Am I the only one who actually prefers the Araj confession from Astarion? I see so many people wax poetic about the “nice, simple plan” scene and how much better it is that I want to wax poetic a little about my favourite.
The first time I played BG3, I didn’t know anything about Astarion’s background and I thought he was a jerk. When I first ran into Araj at Moonrise, I was surprised that he wasn’t interested in biting her, but he gave his reasons and I was like, damn, okay, that sucks but I’m not gonna force him to do anything. He said no, so it’s a no. Then I moved on, and genuinely thought nothing of it.
When he hit me with the Araj confession at camp, when he explained how he felt in front of her and how easy it would have been to just grin and bear it and do as he was told, I started crying. Sometimes I struggle to even put into words the emotions it brought up — not the smallest of which was the realisation that I had had more respect for this video game character that I didn’t even like at the time than a lot of people had ever had for me, a real fucking human being.
So I love absolutely everything about that scene, from the writing to the performance to all the different ways it can play out. I know the other confession is more cute and sweet and romantic, but the Araj one held up a mirror to me and genuinely made me confront myself and change how I approach intimacy. Which is kind of an embarrassing thing to say about a video game romance scene but here I am saying it.
Because if this fucking rude ass pixel boy (affectionate) can learn to be honest about his needs and limits and have them respected, then so can I, goddamnit. And that will always be so much more profound to me than a nice, simple plan that fell apart.
I've been thinking about Bad Parents Jack and Maddie, and how they aren't great even in canon. So like, Vlad actually interacting with them more, as his obsession switches Danny, and just...eyes opening nd falling out of love with Maddie. So he realizes he needs therapy, but as he is what he is and what he has done, well, that makes things difficult. So, Harley Quinn?
I basically almost answered this with a mini rehash of "the Fenton family safety situation is often misrepresented by newer fans who haven't seen a lot of the show" but I mostly realized that wasn't the point, so let me get my act together.
You have activated my trap card, which is "I used to do psych stuff as my main field before I did library stuff", and I can't believe that Harleen Quinzel, known criminal and incredibly visible villain, would still have her license. Like. Even excepting the crime stuff, having her license revoked due to breaking the Hippocratic oath, or straight up having an ethics board boot her personally, I don't think Harley Quinn would have prioritized the NJ medical license renewal. That has to be attended to once every two years. Failure to keep up to date means no practicing in the state of NJ, baby.
If this is happening, Harley is offering services Under The Radar.
Like...probably this is through a service like Betterhelp. Almost no one tracks the actual paperwork for the advisors on Betterhelp. I can see Harley signing on in her pajamas eating ice cream as she gets nostalgic for the life she led when she had stuff going for her career-wise. Vlad, meanwhile, saw a youtube ad and is flinging spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
Anyway, Vlad and Harley sharing illegal psych sessions over Betterhelp while eating ice cream and talking shit is such a visual. I wish them all the best.
i'm just. taking a break from work and thinking about the fact that it's been almost two years since the c2 finale and that campaign still has me in a chokehold. i still think about the wizards all the time, which shouldn't surprise anyone but it's still remarkable. just taking a little moment to be in my feelings about them on main, nothing to see here
There are a lot of people who find their romance in HBP forced. I don't think it's forced so much as underwritten, and the books don't get the chemistry quite right (though the movies certainly don't, either). There's potential, but they just don't get enough actual scenes of substance (besides Harry thinking she's pretty or feeling jealous of Dean) for a lot of readers to buy that they're not only in love, but deeply enough in love to break up, get back together, and wind up married.
That's not to say I don't see the appeal. There's a very cool scene in Book 5 where Harry's doing a woe-is-me-Chosen-One act, and Ginny effortlessly puts him in his place about it by reminding him that she was possessed by Voldemort at eleven, which is a rare glimpse into her character and also a great synecdoche for their relationship — Ginny is a grounding presence who, like Ron and Hermione, isn't going to be awed by his past adventures because she knew him before they happened. In that respect, Ginny's probably one of the few women Harry could feasibly wind up with, because he only ever seems comfortable around people (let alone girls) who can see past the Chosen-One schtick and treat him like a normo (see: Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys, Luna, Hagrid). True to type, he doesn't get interested in Ginny at all until she's ditched her celebrity crush and ceased to view him as an idol, because in his heart of hearts, Harry wants to be a normal boy, and it's stressed over and over that part of what he likes about his relationship with Ginny is how normal it feels. He kind of has a horribly supercharged version the celebrity dating problem: after the Battle of Hogwarts, anyone he meets is going to know him first as Harry Potter, Chosen One, Boy Who Lived, and Actually Fucking Resurrected Messiah of the Wizarding World, which is... I mean, it's possible that there are witches out there who could get over that, but Harry's not an extroverted guy, and I'm not sure how he'd go about finding them. Ginny's the one who's been there since the beginning, doesn't need anything about him or his past explained to her, and actually likes him for who he is.
When you look at it that way, it's not surprising he married his high school girlfriend. She's one of the few people still alive who doesn't see him as a demigod.
The thing about Stannis that people often forget that he was only 17 when Robert's Rebellion started. His parents are dead, his older brother who was meant to be in charge and head of the family has practically abandoned him with all the responsibilities of being Lord of Storm's End, being head of the family and raising Renly who was 3 or 4 at this time. He's seventeen and all of a sudden he has to make a choice between what he knows is the "right" thing to do which is staying loyal to the Crown or standing with his brother, who he no doubt loves despite his later declaration in ACOK. He's seventeen and there's an army outside the walls, everybody inside those walls has to rely on him when he knows that they really want Robert, he is in charge when doubtless he wants Robert back. He's the one who is meant to be in charge after all, the one with the experience, he's only 17. He has to watch Renly grow thinner and thinner, likely going without food himself just to give Renly an extra mouthful here and there. He has to see people turn on House Baratheon from inside the castle, probably knowing them all his life. He has to punish them or end up looking weak, he can't afford weakness. Not when there are hundreds depending on him. And Robert. He's depending on him too, afterall. Then comes the news that Rhaegar is dead, King's Landing is Robert's and he's King now. Weeks later, Stannis gets news that the Siege is about to be lifted. Doubtless he looks out over the walls and sees who has come to save him. It's not Robert. It's Ned Stark, who Robert went to war with, who Robert sees as a brother, far more than he's ever treated Stannis. And even then Stark has to run off for another duty, leaving Stannis to deal with Storm's Ends recovery. Then when things are settled, the Baratheons unite. Robert has a task for Stannis rather than a thank you or an apology. Stannis grits his teeth and gets on with it. He fails to capture the last Targaryens. He returns only to hear Robert's grumbles. And when comes time for dealing with succession, Renly- who is only a child - gets Storm's End. Stannis gets Dragonstone, the reminder of his failure not his achievements. It breaks Stannis's trust in Robert. In the following years, Robert becomes more and more of a disappointment. He beds Delena Florent at Stannis's wedding ruining the nuptials which are nothing more to Stannis than a political move no doubt recommended by Jon Arryn. He becomes more lazy, more distant, less and less of somebody to look up. To make matters worse, Renly who Stannis protected, starved for and practically raised, still looks up to Robert, pushing Stannis away. By AGOT, Stannis is isolated by his own House, trapped in a loveless marriage, weighed down by duties he never asked for, responsibilities that he has to shoulder because Robert won't, crushed under the knowledge of the Lannister Twincest and its repercussions and he's just been pushed aside again by Ned Stark, this stranger who Robert idolises so much. Its the last straw so he leaves. Months later, Robert is dead, Renly is at the heart of trouble and the Realm is bleeding again. Stannis declares himself King, not only because Melisandre wraps the shroud of messiah around him or he really feels any sort of higher calling or ambition. He does it because that's what he does, he cleaned up Robert's messes, he steps into Robert's shoes and does his duty. Just has he's been doing since he was just a child.
To Big sis Leo: Hmmmm, what is the thing that you would want to do or want to have, but you can't for some reason?
I mean not like "For my famliy to be happy", I mean more like "this would make ME happy", you know?
(Ps. I love your art, I see some progress in it :3
Do you maybe have a tag for every art that you did to this day? or atleast tag for story of Big sis Leo? I think I got lost and I wanna read everyting about her :3)
I always want what I can’t have I miss them so much
Just me blowing my own mind thinking about Gravity Falls again lol (or maybe more like “oh gosh that makes so much sense holy moley…”)
But here’s the thing….people always blame Ford’s pride on his reaction to Stan wanting to burn his journal. And while I agree to some extent, there is another reason for this intense reaction. Which I understand now more than when I first watched the show…
Soooo…the last time Ford saw Stan was right after he feels betrayed because he thinks Stan destroyed his project. His project, which he put so much time, effort, and work into. It was his ticket to a better future. And he believes that Stan did it on purpose, because he was so caught up in their old dream of sailing together. This would create a very painful memory, which I believe, especially with Ford not working through the emotions, is still a very sensitive “trigger” of a sorts for him.
Fast forward to the portal incident. Ford needs Stan’s help, desperately. He is reaching out despite the rift between them, because he doesn’t know what else to do. And he asks Stan to take his work, and hide it. Which to be fair, is already a big thing, because the last time Stan was around his work….he broke it (or so Ford believed). But THEN Stan doesn’t want to hide it, he wants to *destroy* it. Something that Ford, once again, put a lot of time, energy, and work into. To me, that similarity would trigger the pain and hurt that Ford felt when he was a teenager. Plus those emotions were probably increased more due to his huge lack of sleep and intense desperation for help in a situation where he was in way over his head.
I’m not trying to get Ford off the hook or say he doesn’t share in the blame for what happened. But bro…as someone who understands those kinds of triggers to betrayal and deep emotional pain…Where something, even if it’s not totally the same, has very similar elements to the painful event, happens, that pain and those intense emotions are very real. And it’s a very valid reaction, especially for someone who has not worked through or healed any from that emotional trauma.
i love how roughly 2 hours into zwillingstürme the most screentime ebenholz has gotten so far has consisted entirely of him being 1) actively miserable and 2) actively suicidal. this is slash gen btw. i love it when my favorite blorbos just go through the absolute fucking wringer to end all wringers
hewwo, im gonna be taking a break from tumblr for the next while.
ive come to realize that im on tumblr wayyyy too much bc of my (newly found) ocd so im leaving for a while to try and deal with it (+ other stuff in the op tags)
i'll be back once im satisfied w/ my progress, but there is a chance i won't be back for months, so if u want to stay in contact send me a DM w ur discord or smthn, i'll check them a couple of times in the next couple days, but after that no tumblr at all.
so yeah, byebyes & i'll see u people later hopefully <3