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upat4amwiththemoon · 11 months

Note

Heyy can i request a wanda x fem reader oneshot where r is the queen of a nation which is similar to Wakanda and the avengers need this nations help for something (sitting on the throne looking badass moment ) and she is graceful and so badass like: sitting at dining table uses knife to point towards empty seat, “oh. sit, please.” R has powers and helps them out. Wanda being head over heals and finally them dating. I am sorry for the long request 😭

Mother Nature

Summary: A queen so powerful, myths have been written about her. An island so mysterious, no one knows where it is.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x female!reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 2505

a/n: listen…this got a little out of hand

Tags: @thought-of-you-and-me @rafecameronswhore @sayah13 @wandsmxmff @emsmultiverse @natashamaximoff69

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Dragonstone is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean, just below Greenland and Iceland, but it’s not visible on any maps. Not many know of its existence, as the island is surrounded by such powerful magic, making it invisible to the naked eye. If anyone were to sail towards it, violent storms and currents will make even the strongest of ships sink. It has become a myth to the outsiders, an area such as the Bermuda Triangle, where everyone disappears into the nothingness. This keeps the island, and its population, in safety and peace. They have fought no wars, nor have they suffered in the hands of man made concepts.

However, the fights have started to get bigger, sometimes having the faith of the whole Universe in their hands. That much they figured out after Thanos. Which is why the Avengers know of Dragonstone, and its Queen, and how to get her help.

Everyone holds onto their seats as the Quinjet’s autopilot navigates through the dark clouds, often going through turbulence. “Are we sure this isn’t actually just some freak of nature spot? Is there anything here?” Tony grumbles as he tries to fasten his seatbelt impossibly tight. “We have very expensive cargo on board, and by that I mean me and my suit.”

“Fury seemed confident in his knowledge.” Steve reminds, slightly more calmly, though he is also nervous.

Wanda has her eyes closed. She tries to stay inside her mind, ignoring everything going around her. Air traffic has never been her favorite, but this is next level. The Quinjet does sudden dives and turns, throwing anything loose around. This is why Fury said to fasten everything to the walls and roof, but like usual, Tony didn’t take the advice to heart.

She can feel Natasha’s hand holding her own, calming her down slightly. Wanda doesn’t personally know Fury that well, but she knows Natasha thinks very highly of him, so she is pretty sure he wouldn’t lead them to their certain death. However, she can’t be sure, as this is starting to feel like a wrong way to the supposed island.

“Why couldn’t Fury come here himself? Or the Queen to us?” Kate almost shouts at a particularly violent spot.

“Because when we ask for help from royalties, we show them respect.” Steve states, his *all the younger generations have forgotten respect* personality every old person has shining through. “Did none of you learn this in Wakanda?”

No one gets to answer him, as the Quinjet starts going up, up, up full speed, making everyone yelp. After it has reached the correct altitude, it goes down headfirst. For a moment, the team is sure something has gone wrong, that they are plummeting towards their death. But right before it hits the water, the Quinjet turns the right way and continues flying forward, now in a completely calm climate.

They instantly calm down, letting out breaths of relief and relaxing their tense muscles. Natasha is the first one to get out of her seat, going to the cockpit and looking out the window. “Well, at least the island is real.” She calls out. The others start to pile up in front of the window.

At first glance, it looks like they’re flying towards a big pile of rocks, but at a closer look, they can see the rocks form big walls and even a bigger castle on the island. They’re in awe of the view. The water and air are so calm now that they’ve gotten past the barrier.

They stare out the window while the Quinjet lowers itself to the ground, right outside the walls. Once they step outside, they see two people waiting for them. “Welcome to Dragonstone!” One of them smiles. “My name is Sylvia and I’m the Queen’s advisor. And this,” she gestures to the person next to her, who is wearing an armor, “and this is Calen, they’re the head of protection in this island.”

They bow their head down as a greeting, not saying anything to the guests. The look on their face is serene and their posture is straight, like a proper soldier’s. Sylvia on the other hand shows more excitement through her body, even though her hands are behind her back, they’re still wiggling around, and the smile on her face is one that can light up a whole room.

“Thank you for granting us access to your island.” Steve speaks up, being the unofficial spokesperson when it comes to formal situations.

“Fury is an old friend of Gaia, any friend of his is a friend to us. Now, if you’d follow me, I’ll take you to the castle to meet our Queen.”

They start trekking the land towards the castle, first walking on the bare land and then moving to narrow walkways as they go inside the walls. Most of the walk goes by in silence, the team taking in their surroundings. They’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Wanda drags her hand along the stone fence, her fingers going along the bumps and ridges of it. She smiles. The magic of this island feels different than her own, but not in a threatening way, it feels like it’s dancing with her own.

Finally they get to the castle’s entrance. The huge wooden door opens inward, two other soldiers pulling it. Calen and Sylvia greet them as they go past them. “The Queen is in the throne room.” The latter tells the group, leading them through hallways before stopping in front of a door.

The door to the throne room is also wooden, but it’s a lot more decorated compared to the other ones. It’s carved from top to bottom with different pictures, making it look like a story. Calen pushes the door open, letting everyone walk through it before closing it again. At the end of the room, the Queen sits on her throne. The royal seat has been made out of purely white stone. The backside of it is tall and the sides are wide enough for the Queen to lay her arms there comfortably, but it still looks delicate.

“Gaia.” Sylvia lowers her head in respect and Calen goes down to one knee to bow. The Avengers, quite hesitantly, bow in some way too, bot sure of the island’s customs.

“There’s no need for that.” The Queen’s voice makes all of them rise. Sylvia and Calen take their respective places near the Queen, while the team stop in front of the stairs to the throne. “I hear you are friends of Nicholas Fury.”

Wanda stares at her in amazement. The way she looks so soft yet regal makes her heart pound faster than normal. She can see her chest moving up and down as she breathes, the armor like steel plate moving with it. The dark blue fabric is thick for colder weathers, but flowy enough to move easily. Wanda’s eyes move up to the top of her head. The crown on her head looks like it’s made out of steel as well. It makes her look sharp and strong. She looks majestic sitting on her throne.

“We are,” Steve smiles, “thank you for agreeing to meet us, your Highness.”

“Please, Y/N.” She states. “That’s the name my mother gave me.”

“Y/N. I’m sure you’re aware of a recently defeated threat from space called Thanos.” He continues once she nods, “unfortunately the other worldly threats don’t stop there. We’d like to ask your help to prevent these kind of attacks more efficiently.”

“Certainly.”

Wanda shudders from the way Y/N says the word. Her pronunciation, the slight rasp of her voice and how she rolls the letter r, make her feel dizzy. She is sure the look on her face is stupid, and lovestruck, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. The whole conversation going on is going past her. Only thing in her mind right now is something she really shouldn’t be thinking about, but she just can’t stop herself.

“Would you give me the honor of joining me for dinner today? We even have enough guest rooms if you wish to rest before your trip back to America.”

“We would be honored to join you.” Natasha answers. She has been glancing at Wanda during the conversation with a grin on her face, she can read her face easily, knowing what the witch is fantasizing about.

The Queen stands up, her dress falling perfectly to her feet. “I’m glad to hear that. I shall see you in the dining room in an hour, in the mean while, Sylvia will show you where you can refresh yourselves.” Sylvia nods and gestures for them to follow her. Wanda keeps her eyes on Y/N as she walks away, noticing a small smile growing on her face.

After an hour, the Avengers gather into the dining room by Sylvia’s lead, where Y/N is already waiting for them. “Gaia.” Sylvia says before leaving the room.

Y/N stands up, pointing towards the empty chairs. “Please, sit.” She says with a smile, sitting down once again when they get around the table. Wanda sits next to her. She can see the small details of her breast plate from this close.

The table is already fully catered with different foods and desserts. It works like a buffet, everyone takes what they like to their plates. “Can I ask you,” Wanda starts when her plate is full, “why do they call you Gaia, if your name is Y/N?”

“Gaia is a title of sorts. Every queen before me was called that as well, because we keep this island alive and safe. It means Mother Nature.” She explains with a gentle smile on her face, holding eye contact with Wanda as she talks to her. “It is an honor to be called Gaia.” Wanda nods, not able to look away from her stormy eyes.

“How does the next queen get chosen?” Tony asks.

“It’s more faith than decision making,” she pauses, looking for best words to describe how their queens get their role, “we’re born to it, but not in a traditional sense. We are born from the previous Gaia, they mold us from magic.”

“So, there’s no…” he moves his fingers around in a promiscuous manner, which makes Steve look at him disapprovingly. They’re in front of the Queen after all.

But she only finds the situation amusing. “No. Children born in a traditional way are random, and our queens need to be precise. They’re all women and they all have powers. They need to be born from magic.”

Although they don’t really understand the process, and none of them want to ask about the specifics of it, they still find it fascinating. It’s a whole new country with completely different customs compared to theirs. Wanda especially listens to her intently. Her smooth voice practically drilling its way into her brain.

“Can the queen have relationships? Even if they don’t have any part on the next generation of rulers.” The question makes Wanda’s head snap to look at Natasha, who has a wide grin on her face.

“Yes. There are no rules on relationship. The partner just has to know they have no rule over the island.”

Satisfied with the answer, Natasha nods, sending a discreet wink towards Wanda. Her cheeks turn a shade of pink. She tries to hide it by eating the food.

They keep a light conversation going while they all finish their food. Once the plates are empty and the stomachs full, they start leaving the table and go to their rooms. The Queen doing the same. However, she isn’t alone for long.

There’s a knock on her bedroom door.

“Hello, Wanda.” Y/N smiles, the door now open wide. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Wanda steps into the room, the door closing after her. She looks around the room, trying to keep her eyes off of Y/N’s thin night gown. A big bed is in the middle of the room, it has light blue veil over it and a white fur on top. A window, almost the size of the wall, is on the right side of it, but it’s already covered with dark curtains. Otherwise the room is quite plain. A wooden dresser. Mirror with steel decorations. What catches Wanda’s eyes are the tapestries on the walls. They’re bright and colorful, each one having its own story. “Beautiful.” She mumbles.

“They tell our history.” Y/N steps beside her. “Every queen makes one. These are the oldest ones, the rest are in the library, visible for everyone. One day mine will be there too.” She sounds proud when she speaks of her ancestors.

“Your mother, is she still alive?”

“No. The crown passed down to me when I was thirteen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Y/N turns to her with a smile. “Nothing to be sorry about. She’s with her mother and grandmother, and so on. And one day I will see her again, until then, I will make her proud by keeping the people on this island safe.”

However beautiful the idea is, Wanda still feels sad for her. She knows what it’s like to lose your mother young. But she doesn’t comment on it more, clearly it’s not something appropriate to discuss now. “The magic. It feels different here.”

“Yes, it’s not the same as yours. The magic is part of me as much as it is a part of the island. We’re connected. We can sense each other. I can control it and it can influence me.”

“That’s why they call you Mother Nature?”

“Sort of. There’s a long history there. But yes, my ability to control the sea and the air around us is a part of it.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to tell me some day.”

Her smile widens. “Maybe.”

Wanda smiles too. She notices how Y/N’s eyes twinkle in the dim light, as if they had their own light source. “You’re beautiful.” The words stumble out of her mouth. She had no intention on making any mind of move this soon, but she couldn’t help it. This felt like a right moment.

With a small giggle, Y/N looks down, trying to cover her warming cheeks. She doesn’t usually get nervous, but Wanda sounded so sincere. “I’m flattered you think so.”

“Do you think you could go on a date with me? Later, of course. Do you have any rules on that?” The nervousness starts growing at the bottom of her stomach again, the lapse of confidence leaving her body quickly.

“There are some rules, but nothing major. I could definitely go on a date with you, I’d actually really like to do so.”

Letting out a breath, Wanda nods. Her hands are moving her rings around. “Great. I- uhm, that’s great.” She laughs quietly. “I’ll leave you now. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” Y/N gives her a small wave, smiling widely even after the door closes.

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pandorasfavorite · 1 year

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Sworn protector

Summary: Anoung and his group starting make fun of you. Neteyam didn’t let that happen.

Note: he’s so cute istg.

There is a few things you don’t do when talking to someone taken. You don’t flirt with them, you don’t disrespect them, and you sure as hell don’t touch them, ever. Neteyam had responsibilities as the eldest child to not start problems in his families new home, or course all those responsibilities was on the tip of his head. Even the strongest slip. He watches you and his siblings from a far nearly everyday to ensure everyone’s safety and compliance to rules. The soon to be new chief didn’t respect the rules of a taken mate, An’oung often lacked the ability of respect though. Over the past few weeks Anoung was anything but respectful to his family, but stepping over the line was when he approached you. This was unforgivable. You were sitting on the shore looking at the shells under water in your own little world, not bothering anyone or anything. The taunting voices make you emerge from the water, not hearing what they said clearly, “huh? What’d you say?”. Anoung scoffs at you in a repulsive way, “are you some kind of freak?”. “He asked if you were a freak”, one of his friends chimes in, leaning in closer. Your ears drop similar to your head, “…no” you try to walk past the group but one of them grabs your wrist pulling you to face them. They all snicker at you and your distaste, “look at her little baby tail” one of them grabs your tail drawing a loud gasp from you. You smack his hand, hissing at him ultimately entertaining the group more. This encounter doesn’t go unnoticed by Lo’ak though, “Hey fish lips, hands off” he yells. Neteyam was walking with Lo’ak at the time and didn’t see what was happening until his little brother ran off randomly. Of course Neteyam followed after him at a light jog not understanding, and then fury ran through his body. That feeling of protectiveness that he’s tried to hold back the whole time his family was here, all falls out. He storms ahead of Lo’ak, he steps in-front of your pushing you behind him lightly. Neteyam wastes no time to push Anoung backwards roughly, hissing at him no words exchanged. Anoung puts both his hands up in surrender while also pushing his friend back behind him so he doesn’t start something. “Good choice”, Neteyam manages to grit out a the group before putting a hand on your back and guiding you away. Lo’ak trails a little ways behind letting you and your mate have a moment alone. Neteyam’s hand is softly resting on you back still hit his other hand is clenched in a tight fist and it’s obvious his jaw is locked. “I’m sorry Teyam”, you mumbled out feeling ashamed for no real reason. “Don’t. Just prattle on about something so I don’t turn around”, he says opening and closing his fist. “What?”, you respond in a small whisper. Neteyam has no reason to turn around, you thought he handled the situation pretty well. Neteyam wanted nothing more than to shove his fist into each and every one of their faces, in fact he craved to feel the crack of a broken nose just once. “Please just start talking about anything, just anything baby”. You can talk, if that’s all he’s asking you to do well you’ll do it. Just start talking about the sand or maybe the new necklace your working on. “Ok ok I can do that, I’m making a necklace for you. I was going to make a matching one for me so everyone knows your mine”. Neteyam hums feeling himself slowly uncoil and calm down just a little, “are you gonna weave something into them?”, he says wanting you to continue. How can someone be so beautiful while angry? How can he be so in control of his emotions even when he’s been through the most? “Yes maybe some stones or shells similar to each other” you say noticing his shoulders falling from relaxation just slightly. Your turn your body to face his completely bringing your hands to rest on his cheeks. You smile at him brightly your teeth poking out slightly making Neteyam return a soft look as well. Your thumb runs across his face soothingly, him instinctively moving towards that hand. “Thank you for protecting me teyam”, his eyes opening making contact with yours.

His hand moves to hold yours that is still resting on his face, “always”.

#avatar way of water #neteyam #neteyam sully #neteyam sully x reader #neteyam sully imagine #neteyam x you #neteyam x reader #neteyam sully x y/n #neteyam sully x you #avatar #avatar requests #Spotify

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tomwambsgans · 1 month

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one of the most interesting things to me about tom's ladder-climbing is the fact that he was clearly not, in fact, that low to begin with. in a deleted scene from 2x3, he reveals that his dad teaches media studies - and has presumably done so as a career for most if not all of tom's life, given that this information is an argument against the notion of tom being a poor child. whether his mom's status as a Respected Twin Cities Divorce Lawyer was a factor back then too, at the very least his family could afford to recreationally hunt game.

but tom also says himself that he's been thinking his whole life about money. how to get money, how to keep money.

so the thing i have to wonder is, was that ever an issue? the wambsganses don't seem to have ever been anything but upper middle class. but who knows, maybe they've had their low spots. maybe tom had a mostly spoiled childhood but then the economy hit them kinda rough for a time. that would certainly inform tom specifying "how to keep money." maybe he's had to learn the hard way, in his formative years, how abruptly you could lose what had become normal to you if you weren't careful.

clearly tom's parents have been doing well for likely some years before the events of the show. but also not so well that their "contribution" to the wine at tom's wedding doesn't feel like a huge chunk of change to them. they're still at the point that they don't have the decorum not to act like money is a huge deal, which is telling. i have to imagine that, similar to greg, tom has been helping his parents out a bit since his salary has hit 6 figures. who knows how much of the money his parents spent was just tom's money to begin with - maybe none at all. maybe he's only paid off some debts and allowed their own income to pile up, and all they needed was that temporary safety net. it's likely enough that tom's dad's teaching salary has grown exponentially because of his age and experience, and that mom wambsgans has seen a huge boom in clients in recent years.

something else to consider is shiv's description of tom's family as striving -- which, while there is a lot of hostility at play during that whole scene, i believe is essentially true. thinking about that line and then about tom's parents in prenuptials, you get a really vivid image of the way the middle class desperately mimics the upper class. the way that, every once in a while, they can afford to. and then their desperation gives them away.

tom was raised by two very ambitious people, and it's trickled down to him. he was absolutely raised with an overt and vocally repeated message of do well in school, get into a good college, get a high-paying job. maybe they even told him better than ours... even though it seems his parents are to some extent following personal passions. divorce attorney and media studies professor aren't the kind of jobs that anyone does just because it pays well. they're both specializing in their fields, which is evidence enough of a real attachment to those careers even if we didn't also have mom demanding to see tom's prenup, and frankly the fact alone that tom himself went into media. like, if there was ever a sense of passion in tom's career, that was probably the connecting piece. after all, what boy doesn't want to impress his dad?

...and it's for that reason that i do not think tom was specifically told to be a business major. i feel pretty certain that he wouldn't have been discouraged from a career that made him happy unless it was a completely fruitless passion. but i don't know if i should then necessarily figure the opposite: that tom was ever specifically encouraged to find something to be passionate about. i can't imagine a tom any older than 10 trying to declare ambitions that were purely artistic in the first place. i might just be biased but tom seems like the type who has had this intuition from birth: to understand what others wanted from him and do it. i would say that, similarly to greg, simply being loved and approved of is tom's passion. and by god did he do it.

one last thing that stays on my mind is that tom went to an ivy league school, which i believe his own merit is somewhat responsible for. but, in contrast to greg now, i seriously doubt that tom has ever totally lacked a cushion. i think he had some relatively breezy college years. he studied hard, of course, and knowing that he was being supported the whole time likely helped.

(and he spent all that time at school, and another 2-4 years at another school, and still showed up in manhattan yet without a shell.)

obviously there's no telling exactly how much luck tom grew up with. a middle-class family's finances could easily be all over the place in a matter of 18 years. and they really probably were, because why else would keeping money be such a concern? and why would it stick so hard?

it's just interesting to think of how much more privileged tom's childhood must have been compared to so many, greg included, and yet how the roys are just so far up that it makes their situations feel equal.

#tom wambsgans #tomgreg #meta #mine

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inastarlesssky · 3 months

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In Defense of Dramione - an essay

Okay, time for another Ted talk/ soapbox/ pointless rambling...Putting it under the cut because I have opinions.

In Defense of Dramione - an essay

First of all, I want to say I ship Dramione. Which is a recent thing, specifically about half a year ago. I didn't always because well it never occurred to me that you could. Of course, that's how ships are. We ship some ships bc they're canon, okay, fine. But we ship a whole lot others that aren't because you name whatever reason (they've got chemistry, they WORK, they're better than the canonically approved pairings whatever the hell else, idk). My point is, it had never crossed my mind that I myself would actually like the idea of Draco and Hermione. Bc naturally, you look at them and you think, "He did insult her when they were children. He was an asshat, etc etc." But...BUT.

You know that trope Enemies to Lovers? Ever heard of redemption arcs? Yeah, those are things. Of course, I don't speak on behalf of everyone in the fandom because we all have our reasons for why. But I ship them because there is potential in Draco's character for growth, for repentance, for redemption. I believe that he's capable, when he's an adult of realizing that he fucked up and that the beliefs he was spoonfed as a child are not the law of the land. I've read more fics than I can count that describe this character arc for him and they do it masterfully. Honestly, I think he's a pretty complex character and I believe that we see a sliver of that in the last few movies. Like look, in 6th year, Harry hit him with Sectumsempra and nearly killed him. But when the Golden Trio were at the Manor and it was on Draco's shoulders to identify Harry and basically seal their doom, did he do it? Did he rat them out? Nope.

Maybe this wasn't exactly Draco "forgiving" Harry, admittedly. But Draco saw that Harry was their only hope for destroying Voldemort or for having some sliver of a winning chance, of a possibility of surviving the mess Voldemort was orchestrating. He obviously deemed it important enough to dare to lie, especially knowing that Bellatrix would have summoned the Dark Lord himself in the next few moments. If Draco really didn't care about the outcome of everything, he wouldn't have done that. If anything, we see that he cares at least about the safety of his family because that could have also been the motive. But that gets me thinking, couldn't he also have confirmed Harry's identity? Voldy would have arrived, perhaps praised Draco and spared the Malfoys to die another die. So really, Draco might have gotten more out of it if he HAD confirmed Harry's identity. Hmm food for thought.

Second point, I'm not going to judge anyone in the fandom because of reasons stated above, but I will go so far as to say, please, if you don't ship Dramione, that's okay. Everyone has their own cup of tea, but please, do NOT claim that all of us (that every single one of us who happen to support this ship) are and I quote "are just a bunch of horny teenagers desperate for some pretty boy and pretty girl sex". That isn't fair and it frankly isn't true, so please don't. I know many wonderful people who have crafted amazing stories and shown great talent through their writing to express the complexities I've just spoken about.

I'll end by saying that we all have our ships, and that's okay. There's no real right or wrong inasfaras who you ship with whom. But it's a basic gesture of respect, I think, to let others love the pairings that they love. Spreading hatred, ill-will or just unkindness toward those of us who enjoy a particular ship, that's not cool and that's what brings us down in what should be something we all enjoy and go to find joy and share that joy with others.

Okay, it seems I really defended Draco more than Hermione here but I will die on this hill and defend my dorks. Fight me on it (joking here but really though. XD) Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

#my ramblings #dramione #draco malfoy #hermione granger #in defense of dramione #because i'm sick of seeing people throwing unnecessary shade on this beautiful fandom #thanks for coming to my ted talk

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iblisterbottoms · 4 months

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I suppose this is going to bring up some controversy. But I would like to know everyone's opinions on safewords. Now what I'm going to talk about is spanking and safewords specifically and nothing else.

I assume people invented and keep using safe words to make a play safer and easier.

I'm not really surprised it makes neither safer nor easier for me. Don't shout I'm mental and dangerous though, until you will finish reading the post.

I hate safewords, they never increase the amount of trust or the safety feeling.

The simplest explanation is that if a top insist on choosing a safeword my mind translates it as 'It's your responsibility to stop the play if you need, I'm not going to bother and try to understand your reaction or try to assess how much pain you are in, I'm just going to whack you'.

I KNOW it's not what any descent top would meant by wanting to play with chosen safeword, but that's just the first thought that pops straight into my mind. Can't help it.

Of course I can't imagine playing without a way to stop the play if I feel like. I just never left a need for one chosen, awkward word.

Some people like colours like green, yellow and red.

Or something more unusual like 'butterfly'.

So let me ask a question - why?

Isn't it easier (when someones in headspace thinking 'butterfly' doesn't seem to be easy), more natural and scene preserving to just say what I think?

Like 'strap wraps', 'please, don't hit me so high', 'I can't take it' etc.? I know myself and my mind and I know I would never enjoyed the feeling of a strap wrapping or my tail bone being hit so that seems to be a reasonable request any top should/will respect.

I don't need to go out of character, safeword, explain what's the problem and then try to go back into play-mood.

As far as 'I can't take it' goes... That's probably the closest thing to a safeword anyone can get. And again, that's impossible they would use that phrase in a roleplay to protest it just doesn't work.

There is also a lot word-less reactions that point pretty clearly that they're struggling for real (of course that needs number of previous roleplays for the top to get to know someone a bit). Though I like to think play-wise your partner would be easy to read. They touch their bum if the stroke was too much (I mean why would they try to steal from themselves the lovely feeling if it was indeed lovely? LOL).

Maybe the whole safeword aversion is just because they're rather a simple person? Plausibility and authenticity over acting? Instinct over planned reactions?

Anyway, I wonder whether someone would share their idea on safewords and happy they are to use them or do you feel like I do about them when spanking someone or being spanked?

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spiderh0rse · 2 months

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freeman's mind notes part two, e6-e10.5. under cut, long. formatting is different this time. will carry on in this way.

"safety's off" sir. Sir you've just said it was a Glock. You fool. You absolute buffoon.

"clip" IT IS A MAGAZINE

I cannot respect a man who watches Die Hard this much. I just can't.

love how he reacts to the houndeye teleporting in. Flat "No."

mimics houndeye noise :>

heard Gman movin around on the catwalk above

electricity doesn't do a ton to him this first go around but does hurt and seems to paralyze him for a moment. Muscles seizing and all that

rescinds his disdain for everyone who died. Admits it's a bit difficult to live under the circumstances

"white men in armoured hazmat suits can't jump" SIR

[underwater mumbling] sounds pretty damn frantic. Genuine fear of dying by his own hand. I'd wager he thinks he's the only one that could do it.

bounces back quickly!

just goes and shoves some words together. For fun!

dislikes the ammo being covered in blood. Considers leaving it behind because if that

impacts still hurt. High impact reactive armour this is Not

simian instincts strike again

has seen star trek

"maybe i should've been a bug" well I can study you like one. How's that sound

Kafka's Metamorphosis mention! It's Gregor Samsa that actually turns into a bug though, so. May not have read it.

knows who Shiva is! Not sure of her origin but she does show up in ff7, which is within his range to know about

bullsquid acid tastes like dead caterpillar

yog'sothoth :>

held his mouth open in the canal. Dude.

mouth cancer...

hates puns.

Black Mesa gets money from the dept. of defense

slur count one

is this hl source? Do the crates sway in the ported version?

correctly figures out the useless crate pit room

hates elevator music

audio inconsistent :(

bug murder D: I love bugs.

shouting and breaking stuff in grad school did not help him

says grody. Like a loser.

threatens a man's life again. Doesn't seem to mean it.

calms down easily enough by breakin things

wants to blow up the building. He won't know it but it will be. Your will be honored, sir

came home to a guy impaled on his window's insulated glass. Explained that to the police.

"kind of like glass in a way" fragile and lacking a smell? got it

"GYAHH" high pitched scream!

has been hit by many tasers over dates.

pepper spray is worse.

first instance of sonic damage (gun in air vent)

some guy named Jessie would electrocute himself on his bed and end up paralyzed for an hour for fun. Sounds fun tbh

Steve Irwin... Rest in peace and let's kill all sting rays now

does ask a cowering scientist if he's okay

somehow doesn't see the shotgun in plain sight waiting for him

doesn't always know when he's thinking out loud

peppered steak just like OFF

visibly contemplates shooting a regular bug

actively admits he was considering cannibalism. I can get behind that. Cannibalism win.

"pew!!"

roleplays as a teacher who hits kids with crowbars

wants to be a medieval knight so bad

no vent sharks for us! fan blades instead

afraid of muppets

has whistled Twice now

has seen Jurassic Park.

wishes he could shoot electricity through his hands

has probably seen James Bond

already theorizing about Xens makeup

more bothered by a barnacles death coating him in blood and potentially jamming his gun than being choked

shot in the ear :>

whistles in time with the turret. Echolalia real

doesn't want to look gay. Too late. Even if we assume base Freeman model he does have a ponytail.

slur count two.

HEADCRAB SLAUGHTER PARTY

sounds like he likes coffee and doughnuts

e10

starts off with silly noises and repeating the word "coffee" on loop

Chainsaw noise with his mouth

jason vorhees wannabe

would love to spread bloodborne diseases via hug

has a collection that a human skull would fit right in with. Bones in general? Skulls in general? Human skulls? Doesn't matter, Eddie mention! As of him getting more skulls in cheap.

wants his funeral to be full of explosives and planes

he is not a gerbil.

feels he's only sure of his actions when killing things

watches Jackie Chan movies

and the Addams Family!

gman sighting.

thinks the guy diving through the window is cool. compares him to his own grandfather? neat!

unlike stark can do a pull-up in his suit

cannot break the vending machine glass. has change on him, though. Dorito time.

#freeman's mind #gordon freemind #freemanverse #?#yeah alright #mindverse #rmanotes

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gffa · 8 months

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"she's trying to stop more innocent people from being killed by offering a different path. She's taking a harm reduction path as much as she can. Yeah, they're going to make mistakes, but if she can still reduce those mistakes, isn't it worth trying? Or is one mistake enough that she should never try any other path ever again, even though it means they'll immediately go back to killing lots of innocent people?"

chiming in to say i think the problem with this view is that, as Jason points out, she has ZERO actual control over the people she's ostensibly "employing". she can have all the good intentions to reduce harm she wants, but acting like good vibes and promises are enough to keep things from ever getting out of hand is practically on "positive thinking cures bipolar disorder" levels of oversight (note: i'd actually finished this post and was about to hit ask when i realized how on the nose that comparison is considering scarecrow is fucking with this plan. gonna leave it.) there have to be some fire safety measures here, and her repeatedly insisting they aren't necessary and she's totally got everything handled is ultimately going to hurt the people she was trying to save when the building burns.

which, i agree with you that she's absolutely smarter than this, and it drives me up the wall that they keep having her double down on it.

Yeah, I feel like there's a couple of things at war within this storyline execution: 1 - Comic book logic is absolutely a thing and trying to map hyperrealistic complex real world consequences onto a story that is being written by imperfect authors who are not experts in the fields this would be touching on is always going to mean that there are going to be major flaws in the logic of the story. Superhero comics as a whole can have just as many flaws pointed out about their logic, like I don't believe for a single second that someone like Bruce Wayne would be able to be Batman without it being known publicly, between the coincidences piled up or how freely they all use real names in the field. If we can accept that people just don't recognize Clark Kent with his glasses on or don't recognize Bruce Wayne's jawline (while I absolutely can goddamned recognize George Clooney or Val Kilmer's jawlines even when they're in full cowl), I feel okay giving some leeway to Selina being written into a dumbass plan for reducing crime in Gotham. 2 - And the story, while pointing out the flaws in her logic (a person died in the kick off issue even!), it also points out that her way had reduced innocent people getting hurt, so it's reasonable for Selina to think this is a viable plan. No, she doesn't have actual control over these people (well, she has some, in that they respect her and are loyal to her, to at least some degree), but nobody has control over others when offering a different path of any kind. Like, if she was offering college courses or trade school classes for people, she wouldn't have any control over them there, either. Presumably, she's not ignoring that getting innocent people hurt will send them to jail, that they're warned about this ahead of time and know the consequences, she's just trying to offer something, anything that's better than what they had before, even as deeply imperfect as it is. Like, I'm in agreement that I think this is a bad plan, but I'm not sure how much of that is me coming from a real world perspective where this could NEVER happen, but costumed vigilantes at a baseline could NEVER happen in the real world, either, but we've mostly accepted that that's part of the genre, you know? Versus how much am I just trying to meet the narrative where it's at? How much of this is that they're writing Selina badly and how much is it that it's just the same logic of vigilantes being allowed to exist (which are also often criticized within the narrative, just as Selina's plan is being criticized from within the narrative) that applies to Selina's plans as well? There's just as much accountability from Batman as there is from Catwoman--he might have more money, but ultimately nobody actually is able to hold Batman responsible for anything and the only control he has are the training he's given them and the loyalty and love they have for him as a person. Should we say Batman's ideas are bad, because the rogues kill people based around their obsession with him and those he trains? He's not training the rogues directly, but his actions are leading to those deaths of innocent people that he's trying to help, just as Selina training these people, trying to give them non-lethal options, still lead to deaths, even if she doesn't have direct control over them. I don't even really like Selina's plans or that she's being written to propose this idea because I don't think she'd believe in it, but I feel like there's a lot of Comic Book Logic going on that I'm trying to be generous about, you know?

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #bruce wayne #selina kyle #gotham war #*laughs* i'm not married to any of this by the way #i just feel like Comic Book Logic has been missing from the equation a lot so i've been thinking about how it applies here a lot #and i'm trying to come across as pondering but who knows how much i might seem clipped #this is meant to be a laid back response not a passionate one though honest!

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actualbird · 1 year

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thinking about mariluke again… given how marius is afraid of really trusting people and showing his heart bc he’s been used so many times before and his family situation… and given luke is all “you before me” and “wow im literal scum i don’t deserve nice things” how do you think they break down that roadblock to become lovers? do you think one of them would realise this isn’t okay and work on it or would they need a push from someone else?

you 🤝 me

thinking about mariluke

i very much relate to the feeling, anon, HVSKJFVKSDHFS

but oh my gosh i adore this ask because u hit the nail on the head on what like, their core internal conflicts are, respectively. definitely not their only conflicts, but these ones are ones that i see as the driving force behind a lot of their actions. for marius, it's the constant struggle of "can i trust you?", for luke it's his lack of self worth and the resulting neglect of his own safety/needs/desires coming from it.

before i answer the questions tho i wanna say first that those two issues do stem from core Wants that theyve got (and i wanna say this first cuz it will tie into my answers/thoughts HAHA).

like, marius is always cautious and holding his cards and heart close to himself not just because of all the betrayals hes experienced and in general the Life He Lives (though that is a Huge factor), but also because it's connected to his want for honesty, earnestness, and genuineness. though these two are interconnected, it's not a Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg situation (or in this case….Which Came First, The Yearning Or The Trust Issues? JHVKSJDFH), they exist simultaneously and feed into each other. he wants, he has trouble receiving what he wants because of his fears but his fears are also put into higher gear because of how Much he wants, and in turn the lack leads to his desire gets magnified and the stakes for his fears getting even higher as well. aaaand all this gets further complicated when u throw in marius’ low view of himself as well (while it’s not as prominent/delved-into in canon as luke’s, it’s Very Much There, see this past analysis i did about marius and emotional distancing which is the most recent analysis i did i think on the topic)

meanwhile with luke, his propensity to put others before himself always is in partly caused by how lowly he sees himself (if hes worth nothing and others are worth more, then he should be the ones taking the blows or enduring the pains), but Both those things are ultimately caused by his desire to Be Good and Do Good for Another. “for Another” is a key phrase here, because luke imo is driven by devotion. it has to be someone else. and if he sees himself as bad, then the good thing to do is to neglect himself, and a better use of his life is to serve Another that he Sees as good. like marius, this is all interconnected too. his want to do good feeds into his self sacrificial tendencies, his low view of himself allows him to do more of what he perceives to be good, etc etc. tho of course, with luke, theres the whole obvious glaring sign that what he Perceives to be good isnt good at all (ex. when he becomes overprotective to the point of taking away choice/agency from the very person hes protecting, protection becomes presumptuous condescension, and this all gets in flux since goodness is subjective based on whos lens ur looking from) but at the end of the day thats a bulk of whats driving a lot of decisions.

now when things get to romantic relationship, both these respective desires seen through the lens of romantic love can be reworded into:

for marius, it’s “do you love me? can i trust that your love is real? are you telling the truth when you say im worthy of love?”

and for luke, it’s “am i good enough for your love? have i earned it? will i allow myself to believe i’ve earned it when you say i have?”

(sidenote: …..oh my god, marius is basically “Real Love” by Carly Rae Jepsen

"The world is going crazy And it feels like I just don't know who to trust sometimes Thunder's coming over me, I need to get a hold of you now We're getting good at lying No one's saying what's keeping us all awake at night Something's coming over me, I need to get a hold of you now […] I go everyday without it All I want is real, real love And I've been feeling weak without it Only want a real, real love"

and luke is “All That” also by Carly Rae Jepsen

"I wanna play this for you all the time I wanna play this for you when you're feeling used and tired I wanna make the best so you want more […] I'll be the magic you won't ever see You can always rely on me To help you do what you want to do I wanna be the best you've ever known […] Show me if you want me If I'm all that I will be that"

i cant believe CRJ ships mariluke)

NOW back to ur question. i personally dont think this is an Either Or situation, i think it’s a Both Simultaneously kinda thing.

cuz first off, change can only happen when the person who has to do the change actively works on it. no amount of support system can do it for the person if the person themselves isnt putting in the work. BUT input from another Helps very much, especially with mariluke imo cuz like……..these two are two sides of the same coin. so many of their insecurities and fears and wants are similar. not Exactly the same, but similar enough that i think they get each other on a really personal level

(sidenote im coming in with another song but i tell everybody who has the misfortune of listening to me that “just like i do” by loveless is THE mariluke song for me because….come on

"Do you feel alone just like I do? Do you hate the sound of your heartbeat too? Do you feel alone just like I do? Do you hate the sound of your heartbeat too? This is all I own, 'til I face the truth Yeah, I feel alone in a crowded room"

i cant believe loveless ships mariluke too waow)

heres how they can help each other:

marius keeps his heart behind tall and strong walls because of how his world works and how his life has gone, yet all he yearns for is sincerity. and luke gives that in full earnestness, and is probably surprised by how much that means to marius.

(remember the CRJ songs i associated with both of them?

marius: "and it feels like i dont know who to trust sometimes"

luke: "i'll be the magic you won't eve see / you can always rely on me")

luke wears his heart on his sleeve, on the arms that are always fighting for whoever or whatever hes devoted to. luke keeps secrets, yes, but thats mostly in regards to how he sees, treats, and values (or rather, doesnt value) himself. but marius, who is trained in the art of putting up a mask or building a fortress to hide, would see through luke’s secrecy and see how badly luke treats himself under the guise of being good for others to be worthy of love.

(luke: "i wanna be the best youve ever known / show me if you want me"

marius: "i need to get a hold of you now")

luke shows what marius wants and marius sees what luke hides; both of these things, one way or another, calling attention to both of their respective internal conflicts.

i dont think they fix each other, or rather thats not how my personal ideal view of how their relationship goes. i think they see each other.

("do you feel alone just like i do?")

and in seeing, they learn more about themselves and realize that part of loving another person is also in bettering one’s self. marius loving luke more than hes afraid of getting hurt. luke loving marius more than how he wants to hate himself.

they both realize that the internal issues theyve got are not okay, and that they need to work on it. but they realize that once understood by the other and once realizing that their love is more important to them than fear or hatred.

....i feel so normal about them (lie)

#tears of themis #sorry this turned into a 1.3k response with too many song references. the mariluke brainworms posessed me #mariluke #marluke #marius von hagen #luke pearce #asks #anon

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fierrochase-falafel · 5 months

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Censorship and CQL: Overanalysing how The Untamed adapted the 'Dafan Wen'

I don't think I've seen people talk about this a lot, and I really do love CQL a lot, so I'm not going out of my way to hate on it and I certainly don't think of myself as claiming truths out here; this is just my own view of a concept in CQL. That being said, hot take! I don't like the 'Dafan' Wen. It's just that something irks me about having a whole community of people that conveniently did nothing wrong in the series, and have only ever healed others. A lot of CQL or (some) CQL fanfictions seem to hinge on the Dafan Wen being completely innocent; not like those other Qishan Wen who are evil! Which ties in to a broader point about CQL's censorship. And I know MDZS and CQL are both different media but I want to try to justify while I feel this way (in chapters ;)).

1: Wen Qing adapted

Where do I start? I think this is best started with Wen Qing, their leader, and a character I love no matter what media she's in. Wen Qing is already changed up a lot in CQL. Her circumstances involving Wen Ruohan are forced upon her due to his power. Her brother's safety is being actively held over her head by 1 villain, the ultimate evil villain. She is designed to be a much more sympathetic character, someone who doesn't have a choice because of Wen Ruohan specifically. There is 1 piece of leverage and 1 villain, meaning that her motivations are a bit less nuanced. She wants to protect Wen Ning and that's that, but when not bound by Wen Ruohan's orders or risk to Wen Ning's life, she helps Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng practically as much as she can for someone who barely knows them (especially in the dancing statue episodes). What CQL is trying to show is that she is a good person, and committed to what the show recognises as good regardless of her circumstances.

Contrasting her with novel Wen Qing though, I think the latter shows a less dramatised but more conflicting dilemma as to whether or not she can be considered 'good', particularly by the other cultivators. Wen Qing is Wen Ruohan's favourite niece, who respects her deeply for her vast knowledge and skills. Unlike CQL Wen Qing, she is privileged in her position prior to the Sunshot Campaign and is arguably complicit in the Wen clan's wrongdoings because she never spoke out against them, which is what the Jin clan argued. This argument being used against her makes more sense here because of the benefits she recieved because of the Wen clan's abuse of power- even if she personally did nothing (which she calmly and clearly states to Wei Wuxian) and her branch "doesn’t have much blood on their hands", she benefitted from not being attacked or hit by the effects of war like all the other clans. When this was used against CQL Wen Qing though, the argument can automatically be dismissed as untrue. She was even locked in a DUNGEON for helping the Yunmeng siblings! And that's the conflict I want to draw attention to: where in CQL something is outright false or unreasonable, MDZS has a point that can be argued for and against with no real black-or-white conclusion.

If you were Wen Qing and you could either retain a comfortable position of privilege or lose everything to be tortured by your uncle, it's obviously more favourable to choose the former regardless of how you feel about the war! Especially if both your AND your brother's lives hinge on it! It's not a matter of the greater good: the fact is, Wen Qing's main priorities were being fulfilled in her position, and it's not like anyone was going to greet her with open arms on the other side, so did she really do anything wrong? I'd say she didn't, but that doesn't mean she wasn't voluntarily standing by as the other clans suffered as opposed to being threatened or locked up.

2: Considering some possible implications of Wei Wuxian saving the 'Dafan Wen'

CQL Wen Qing is absolved of any potential blame by making her initially morally grey actions explained away by being threatened and thus controlled by the villain. Similarly, CQL sets her family apart from the rest of the Wens by having them live on a different mountain and be treated poorly by the main Qishan Wen under Wen Ruohan. There is now a whole group of Wens who are 'special', effectively, for also suffering under the hand of the main Wen clan as much as the other clans- arguably more. This makes the treatment of the Dafan Wen one that is misunderstood, one that shows their allies (who saved them from Wen Ruohan's rule) becoming their enemies SOLELY by virtue of the Wen family name, and that is why Wei Wuxian protecting them is so important in CQL. Which isn't necessarily bad for a message, but one that is way less nuanced.

Wei Wuxian's complexity suffers from this- in the novel, I would argue a much more prominent reason he saves Wen Qing and the others are because Wen Qing and Wen Ning helped him in the past and he both wants to and feels obligated to help them particularly. Furthermore, he is angry that his personal wartime allies are having to go through this. Running off to the Burial Mounds was not on his radar exactly until he met Wen Qing again. It was partly due to his moral compass but partly due to his personal ties. However, if the Dafan Wen as a whole are fully victims and were never villains, then protecting them becomes a matter of righteousness at its core. Anyone complaining about it is being completely unfair to them and Wei Wuxian, and are just straight-up wrong. There's a difference between being ignorant and being wrong- where in MDZS the other clans show ignorance (definitely misguided but you see why argue what they do), in CQL the other clans are just wrong (come on, the peaceful Wen offshoot living on a whole different mountain can't possibly be unheard of by ANYONE at the banquet that night Wei Wuxian threatened Jin Zixun).

In CQL, one could also argue there's no room for Wei Wuxian to just-- not save the Wen siblings. They were some level of friends by that point, the Wen siblings had saved Wei Wuxian time and time again (even from a dog!) and their theoretically unproblematic clan had treated him well too. Him wanting to save them aligns his personal attachment to them with their 'goodness', making it impossible to not save them. In MDZS, Wei Wuxian both knows the Wen siblings less and does not have any special sense of justice attached because of their seperate branch, even if they didn't commit war crimes. This adds new dimensions to his reasons to protect the clan- even if he is protecting them out of care and justice, it shows Wei Wuxian's willingness to do anything for people if he believes he owes it to them. It also shows his willingness to help these specific Wens because of that, and his decision becomes less about justice for all Wens, as the only reason he is protecting these Wens over any other Wens is about Wen Qing and Wen Ning. It's not that these Wens were being subjugated by Wen Ruohan (they likely received similar benefits to Wen Qing) and thus deserved to be protected as 'good people', but that they were A) currently powerless and B) in the same group with and/or related to Wen Qing and Wen Ning. The unspoken implication of there being other Wens out there undergoing brutal treatment for remaining silent prior to the Sunshot Campaign is realistic and shows Wei Wuxian to be limited in who he has the capacity to protect and why he would protect them. It's never as simple as justice. I would argue that making the Burial Mounds Wens representative of regular Wens adds to the impact of Wei Wuxian's decision as a difficult one, and one much harder for the other clans to forgive.

Here's an alternate way to consider the implications. If the 'Dafan Wen' don't exist, then Wei Wuxian's decision is less about how 'good' the Wen clan (or any branch of it) are as a whole, and more about how unethical any Wens, Dafan or not, are being treated by the other clans. However, Wei Wuxian is 1 man with his own priorities and when he chooses who to protect, he chooses the affiliates of those who he knows were willing to help him rather than making any huge statement about unethical treatment of prisoners of war. He slaughtered many Wens on the battlefield after all, and he isn't about to save EVERY Wen who never helped him- this isn't feasible anyways and I feel like it also actively avoids the 'Wei Wuxian is the most righteous person ever' route it could've gone down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------(DISCLAIMER:) It is important to note though that what crimes were committed by which Wen sect cultivators is an incredibly difficult topic to unravel. We know only some Wen sect cultivators were imprisoned due to their involvement in the war, but some innocent ones (who were initially free-roaming) like Wen Ning's group were forcefully taken too by cultivators like Jin Zixun facing no punishment or attention for doing so. I assume the latter happens a lot, and they were being treated like prisoners and labourers (as Granny Wen was) even if they were supposedly free-roaming before. None of the guards were surprised and referred to new Wen sect cultivators being sent there everyday- I feel like innocent or guilty in the war stops being a question. So we have all these questions about how fair is their treatment prisoners of war AND their treatment of other Wen sect cultivators. Much of said treatment isn't gone into detail as well, because I doubt the Jin clan or anyone else is particularly honest about it, and Wei Wuxian's own opinion on this is never physically said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3: The moral solution

What I'm getting at, in this roundabout way, is that in CQL there is an easier moral solution: the Dafan Wen tried to help the other clans as much as they could and were being threatened by the main Wen clan, therefore they should be protected despite their name. The other clans argue they're Wens and thus should not be protected, but they're not like the normal Wens- they're different and peaceful. It is clear: the good action is to protect the good people. It's almost a cop-out from showing that just because someone was benefited by or on the side of the villain by choice does not make them necessarily evil or anything (and certainly doesn't warrant punishing them the same way their higher-ups tortured you). This also immediately places the Dafan Wen and Wei Wuxian on the side of 'good' while placing the main Wen clan and anyone trying to actively argue for the murder of the Dafan Wen on the side of 'wrong' (like Nie Mingjue- not necessarily evil but definitely wrong).

Wei Wuxian is the ultimate hero character for standing up for what is right because it is right, as opposed to a character who isn't always able to fulfil that. Wei Wuxian's cultivation is also changed in CQL so as to not involve any genuine resurrection or control of the dead (in ghost form or otherwise). This softens the outrageous or grave aspects of what he actually did, and once again removes an aspect of his actions that can be viewed as morally wrong in any way. In my opinion atleast, MDZS is a lot harder to interpret in 1 specific way compared to CQL because these nuances within the Wen clan's and Wei Wuxian's actions exist, and often there is no right answer at all. While in MDZS Wei Wuxian is still morally ideal in the way he sticks to his guns (unlike SO many other characters), he doesn't get away with being blameless, but his CQL counterpart kind-of did nothing wrong.

4: (Unsurprisingly) Censorship makes a difference

This being said, I know CQL did their absolute utomost to translate this story to a live-action in the best way possible. Many of the changes they made (having the whole cast be involved since the very beginning, for instance) served the web series format in the best way possible, getting viewers invested in them from the get-go in this medium. Even these changes I've talked about may not really take a huge amount away from the story; after all, Wen Qing and Wen Ning's branch were by and large not involved in all the Sunshot campaign killing in both versions of the story. I am perhaps just making a mountain out of a molehill. However, I'd say the difference between their portrayals is still significant enough to change the connotations of the story as a whole.

The main conflict in the past was Wei Wuxian's decision to stand up for the residents of the Burial Mounds, and the involvement of the rest of the cultivation world in his demise. The context to this conflict being changed also changes the takeaway from this conflict.

My takeaway from these changes is that this is CQL fitting in with censorship guidelines to avoid depictions of moral greyness or any seeming lack of righteousness in the 'good guys'. I'm no genius on censorship guidelines and I am not Chinese, so I'm going off of my limited somewhat-academic and online forum research, but any content "transgressing social morality" (wording taken from here) is prohibited.

A lot of people online who are opposed to CQL's changes regarding this are angry about the idea of villains needing to be hands down the main evil, and I understand. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I really was disappointed getting to the end of CQL where they go "Su She was playing the flute all this time! He was the one who got Jiang Yanli killed!" I appreciate that CQL only decided to really engage with this at the very end and not embellishing Jin Guangyao's role in Wei Wuxian's demise even more. Without watching the last 2 episodes, it was almost (key word: almost) as if they hadn't had to censor the original death scene at all. I also do think though, that the censorship of 'heroes' goes more unnoticed when talking about this show. The censorship in CQL of Wei Wuxian's morally grey actions or fatal mistakes for example, like by not having him inadvertently cause Jiang Yanli's death. There's also CQL showing him repeatedly talking about how he wants to stand with justice with Lan Wangji (which I'm pretty sure doesn't happen in the books), just to hone in on how righteous they consistently are. Referring to Jiang Yanli's death, when Wei Wuxian sticking to his personal code of justice has consequences that betray what he wanted to happen, it isn't easy anymore for him to be a hero. His decisions are harder- he didn't have his cultivation under control after all no matter how much he wanted to, he wasn't blameless no matter how well-intentioned his actions were. Like Wei Wuxian, I believe Wen Qing and her branch of the Wen clan are also censored by having them as part of the different Dafan Wen clan, again to show all of them as unquestionably good or blameless in the series when they aren't in the novel.

5: CQL, MDZS, and fan interpretation

Around when I was introduced to CQL (for which I can never thank you enough, @iliketodecompose), I remember being told told that the best way to watch CQL is as its own series as opposed to an adaptation of MDZS. I think this is a good way to perceive and love the series in light of its differences to the novel, because even little differences like these can change what the story says. Maybe some people agree with me and some think I'm reading too much into it / have misinterpreted the series entirely, in which case I'm glad to hear alternate opinions or justifications, but I do not want to engage with "you're 100% wrong about this piece of fiction" comments. Opinions about the clarity of how MDZS is meant to be interpreted range far and wide; there are bound to be whole groups of people who disagree with me for several reasons but that's just how it goes. Having looked into other people's opinions across the internet, I've expanded my horizons to other interpretations as well. I don't think we have to be bound to a single interpretation; I've found myself agreeing with many people's arguments even if they partially disagree with or come in from a different angle than my own.

In conclusion...even if I lost the plot a bit in the middle there, I hope I've been able to justify my point of view here as to why I'm not a fan of the idea of Wen Qing's branch being an identifiably different branch to the rest of the main Wen clan. Peace-!

#wen qing #wen ning #wei wuxian #dafan wen #wen clan #the untamed #cql #cql meta #mdzs #mdzs meta #posts originating from my brain #analysis time by me so I can track them in my tags

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rosegirl6140 · 1 year

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How Stella Differs From Other Female Abusers

I’ve been confused on why I didn’t have a similar disdain for Stella as I did for other female abusers such as: Beatrice Horseman, Shadow Weaver, and Odalia Blight. I was confused until I asked myself: how does Stella differ from all of these women? That’s when it finally hit me all of these women, Stella included are narcissistic, power (and or status obsessed), psychopaths but Stella lacks something that they all have: control. Beatrice Horseman while having a lavish life similar to Stella was always calm and controlled in her rants to her son which of course made them all the more terrifying and worse, believable for a young child because it sounded like she was saying a fact instead of something out of anger. Same thing with Shadow Weaver, most of the time she was passive aggressive and yes had moments where she flew off the handle but she knew how to manipulate a situation to go in her favor like when she manipulated Catra into helping her escape or what she did to Glimmer for most of season 4 even though she was still technically a “prisoner.” She also had a lot of authority within the Horde and was in control of a lot of people before Catra stopped her. Odalia was in charge of a whole company and always tried to frame every petty, manipulative, and controlling thing she did to Amity as her “helping her daughter fulfill her potential” or something which was really a vain effort to have something to brag about.

Stella however has barely any control over anything at all. She got into an arranged marriage with Stolas when she was barely older than Octavia. She lets her emotions get the better of her all the time. She still obsesses over what the rest of the Goetia family thinks. Whenever there’s a problem she just throws money at it. She doesn’t say things with sadistic coldness she screams it out with white hot rage which is raw and feels real (not for good reasons but still). Stella also seems to run to her brother. The only real things she has control over are what parties she throws. She is dependent on other people and she hates it so she bullies them into thinking she has control when she doesn’t which again is terrible and no one should do that. She has never had to do an actual thing for herself and is basically an overgrown child. They explain how her outfit can look juvenile as well in this one re-design video but my computer is being stupid so I can’t post it. Stella has never made any big decisions for her life and just did what her parents asked of her. The closest thing she made to a decision was her paying someone to kill Stolas for embarrassing her. I think on some level she realizes this and that’s why she hates Stolas so much because she had no choice in her life and she takes it out on him because she’s too scared of what other people think to leave.

All the women above made choices: Beatrice Horseman chose to abandon her safe and steady life to run off with her horrible idiot of a husband after he got her pregnant and instead of admitting that she made a mistake she just took it out on Bojack, Shadow Weaver she worked her way to the top and became a respected sorceress only to throw it away for a desperate grab at more power while endangering a child and then started abusing other children because she was so convinced that she was entitled to power, Odalia built an entire company with her husband and handles most of the business but only cares about her kids if they make her look good and will actively hurt them to get her way. Stella however did what her parents asked of her to maintain her safety, comfort, and security. She got married to a man who didn’t even find her attractive and whom she has nothing in common with. This would be frustrating for anyone but with Stella’s anger issues it made her extremely abusive and taking it out on him (again this is obviously horrible and I don’t condone).

In her mind she did everything she was expected to do even if it made her miserable and in return she gets her husband humiliating her in the worst way imaginable over and over again. I hope the show gets better and treats her anger issues like a serious problem that negatively impacts her too. And goes into detail about how she struggles with it because she has little to no control over it. Stella is pretty much the product of her environment and I want to see her be more than that.

#vivziepop #THE OWL HOUSE #the owl house odalia #she ra netflix #shadow weaver #hazbin hotel #Bojack Horseman #beatrice horseman #stolas #stolas goetia #stella goetia

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backwaterheroics · 10 days

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"Wanna make out?" — Kunsel, deadpan.

bro, you do not have nearly enough FP ☆ @vctlan & @sentmail

He has these dreams. And not always when he's asleep--so from one waking moment to the next, he is someone else - the scenery has shifted, and he is no longer in control. Do you remember the picture that we took? He is absent from himself and his limbs are numb, fingers tingling, vision blurred around the edges and tinged a ghostly blue, a sickly green. Static clings in his ears, a never-ending crescendo buzzing and buzzing and buzzing.

Sometimes he sees himself as he was, a little gangling spitfire or a half-built ghost, a puppet. Sometimes he knows it's all fabrication. It's been getting easier to tell the difference, between one cracked and precious memory and the little tabloid fragments of what the little toy soldier in his past used to paint a picture of their life. Sometimes it's something else, a monster under the bed in the dead of night. Bones in a closet, rattling and moaning and crying. How can there be any meaning in the memory of such a being?

This one is in the middle. It's a magazine cutout and an encyclopedia entry. It's having his hair ruffled and an arm slung around his neck to bring him and a real SOLDIER closer together. It's C'mon, guys! Kiss and make up! I am not having my two best friends fight all day. In this house, we love and respect each other, alright? He would do anything for that arm around him again, anything for that voice to be real.

Caraças, that's so corny, why'd you have to say it like that? but he agrees. It's Zack, it's always Zack.

And he's small and weak and neither of them should even be giving him the time of day, but he's not a coward.

His lips taste like cocoa and ash.

Cloud wonders if he remembers that. Cloud can't even say any of it is even real. So much of before is lost to him, he relies on other people and their accounts to make sense of his own. So the stolen moments, the private ones.. they've all been washed away in the tides.

Things that aren't his get shoved in boxes, tucked away and meant to be forgotten. He has no right, especially if they're real. He'll never know if they are. Parts of him now never see the light of day, and he is too scared to expose any of it to someone else. In case it is real. Because then—-Then.... Not even given a number.

Sometimes it's the feel of a sword twice his weight and heavy in his hand, but light in the air and power rushing through his veins. Other times it's a weightless drift of motion for moments known only by sense memory. In waking moments, he knows he's never been there. He's never seen this or that, never done such and such thing.

Well—-he hasn't, right?

He wasn't a SOLDIER. So how could he know the exact layout of the SOLDIER floors in the Midgar ShinRa tower? Why can he remember an alcove in between the junction of some junk offices and meeting halls, where he pressed a body high and hard against a glass window? Muscled thighs tight against his waist, muddy boots hitting his back. Rough, cocoa lips and the light waft of blood because missions were never perfect. A frantic rush of relief leading to hearts finally finding a steady rhythm, equilibrium in the push and pull of there and back.

Coming down from that manic high, the relief. Leaning against each other, happy in that momentary safety. Kunsel's forehead pressed to his collarbones, arms hanging low and draped about his hips, his helmet clanking against his ankle.

Then the flashes fade and Cloud can't shove this one in a box right away. He's still feeling even though he shouldn't, like he's not supposed to. You have no right—! The pressure of Kunsel all around him. The feeling of security.

He wishes, maybe. He wants that too, those feelings. All of a sudden, he can't remember the last time he felt like that, like he was being sheltered, safeguarded. But that's just his problem, isn't it? Remembering.

He forgets. He forgets a lot. He tries to remember. Leaves himself notes. Keeps dutiful logs and excuses it all away by saying he just likes to be organized. It's nice to run a self-composed delivery company. No one can tell him what to do or how to do it, and he never really needs to make excuses for writing so many things down.

But here they are, circled back to a similar orbit and this time there's no one there to knock their heads together and force them to get along. What kind of question--?! Kunsel is going way off script, off road and not even on any kind of designated trail. Or, maybe he's just messing with him — but they don't operate like that with each other either. At least, Cloud didn't think they did. None of his notes have ever said they did.

And, well — Cloud doesn't mind kissing his friends. A bit of affection here and there never hurt anybody, but he and Kunsel are not friends. He's not even sure if they've even approached that sort of territory. Completely off grid!

"Y'ain't my type," he mutters. But he knows exactly how their lips would slot together, how his hands would feel about his face or on his shoulders, through his hair. He has to clear his throat before he can talk again, not quite able to look Kunsel in the eye anymore, arms crossed over his chest. The bar fan overhead creaks in its lazy rotations. "Didn't think I was yours, neither."

#make out???? we already have. several times. in my hallucinamemories #vctlan #sentmail #if this is similar to something i've already written you in the past then no it isn't #also i haven't read this over and i refuse to read it over bc i haven't written a gdmn thing in 6 months probably #{ no sweat. just leave everything to me. (well now what?) → asks.#kissin cloud barlow for ts

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threefold-wolf · 1 year

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Here’s a sneak peak of a Gaz x Price fic I’m writing… would anyone be interested in more?

Captain Price x Gaz ….. don’t like don’t read

PriceGaz/GazPrice - moving in together, meeting Gaz’s family

Chapter 1

They were getting a long leave for once. It felt like the past few missions had been back to back, and the entire team very obviously were feeling it. None of them had even a minute to themselves lately, so it felt like the angels themselves were delivering the message from their higher ups: a multi-month leave! Gaz and Price were both work-a-holics, but this would be the perfect recharge. And they actually got leave at the same time. Damn near divine timing right there.

Both Gaz and Price, as well as the rest of their team, were exiting the C-140; duffels were in hand and exhaustion was written in their steps. But, when boots hit the ground there was a newfound energy.

“Gaz, I’m headed to debrief but it won’t take long. Meet you back in the room?” Price addressed him directly, remaining in mission-mode until all was said and done. Gaz nodded back and both headed their respective directions. They were lucky enough to have a shared room on base (141 privileges and all that) - even before their relationship began, they found it easier to sleep with the other nearby. There was an implicit trust that came with risking everything together, and a sense of safety when your partner saves your life on a regular basis. When they had first confessed, that same safety and security had started to be found ten-fold in Price’s bed; Gaz’s slowly becoming abandoned (“slowly”.... If that’s synonymous with one night. The second they started dating, Gaz took it as blanket permission and never looked back). Gaz sighed as he thought about how different this shower and sleep were about to hit. He knew neither him nor Price would want to waste precious leave time on base, so they’d probably be hopping back on a flight to London tomorrow.

As much as Kyle was a family man and couldn’t wait to see his mum and sisters, John was also his family now. He didn’t want to just part ways tomorrow - they hadn’t had any real time together outside of their work in a while, and Gaz was going to explode and also die if he didn’t get it soon. Although Price held it together better, inside it was really starting to grate on him too. They had been dating for over six months now, after everything that had happened they just went for it. This wasn’t casual for either of them, their line of work didn’t allow for anything to be done half-assed. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had a substantial leave together - only on-base breaks. This pattern wasn’t anything new - Kyle had long since given up on a normal work schedule, would honestly hate it if he had one, even though he’d appreciate more time at home. If only you could be two places at once….he quickly shut down that train of thought when his mind wandered to some other possibilities that would bring.

Because of his work pattern, he had never bothered fully moving out of his mum’s place; he basically didn’t live there and used it as a storage facility/crash pad anyways. Again, he was a family-oriented person - why would he want to waste his time off not catching up with them? For Price, his brain helpfully supplied. But why not both? Was the next helpful whisper. Of course he’d already told his family he was seeing someone, very seriously. He may have already broken down and told them this was it for him, but that was neither here nor there. He had left out some (possibly key) details. Such as the man was older than him. And his commanding officer. All in good time right? Even if they disapproved he knew they’d be happy for him eventually. His family was tight knit, especially after his dad’s passing when Kyle was a young teenager. Soon after, his oldest sister had moved back in to help out, which his mum would be forever grateful for. His middle sister moved out and eventually settled on her own, but stayed close by. Nine times out of ten, she’d be at the house too. Gaz could only describe his childhood home as a place of love; chaos, but loving chaos none-the-less. As the baby and now only man of his family, he felt a deep loyalty to them. Even after the ear-shattering fights between him and his sisters as kids. Now he just had to plan how to ask John to be introduced to them - a shiver ran down him at that. He needed it to work out between both parties. He wasn’t worried about John per say, mainly his family’s reaction and their chaos scaring John off. Then again, John did deal with the 141 on a regular basis.

With that thought, he realized he had walked on autopilot all the way back to their room. Fumbling with the key in the lock, he slammed the door open and practically threw his duffle at the end of the bed. The sunglasses and hat barely made it onto the desk next. He felt downright grimy. Unpacking could wait until after this glorious, glorious shower. Deployment had a way of making him grateful for the barrack’s bathrooms to a degree he never thought possible.

#gazprice #gaz #kyle Garrick x John price #captain John price #captain price x gaz #Gaz x John price #cod fanfic #mw2 #Gaz x price #pricegaz

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thealexanderfiles · 7 months

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lol I’m sure you’re getting a lot of these, but as a once-MCU-only fan turned Marvel-and-DC comics fan, I think I can offer some guidance.

I’m going to answer some of your questions first, then give you some starting point recs.

There are 6 kids that officially have lived in Wayne Manor with Bruce as their parent, Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, Damian, Duke.

Duke is the only one I’m not sure the status on adoption or not, definitely foster at a point, but his parents are technically alive as far as I know, so not sure the adoption legalities there.

Duke is also the ONLY META in the batfamily.

There are 5 robins, you got that and the order right. But, Jason was actually adopted before Dick was, Dick was adopted as an adult- he was legally Bruce’s ward when he lived in the manor, but lbr they were already father and son then.

Minor qualm but yes, Jason did take a dip in magic water (the Lazarus pit) but technically what brought him back to life was an angry fanboy literally punching the universe to the point where it shattered and Messed Things Up (happy to explain more if you want).

Tim Drake did not begin as an orphan, that is correct, but how he became Robin is actually super fun. He as an 8-year-old discovered the identities of Batman and Robin (he recognized Dick Grayson’s Robin do a move only the Flying Graysons were able to do, and put the pieces together from there). He then saw Batman was Not Doing Well mentally after Jason died (aka becoming more aggressive, caring less about his personal safety, etc.) and decided that “Batman needs a Robin” and volunteered himself.

https://thedirect.com/article/batman-dc-studios-brave-and-bold-movie-heroes

^that could help if you want more in-depth backstories on each member of the family otherwise.

Tim ran WE for some time when Bruce was believed dead, I believe he then became majority shareholder.

Tim, Dick and Jason do not in canon become airheads, and unfortunately Brucie Wayne is more of a fanon thing than a canon thing in the way you are describing it (aka The Superior Way it Should Be in canon). Comic writers treat Brucie Wayne more like an MCU-Tony-Stark-esque playboy.

Cass is the second Batgirl (third if you count Bette but most people don’t), between Barbara and Stephanie. See that link above for more details. She was Black Bat for a time after, and now is Orphan.

The JL actually don’t think Batman works alone! That’s just a fun fanon trope that is not canon compliant.

Yes, any Green Lantern is essentially allergic to the color yellow.

You are so right about the crossovers and You Should Say It.

Tim is Bi!! Iconic and amazing and wonderful of him. Everybody say “thank you, Meghan Fitzmartin.”

The internet is divided because canon is divided. Most will choose to simply ignore bad Batdad, others will argue it’s important to the characters. Personal preference there.

If I’m not mistaken, #OnlyInGotham is a fanon thing.

Sure, I like Australian NYC, but I much prefer New Jersey if it went off the deep end (because Gotham is widely considered to be in New Jersey)

Hit the nail right on the head with Riddler, 10/10.

Batcest can just go away for ever please and thank you.

There’s actually a fascinating history about Deadpool here. Deadpool was created by Marvel in part as a very obvious parody to DC’s Deathstroke. Deadpool is Wade Wilson, Deathstroke is Slade Wilson. I can’t make this up. Comics are awesome.

In the comics, Dick Grayson is primarily associated with Teen Titans, and Tim Drake is primarily associated with Young Justice. Both shows’ original Robins are Dick Grayson, though. (YJ does eventually incorporate the next two Robins as Dick becomes Nightwing).

Batburger is real and canon.

Now for recs:

The most fanon-y way to start is Wayne Family Adventures on Webtoon. That’s how I got started.

To get a more full sense of the DC Universe, watch Young Justice. It deviates a lot from the comics in many respects, but is incredibly comics-accurate in others.

Super Sons is a great comic. It’s about Damian and his best friend Jon Kent, Superboy.

Tom Taylor’s Nightwing is a personal favorite, but wait to start that until you have at least read WFA.

Hope this helps!!

Oh my god please do I have so many questions

And yes this helped a lot. Do you know where I can watch any of the shows? Bc I know Disney is where u go for marvel, but I've asked around and none of my friends (primarily mcu fans, accept for one singular dc fan who's number I've forgotten) have a clue.

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masschase · 9 months

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chase, i am once again in your ask box begging for lore.

18 and 23 for the ask meme if you haven’t done them and i hope you have the best day today :3

I'm so sorry this took 2 days! My brain just didn't seem able to finish 🥲

Ask me about muh girlie

18. What was your character’s presidency like? How did they campaign?

OOH THIS QUESTION IS SO EXCITING :D

OK I'll start with her campaign.There were huge calls for the person who disabled the nuke to be the President at first.

The tv cut to news footage of the Boss on the screen, still in her suit in the slightly destroyed Oval Office being hounded by press. "I'm sure you'll get to know me soon enough. For now, just know this. I'm the leader of the Saints. If you've ever doubted us or our brand in the past, remember this: I just saved the BLEEP world BLEEPs. So you better show us some BLEEEEP respect.". The news cut to footage of crowds chanting while the anchor spoke again. "People are calling for the leader of the Saints to enter the running as President- if we can only get a hold of them..."

Pierce, Shaundi and Kinzie meet Casey in DC the following day and set up a press conference for the day after that. Funnily enough they do discuss the possibility of Pierce posing as the leader but he declines for personal reasons mostly regarding his sexuality and his overall safety. Casey decides she's just going to have to go for it and they talk about the angle they're going to take.

She thought for a second. "Is there any chance they're gonna buy that I'm a sweet wholesome Michigan girl?" Pierce raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely zero." he confirmed. "Yeah, I thought so..." she mused, thinking to herself again.

They decide they have a better chance at going with strength. Power. The fact that the Boss is not afraid to get her hands dirty to get shit done.

Unfortunately, the media manages to dig stuff up before the press conference. Kinzie was very thorough at encrypting Casey's name and real age (now 25) when she discovered them back in 2014. However there are pictures of her various aliases, her fake age (28, still too young to be president) and some of her exploits all over the news.

Pierce calls in a favour (he seems to "know a guy" in every city and I think we all know why) to makeover the Boss while he tries to persuade her to dress with a little more class, and eventually they give her a new image (something she mostly managed to swerve when the Saints hit fame by encouraging Pierce into the limelight.)

At the press conference they focus on strength, security, defense, and most importantly, finding ways to appeal to both sides. Overall the Saints policies are fairly left-wing, some more radical than the Dems but they pay lip service to the right too. I'm actually planning a post on this press conference soon; initially I was going to write it as a transcript but I find it way, way more interesting as a fully written piece because Casey's thoughts and feelings during in make it far more interesting. Here's a snippet.

"Yeah, sure, maybe I have been a little intense at times. But I'm not a violent person.". Hoo boy, that was hard to say with a straight face. All politicians lied though, right? She bit her lip a little but managed to compose herself a little. "I am not an attacker. I'm a defender, and I will stop at nothing to defend my country. I will kick terrorism's ass. I will beat poverty into submission. I will put a bullet in the gun violence in this country.". Ooh, she still really liked that part. She looked around at the approving crowd. "As for the most marginalised in our society... if you are downed... I will Pick. You. Back. Up. Again."

It's all ridiculously cheesy to be honest, but what else did you expect? The speech was written primarily by Pierce but with input from the other three (a bullet in gun violence was Shaundi's idea which means it was actually iamkinzie's idea in our rp) and Casey did ad-lib the odd part. She manages to deal with questions fairly well at the end, though the final one basically refers to her being spotted with women so she makes the decision to come out as bi and takes a clear pro LGBTQ+ stance (I can really see this appealing to some of the disillusioned Bernie Sanders fans). She relies on more platitudes to balance this out.

"If you have any kind of issue with this, I urge you to try and remember what country we are in. I want to ask you what freedom-" she emphasised. "'-means to you. Because the last I checked... this was America."

Cringe cringe. Yes a lot of this probably wouldn't work in real life. But c'mon guys she's a fucking Saints Row IV Boss. At times her tumblr version reaches full cartoon character. She had to win somehow, I'm just rationalising that the best I can. 🤣

The Saints were doing well for an independent, but overall it wasn't enough to swing things, even as late as mid-2016. They also still needed to do something about the age on the constitution. This is where the 4th July party came in. This is where the Saints manage to gain much of the support and investment needed to get the age changed as well as step up their campaigns for a greater share of votes.

This is also the same time the fake relationship for the media between Casey and Pierce began. The idea was to present it as a "we can't be public with this because of our work but awww we're secretly in love 👉👈" thing to cover up Pierce's then-closeted queerness and Casey's promiscuity, and they had relative success with it tbh.

I think it was never a dead cert, but once the amendment passed, it sent a very clear message they were likely to win. There was still a little uncertainty right up until Novemver. But they just about scraped the win.(woooo fuck Trump!)

The actual presidency? I think she was competent enough actually, at least with the team she had around her. I don't imagine the promised vision came around overnight, but they were getting there. Trouble was, she stopped giving a fuck about her public image. She started dressing more like herself, giving less of a fuck about speeches, put less effort into covering up the drinking, drugs and sex. Kind of leading into what we see in IV with the really low approval ratings.

Casey would not have gotten a second term. In the unlikely event she did, Pierce had already resigned effective then (he's already made it clear he's not her second in command anymore, and Kinzie and Oleg would've probably would've left together too.

If anything, this was why she had to spend much of Saints Row IV earning back her friends' respect.

23. How did you structure the series’ timeline for your character?

Ooh so I don't know if this means what is the timeline or why I chose the timeline? I have answered an ask on this before but I can't find the link and I love my timeline so always happy to talk about it 😊

2006: Saints Row, spread across the summer probably June-Aug/Sept? Obviously SRIV says "the Saints made themselves known to the world in 2006" or something to that effect, obviously the game came out in 2006 and I just think it is mostly agreed that's when that took place

2011: Saints Row 2, July/Aug to Oct. I can't see the coma being exactly 5 years and this too seems to take place over the summer. Fairly easy decision, I didn't use any particular dates from the game I don't think.

2012-2014: Saints rise to fame.

2014: Saints Row the Third: September-December. In-game news reports span autumn/winter.

2015: SRIV Zero Saints Thirty/disabling of the nuke. Probably around September/October time. This is when the presidential campaign starts. I decided on the date because SRTT dlc stuff is apparently the first half of 2015, and just to make the other dates work.

2016: Main past section of my fanfic in June/July. Casey elected President, November obviously. I think maybe it's implied in a jokey way that the Boss just fell into the job but then it's also clear they're still in their first term 5 years later so... really this makes sense and is in line with actual election dates.

2020: Main bulk of Saints Row IV. March-May. Obviously it needed to be before November and I'm not quite sure why I settled on March but yeah, earth was invaded by the Zin on the 3rd March. Just for fun, some of the character's rescue dates: 6th Mar-Casey 9th Mar- Matt 17th Mar- Shaundi 25th Mar- Pierce 15th Apr- Johnny So again it's not actually a full 5 years, but I feel like it's close enough that one would term it "5 years later"

2021: Gat out of Hell. Idk I felt like placing Kinzie's birthday in May and it fit for story reasons and stuff. I'm not the biggest fan of GOOH. On balance it does add some important stuff to my story but... meh.

2022: Start of my fanfic future section. (February) I feel like I could add more and more dates but as time goes on, the reasoning for where they're placed becomes more and more of a case of "because I said so" 🤣

#sr boss: casey clark #asks #thanks for the ask!#saints row

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abimee · 11 months

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(manifets at your door) hi bestie talking abt xiv music. what would u say are the bangers of all time - either by expansion or in the game as a whole

hold on i want to do best songs per expansion cause i got a lot to say about soken and co's discography of the game but i have to start out of order to let everyone know i think Wayward Daughter is a mediocre track and the actual best Stormblood track is Seven-Hundred and Seventy Seven Whiskers FOR GOOD REASON

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Seven Hundred and Seventy Seven Whiskers stands out amongst every song in Stormblood to me purely because of the Namazu themselves --- the Namazu 777 Festival is obviously based on the Obon, and the music that plays is meant to be music played during the Bon Odori/Bon Dance, and you can even hear the sound of the Namazu dancing to it in the song with the squeak of their feet :]

But what makes this so special is just the story of the Namazu, how their people lost their way and culture and how after one sees a vision of their people being destroyed unless they hold a festival and how everyone involved seems genuinely invested in reconstructiong their culture and being a ''people'' with rituals and beliefs again, rather than simply chasing coin like a lot do when you first meet the Namazu. And when they come to the Azim Steppe to make a spot for their cultural festival, they take the time to learn about the Au Ri cultures around them, and even though its often shown that the different Au Ri people consider the Namazu odd, them wanting to learn traditions from the different clans and incorporate them into their own festival is never framed as a greedy or ignorant ploy, but the Namazu genuinely wanting to learn and understand these traditions. The Namazu are even incredibly respectful to the Uyagiri people, where when they hear that they refuse to come to the festival due to their own religious beliefs about indulgence, the Namazu never berate them or say they should ''just leave their cave'' like other clans on the Steppe do --- instead, the quest is that you make a very simplistic offering, a doll iirc, to give to the Uyagiri as offering since they cant come. The Namazu genuinely try and even though theyre often played off as being stupid and for slapstick theyre never played off as like, ''oooh look at these fish disrespecting a culture because they wanna mimic it haha!"

And its really sweet with the fact that the Namazu story itself is about finding meaning and religion in what you do, and even if others see your beliefs and traditions and habits as ''uncessary'' or ''unworthwhile'', if it means something to YOU, if doing it makes you feel closer to your people or your religion, then it is worthwhile --- they see the festival as worthwhile, as crafting and gathering as worthwhile, and in reconnecting with their traditions they do avert a genuinely life-threatening future of mass exctintion, not because they actually appeased some sort of god threatening them, but because these traditions were grounded in a sense of preservation, that though they seem silly to others they were how the namazu lived and thrived!! and now to mention how the Namazu story touches on the concept of sort of recognizing that the God you worship isnt real with the fact that the Great One is sort of just implied to be not real, just Earthquakes in the ground, with not only it being based off a real legend but also the fact that the Namazu can't/dont summon a primal of it. And once again wrapping back around to the concept of religion always having been a means to self preserve, and whether a god truly exists or not is not what matters, but the community and safety and preservation that comes with religious worship and rules and etc etc. Anyway the Namazu are really good i think they steal the show for best track in stormblood ✌️

ANYWAY. A REALM REBORN. DREAM'S ALOFT genuinely one of the first MSQ songs to hit me in the gut. As a Kingdom Hearts fan and not an ff fan hearing this song did in fact make me feel like i was in Traverse Town again and meeting Cid highwind from my childhood. But also meeting Cid while this song plays and we're up in the airship really did feel like one of the first ''big moments'' in this game to me, so whenever I hear this song I think of my sprout days and how simply being up in the air felt like the most magical thing ever

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second to it HAS to be Edda's theme. No reason for ARR to randomly scare the shit out of me with a cool and emotional side story. I think FF14 does really good with brief moments of horror, cause Edda's plot really did chill me to the bone but it didn't overstay it's welcome or become ''too much'' --- which is where I think ff14 begins to fail in its ''scares'' sometimes. This game does best with like, Halloween campy spooky bullshit and nothing genuinely meant to be ''horrific'' and i think it needs to return to Edda-esque side quests more.

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and Through The Maelstrom for third place. If you dont think the buildup to Leviathan in ARR and the sound of the guitar kicking in after that first slapdown was the coolest, most ''oh shit this is REALLY dire'' then you can get the hell out of my house cause this was when the game hit that OH SHIT factor for me. Scariest and Coolest Primal to date fuck everyone else

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other notable mentions: Oblivion ofc, Limsa Lominsa's day music and Ul'dah's night music, and Camp Bronze Lake's music :]

my pick for Heavensward makes me sad cause finding out they took out Steps of Faith and therefore nobody gets to experience Faith in Her Fury to the most dreadul march of your life is so sad to me. I can't even tell you why Faith in Her Fury sticks in my mind to the point I recognized in EDW, I think it's just a really good introduction piece to Heavensward and made for a good backing track to a fun marching fight

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number 2 for Heavensward has to be Slumber Eternal. I've described this as ''music they'd play in a period movie where a fight breaks out between union busters and coal miners where people definitely die'' and i mean that in a complimentary way. This song really does make you feel like you're fighting up a literal fucking mountain and everything is trying to stop you and i think this was a cool as hell dungeon. I listen to this on repeat so often its not even funny

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also shoutout to Painted Foothils because they share the same tune. Leiftmotif and all that

Alexander. Rise. Everyone agrees. it has a fucking time stop mechanic built INTO THE SONG!!!

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other notable mentions; Baelsar's Wall music Another Brick is good dont let the haters tell you otherwise, Locus, Heroes Never die, and Relics

Stormblood :/ Omega has bangers in it at the very least i know mags already heard me say it but the music that plays before you fight M/F is literally the most ''final fantasy music'' music ive ever heard

WAIT back up. Soken's stolen beat is really good also. thank you soken for stealing this

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I have to put The Twinning here somewhere because this is literally the song that made me play this game. This is what made me download this game after months of going ''ill get a better computer and then download it''. When they refferenced a version of the meme at Fanfest i scrummed

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Amaurot.

theres a 10 video limit on posts but you know im not fucking finished so ill be back

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