy, and tell her it’s gonna be alright, it’s okay, you’re safe now- And we understand. We still love and forgive you.

#amphibia #amphibia spoilers #spoilers #amphibia marcy #marcy wu #angst #meta

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tennessoui · 3 years

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You know one of my favorite Star Wars fic tropes? Evil, feral Anakin being horribly mistreated his whole life and hurt, and then being comforted and nursed back to health by Obi-Wan. And instantly imprinting on him, like, in a "I will kill anyone for you" way. Could be any Obi-Wan! Nice Obi-Wan for that sweet sweet hurt/comfort and kisses and turning Anakin from his murderous ways with the power of kindness! Evil Obi-Wan for sweet double trouble action and delicious obsession with each other!!

this is also one of my favorite star wars tropes!!! i love a needlessly protective and feral Anakin who distrusts everyone except for Obi-Wan.

unfortunately. um. this went a little sideways. and there is no being nursed back to health. but there's some delicious obsession and protectiveness and also future mutual obsession so i'm counting the prompt fill as like 3.5 out of 5 stars for following the prompt, which is. let's be honest, higher than most of my prompt fills. this is a bit dark and contains references to mind tricks, but there is no sex or kissing that could be construed as dub con. just like. dub con emotions i guess

(2.2k)

Quinlan has that look in his eyes, as if he’s about to say something that he knows Obi-Wan won’t like.

Carefully, Obi-Wan puts down his cup of tea and laces together his fingers in his lap. He can already feel a seed of anger blooming inside of him. Since Anakin has re-entered his life and the Temple, he’s found that this deep, swirling rage is harder to give to the Force. And easier to feel at a moment’s notice.

Like almost all the differences in his life now, this can be put on Anakin through no fault of the boy’s own.

After all, Obi-Wan thinks to himself, it is much easier to feel this sort of fury at the galaxy’s injustices when living with someone who has suffered most all of the most grievous kinds.

“Just say it, Quinlan.” Obi-Wan says.

Vos clears his throat. “Where is...your charge?”

“My charge,” he repeats, unimpressed. “You know his name.”

“I know both of his names,” Quinlan fires back. “Does he prefer Anakin or Vader?”

The anger inside of him grows larger at the mention of Vader. As if Anakin would ever prefer the name Sidious gave to him. As if he had chosen it for himself.

As if the Jedi had played no part in the birth of Vader.

“Anakin is asleep,” is all Obi-Wan says.

Quinlan makes a show of peering down the hallway of Obi-Wan’s quarters to the two closed bedroom doors. “In whose bed?”

His hands tighten into fists beneath the table. “That is a bold accusation to make.”

“Why?” his old friend’s posture is forcibly casual, slumped in his seat and hand loosely wrapped around his cup. Obi-Wan wonders if this is how he looks when he’s undercover on missions. The thought settles heavily into his stomach and makes him sit up straighter. If this is a mission to Quinlan Vos, then what is his objective? What does he want with Obi-Wan?

With Anakin?

“The boy’s legally allowed to spread his legs for anyone he wants, Obi-Wan. He's nineteen and everything.”

Obi-Wan can feel his teeth grind together. The fury in his chest is building at an alarmingly fast rate. The thought of anyone touching Anakin like that when the boy’s so obviously traumatized and in need of a tender hand--if he were a lesser Jedi, he’d snarl at Vos to leave.

“Any consent Anakin offers anyone would be dubious at best,” he snaps. “He is nineteen, but he has spent the past ten years of his life being tortured and enslaved by Darth Sidious.”

Quinlan narrows his eyes and looks over Obi-Wan’s face. “That’s not your fault,” he finally says quietly, leaning forward as if to grip his arm before he thinks better of it. “Obi-Wan, listen to me. What happened to Anakin is tragic. Awful. Despicable. But it is not your fault.”

Obi-Wan looks away, his jaw clenched tightly before he forces himself to relax. “I only blame myself for not verifying what I was told.”

“Do you blame the Jedi Council then? For sending the boy away?”

“My master begged me to train the boy, Vos. And while I was in the Halls of Healing, they sent him back to Tatooine. And no one ever checked to make sure he got there. Sidious grabbed him because we--because they allowed him to. And then spent ten years torturing and breaking down a child right under our very noses! Who would you blame, Vos?”

“Sidious,” the other man answers easily. “The Council had no way of knowing that Sidious even knew about the boy, that he was in any danger at all--”

“He was nine!” Obi-Wan roars, slamming a fist on the table, unable to swallow the dark, heavy fury anymore. “He was a child. A slave! They were going to send him back there!”

“To his mother!”

“To his chains,” Obi-Wan corrects fiercely.

Vos purses his lips and crosses his arms. “He is not a child anymore, Obi-Wan. He’s a killer. He’s dangerous. It’s worrying to me that you can’t see it. Or don’t want to see it.”

Obi-Wan wants to scoff. Anakin Skywalker is not dangerous. The boy gets night terrors, begs to be let into Obi-Wan’s bed, and can only sleep if he’s being cuddled up against his chest. He holds his blasted hand in public because he’s terrified of being separated from Obi-Wan again. He’s refused to even touch his lightsaber since the first night Obi-Wan stumbled upon him, bleeding in one of the lower levels of Coruscant. There are some days he won’t even let Obi-Wan touch him to hold him, and he shakes apart in the shadowy corner of his closet, reliving traumas Obi-Wan can’t help him with.

Dangerous. Dangerous.

“No, Obi-Wan, come on. You have to see. The boy’s turning you against the Jedi, against the Council!” “He doesn't need to," Obi-Wan says coldly. "The Jedi seem to be doing a fine job of that themselve."

“That's what I'm talking about!” Vos exclaims, waving an incensed hand. “The Obi-Wan Kenobi I knew would never say that! He would never think a bad thing about the Order, let alone say it! Let alone threaten to leave in the middle of a war if the Council didn’t grant him permission to keep the boy in his rooms! People talk, Obi-Wan! They’re not being kind!”

A thought bubbles up in Obi-Wan’s mind, vicious and sharp. Obi-Wan should not expect kindness from the Jedi. Not about Anakin. Everything they’ve ever done to and said about the boy proves that. Obi-Wan would have to abandon Anakin again to ensure the Council’s kindness and trust in him.

Obi-Wan would rather die than abandon the boy now when he needs him so obviously. He’d rather Fall than turn his back on Anakin, even if that’s what it took to stay in the Order.

“I think you should leave, Vos,” Obi-Wan murmurs quietly. “I think there is little left to say.”

His old friend stares at him from across the table in shock before he stands up without another word. At the door to his quarters, he freezes but doesn’t turn around. “You are attached, Obi-Wan. The Jedi Council will not stand for it. They will not allow it to continue.”

There’s something off with his voice, but Obi-Wan is too concerned with what he’s said to focus on anything else. “What do you mean?” he asks sharply, springing to his feet.

But Vos just shakes his head and leaves.

Obi-Wan collapses back into his seat as the door slides shut behind the man, his head buzzing with thoughts. That had sounded like a warning. Would the Council be so bold, so cruel, as to separate Obi-Wan and Anakin forcefully?

Yes, the thought flashes across his mind, followed by a swell of fury.

And then there’s a sleepy little questioning tug on the bond stretching between him and Anakin. His charge must have just woken up and found Obi-Wan still missing.

Obi-Wan tugs back, helpless against the urge to comfort Anakin. The bond explodes in a tidal wave of joy, the way it always does when Obi-Wan uses their illicit connection to communicate. He hadn’t in the early days, too afraid of the Council and the Code to do something so forbidden.

Now he cannot seem to muster enough regard for the Jedi to care. It is nice to feel Anakin in his mind, where he belongs. Where he’s always belonged.

---

In the bedroom that Obi-Wan keeps on insisting is not theirs, Vader allows his eyes to open as he slips out of meditation. He had been too forceful there at the end with Vos, fed him the exact words he needed him to tell his new master.

That sort of mind trick is too sloppy and easily discovered. It is much harder to trace emotional manipulation, especially over time. He’s been doing it for months now, the Jedis’ mental shields no match for his raw power trained to be sharp as a vibroblade.

It’s all just been a matter of slowly strengthening the other Jedis’ already existing mistrust and doubt about him, all the while crying to Obi-Wan about his past and his fears. It served to highlight the Jedi hypocrisy to his new master, and when he felt that first seed of anger grow in Kenobi’s mind, he encouraged it to grow faster.

The downside, of course, has been that Obi-Wan sees him as a scared child in need of protection. Vader is working on that too though, lengthening the touches they share and letting his shields fall at inopportune moments, like when he’s playing with himself in the fresher, so his master understands that Vader is capable of bringing him pleasure of all kinds.

It’s very important Obi-Wan understands that he can get everything he needs from Vader alone. There will be no one else, for either of them.

Sidious will die soon. The Jedi will die sooner. Vader and Obi-Wan can take their proper place, as Emperors of the Galaxy.

After Obi-Wan falls, of course.

It won’t take long now though.

Joy at the thought of one day looking into Obi-Wan’s golden eyes pushes Vader out of their bed and into the common area. He rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand a few times, and then it’s Anakin who’s crossing the space separating him from his master so he can settle in Obi-Wan’s lap.

Obi-Wan accepts him into his arms immediately, and Anakin has to fight the urge to smile in victory as he squirms in an attempt to get comfortable, only stopping when he’s straddling his master, sitting directly over his cock.

He wraps his arms around his master’s neck and buries his face in the juncture between his shoulder and throat.

Feeling daring, he licks slightly at the skin there, just to feel the way Obi-Wan’s hands tighten on his hips. “Missed you,” he murmurs, inhaling greedily.

Nothing in the entire universe smells as good as Obi-Wan, holds Anakin as gently as Obi-Wan, cares as much about him as Obi-Wan does.

He’d kill everyone in the galaxy for his master, if it was asked of him. He wouldn’t even think twice about it. And one day, soon, his master will feel the same.

Especially when his pesky Order has been dealt with, an execution order stamped with Sidious’ name. The only good thing his old master has ever given him.

The Jedi will die, Anakin will be blameless, and Obi-Wan will be safe from harm’s way. That’s why he’d had to push Vos so messily at the end there. Obi-Wan needs to be safe before the planned Order #66, and there’s no telling what Sidious will do now that Anakin has escaped.

“I heard voices,” he prompts, when Obi-Wan seems content to just sit silently and trace shapes on the bare skin of his back.

Obi-Wan hums. “Yes,” he admits. “An...old friend came to visit.”

Anakin bites gently at the skin of Obi-Wan’s throat and pulls back enough to make eye contact. He doesn’t know if his eyes are blue or gold right now, but either way Obi-Wan seems entranced by them. Riveted.

He pouts. “Your old friends never stay around long enough to meet me,” he says with a tremble in his voice, as if he cares about Obi-Wan’s old friends.

Obi-Wan reaches a hand up and thumbs over Anakin’s bottom lip. Anakin holds his breath. It’ll ruin everything if he sucks at it right now, despite how much he’s craving to map the whorls with his tongue.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan breathes out, and Anakin changes his grasp so he’s now holding tightly to the front of his robes. “I must tell you something you may not want to hear.”

The Dark inside of him roars and snarls at this statement. If Obi-Wan has decided to make him leave, Anakin will not go quietly. Anakin will kill the entire Jedi Order himself, until this glowing angel--so warm, so bright in the Force--only has him.

“The Council will try to take you away from me,” his master murmurs.

Anakin makes his eyes go round and wet. It’s not even that much of an act: he just has to think of Obi-Wan agreeing with his stupid Council, and suddenly he’s appropriately tearful and afraid.

“No, no, Anakin, don’t cry,” his master croons, grasping the back of his neck and touching their foreheads together. Then, in a firmer tone, he says the words Anakin has been waiting to here for months. “I will not let that happen. We must leave the Order. I’m sorry, dear one. I can only imagine how much you wanted this place to be your home.”

Anakin has to rip his head out of Obi-Wan’s grasp and bury it in his neck so his dear master can’t see his smirk. Oh, Obi-Wan. The man may never understand that the only thing Anakin wants is already holding him tightly against his chest.

But Anakin will remind him. Anakin will remind him for the rest of his life.

“When do we leave?” Anakin whimpers, wondering if he’s overdoing it slightly, but Obi-Wan’s grip on his back only tightens.

When Obi-Wan speaks, his voice doesn’t waver at all. There’s not a single shred of indecision in his force signature either. “Tonight,” his master says, brushing a barely there kiss against the crown of his head. “We leave tonight.”

Vader smiles in bliss and burrows impossibly further into his master’s arms, nipping at his master’s skin again, just because he knows he will not be pushed away. This is the safest place in the galaxy, and now it will be his forever.

Victory tastes sweet. Obi-Wan’s skin tastes even sweeter.

#asks #prompt fill #cw: dubious consent #due to lying and mind/emotional manipulation #ill have you know i pulled up a gif set of anakin in aotc and stared at it while writing this #obikin #vaderwan #anakin latches onto obi-wan emotionally and wont let anything happen to him #but he also does everything in his power to make sure he wont be left behind again

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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 3 years

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So...Misery style, how would you make Tomione work? (Or how would you do a Tomione story?)

Thanks, Anon, this might be harder than the Dramione one.

Well, again, to please my deranged captor, I'd likely follow the plot of your standard Tomione fic and hope it passes muster. "Oh yeah, Hermione's back in time and she's doing back and forth mind games with Tom and it's really intellectual." With any luck, my feet aren't smashed into oblivion.

But I think you're trying to get at what I would really do if I really had to write Tom/Hermione and I had to make it something I would read. At least, that seems to be the spirit of this ask.

So, we're going the thriller route people. A lot like Misery, actually.

Instead of Ginny, twelve-year-old Hermione picks up the diary. Like Ginny, Hermione quickly becomes besotted with Tom Riddle trapped inside. However, unlike Ginny, Hermione goes straight to the library and starts asking pesky questions.

Hermione's never heard of memories stored in objects before, the theory behind portraits and pensieves are completely different, what spells did Tom use and where did he find them? Did Tom Riddle invent an entirely new branch of magic at the age of 16 without anyone noticing? What was Tom's special service to the school?

Tom starts sweating when it becomes clear that Hermione's stumbling a bit too close to the truth (that this is not ordinary magic and highly dangerous shit) and that she's clearly going to start asking around about Tom Riddle (to Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid, who were all near Hogwarts at the same time Tom was going to school).

Tom confesses that he may have created the diary using something very... illegal. Hermione is appalled and asks if it was gasp dark magic! He admits it is but points out it's a bit late now, like it or not, he's stuck in the diary and running to Dumbledore isn't going to make that go away any time soon. And it wasn't like Tom asked to be shoved in a diary either.

Hermione's very conflicted, on the one hand, Tom's the first real intellectual friend she's ever had. Harry and Ron are nice, but they're morons and they thinks he's a nerd. Tom encourages her intellectual pursuits and confirms her concern over various what not and what have you happening in Hogwarts.

Eventually, Hermione decides that Tom in the diary can't help being a diary (though the other Tom, the real Tom, she'd have words with), and decides that she'll try to help him get a body.

Great, that's great, Tom says.

But it keeps getting worse.

Tom tries to possess Hermione, but unlike Ginny, Hermione knows that Tom is a dangerous, dark, artifact. If she's suffering negative health effects, losing her memory and ending up in the girl's lavatory, she's going to research this and decide that either a) she's suffering ill effects of using dark magic b) she just got possessed by Tom.

Either way, she tells him she can't use the diary anymore, it's affecting her health and she must research. Well, Hermione researching does Tom no fucking good, but he can't stop her.

The Chamber of Secrets, as a result, is never opened.

Instead, Hermione continues researching, and Harry and Ron... begin to get on her nerves. It's not like last year, there's no Flamel to research, no over-arching mystery, and they seem to be growing tired of her. In turn, Hermione's getting a little tired of quidditch, getting detention, etc.

She's a little tired of Hogwarts, if she's being honest with herself.

Hermione's now had a taste of having a friend who isn't there to simply use her brains. And it's very addicting. She decides not to tell Ron and Harry about Tom, they'd just get needlessly concerned (the irony of this isn't lost on her but what can you do)

In the end, she opens back up the diary, and point blank asks what Tom needs to get a body. Before Tom can tell her, Hermione lists out her own theories. Life cannot be created from nothing, golems and puppets cannot last in the long term, to get a real body... human sacrifice is on the table, isn't it?

Well shit, Tom thinks to himself. He tries to assure Hermione it isn't but ends up confessing that, well, yes, it kind of is.

They have another huge row about it, Hermione slams the diary shut, but the wheels in her brain are spinning.

Does anyone deserve to die?

Hermione, at first, adamantly tells herself the answer is no. No one deserves to be sacrificed. Tom's fate is cruel, but the original Tom made his bed and should lie in it. It's unfortunate, but that's just life. Not the diary's fault, of course, but nothing that can be helped.

But then she keeps thinking about it.

Malfoy struts through the school like a peacock, sneering every time he sees her, laughing every time Snape deducts points from her in Potions for being a 'smarmy know-it-all'. Every time he can get away with it he's shoving her in hallways, calling her a mudblood, and assuring her that she's worth less than the dirt beneath her feet.

She watches as Malfoy torments and bullies Harry, she looks at Draco's father, and she asks herself if the world would really be so much worse off if Draco Malfoy were to disappear?

Draco Malfoy's being groomed to use dark magic, he practically brags about it at every opportunity, why is his life worth more than Tom Riddle's, someone who has paid the price for dark magic?

Isn't Hermione, in a roundabout way, only giving Draco what he deserves? The fate he'd meet at some point in the not so distant future?

Draco does something phenomenally cruel and stupid to the trio, likely to Harry, and that settles it. Hermione's going to murder that motherfucker and get Tom Riddle a body.

Hermione tells Tom the plan, she's passing off the diary to Draco, she has her full blessing, her permission, and whatever help he requires from her to eat Draco Malfoy alive.

Tom is unwillingly impressed, he was a vicious gremlin as a twelve-year-old, but even he wasn't committing murder in cold blood.

Tom's not sure how he feels about murdering a Malfoy, that's bound to get noticed, but Hermione's unyielding. Draco Malfoy, or Hermione goes to Dumbledore.

So, Draco Malfoy it is.

The rest of the year is spent with Tom Riddle murdering Draco Malfoy and coming up with some excuse for his disappearance. The chamber isn't opened as Hermione reminds Tom that this would make it entirely too obvious who is behind this. Instead, Tom likely has Draco partake in increasingly erratic schemes to humiliate Harry Potter that end up endangering himself.

Near the end of school, Draco disappears into the Forbidden Forest to find acromantulas to put in Potter's bed and... never comes back.

A huge search is put on, Draco Malfoy is never found, and the acromantula infestation in the forest is now actively battled by ministry employees. Dumbledore is sacked as headmaster, Hagrid fired for having been responsible for the acromantulas in the first place, and Hogwarts is closed the following year.

Hermione is... conflicted about all of this. She certainly didn't mean to fire Hagrid (had no idea he was even remotely involved with the acromantulas) and certainly not Dumbledore. It wasn't Dumbledore's fault at all.

Tom, who is now a free man but has no idea what to do with himself, meets up with Hermione and points out that Dumbledore should have been sacked ages ago: he let kids get away with this stupidly dangerous shit and the year before actively endangered his students and lured a dark wizard into the castle. As for Hagrid, he raised a dragon illegally on school grounds, did release his pet acromantula into the wild, and more. They were terrible at their jobs.

Hermione, ever so reluctantly, agrees.

It's too bad though, Hagrid was very nice and Dumbledore's a great wizard (don't even get Tom started).

As for Tom, well, he had such dreams. Of course he planned to either meet up with his glorious self or (upon learning that Voldemort was blown up by a toddler) take the mantle of Voldemort for himself. But now that he's out, he has no idea where to start. Murder Harry Potter, certainly, but after that?

Tom only has the vaguest idea of who the original Death Eaters were, and they seem to have effectively scattered. More, how does he go about this? Sure, Tom had ideas when he was in school, but they were just ideas. He's never led a revolution before, has no idea how to impersonate an older, more knowledgeable, version of himself. He barely understands the political climate in this new, post-Voldemort, Britain.

Tom keeps hanging around Hermione because, well, inertia. He has no idea what else to do. (Hermione, while still torn over the consequences of her actions as well as the distant thought that she enabled murder, is quite delighted to have him around).

Tom tries to wheedle Harry's address out of Hermione and gets a lot more information than he bargained for. Harry lives with abusive muggle relatives, Dumbledore is apparently keeping him there, all of this sounds bizarre. Tom is officially weirded out.

Still wants to murder Harry, of course, but also wants to dig into this a little further...

And before this becomes a full on fic outline, eventually this will lead to the murder of Dumbledore, probably the murder of Ron when Ron inadvertently discovers 'the truth', Hermione telling Tom they're now an item, Tom trying to escape the relationship, only to learn there's no escaping Hermione.

Hermione becomes the next dark lord. Tom has no idea how this even happened.

#harry potter #harry potter meta #harry potter headcanon #harry potter shipping #hermione granger #anti hermione granger #tom riddle #hermione/tom #anti hermione/tom #meta #headcanon #opinion #shipping

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tainbocuailnge · 3 years

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I'm really enjoying reading through all your musings on Oberon-Vortigern. A penny for your thoughts, what do you think Oberon would be feeling if when he was summoned post LB6, he ended up summoned Chaldea during Arc 1 during Goetia shenanigans? Any headcanons for potential things he might get up to or do you think he'd take a back seat on purpose?

the main point i'm honed in on with oberon showing up to chaldea during part 1 is that his pre-lb6 summoning line has him very clearly pretend to be the cheerful oberon, but even so his actual myroom lines are notably more rude than he is while acting as oberon in lb6 itself. his line for shakespeare stands out most but it also shows in how sarcastic he is about medb, or the way he keeps guda at a distance in his later bond lines. the reason oberon decides to come to chaldea is because, even if he can't admit it to himself, the people here have proven themselves "capable of loving the twisted oberon" and he wants to continue to be a part of that. even though he won't let guda know about vortigern until they find out themselves, he still feels comfortable enough around them to be a little more lax with his fairy king persona, probably without even realizing it.

there's a lot about the singularities that would hit pretty personal for oberon. by definition they're fabricated pieces of history, and until babylon we're told that nothing that happens in them will have any lasting effects on true history. once a singularity is resolved it will fade without a trace, like the meaningless midsummer dreams oberon represents. but guda and mash refuse to let them disappear without meaning. even if there's no consequences to leaving people to suffer or die, and no reward for struggling to help them, they will struggle to help them. even if the dream fades its meaning remains, even if all of it will be undone it will still have mattered. oberon already saw this mentality in action in lb6, but here is where he sees them develop it in the first place. guda and mash don't believe there is meaning because they're naive to the cruelty of the world. they believe there is meaning because time and time again they will reject the cruelty of the world. they're proven right in this when it turns out in babylon that the lives they saved indeed mattered after all.

within the confines of the role of "the fairy king who has come to help chaldea" oberon doesn't have much choice but to enthusiastically lend his aid in restoring the human order, but i don't think he'd be particularly annoyed about that. he already fulfilled his purpose in destroying fairy britain so he doesn't have any reason to want to sabotage chaldea, and as doomsday device he's probably particularly well suited to the destruction of singularities. more importantly, this is a lie of being a genuine hero convincing enough as to almost become real. i imagine that while trekking through singularities the mask will never come off, but guda is perceptive and will be able to tell that it is there. the closest it comes to slipping would be... not camelot, though i think the situation there would still have him riled up enough to approach breaking character. but the combination of meeting kingu and dodging around merlin in babylon is what's going to actually trip him up enough to show vortigern's personality exactly once.

oberon has fairy eyes, so he will be able to tell roman's secret at a glance. most servants can instinctively tell roman has something to do with the situation somehow and are needlessly hostile to him for that reason, so i think the juiciest way to handle this would be to have oberon be the only person besides da vinci who vouches for roman's trustworthiness. a favor from one liar to another. holmes has eyes that see the truth in a different way, so the encounter in the atlas institute would be juicy as fuck too.

during part 1.5, while chaldea is doing cleanup and preparing to decommission its servants, fairy king oberon holds a tea party for his master. he says, if you ever run into me on a mission, i'll definitely help you out. but I'm a troublesome guy, so don't put too much faith in me, okay? and guda responds with no, i'm sure you'll be my ally until the end.

#duelsoul #king of asks #dunky donut

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strawberrymillks · 3 years

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Do you think Dabi could get redeemed? Like if endeavor can be redeemed so can Touya? Right?!

Yeah, and it would just be bad writing if he wasn’t or was left to rot/killed. The concept of an abusive father getting a second chance while his victim dies unhappy is incredibly gross. And as much as I criticize Horikoshi’s writing, I don’t think he’s nearly that dumb (I think he’s going to redeem both, which, ugh, but it’s not going to be only Endeavor). Of course I could be wrong, but there is more evidence for a redemption than not.

If Touya was irredeemable, we wouldn’t have gotten two chapters (as questionable as the framing was) explaining just why he turned out the way he is and Shouto empathizing with him (I’m going to get to Shouto at the end). We wouldn’t be shown him crying multiple times as both an adult and child (and crying is something Hori uses to evoke sympathy for his characters both in and out of universe, e.g: Eri, Toga, Shigaraki).

As the bottom panel shows, Shigaraki is being set up for redemption right now, and Toga is presumably as well (though since she’s a girl we have yet to see, if ever, what’s going on with her and Uraraka). It would be in poor taste to redeem them and not Dabi for some indiscernible reason when all three are established as the main villain trio and each one has their respective hero counterpart.

Also people cite him not caring about the LOV as the reason why Shigaraki and Toga are redeemable and Dabi isn’t but like, all I can say to that is don’t take his words at face value, because if you look at his actions it’s evident he does, although he may not realize himself. Take his attempt to save Twice for instance.

It’s notable that Dabi tries to comfort Twice while saving him. People can argue he wanted Twice to die all they want but his reaction immediately afterwards makes it evident he didn’t want it to happen. Dabi is not a character who shows emotion often. The fact that right after Twice’s death he proceeds to show sadness (and even brings up the fact that he can’t cry when no one mentioned it, implying that he really wants to cry) suggests that he’s really and truly feeling it. And as we know now, Touya is a very emotional person.

While he states that he only cared about Twice because he was useful to his plans he instantly contradicts himself moments later by saying he never cared about the League and he’s going to do everything on his own, showing he’s not the most reliable narrator right now. And if he only cared about Twice as an asset, once again he had nothing to gain from verbally defending Twice multiple times and by comforting him with physical touch when we know Dabi tries to avoid touching people as much as possible.

Hawks also mentions that Dabi’s fire is getting hotter after he kills Twice. This is, of course, due to the fact that his fire gets hotter the stronger his emotions are. You can argue that maybe he was feeling happiness but Horikoshi has made a point to show Touya crying and feeling sad every time he uses his quirk, suggesting his dominant emotion is sadness.

Nothing here really implies he’s too far gone. We’re supposed to see that he tried his hardest to save Twice, failed, and proceeded to go batshit for an entire year.

Another thing is that people say “Dabi is the exception meant to represent the people who can’t be saved” but that is really unlikely. That was Muscular’s role in the story, so I doubt he’s supposed to be some sort of wakeup call that some people just can’t be saved. Same thing with Gran Torino’s statement that killing can also save someone. I’m fairly certain that Horikoshi is going for “the new generation fixing the old generation’s mistakes” so chances are GT’s statement will be refuted in the end.

Plus, BNHA is optimistic. I don’t know why people get the impression it’s going to end on a tragic note. Dabi being killed off after a lifetime of suffering is very tragic and needlessly as well. That was what happened to Twice and I don’t see why it would repeat when the story itself makes it clear it was a bad decision (and BNHA is about not repeating past mistakes).

And as I mentioned in the beginning, but all three villains have a hero counterpart. That’s because all three are capable of sympathizing with them and are meant to save them. It would be a strange story where the students try to save them and decide they’re not worth the effort, when historically Deku and Shouto have been shown to either call out the adults for the way they handle things or act on their judgment for saving someone (Uraraka unfortunately has not had any focus on her but most likely she’ll join them). Shouto in particular should be more invested because of the personal connection, and in fact he already recognizes Dabi as his foil. This is a good thing, because it means Dabi, as a person, is someone who people are capable of empathizing with.

Tl;dr: Dabi has been well established to be a sympathetic character despite what people argue, and he is redeemable.

#idk if this really answered your question lol i feel like i went on a tangent but yeah #i also hope the formatting is okay i did it on mobile and tumblrs post editor is the worst thing ive ever seen #anonymous #bnha #dabi #long post #meta #i guess #🍓.ask

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wonda-cat · 3 years

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For the ask, big man Tommy?

How I feel about this character:

I love c!Tommy with my entire being. I cannot overstate it enough. He is my absolute favorite Dream SMP character. He’s actually my favorite character archetype of all time; a tsundere with a heart of gold who secretly cares for everyone and everything around him.

He is a child forced into the role of a hero by everyone around them. A boy who feels he will never live up to the expectations of others and is thus scapegoated when he fails to be the person others envision him to be. Someone who suffers needlessly despite doing the most good, but who never gives up on trying to be moral despite it. Who learns from his actions and tries to be better, always. Who is selfless beyond reason, forgiving to a fault, and self-sacrificial for the people he loves.

Tommy is a shining example of an abuse victim who survived and saved himself from the people who were hurting him. He fights against his own mind when it tells him to give up and take his final leap of faith. Who, upon every turn, remains true to himself, where he came from, and what he loves.

Despite everything, it’s still him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

None. Sorry, ladies, but Tommy’s already married to The Grind.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

You knew this was coming. I knew this was coming. Extremely predictably, it’s Tubbo. Clingy Duo is a force to be reckoned with. They have such a long, shared history. Their friendship is heart-meltingly sweet. They would each kill and die for each other. It’s them against the word and they’ve always got each other. Even more interesting still is how they’ll deal with their toxic co-dependency, because, with Tubbo’s marriage to Ranboo, it’s even more obvious just how lost Tommy is without Tubbo. It’s not healthy that if one of them were to die, the other says they would follow.

Once Clingy Duo learns how to live for each other instead of die for each other, they will be unstoppable.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Not sure if this is actually unpopular but Tommy should never give back the Axe of Peace. Not now, not ever. It was given to him as a gift. It was handed to him with the praise, ‘You are worthy.’ When someone gives something away, it is no longer theirs. It is now the property of the person they gave it to. Asking for a gift back is just shitty, especially if it’s used in a cycle of manipulation, as Techno had done during the latter half of the Exile Arc. (I go over this more in this post if you’re confused about what I mean.)

I would be far more okay with Tommy giving it back if Techno hadn’t said, ‘You aren’t worthy,’ alongside his demand. Doing this, he made Tommy’s choice to hand it over, a surrender of his own self-worth, as well as having Tommy give in to the same cycle of manipulation he was accustomed to. Which is why I was always happy to see him keep it. I will be immensely disappointed if Tommy ever gives it back, ever.

I want him to keep the gifts he is given and treasure them.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Healing arc, please,,

For the love of god, give him time to be happy. Let him learn how to deal with his trauma in a healthy way. Let him reflect and truly cope with the things that have happened to him. Help him learn how to love himself again. Let him realize he doesn’t have to be a hero and that there are people out there who love him. That he didn’t fail everyone and did all he could. Let him talk to Tubbo about their shared trauma and communicate. Have him verbally work through the abuse he suffered in exile. Let him truly rest and indulge in the things he loves without the fear of having them taken away or destroyed.

He’s my son, your honor. Let him be happy,,, please,,

#answered asks #ask meme #tommyinnit #tw abuse

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esther-dot · 3 years

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Do you think GRRM is punishing the Starks (apart from Arya) with how their journeys end? Arya gets to go on an adventure and do as she pleases and heal but Jon is stuck at the Wall and Bran and Sansa are burdened with being monarchs and having to fix the mess everyone else has made of Westeros. I think it's odd considering the Starks are the heroes of the story. They're all alone at the end. There's bittersweet and then there's just plain sour.

Well, this partially depends on just how seriously we take his insistence that the show’s ending is his. It’s impossible to believe that’s exactly what we’re getting, but at the same time, I can’t dismiss such clear communication from a person who is otherwise so consistently vague. If these are the real endgames, it’s easy to read them in a devastating way. In fact, D&D leaned into that:

Bran is devoid of humanity.

Arya is apparently so disconnected from her family, she has no intention of ever seeing them again --won't ever see them again.

Jon kills the love of his life (lol) to save someone he half blames for making that necessary, someone he feels betrayed him.

Sansa wanted her family, Jon in particular, with her in Winterfell, and not only are none of them ever going to be able to stay there, Jon, who she was closest to, is angry with her.

The ending is empty because the writing was empty. What was (likely) intended to show human complexity came across as contradictory characterization. What was (likely) meant to be tragic came across as pointless, making the ending feel nihilistic, although Martin maintains he isn't. We all know there's a mismatch between D&D's and Martin's sensibilities, which might explain the feeling that we were given multiple stories, conflicting stories, all at once. They used elements of his story in their own, and didn't understand the implications of what they wrote.

Now, if the focus had been on the love the Starks have for each other, had been clear about their bond, their motivation, had it acknowledged the innate tragedy of their endings, we would have had some catharsis rather than the insulting, "No, this is actually happy!" (sending Jon to the fucking wall but having Tormund there to make it ok). I can see how when Martin first came up with the story/endgames decades ago, conceptually, these endings worked for him. A lot of people said for years Martin was into the "be careful what you wish for" idea and the ending would be what the characters wanted, just in a twisted way. That's what we got (sans logic), and it's a cool idea in theory, except, when he filled in the blanks of his story, he wrote in so much pain that the tragic ending feels needlessly cruel. There is no height from which these characters take a devastating fall, it's suffering built on suffering with no reward in the end. Look at poor Jon. At this moment, he’s dead, and in the next two books he has to find out about his parentage and face off with his Targ relative, likely becoming a kinslayer, and he has to defend the living from the Others...I mean, there isn't really space on the page for true healing and peace to occur, so we're looking at more trauma, more trauma, and uh, more trauma. And then exile, or worse, serving in the Watch again after they murdered him. So, more trauma!

My initial reaction was (tbh, will always be) "gross." But, if this is Martin's ending, if I imagine this written by him instead of D&D, I can imagine Jon and Sansa falling in love, the news that he isn't Ned's son a form of salvation for Jon (as much as it hurts him), and Jon being assured of his worth when he feels least worthy. Sansa loves him and he isn’t a monster for loving her. This story might include Jon marrying her and having a son when he had never thought he would be able to do either. There's a lot of deeply moving things that could happen for him. Maybe, Sansa for once is truly safe, gets to have a male relative who prioritizes her well-being above all else...there is a lot of emotional fulfillment that can happen here, even if they don't get a HEA. If we experience the characters getting resolution to their wants/fears, that is technically enough. As much as we want Jon to end up happily in Winterfell, as long as his choices are ones he can respect, as long as he did what was necessary to protect the Starks, I think he could be at peace with himself even if those same choices exclude him from the life he deserves. If written with care, his ending could be a testament to his love, and that can be beautiful. The author wouldn't be trying to punish him, just enforce the realism of his world which would explain hand Tyrion. Boo!

To me, the denial of the clear, "this is what should have been" isn't worthless. It fills readers with longing, and that kind of ending can stay with readers much longer than an ending that delivers on everything they want, so I understand why an author might purpose to write such an ending. That isn't my preference, but Martin has talked about how much he likes that kind of thing:

It's interesting to get back to this issue of romance that you raised earlier. When I was in Spain a few years ago, I had dinner with a woman, a Spanish academic, and a big fan of science fiction and romance. She had read a lot of my stuff, and people had said I was a very romantic writer. She sorta lashed at me during dinner. 'What are you talking about?! You are not a romantic writer. Nobody ever lives happily ever after in your books. And I was defending. I'd say 'Well, that's a different tradition of romance. I don't--I'm in the tradition of The Great Gatsby and Romeo & Juliet and you know, Beauty and the Beast. These things don't necessarily have happy endings. Aren't the most powerful romances the unfulfilled romances? The romances where people go their separate ways? And, and but they'll always have Paris, right? Like Casablanca, one of the films I showed here. You know, they go separate at the end, but they'll always have Paris.' And she basically said, 'No, you're wrong.' (he laughs) 'They have to be happily ever after together for it to be romance otherwise it's just sad.' (3 minutes into this vid)

There's a reason a lot of us understand why literature matters, enjoy it/admire it as art, but find more comfort in genre fiction. We want to get what we want and what we want is very often happy. But, there are a lot of things going on here, and I've mentioned before that Martin purposed to elevate fantasy, to get people to take it seriously in a way they didn't at the time he wrote AGOT. His goal wasn't/isn’t to punish the characters (he loves them more than we do), but to create something lasting, something that matters, and if he finds this kind of romance the most powerful, it isn’t hard to believe he would find this ending the right one, especially when joined with his desire to have an impact on literature. We fans may reject it as cruel, but he believes these endings are beautiful.

I understand what you’re saying about it feeling like Arya gets to go off and have fun whereas Sansa and Bran have a shit-ton of work ahead of them and Jon is outright punished. It’s one way to write those endings. But, while I think Jon and Sansa may get their hearts desire (love/family), personally, I found something deeply tragic in Arya‘s ending. @fedonciadale had mentioned the possibility of Arya “frodo-ing” before s8. It’s an odd ending for a little girl, and we can all headcanon it as joyous as we want, and it is freedom from being forced to conform which would have made her miserable, but I think there’s a definite tragic element there, and possibly, the implication that she is more haunted by her experiences than the others, unable to return home. Depending on which is emphasized in the writing, we would have very different feelings about that ending.

So, I guess I would say Martin made a mistake in

not letting readers know after the show finale that this isn't really his ending

OR, if this is his ending

calling it bittersweet a la Lord of the Rings when his is far more tragic

Let's all hope for option a. Either way, I don’t think he means for us to feel like he’s punishing the Starks. Bran and Sansa are clearly meant to usher in a more hopeful, peaceful, future for Westeros. He’s celebrating them, the Stark ideals, by placing them in positions of power, positions that would allow them to create a better life for others, even if they must make great personal sacrifices to do so.

#ask dot #this is queued

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