#ITS A LOVELY STUPENDOUS BOOK

[rarephloxes]

finished Longbourn by Jo Baker and I am COMPLETELY DEVASTATED that there’s no fanfiction for it at all

#I NEED JAMES AND SARAH CONTENT #ITS A LOVELY STUPENDOUS BOOK #I enjoyed it tremendously #so happy I picked it up #longbourn #jo baker

[thisisnotthenerd]

god such good tactics from the bad kids in this fight.

quick level update: fig is a devotion paladin! joining the ranks with our most popular paladin subclass, among tuc ricky matsui, sunny biscotto, andhera, and viola. coincidentally she sits in the paladin chair (L1).

the bad kids have capped off at level 14; reference my last post on this for what they have here. they're going to this fight at like 3/4s of a tank; high level spells spent on healing and used in the last fight, hit die used, magic items spent.

ice feast prep: exhaustion and 1d12 damage, but cured of all poison and disease, immune to fire damage and stun, con saves with advantage, and hit point max increases by 2d10. incredible homebrew spell that complete fucks brennan in this fight. the immunity to fire lets them use the lava and environment to their advantage while making the enemies have to avoid the consequences of their own actions.

kristen getting k2 back? lovely story move. wanting a sister to share in your faith? brilliant. tactically, it gives them another full cleric who can move around the battlefield and heal while splitting attention. she has greater invisibility on and can just move around and get heals to people.

prepping fly on almost all of them means they avoid the difficult terrain and have mobility around the battlefield where they can get cover, remove line of sight, and calculate their ranges easily.

fabian killing ivy in one turn? exceptional. not just a good turn from lou but an example of what was to come from them. fabian has had one turn up in this combat and still fully removed the danger of ranger/fighter weapon attacks while drawing attention from the biggest threat.

riz casting slow with magical ambush? phenomenal. functionally took care of one of the big melee and one of the big spellcasters. mary ann did nothing, and ruben being slowed got rid of his counterspells. it made buddy waste a turn. also just fucking diving into the lava.

adaine with synaptic static? fantastic. really hitting the clump and making jace start damaged, when sorcerers are squishy to begin with. at level 20, and lets say a con modifier of +3, max he could get is 180, and realistically its closer to 120.

gorgug killing oisin in one turn and preventing him from going at all? fabulous. he's the one who could summon allies for the rat grinders--getting rid of him gets rid of that possibility.

kristen using the cover and then doing double rounds of healing from herself and k2? astounding. keeping out of sightlines for damage to hold bless. staying uncounterspellable.

fig with the enormous fireball? stupendous. sent ruben to hell, damaged mary ann, and really got all of the jaces, and broke buddy's banishment concentration

shout out to the melees: fig, fabian, and gorgug concentrated fire from porter as they took out the rat grinders. even though they all went down, they have reliable healers to get them off the ground. no holds barred. they took out the three rat grinders that are now dead.

none of them had rage tokens and they didn't get turned against their allies. they've spent this fight fully just dunking on the rat grinders, jace, and porter.

for the rat grinders: they've taken out ivy, oisin, and ruben--ivy with big ranged damage, oisin and ruben with 9th level spells and counterspells. they've bloodied all of the jaces and broken his big damage concentrations, broken buddy's concentration on banishment and damaged him, kept mary ann out of the fight pretty much until now, mostly avoided kipperlilly's sneak attacks, and riz is prepping to hit her with a spell on her turn. porter has taken some damage, but has been forced to use legendary resistances and can't get them to take him seriously.

realistically the difference between them comes from tactics. the rat grinders are being piloted by one guy who has to manage a lot of factors in this fight. they are not a team of adventurers who have read the book front to back and used it to prime advantage. they have not actually faced the monsters they farmed for xp. they likely don't have the types of magic items or feats that the bad kids have earned through their adventuring. their buffs have been knocked off one by one as the bad kids wreck house.

from a watsonian perspective they're not using basic party strategy: not protecting their wizard, not moving their melees to give the rogue sneak attack, clumping up and getting AOEed thrice to great effect, expending their big resources at the top of the fight, not using cover or other tactical advantages, giving themselves difficult terrain and having to deal with hazards the bad kids don't have, not coordinating their counterspells and other debuffs, not protecting their cleric or encouraging him to heal, and working on a ritual that they don't have all the tools for.

they're statted like power-leveled pcs, not npcs, and what do npcs have? magic items, unique abilities, and hit points. jace and porter have homebrew shit going on. the rat grinders are 20th level with the hit points of maybe 10th level characters. ivy only took 78 points of damage before going down. 2 attacks from fabian plus incidentals from fig's green flame blade. they all have glass cannon type builds except for maybe mary ann, and we haven't seen her go to work yet.

incredibly excited for the finale next week. sidenote the outfits are so fun. i might be late next week because i have a concert to go to, but still. i'll be back with xp counts and some reflection on what the rat grinders have actually done.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #fantasy high junior year #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #the bad kids #the rat grinders #adaine abernant #kristen applebees #fig faeth #riz gukgak #fabian seacaster #gorgug thistlespring #ivy embra #oisín hakinvar #ruben hopclap #kipperlilly copperkettle #mary ann skuttle #buddy dawn #jace stardiamond #porter cliffbreaker #thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats #dimension 20 meta #the perils of xp leveling

[heyjude19-writing]

Putting nostalgia aside, what in your opinion makes dramione greater than other Draco pairings? I love both equally personally, but I’d love to know as time has gone on, I now myself have a preference which i now gravitate towards on the basis of their“technicalities”.

So putting aside the nostalgia, what tropes, characteristics of each, do you find more fascinating or more unique in either pairing?

(Usual disclaimer that I'm a "ship and let ship" person and all fanfic portrayals of these fictional characters are valid, this is just a silly, long-winded opinion 😘)

Hmm, I don't think I would say it's "greater" (everything is subjective) than any other pairing, but if you're asking why dramione has remained my favorite, it's simply because I find them the most compelling. We get a lot of hermione in the books, sure, but as we're in harry's head for almost all of canon, i found myself interested in exploring her character and all its glory and flaws without the veil of harry's pov. I adore her intelligence, of course, and her capacity for kindness, but she can also be ruthless (keeping Skeeter in a jar, Marietta Edgecombe), unflinchingly pragmatic (her disdain for divination, wiping her parents' memories), and morally grey when it suits her interests (every book, y'all, every book she is breaking/bending rules with harry/ron).

I'm not going to even attempt to dig through my past asks because tumblr searches are terrible, but I've written before about Draco's unfinished and unsatisfying canon narrative. He is set up several times over to have a somewhat forgiving arc but ultimately it falls flat and it's a stupendous waste of potential for an on-page redemption. It makes him a fantastic character for fanfiction at least.

And so I prefer dramione for what it makes these two confront about themselves and each other. They have shared trauma, or at least overlapping trauma touchpoints, that can lend themselves to some gutwrenching conversations. A relationship, a friendship, fuck even earning the right to breathe in Hermione's vicinity is going to require a lot of soul-searching, apologizing, unlearning of hateful rhetoric and probably a fuckton of therapy for draco. I dont view dramione as opposites so much as complements and there's a vast potential for drama and angst and these two seem really intense in their desires to succeed in the world as very loyal, tightly wound, ambitious over-achievers.

I don't know honestly, it just makes me happy to think about them happy together. Put these two in some situations and let them kiss.

I adore drarry too of course, but harry and draco's animosity is often focused on draco confronting personal conflict/differences vs their ideological differences.

#dramione #fic thoughts #asked and answered #i just want all the traumatized bbs to have happy endings

[ibrithir-was-here]

Do Quincey's parents know that he's not quite human? Have they talked to him about it at all? (The Talk only instead of birds and bees it's bats)

@animate-mush

Oh my gosh "The Birds, the Bees and the Bats" talk xD That stupendous

Ok, so what I've basically thought is that they more or less try to give him a normal childhood as much as possible, with his and their own Peculiarities taken into account of course.

He picks up some things of course by himself along the way, from observing (hmm, not everyone else's mother's seem to be literally able to read their thoughts more or less, and other people's fathers aren't quite as strong or fast, nor do most people's eyes seem to glow at night) and from just little bits he overhears from the wider Crew of Light family

So he puts together that Something happened and made his parents That Way (both in supernaturalness and tone of Character) and that it had something to do with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Quincey's deaths.

And of course the book has been published in universe by the time he's a child. But pretty much anyone who hasn't had some sort of supernatural experience themselves is just going to look at "Quincey Harker" and think his parents were just fans of the book and shake off any strangeness as soem sort of trick of the light. Afterall, he's a perfectly nice, very polite young man. Nothing untoward about him or his family except maybe how openly affectionate his parents are towards eachother.

But since the book does exist, he ends up reading it by about the time he's 12-13, at a friends home, and after that, he stews for a good week turning things over in his mind before he comes to his parents with A Lot of Questions but also some answers to questions he'd had.

Jonathan and Mina had wanted to wait till he's reached his majority, but now yeah they have to sit him down and give him the Birds,Bees and Bats talk.

He overall takes it pretty well, after all he has the evidence of his own eyes to back things up. He does worry a little bit about his own Peculiarities as he seems to have more then his parents (no shadow, greater eyesight then either of them at night, ect) but they assure him he's perfectly fine and so so loved. And for a long while that's all he needs.

He volunteers for the War when it comes, thinking his abilites might even be an asset to help end what surely won't be anything more than a short adventure, he's protecting England just like his parents did!

Of course things turn out very differently, both for the world and for Quincey

He didn't know that battles could be like this, that people could do things like that to eachother, that he could do Things Like That to other people, and do it again and again whenever he feels backed into a corner, sure that this time Death is surely coming for him.

But he keeps surviving. The raging thing inside him keeps him sharper, faster , living.

And he starts to wonder, if maybe it would be better if he wasn't.

Maybe it would be better if one of those bullets hit, one of those shells made its mark, and he didnt just shake it off.

Because he knows now the thing that haunted his parents, and how much they hated it. And he loves his parents so much, and he knows they love him, they're the reason he keeps trying to survive to make it home.

But he doesn't know just what he'll be at this point if he makes it home, and he doesnt want to bring That back to the doorstep of the people he loves most...

#asks #quincey harker #quincey time travel au #dracula #jonmina #jonathan harker #mina harker #dracula daily #dhampirs #ww1 #tw sucidal ideation #the soldier and the solicitor

[eomma-jpeg]

trigun fic rec list - from lace!

alright, FINE, twist my arm

FIRST UP: @squid789 Blank Ticket - vashmeryl/milivio

so i have a personal fanfic like... catalog LOL and i make little notes as i read and here is the note i left on BT right after i finished it about a year ago

seriously sooooooooooooooo good. squid does an incredible job at post trimax work

blank ticket is so good if you like post trimax stuff (like I do >:)) and squid is so good at representing vash as he ought to be (a brat with a bad attitude and abandonment issues)

Sea Foam - vashmeryl/millywood

once again i have notes from my catalog LOL

PERFECT STUPENDOUS INCREDIBLE I LOVE SQUID AND THE DRAMA AND TRAUMA THEY GIVE ME

SF is a mermaid au and i adore ANYTHING THAT GIVES ME MERMAIDS. It is such an amazing exploration into so many characters, and especially knives WHOM I LOVE TO HATE IN THIS FIC. hes such a brat and yet is just a kid who never got to be a kid and i love him

After Eden - vashmeryl/milivio

I don't have this one in my catalog !!!!! a tragedy !!! (i stopped updating my catalog when i started writing what a shame T-T)

But i can chat about after eden bc i was there for its conception!!! and I beta for it teehee

but its an exploration of BT and i just

it hurts me

squid loves to hurt me

but it hurts so good T-T

if you love to see manga vash act like a spoiled brat and enjoy meryl whump, you will LOVE after eden

Not a Chance - vashmeryl

a lil fic written in the in the meadow universe and its by squid and i love squid and this is my favorite thing in the world

meryl contemplates why she had to fall in love with this doofus

Now, for just a HUGE line up of fics !! these will include my initial thoughts that i have saved in my catalog teehee:

vashmeryl

Truth of a Memory by @fullcry

Vash and Meryl experiment with Vash’s telepathy and memory sharing.

one of my favs just because meryl and vash are so sweet to each other T-T

The Art of the Date by fullcry

Meryl and Milly pity Vash for being a terrible flirt, and Vash dares Meryl to a date to teach him to do better. Vash does better than anticipated.

i go back and reread this one often lol

Memories on Film by fullcry

okay.... this one is spicy and I'm not a huge fan of explicit content....

BUT THE GROWTH AND THE SWEET TENDER MOMENTS AND VASH BEING OBVIOUS MAKES ME SWOON ITS SO GOOD

Other Ways to Speak by fullcry

Meryl kisses each and every one of Vash’s scars

inspired by this

OH BABY THIS ONE IS SO GOOD.

No Reason by @eilwen

this is more of a collection of one shots rather than a complete story, but it has some very cute chapters.

LITERALLY ONE OF THE BEST TRIGUN FANFIC AUTHORS OUT THERE !

Seriously one of the best fics. I'm still not completely caught up bc i have zero time, but its so incredibly written. i wanna be like eilwen when i grow up

Distractions by eilwen

eilwen at it again !!! their stuff is so good !!!!!!

this is an incredible exploration of meryl’s character and the growth of their relationship through the books she reads.

The End by @ginger-mosaic

Long fic. It is a vashmeryl fic but it is MORE of an exploration of Vash and Knives’ relationship after the events of the manga.

currently unfinished and I want to die because I need more. I love Livio

ITS ALMOST DONE AND AHHHHHHHHHH CHRONICAAAAAAAAA

seriously an INCREDIBLE FIC. it is a book that could be published at this point its so good. not incredibly vashmeryl heavy, but it is there and i adore it sm T-T

The thomas in the room by @anime-grimmy

Paired with a comic by the author, this takes place after the events of the movie Trigun: Badlands Rumble.

Meryl is acting weird and Vash is determined to figure out what he did to make her so angry at him.

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEYRE SO DUMB AND SO IN LOVE GRAHHHHH

Saving Grace by anonymous

TRIGUN SPOILERS - biblically accurate vash. big angel boy

Meryl gets injured and vash tries something new in order to help her

uhhhh if you like monsters and big angels and kisses then uhhhhh this is for you

Roots by @magadauthan

Meryl and Vash have a… whirlwind of a relationship. Vash notices something strange about his hair. Meryl makes him clean the bathroom.

soooooooo silly and domestic and dumb they heal each other its cute.

Interjacence by herdedcats (jaina <3)

Vash and Meryl can’t sleep and decide to make donuts in the middle of the night. Unfortunately that also leave a lot of time for evaluating feelings and confessing thoughts.

no comfort :(

this one is SO GOOD BY WHY DID IT HAVE TO HURT ME SO

Flying or Falling by @madnessmadness

MAXIMUM RIDE AND TRIGUN MIX AHHHHHHELFJFLEFJELKJFLEKJFLJE

my two niche interests slammed together and its so good aldkjfsljdflkj

Bluebells by @needle-noggins

once again, i don't like explicit content, but sav gets me HOOKED IN WITH THE COMFORT AND THE CHARACTER BUILDING AND THE WAY THESE TWO LOVE EACH OTHER SO DESPERATELY THEY WANT TO HELP EACH OTHER SO BAD

Like a Limb by @commander-goo

points aggressively

you like post trimax ? you like feathers and hurt/comfort ???

YOU LIKE THIS

READ THIS

Wait, he can do that? by anonymous

SOFT

FEATHERY AND SOFT AND GOOD

meryl gets a glimpse into vash's ..... dreams.... and gets a bit flustered

millywood

Absolution by SMP

companion piece to tension, describes the intimate moment between Milly and Wolfwood just after he kills Zazie and before [MAJOR TRIGUN SPOILER]

one of the best millywood pieces out there. seriously so good and so soft and has some of the best imagery

i can see a lot of life in you by procrastinatingbookworm

Milly and Wolfwood share clothes

some trigun spoilers because of Wolfwood’s guilt :/

VERY POETIC AND VERY GOOD

In Eden by MicrosuedeMouse

a 98 fic where wolfwood happens to be alive 1!!! and he’s scared to come forward and see milly………….

but then he sees her

millynai

Zirconium Blues by @madnessmadness

alt au where Nai is the hero and Vash is the villain……..

ITS SO INCREDIBLE AHHHHHHHH I LOVE THIS ONE ITS SO POETIC AND AWESOME AND I LOVE LENI THEY FRICKING CATER TO ME AHHHH

milly takes care of an injured nai and shes so country i love her so much

In the Moonlight by @veilder

THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR ME ITS IN THE MEADOW CONTENT T-T

I LOVE VEIL SO MUCH THEYFJEFLEJFLSJD THEY DID THIS FOR ME AHHHHHHH

How to say "You are the sun to my moon" in Flowers by FullmetalDude1

a cute fic inspired by in the meadow and its suuuper sweet

this is a flowershop au where knives is essentially domesticated by milly and i love them so much

Interested in the fics i didn't mention? here you go Lace's Fanfic Catalog

#trigun fic #trigunfanfictionweek #vashmeryl #millywood #millynai #millyons #trigun #just as i said #no vashwood lol #i literally dont read vashwood lskdjfdlfskd #i need to do one for myself #self advertising

[thedigitalvalkerie]

SONIC OC BARRAGE GO

Introducing a bunch of my sonic ocs that no one really asked for, but I felt like drawing!

The "Squad of the Future" redux because the squad got bigger

Each character and a little bit about themselve's under the readmore!

Angel Robotnik-Cemerald the Cat

The oldest of the squad, being a few hundred years old now, though she lost track a long time ago. She is a clone created by Eggman, using both His and Vick's Dna, made to be the perfect heir to share his eventual kingdom with. ... Well she got his smarts and his love for building, but thats about it. She has to keep her little half brother, Draco, out of trouble.

Draco Johnathan Cemerald-Robotnik the Hedgecat

The "brains" of the group, 12 year old Draco is the son of Vick Cemerald and Shadow Robotnik. He has a problem with his arrogance, but doesn't hesitate to put himself between his friends and danger. He's constantly bugging his big sisters, both his half sister Angel as well as his full sister Raven. Demetre is his very best friend.

Demetre the Porcupine

Demetre is Draco's keeper, aka the one to always humble the dumbest smart person he knows. With his ability to fire his quills at a rapid rate, he's more of a long range attacker. He enjoys science, like Draco, though isn't quite on his level.

Henry the Bearded Dragon

Henry is a quiet kind of guy, usually having his nose in a book or drawing sick comics. He's a tad self conscious about his looks, so he tries to look the part of "bad boy". But with his big heart and stupendous healing abilities, he's a great ally to have.

Kevin the Armadillo and Mesmer the Hedgehog

Kevin is the literal big brother of the group, with his little Sibling Mesmer always by his side. They may not be the strongest of the squad, but their experiences in life make them invaluable. Mesmer is always reminding everyone that theres time to smile, while Kevin reminds them of responsibility that they all share.

Lexis the Sloth

Lexis is the powerhouse, with an explosive power to gather potential energy and turn it into kinetic energy. To prevent herself from making a destructive mistake, Lexis prefers to spend her free time sleeping, either in a bed or where ever she can get cozy.

Prince Kappa of the Kingdom of Shells and Princess Marina of the Kingdom of Urchins

Prince Kappa and Princess Marina are two royals from the same continent, one madly in love with the other. I'll give you three guesses as to which is which. Marina's father, King Marin, wants the two to be wed in order to combine the two kingdoms. Kappa, however, as a single heir to a kingless kingdom, does not want this. He does not like Marina in that way and just wants to be friends who hang out.

Jaque the Hedgehog

The Dream Walker, Jaque has the ability to enter the astral plane in his sleep as well as the dreamscapes of others. He is incapable of having dreams of his own. Usually he's the therapist of the friend group, unable to help himself on coming upon nightmares when called out to.

Piper the Retriever

Although not the oldest, Piper has big Mom friend energy, scolding the more irresponsible of the group often. While having no powers to speak of, she has a great sense of leadership though claims that shes no leader. She loves to take care of her friends, especially when they forget to eat, sleep, or sometimes breathe.

Axel the Meerkat

The strongman, loving to casually show off his strength, Axel has, you guessed it, strength class abilities. He is a mute sort, never seeming to utter a word, though no one really knows why. His best friend Gou seems to understand him regardless.

Gou the Porcupine

Gou is a Speedster, only able to launch a single quill at a time but with great precision and speed. His best friend Axel tends to keep his class clown attitude in check, but with his big mouth its hard to get out of the tricky situations they get into. He uses a cyber sleeve on his right arm to gather intel, and to also sometimes watch videos on TuYube.

Dr. Nikolia Moore the Tigeress

Nikolia is the team's Medic, being the only one of them certified with a doctorate in medicine as well as nutritional health. Her deadpan face can be intimidating to most, but her heart is that of a mother. A mother who will rip off the head of something hurting an innocent, a friend, or worse, a child. She is a strong believer in Doctor/Patient Confidentiality, and would never out someone for anything with out asking if it was okay to speak on the matter. She and Angel are Colleagues.

And that's all for now! Thank you for reading thus far.

#sonic oc #sonic fc #ocs #Sonic the hedgehog #ownart #Draco the Hedgecat #Angel the cat #Demetre the Porcupine #Henry the bearded dragon #Kevin the armadillo #Mesmer the hedgehog #Lexis the sloth #Marina the turtle #Kappa the turtle #Jaque the hedgehog #Piper the Retriever #Axel the Meerkat #Gou the Porcupine #Nikolia the Tigress #Doctor Nikolia Moore the Tigress

[fleurfay]

Writeblr Intro (cuz i forgot about this)

AYUP everyone my name's Fleur, i'm a 19 years old woman, im cishet and painfully neurodivergent (AuDHD and MADD). Im also brazilian and christian so there's that! (Trilingual beast coming at ya!)

I've been a writer since who knows when, started to write fanfiction in the worst fandom i could've started (...the beatles), went to an amazing fandom -that turned out to not be that amazing but my writing and storytelling evolved exponentially so im grateful- to now being more focused in original works

I'm currently writing a book with my friend (@serenity-of-waffles)*, and i might probably work in scripts for comics, animations and maybe games????? Let's see-

yeah im an artist too hehehe

Genres i enjoy reading/writing: Fantasy, Scifi, Romance, Thriller/Suspense, Horror, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Here comes the lists of things i like to see in a book and that i tend to write it in my own stuff:

FOUND FAMILY!

A good well written romance sometimes doesn't kill ^.^ (im a cliché beast, careful)

Tragic Backstory? Sign me in

NEURODIVERSITY

Supernatural ocurrences and creatures. Analog Horror, Psychological Horror as well

Super heroes? Yes

Mythological metaphores

I write for both Youth and Adult (im a sucker for children's books they can get so dark suddenly and is amazing)

Mystery elements yesyesyes a good suspense

Deep relationships

Consequences. I love consequences.

Historical plots and period inspired fiction

Super powers, creatures, magic, a whole well made worldbuilding (Tolkien wannabe)

SOOOO what am i looking for??

FRIENDS! People to rant about my silly stories and worlds!

More writers to follow and engage and and- ykwim

Current WIPS? hmmmmm

• Eden Fables: The Inkweaver's Diary - (*NOT WRITING ALONE) So this one i won't give much detail, just know that me and my friends we're going absolutely insane over this book and the entire possible series and is our child, you're not fucking ready. The best fantasy book i ever written in my life TRUST ME. Blame Tolkien and C.S Lewis for inspiring us so much- (sorry for the vague synopsis muahahahah) A story of a boy displaced in time and space as he finds his heart and returns to his throne, finding a family along the way while dealing with the craziest adventures.

• Boreal City (future comic :O) - A retrofuturistic cyberpunk super-hero universe about many different points ot view and adventures that are actually connected (like the Marvel Comics universe or DC comics). Its being one of my favorites so far im having so much fun doing it hehe

Its very inspired by many superhero and retro-cyberpunk media, i cant count here how many hehe Synopsis (for at least one of the stories): From a family of superheroes, turned into a villain by his own demise, and disappearing for 5 years, GlitchWave makes his stupendous comeback in an unexpected redemption arc, and it all starts when he meets his brother again.....

• Gritia's Great Mystery - An amazing story about a corrupt kingdom trying to hide all evidence that god exists, aside from other...cruel crimes against certain groups of people. The aesthetic is a mix of enlightnment era, renassaice and victorian age, all together mixed with elements of thriller, romance, mystery and BIG drama. Maybe one of my most serious stories, since i wont hold back in the critics n shit

The Crown Family of Gritia, for centuries, tries to make the existence of the Mighty King, aka god, a tabboo, or even erase him from all existence, alongside his followers. Anything that goes astray the status quo is suscetible of punishment (or worse....)

That makes Spencer's life a bit complicated, even if he doesnt know abt the Mighty King's existence, he's part of a secret society...lets see where this goes right?

OOF DAMMT I SPOKE A LOT HUH SORRY IM A TALKER! Hope to find more writer friends along the way ^.^

#fleurfay speaks #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writeblr intro #female writers #artists on tumblr #adhd writer #madd writer

[hellsbellschime]

Yup. Daemon feels insecure around women who are powerful in their own right. Rhea was the lady of her house, he was her consort, and the way she sassed him in their one scene, it is evident she had a very domineering presence, so obviously he didn't like her Alicent was the queen whose bloodline gave Viserys five male heirs who come before Daemon in line for the throne, with Rhaenyra his solution was to groom her, but obviously he cannot do that to male heirs (even in the book its said he did not like Alicent and her sons while giving attention to Rhaenyra for solely this reason), and just in the previous episode, he tried to insult her which backfired stupendously with her not giving two fucks about he thought of her 'removing targaryen heritage'. He is ok and in love with Rhaenyra as long as she is in his control. This is the actual reason imo why his marriage with Rhaenyra broke down in the book, with her becoming the Queen she had the power over him now, reversing their 20 year old dynamic. He did not like this and continued his relationship with Mysaria, who as a whore would always be beneath him and give him an ego boast, then fucked off to groom another teenage girl he could control. This is why I often say the only woman with whom he could have led a normal family life (and did for some time) was Laena, he was the head in their relationship and she could never undermine him. I also don't think he ever cheated on her, he didn't feel insecure with her. Alas too bad for everyone she died too soon.

Yes exactly, like Rhea was objectively a 10/10 in addition to being a badass so it was obvious that he could not stand that Rhea emasculated him and didn't defer to him and that's why he killed her. What I think is disturbing but also true to life is that Daemon does genuinely love Rhaenyra, but he's an abuser and plenty of abusers actually love people they abuse and abuse them anyway.

#hotd spoilers for ts

[siena-sevenwits]

Jan 1 - Day #2 - A Fortnight of Books

I am loving these prompts!

Most surprising (in a good way) book of this year?

"A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen

I was shocked how glad I was that I read this, because I knew it mostly as an example Chesterton and similar authors of the rough time period used to discuss the controversial feminist ideas of the day. In other words, I knew it by reputation through the lens of "'A Doll's House' reflects everything wrong with how we think about women and marriage these days." This is not to say the historical context/critical reception at time of its release is not important - this play would fall flat without them. But taking the play on its own terms, here's what I say. Nora is 100% right about the problem she and Torvald face - even though they do their best to love each other and have been happy in the lesser idea of marriage society has shaped them to believe in, there is no respect or maturity in their marriage and it will ultimately fail. Nora has her eyes opened to the idea of what marriage should be - utter self gift of each to the other, striving and sacrificing always for trust and respect, together helping the other thrive in all that they are, as a team and in their own individuality and in their responsibility to their children and community. A marriage with no stupid delineation between love and respect, a marriage of equals. She has no words for it, but what she's talking about is a ToB marriage, in fact.

But she realizes that society has fed her and her husband extremely messed up ideas about what it means to been a good upperclass woman or man, and to have a good marriage, and that they're not equipped to embrace what a true marriage should be. So she walks out and leaves no contact information. I think she made the wrong choice. I think what we see in this play, as horrible as the situation is, is a Flannery O'Connor time moment of grace. The true ugliness of Nora and Torvald's relationship has been made clear, and the contrasting beautiful marriage they both desire has been made manifest. This is awesome! This is what a play SHOULD do! The solution it proposes leaves a lot to be desired, but I think that's only because neither Nora nor Ibsen knows how to solve the problem, and making a clean break is all that they can come up with. But it seems to me that in that moment of grace, Nora and Torvald should have determined to make one, last incredible try. Separation might have to be involved, for a time. Certainly extremely hard work and brutal honesty would have to be involved. And there's nothing to say they would be successful - but if they only gave it one chance now that they KNOW the truth that was hidden from them... And that's why I like this play. I disagree with how Ibsen wraps it up, but he was RIGHT to raise this issue to the light back in his day, and I think the conversations around it must have been stupendous. Where is that post about how all fiction has been touched by sin, and you can focus on that, but you can also find where it has been touched by truth? So I have a complex relationship with this play, but am very glad I read it. Oh, and Nora has such an amazing arc.

(Some of this may be off - it's been nearly a year since I read it and some bits are hazy.)

Most disappointing book/Book you wish you enjoyed more than you did?

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

I DNF'd this one. Ugh, I was so excited for the new Cosmere book - bought it the day it hit the shelves, and everything! But the good parts became overshadowed for me by all the immature body stuff and "sneaking peeks." I roll my eyes in this book's general direction. If you want to make a point about vulnerability, there are better ways to do it.

Sanderson, if Stormlight 5 isn't an awesome series finale to make up for this, you're the one who's getting magically turned into a coat rack.

#fortnight in books 2023 #coreander's old books #recovering reader

[asgoodeasgold]

If you 💜 Brideshead, check My Archive for more - I am blogging about the whole film.

I am starting a rewatch of the 2008 movie adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, a 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh. This is my most loved Matthew Goode film, based on one of my favourite novels, so it is very close to my heart.

I’ll be using the Director’s Cut bluray.

The collage above shows Charles Ryder's journey from young innocence to loss, love found and disillusion.

📷 My edit from Brideshead Revisited (2008)

The cast of Brideshead Revisited (2008) is magnificent and includes, in addition to Matthew Goode (Charles Ryder), Hayley Awell (Julia Flyte), Ben Wishaw (Sebastian Flyte), Emma Thompson (Lady Marchmain) and Michael Gambon (Lord Marchmain). Emma Thompson took the young actors, who really got on well together, under her wings.

📷 My edit from Brideshead Revisited 📀 bonus features

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder is a 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, his encounter with the aristocratic Flytes and their beautiful stately home Brideshead and his journey of discovery. It explores themes around nostalgia for the past and English nobility, happiness, love and loss and Catholic faith and guilt.

The novel (and film) start and end with older bittersweet Charles as an officer during the war billetted at Brideshead and reminiscing about the past.

📷 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brideshead_Revisited

Brideshead Revisited was turned into a stupendous 11-part mini-series in 1981 by Granada TV with Jeremey Irons and Anthony Andrews. It is an excellent adaptation which received critical acclaim. A high bar for the cast and crew of the 2008 movie who must have felt the weight of history on their shoulders.

Trailer:

https://youtu.be/_ZtPGYLEzpw

📷 My edit from Brideshead Revisited and IMDB

Brideshead Revisited was directed by Julian Jarrold and cinematography is by Jess Hall (both pictured with Matthew Goode). The screenplay is by Jeremy Brock and Andrew Davies. I think the film is a cinematographic gem and feast for the eyes. It’s a shame it got a lukewarm reception. I think the comparisons with an 11-part miniseries, which had the time to unfold the story, are unfair. The film had to condense quite a lot of the book and made some adaptive choices which may be seen as a departure from the novel but it remains, in my view, true to the spirit of the book and is a very good adaptation in its own right.

📷 My edit from Brideshead Revisited 📀 bonus features

The main locations for Brideshead Revisited are Oxford, Venice and Castle Howard, a stately home in Yorkshire. The miniseries used Castle Howard for Brideshead so the director Julian Jarrold hesitated about reusing it, wanting to forge his own path. But he decided to go for it in the end as it fits the descriptions in the book and the baroque architecture “instinctively evokes Catholicism”.

It is a stunning place and one understands why Charles Ryder fell under its spell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Howard

📷 My edit from Brideshead Revisited 📀 bonus features

The original score for Brideshead Revisited was written by Adrian Johnston and is one of my many favourite things about the film. It is beautiful and mirrors wonderfully all the emotions of hope, loss, heartbreak and nostalgia from the story.

Here are a few samples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjq62bxvWE8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chp7LszUYp8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2YXscQND64 

#matthew goode #brideshead revisited #charles ryder #hayley atwell #emma thompson #michael gambon #evelyn waugh #jeremy irons #anthony andrews #julian jarrold #castle howard #jess hall #adrian johnston #ben whishaw

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Letter and the Spirit

by J. Gresham Machen

"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." – 2 Corinthians 3:6

That sentence is perhaps the most frequently misused utterance in the whole Bible. It has indeed in this respect much competition: many phrases in the New Testament are being used today to mean almost their exact opposite…

The words: "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life," are constantly interpreted to mean that we are perfectly justified in taking the law of God with a grain of salt; they are held to indicate that Paul was no "literalist," but a "Liberal," who believed that the Old Testament was not true in detail and the Old Testament law was not valid in detail, but that all God requires is that we should extract the few great principles which the Bible teaches and not insist upon the rest. In short, the words are held to involve a contrast between the letter of the law and "the spirit of the law"; they are held to mean that literalism is deadly, while attention to great principles keeps a man intellectually and spiritually alive.

Thus has one of the greatest utterances in the New Testament been reduced to comparative triviality--a triviality with a kernel of truth in it, to be sure, but triviality all the same. The triviality, indeed, is merely relative; no doubt it is important to observe that attention to the general sense of a book or a law is far better than such a reading of details as that the context in which the details are found is ignored. But all that is quite foreign to the meaning of the Apostle in this passage, and is, though quite true and quite important in its place, trivial in comparison with the tremendous thing that Paul is here endeavoring to say.

What Paul is really doing here is not contrasting the letter of the law with the spirit of the law, but contrasting the law of God with the Spirit of God. When he says, "The letter killeth," he is making no contemptuous reference to a pedantic literalism which shrivels the soul; but he is setting forth the terrible majesty of God's law. The letter, the "thing written," in the law of God, says Paul, pronounces a dread sentence of death upon the transgressor; but the Holy Spirit of God, as distinguished from the law, gives life.

The law of God, Paul means, is, as law, external. It is God's holy will to which we must conform; but it contains in itself no promise of its fulfilment; it is one thing to have the law written, and quite another thing to have it obeyed. In fact, because of the sinfulness of our hearts, because of the power of the flesh, the recognition of God's law only makes sin take on the definite form of transgression; it only makes sin more exceeding sinful.

The law of God was written on tables of stone or on the rolls of the Old Testament books, but it was quite a different thing to get it written in the hearts and lives of the people. So it is today. The text is of very wide application. The law of God, however it comes to us, is "letter"; it is a "thing written," external to the hearts and lives of men. It is written in the Old Testament; it is written in the Sermon on the Mount; it is written in Jesus' stupendous command of love for God and one's neighbor; it is written in whatever way we become conscious of the commands of God. Let no one say that such an extension of the text involves that very anti-historical modernizing which we have just denounced; on the contrary it is amply justified by Paul himself. "When the Gentiles," Paul says, "which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves." The Old Testament law is just a clear, authentic presentation of a law of God under which all men stand.

There is no doubt about what he [Paul] means by "the Spirit." He does not mean the "spirit of the law" as contrasted with the letter; he certainly does not mean the lax interpretation of God's commands which is dictated by human lust or pride; he certainly does not mean the spirit of man. No real student of Paul, whatever be his own religious views, can doubt, I think, but that the Apostle means the Spirit of God. God's law brings death because of sin; but God's Spirit, applying to the soul the redemption offered by Christ, brings life. The thing that is written killeth; but the Holy Spirit, in the new birth, or, as Paul says, the new creation, giveth life.

The contrast runs all through the New Testament. Hopelessness under the law is described, for example, in the seventh chapter of Romans. "Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But this hopelessness is transcended by the gospel. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The law's just sentence of condemnation was borne for us by Christ who suffered in our stead; the handwriting of ordinances which was against us--the dreadful "letter"--was nailed to the cross, and we have a fresh start in the full favor of God. And in addition to this new and right relation to God, the Spirit of God also gives the sinner a new birth and makes him a new creature.

The New Testament from beginning to end deals gloriously with this work of grace. The giving of life of which Paul speaks in this text is the new birth, the new creation; it is Christ who liveth in us. Here is the fulfillment of the great prophecy of Jeremiah: "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord [Yahweh], I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." The law is no longer for the Christian a command which it is for him by his own strength to obey, but its requirements are fulfilled through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. This is the glorious freedom of the gospel. The gospel does not abrogate God's law, but it makes men love it with all their hearts.

How is it with us? The law of God stands over us; we have offended against it in thought, word and deed; its majestic "letter" pronounces a sentence of death against our sin. Shall we obtain a specious security by ignoring God's law, and by taking refuge in an easier law of our own devising? Or shall the Lord Jesus, as He is offered to us in the gospel, wipe out the sentence of condemnation that was against us, and shall the Holy Spirit write God's law in our heart, and make us doers of the law and not hearers only? So and only so will the great text be applied to us: "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."

[gideonthefirst]

9-12 🧙‍♂️(ignore my main blog)

hi :] huh why don’t i follow you on main. rectifying that once i post this

9. Did you get into any new genres?

Yes I’ve been reading a lot more nonfiction than I ever have outside of school! Especially #theory which was a New Year’s Resolution this year and I haven’t managed as much as I wanted to but did manage more than I expected.

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

Whoa I’m not sure that I read any 2023 releases??Lots of 2022s that I got to late. WAIT NO ACTUALLY! You know it you love* it it’s Where Are Your Boys Tonight? by Chris Payne. My only 2023 release and I honestly did really really like it which is nice. You’ve discussed some of its more obvious weaknesses I think but I was genuinely impressed with its ability to weave together such a huge collection of interviews and contributors into as cohesive a narrative as it managed. Also it was just a lot of fun to read.

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Vladimir Nabakov’s Lolita :) which is only getting this slot because Stephen Florida coming out in 2017 feels too relatively recent. But man I sure did read Lolita and it sure is a stupendous piece of work. Recommend to anyone who has the stomach for it 👍 Nabakov’s control of both language on a sentence-scale and the push and pull of narrative motion is like. It’s somehow so good that large parts of Lolita are actively fun to read despite the subject matter being unrelentingly miserable. I know I may be the first person to say this but maybe he’s a good writer? Kinda crazy to consider

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Many 👍 say one thing about me I will be disappointed by media. However since it’s the most recent I will say I just gave up on The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolf. Came highly recommended, has torture in the title, started off genuinely really strong with a lot of the stuff I like (weird narration stuff, discursively obscured torture, genre-uncertainty, torture was happening, compelling linguistic rhythm, a two-sentence torture scene ending in a suicide, etc, all the important things) but then as soon as women began to appear it became like genuinely intolerably misogynist literally JUST as it was getting really weird in a fun way. And my standards for fantasy misogyny are like rock bottom low I’ll truly put up with anything but it was so bad and it was actively slowing down and derailing the story and making it so so boring for long stretches and kept getting worse with every new woman and there wasn’t even any torture happening anymore so I gave up. SAD!

#asks #ask memes #nightwashh #tyyyyy

[muzaktomyears]

Cake with Elton, coke with Marianne — my life as a rock biographer

As his latest book about George Harrison is published, Philip Norman reminisces on his run-ins with Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones

George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle is my tenth and probably last biography of a big rock name. In the gaps between its predecessors I’ve written novels, short stories, feature films, plays, much journalism and three musicals, two of which were produced. Yet there’s been no escape from the typecasting that followed my Shout! The True Story of the Beatles in 1981.

Admittedly, if I’d pursued a career in fiction as I originally intended (after being among Granta’s first 20 Best of Young British Novelists in 1983), I could never have found a comparable readership. Shout! is estimated to have sold about a million copies; the other titles have appeared in America, most of the EU countries, Russia, China, India, Australasia, Japan, South Korea, Macedonia, Mexico and Brazil. Fantasising about this hugely diverse audience, I picture Himalayan yak-herders debating Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts’s rival merits as drummers, and remote Amazonian tribes gripped by the subtext of marital infidelity to John Lennon’s Norwegian Wood.

At parties I’ve come to dread being outed as the Beatles’ biographer. Such is the band’s eternal fascination that I’ll have people waiting in line to rehash the Hamburg strip club days or recall exactly what they were doing when they heard of Lennon’s assassination. I could never totally dislike our former chancellor, George Osborne, having once spent an hour discussing the Revolver album with him in that high Tory sanctum the Carlton Club, where even the portraits of Churchill and Macmillan seemed to be raptly eavesdropping.

Nonetheless, I’m aware of being thought not quite respectable by the literary establishment. When biographers congregate, it’s far more impressive to be able to say “I’m doing Augustus John” than “I’m doing Elton John”. I can hardly complain since no one could think less than I do of “rock writing”. Frank Zappa defined music journalists as “people who can’t write preparing articles about people who can’t think for people who can’t read”; indeed, the subject brings out a latent prattishness even in authors of the calibre of Salman Rushdie and Martin Amis.

Albert Goldman’s infamous biographies of Lennon and Elvis Presley, for me, remain exemplars of how not to do it, with their vestigial research and ludicrous fabrications but, above all, their snobbish contempt for their subjects. To write an 800-page book about somebody one despises is a sublimely pointless exercise. Yes, rock stars can be monsters on a par with the nastier Roman emperors. But, while taking all that into account (and blessing heaven for the high comedy it provides), you have to love your monster.

I’ve bent this rule somewhat with Harrison who, although capable of great generosity and even nobility (witness his historic charity concert for Bangladesh), was often far from loveable and had always seemed to me a miserable character who showed little gratitude for his stupendous good fortune. In 1965, when I interviewed the other three Beatles during their last British tour, Harrison’s gaunt, unhappy face floated in the background as he watched The Avengers on television. In 1969, when I went on the road with his best friend, Eric Clapton, that same gaunt, unhappy face joined Clapton on stage, decorated now by a hippy beard and a black Stetson.

Retracing his tragically foreshortened life showed me how much he had to look miserable about, the guitarist eclipsed by the creative dynamo of Lennon and McCartney for years before proving himself their songwriting equal with Here Comes the Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, My Sweet Lord and Something, acknowledged to be one of the 20th century’s greatest love songs. His final chapters of illness and financial catastrophe — cruelly topped off by almost becoming the second Beatle to be murdered — moved me as much as anything I’ve written.

Few of my biographies have received any meaningful help from the various icons’ PR people. Until I found my brilliant research associate, Peter Trollope, I had to trace every potential source by myself. Having Shout! behind me was a useful calling card; when I did the Rolling Stones, it opened the door to Mick Jagger’s ex-partner, Marianne Faithfull, with whom politeness dictated that I took my first (and only) snort of cocaine.

My most bizarre pursuit was of Elton John’s former fiancée, Linda Woodrow, reputed heiress to the Epicure pickled onion fortune. Already suspecting he was gay, Elton had been so terrified of matrimony that he’d attempted suicide. As recounted in his song Someone Saved My Life Tonight, his lyricist Bernie Taupin came to his rescue, albeit was not entirely convinced the attempt had been for real.

I finally tracked Woodrow’s father, Al, to Davenports magic shop in the arcade under Charing Cross station, where he worked part-time. He wasn’t expecting me and, before introducing myself, I had to wait while he sold a magic trick. What I didn’t realise was that selling a magic trick can take for ever, first the salesperson demonstrating it, then the customer repeatedly trying it out. Which explains why I know so well how to make a ping-pong ball seem to vanish from under an inverted cup.

My longest pursuit was of Buddy Holly’s “widowed bride”, Maria Elena Holly, that poignant presence in Don McLean’s song American Pie, which was inspired by Holly’s death in a plane crash aged only 22. It took me a year just to get her on the phone in Dallas, and then her opening line was “all writers are scumbags”. Eventually she was persuaded that I might not be a scumbag and agreed to see me on condition that it was at her lawyer’s office and I paid for the lawyer’s time. American Pie had suggested a delicate Dresden figurine but she was dressed all in black with a floppy beret like a French fascist policeman in the Second World War. However, rather than an interview in front of her lawyer as the dollars racked up, she suggested the two of us just went off to lunch.

Of all my biographies only one came close to being authorised in the conventional way, when subject tells all to writer and vets the material before publication. But others have been endorsed retroactively or approved by the back door.

Five months after Lennon’s death, while I was in New York publicising Shout!, Yoko Ono saw me on breakfast television and phoned me at the ABC studios. “What you just said about John was very nice,” she said. “Maybe you’d like to come over and see where we were living.” That afternoon, I was inside the Dakota Building, looking around their vast white seventh-floor apartment which was just as Lennon had left it, his guitar still hanging on the wall above his bedhead. One small, twilit room contained every piece of clothing he’d ever worn back to his Beatle days, all on revolving racks like some ghostly boutique.

When I was researching my Elton John book, its subject was undergoing multiple detoxifications, so was inaccessible to any interviewer. But just after its publication, my telephone rang and a familiar voice said, “This is Elton.” I only wish I’d had the balls to ask, “Elton who?” He said the biography was “pretty accurate”, invited me to tea the next day and, over Earl Grey and chocolate cake, virtually dictated a postscript chapter about his rehab.

The most surprising case was that of Paul McCartney, whom I admit to having grossly misjudged in Shout! and who’d since referred to it as “shite”. When I let him know as a courtesy that I was embarking on a biography of Lennon, I expected no response. But one day my telephone rang and a voice said, “Ullo, it’s Paul here.” I wish I’d had the balls to ask, “Paul who?” We talked for about 40 minutes, I not like a writer — because I expected nothing from him — but simply as one bloke to another. The upshot was that he let me interview him for the Lennon book by email. Six years later when I proposed a companion volume about him, he came back personally with his “tacit approval” within two weeks.

On the Lennon biography I found myself de-authorised by rock’s other famous widow. For three years, I’d had Ono’s total co-operation: not only 14 hours of interviews with her — when she even told me what she and Lennon used to do in bed — but conversations with their son, Sean, and her daughter from a previous marriage, Kyoko. The sole proviso was that she’d read my manuscript and, if she liked it, would contribute a foreword (to which my publishers weren’t exactly looking forward).

The final bit of access I hoped for was to read Lennon’s diary, kept locked away in the vaults of the Dakota Building, which seemed guaranteed by Ono’s friendly invitation to drop by for “a cup of tea”. As I walked across Central Park to the Dakota, a thought suddenly popped into my head: “Suppose she’s waiting for me with a lawyer?” In fact, she was waiting with two lawyers. After reading my manuscript, she’d decided the book was “mean to John” and was withdrawing her quotes, as well as those of Sean and Kyoko. For two highly unpleasant hours, she and the lawyers tried to persuade me to hand over the interview tapes. Also present was an unidentified women whose role was unclear until Ono shouted, “How could you say that John masturbated?” (which she herself told me with a smile during our interviews). At this, the mystery woman went “Ugh!” and gave a theatrical shudder, and I realised she was Ono’s personal shudderer.

Our one-page agreement gave Ono no prerogative to withdraw her quotes and the tapes belonged to me, not her. Even so, during the long run-up to publication, I checked my email every day, braced for a legal onslaught from her. But it never came.

My books have received some good reviews, some justifiably critical ones and some verging on the psychotic. I’ve noticed that the lighter and sweeter the music, the more grimly obsessive are its hardcore fans. While promoting the Buddy Holly biography, I realised I was being stalked by a member of Holly’s British “appreciation society”, who’d somehow procured a list of my radio interviews and was appearing on each show ahead of me, warning its listeners not to believe a word I said.

Retribution of a less sinister nature came on the first occasion I used that earlier quip about Elton John being a less portentous biographical subject than Augustus John. It was when I spoke at the Porlock Literary Festival, one of whose supporters, the novelist Margaret Drabble, sat in the front row with her husband, Michael Holroyd.

That’s right, the biographer of Augustus John. Now what were the odds?

(source)

#philip norman is shit etc BUT that bit about yoko is hilarious #'how could you say that john masturbated?!' #john lennon: one of the great masturbators of the 20th century tbh #anyway i'm still undecided about the george biog based on this..... we'll see but i am generally suspicious #philip norman #'i met george harrison 58 years ago and he ignored me' boo hoo

[paragonrobits]

usually a visual artist disliking comic books in general is someting that immediately makes me go to instant dismissal of whatever they have to say but I give Bill Watterson a hesitant pass on this, not specifically because of his artistic contributions, but because everything I've seen him speak directly about it (which isn't much), seems to be a damning criticism of the Dark Age of comics specifically; Calvin And Hobbes was written during the expanse of murderous and callous antiheroes dominating the genre (and to this day there is still a petulant persistence in people claiming that Real Mature Art is only about those sort of characters), and while Watterson remarked that 'comics are stupid', he prefaced this statement about what was very clearly the hallmarks of the Dark Age of comics; murderous heroes, gratuitous violence, blood and gore, ect.

this is about the only thing I've seen him speak directly about it. one sunday panel shows Calvin getting deeply disturbed and overwhelmed by the graphic violence (in a very well executed imitation of the Liefeldian style) and turning on cartoons, only for his mom to complain about the violence on TV

in comparison, Calvin's Stupendous Man fantasy seems much more based on the likes of Superman and potentially Captain Marvel/Shazam; if its parody born from dislike, its not actually much different from the vast majority of the sorts of things Calvin fantasizes about, and I don't believe I've seen Watterson speak critically about, say, the noir or Flash Gordon-era of sci fi genres. it feels like mildly snarky parody at the worst

the likes of Sandman and Swamp Thing WERE written at roughly the same time as Calvin And Hobbes' publication, but i'm not sure if they would have been on Watterson's radar; truth be told I'd LOVE to hear his opinion on them to see his thoughts and perhaps clarify the matter; if he has a broader dislike of comics, it wouldn't much help that the likes of Warren Ellis, Frank Millar, Rob Liefeld and their edgelord ilk dominated the genre and unfortunately still do. Which is a shame; the likes of Chris Claremont's almost soap opera storylines, Gaiman's stellar work on Sandman and pretty much everything ever done by Grant Morrison all deserve significantly greater attention than those edgelords.

(given how Tawky Tawny the talking tiger was at one point reimagined as something similar to Hobbes in the late 90s, there's a fun back and forth element there of adaptations, but I digress)

#queued

[l0ves1ckf0ol]

LATE NIGHT. . . . XOWAN

note: this kinda sucked and honestly i just admire this crackship

tags:

rowan was never the type to stay up late, unless under necessary circumstances. it was exams week, nevermore was just like every other normie school he attended, sure it was full of blood suckers or psychics but it definitely didn't make a change of how he felt. he was known for being a total loser with 0 social skills, the person who can raise him above the bar a bit was the fact that he is xavier's roommate and that they were friends. rowan crept up quietly to the dorms, carefully not to drop any of his books or a strayed out pen from his sling bag.

he then gets inside theirs, dropping his bag and his books at the desk at his side of the room. xavier was awake, sketching away in his sketchpad. rowan would often wake up to that, just him and his stupid sketchpad. when he first was informed he was his roommate, rowan was a bit scared if he even wanted to actually talk to him because of that hobby. it ended in a situation where xavier had found himself talking with him at his first night in nevermore, to rowan who was fighting his own eyelids to stay up. at that night he seemed to have seen another side of the tortured artist. ever since that night there have been instances where both friends would share their troubles with each other, a heart to heart. rowan felt pity at first then it stupendously grew.

it grew to an unfathomable adoration of his dirty blonde hair and his tall lanky figure. his skillfull hands always wrapped around a paintbrush or a pencil of some sort. he hated the way he looked, such a way that made him want to feel the most unideal emotion ever: infatuation.

little does he know whenever he would quit eyeing him in botany class, xavier would sneak glances towards him.

rowan went into the bathroom with a set of his clothes and changed, he went back out, took off his glasses and set his inhaler on his bedside table to finally throw himself on the bed. thinking he could sleep for the rest of the night and get at least 7 hours of sleep.

"rowan?" he didn't dare move, pretending to be falling asleep. the sound of graphite gliding on paper stopped. he hears shuffling on the bed and then light footsteps, xavier sat on his bed. he gave up.

"mmm?"

"can we talk?" xavier asked him. rowan propped himself up with his elbows to meet with his sea green eyes. "about what?" he asked. "i know this'll be a weird ass question you know, since i'm asking it to a dude and not like -"

"just- just say it." rowan rolls his eyes as xavier spares him his rant and sent him a smile. "would it be weird if... if i had feelings for another guy?"

for a moment, for a moment he thought that he had a chance.

"no its completely normal." he blurts out. xavier raised an eyebrow at him, "do you like guys too?" he questions. rowan blinked twice and sighed, "for the most part yeah." he told him. xavier nodded understandingly. "how did you, y'know, like who like..." he was trying to find the right word, rowan steps in "triggered it?" he guessed in a soft whisper. xavier nodded, "someone that i thought who was anti social." he said, with that statement it could've been anyone. "anywayy-"

rowan grinned at him, "sooo who's the lucky guy?" xavier rolled his eyes "like i'm gonna tell you." he jabs his pointer finger on rowan's chest once and giggled. "what? scared that i'll get him first?" rowan joked. xavier laughs, "in all honesty though, how can you tell if like you actually like the guy or like is it just a handful of platonic feelings in one." he asked.

rowan hums, "let's see you talking about him."

"what?"

"come on now, talk about him, his eyes or whatever features you really love about him."

xavier pursed his lips for a moment and folds his arms, "this is just your way of making me describe who he is." rowan laughed, he laughs along. "oh well, i guess we'll never know how you really feel about him."

the taller boy's smile fades away slowly, his eyebrows knitting together in thought. "well he's a bit stupid and dorky." xavier muttered, sighing afterwards. "we've been friends for a long time, he and i are polar opposites. he may seem dorky but in all honesty he's clever and smarter than the people in this dump." he chuckles, rowan had a feeling it might be ajax or one of the nightshade members. he remained silent, listening intently for what he had to say. xavier took this as a sign to continue.

"well you know it would be unfair if i just sit here and talk about my crush when clearly, i think you need someone to talk to about yours." xavier pointed out. rowan widened his eyes, "you don't want me doing that-"

"but i do." he interrupts him. xavier's green eyes boring right through rowan's doe ones. a genuine moment where rowan wanted to kill himself for even liking this boy. xavier could ask him to do anything with those eyes, tension was thick to the point that his cheeks had a crimson glow. rowan was the first to look away. "fine."

"we'll take turns to make this interesting alright?" rowan nods in agreement. "so we alternately talk about what we like in each other's crushes then we get to have one guess at the end of it. we're not allowed to guess who it is in between telling each other." xavier instructs with a mischievous glint in his eye and a grin on his face. rowan sits up this time.

"you first."

rowan swallows a hard lump in his throat, if he ended up guessing it was him he'd have no problem in denying it. "he's popular." he decides to start slow, which makes xavier raise an eyebrow at him. "he seems to be the laughingstock of the school." rules are being followed so far, rowan didn't want to assume "he's caring and really really talented." xavier blinks, having a bit of a suspicion.

"he has the most adorable eyes."

"he likes to be alone despite being popular."

"he doesn't like to have fun."

"he loves art."

there was silence in the conversation, the more they each shared to each other bits of information of who they liked, both had had small clicks in their heads- a wake up call if you will. this makes rowan nervous because xavier does not mutter a word after what he had shared. rowan gulped, "a-are you done?"

"he's short." rowan chuckles at him, xavier frowns "what?" he asks "nothing."

"he has nice hands."

"he has well kept hair."

"he cares about his hair too much."

"i love his eyes, he wears glasses."

"you just said that- i like how nonchalant he is."

"yeah but they need to hear it more."

"do they?"

"mmmm yeah."

for the next 4 seconds utter silence enters the room, the both of them just staring at each other. xavier groans burying his face in his hands in frustration. "can't play the game anymoreee!" he mumbles, which came out a bit muffled. rowan laughs nervously "what do you mean?" xavier huffs taking rowan's hands, and grasping onto them tightly. "we tell each other who it is right now, on 5."

"what-?" he starts counting from 5 and rowan panics. was he gonna say it, he has to say it, he can't lie! whatever name was about to spit out of xavier's mouth in 5 seconds he'd just have to deal with it.

"you."

it wasn't a name. they both looked up at each other, completely in shock as they stared into each other's eyes once again. rowan couldn't take it anymore, he stands up from his bed and went on his way to leave the dorm "rowan- wait! stop." xavier stammers as he struggles to stand up from the bed and chase rowan right before he could open the door to go out. "you like me?" xavier asked him rowan had his back against the door his hand on the doorknob, ready to swing it open to just escape this situation. xavier's hand caressed his cheek, rowan was surprised he didn't trigger an asthma attack out of him. "yeah." rowan sighs out. next thing he knew, a moment he never knew would ever come, his lips on his as he caressed his cheek, he felt butterflies in his stomach and it was a desire fulfilled indeed.

#xowan #xu's fics #wednesday addams netflix #xavier thorpe fanfic #rowan laslow netflix #rowan laslow #xavier thorpe #mlm #xowan fanfic #xavier x rowan

[mickmundy]

thinking about speavy and medsnip double date ideas i posted on twt forever ago and then realized i never posted it on here so let's discuss...

spy and heavy will come and sit with sniper and medic on the couch who are reading Quietly/cuddling and spy will be like "do you mind if i turn the television on? :)" and heavy gives spy a look that's like Spy Don't Start. Do Not and spy waves a hand dismissively like 😇

and sniper doesn't look up from the book he's reading over medic's shoulder (resting his chin on medic's shoulder with his arms around medic's waist) and medic's like "ja, do whatever you want" and spy smirks and looks at heavy like 😇 and heavy gives him a Wary Look like 🤨…

spy turns on like.. antique roadshow bc he Knows they will rile up sniper and medic because it Always Does. Always Without Fail and spy's like humming to himself Giddily as he turns it up and leans against heavy and Waits for the Real Show to start and if sniper and medic don't look up right away spy will have to like. Goad them and be like "hmm... someone found a [old painting, pottery, etc] in the garbage.. i bet it's real." 

so sniper will look up and look at the tv and medic will adjust his glasses and be like "well, there is so much art out there, i imagine one wouldn't be able to tell without chemical testing of the artifact itself." and spy hums and heavy Nudges spy like Stop Kicking the Hornet's Nest and spy bats his eyes at heavy and waits a few mins and is like "oh! would you look at that. it's real." and medic's head Whips to look at the tv and he's like "THATS IT?! where is the Process? the Examination? Absolutely ridiculous, you can't just-!" 

spy's grin is Growing More and More and medic snaps the book shut and sniper glares at spy (“i was reading that! and you’re interrupting our time together!”) and spy smirks because now they’re Sucked In….

they have a Game where they place bets on whats real or fake (or country/region of origin, date of creation etc) but medic and sniper get Really Intense over it and heavy's like “😅 ah.. is a just show, heh.." trying to calm them down and spy is Relishing in the chaos and sniper's like "THIS has to be real. those artifacts have telltale markings and were discovered in [ideal location for excavation]!! i've BEEN there!!" and its fake and sniper's like AAGUUHHH and spy is like. shaking with laughter he's trying Desperately to hold in. 

medic will be like "no, This Piece is fake. there is simply No Way that this lamp is tiffany! there isn't!" and then spy's face Lights Up when the little old lady on the tv is like "hurrah! why, it Is In Fact vintage tiffany glass. wow, a stupendous find!" and there's Applause and medic flings the book he and sniper were reading at the television 

and at this point spy is like. leaning behind heavy and Snorting Softly against heavy's back because he just Can't help himself.......... he loves the chaos. medic cursing and saying Ridiculously Foul Obscenities in german and sniper firing off derogatory australian slang at the tv and squeezing his arms around medic's belly in Anticipation of whether something is real or fake... and medic patting/gently whacking sniper's forearm/shoulder like "ja, this one i will be right on. i know it!!" etc (they're a v touchy feely couple) and heavy's like "can't we just.. spend time together in peace? 😅” 

so spy is like "fine! i'll turn it off then! 😇“ and medic and sniper Death Glare him and are like "NO!! KEEP IT ON GOD DAMMIT WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS" and sniper’s shaking his head and Muttering to himself against medic's hair and medic is Squeezing sniper's hands Tightly in anticipation and leaning forward and heavy Sighs and gives spy a Look and spy's like “👉😇👉 you heard them! they want to keep watching!" and heavy rolls his eyes and sighs... SKDFKSFK

#its never not on my mind. Never #medsnip #speavy #dutchiehcs #dutchfoolery #as usual ignore shitty formatting this was pasted from my twt lol #needed to post this first becuase i have a curiousecatt that references this so Nya