#minor edits

[qiune]

Just a pawn.

[sirensoul-min]

Hi! I just wanna say i love your account and i have a though i really wanna get answered. I was first a bts fan summer 2025 and got obsessed with their dynamic and how close they all were. But now when i see them i cant help but see how shady they are to eachother on the lowkey and the hierarchy they have in the group. I cant help but say that i got a little heartbroken when i started to see it but atleast now i have my full focus on jimin only. And it was jimin that pulled me into bts. His performance and it factor. So i just wonder why do you think its so hard for the others to praise jimin? We all know his two albums did so good without the push the other member got but still they insist on talking about him like the breakout star. On interviews when they say that he is a popstar but never says that about jimin? I know he is a grown man and i try to remind myself that i dont know them. I have no right to not like them when jimin loves them so much. But still! It makes me so angry and we know that they know how successful their albums are bc on jins solo tour he mentioned if jimin wanted to sing his solo song and that it was the most successful song? So why is that they have decided to put him last on the hierarchy list and why is that that specific member also made the list? Anyways i really hope i get to see him one day on his solo tour.

i don't think the members have jimin last on the hierarchy list per se, but it's just that the group's dynamic has always been imperfect and full of contradictions (more so now). you'll witness them sending heart eyes on jimin's way, saying sappy things about how he's the one they can always lean on, and praising him on almost anything EXCEPT his solo achievements.

tbf, some members did acknowledge jimin's success especially when he earned the 1 on hot 100, and we got to hear some of them also allude to his music (including jin on his concert and on the audacy interview). but, they def do not treat jimin's achievements as big and as loud as they do for jk's. we can interpret things differently and can draw our own conclusions, but to me, these could be some of the reasons why (just on top of my head):

1) bias and favoritism towards jk - bcs he's the maknae and the main singer/lead dancer. these things give jk an advantage, privilege, and free passes. it has been apparent over the years that they deem jk more likely to get more opportunities in and out of the band than jimin, and more likely to succeed than jimin especially when it comes to charting. jk, i believe, has more influence to the band's direction and gets less reprimand from the band and the company (from armys too). it just has to be jk, not jimin. jimin has to prove everything to everyone, jk don't. i mean, jk could (and i know he's ambitious), but when he tries, he'll always have more tools readily available for him than for jimin. jk can just sleep throughout the night yet get a solo album done the next morning.

i believe this dynamic and treatment have been happening for so long (or since then) that it's just their default, their normal. this has also been what's drilled to them by the company. (and imo, it's the rapline who's such a sucker for jk.)

2) so far, they didn't get a lot of opportunity or an opening to say something about jimin's success during group interviews - that, and/or they just chose not to.

take their group interviews for this tour, for example. the questions could very well been pre-approved by the company, but the interviewers were ultimately the ones who framed and set the direction of the interview. they set the tone and bring up any topic they can think of. so, if an interviewer, even during their group interview, spotlights jk's achievements (or other members' works) more than the others', and gives unnecessary airtime to jk's larger-than-life swearing on his coming-of-age song (😗) for the members to say what they think of it, then what choice do the others have but to answer? sure, the members can insert and pivot into jimin's success too (and maybe they did at least once, but it was cut or wasn't shown), but where's the fun in that? perhaps don't expect them to do that bcs...

3) they seem to have a stick up their asses! - they just seem to hold back and would rather forget jimin's solo debut bcs...they can. maybe it's a sore, touchy topic. maybe they're still in denial. maybe they still didn't gain that much respect for jimin from chapter 2 when they should've. maybe they believe that bringing up jimin's achievements would make theirs pale in comparison. maybe their nonchalance is their defense and coping mechanism. maybe it's their egos keeping them hostage. would love to be proven wrong over time, but 🤷🏻‍♀️.

4) as you pointed out, anon, they're just not the same people as before - they're def not as close as they used to be, so in some aspects expect them to be tamer, less jovial, less appreciative of the others. (they also seem to move in factions now more than ever.)

5) the guys aren't us - as much as we want to cast spotlight on jimin as often as we can, and for them to applaud jimin on the things he deserves to get them, we won't get that from them all the time. they can't and won't satisfy us fully. (yes, even tho most of the times we're just asking for the bare minimum.) they use different lens and have different standards when it comes to jimin. i mean, i can't fathom how they could ignore and downplay jimin's achievements, but at the same breath would applaud jk's average-anything, but i guess whatever helps them sleep at night.

we can only judge from the things we're privy to. we can't always understand what's on their mind. the other members just suck oftentimes, and to quote jimin: "what sucks, will suck." (ngl he sounded fatalistic with that one.)

PS. thank you for the kind words, anon, and i'm glad you found your way to jimin. 💕

[vormov]

measures of self

i've seen where we're supposed to go i know the way, always have, it lays as an intrinsic to be discovered again and again; as awaken and fear or to trouble the light again for a sunrise.

haven't i spent enough time inside the darknesses? like their dissymmetry can convince the eye to disobey, just a measure of self is all you need—just a drop and you can have all that you have disappear, we don't have time for that. jeer at the horizon like we once did just breathe, you've been here before

you just careen by like a lightpost or a phantom and lean in as if the walls were a bit too crooked —i couldn't profess that they weren't; wasn't that, if you didn't feel so low ive been spending so much time behind me doesn't seem like anything at all

a dozen or more to force the bit let it go so that you don't face a pain, just relish in the fact of relinquished control a passing of arms in the midnight and we were never meant to know the truth. a god either absent or figurative can't save you

there is a certain pleasure in subtlety just as there is a presence in grace despite what i might say, i have always been hopeful; just know that one day they'll know what you're talking about. forever a fever dreamt before or after such things occur don't know what that's all about

like i spent echoes into the chamber on purpose just to see it roll or fumble, tumble around show that randomness that bleeds into every facet, just like how we understand the universe never to know ourselves; or vise versa. just a measure of self—a drop will do

i'm sorry to only skim over the cursory for we have such limited time. i'll dive into the details each and everyday until someone tells me to stop just say the word nobody ever does, just keep talking—idiota.

faker built of false faith, you are just like me, destined to collide like the biggest of beings or the smallest of specs these things unfold the colors of the seas an engulfing in the cosmic ocean just like me so why don't you feel it like I do?

(10-12-25 & 11-1-25)

[rovbookshelf]

Oscar fan club newsletter Q&A

Hello Everyone, I am Emily, editor at the OFC Headquarters

I'm going to talk to my beloved Oscar-sama.

I really enjoy listening to your story.

I can't help but feel numb when I hear Oscar's voice.

First off, good afternoon...

Q: Hmm… you usually dress in casual attire, wearing only a blouse in your daily life. Why don't you usually wear a jacket like Andre?

O: I am a soldier. In case of emergency, I keep myself ready so I can put my uniform on quickly.

Q: About that blouse, it's really stylish. Who designed it?

O: Hmm… I have about 20 outfits. I usually leave it to Nanny, but when I feel like it, I think about it myself… It's quite fun. Ah for some reason, the one I'm wearing now is Andre's, he designed it. Not only is he handsome, he also has a good sense of style, truly.

Q: Oh, I see. We always thought that it was something that Ikeda decided. And then, you say that you like music, what kind of music do you like?

O: I like the works of Mozart. In particular his piano concertos. At the moment I have been listening to the final movement of Sonata No. 331 and Symphony No. 40. Oh and Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. I think they are wonderful.

Q: (Isn’t she incredibly intelligent? Maybe too much so, I really should to study more!) Um, I'm going to change the topic, what's your favorite food?

O: As you know I can handle my alcohol. My father trained me and now I am bottomless! Don't worry though, I wont let myself go. I also like ice cream and whiskey bon-bons. I really like candies and rose jellies, things like that...

Q: You seem to be getting into this now. Do you have anything you collect? What sort of things do you collect?

O: Yes. Naturally I've collected swords because of my job, I like Italian swords. Miniature alcohol bottles (I know...) and matchbooks in all kinds of different shapes.

Suddenly, Andre's voice is heard

"Oscar also collects flower-patterned handkerchiefs!"

Well, that's about it.

Q: What is your favorite flower?

O: Roses. Especially pure white roses. In the flower language they mean "purity". Red roses are nice too, they mean "passionate love". Violets as well, they are elegant don't you think? Others include freesias, and horse chestnuts.

Q: What's your favorite color?

O: I like pure white. It makes me feel like my body and mind are focused and disciplined. I also like deep blue, and purple.

Q: Has your Nanny been taking care of you since you were born?

O: Yes. She is very attentive and affectionate, she notices everything. She is lenient but strict and firm to Andre, yet gentle with me, she is like a grandmother. However, just the other day, she collapsed. Thinking about how Andre must be feeling, I hope she will be better soon.

Q: When the Queen came to France to marry, Lord Oscar was already a lieutenant at the age of 14. When did you start honing your sword skills?

O: Oh, you bring up an old stories… I followed my father's educational guidance plan and started school at 10 years old. I entered the military school and went diligently with lunch prepared by my grandmother everyday. Later, I joined the Royal Guard at the King's command.

*Thank you. Hey, everyone, she was playing with her hair… it was wonderful!

OFC, Oscar fan club was active during The Rose of Versailles' original run in Margaret magazine, 1972-1973

[waywardsidequester]

~Time Travel Tuesday~

Location: Paris, France

Name of Landmark: Basilique du Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Basilica)

Year: 2016

Tools: iPhone 4s (2011), Adobe Photoshop Elements (2001)

Level of editing: Minor I'd like to consider myself a pro-amateur in photography. A bit of an oxymoron, but that suits my vibes just fine.

My journey in photography began when I received my very first iPhone for Christmas, just like many others (R.I.P. flip phones with the built in keyboard). Since then, I've spent countless hours on personal photography projects. I've collected many tools over the years keeping affordability and accessibility at the forefront of my mind. Artistry does not require the most advanced, most expensive, most main stream products.

Fast forwarding from Paris 2016 back to present day 2025, my current materials have expanded beautifully. I was gifted a Canon PowerShot SX420 IS, Wi-Fi (2016). I still use Elements, but I also will use whatever top website Google provides when I search "free photo editing application." Aside from the iPhones, I have welcomed an Alienware 17 RS3 (2015) and an Alienware Aurora 16 (2025) into my inventory. While some of these brands my seem contradictory to my affordability and accessibility, I'd like to mention that the more expensive items were: gifted, bought on sale, or refurbished (either by me or the seller). I've had over 15 years to build this collection. Rome wasn't built in a day. Patience yields progress. Learning to maintain and fix my tools has allowed me to retain the majority, only retiring a few things here and there. Trust me on this, if you take good care of your art supplies, they'll take good care of you.

[broodwoof]

sera meta!

i love her soooo much - if not for solas, she'd be hands-down my favorite character from inquisition. so it's long past time i did a meta post for her <3

this is gonna be long and i added a lot of her relevant dialogue to it

meta overview: sera is young, traumatized, has deep-seated internalized racism, and has never had an opportunity to be vulnerable or to safely express herself. she's also autistic af imo

part 1: her past

she was presumably born into an alienage, and as @skip-the-clumsy-dragon reminded me recently, city elves are expected to get married and have children. this is a realistic thing for them to prioritize (and dalish likely have the same priority) given the fact that they're an endangered culture. however, sera's a lesbian - to grow up in a society that tells her that she has to marry an elven man and have his children would've been incredibly ostracizing to her. the elves made her feel broken, directly or indirectly, and i think that's something a lot of queer people can relate to.

while only the last part is related, this bit of banter between her and solas is interesting in terms of her being a lesbian:

Sera: (shivers) Weird. Solas: Sera? What are you feeling? Sera: Ugh, here we go. It’s nothing, it just feels like I've seen this. Exactly this. It happens. Solas: Not to everyone. Sera: It’s not an elf thing. You’re not shaking. Sera: I suppose now you’ll switch to how I’m the same but different? Solas: You are different. You are the furthest from what you were meant to be. Sera: Well I’ve definitely heard piss like this before. Hmph!

she was adopted by the lady emmald, which looks fine at first, but as we're shown during the cookie scene, emmald didn't really care about sera. more than likely, she cared about what sera could do for her (a sort of live-in, unpaid servant in a child who she 'saved' from the streets) and the social esteem she'd get for 'rescuing' a 'poor elf' - lady emmald was the racist one, and the user, not the baker she blamed

Sera: I got caught stealing when I was little, yeah? You get alienage or worse for that, but the “Lady Emmald” took me in. She was sick and couldn’t have children. I had no parents. It worked out. Anyway, she gets a year sicker, so I ask about her cookies. Because mums make cookies. I can pass that down, or something. Turns out, she couldn’t cook. She missed that talk with her mum. The ones she “made” she bought and pretended. Aw, right? Well, no, she was a bitch. She hid buying them by keeping me away from the baker. She did that by lying that he didn’t like me, didn’t like elves. She let me hate so she could protect her pride. I hated him so much, and I hated… She looks away again. Sera: Well, she died, and I hate pride. “Pride cookies.”

"I hated him so much, and I hated... [being an elf]" is the obvious conclusion. and again, it makes sense - her people wanted her to play a role she couldn't, and wouldn't, play - and her adoptive mother allowed her to hate and hate so that she could protect her own pride.

Inquisitor: I don’t understand. This Lady Emmald was just trying to be good to you. Sera: She hurt people. Inquisitor: It was just cookies. Sera: It was not just cookies! Lie to herself? Fair play, only hurts her. But she made me think there was something wrong with me! And the baker! I made his life shit. Why not? It seemed like he deserved it. I mean, “if you don’t give a child a cookie because of appearances, you’re a monster.” Stupid, pride-whore noble. She pauses. Sera: I know, I said it was stupid. That’s why I want to get rid of it. I want to make better cookies.

she keeps calling herself stupid. she's angry and hurting and trying to be vulnerable, and when her vulnerability isn't supported she immediately resorts to calling herself stupid, making her feelings smaller, insulting herself before she can be insulted by the inquisitor, someone she's grown close to

Inquisitor: It is stupid. You dragged me here to bad-mouth a sad, dead woman. Sera: It’s not about that. Feelings are hard, all right? Inquisitor: Not for an adult! Sera: Bullshit! And I’m trying to say I like it here! I thought you’d want to know that, and eat my shitty cookies! / Sera: I just thought you’d want to know that I think you’re pretty great! That I made you shitty cookies!

"not for an adult" - sera is by far the youngest companion. and she's never had the opportunity to even begin unpacking her own trauma, until maybe haven/skyhold, depending on how your inquisitor treats her. but she is still an adult, and while this argument shows a lot of her feelings, it was really hard to even read thru 💀

part 2: red jenny

after emmald, she ended up on the streets again. she was taken in by the red jennies. by this point she has personal cause to dislike elves and elven culture, and to dislike nobles - but she doesn't really hate humans, which is understandable considering that she's surrounded by them. she sees that they get treated like shit sometimes, too. her alliances are not and have never been along racial lines, but class divisions: she looks out for the "little people", which in her case means the poor, the unhoused, or those in servitude.

the fact that she doesn't live in the alienage means she's surrounded by human faith. i've discussed this before in prior metas, but in thedas, andrastianism or however it'd be spelled is likely not optional - it's presumed and absolute. christianity was like this too, in medieval times, the church was the core of cities and everyone was expected to be faithful. theres' an immense sociocultural pressure towards religious conformity that everyone is exposed to even if they don't personally go to the church/pray/etc. - it's just baked into the culture. the chant is everywhere. and people internalize stuff they're surrounded by, that's natural

so she's out here angry, bitter, finally able to be 'just' sera with the jennies, not expected to breed for them or to take their shit, allowed to be exactly who she is... and at the same time, she's immersed in chantry culture. she wants a parent, she wants someone who cares for her no matter what. she keeps hearing that it's andraste and the maker who will care for her.

Inquisitor: Odd that you’d ask Andraste over your own gods. Sera: “My” gods? Whatever. They don’t talk any more than she does. Not like she’s supposed to. I know what happened to you, or what everyone here thinks happened. It seems… I don’t know what it seems.

part 3: her behavior

she's outwardly callous and irreverent a lot of the time, but that stems from a mix of things, primarily: humor as a coping mechanism and having seen so much shit in her life. she talks about food a lot, but this bit of banter with blackwall explains why really clearly:

Sera: Hey, do you think they'll have pie when we get back? I could use a pie. Or three. Blackwall: That's... a lot of pie for one person. Sera: You'd understand if you've ever been hungry. In your bones hungry.

she also has a really grounded view of mages. it's not perfect, she's very afraid of magic - as she's been taught to be. i think people get caught up in the mage freedom angles the games have been showing us and forget that within the games context, mages are fucking scary and people are scared of them. i'm staunchly pro-mage, but it's useless to ignore the context they exist within

Sera: I knew a funny boy in Denerim. Started fires with his eyes. Templars nabbed him right quick, so he's better now, I guess? Dorian: Better? Do you know what your southern Circles are like? Sera: Meals and training? So he wouldn't starve or get stomped by a mob? I've seen both. Dorian: (Sighs.) You're sadly right.

circles are bad but also? she's right. training, room and board... when it's living in a circle vs. being killed on the street, i think most people would choose the former, even with all the inherent difficulties and the oppression of it, the abuses by the templars, all of it. because at least you're alive. and the training is important. it's all kinds of wrong the way it's structured, but mages do need training, there's no denying that - even in cultures that don't lock up their mages, they still need to test them, to train them

and she has a very practical, very grounded perspective on nobles and who would suffer in a massive revolution. when solas starts recommending guerilla warfare tactics to her, she shuts him down - not because his ideas are wrong, but because she can see ahead to all the harm it'd cause the exact people she's trying to protect

Solas: Once you have the aristocracy weakened, Sera, you will have to redirect your lieutenants. Sera: Oh, this again. All right, what am I doing? Solas: Some of your forces, valuable until now, have no interests beyond creating disruption. Chaos for its own sake. They must be repositioned where they can do no harm, or removed if necessary. You replace them with organizers willing to build a new system and carry out the ugly work that must be done. Sera: What? Why? What ugly work? Solas: That is up to you. Do you wish to disrupt the nobility, secure a title? Or change the political structure entirely? Sera: None of it! I don't want any of that!

Solas: I do not understand you, Sera. You have no end goal for your organization. Sera: Nobles get rattled, and people get payback. I play in the middle. Solas: Why not go all the way? You see injustice, and you have organized a group to fight it. Don't you want to replace it with something better? Sera: What, just lop off the top? What's that do, except make a new top to frig it all up? Solas: I…forgive me. You are right. You are fine as you are. Sera: You hurt my head sometimes, Solas. Solas: Yes, I have been known to do that.

conclusion:

sera is one of the most important characters in dai specifically because of the perspective she brings to the table. she's the average person. she's scared of mages and magic. she's scared of templars. she's scared of the grey wardens. she's young and tries so hard. she lived through the blight. she's traumatized af. she feels like she has no culture that will accept her as she is. the first people to accept her, to just see sera, are the red jennies, and she happily joins them. she offers herself to the inquisition despite being scared of it because a part of her wants to help and another part wants answers - but is scared of getting them at the same time.

Herald: But where do you stand on the war? Sera: In the frigging middle, with everyone else. Sera: You know what I hear about mages? Nothing until one goes all demony. Know what I hear about templars? Nothing, until they take “maybe-mages.”

she's a queer city elf who's expected to marry another elf and have his children. she's a poor elven child who's supposed to be grateful that she was offered a good life by a noble. she's never had a space where she was able to work through all her issues, or even begin looking at them for real - but when she does have that space, she is surprisingly vulnerable with people. the cookies are important because it's her biggest show of vulnerability - she's revealing her past and one of the things that haunts her most, and she's actively trying to change the context, to disrupt a childhood trauma with new, better memories

[jpriest85-blog]

Found a picrew where you can make a mythical beast. Out of curiosity I tried using it to make the Abyssal Beast from of my Harbinger Thuban from @fell-star-if with some editing.

Beaft Maker

Welcome to the beaft maker! Make a beaftsona! Make a heraldic beaft! Make the beaft of your dreams! You will need to reposition some acce

It makes me wonder again how some artwork depicting the Harbinger changes over time. Lbr Thuban would inspire enough artists on her own over the centuries though when it comes to depicting her Abyssal form. Lots of legendary creatures and Beasts have some...interesting depictions in irl art based on their descriptions.

I imagine most folks who've probably seen her bestal form and live to tell would probably describe Thuban looking similar to an enormous pale Chimera, with a lions mane and tail, 3 black eyes, black curved horns, scaled and clawed legs like a dragon, and bird wings the color of the Night sky.

Imagine if an artist interpretation for a great scaled beast like a dragon, was another large predatory reptile like a gator or something. I imagine Thuban wouldn't be too pleased at being depicted with stubby gator legs 😂

[goatpaste]

I mean this is the best possible way, but holy fuck you screenshot edits gave me the biggest whiplash because shapes??? Are not half circle faces????? And the colors are not Funky????????

I yassified them 😔