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hbyrde36 · 1 year

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Updated 05/14/2024

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When Eddie Munson arrives at the Buckingham Beach Motel to spend the summer with his BFF Chrissy and her business partner Robin, the last person he expects to see waiting in the lobby is former king of Hawkins High and asshole extraordinaire, Steve fucking Harrington.

Anniversary Post

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When Eddie finds himself back in his living room, staring down a very alive Chrissy Cunningham, after just having bled to death himself in the middle of a nightmare world, he was rightfully very, very fucking confused. -Or- What happens when the new guy, who only just got inducted into the fucked up world of monsters and mayhem, gets stuck in a time loop and finds himself responsible for saving everyone?

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After being run off the road in a freak accident during a terrible storm, Steve and Eddie find that not only have they committed vehicular manslaughter, but they’ve also somehow been whisked away to a strange land. The journey is rough and they are being hunted for revenge, but through it all Steve and Eddie grow closer than ever as they try and find their way home with the help of some new friends with familiar faces. -Or- Steddie Wizard of Oz

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Written for the Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang 2023/2024

Not for the first time, Eddie was really regretting his decision to book a client on a Friday night, a new client at that. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do, exactly. There were no dates on his calendar, and going out to random bars and clubs on the weekends to look for quick hook-ups had begun losing its appeal lately. But it’d been a long week, and he’d much rather be getting ready to plop down on the couch with Chrissy to split a bottle of red wine while they watched Drag Race, than preparing to do a cover up for some idiot who’d gotten their girlfriend’s name tattooed on his body, only to fall victim to—The Curse. Ask any tattoo artist and they’d be the first to tell you, there was no surer way to guarantee a breakup than to ink your significant other’s name on your body forever.

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For years Eddie has been playing D&D with his cousin Dustin and his friends. It’s a crazy home brew campaign of his own design that plays fast and loose with the lore, weaving in heavily embellished events from their real lives. They play themselves, filling out a full cast of NPC’s with the likenesses of friends, family, and strangers. It’s been a wild ride. The game is set in Hawkins, but not quite their Hawkins. This manifestation of their hometown is full of dark secrets, including a shady government agency, evil scientists, and another dimension full of dangerous creatures hiding on the other side of reality. They’ve just wrapped their most recent session before spring break 1986. It was a bittersweet end to an epic part of the story. A blast to play through, but they didn’t beat the bad guy, and the party has been left in ruins. Eddie’s character is dead, one of their favorite NPC’s is in a coma, and the world has literally split apart at the seams. Honestly, Eddie’s not sure how they come back from this. - In 1983 Steve Harrington joined the search for a missing boy and found something he never bargained for. In 1984 Steve Harrington disappeared.

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Written for the Stranger Things Writer's Guild Hozier Project, a collection of one-shots inspired by songs from Hozier's self titled album. The word count limit was 3,000 and I chose the song From Eden

🖤The Crawl

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Inspired by the VERY little information we have about the Stranger Things writer's plans for season 5 Time travel stories love to play with the idea that one small act can have an incredible impact on the future. What if, in a crazy twist of fate, Will Byers was rescued from the Upside Down a day early and with just a little knowledge of what was to come. Would it be enough to change everything?

POV Will Byers, POV Eddie Munson, POV Steve Harrington, time shenanigans, fix-it of sorts, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, falling in love, confessions, first kiss, character death, HAPPY ENDING

🩸Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

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Steve Harrington is an animator. It’s a job that involves raising the dead; sometimes as a service for mourning relatives looking for closure, often as a tool for the courts to settle disputes. He is also a licensed vampire hunter. Two years ago, vampirism became legal in the United States, granting its undead population citizenship. With this new legal status comes a complication for Steve, as he finds himself tasked with helping the very creatures he is accustomed to killing. Speaking of complications, Steve struggles in more ways than one when he finds himself working closely with none other than Eddie Munson, an undeniably sexy several-hundred-years old master vampire. Or, The Anita Blake/Steddie mashup that nobody asked for but I’m having far too much fun with.

Modern AU, Vampire AU (Anita Blake AU/mashup), aged up characters, enemies to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut, dream sex, vampires, wereanimals, zombies, other supernatural things eventually

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Written for Lex’s Spicy Six Summer Challenge! My prompt was : Hurricane

When a major Hurricane is projected to hit Hawkins (technically it’s more like the remnants of a hurricane, but the residents of Hawkins don’t really know the difference or care), Dustin is worried about his new friend and DM, Eddie Munson, who lives in a trailer, a structure not known for its resilience against severe weather. He invites the older boy to ride the storm out with him and his mom at home, unaware that she has made arrangements for them to stay with family that live far away from the storm's trajectory. Dustin doesn’t want to leave his friend high and dry, enter everyone’s favorite babysitter: Steve Harrington.

🌊Caught in the Undertow

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Steve saved Eddie from certain death. Eddie doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forgive him for it.

Post season 4, angst with happy ending, slow burn, “enemies” to friends to lovers, suicidal thoughts, POV alternating, the best uncle Wayne Munson

#steddie #steddie fanfic #steve x eddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve harrington/eddie munson #stranger things #ao3 link #ao3 #fanfic #my fics <3 #my writing

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dansantcaparet · 1 year

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In 1997, it was obvious to me that Cloud loved Aerith more than Tifa.

Not until I went online all these years later did I discover (shockingly) that the American FFVII fanbase had been purposely misled by egotistical, pompous, self-righteous nerd boys (who now have egg on their face in-light of the Remake).

If you notice, Cloti’s have been working double-time since the Remake came out. Why is that?

Well, it’s because the Remake is confirming what we have always known since the OG: despite technically being a love triangle, SE wanted most gamers to play their first playthrough the Clerith way. Aerith automatically starts off with more love points than Tifa, and the Clerith date is the “normally occurring” date.

Clerith is the “normally occurring” couple.

So why did Cloti’s decide to launch a campaign to delegitimize Clerith? And how did they do it?

When FFVII first came out in 1997, many western gamers didn’t understand Aerith. She was (literally) foreign to them. Japanese animation was still very niche back then.

Though the Japanese adored Aerith’s spunky personality & pink dress (and saw her as the obvious romantic interest for Cloud), many men in the United States thought her hair was “ugly,” and that her personality was “annoying.” Far too “anime” for their taste. They preferred Tifa — the loyal, more American looking childhood friend — the “girl-next-door.” Plus, her big boobs didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, since FFVII inherently revolves around a love triangle, there is an OPTION to play it the Tifa way.

However, as a kid in 1997, I never saw Tifa as a threat. I saw her as the secondary, optional way to play the game. The girl you would pick on your second playthrough.

When you consider...

—Official Yoshitaka Amano artwork depicting Cloud x Aerith

—Beginning love point totals (you have to make counterintuitive choices to catch Tifa up to Aerith’s automatic 1st place position)

—The non-optional bodyguard agreement

—The “normally” occurring CxA Gold Saucer date

—Numerous flirtatious moments & obvious hints

—Tifa’s constant jealousy

—Promised Land scene non-optionally occurring *AFTER* the inherently variable Highwind scene

—Frequent CxA cameos

—Aerith being the first & last image we see in the entire game

…it is clear Tifa never held a candle to Aerith as the heroine, or as the primary love interest for Cloud.

To put it simply — Aerith was created first by SE. Tifa was created second. Aerith is the primary love interest. Tifa is the secondary love interest. Obvious common sense.

Unfortunately, fueled by their unyielding, irrational hatred of all things Aerith, they successfully sold the myth (for years) that Cloud x Tifa is the official canon couple of FFVII, thereby brainwashing the entire American fandom against Cloud x Aerith.

They reduced & twisted Cloud’s “undying” love for Aerith as “guilt.”

Saying that even though Cloud chooses to live in Aerith’s Church, has his heart broken every time he visits her grave, reconnects with her in Flower Fields (and cameos), and seeks to find her in the Promised Land, it is somehow all due to guilt over the death of a mere friend. Saying that anything romantic shown in the OG is all a result of Zack (ie: attempted delegitimization).

I guess the symbolism of Cloud’s continued love for Aerith, and all the nuances that entails, is too cultured & sophisticated for them to comprehend. Or maybe they are purposely not comprehending the obvious?

Thankfully, the Japanese understand what all of this means. So why don’t western fans?

The only logical conclusion is because of their deep, burning, irrational hatred of Aerith as a character. Always minimizing & downplaying her role as the first & true heroine & love interest to Cloud.

But now, with the Remake perfecting Aerith’s look & personality, and making it crystal clear that these are Cloud’s REAL feelings, and that Aerith wants to move FORWARD from Zack, you are now seeing a significant swing within the fandom towards Cloud x Aerith.

The myth has finally been exposed & debunked.

Due to this, Cloti’s are currently working double-time to try to convince us that their ship is a “slow-burn.”

Sadly, the other side has spent years using Crisis Core & Advent Children to their advantage by manipulating & brainwashing those new to the FFVII fanbase. Pretending as if Disc 1 of the OG never happened. Saying Crisis Core makes Zerith canon, and Advent Children makes Cloti canon. Simple & easy for the masses to understand, right?

So how, exactly, did they convince millions to believe their great myth?

1. Cloud & Aerith only liked each other because of Zack.

Response:

The relationship between Zack & Aerith in CC is officially described as a minor infatuation between two juveniles, much like Cloud’s childhood crush on Tifa.

In the OG, Aerith says her and Zack were NEVER serious, that their relationship is “in the past now,” and that he probably moved on to someone else because he’s a “real lady’s man.”

On the “normally occurring” CxA Gold Saucer date, Aerith confirms that although she initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Within the lifestream, Aerith tells Zack that she prefers Cloud’s personality over his, and that she will only call Zack if she gets “really lonely.”

In the Remake, Aerith states she wants to move FORWARD with her life in regards to Zack.

In official sources, Aerith is stated as saying she loves Cloud MORE than Zack.

Cloud is stated to be Aerith’s “koibito” (“lover” in Japanese).

Yes — Cloud adopted some memories & mannerisms from Zack, but he never transformed 100% into Zack.

It is a myth that Cloud & Aerith’s love is null-and-void because of Zack.

CC is a retcon.

Don’t let them use Zack to erase Clerith.

2. Tifa wins by default due to being alive.

Response:

Tifa winning by default due to being alive is why the other side hopes to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

You may personally prefer Tifa, but in the OG, Cloud himself clearly prefers Aerith over Tifa, and the other side knows it (just look at the Shinra jail cell moment). When Tifa observes Cloud and Aerith falling in love, she flips out in a jealous rage.

Tifa only has a chance once Aerith is out of the picture. If Aerith lives, it is all but over for Tifa.

Even in death, Cloud has an “undying” love for Aerith that will never go away. Tifa knows this to be true and is stated to be jealous of Cloud’s continued feelings for Aerith.

In the AC credits, Tactics cameo, and the Dissidia cameo, it is clear Cloud still wants to meet and be with Aerith in the Promised Land. Denying the common sense symbolism of this is a sign of someone who has a deep-rooted bias against Aerith.

Furthermore, Cloud and Tifa are in an established “family of friends,” share zero romantic moments, have tons of continued jealousy, fighting, and sleep in separate rooms. Plus, Barret returns to living with them in DoC. Tifa is never upgraded to anything beyond “childhood friend.”

Cloud & Tifa only have the possibility of being a thing if Aerith is out of the picture. Aerith is #1. Tifa is #2. The other side better pray to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

#clerith #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7

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frary-us · 1 month

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Despite its initial promising start, Belgravia: The Next Chapter has become something of a muddle, crammed with what feels like a half dozen subplots that don't get the depth they deserve and a narrative that's all too content to use Frederick's abundant (and annoying) Daddy Issues to as the crutch that propels its larger story forward. Thanks to a bloated midsection that seemed content to retread many of the same narrative beats

— we get it Frederick blames James for all his problems and doesn't trust his wife —the series' final episodes had to rush things in a way that, while fun to watch play out, did a real disservice to the more significant stories of these characters. (Beyond the fact that he is gay, a vicar, and determinedly loves the brother who loathes him, it's safe to say we know almost nothing about James Trenchard.)

After the dramatic events of last week's episode, which felt like it had roughly four hours of plot crammed into one, the Next Chapter finale has surprisingly fallout. Sure, most of the show's outstanding plot points are wrapped up (shockingly) neatly, but two-thirds of the big, highly anticipated moments take place offscreen. We hear about them afterward, and, as a result, this finale feels more like a book report than anything else. (Which isn't what anyone would call compelling television.)

There's a tremendous amount of telling instead of showing, as though the show itself assumes its audience already knows everything generally turned out alright in the end, and the finale needs to run down a quick list of how each of those events happened. Almost everyone gets a happy — or at least a satisfactory — ending, but none feels terribly earned. And it's because we don't see any of the emotional work or growth the show claims has been going on behind the scenes.

......Anyway, Frederick cures his daddy issues by meeting his actual father. Enright's secret letter-writing campaign was to the primarily villainous Bellasis all along. When Enright learns Bellasis is dying, he goes straight to James, and the pair of them convince Frederick that he should meet the father he never knew to get the chance to say goodbye. Frederick does, and Bellasis (in keeping with the episode's apparent theme) says things about being sorry and loving him from a distance, none of which are borne out by behavior he has exhibited in this series or the original Belgravia. But hey, he's dying, so I guess we're meant to be forgiving. (However, he doesn't miss the chance to tell James he's pretty sure he's illegitimate, so at least that tracks.)

On the plus side, the visit to Bellasis prompts Frederick to finally reevaluate his relationship with his brother, who is still Literally the Best Person in the World. The Next Chapter still skims briskly past their reconciliation; given how fervently Frederick has spent most of this series hating James for made-up reasons or things behind his control, it would have been nice to see something more than the younger Trenchard gracefully being the bigger person for the fifth time. But I guess we can't have everything.

.....Lots of things happened between the penultimate episode and the finale, including James' recovery from being nearly beaten to death. I guess his blackmailer took all those threats from Fletcher to heart because the good vicar no longer seems afraid of having his sexuality outed to his parishioners. He also let Emily down easy, telling her he is "married to the church" but insisting if he wasn't, boy, he'd sure consider marrying her! (James dodged a bullet here, no matter how unintentionally hilarious his non-breakup breakup speech is.)

Frederick inherited money from Bellasis but gave it to his brother to distribute to the poor. (Again, the idea that Belgravia decided this character growth is something the audience didn't need to see boggles the mind!) Ellerby got over Clara with a blessed quickness and married his hometown girlfriend, Nell. The pair built a sweet memorial for their lost child, naturally painted by his Bohemian friends.......

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utilitycaster · 1 year

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one thing that confuses me about c3 is that if matt didn't give them clues about the subject of the campaign, is imogen just a lucky coincidence to him? because if she was a literally any other sorcerer there wouldn't be this connection. would the carrying of the plot then fall to orym? because I assume matt likely knew liam would be playing orym again quite early in c3 development? I feel like in other campaigns he managed to lead his players to his world-altering intrigues in more organic ways. managed to make enough personal connections that vm went after chroma, that the nein went after the nonagon and cognouza. (however that does make me wonder how the nonagon plot would feel if molly lived and if it would similarly feel that molly was the one dragging everyone into the plot)

(that also makes me salty how people say liam hogged the spotlight bc vax made a spontaneous decision that carried huge weight but wasn't something anyone could predict. I don't see nearly enough similar sentiment towards imogen who really feels favoured by the plot)

Hi anon! Again, this is all speculative (though we do know from 4SD that Laura didn't know the nature of the storm) but I suspect that either the party wouldn't have the same internal connection to Ruidusborn but would still be pushed towards this plot; for what it's worth, the Imogen connections very specifically start driving things in Bassuras; Orym's connections are sufficient to get to Heartmoor Hamlet, Fearne's are what drive the Calloway/Ira connections, and Chetney's issues with Ruidus would have added an extra dimension. Perhaps Fearne would have had some dreams; perhaps the nature of Ruidusborn would have been changed. I think he could have still woven many of their plots into Ruidus in some way and given the others sufficient reason to be interested; it's specifically that one person is so much more tied to it that unbalances it because the other connections are so strong, and it's also worth noting that the conclave and Cognouza came much later in their respective campaigns, after character motivations were much more solidified. This feels more railroaded because it's so early and there isn't the wandering about that the pre-stream of VM or the earlier parts of the Nein had. It's not that you can't do main character/skewed stuff in D&D; but it's really something you need to agree upon in advance (D20 does it all the time, but they workshop the characters beforehand) so that the player is prepared.

I will admit I've had similar questions about the nonagon plot had Molly lived; it might be that his death wiping out that plot, and the fact that the Nein categorically rejected the Empire early on, is why that plot is so strongly character-driven and gets so much room to breathe. I don't know if we'll ever know for sure! I do hope that these questions about Imogen come up at some point, even if it might not be until after the campaign.

I will say: I am frustrated by how much the plot hinges on Imogen, but there's also been a significant amount of hate and criticism towards her even before that was the case. People were livid at the 4 Sided Dive comment about Imogen being the protagonist among NPCs even though it was fully out of character and just discussing archetype; I received a lot of backlash for pointing out that Imogen was justified in being angry at Laudna when Laudna broke the gnarlrock even if Delilah was behind it; and I have serious trepidations about how she might be treated if ships don't go the way people like, even if Laudna is the one who initiates something else. In general, while I do think it can be helpful to compare the fandom responses to cast members (and uh, just did so) because they are wildly disparate, I also think most cast members receive hate from some quarter, especially if their character is in focus and someone is Big Mad that their favorite isn't in focus, and that is a whole other extensive discussion I am not qualified nor inclined to lead.

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag

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nellie-elizabeth · 1 year

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The Legend of Vox Machina: Into Rimecleft (2x06)

Eyyyyy we're splitting the party, this should be good.

Cons:

Okay. So. Keyleth encouraging Vax to talk to the Matron of Ravens... I get why they added this little detail in, but to be honest it's a characterization change I'm not sure about. Keyleth in the streams has always been very dismissive or even distrustful of the gods. It feels weird that she should be the one to gently nudge Vax towards exploring that relationship. Maybe I'm misremembering and Keyleth says something to him in the stream too, it's hundreds of hours of gameplay and character choices aren't always 100% consistent, but this just rang false for me as a Keyleth moment.

Literally I have no other complaints though, this episode is perfect.

Pros:

I've been saying that all the episodes could use a couple more minutes of breathing room, and this episode really helped by having a section where everyone's just walking on their journey to meet the second sphinx, and they have a chance to chat, to catch up. The aforementioned Vax and Keyleth moment happens there, and we have Pike worrying about Grog, we have the ADORABLE moment of Percy giving Vex his coat... he's so smitten, I love it. It just really gave the group a chance to breathe and check in with each other before their next big moment of tension.

Grog's nightmare at the start of the episode was so intense, and was mirrored so beautifully by the agonizing ending where he stabs Pike with Craven Edge! This is changed in circumstances to how it happened on the stream, although something similar did occur, and it's so brutal to see it play out! Travis is killing it in the voice acting department. He really only offered comic relief last season, but now he gets to shine.

That goes double for Scanlan - see, when I started watching Critical Role during campaign one, my original favorites were, quite predictably, the twins and Percy. Percy's got that anime angst thing going on, and then pretty quickly so does Vax, after the Sunken Tomb incident. But as I kept watching, slowly emerging to the forefront of my "favorite characters" list was... Scanlan Shorthalt. It's partly the genius of Sam Riegel. He's such a charismatic man, he can take the jokey little gnome bard character and just shatter you to pieces with what happens next. And since watching this show, they have the time and space to set that up properly... hot damn, this is one of my absolute favorite episodes of the whole show thus far.

To start, we see that Scanlan does have people checking in on him, in their own way. He's not as completely isolated as he pretends to be, it's just that his humor is deflecting people from noticing his pain. Grog offers to carry him to warm him up, and yeah it's a comedy beat, and yeah Grog is manhandling him, but that's Grog's way of showing he cares, too. And Pike wants to talk to him about Grog, and yeah she tells him off for making a dumb joke, but she was looking for some sincere conversation from him, and he was the one who failed to give it.

Then we get Kamaljiori. This is a significant shift from how this encounter went down on the stream. I actually laughed out loud when the sphinx just introduced himself, because let's just say that's definitely not how it went the first time around! I love how Kamaljiori's trials are similar to Osysa's, in that they both involve touching on the insecurities of the party members: Vex doesn't have family who cares about her other than Vax, Grog needs to find where his strength comes from, etc., but it's also different. They're finding fun ways to mix up all the different combat scenarios from the show, what with this being a one-on-one test of strength that's ultimately won by emotional damage.

Fucking Scanlan, pulling out a pop ballad to wound Kamaljiori's heart... and it's honestly such a good song? Sam has such a good voice, damn! I actually got goosebumps. It's such a funny twist, and so heartfelt, and Scanlan actually finds a friend who understands him on an emotional level, who he can joke around with but who understands there's a heart under all that, and that he's having a hard time. It's so heartwarming for Scanlan to find this, and he even gets his own Vestige out of the deal! Mythcarver. I like how they've added in the twist about Mythcarver being tied to all the other Vestiges, so it can lead them to find the others as we go.

And then... just to pile on the angst... looks like with Ripley's assist, Umbrasyl has found Vox Machina. This was such an epic showdown, and again it's increasing the menace of these dragons. We just watched how Vox Machina couldn't get a hit in on this Sphinx, and now Umbrasyl is able to go toe to toe with him! I was genuinely moved by Scanlan and "Kammi" defending each other during the fight. This ancient powerful being risked his life to protect his new little friend. In fact, he lost his life, after thanking Scanlan for letting him see Osysa once more before the end. This totally broke my heart!

And while we're all being sad about this Sphinx dying, meanwhile Grog is losing his battle to control Craven Edge, as he ferociously tackles Umbrasyl single-handed. Keyleth is trying to get a plane shift spell going, Grog is covered in Umbrasyl's blood and won't stop attacking, Pike tries to stop him and... gets impaled for her trouble! Gasp!

I'm actually really excited to see the Fey Realm stuff play out and the Westruun story also take strides, while our party is split up. It feels like it's a good opportunity to mix things up, and honestly will build to a really satisfying reunion in a few episodes!

A couple small things to call out: the Vax and Percy tension is still there simmering in the background. He's short with Percy about reading the runes, then shoulder-checks him on his way to go face the Sphinx. I'm obsessed with guilt-ridden Percy trying to make nice with Vax and just getting nowhere... I hope we get some of that in the next batch of episodes. Keyleth has a moment where she's hesitant about trying an unfamiliar spell, and Vax calls her "Kiki" and encourages her to try, and she is quite calm and more self-assured than we'd normally see her as she agrees to try. I love this! She's growing into her confidence more and more! Grog's attempts to hide what's happening with Craven Edge are very suspicious but also very funny. This week, he claims he was talking to the trees, to throw Pike off the scent.

And that's it! I can't believe this show keeps making me wait after such tense moments. Pike is seriously injured, Grog is drowning in guilt, the group is separated... can't wait to see more next week!

10/10

#review #tlovm #tlovm review #the legend of vox machina #critical role

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nochi-quinn · 1 year

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legend of vox machina season 2 episode 11: Belly of the Beast OR I said what what

"you came up here to sleep with your daughter" "I feel like I wouldn't have let it get that far??" you didn't know shit, scanlan, you 100% would have

not the flogger having an actual emotional significance

HOLD UP. WAIT. ZOOM AND ENHANCE.

kaylie: >:|

"burt?!"

you've heard of immovable rod get ready for immovable sword

of course scanlan knows how to slip ropes like that

MA'AM

leave him ALONE

"why does your keg say 'for animal consumption only'?" grog's drinking ivermectin

I do like the gold-amber-red gradient on the little fate thread

YOU'D BEST START BELIEVING IN GHOST STORIES

not the campaign 1 death roll

me @ the raven queen:

scanlan looking all despondent :(

like it's an amazing pose/expression, just. :(

the fact that vax really does see scanlan as like a big brother advice-giving type (which is maybe a little bit of liam and sam bleeding through but hey)

thordak: BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY

flashback to mica talking about thordak as a shitty dad

so that's cabal's ruin she's wearing, right? or is she gonna pick that up between now and glintshore

background goliath: "this better be good or I'm killin' something" also me whenever I have to have a conversation first thing in the morning

"please god tell me this is a metaphor"

"we need a good plan" "so…do you have one?" "have one what"

big "it's time for plan b" "do we have a plan b?" "no but it's time for one" energy

keyleth failing six stealth checks in a row

"I put you in this place" technically that was percy

"do not go far from me" HEY. NO. SHUT UP.

this whole thing originally took place post-thordak, after the timeskip when percy had a temple to the raven queen built in whitestone

"this isn't something we have to talk about now. or ever, honestly." mood

"it always matters"

"don't let him get away" I regret to inform you that that is in fact the one thing he will actually do

roommate: is that blood? me: yyyyup roommate, with feeling: gross

"take the plunge" I feel like he maybe wasn't being quite this literal, vax

the coffin pose was not necessary, you dramatic ass

I had to look this up, this is Courtenay Taylor as the Raven Queen, which knocked me 100% for a loop

like. jack masseffect? female soul survivor? in my critical role??

there are six fate threads connected to vax, one for each of the other party members

lays in the floor about it

ngl I did have An Emotion about "all the living share one experience"

I also like the idea that RQ has been scouting vax this whole time, even before the temple

also one of those priestesses was liev'tel and I will not be convinced otherwise

"whose blood is that?!"

and now vax is a born-again

"you…dig…there"

the little "dig" gesture

"he's not very smart, is he?"

interrogating the axe

scanlan really is tryingggggg

it's so hard watching this and knowing where scanlan's character arc ends up and just wanting him to be there Now

(someone on the tag made the point that stream!scanlan played everything as a joke until suddenly demanding to be taken seriously, which was a big cause of everyone's confusion and upset in ep. 85, because he really hadn't earned that kind of pathos. this arc is much more satisfying to watch bc we can see those pieces falling into place in real time, instead of having future events informing them in hindsight.)

they can feel the heat from that fire in the next city

petition for that specific pitch to be removed from everyone's sound libraries forever

passive perception too strong pls nerf

quick someone cast fairy fire

this is going to be an extremely weird sentence but I enjoy what they've done with environmental blood splatter this season

vorugal's ice blasts, umbrasyl's invisible stomps, they're just good

"I found out I'm the champion of the Matron of Ravens" "I found out I'm a father" "…you win"

the little look down at "the other way"

plus vax's face after

DRAGON HADOUKEN

the pupil dilation

"I didn't actually think this would work!" "it really shouldn't have"

"you leave when Scanlan Shorthalt TELLS you to leave"

love that the broom drop fastball special is just their signiature move now

(are there people having the same reaction to finding out Grog and Vex are married that I did to finding out Roy Mustang and Lust are married)

#crititag #lovmtag #critical role #the legend of vox machina #liveblog #reaction post #spoilers

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stwritings · 2 years

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ST4 Spoilers/Theory

Below the cut

Okay so this is 50/50 fueled by delusions and hope, but hear me out!!!!

So, the government is dead set on keeping everything regarding the upside down on the low, going as far as falsifying the death of Barb and Billy and.....Hopper!!

As far as everyone in Hawkins is concerned, Hop died at the Starcourt mall. Despite the upside down now being apart of the real world, (which the government will probably still try to make some bs up about it being global warming or something lmao), i highly doubt they would permit Hop to go back into society given that he was pronounced dead. They would have to do so much damage control and somehow explain away him being imprisoned by Russians for the last year.

SO!!!! What if..... Hop has to stay in hiding, in the cabin they were all renovating at the end of Season 4, and Eddie is staying there with him since he's a wanted man!!!!!?????

This would explain why we were robbed of seeing the gang's reaction to his "death" and why everyone seemingly got over it so quickly. Even Dustin seemed fine until he spoke with Uncle Wayne, which could be due to him feeling bad about Wayne incessantly searching for his nephew. Dustin would feel awful knowing that Eddie is alive and well and that his Uncle is completely broken by his assumed death.

Although the Kas theory would be cool, I don't know that the Duffer Brother's would go that route as it might be too literal to the DND campaign. The initial plan of having Eddie die may be altered due to the incredibly positive fan response to his character and this would be one hell of a good way to fix the damage they caused in the Season 4 finale.

Even if they don't go this route, i still can't help but feel that there are far too many coincidences and parallels Eddie's death with Will and Hopper's for him not to come back somehow.

For example;

-When it's Cold I'd like to Die playing during Eddie and Will's death scenes. ??????????? Throughout the entire series, there has never been a song that has been repeated in the soundtrack on separate occasions, especially not during meaningful scenes like this. They repeat songs for a purpose; (i.e., Running up that Hill, Should I Stay or Should i Go)

-When we were led to believe that Hop died, the episode also transitioned with a "3 weeks later" text, LIKE EDDIE'S DEATH SCENE.

-Literally every character that has died has gotten some sort of funeral or angsty closure, Eddie's is the only one that was half-assed. (Perhaps due to the finale already being 2 hours long, but still!!! If he really is dead i hope we get more of a tribute to him in the premier of Season 5) (Instead we got a 10-minute bs dialogue between Johnathan & Nancy >.>)

-Johnathan and Wayne are wearing almost identical jackets while putting up missing posters for their loved ones.

-I can't pinpoint why this would be significant to him being alive still but something about the missing poster stating that Eddie is 17 doesn't sit right with me, HE REPEATED HIGH SCHOOL THREE TIMES HE WOULD BE AT LEAST 20 BY NOW. (It could be lazy writing since they forgot Will's bday but still.....Seems odd. Ain't no way in hell Wayne would get that wrong, he loves that boy so much, he gave Eddie the only bedroom in his trailer and sleeps on a cot for Christ's sake!!!!!!!!!)

Anyways- rant over.

#eddie munson #stranger things netflix #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things theory

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owlixx · 5 months

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CoD Notes: Ghosts Beat

Yep, another whole game start to finish since my last notes.

Going in, I wanted to like this game. I was hoping it would be a real hidden gem. I knew this game had a bad reputation but a few staunch defenders and I was ready to keep my mind open. I ended up tolerating the game and agreeing that it is underrated, but I’m not head over heels for it.

Positives: I like the graphics, the feel of the guns, the UI. I like the idea of a story about a future war where the US is an underdog. I liked the space stuff and more sci fi elements. I liked playing as one character from start to finish and being told an actual story.

Negatives: first thing I noticed was no hot markers in the campaign. I prefer having them. Actually even before that was the bizarre opening cutscene where the Ghosts are first explained to be a military team who one time hid under some dead bodies and killed all but one guy who said they must be “ghosts”. No relation to Simon Riley Ghost aside from the name of the dog which seems bizarre. The next thing I noticed was how boring and samey a lot of the guns are. Half the guns that drop are the SCA and SA or something like that and I can’t tell them apart.

More negatives: The main thing wrong with this game for me personally is the nothing-plot combined with the goofy tryhard writing. Making the villain faction “all of South America banding together” seems odd but I’d have rather focused on that rather than focus so heavily on a guy who used to be a Ghost being the main villain. Rorke sucks as a character because the writers clearly want him to emulate villains they’ve seen in other, better fiction before but have no idea what makes him tick or what his motivations are. He seems to be upset that Elias dropped him, but any stereotypical military leader (as Rorke seemed to be in that flashback mission) would’ve told their squad to do the same thing. But that’s not the real issue. The issue is that he ALSO got supposedly tortured and brainwashed by the South American military offscreen and with zero proof of work of exploration of this concept. Which one is it? Is he brainwashed or betrayed? It would’ve been an amazing twist to have him reveal that they never did torture him, he just went along with all this of his own volition. But that would’ve ruined the other twist of our player character being teased at getting brainwashed right at the end, which is hilarious now knowing this game will never get a sequel.

More bad writing: it’s so funny that IW wanted to tell a more personal story this time but still didn’t want to make the player character speak or visible or do anything interesting, so they gave us a brother so that somebody here would actually be able to be seen interacting with our dad. It’s not a terrible way to accomplish what they were going for but it has the side effect of putting up a mirror and showing that there’s nothing in our reflection, so to speak. It’s one thing to have a silent player avatar in isolation but with our brother there, it makes our character feel weirdly mute by contrast.

The worst writing: the worst of it though is everything relating to the Ghosts. Maybe this is just because I had a mission crash and had to rewatch this one cutscene like four times, but the perfect example of this is the cutscene where Hesh (I think) talks about how “I’ve seen soldiers bury their dead before, but not like this”. BROOOOOO calm DOOWWWN. We are told that everything the Ghosts do is cool and good and awesome but then they just die and get captured like any other character. There’s literally nothing special about them. Rorke is obsessed with killing all the Ghosts but that’s just because they used to be his coworkers. That’s the only thing special about them. And the twist that our dad is the leader is painfully obvious because he won’t shut up about how cool and totally real they are. There is zero significance or weight to the player and our brother becoming Ghosts. They didn’t even have a little ceremony or anything.

Anyways, the last big negatives are the glitches and the signposting. I had a mission hard crash and make me start from the start of the whole level which isn’t a dealbreaker but isn’t great and hasn’t happened before. Then also I had to restart a checkpoint once because the helicopter I had to kill wouldn’t spawn in even though I could hear it and wandered the whole map trying to get it to trigger. And by “signposting”, I just mean that I got lost in this game more than any other CoD because of the lack of objective markers. They still have those tacky golden glowing objects to interact with though.

I did a tiny amount of multiplayer. Got the castle map, which I remember from being a kid but it was far too big to have any fun on. The whole “squad” concept is fascinating but ultimately feels a little flat. Why do I need 10 soldiers if the customization isn’t that deep? I am kind of happy to see currency return from BO1 but with contextual camo challenges that DONT require a million headshots before you can even start working on the rest, which I think even the later BO3 suffers from. “Field orders” are a fascinating weird addition that I think only make sense against bots, but also I love that bot matches can grant XP since it’s hard to find a regular match now. I just wish they had a separate set of challenges for facing bots.

Also played a little of extinction, including the DLC1 map that I had to get as part of the “gold edition”. Its…fine. I do appreciate them trying something new, and introducing meta progression. I would’ve played plenty as a kid but now it just lacks the nostalgia factor of other classic Treyarch zombies stuff, and it seems like an uphill battle for solo players. The DLC1 initial boss fight destroyed me and my one online companion which seemed unfair. I do also like the idea of the random challenges on each hive but they seem a little unbalanced.

#CoD #call of duty #cod ghosts #call of duty ghosts

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isaacathom · 2 years

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so im going on holiday, right, for an annoyingly long time (until the very end of september). and ive told all the campaigns that im in about this, because i was only MAYBE going to be available for one week of those games (while im in korea) and then completely unavailable for the other 5 (while im in canada, bc of the timezones, im australian).

and, one by one, each campaign has gone on a hiatus roughly encapsulating that length of time

im in two minds. on the one hand, it means i can continue my streak of having never missed a campaign game (i missed ONE session of my pathfinder campaign bc I was at my brothers wedding, and while I was in a restaurant afterwards I found out that rather than actually play the game they'd just looked at a player's dog, so its a .5).

on the other hand, it means that im indirectly responsible for all three campaigns having no games for the next two months :(

now, its indirect, bc there are obviously other factors. for one campaign, the gm had mentioned earlier that he might have to make it biweekly or take a break to work on his thesis - fair enough! for another, its to allow the gm to work on uni stuff, run some side sessions with smaller groups, and prep for a big mission that'll happen after I get back. for the last, its so the gm can fiddle with 'kinks' that have come up as we keep playing (since we're running an adventure path with some home rules and stuff).

but im also like. :( i specifically didn't want to be disruptive, especially considering i had no authority on how long this holiday was. It was one of the things that motivated me to quit the 4th campaign I was in when I did (in addition to other factors), because based on historical evidence I figured my "temporary absence" would cause a lot of sessions to not be run, whereas if I quit then me not being there would be normal, right, and they can run when just the other 4 show up, right? I couldve quit whenever, but I figured now was a good time so I didn't fuck over 5-6 weeks of the game. (2 of the 3 campaigns earlier are biweekly, LESS of a factor)

and like. I guess im... honoured?? that my presence is valued enough that me not being there would be a significant enough factor to prompt the gms to go 'actually yea lets just take a break instead'. but then also worried that I'm reading too much into it? and being egotistic by assuming thats whats happening? especially in one of the campaigns where theres 8 players, including me and not including the gm, right? like in the one on hiatus for thesis i can slightly inflate my ego more because im basically the party bookkeeper and notetaker, responsible for tracking the inventory of our pack mule and stuff. but mmmmm am i being an egotist. am i thinking about it too much.

i just dont wanna be a buzzkill?? I dont wanna be the reason others miss out on having fun in their fun ttrpgs? and i feel bad that i put them on hiatus?? like again yes there are OTHER reasons, but my absence *is* a factor, and i just ;-;

especially again in the 8 person campaign bc writing my character out for three games is really easy. we established that the ship she's a captain of has been pressed into service patrolling the bay in advance of an invasion by mindflayers or whatever. so shes just. on that ship. actually being its captain. instead of leaving it to her lieutenant, which has been her tactic for the majority of the time she has been captain of that vessel. even with the adventure path one i said, before the hiatus was called, that presumably my character was just ~along with the party~ until they got to the ferry we need, and then would be in their cabin on the ferry reading and completely oblivious to the outside world. sure that ones a little shakier but they did literally uncover a journal of theirs and they have amnesia so deciding to do a deep dive on that bad boy while stuck on a boat seems completely reasonable. bwuuh. (difficult to justify for the thesis campaign bc my character is a) Around, and b) has no way to simply dip for 6 entire sessions that would make sense or wouldn't just fully take him out of the campaign).

whatever. im just antsy because im really stressed about my holiday and full to the achy tit with period hormones that make me grumpy and also even MORE stressed about the holiday. so on, so forth, grumble grumble

#ive been around more often bc it is genuinely quite useful to have somewhere to blurble on without my friends reading it lol #and bc ofc i grew up on this hellsite im very used to and comfortable just rambling on social media. so having my safe space? nice #also i prefer tumblr posts for bitching bc twitters just a pain in the ass and by the time i get to the end of the thread ive forgotten mys #myself. whatever. also i love tags for the (ps: shenanigans) vibe. love that #anyway its just me feeling bad about causing campaigns to go on snooze and then worrying im an egotist

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darkshrimpemotions · 3 years

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I dunno I just. We really don’t talk enough about how much Misha himself changed how television actors in particular interact with fandom. Like I always think back to the Before Times and how actors would barely talk about ships or kind of laugh and say “that’s great” and that would be it. Or how fandom adoration was kind of treated with indulgence but not enthusiasm, even in spaces specifically created for fans.

The big example that stands out to me of this mentality? Michael Shanks’s kind of lowkey embarrassed response to fans of Daniel Jackson starting a campaign to get his character brought back after they killed him off at the end of season 5. Where he said something to the effect of he felt like that kind of energy could go to something more significant/impactful than a fictional character.

Which...hurt a lot of fans’ feelings, and for good reason. It felt like a dismissal, not just of what Daniel meant to us, but of us, of the love we poured into a world and character. It also felt like we were being chastised, and let’s face it: nobody wants to be told by an actor whose net worth is more than most of us will ever see in our lives that we’re not doing enough to create positive change in the world.

Contrast this with Misha, roughly a decade later. Who arguably could be thinking the same thing but also bothered to meet us where we were and used social media and conventions to actually interact with and understand fandom and the fan mentality in a way most actors never do.

So instead of belittling fans for our passion not being “constructive” enough, he literally just handed us additional outlets for all that energy that funneled it into charitable works and donations. “Oh so you like me playing the gay angel? You wanna get parasocial? Cool, come do this insane scavenger hunt for a chance to hang out with me for a few hours.”

And we did it. Because fandom is, ultimately, about love and creative energy finding outlets, and Misha just gave us more targeted outlets. More than that, he inspired fans to do that on their own in the absence of something already organized like GISH.

I mean fuck, how many times have you seen fandoms channel their happiness, anger, sadness, love, creativity into donation drives and charitable projects in the last decade or so? How many people have outright said that GISH and GISHWHES inspired them to get involved in their communities in ways they never would have thought or been brave enough to do before? How many actors, in his orbit or not, have followed suit by finding their own ways to channel fan energy into support for charities that are important to them?

Fans have always built fan communities. But actors were not always a part of that, and in fact seemed to prefer to stay away from it. But Misha encouraged his fans to create community around him and his work in a positive way, and now a lot of TV actors have followed suit.

Think of how shows like Grimm or The Walking Dead funneled fan engagement into supporting the communities the actors lived and worked in for the duration of the show. That probably wouldn’t have happened a decade prior. And yeah, there were other factors (like cities giving tax credits and assistance to production companies to draw in artists and jobs), but there was also a big shift in how actors interact with fans, particularly shippers, and you really can trace a lot of that back to Misha.

#fandom #fandom history #spn cast #misha collins #and he's still the only one doing it like him tbh #show me another actor who's linked to an RPF manifesto or posted a screenshot of their slash ship's ao3 stats #you can't #they don't exist #nobody's doing it like him #gish #gishwhes #yes this is me pulling out the michael shanks wank

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loquaciousquark · 4 years

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E113 (Oct. 27, 2020)

Good evening and good night, lovely people of the world! We’re on the internet and ready to go. Tonight’s guests are Travis Willingham and Sam Riegel. This will be calm, controlled, and sane, I can feel it. Brian points out it’s been seven months since either of them were on Talks. Oof. (Sam asks if it’s been going the whole time without him. Bigger oof.) Travis keeps sneaking bites out of an acai bowl or something and tries to look sneaky about it, and I laugh every time because he’s just...so big. He’s such a big person.

(Brian is wearing a lobstrosity shirt. He and Travis talk about Dark Tower for a bit; then Sam tries to get into the conversation: “Is that the thing from It?” Brian: “Is what the thing from It?” Sam: “Is that lobster the clown from It? I’m not very literate. Is that a Langolier? Is that a Shawshank?”)

Announcements: none! Maybe they just forgot. We’ve been talking about Sam’s spooky skeleton decorations for like five minutes. Brian suggests taking them to Travis’s house. Travis: “That’s the fastest way to get to the smell of burning plastic.” Brian: “Speaking of your girlfriend...”

On Avantika: Fjord wouldn’t call it a relationship as much as a casual sexual interaction. Not official! Super not official!!

The first sea voyage wasn’t great for Fjord, but he tried to be thoughtful about preparing for this one before they left: praying, kneeling at the bow of the ship, etc. He’s a little disappointed the Wildmother didn’t even throw him a “yo, fam” heads up.

They weren’t sure how to resolve the conflict at first, since Avantika went for Fjord rather than the crystal. No one expected it to get exposed in that way. Travis thought the necklace was a pocket dimension and was alarmed to learn it wasn’t. Travis wants it destroyed along with the third gateway, so until they are he won’t rest easy.

Everyone enjoyed watching them all fail on the battlefield again. (Sam: “You used [Counterspell] so effectively!”) Travis thought he’d said Thunder Step, which would imply Avantika was running, rather than Thunder Wave. Sam says it’s fine since none of them have that spell and he wouldn’t know it anyway.

It’s very difficult for Veth to find reasons to stay with the M9. She loves the adventures and making a difference, but she also wants to come home and have weekends and have a husband and life. “She’s a career girl!” He’s very excited about the possibilities of Caleb’s transportation effectively creating an easy commute for her. He also, as a player, doesn’t want to be the person who’s always leaving the party. “My characters wanna roam!”

Travis was fully tilted that Avantika might have gotten away right before the break. He doesn’t think he could have focused on Vess DeRogna’s task knowing Avantika had gotten away; he was seriously working out how Fjord would leave the party to go make a last stand at the third gate if she’d escaped.

Sam looooves how Matt plays Yeza, but it honestly makes him feel a little worse at how encouraging he is for Veth to chase her dreams. “He’s always like - go shine! Go blossom!” He wants to have the conversation about Yeza feeling a little ignored. It’s fun to share the tales of adventures with Luc & Yeza.

Travis says there’s no way it’s Molly--it’s all Lucien. They don’t know if it was a resurrection, if he’s undead, possessed, etc. Everyone--everyone--rags on Taliesin’s accent work. Brian surreptitiously claims Ashly was brought on to relieve him of the burden of the accent. Poor Ashly, ha!

Initially, Travis landed on the Oath of the Ancients, but it had more nature & pacifism in it than he felt fit Fjord very well. Many of them also had a focus on good & lawfulness, which also didn’t feel quite right; he also wasn’t that vengeful for some of the others. He & Matt got together and discussed options. Matt asked what Travis liked about Fjord; Fjord’s love for the ocean was a huge part of it, since Travis himself also loves the ocean & scuba diving, and so Matt created a custom oath for him. Travis does not plan to post its details, but he thinks Matt will at some point.

Cosplay of the Week! a lovely Scanlan by Air Bubbles Cosplay! Sam tells us the “canon” Scanlan cosplay was actually borrowed hodgepodge, and the boots were falling off all day.

It was really cool to see how Yeza & Luc have made a home in Nicodranas. Felderwin was okay, but kind of your basic D&D fishing village, and she likes the Nicodranas is much better. She’s confident & comfortable knowing her family is safe and sound.

Why is Fjord so interested in finding Sabian? To him, post-orphanage, his time with Vandren was the best of his life & the most love he’d ever received, because he mattered & had worth. It was taken by someone he’d known basically his whole life, so Fjord is not going to let that go. “That fuckin’ bill needs to be paid, my friend.”

Sam acknowledges that he should NOT have looked at his phone in re: the Vilya reveal, but it was pretty surprising! He can’t believe none of them recognized it! Travis points out the M9 had never met, heard of, or known anything about Vilya, so it’s not that surprising. Brian points out Matt has also done a really good job keeping the two campaigns separate, so any references were tasteful. Sam marvels that it was so well done: it was tasteful, had emotional and story impact... “That Matt. He’s getting better!”

Liam texted Sam back something like “oh SHIT.”

Knowing Veth had a chance to help someone else return to her child made Veth feel almost karmically forgiven for being away from her kid, but it also made Veth a little guilty--”this lady wants to desperately return home, shouldn’t I want to go home too?” Caleb’s teleportation spell couldn’t have come a better time.

Sam wants Caleb & Astrid to get back together (well, he says “hump each other”), and Dani’s eyebrows climb off her forehead. Veth/Nott really thinks Caleb needs to have a roll in ze hay, and feels like after meeting her that there is a kindness or vulnerability to her that could be worthwhile. Travis thinks she feels like someone tethered, that it feels like she has a bomb or something in her chest that’ll explode if she tries to leave. Sam thinks Eadwulf is super cool. None of these names are spelled like I think.

Travis found the dinner super frustrating, because he felt Caleb was trying to walk a diplomatic line and he just wanted to backhand Trent.

Fjord is still coming to terms with his feelings for Jester, and the feelings are definitely real, but there’s a lot of timing that he’s considering and he also wants to figure out what the relationship is like outside of constant tension and battle. Fjord is also having trouble figuring out how to exercise the ability to display affection as well since he’s never received them, and is feeling out how to give and receive them. “It’s fine now, because he’s feeling it, but once you say it out loud, or once you come to a point where you make it known to the other side, then what happens? It might be ruined. It might be broken. Or it might not be!” The moment with the porcelain unicorn was too good not to try. Travis also sighs that he’s not a romance D&D guy, “but now I am! Fuckin’ Laura Bailey!” He’s definitely feeling it out and will see how it unfolds in the game.

If Jester hadn’t let go of the Traveler, Fjord would have either attacked the Traveler or the Moonweaver and tried to kick them both off.

Sam doesn’t think the Traveler’s realized yet what a dick he is. Brian thinks it may not happen in this campaign, but agrees the full weight of what he deserves hasn’t been felt yet. Travis: “Yeah, he came to the edge, but it didn’t cost him anything.” Brian: “Yeah, he’s a real edgelord.”

Fanart of the Week! a beautiful portrait of Molly in the snow by @claygryphon on twitter.

Veth acknowledges that they work for shady people with shady pasts, so Vess DeRogna isn’t her first rodeo, but this time it’s personal. It’s Jaws 2: Electric Boogaloo. Sam can’t commit to actual actions, since Vess is like level 20 or something, but “I will get some kinda revenge. Be it petty or significant, I will get revenge.”

How are they feeling about being in Eiselcross? They’ve only just landed, so not sure yet. The cold is intimidating. They’re excited to explore a new island that’s part of Wildemount, especially with the river of lava running through it. “It’s icy with lava? Sounds like a Dairy Queen.”

There’s still a ton of unknowns regarding the Tombtakers, Vess, the nature of their job, and who’s here on whose orders. They’re excited to see how it’s all going to play out. Travis laughs that he doesn’t take notes, he’s just here to fight things. It just washes over him when Matt starts talking about names and places. “It’ll reveal itself in time. [...] I don’t write those notes down. I don’t even know how to spell it off the bat.” I have never identified more with Travis. Sam actually does pay attention and take notes and was really impressed by Marisha’s dive.

Veth became interested in branding her own spellcraft as soon as she saw Caleb doing it. “That’s what the influencer agents are gonna be looking at. It would be nice to leave the world better than we found it, but also with some branded spells.”

What were Fjord’s thoughts on dropping so much money on the ring & the Ioun stone? It wasn’t about money for Fjord, it was about a cool thing to acquire. It’s why he saves money in his campaign. Caleb needs “as much of a flak jacket as he can get.” He also REJECTS the idea of buyer’s remorse on the ring and touts the effectiveness it’ll have on the lava river.

Travis talks about his old coins - a 340AD coin he bought at a ren faire and a 120BC coin that was a gift from a friend.

Sam marvels at the love and thought that Caleb put into the tower. Sam points out they forgot to go to the top two floors altogether. Travis: “Did the mansion get as much careful planning from Scanlan as the tower did from Caleb?” Sam: Absolutely not. But they were still thinking small in C1, figuring out how things went, and they didn’t have as much detail in their heads yet.

And that’s all the time we have for tonight! We end on everyone whispering way too close into their mics and tapping fingernails on mason jars. A fitting end to this crazy episode, I think.

Is it Thursday yet?

#talks machina #talks machina spoilers #critical role #critical role spoilers #long post for ts

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ravnicaforgoblins · 3 years

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Ravnica for Goblins

Alignment

Figuring out where on the spectrum of beliefs, morals, and neutrality your character falls can be a challenge. One individual’s Chaotic Good is another’s Lawful Evil. To help clarify things, most campaigns include alignment for significant NPCs, and one can often draw a line between that NPC and that alignment. This doesn’t apply to every NPC, but the more important someone is, the more they come to represent a specific section of the moral grid in a campaign.

Ravnica does this as well, with most of the alignment chart represented by a Guildmaster. This isn’t completely uniform, however, so there’s wiggle room for an NPC to lean one way or the other as fits the story. There are some pretty safe bets, however, who can be counted on to check certain boxes at all times.

Isperia of the Azorius Senate: Lawful Neutral

Isperia represents the goal of the Azorius; objective devotion to upholding the laws as they are written. She was elected to her position because of her ability to look passed right & wrong, instead focusing solely on interpreting Ravnica’s 10d6 of Psychic damage legal system for all disputes.

Lazav of House Dimir: Neutral Evil

Lazav is the Dimir at their most annoying but least murderous. Blatant disregard for everyone’s privacy, but preference for stealing, secrets, and information over assassination. Lazav infiltrates every Guild, including his own, always determined to stay several steps ahead of any potential threat. This is not to say he won’t kill people if necessary, but his is a cold, “bloodstained calculus” methodology. It’s never personal.

Rakdos of the Cult of Rakdos: Chaotic Evil

On this plane, Rakdos is the living embodiment of Chaotic Evil, a title he takes very seriously. It’s just about the only thing he takes seriously, as he prefers to live without rules and have everyone else do the same. Unrestrained hedonism and mayhem are his bread & butter. You do what you want, whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, regardless of what anyone or anything else says. No restrictions, no inhibitions, no hesitation. Encouraging this kind of destructive chaos in the streets is the only thing keeping Rakdos from embracing more orthodox Chaotic Evil behavior of slaughtering millions, enslaving thousands, and bowing to no one.

The Obzedat of the Orzhov Syndicate: Lawful Evil

Hard to believe there can be something worse than an actual Demon given permission to encourage every sin imaginable, but that is what the Ghost Council are. The Obzedat exist to stretch, bend, and twist every law designed to maintain order, neutrality, or justice so as to benefit themselves. What’s worse is how the Orzhov play innocent when they do it. Unlike the Dimir or the Rakdos who accept and even embrace society’s interpretation of their actions, the Orzhov refuse to be seen as anything but humble, spiritual, gracious public servants. The very antithesis of what they actually are; arrogant, miserly, manipulative bastards. They will point out exactly which laws they are not breaking, which laws there is insufficient evidence to prove they are breaking, and which laws prevent you from punching them in the face right now.

Trostani of the Selesnya Conclave: Neutral Good

If there’s one thing to be said for Selesnya, it’s that they are rarely the problem. The Conclave is perfectly content to keep to their fields & forests most of the time and focus solely on building up their own Guild. In a city where every Guild has a problem with every other Guild, Selesnya is the only one who at least tries to get along with everyone else. They don’t tend to get involved in matters that don’t concern them, but theirs is always a safe haven for those who seek it. Trostani is made up of three dryads representing Harmony, Life, and Order. You don’t get much more Neutral Good than that. The only problem is that Trostani basically never leave their Guildhall, so their influence only spreads so far. The reason they can live so peacefully is because so little of the chaotic city life overlaps into theirs.

Besides them, everyone has wiggle room and gray area to move around in. Both Niv-Mizzet and Borborygmos are canonically Chaotic Neutral, but with their most prominent personality traits being vanity & anger, respectively, the “Neutral” part of that can go out the window quick. Still, almost every Guild has at least a semblance of a position somewhere on the chart to start from. You can basically count on a member of each Guild to be at least:

Azorius Senate: Lawful

This is the Guild that writes the laws of Ravnica, after all. They literally draw their power from this ancient legal code, so it makes sense that, whether an Azorius leans more towards Good, Evil, or Neutrality, they do so lawfully.

Boros Legion: Good

If the Azorius follow the intellectual letter of the law, the Boros follow the passionate spirit for which said law was originally written. Justice, not legal-ese. Sometimes the law is good enough, but sometimes it fails its citizens. A Boros should be an inspiring force for Good, whether Lawful or Chaotic depends on the individual.

House Dimir: Neutral

The best a Dimir operative can hope to achieve, morally speaking, is neutrality. If you are working for this Guild, you are lying & stealing. Odds are you are infiltrating another Guild to find/steal information to report back to your superior(s). Not every Dimir agent does this willingly, however. Maybe a character only became a Dimir operative after finding out their mentor was. Maybe a character had nowhere else to turn and no one else to depend on. Maybe they just needed House Dimir’s connections to get them close enough to someone in another Guild who wronged them. Whatever the motivation, cling to that gray area of neutrality like your life depends on it. It’s all you’ve got.

Gruul Clans: Chaotic

Gruul are many things. “Lawful” is not one of them. If you’re a member of a Gruul Clan, you’ve definitely got a bit of a temper on you and a strong disregard for authority. Now, a Gruul can absolutely be a force for good, or, conversely, evil. Maybe you joined the Gruul after your ancestral home was bulldozed over for a smelly Izzet facility. Maybe you had a mental breakdown after decades of trying to uphold law in a city where the laws mean jack shit unless there’s a guy in blue sitting at his desk. Maybe you got tired of planting trees and getting stepped on. Maybe you don’t like the pretentiousness of so-called “artists”. Maybe you just like hitting things. Whatever your reason, the Gruul will welcome another anarchist.

Golgari Swarm: Chaotic/Evil/Neutral

The Golgari Swarm are the first Guild where you’re really going to find a lot of diversity in alignment. Some definitely fall into the chasm of Chaotic Evil Necromancers, others stand firmly in the fields of True Neutral Rot Farmer, and some idly wander between the two. Necromancy is pretty normal in Golgari society, and “Evil” can be considered a harsh word to describe it. It’s definitely more normalized in the Undercity than it is on the surface. A lot of typically Evil behavior is like that for the Golgari, lest we forget that this society of giant bugs, necromancers, zombies, medusa, etc also run the sewage system and food stamps program for the city. That said, there are definitely Golgari with sufficient ambition/motivation to become ready-made Big Bads. What is a Lich, after all, but a wizard who says, “No, I’m too important to die!”

Izzet League: Chaotic

If there’s one predictable aspect of the Izzet, it’s that they are unpredictable. For a Guild whose founding principle is “I wonder what would happen if....”, it’s best to accept that you’ll never be Lawful. Your job, as it is, is to look at laws (nature, physics, etc) and poke at them with electrodes to see what happens. Your focus will always be on things that haven’t been written down yet, as opposed to what already has. It’s almost literally impossible to be Lawful and Izzet for that reason alone. As far as Good, Evil, and Neutral go; that’s up to the individual. This experiment could replicate food so we never have to eat Golgari rations again! Or it could replicate essential personnel to prevent understaffing! Or, it could even replicate.... ME (cue maniacal laughter).

Orzhov Syndicate: Lawful

The Orzhov, like the Azorius, draw their power and influence from the laws of Ravnica. Evil is expected, though not mandatory, but Lawful is a requirement. An Orzhov who doesn’t know their way around Ravnica’s laws is a loose end, and the Orzhov don’t allow loose ends to jeopardize their schemes & ambitions. One can absolutely be a Lawful Neutral Orzhov, also known as an Accountant, but such individuals rarely find their way into a life of adventure. A Lawful Good Orzhov can exist, but your greatest adversary will be the large majority of your Guild who sees you as a potential threat to their illicit activities. In which case, you’ll want to know those laws even better than they do.

Cult of Rakdos: Chaotic

Chaos is mandatory, evil is encouraged. By “Evil”, we mean “things people tell you are Evil”. Anything you would do while drunk you should be able to do at all times! There’s really only three rules in the Cult of Rakdos:

Rule #1, Rakdos is #1

Rule #2, JUST DO IT

Rule #3, Don’t be boring

Being Neutral breaks Rule 3, being Good breaks Rule 2 and/or 3, and being Lawful breaks all 3 rules. Which reminds me of the fourth rule:

Rule #4, NEVER break Rule #1

Truthfully, being Chaotic Good or Chaotic Neutral is perfectly fine as long as you don’t impede on someone else’s hedonism without a reason, or lack thereof. As long as you’re being free & crazy, that’s what really matters.

Selesnya Conclave: Good

As stated with Trostani, Selesnya is a pretty consistent force of Good, if nothing else. They don’t really do hate, you know? Life in the Conclave is pretty uniformly Good, so why make trouble? Why can’t everyone just be Good? In short; ‘cause they don’t wanna, none of your business, go hug a tree, and/or because fire is FUN. Lawful fits some individuals but can just get in the way for others. Neutral is pretty solid but some things must call you to act. Chaotic is if you really want to embrace being a Nature Warrior in a planet-sized cityscape. Selesnya is the Guild for goodie two-shoes, as if that’s a bad thing.

Simic Combine: Any

The Simic Combine is the one Guild that can honestly fall anywhere on the alignment chart. The Guild started out as Doctors, Naturalists, and preservers of life. Now it also operates large-scale bioengineering. You can have a Lawful Good Simic Paladin committed to preserving life and health, a True Neutral Simic Forcemage (Druid) dedicated to living a simple life bolstering plant growth, or a Chaotic Evil Simic Wizard who has decided on everyone’s behalf that flippers and gills are now mandatory. Just like science can be used for great Good, great Evil, or mundane routine, the Simic Combine can turn its experiments to any purpose, depending on the individual. And whereas the Izzet are firmly Chaotic, the Simic have the foresight to think ahead before they try an experiment. You can be anything you want in the Simic Combine, just plan it out.

#ravnica for goblins #ravnica #goblins #d&d #dnd #5e #alignment #roleplaying #dungeons and dragons #dungeons & dragons #good #evil #lawful #neutral #guilds

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

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Fandom 5k letter:

MDZS (novel)

I would like NMJ centric fic - something where he's the center of attention and the focus of someone's affection, rather than a secondary character in someone else's story. I want him to be the hurt-and-then-comforted, I want him to someone's crazy obsession, I want him being put first over other people, etc. Stories in which another character has an emotional arc in which they realize how much NMJ means to them are also good.

In terms of genre, I really like darkfic, h/c, or plotty action/adventure (and more worldbuilding re: the Nie sect is always great!). Smut is OK if there's character development during, but no PWP. For romance, I prefer getting together, not established relationships, and enemies-to-lovers (or, well, enemies&lovers) over friend-eventually-becomes-a-lover.

Ships are flexible, but some optional specific prompts below:

NMJ/JGY (silver-tongued manipulator JGY, not sad misunderstood JGY please!)

yandere!JGY obsessing over NMJ because he gave him respect when he was nothing or because he’s just so damn moral and it fascinates amoral!JGY; scheming to get him back (whether via manipulation, an arranged marriage, kidnapping, whatever) or to trap him as his own (mind control could be fun!)

JGY finding out about a traumatic non-con or dub-con incident in NMJ's past (SLN post-qi deviation? WRH before/during the Nightless City captivity? JGS?) and/or seeing it happen, then going feral in his defense and/or providing him with comfort over it

if you want to do a modern AU, serial killer/assassin!JGY becoming fixated on righteous man NMJ

NMJ/WRH (generally prefer this to be noncon/dubcon and then a rescue h/c by someone else; if you want to write them romantically, please avoid completely whitewashing WRH - murderous bastard but not outright fascist tyrant is OK, but please no versions where he’s not a murderous bastard in some fashion)

WRH becoming creepily fixated on NMJ, whether pre-Sunshot (discussion conferences?) or during the campaign, and the fallout from that (wanting to make him his empress? wanting him to bear him children? etc.) – prefer this to be in the NC/DC/rescued by someone else vein

WRH sets up an arranged marriage to NMJ to get him out of the way but finds he likes him more than expected (or possibly one where WRH time travels?)

if you want to do a modern AU, mob boss!WRH obsessed with righteous man NMJ (genre shift AUs with this dynamic are also OK) – this one is OK to do as romantic between them if you want

NMJ/LXC: Would love alternate meeting, canon divergence, or genre-shift AU here; not so interested in friends from childhood with puppy crushes on each other that eventually get together. I want to see LXC doing some pining!

NMJ & Baxia: positive relationship only, please! NMJ loves his sentient or semi-sentient saber and she loves him. Other than that, go crazy – do they team up to fight his death by qi deviation? Does she cultivate to humanity? Are they weirdly co-dependent? All the worldbuilding!

NMJ/any male: go crazy! NMJ/WWX? NMJ/JC? NMJ/Wen Ning? NMJ/XXC? All good! In all cases, prefer NMJ as the pursued, not the pursuer :) no modern AUs unless they specifically fit into the type described above (i.e. if you want someone else as the mob boss/serial killer/etc. that's fine)

Wants/DNWs:

dark, creepy, dub con and non con are obvious yes, including temporary mind-alteration (hypnosis, mind control, common sense adjustment, age regression, aphrodisiacs, somnophilia, training to respond to stimuli, etc.), but no outright mind-break or permanent personality alteration (no leaving someone as a doll, no implications of long-term drug addiction, no bimboification, no permanent amnesia, etc.)

I'm very fond of AFAB!trans!NMJ but if you go this route please have him present as male and not angst over his gender assignment - being upset over forced feminization is OK, forced impreg/breeding kink is great, but no focus on gender dysphoria under normal non-extreme circumstances

ABO is fine as long as it's omega!NMJ, but no bitching/NMJ-was-once-an-alpha-but-changes-due-to-trauma

for fics involving outright non-con, please end with NMJ being rescued and getting comfort from someone else; dub-con fics can have bad end/ambiguous end (i.e. NMJ as WRH's empress, JGY's hypnotized pet, etc.)

DNW: no top!NMJ, no character death for NMJ including no implications he suffers his canon fate, no permanent physical alteration (amputation, piercings, tattoos, etc.), no voluntary infidelity, no watersports/scat/vomit/lactation/focus on body hair, no replacement pining (i.e. I want person X but I can't have them so I'll settle for you), no LXC/JGY or any ships with Wen Qing, no Christianity

no modern AUs other than those explicitly specified

no pure PWP

MDZS DONGHUA

The MDZS donghua is my absolute favorite form of MDZS (though I haven't seen the audio drama yet). I love the way that it's so much more high-fantasy and EXTRA - WWX controlling flocks of crows, using resentful energy to fly, summoning green ghost fire, ripping out Wen Zhliu's core with his bare hands..! The beautiful arrays, the magical tools (giant bells!), techniques (gravity-bending by Wen Ruohan!), literally everything Jiang Cheng does with Zidian...plus I love the small but significant canon divergences (like how NMJ is not captured by WRH but confronts him in open battle with LXC at his side).

In terms of genre, I really like darkfic, h/c, or plotty action/adventure (and more worldbuilding re: the Nie sect is always great! ESPECIALLY with the donghua: I want to see NMJ get some of the special high-fantasy powers like we see for LWJ or WWX). Smut is OK if there's character development during, but no PWP. For romance, I prefer getting together, not established relationships, and enemies-to-lovers (or, well, enemies&lovers) over friend-eventually-becomes-a-lover.

Ships are flexible, but some optional specific prompts below:

NMJ/JGY

AU for the donghua! NMJ was never captured in the Nightless City, there's no indication he ever worked for NMJ, as far as we see he just appears when he kills WRH and then became sworn brothers with NMJ and LXC; there's not even any indication (yet) that he killed NMJ. Different meeting point? Different interactions? Wonderful opportunity to go completely off canon

I'm extremely fond of yandere!JGY or JGY going feral in NMJ's defense for some reason

if you want to do a modern AU, serial killer/assassin!JGY becoming fixated on righteous man NMJ

WRH sets up an arranged marriage to NMJ to get him out of the way but finds he likes him more than expected (or possibly one where WRH time travels?)

if you want to do a modern AU, mob boss!WRH obsessed with righteous man NMJ (genre shift AUs with this dynamic are also OK) – this one is OK to do as romantic between them if you want

NMJ/LQR (based on the interaction in the archery contest in the donghua, where LQR is the only one NMJ listens to)

something playing on inherent weirdness of someone a generation younger than you being your equal, plus seeing them having to stand up against the whole world more or less on their own

one of the other sect leaders tries to scheme against NMJ, LQR tries to intervene to stop them, stuff goes out of hand

NMJ/any male: go crazy! NMJ/LXC? NMJ/WWX/LWJ? NMJ/JC? NMJ/Wen Ning? NMJ/XXC? All good! In all cases, prefer NMJ as the pursued, not the pursuer :) no modern AUs unless they specifically fit into the type described above (i.e. if you want someone else as the mob boss/serial killer/etc. that's fine)

Wants/DNWs:

ABO is fine as long as it's omega!NMJ, but no bitching/NMJ-was-once-an-alpha-but-changes-due-to-trauma

no modern AUs other than those explicitly specified

no pure PWP

UNTAMED

Oh, the Untamed, my favorite AU fanfic that they filmed into an 50 episode series. I consider this canon completely distinct from the novel or donghua canons, so feel free to lean in to the canon divergences. Yin Metal? Ghost puppets? Completely different age gaps and/or chronologies? Baxia’s – uh – DISTINCTIVE appearance? All good!

For the Untamed, I’m less interested in darkfic (thought it’s still OK!) and more interested in hurt/comfort. For romance, I prefer getting together, not established relationships, and enemies-to-lovers (or, well, enemies&lovers) over friend-eventually-becomes-a-lover. Smut is OK but not preferred.

NMJ/JGY:

if you want to do a modern AU, serial killer/assassin!JGY becoming fixated on righteous man NMJ

Wants/DNWs:

ABO is fine as long as it's omega!NMJ, but no bitching/NMJ-was-once-an-alpha-but-changes-due-to-trauma

for fics involving outright non-con, please end with NMJ being rescued and getting comfort from someone else; dub-con fics can have bad end/ambiguous end (i.e. NMJ JGY's hypnotized pet or puppet, etc.)

no modern AUs other than those explicitly specified

no pure PWP

BLACK BOOK

This movie is a delight - as long as Fouché's on screen, anyway, out-acting literally everyone else by miles (especially the terrible main leads). As someone who did their history major on the French Revolution, I'm deeply, deeply aware of how inaccurate this movie is - as someone who enjoys over-the-top villains and endless snark, I love it anyway.

Fouché (solo): The snark! The inability to take anything seriously even once! The blatant amorality! The ambiguous relationship and chemistry he has with literally anyone who is on screen with him! The willingness to side with anyone at least once, and then turn on them shortly thereafter! The surprising competence he has at everything he does - politics? investigations? flirting? lock-picking? He's your man. For now.

Requests: I'd love some canon-style shenanigans (investigating something? arresting people? having to team up with someone unusual? politics! ALL THE POLITICS!) or something plot-focused. Maybe even the glimpse of the future we get with Fouché establishing a relationship with Napoleon, or possibly an AU where Max really does become dictator (but keeps Fouché around)?

Feel free to draw from Fouché's actual history (son of a (suspected) privateer! former math or physics teacher! may or may not have flirted with Robespierre's sister pre-Revolution while hanging out with Robespierre in a pie shop! may or may not have literally stolen a wife out of a convent and stayed very happily and monogamously married until she died decades later, much to the confusion of everyone around him!), but please maintain his key features from the movie (super competent, shameless, more amoral than outright evil). Complete genre shift AUs are also fine - I'd love to see a world where they're all mages or, like, steampunk, or IN SPACE! - but I'd prefer the vibe stay like the movie, aka completely ahistorical villains win/mad demagoguery/intrigue. Lean into the (light-hearted) dystopia!

Fouché/"Max" or Fouché & "Max": The inherent fun in a relationship where both parties know that it'll end with one of them killing the other and both of them are trying their damn hardest to achieve it, but also being absolutely essential to one another right now so. you know. let's just not talk about that.

Also just the way that Fouché calls Robespierre Max despite how much he hates it, speaking to a History between them, and the sheer glorious villainy of Robespierre in this movie - I love that he has basically a silver tongue, an almost hypnotizing ability to convince people (mostly the mob) of what he wants no matter what the situation, no matter what they know...I'd love to see that played with, including as a total AU/fantasy (magic-user AU? literal hypnosis powers? is Max planning on becoming a god?)

Would love to see plot-focused or "forced to work together" stuff, with a lot of mockery (and a great deal of competence) on Fouché's part and being ridiculously badass on Max's. Would prefer that they genuinely like each other, even if it's not going to stop them from murdering each other. Even if Max really, really wishes he didn't. Also would love to see an AU where Max really does become dictator but keeps Fouché around.

DNW: narrative endorsed anti-Revolution views (royalist or even "good idea but they went too far in 93"), no unasked-for crossovers with the Scarlet Pimpernel or something (using characters from actual history are just fine!), no major character death, no retrospective angsting (i.e. no "alas if only I hadn't killed him"), no focus on torture, no infidelity (except as approved and endorsed by spouses), no permanent amnesia, no permanent disfiguration/amputation (yes including Max losing his tongue), no "I want other person but you'll do" substitution, nothing that mind breaks either of the characters' personalities

#everyone can just ignore this #fandom exchange letter #mdzs #mdzs donghua #untamed #black book #french revolution

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ultranos · 3 years

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do you think it is hypocrite to like azula then hate iroh? azula did a lot of bad things but she doesn't understand why it's wrong because there was no adult or someone to be there for her to teach her that. i think it's very understandable to hate on iroh because he, too, played favoritism and as much as i don't want to go there; the only reason why iroh changed and cared for zuko because he lost lu ten and like he knows there's an unhealthy favoritism in their family (i think it was mentioned in legacy of fire nation) and he's part of it too.

people are too harsh on a child that is a victim of neglect and abuse and it feels like they're making a statement that she "deserves" it for all the things she'd done.

So, to be clear, I don’t actually hate Iroh. I do, however, recognize that he is an adult and more than that, he was the crown prince for a significant portion of his adult life. It is not unreasonable to assume that part of that title included governance responsibilities after he came of age. Meaning that Iroh would have had some degree of agency and control over not only his own life but matters of policy.

This means that I think, as an adult, Iroh holds far more responsibility over events than a child would. And to be clear, Iroh rises to this challenge admirably when it pertains to Zuko. After Ursa leaves, Zuko is in desperate need of parental guidance and Iroh, having been in the exact position of crown prince before, does a very good job of stepping up and being a parent to Zuko.

The part where I take issue is when I remember that there are two children in the palace. And it’s not even that Iroh played favorites. In a perfect world, where Ozai isn’t a piece of shit, going with Zuko makes perfect sense because otherwise he’s a 13-year-old child going off alone. The issue, however, is that this isn’t a perfect world and so we see Iroh leave an 11-year-old with a man who just burned half his own heir’s face off. And not even tell one of his White Lotus associates “hey, keep an eye on the palace, I’m not there”. Even from a purely tactical standpoint, that’s...really kind of dumb? Even if you don’t think they can turn Azula, you’d at least have intel.

And then there’s the actions. Again, I like Iroh. It’s just I’m aware he’s a celebrated war vet and that means he participated in the war far longer than Azula was even alive. He has decades of experience. Which means he has decades worth of military campaigns against the rest of the world, not just Ba Sing Se. Azula’s active military service (not training), from what we see in the show, seems to consist of...approximately 3-4 months.

The Siege alone outstrips that length of time by an order of magnitude. It’s just logistically impossible for her to have done more “terrible things” in those months, when we literally know she took vacation and hung out in a spa, than Iroh did in his actual decades of active service.

This is a long way of saying that I don’t think it’s hypocritical at all to like Azula and dislike Iroh. They’re different characters, and they’re treated very differently by the narrative and by fandom. Especially when you consider that Iroh at 14? Was probably exactly like Azula.

#nos answers things #atla #i'd feel a lot better if people realized azula is on the same road iroh once walked #including iroh #Anonymous

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queer-as-used-by-tolkien · 3 years

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I'm also kinda curious about how you characterize Ridhais in your stories since iirc she plays a bigger role? You don't need to answer this if you don't want though, just curious 😃

Ooh, Ridhais! Thanks for the ask!

I haven't quite gotten to Ridhais yet, I just know she does play a bigger role - in my current main fic which is about to go into the Orrian campaign, I'm going to include Ridhais because canonically she was there. Since I'm going to get into sylvari lore/headcanonry that also centers around Caladbolg, which will be a significant part of the story, yeah I'll be drawing on her expertise some, although I'm not currently sure how else she'll contribute to the story.

However, in the story of my Commander - I've spoken about Eveanin before and mentioned that she and Ridhais both have crushes on Trahearne (who is blind to that and has eyes only for the Commander). So that's a thing, and I don't think that'll exactly change when I get there with my main fic? It'll definitely be offscreen though because I have no idea how to write romance or anything.

But the major way I'm planning on characterizing her is probably going to be a mix of the two things we know about her: she's ridiculously young (younger than the sylvari Commander, imagine that) and has a Wyld Hunt relevant to Caladbolg.

Ridhais post-HoT gave me distinct 'tired veteran' vibes, like - she's only three years old at that point, she didn't even have early-PS buildup like the Commander had - she's still young and you can tell, but she's learned a lot and she's older.

One thing that's always puzzled me about Ridhais is how she knew all the stuff about Caladbolg that she knew; did she learn it in her Dream? I feel like it's not common knowledge, but it's definitely portrayed a lot like 'her Wyld Hunt magically granted her this knowledge' - almost as if they were trying to give her a similar role to Trahearne, but forgetting that Trahearne paid in decades for the knowledge he has and that Wyld Hunt does not equate to knowledge just by itself.

I mean, Trahearne's not the sort to say 'you are too young, go home and get some experience' because a) he didn't say that to the Commander, probably because b) it's her Wyld Hunt and Trahearne of all people would not deny someone the ability to get close to their Wyld Hunt.

I really hate how they added Ridhais in to the PS by word-alone retcon (they didn't actually go back and even just add her model in the background of the instances) and so they didn't even think about what would have been impacted by that. For example, the cleansing of Orr. If I were Ridhais I would have wanted to be there - quite apart from hero-worshipping Trahearne and being his literal bodyguard, this is a significant milestone for Caladbolg and she should've been there? But canonically she hardcore was not there and Trahearne even says that he and the Commander are alone!

Now, for my Commander's timeline, she and Ridhais have a stiff rivalry with regards to protecting Trahearne, so all the times Commander was there and Ridhais was not can be waved away with "Commander won the argument that time," and Ridhais won all the off-screen arguments where Trahearne was leading armies and doing map metas (which he absolutely did, you cannot change my mind) while the Commander was doing missions Trahearne didn't accompany them on.

But that only works for my Commander, so what about everyone else? I need to understand Trahearne's view of Ridhais during the PS so that I know how he would approach her as a character, because I work with systems; Trahearne has this system of thought regarding Ridhais that he had in canon (or that I made up for headcanon) and that system of thought then interacts with his systems of thought for my other characters and with the interactions of other characters, and that creates dynamic stories. All my characters have systems like this that then must interact with the unpredictability of life and other people.

Now, in greater scale than that, my Commander isn't in the main fic - I have a multi-Commander story and none of them are my actual Commander - and events are going to play out wildly differently from canon, so at that point I can pretty much make a case for Ridhais being anywhere at any time, regardless of where she was in canon.

But it's just really frustrating when a million tiny details about the PS and about my understanding of Trahearne's overall mindset (taking into account people he knows, places he's been to, information he has, and his opinions on those) change without, apparently, Anet putting in any thought whatsoever to what would change.

I've said it before and I'll say it now: there is a lot of information that maybe couldn't make it into the game for one reason or another, but they should have put it in a blog post or a Guild Chat or a livestream of any sort, especially something as major as adding in a whole new character to a pre-existing storyline.

Anyway... this devolved into me being frustrated at the lack of information, which is par for the course while I'm inventing new headcanons lol.

Wasn't quite what you asked, but that's all my thoughts on Ridhais haha. It's not much, but then, I haven't actually written the thing yet. It'll get better then lol.

#ridhais #trahearne #tiffanycommander #PS #HoT #Caladbolg #gw2 #sylvari #Wyld Hunt

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