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violetduchess · 1 year

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Mermaid Headcanons

Summary: General Headcanons of obey me! Characters as mermaids.

Note: Surprise it's Mermay. Enjoy this piece of fiction free of charge. Also feel free to just pop on by my inbox, I don't bite.🙃

In this AU, the characters from Obey Me! are mermaids who live in the vast underwater kingdom of the Reefdom. Each character has their own unique set of traits and abilities that make them well-suited to life in the ocean depths.

1. Diavolo - As the prince of the Devildom, Diavolo is the most powerful mermaid in the kingdom. He has the ability to control the tides and summon powerful storms, making him a force to be reckoned with. Despite his immense power, Diavolo is kind and gentle to those around him, and always puts the needs of his subjects first.

2. Barbatos - As a mer who specializes in divination and prophecy, Barbatos is known throughout the Devildom for his ability to see the future. He can predict upcoming events with incredible accuracy, and is often sought out for advice and guidance by his fellow mermaids. Despite his intense focus on his craft, Barbatos is also a talented musician, and often plays haunting melodies on his harp.

3. Lucifer - As the eldest brother of the demon brothers, Lucifer is a stern and disciplined mermaid who commands respect from all who know him. He is a skilled warrior and strategist, and is always ready to defend his kingdom against any threats. Despite his tough exterior, Lucifer is fiercely protective of those he cares about, and will do anything to keep them safe.

4. Mammon - As the mermaid who oversees the kingdom's treasures, Mammon is an expert in all things valuable and precious. He has an uncanny ability to locate hidden treasures and rare artifacts, and is often called upon to appraise items of great worth. Mammon is also a talented trader and negotiator, and can haggle with the best of them.

5. Leviathan - As the mermaid who oversees the kingdom's technology, Leviathan is a genius inventor who is always creating new gadgets and devices. He has a particular interest in video games and anime, and often incorporates elements from them into his inventions. Despite his love of technology, Leviathan is also a talented artist and writer, and spends much of his free time creating fanfiction and fanart.

6. Satan - As the mermaid who oversees the kingdom's library, Satan is a master of knowledge and learning. He is an expert in all areas of scholarship, and is always happy to share his vast knowledge with those who seek it. Satan is also a skilled storyteller, and often regales his fellow mermaids with tales from ancient history and folklore.

7. Asmodeus - As the mermaid who oversees the kingdom's beauty and fashion, Asmodeus is a glamorous and stylish mermaid who always looks his best. He has an eye for fashion and design, and is always up-to-date on the latest trends. Asmodeus is also a gifted dancer and performer, and often puts on shows for his fellow mermaids.

8. Beelzebub - As the mermaid who oversees the kingdom's food supply, Beelzebub is a talented chef who can whip up a delicious meal from even the most basic ingredients. He is always experimenting with new recipes and flavors, and is constantly in search of the perfect dish. Beelzebub is also a skilled fisherman, and often goes out to sea to catch fresh fish for his meals.

9. Belphegor - As the youngest brother of the demon brothers, Belphegor is a laid-back and easygoing mermaid who loves nothing more than sleeping. He can often be found napping in his cozy bed of seaweed, and is always up for a good nap. Despite his lazy tendencies, Belphegor is also a skilled healer, and can use magic to help those in need.

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fanfictiongreenirises · 14 days

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What are some themes in Jiang Cheng fan works that you especially enjoy?

I’m super sorry for how long it’s taken me to reply to you but you caught me during Eid week which was insanely chaotic 🤣 this got kinda long so i'm popping it under the cut :D

Violent and self sacrificial love: you cannot have JC without his all encompassing love, and it’s one of the things that makes him such an interesting character. There are few things that make JC act irrationally, and his loved ones are a very major one!! It’s such a fun thing to play with - I love characters that love with their whole self and stories that focus on the consequences of that!!!

Responsibility, duty, tradition: okay this is like many different things rolled into one rather niche dot point so bear with me. I LOVE that JC is a character who takes his responsibilities seriously!! He is dutiful and he does his best to put the sect before all else, and you have no idea how hard it is to find that in fantasy that I’m used to (Western YA and NA fantasy lmao). I really love fics that have that theme of sacrificing for duty and eventually reaping the benefits of that (the sect being so loyal to JC in return, the sect flourishing, the love that JL has for JC), but also fics that look at JC upholding YMJ traditions when he’s one of the few who remember them, or having to adjust traditions/make new ones because of that reason. And as I’m typing this out I’m realising there’s… probably a reason… for me enjoying seeing cultural traditions needing to be adjusted because you don’t have much family or the same resources around and things are very different from how your parents would’ve celebrated those same traditions, and needing to make those who are around your family now… Anyway, it’s just insanely cathartic to see certain cultural values and themes across so many fanworks. I've thought about this particular element to the point where I realised the other month that there’s a whole world outside of Western fantasy novels that likely do have these themes that are so fucking hard to find in Western novels, so I’m trying out other Chinese novels, i dipped into Japanese books, and I got my cousin to recommend me Bangla fantasy novels because I realised I’ve never considered how fantasy themes would be in my own culture 😔✊ (it's funny timing bc my dad arrived literally a couple hrs ago with the books, and my reading ability is decent for someone who's never needed to read Bangla but I'm gonna have to sit down with either google translate or a dictionary bc I'm so used to my parents translating harder words or getting us to read books for younger kids,, i'm like which words here are made-up fantasy words and which are real 💀😭)

Grief: grief has quite literally shaped this guy, and it’s so cool to see different fics have different takes on how it’s affected him as a person. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a fandom where grief has been such a huge theme and it’s very fun to see the fandom leaning into it. (I also need to given honorary shoutouts to disillusionment, guilt, loneliness, and repression!! I think a lot of these are especially interesting in combo with how much JC values responsibility and duty, and fics that study them are so chefs kiss.)

Turning Into His Mother: I’m so obsessed with this theme. I think it’s mostly because YZY is so mum coded for me and there are aspects of my own mother that I see in her so strongly that any time fic gives her and JC’s relationship the depth it deserves, I’m standing there chomping on wood. I especially love it when JC’s journey has elements of “I can’t be like my mother bc everyone says that’s bad” -> “I should act like my father, because he’s the only example I have of a sect leader” -> “am I difficult to love like my mother was?” -> “the best way to protect those I love is through the things my mother taught me” -> “the only parent whose love I genuinely felt was my mother’s so when I’m displaying love to a child, I should use the most successful method I know” -> “I am like my mother; maybe that’s a good thing”. It’s rare that I get to sink my teeth into a character who had such a complex relationship with his mother, so any fics with this theme automatically make me go insane. (Something here as well about JC written in fics as a woman scorned, JC with ruined woman vibes who’d been promised by WWX that he’d always be by his side and now isn’t and without any good reason that JC is aware of, something about fics that project feminine rage onto him in a way that feels freeing and safe because he’s a male character so it’s like you can almost examine it without having to examine sexism and gender roles…)

Aroace and queer themes: aro!JC!! ace!JC!! Never before have I been into a character I can project onto so fully, but also see other people projecting onto?? This fandom has so many gorgeous aroace!JC fanworks, and we get so much variety from ppls experiences!! there’s something extremely fulfilling about fics with a main character who doesn’t feel conventional romantic/sexual love, and is still very successful and has a full life with loved ones and is satisfied with life. There's also this tiny niche of fics involving JC in queerplatonic relationships, and any time I read those I would literally have to lie there for an hour contemplating my life. I think the other fun thing about this is that there's a pretty big chunk of the fandom that characterises JC as the kind of acesexual who thinks all his allo friends are absolute weirdos for how they're behaving, and it's such a funny and refreshing (and extremely relatable) take.

Whump: last but definitely not least, JC being whumped within an inch of his life 😌 I love this fandom deciding that the most efficient way to get JC to show emotions is to shove some knives in him and get him all bloodied up. The one gore/torture fic that genuinely icked me out to the point where I had to stop reading for a moment was a delightful post canon JC fic that I revisit every few months because it just scratches that whump itch so well 👏

I’m sure the moment I post this I’ll be hit by like fifty other things I forgot to put in here, but for now I’m blanking. thank youu for giving me an excuse to think about JC 🫶🫶🫶

#asks #you know that post that's like 'my mutuals would be able to diagnose me based on my blorbos'? yea something about finding the themes i enjo #in JC fics. and realising how similar a lot of them are with blorbos i gravitate towards in other media. hrm

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pagingdoctorbedlam · 11 months

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I’ve written a few fics about Czerny now, and at least one specifically around the idea of him being autistic. I received a lovely comment where a reader was interested in the idea and was curious about textual evidence, and seeing as others have written in-depth posts about autism headcanons...well, I decided to do the same, and to post it here instead of in a long rambly comment-response!

So without further ado...some headcanons on Czerny, how he could be read as autistic, and how this influences his character, under the readmore. Light spoilers for Lingering Echoes, Ebenholz’s operator record, and Czerny’s trust files are included for those who haven’t read. (And for those who don’t want to read: enjoy this art from his creator!)

I didn’t set out to headcanon Czerny as autistic when I first read him, I swear. However, as I read through his dialogue and operator files, as well as overanalyzing some of his design choices, I realized that an argument could at least be made for him having a Sensory Processing Disorder (something that runs in my own German/Swiss-Austrian family). Thus, let's start with some of those points:

Stimming. He outright states this one in a trust dialogue: "My hair, well...I often unconsciously grab at it while composing, if that explains its current unruliness".

Speaking of hair: in both his official art and all the art by his creator, he always has his hair braided directly above his ears. The outfit, collar, and even his eyewear changes, but that element of his hair remains. Wouldn't it make sense if he's overly sensitive to his ears being touched by stray hairs, so he takes extra pain to maintain those braids?

Issues with food. There are repeated comments about Czerny not eating when he's in the throes of composing, which at first glance I took for hyperfocusing on his work. He's also the most wary of Hibiscus's cooking in Lingering Echoes, which is clearly meant to be played for laughs regarding her cooking. However, I also read it as someone who's used to having his food a very particular way, and when the food is changed up or replaced entirely, adapting to new textures and flavors can be difficult.

It makes sense that Czerny would take special care of his hands, and this comes up in a lot of dialogue. The medics even comment that he'll panic if he has "so much as a hangnail". But if he's sensitive to touch and texture, AND he takes extra care over his hands, an overblown reaction like that would make sense.

Now, as I was reading into his files and dialogue for these points (as well as other fic research), I was struck by a few other elements.

One is his blunt, honest manner. Both in-universe and as noted by fans, Czerny can be a harsh but fair critic. He himself states that "Any charm or taste I may have had has been poured entirely into my compositions." For the most part, he doesn't concern himself with pleasantries or making nice; if he has an opinion, he'll state it. But he's not one to lie, and even espouses the importance of earnestness to Ebenholz during Lingering Echoes.

Despite this though, Czerny does have to hide a lot of his own emotions in order to deal with his circumstances, at least in Lingering Echoes. He has to bow to Nobles and their whims despite his loathing for them, and there are numerous points where he holds himself back from voicing his opinions in public. He also identifies himself as a coward, and has multiple dialogue lines denoting his own fear. "I'm terrified, Doctor. Always have been."

Looking at these elements together, I'm under the impression that this man has learned to mask a lot in order to survive. And when under the constant pressure of not only poverty and illness but also supporting an entire community? No wonder he’s considered tempermental.

The only times he seems able to truly express himself is through his music (note how he emphasizes the importance of emotion in music during his 2-star clear line) and in battle, where he goes from polite to screaming at his enemies. We also have the note in an operator file from a professor that Morgen und Abend was one of the few glimpses through his "iron body". And there are multiple times in both files and dialogues where it’s noted that he’ll refuse to budge from his desk until a composition is complete...that moment, perhaps, when he finally figures out the feelings in his heart and how to express all the things his words fail to convey.

Music is how Czerny expresses himself, though one should also note that empathy for others is also important both in and out of music. After all, he corrects Ebenholz that Morgen und Abend wasn't written from his own grief, but out of indignation for how she suffered. He gives up the rights to his music in order to save the people of the Afterglow during the events of Lingering Echoes. Hell, even in Ebenholz's Operator Record, Czerny is touched that Ebenholz is the one defying orders and performing for the Afterglow's residents, but also begs him to stop in order to keep him safe. He loves music, true, but he loves people even more, and he cares so damn much he’ll repeatedly put his life on the line for them.

So, whether or not it was intended by anyone who worked on his character, Czerny reads to me as autistic. Passionate about what he loves, keyed into the feelings of others while having notable difficulties with conveying his own emotions outside of music, and processing the world a little differently from those around him. And I think that’s all key to not only how he creates his music, but how he connects with others, and how he’s learning to move on in a world so much bigger and stranger than where he grew up.

And even if he's still figuring out how to balance the new and familiar...even if he's scared of it at all times...Czerny keeps going anyway. He helps others with music and arts. He expands upon his own skills, even developing new hobbies in habits. Hell, he even gets a motorcycle to go exploring across “those faraway lands roaring through Czerny's mind without abate.” He's going to be okay.

(And watching Czerny be brave and move forward in the face of so much change...well, it inspires me to bravery too.)

Well, those are my thoughts with evidence on the matter, and I’m sure I'll pick up more when I do a full reread of Lingering Echoes. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts, and I hope you enjoyed reading!

(and have some more creator-art because I am incredibly gay for this image okay byeeee)

#arknights #arknights czerny #bedlam rambles #arknights headcanons #autism headcanon #bedlam essay #arknights essay

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pynkhues · 10 months

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Okay, feel free not to answer this but does it feel like the fandom has generally had a harsher/less sympathetic view of Kendall in a post-finale/S4 world or is that just me? I feel like I see a lot more takes that position Kendall as the sole or primary inheritor of Logan’s poison when all of the siblings have elements of Logan dripping through and they’ve all suffered from his abuse (as opposed to just certain siblings - which I see way more than I previously did). It might just be me, but does it seem like the views/commentary around the siblings has changed? (Please note I mean no shade to anyone, just generally super interested in how the fandom view of characters evolves over time/morphs with recency bias)

Hey! Sorry it took me a few days to get to this (I'm a little slow across the board these days), but yeah, I'd say that I agree with you. There tends to be this fixation in fandom on which sibling was abused the most or which is the most likely to be abusive in the future, when the reality is their experiences aren't numbers you can compare. You can't compare Roman maybe being hit more (which again, isn't something we actually even know), with the psychological abuse of Logan humiliating Kendall as a boy by making him compete with and then wait on one of the few relationships he has outside of the family.

These aren't things that are quantifiable, and similarly, the insidious ways that the golden trio behave in the final season (or throughout the show's run) aren't things that can be plugged into a pie graph to give a sense of which of the three of them is the 'worst'.

I do think Roman and Shiv in some ways feel more defensible in the final season for some because Roman does seem to accept his ousting while Shiv's narrative feels so doomed, but I think a lot of that comes down to the woobification of Roman by a vocal portion of the fandom and the very specific and gendered bleakness of Shiv's arc.

It doesn't help of course that there's a sense that if it weren't for Shiv, Kendall would've 'won', which I think is a false reading of the show in general. The show has worn all its opinions on its sleeve since season 1, and Kendall as a character isn't one who wins even when he does. He, in Roman's words in 3.01 after Kendall's arguably had the biggest win he does across the course of the show, self-destructs. I don't imagine had he become CEO it would've gone any differently.

I do think there's also this desire to see all three of the golden trio's acts in s3 in isolation - it's easier to end sympathetically with Roman because he broke at his father's funeral, when literally an episode earlier he was instating a fascist in one of the most powerful roles in the worlds. It's easier to end sympathetically with Shiv, who kills her brother and faces a broken end. It's harder to end sympathetically with Kendall, who alienates his family, threatens to take custody of his children off his wife, takes back a crucial truth and has to be forced out of a legacy he feels entitled to.

There's a sense of character death there, but no more than there is for Shiv or Roman, the former who has lost any ethical or moral core she may have ever had, and the latter who's lost any sense of purpose and destroyed a country in the process (even if in the end it was Kendall's choice, Mencken was always Roman's man).

To look at Kendall's actions in isolation though negates the particular insidious abuse Kendall faced in his life, and even in death. Kendall's alienation from his children takes on a far greater depth for instance when you consider it in the context of Roman echoing their father's words that they were never family to begin with, just as his terrible treatment of both Rava and Jess at his father's funeral takes on added weight when you consider the fact that he's not only grieving his father, but is feeling increasingly alone after his sister betrayed him and he's worried his brother's going to cut him out now that Mencken's president.

Does that make his behaviour okay? Of course not! But to view these moments in isolation paints them as inherently abusive instead of the long tail of abuse in a very lonely man who's only sense of self-worth is tied to the ghost of a dead man

The fandom's always been fickle with the characters though, so I imagine it'll come full circle. Don't forget at the start of the season a loud portion of the fandom was arguing Connor was the worst one because Kieran said he bought a person in an interview, haha.

#i am a kendall is a terrible father but loves his children as much as he can truther #and i think logan has spent their lives finding ways to undermine that #like in how he used dinner for winners to undermine kendall's adolescent relationship with stewy #logan's also arguably been shown to be the most possessive of kendall #which i also think is an interesting thing to account for in terms of relationships he could see as splitting his loyalty #just for the record again i love all four of the roy sibs #and i love roman a LOT #but he does get a lot more sympathy and leeway than it feels like than the others do #kendall roy #succession meta #welcome to my ama #hbo succession

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tarisilmarwen · 10 months

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Rebels Rewatch: “Rise of the Old Masters“

Happy Father’s Day! Rather appropriately we are talking about a keystone Kanan-Ezra episode today. I swear I didn’t plan that, just how the timing worked out, lol.

Anyway...

I briefly mentioned this in my coverage of “Spark of Rebellion” but one of the reoccurring elements that tend to crop up in all my favorite characters (because I’m horribly predictable and have a Type) is:

“Has complicated yet ultimately heartwarming storgeic relationship with (surrogate) father figure.”

Soooooooo yeah, Kanan and Ezra pretty much hit me right in that particular button.

Poor Kanan fumbling with the lessons that came so instinctively to him. XD

“Actually that one always confused me too.” Love that Kanan can admit it.

Kanan’s approach is almost adorable in how inept it is, he’s just kind of throwing things against the wall hoping something will stick. In perhaps the worst environment to do any of this.

(Seriously Kanan, on top of the Ghost, while it’s in midair?! Disaster was inevitable.)

Hhhngl, look how Ezra’s eyes light up when Kanan offers him the lightsaber, he’s so eager for this.

Another quick instance of Ezra flinching as if anticipating being hit, watch close and you can see he ducks his head as well as squeezes his eyes closed briefly.

Kanan forgot to teach good weapons safety lol.

Ezra actually gets a few cartons when he peeks. :)

Aaaaaand down he goes, certain unmentioned uncharitable portions of fandom will not let up on Kanan about this particular series of mistakes.

Is practicing on top of the Ghost irresponsible child endangerment? Yes but... that’s literally the point????? Kanan has no idea what he’s doing and makes horrible mistakes left and right????? That’s why he’s so afraid and reluctant to teach Ezra????? That’s his whole motivation for wanting to go get Luminara?????

Oh but if characters do not relate to each other absolutely perfectly without any friction or conflict or mistakes whatsoever that’s horrible and toxic.

Said at least one Maul stan without a hint of irony.

Okay, done salting, let’s enjoy this moment of Ezra trying to play it cool in front of Sabine despite being in eminent danger of falling to his death.

“What, no, this is nothing. I’m fine.” XD

Fun fact: Pretty sure a gifset of this moment was one of the first Rebels-related posts I ever saw on my dashboard.

Hera looks very concerned here, lol.

And our first glimpse of what a Loth-cat looks like. Cutest addition to the Star Wars menagerie ever.

Ezra’s theme is piping in here, fragmented and quiet.

*resists the urge to go into another ranting paragraph about how uncharitable parties in fandom use this scene to argue that the Ghost crew are actually terrible towards Ezra and don’t care about him properly*

Once again, everything in the eyes. So much is unspoken but conveyed with just a look.

Friiiiiiick his expression here breaks my heart.

Casually referencing the events of last episode which should have been fandom’s first clue that it was more narratively tied into things than they thought and also introducing a new story element that plays out later. I don’t remember what I thought about Gall Trayvis the first time around, I’m pretty sure I found it weird and fishy though.

Ha ha ha the casual Fridge Horror of the Imperial broadcaster talking about a “planetary liberation” via Base Delta Zero protocol.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW: Base Delta Zero is basically code for “Have a bunch of Star Destroyers systematically incinerate everything on a planet’s surface from orbit.”

Soooooo yeah, there’s probably not much left of that particular “liberated” world.

Kind of interesting that Ezra chooses to confide in Chopper about his fears here.

I do like the nice cloud effects.

Kanan is in a very serious mood here, one we haven’t seen from him yet. Speaks to the depths of how badly he wants this to succeed.

Badass Stormtrooper takedown immediately ruined by feral gremlin child. <3

Aaaaaand yet another instance of Ezra flinching like he expects Kanan to hit him. Just what exactly caused such a pronounced startle effect, exactly?

Don’t think about bby Ezra growing up on the streets, don’t think about bby Ezra growing up on the streets--

Ezra looks so crestfallen here ow ow ow ow. :(

Hera shivers as if it’s cold, which could be taken straightforwardly but also I like to think she senses the bad vibes about the place.

Oh hey, now’s a good time to remind people of the horrible headcanon theory someone sent me about why Kanan can still sense Luminara even though she’s dead.

You’re welcome.

LOOK AT THIS TIRED FATHER AND HIS THREE HORRIBLE CHILDREN. Love how Zeb and Sabine openly roast him while he’s right there, terrible influences on Ezra the both of you. XD

Snrk, the one Stormtrooper getting his helmet caught in the lift doors lololol.

The music has been periodically sparse throughout this episode, the quiet parts giving all focus to dialogue, but it’s picked up quite a bit here.

I hear the Force Theme strings prelude of course.

It is physically painful how much Ezra already hero-worships Kanan and looks up to him. He didn’t want to learn how to be a Jedi from just anyone, he wanted to learn from Kanan specifically because thinks Kanan is so cool and amazing. Ezra is constantly in awe of him this episode.

But, I mean, is it any wonder that an emotionally vulnerable teenage boy with deeply-seated abandonment issues would latch onto the first available and positive adult male influence in his life?

The Force theme coming in more fully here to trick us right before the horrible reveal, though the way it sours on the end note is a little five-second musical foreshadowing.

Hi Grand, bringing the Imperial March with you I see.

And then his theme breaks in after the commercial break cut and lemme just appreciate it again, it’s so nicely dark and foreboding. That tiny little snatch of Force Theme on the trumpet can barely be heard through it, it’s too overpowering.

Grand refrains from going for an easy kill several times this fight. He likes to play with his food, apparently. Even toying with Kanan he’s waaaaaay outclassing him, very neat and precise fencing strokes here.

Kanan’s heavy flailing is actually very at odds with his supposed preferred form, Soresu, Form 3, a primarily reflective and defensive form, which makes Grand’s comment about him being a poor student sting a bit more.

Lololol my man doesn’t even flinch at Ezra’s slingshot bolts.

Hngl the smoke element is fantastic here. Watch it waft around Kanan and Ezra as they run through it. This is not the kind of effect work you usually get on CGI kids cartoon shows.

Kanan’s form actually improves a bit after the cutaway, his footing is more solid and he’s expending less effort, making his blocking stances more effective at turning back Grand’s blade. So that jibe from Grand apparently kicked Kanan’s brain into focus.

Oh yep, all those troopers are dead, that is not a survivable explosion.

Kanan’s managing the spinny Jedi flips now; he’s untensing and likely falling back into muscle memory and connection to the Force. I love how Star Wars tends to depict Jedi survivors getting back into practice after they haven’t picked up their sabers or connected to the Force in a long while, awkward at first but slowly getting the hang of it again, remembering their training, moving through basics into more complex moves until they’re comfortable again. I know A New Dawn also depicts Kanan tapping into the Force as straining a muscle that hasn’t been used in a while, nice consistency across the board there.

“He is unfocused and undisciplined.” “Well then we’re perfect for each other!”

And one of my favorite Papa Wolf Kanan moments right here when Kanan slams Grand up against the ceiling. :)

The Force Theme is finally louder and more confident here and Grand’s has taken a pause.

Buuuuuuut it’s soon back in force lol.

I dunno what it is but I really love the animation in Grand’s unflinching run through the closing doors here, even when he has to leap over them he doesn’t even break stride.

Ezra’s slicing and lockpicking skills kind of fall by the wayside as he focuses more on Jedi training, which is kind of a shame, I liked that he was a bit tech-savvy in ways Sabine wasn’t.

Why I like to include little moments here and there in my fics where he still gets to use his talents.

Can I appreciate this little moment of Sabine reaching for him in concern?

Of course I can, who’s going to stop me?

And one of my favorite master-padawan moments right here, Kanan finally giving some solid instruction (”Picture the locking mechanism in your mind.”), doing it with him, and it’s something easy that Ezra can already do albeit on a bigger scale.

A very victorious Force Theme to mark the occasion. :)

Something Rebels does when it needs to emphasize Kanan and Ezra’s connection is basically have them mirror each other’s pose, this is one of the first examples. Ezra’s straining a little bit more in his expression but they’re perfectly in sync and mirror-matched limb for limb.

WHICH DOESN’T NECESSARILY MAKE THE PARALLELED IMAGERY IN THE FINALE HURT MORE BUT IT ADDS A LAYER.

Ohhhhhhh hang on, does anyone wonder if Hera leading the tibedees here was inspiration for the eventual purrgil surprise?

It’s on theme at least, lol.

I hear the “Rebels Shenanigans” leitmotif here, bit more dramatic than normal, lovely.

Ezra’s theme coming in as we return to Lothal and man, there’s really nothing I could say about this scene that hasn’t already been said, this is one of fandom’s favorites, we can all spill ink about Ezra’s fear of abandonment and Kanan’s sense of inadequacy and how the Force tends to bring together pairs that teach and grow each other.

How Kanan finally figures out and understands what Yoda’s “Do or do not” line means, how it’s all about your mental state, you can’t give up before you’ve started, you have to be all in and fully committed.

How he’s realizing he has to commit to this and not half-ass it and that leads him to adjust his strategy and go much slower and more meticulously in this lovely little last scene which has the distinct look and feel of a father and son playing catch in the yard. ^_^

Our first real “plot-heavy“ episode of the series, heavy on the drama and interpersonal character conflict. Can see why it’s the episode that convinced a lot of people to stay on board. It delves much more deeply into Kanan and Ezra’s master-padawan connection, the Found Family aspects of which are, of course, widely loved. Their relationship was always one of the show’s strengths. Like Ezra and Zeb’s friendship it starts off rocky but there’s an extra emotional and personal element in that Kanan is the teacher, the “parent”, and they’re both connected to the Force, something no one else can teach Ezra about. Kanan has to be the one to guide Ezra through that learning process because he’s the only one who understands it, who can bring that aspect out of Ezra and make him truly who he is.

Kanan really starts to step up after this. He’s still got a LOT of fears and worries and insecurities, as he’ll tell Yoda later, but he’s over his initial mental block now. All the better for Ezra, for helping him feel wanted and safe. :)

Ahhhh I love this episode, the character growth from this point to the end is just *chef kiss*. More worried spacedad Kanan up next week, hopefully I’ll have that post up quicker than this one.

Coming in last minute like my newborn last month oy.

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #space dad and his precious pumpkin child #rebels rewatch #liveblog

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boliv-jenta · 1 year

Text

Din Djarin x f!reader

WC:720

Siren

Warnings: descriptions of nudity. Allusions to smut.

Din stretched back into the infinite abyss at the back of his mind. Filled with long forgotten names, tidbits of information, lost words that accompanied melodies that would occasionally slip into his consciousness to annoy him.

Siren.

That's what the word was. He succeed in fishing it from the depths. Ever planet had their own folk law of mythical creatures. Beasts and ghouls made up to scare. Accompanied by cautionary tales of those that hadn't heed the warnings. Some times those otherworldly creatures took the forms of beautiful women. To punish the unfaithful or wicked. To take little children who wandered too far from home. Or in this case to capture men lulled into a stupor by their enticing song.

Despite their heaviness his footfalls didn't make a sound on the the thick carpet. Everything in the room, that was their temporary home, was plush. Each element picked to scream luxury and comfort. Even the walls were padded with panels. The deep mattress silently adsorbed the weight of his helmet as he discarded it. The only sounds were the sweet melody escaping the lips of his siren and the tinkling of water being poured. Edging closer she came into view.

The bath she sat in was as opulent as the rest of the suite. Deep enough to cover over his hips if he stood in the middle of it. Large enough to sit six people comfortably. Which wouldn't be an odd occurrence in this particular place. The tub itself was gleaming white. Gold taps and details enhanced it. Slabs of precious gems lined one side, water shimmered, reflecting their colours as it ran down them into the pooled water causing more steam to rise. The steam gave the room the impression of hazy illusion. It added to suspicion that he might be dreaming. That the beautiful vision before him was the result of his hopeful imagination.

He stilled completely, not willing to jar himself out of this dream. He watches as she sat at the shallow edge. The water covering her lower half as she laddled water over her bare chest and shoulders. Every inch of her exposed skin glistened. Her long, thick hair was piled on top of her head. The odd strand hung down, curling slightly. He longed to bury his fingers in the silk of it. To hear her hum as massaged any tension away. His eyes followed the water down her body. Down over her soft breasts. The memory of caressing them weighed heavy in his palms. His fingers twitched in his gloves. The scent of her joined her voice on the breeze. Her natural fragrance was always so sweet. Tonight, it was all enhanced by exotic floral scents. Her scent was always intoxicating to him. Her hair, her skin, even her sweat when she was worked up beneath him. The incredible aroma of her arousal as he buried his face between her legs.

In a room created to convey wealth and luxury, she was the most opulent thing in there. Her body, soft and yielding. Ever curve inviting. Ever inch of her skin smooth, whether bare or covered with hair.

Her full lips turned up in coy smile as she dipped below the shimmering water resurfacing closer to him. Positioning herself to get the best view. Of all the ways she had luxuriated in today this was by far the most lavish.

For a Mandalorian, removing armour was done with reverence. His gloves were removed first. Thick, strong, nimble fingers went to work, removing each piece. His fingertips skimmed the exquisitely crafted beskar before placing it gently on the marble counter. The leather of his suspenders creaked slightly under the pull of his thumbs as he slid them off of his broad shoulders. His flight suit dropped away from his upper body, revealing his tawny skin. His muscles, hard earned from years of training and relentless hunting, flexed as he removed the suit from his legs. A knowing smile graced his his lips, before he removed his underwear. His interest in her clearly showing as he stepped down into the water. She hummed a sweet melody in approval as he took her in his arms. If she really were a siren, he would be more than happy to be pulled down into her depths.

Tags @kirsteng42 @prolix-yuy @thegreenkid2 @hquinzelle @fangirl-316 @gracie7209 @jedifarmerr @doommommy @scorpio-marionette @sturkillerbase @harriedandharassed @aynsleywalker @mswarriorbabe80 @quica-quica-quica @rise-my-angel @adancedivasmom @graciexmarvel @kinda-nobody @movievillainess721 @munsonownsmyass

#pedro pascal character fanfiction #din djarin #imported from A03 #din djarin drabble #din djarin x f!reader

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agentravensong · 2 years

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I feel this is a little mean, but the Youtube Theory Crew feel like they are way behind Tumblr Theory Crew in both breadth and depth of their analysis of the game.

You know what? Fair.

I mean, some of those people are actually on tumblr (Dorked at least) and there are specific which I'd say some of them have covered more in-depth than any tumblr posts I've at least seen. For example, there's HalfBreadChaos's element video, Jaru's shadow crystal video, and Andrew Cunningham has what is in my mind the definitive DeltaRune narrator video with everything we have as of Chapter 2.

But I can definitely see where you're coming from. Like, on the one hand, I think the tumblr theory community can be so wide in their breadth (partly because it's a lot easier to justify typing up a rambly tumblr post about random details than scripting recording and editing a whole YouTube video about such details) that there's probably a lot of stuff it gets obsessed over that isn't really relevant. But it does also allow for catching on to things the YouTube theorists miss; like, no one's made a video focused on the water stuff in DeltaRune yet as far as I know (though the original ocean.gg observation that originally led me down that road was brought to my attention by a HalfBreadChaos video). Maybe I'll be the one to do that. Maybe.

And in terms of character analysis in particular, I think the tumblr theory community has the YouTube theory community beat by a mile. Not to say I'd agree with the takes of everyone in the tumblr community, but it at least feels like there's a lot more thought and focus on it here. Like, I don't think I've ever seen a Youtube video that really Gets Noelle, Susie, Ralsei, or the Kris - Susie - Noelle dynamics the way certain people here on tumblr do (though if people have recs, I'd love to hear them!). I'm pretty sure tumblr caught on to the idea that "hey, maybe Kris's red eyes and knife trick doesn't mean they're going to go around killing everyone in Chapter 2" way faster than YouTube did.

And while I haven't watched, say, Jaru's Spamton analysis video (and I get how it must suck to put so much into a project like that only for a bunch new canon info to drop and potentially upend a lot of it), that's because of how turned off I was by his Frisk & Chara takes and other vids I've vagueposted about here.

(Also the fact that Jaru made that whole Frisk - Chara - Kris video and just casually implied via attributing a line of narration to Frisk that he hadn't even heard of NarraChara? Like, it's one thing to not believe it, but to just take for granted that Frisk is narrator implies he did literally zero research on other people's takes on Chara that would have least made him question that.)

(Also he made a video about whether DeltaRune was a different timeline or an entirely separate universe to UT and decided it was a different timeline because otherwise there was no way to justify how similar the two were, only to admit later that he hadn't even thought of the alternate explanation of them being parallel universes? A very popular sci-fi concept? And, even worse, when people were bringing it up in the comments, he refused to give it genuine consideration until it was the only way to make his Sans theory work? Like, how am I supposed to believe you're actually willing to be proven wrong like you say you are after that?)

The only exceptions to this character analysis point in my mind are Dorked, who, again, is also a tumblr person, and Andrew Cunnigham's videos on Kris specifically. He gets them.

It was interesting listening to those podcast videos and seeing the places where I heartily agreed with the Youtubers' takes (like how most of them agreed that pianpian does not disprove that Kris can play piano - though they were mainly countering another YouTuber, Two Left Thumbs, in that section), and then the places where I was kind of disappointed by their analysis. Like, my man Andrew being kind of surprised at Noelle's growing relevance to the story, as if she isn't equal with Kris in being at the thematic center of the narrative (in my opinion anyway).

And then the whole thing where they were talking about how the dark worlds work and largely seemed to come to a consensus that their histories are backloaded in when the fountains are made... I talked about this in a tumblr server already so I'll just copy-paste that. For context, someone else brought up the topic and was talking about how they dislike the theory because:

there's no way to prove it or disprove it. Very simply: if they darkworlds didn't exist before they were made then there would be no NARRATIVE reason to have it be a function of them to just make shit up about their histories. Functionally it is identical to if they had always existed.

To which I added:

"i feel like making it so the dark worlds only exist when a fountain's made also takes agency away from the darkners in a way that makes them less compelling as characters. "like, when i posted about how noelle's interactions with spamton as detailed in the bluecircle secret page is pretty good proof that spamton and, by extension, the dark worlds, were around before the fountain, there were a few people in the notes who said they hold to the other theory and that the dark worlds were just drawing on that history when making spamton. "and i didn't response to any of them, but, like... that's just less interesting to me. i like the idea that spamton, as a character with agency, was reaching out to lightners and had this moment of connection with noelle. if they were actually just random emails that later "became spamton" or whatever... first of all, it really doesn't feel like it's written that way, the writing makes it feel like those emails were sent by someone with some agency, and secondly... it's lame. imo."

I get that it complicates our understanding of what the fountains actually do (Queen does say the Knight "deigned to create this world" that day, for example) and the exact relation between the darkners as characters and the items they're supposedly derived from, so I wouldn't necessarily say it's the easier, obvious answer... but at this point, if you actually look at all the evidence, I think it has to be some variant of "the darkners have always been sentient in some form and the dark worlds existed in some form before the Knight started making fountains". And a lot of tumblr people already figured that out, for both that reason and the more thematic reason I talked about.

And this is all without talking about the wide gulf between UT tumblr and YouTube theorists. Like, there are genuinely great UT analysis vids, talking not just about lore, but characters and themes. But, like, you know that tumblr post that goes ""undertale's meaning finally explained" actually, youtube man, tumblr user girl16378 figured it out years ago"? That post is spot on.

TL;DR, the tumblr and YouTube UT/DR theory communities have different strengths and weaknesses. They're both huge, and there are great thinkers and shitty takes in both, so your impression of both is gonna largely come down to which creators you happen to see.

That being said, I totally get it, anon.

(also subscribe to andrew cunningham and halfbreadchaos. and dorked. do it.)

#deltarune #undertale #thanks anon!#i really spent an hour on this huh #also there’s the number of popular utdr theorists who misgender the humans. can’t forget that

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flare-dragon · 2 years

Text

Okay, not normally something I do, but:

Jake English ramblings

Thanks to a whole bunch of wonderful posts discussing this dude, he's probably been one of the few characters in any media I've managed to have many complex thoughts about. (How much of it's an internal echo chamber? No idea~)

It's interesting how much can fit into one character in terms of potential and missed opportunities, especially since it takes having the seeds of a good character for such potential to really shine in the first place.

There's lots of characters in Homestuck who fit this bill. Jane, Aradia, Tavros, Feferi, Nepeta, and more. Each characters who had elements of good that never quite got to shine, whether it was simply the nature/course of the comic, the complexity they'd need to show that was unwilling to be put in, ideas that were already formed that (at least to many of us) just aren't as good as what could've been, and sometimes just the nature of having such a large roster that not all characters can share in the limelight.

Honestly, why Jake, of all characters, would attract me seems arbitrary (in all honestly, I didn't see him as much until I figured out a HoH headcanon for him, which opened me up to seeing more of his character. Relatability seems to be important pfft), but he really does strike me as one of the characters with the greatest amount of lost potential (right next to Jane, Nepeta, and Feferi).

(Seriously, Jane and Feferi could've been super interesting with working through social expectations and expected leadership, become explorations of breaking these downs, and Nepeta was an interesting example of kindness amongst the harshness of Alternia, seeing through Karkat and Equius' harsh exteriors even as (or perhaps because) she doesn't see the complexities of Alternian social classes and expectations)

When we look at Jake on the surface level, we see a teen who has all the same bravado and aspirations to adventure as his alternate adult self, shown with the new light of being a complete social buffoon (at least we're lead to believe this; how much is put on comes under all the hidden potential he has as a character)

If only see at this surface level, his cowardice later one feels almost expected, with Grandpa Harley always running, with his final destination being an island with nothing but butterflies and his daughter. The patheticness turned up to 11 by the end of the comic, he seems like he's meant to be the pathetic loser who dreams big but is too afraid to take them.

And yet, when broken down into fundamental parts, we start to see so many potential explanations to his character, we begin to wonder "Who is Jake English really?"

(I wanna say that his descent into "loserdom" by the end of the comic was Hussie basically giving up on him being a decent character or him playing the long game, building him up so that when he falls, he looks spectacularly shitty, which makes me wonder how seriously to take it as part of his original intent)

I don't think I'm gonna try getting into answering the "who" (there's a bunch of great people to check that, such as @4lph4kidz, @abraxas-calibrator and @hemoanarchist), but the fact that he in particular can have so much analysis on who he is and could be, despite how he's treated? It strikes me as super interesting

(Like, you can make those kinda of analysis on the Striders and Vriska, but they've always been treated well in terms of showing them off as well-designed characters - Vriska especially - and Terezi and Jade, as pushed down as they get, still come across as good characters you're meant to like who also have depth, but Jake doesn't fit into this kind of list, and yet he also has so much hidden depth, it's almost paradoxical. Almost~)

How can you have a character who's the "Strong Female Lead but male", as well as "a spectactularly goofy kid", and yet also potentially be someone who purposefully hides his true intentions because he never wants to hurt (himself and his friends) yet always seems to fail that? Amongst all the other things he is and appears to show elements of?

I dunno. Jake just...strikes me as super interesting in that regard.

Very much "full of potential who could be so much", living up to his classpect heheh

#homestuck #jake #jake english #long post #It's funny writing a long post like this on main. I usually don't do that pfft #But...I've been reading so much meta and analysis on him the past few months and it's just made me realise #''Jake's a character who's /potentially complex/ despite not being Vriska/Strider and it's almost baffling''#It's probably why it's so fun and satisfying seeing those posts: These aren't just hopeful theories/headcanons. He really is that deep #(Technically any and every character in Homestuck is that deep except for specific one-off jokes (like Bone-Bone) but)#(None of them come close to Jake in my opinion. Even June and Jane don't come close in my mind)

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exitpursuedbyavulcan · 4 months

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I hope this doesn’t come across as judgement of any sort since everyone has their own preferences when it comes to fiction and that’s totally okay but I really enjoy your work and I noticed you also have fics where the OC is Aemond’s sister. I personally don’t get why people are drawn to incest as a kink/theme in fics and why an OC is oftentimes written as his sibling when it doesn’t add much to the story so I wanted to ask what you believe the appeal is when including it in your stories? Genuinely curious :)

Please don’t feel weird about asking! This is a totally valid question, especially in this fandom…

For me, it’s honestly just an easy and canonical way to establish a history and relationship between Aemond and his cousin/sister/etc. And in some cases, like in What is Broken, I feel like it does add a layer of depth! Aemond isn’t just betraying his wife, he’s also betraying the sister that’s admired him all his life. In this way, I think it can add a lot to a story!

I don’t write incest because it’s a kink or anything, just because it’s an interesting way to explore the world and people of Westeros. How does one relationship affect the other? Which relationship is more important? And stuff like that.

I also think it’s more in-character for Aemond to participate in the Targ tradition of weaving the family wreath. We know he idolizes his Valyrian heritage, likely as a result of feel distant from his father, the one who connects him to that heritage. It’s a little harder to make a non-Targ or Targ-adjacent character really mesh with Aemond in a way that feels natural.

Please keep in mind, I only add the incest element to my HOTD fics, because it’s part of the canonical universe. I would not include it in say, and Osferth or Tom Bennett fic.

If it’s something that brothers you, it’s totally fine with me if you skip those particular stories! You are never obligated to read anything you don’t want to. I always try to include that a particular character or relationship is incestual somewhere in the description. If I miss it, just let me know and I’ll add it in!

I don’t actually think I have many Targcest fics, at the moment, I think it’s just Silver Dragon (first cousins) and What is Broken (siblings). It’s not something I’m 100% comfortable with either, so I don’t imagine it will feature in many more fics.

Thank you so much for enjoying my fics! I hope you continue to read, but if you don’t, I promise I love you anyway 💜

#asks #what is broken

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gerardwayissexah · 7 months

Text

GerardWayisSexah's WIP Wednesday:

Back when I started writing my longfic, that story was all I could think about. I couldn't imagine being one of those fanfic writers with 10 WIPs going at once. Now, I'm not quite at 10 yet, but...I could easily get there. I'm not even counting all the half-baked ideas floating in my brain. If any of these strike your interest, feel free to message or send me an ask about them. :)

Here's a summary:

To Unbury a Heart (Ten-ten x Hiashi Hyuga) - 16k words [Completely written/ready to edit and post]

Freefall (NSFW Neji x Ten-ten) - 13k words [~60% written]

Pity the Woman (OC-centric, branch Hyuga watches Neji v. Naruto in Chunin Exams) - 2.5k words [~50% written]

Of Dreams Deferred (Neji lives and becomes clan head AU) - 71k words [~80% written]

(More in-depth rambling below the cut)

Completely written/ready to edit and post:

To Unbury a Heart (Ten-ten x Hiashi Hyuga)

Words: 16k

Yes, you read correctly. I wrote a Ten-ten x Hiashi Hyuga fanfiction and it's not crack. This one's inspired by the platonic Ten-ten and Hiashi found family dynamics I included in two of my NejiTen Month pieces. In this particular non-Boruto compliant AU, Ten-ten and Neji conceive a son before he dies in the war. Hiashi and Ten-ten raise the kid together, and Hiashi slowly but surely falls in love with her. However, because of his guilt over his past wrongs, he doesn't feel like he deserves her (even if she's ready to accept him).

Currently writing on and off:

Freefall (NSFW Neji x Ten-ten)

Words: 13k so far

I read a fic a while back in which Neji wants to sterilize himself so he doesn't perpetuate the Hyuga line. When I paused to consider his character, I realized it made sense that he wouldn't want to have children considering how much he resents his fate. Of course, my degenerate mind immediately thought of NSFW implications. As one does. In this fic, Neji swears at a young age (really, when he first learns about sex) that he won't ever sleep with a woman. Like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, he doesn't want to risk making a child who'll suffer in the same ways he has.

Once he's assigned a team with Ten-ten, Neji starts falling for her though he denies his feelings, and Ten-ten has a boyfriend. Things begin to escalate between them once Ten-ten's boyfriend dumps her, and the Water Prison Incident makes it impossible for Neji to deny how he feels. And he also finds that keeping his promise to himself gets harder...and harder. (I'll refrain from making the obvious joke here).

Pity the Woman (OC-centric)

Words: 2.5k so far

I thought it would be interesting to explore how a rank-and-file branch loyal Hyuga views Neji v. Naruto in the Chunin Exams. I've hit a little bit of a roadblock with this story, since I need to watch the fight to get the dialogue and sequence of events right. Not sure how many of you have read "Bird in a Gilded Cage," but if you have, this fic will delve a bit deeper into Risa Hyuga's character and backstory. Knowledge of that particular story is absolutely not necessary to understand what's going on, though. I've had this fic in my head since last year (!) so getting it all out feels intensely gratifying.

Of Dreams Deferred (Neji becomes clan head - Neji x Ten-ten, Neji x Hyuga OC, Ten-ten x Rock Lee)

Words: 71k so far

This fic is very loosely inspired by "Precious Things," a Neji x Ten-ten fic on Fanfiction.net that was sadly discontinued 10 years ago. By loosely inspired, I mean that - I borrow a few elements (Neji getting embroiled in Hyuga politics, Neji and Ten-ten have an illegitimate child) from that fic, but otherwise go in my own direction. Twelve years before the story's start, Neji and Ten-ten break up so he can pursue his ambition of leading the Hyuga to reform the clan's ways. Marrying a non-Hyuga would compromise his legitimacy, when a former branch Hyuga leading the clan is already considered questionable. However, Ten-ten was pregnant at the time they broke up, unknown to both of them.

Their son grows up believing he's Rock Lee's son, while Neji marries a Hyuga woman for political reasons. Then when the kid is 12, he activates the Byakugan in a moment of panic, which raises some obvious questions (like, who's his actual father?). This brings Neji and Ten-ten back together, and they both start to have second thoughts about the paths they've taken in life. There's also a friendship/sibling relationship between Neji's legitimate daughter and his son with Ten-ten. A lot more goes on in the story, so I can't handily explain it all here.

#nejiten #naruto fanfiction #wip wednesday #tenten #hyuga neji #naruto original character #neji x oc #my fanfic writing #Lots of self-indulgent rambling here #tenten x hiashi hyuga #yes you read that right

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magioffire · 1 year

Text

@livelynumbskull

The ruins rose up out of the tangled muck of the jungle like a beast desperately trying to escape the vying claws of hooks and chains, in the form of thorned vines. Reaching roots twisted and calmly, deliberately tore at the very foundation of the cobblestone steps, cracked at the carefully carved columns & mosiacs, leaving only the willful advance of the forest.

In that regard, it was like any other relic he encountered deep in the wilds; doomed by the forward advance of consumption, the unfortunate tendency of all things reduced to food for moss and roots. The only signs of civilization Valeriu found were, of course, buried under centuries of detritus and exposure to the elements, but he was sure he would eventually uncover something useful here. Eventually, this place would give up its secrets to the Archmage.

Vali scouted this location once before, and found no one to stop him from exploring except the crumbling architecture. He pushed his way inside, careful not to upset the delicate balancing act much of the one great estate balanced precariously upon. At least he figured it once was some sort of estate, the gratuitous home of someone who was once very rich and powerful. No longer now, as their little personal empire as now a shambling catacomb, full of potential knowledge ripe for the taking. Valeriu’s taking, of course. After a few hours of mostly fruitless digging, the fae found himself something quite interesting -- and deeply disturbing. Tucked away underneath some overturned rubble, he discovered the entrance way deep into the earth -- a black pit that descended into the unknown.

He allowed his eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness, steeled himself, and went down into it’s depths. He knew entirely what to expect, he knew a cell when he saw it --knew the dank, desperate scent of a place meant for misery and restraint. Even under all the dust and dirt, the purpose of this place was clear as day to the fae. His stomach churned the deeper he went. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the slightest brush against chains, the clinking sound of metal on metal ringing feverishly in his ears.

Inside one of the cells, Vali spotted a familiar humanoid shape, slumped over unceremoniously against a wall. He pushed the cell door open, finding the lock broken in several places, like something ferocious smashed through the rusted metal. Upon closer inspection, Vali was only minimally surprised to find the body was long decayed, stripped of any and all flesh - the skeletal remains of whatever unfortunate soul was the last to call this place their home, and their tomb.

“Well, that’s a shame,” He whispered, to no one in particular. The air, maybe. He didn’t expect anyone to listen - his words were mostly to comfort himself in the face of an unfolding past travesty. “Sorry you had to die here, like this, but I suppose it can’t be helped now.” He knelt down, squinting his eyes hard through the darkness. He could make out the detailed engraved in the skeleton’s facial bones -- only to realize it was actually a mask.

To Valeriu, it crafted to be the natural meeting point between a living face, and a dead face, and he quite liked it. The lacquer finish and painted details reminded him of the sort of masks Dokkalfar wore back home in Amorium.. This skeleton also wore clothes, or rather, hung clothes over their boney body. They too looked tended to -- worn, but obviously cared for. The mask also looked much newer, or at least better polished, than the surrounding dilapidation.

“Who the hell plays dress up with a skele--” He reached out, only to witness the skeleton jerk to life like a m. Vali shrieked bloody murder, stumbling backwards out of the cell. Only to fall ass first on the cold stone ground. He frantically kicked the rusty cell door in... only for the door to slowly creeaak back open,- ready to fall right off its rusted hinges.

“What the fuck!?” Vali scuttled to his feet in a panic. His legs screamed at him to run. Whatever logical centers still firing in Vali’s panicked brain said ‘whatever interesting things this place has, it’s not worth dealing with undead’, but his curiosity, as always,got the better of him. He stood his ground, staring down the skeleton, who also remained still, making seemingly no move to attack the fae. “Uhmh....hello?” Valeriu finally said, with a little awkward wave.

#ic.#livelynumbskull #main verse alt.#heya! i hope this is okay <3 #lemme know if anything needs to be changed!#aslo dont feel pressured to match length im just setting the scene

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writesailingdreams · 1 year

Text

One Piece ch. 1065

Let’s go!

please don’t reply with any recent chapter 1068 raw spoilers (when do those come out anymore, anyway?); I generally I wait for the official English releases.

*Spoilers* for chapters 1065 & 1066 (Why together? Because I read & recorded my responses together)

Genuinely laughed when I read this which was what jump-started this whole thing. Like, hilarious but also, yep, me too! Thanks Zoro for speaking my mood on what’s-his-name. (I refuse to look it up.)

Actual note whilst reading: Zoro 🤣 👍

Sun fuel...hmm, I would have thought water would be more useful (oxygen & hydrogen) and you have more of that available, but if you’re talking sun (solar) fuel you might be going for nuclear?

But wait! the reason there’s interest in whether there’s frozen water on the Moon is to get hydrogen & oxygen. If there is, it can be broken down into oxygen which can be highly flammable I believe and hydrogen which I’m pretty sure is a potent element per energy...which I’m also pretty sure is a component of stars (e.g. the sun). Sooo, maybe it’s hydrogen Vegapunk is after?

Like, if the Fire beings Marco remembered Whitebeard telling him about (and which is probably related to King) are somehow connected to the lost kingdom then yeah, it makes sense that the fuel powering their technology would be solar. But there’s just so much Moon focused stuff too.

Personally I think it’d be cool if there’s either some Moon fuel power for the old tech or ~even better~ some kind of sea power. (There’s also potentiality of willpower, which would be weird but there’s precedent in One Piece.)

Nami 😂 what!

But also! 🤩 Me too! Yes please!! Please give me jewel flowers! Yes Nami will my Aladdin fairytale visual to life! 😍

I’m loving the new “i will murder if you threaten my shipmates/family” Robin

Holy shit! Are the seraphim clones of the 7 Warlords!? So far we’ve seen the Hancock child ones and now Jinbe. Was there some kind of stealth sneaking of genetic material from them?? Like hair or something. 0-0

Is that why the government wanted the strongest pirates??

Isn’t that growing up? Don’t things just adapt as they age and grow? Unless the seraphim aren’t living/alive. But blood... 🤔 that makes me think of organic life... what are you doing Vegapunk?

One Piece ch. 1066

Lots of backstory, and nothing especially unusual (lost kingdom fought what became the World Government, of course, thanks for confirming!), but what I found most compelling (or more compelling) was the way all the threads of each Straw Hat (who’s met who in the broader world and what each of them knows and doesn’t know) are weaving together.

In other words, the Straw Hats have had all these different pieces of experience and knowledge that are casually coming up, not in a “oo! learning information for plot” way but in a “hey that person I also know of” and I think that’s cool.

It gives the world a sense of depth — different characters experiencing different sides of the same person

It makes me feel like they’re all facets of a bigger whole — as a group in-story and as characters whose particular plots as written have come together. By giving each of them different knowledge and experiences across the wide array of characters in the world it gives *me* the feeling of woven threads coming together, whether characters or narrative.

Also this:

Heck yeah! Get angry about that! But yeah, ~feelings~ for Robin, Ohara and the survival of restricted knowledge and how it endures.

😭 all my heart forever

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liminaldaze · 2 years

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So, I decided to use a dream I had as a springboard for some writing, and, well, this is what I ended up with.

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

Try as she might to center herself, the anxiety induced by the situation was only building. Even if she hadn’t been running on fumes, the loud, unfamiliar surroundings wouldn’t have been to her liking. Nell tried her best to look less like she was nervously hugging herself and more like she was simply crossing her arms, but she didn’t imagine she was fooling anyone.

She'd been left to awkwardly wait by her lonesome atop the bar that doubled as the front desk of the establishment. Not by it, no, she was quite literally standing on it. Owing to the range of clientele that made use of the place, the countertop Nell stood on had to be, if she were to estimate, well over sixty feet off the ground.

It was unfair. She’d merely been towing along, there to help get a move on carrying up some luggage while Rolan handled the matter of finalizing their crew’s lodging arrangements. Nell had intended to follow his lead, but it became increasingly apparent that he was likewise out of his element, that the I’taeri filled room had him just as rattled as it did her. With a concerning storm inbound everyone was seeking out the nearest shelter capable of weathering it, and while the waystop was fitted with fixtures to accommodate those of human stature the bulk of clientele happened to be the giant aliens.

The two waited, Rolan opting for a less than proactive approach, likely hoping the others would start trickling in before he had to handle any interactions. Jenna and Kyle had said they’d be right behind them, but that turned out to be very much not the case. Their explanation came in the form of a call via their AR headsets.

There had been an issue with the other truck it turned out and, though no one asked for it, Rolan felt the situation would benefit from his “expertise.” Which was to say, he had found an excuse to bail on her. He told Nell to “watch their stuff” and sit tight in case someone turned up to assist them before beating a hasty retreat towards the lift they’d used to ascend the counter. She hadn’t even been afforded the chance to voice her objections, of which she had many.

And so there she was, marooned with a pile of luggage that she’d be hard pressed to lug around on her own.

“Fucker…” she muttered bitterly. In that moment, from the very depths of her heart, Nell swore that there would be a reckoning.

If by chance one of the larger customers did fancy their belongings then “watch” would be precisely the full extent of what Nell could do about it. Of course, it was less their stuff that Nell was worried about. One often heard… stories concerning I’taeri and humans. Of all sorts, but it was a particular subset, those of a darker nature, that surfaced in her mind as she watched the titanic beings go about their business.

She cast her head this way and that, but there weren’t any other humans that she could immediately see, making her feel all the more vulnerable for it. And small. Very small.

She swallowed thickly, trying not to flinch anytime she inadvertently met someone’s gaze. Heaven forbid it be misconstrued as interest in further interaction. All she wanted was to crawl into her sleeping nook, to curl up into a ball and cocoon herself in the blankets, allowing sleep to ferry her away from the myriad stresses of the waking world… At least the ones that didn’t manage to find her even in sleep.

“Yup, that’s a human,” a voice cut above the others.

Jolting her back to the moment, Nell realized she’d closed her eyes. It doesn’t take her long to catch sight of an I’taeri woman who, no mistaking it, had her own sights trained on Nell, an easy smile on her face as she began making her way towards the counter.

It sent veritable alarms blaring in her head. Oh nonononono! All at once, exactly the sort of thing she’d been hoping to avoid had seemingly been set into motion. She instinctively started to backpedal away, sprawling atop the bags she’d forgotten about right behind her with a startled “Eep!”

Nell was blinking up at the ceiling, her mind trying to make sense of what had just occurred when she became aware of a particular set of booming steps that had only grown in intensity. In short order the ceiling was obscured by an impossibly tall, and fetching, individual smirking down at her from on high. Stunned and utterly mesmerized by the stranger’s presence, Nell could do little more than drink her appearance in.

Aside from the obvious disparity in scale, I’taeri weren’t all that different from humans in appearance, following a similar template, though they had their fair share of noteworthy features. The long, elegant tapered ears evocative of elves were certainly a highlight. Said ears possessed an impressive range of motion and were highly emotive. Both I’taeri eyes and hair came in colors not naturally occurring among humans, this one opting to keep her dark violet hair cropped to about shoulder length. Then there was the wide brimmed hat that encircled the I’taeri’s face like a halo from the angle Nell was viewing her from, the obscene amount of material that had to have gone into making the article staggering to contemplate. The hat cast her face in shadow, and from beneath it her crimson eyes almost appeared to emit a faint glow.

“Uh-oh, had yourself a bit of a spill there,” the face hovering above Nell remarked, jolsting her out of her trance-like state.

An intense blush rose to her cheeks, the amused expression on the I’taeri’s face telling Nell that her outright gawking hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Here,” the stranger supplied, her hand rising into view, its fingers honing in on the quivering little human. As if expecting the worst, Nell’s initial reaction was to stiffen and screw her eyes shut. Instead, she felt the tips of said fingers gently slide behind her back in a scooping motion, assisting her onto her feet. “But my, you are a tiny thing~ If I hadn’t already been looking I may have missed you entirely.”

“Th-Thanks?” Nell uttered, a little shell shocked. Then the rest of what the woman had said registered. “Wait. Looking… N-Not for me!?”

The woman laughed softly. “No, not you specifically. Cute as you are,” she said with a wink.

That little addendum both threw Nell for a loop and filled her stomach with butterflies. She also seemed to be feeling… lightheaded? She thought? Her own experience in dealing with the I’taeri was very limited, and she was finding the mere presence of one that had thier undivided attention trained on her disorienting enough without having to contend with... whatever else was going on here. The expression on her face must have been amusing, as the other two I’taeri standing behind the first, who she hadn’t registered until that moment, chuckled to themselves. So not just one, but three of the giant aliens were peering down on her.

Joy.

“I do, however,” the woman continued, “suspect you might be associated with a business contact I’m to meet here. Jennifer Rosario. Know of her?”

“My, uh, boss.” Nell blinked up at the woman, indeed recalling something about a client.

“Just so,” the behatted woman smirked, making a gesture reminiscent of a finger gun at the human. “Last I heard from her, your crew had made it safely and she was on her way up to the lobby. And yet…” She made a show of glancing around.

Nell jerked, realizing that she was dealing with a potentially dissatisfied customer and rushed, if clumsily, to offer an explanation.“Sh-She was! But we got a call, and, uhm… Well, something went wrong with one of the trucks, so she probably got caught up with that a-and…”

The woman brought her hands up in a ‘slow down’ gesture. “Easy, there, I’m not mad,” she assured, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Here’s what we’ll do.” Then, glancing back at her companions. “You two head down to the garage and offer a hand. I’ll keep our new little friend company.”

“Y-You don’t have to…” Nell stuttered, uncertain if she’d even been heard.

“Hah, one hand may be all that’s needed,” one of the two women joked as they made their departure, Nell briefly watching after them.

“I should at least call, give them a heads up,” Nell fretted.

“It’s fine,” the woman assured, noisily dragging over a bar stool capable of towering over some human buildings. “Those two can explain themselves. Meanwhile, I’ll stick around to deter any untoward strangers that might be tempted to snatch a little thing like you up.” She rested her arms on the counter and leaned forward, bringing herself closer to the ‘little thing’ in question.

Nell chuckled nervously, her instinct to back away from the immense entity encroaching upon her space nearly causing her to trip over the bags once again. The already intimidating amount of attention she’d been receiving before suddenly felt far more concentrated. Then there was that sparkle Nell thought she saw in her eyes.

“Uh, well.. You’re also a…” she started, then paused, anxiously trying to retain some measure of tact as she pointed out the obvious. “That is to say… We don’t exactly know one another, either.”

The giant woman barked a laugh at that, Nell’s proximity to the booming exhale of air making her jump. “We don’t, now, do we?” Sitting back up, the I’taeri woman removed her hat and held it to her chest. “In that case, you can call me Lyen. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

With Lyn’s hat removed, Nell could see that she had her hair partially pinned back in a short ponytail. The hat itself, she also noted, now that she had a different angle of it, looked like some iteration of a cavalier style hat. Once more, her mind drifted towards wondering at just how much in the way of resources, and what materials exactly, went into actualizing such a prodigious article. And that was just the hat. What about the coat she wore? And- Nell had to blink, making sure she had seen it correctly, but that certainly looked to be a human space grade helmet dangling from her ear.

“Hrm?” Lyen hummed encouragingly, the slight tilt of her head jostling the unconventional accessory

Nell blushed, realizing she’d fallen back into gawking. “My… My name’s Nell.”

“Nell…” Lyen repeated, as if evaluating the feel of the name as it rolled off her tongue. It caused Nell to shiver, though with what she couldn’t quite say. Lyen meanwhile gave an approving nod of her head. “Lovely~”

She set her hat down atop the counter, the object producing a prominent displacement of air that rustled Nell’s clothing and the straps on some of the bags. Nell was staring wide-eyed at it, having been set only a little ways down from her own position. It occurred to her, with no shortage of wonderment, that she could probably fit under the dome of it at a complete stand. There was a small part of her, even, that wanted to find out.

“How about some food and drink to commemorate this auspicious meeting, eh?” Lyen’s voice drew Nell’s attention back to her face, noting her pleased expression. She flashed one of those easy smiles of her’s. “And perhaps some appropriately tiny seating while we’re at it,” she added with a chuckle.

Nell was about to insist that wasn’t necessary, but Lyen had already started to wave down an I’teari staff member from on the other side of the bar.

Taking a deep, shuddery breath, it was all Nell could do to steel herself for what yet lay ahead.

#gt #g/t #giant/tiny #g/t writing #gt writing #size difference #giantess

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buzzdixonwriter · 1 year

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CINEMA SPECULATION by Quentin Tarantino [review]

This is one of the best books on movies that I’ve ever read.

Do not crack open the cover expecting in-depth coverage of any particular era or genre of film, or a deep dive into film aesthetics, or an extensive tell-all memoir from Tarantino.

There are elements of all that, but essentially the books is about a handful of films that Tarantino likes and / or felt enormously influenced by, plus the context in which he saw those films, both in the overall cultural gestalt of their era and his own personal situation.

It’s a fascinating read, sprawling out in all directions (much as his novel derived from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood does) but eventually tying it all together in his own particular worldview.

Even if you don’t particular care for Tarantino or his worldview or his film aesthetics, I think you’ll find this an interesting read because of the quality of thinking and observation he does on the films he writes about.

You may not be a fan of his work, but there’s no denying he’s remarkably perceptive about movies and the business of filmmaking.

The bulk of films covered in this book are action and exploitation movies that Tarantino saw in his formative years, with commentary on how they fit into the political scene at the time (both national politics and studio politics). He follows the rise and abrupt fall of New Hollywood (i.e., the post-Easy Rider era) and how they were replaced by the Movie Brats (i.e., Coppola / Spielberg / Scorsese / Lucas / et al).*

Bullitt (1968)

Dirty Harry (1971)

Deliverance (1972)

The Getaway (1972)

The Outfit (1973)

Sisters (1973)

Daisy Miller (1974)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Rolling Thunder (1977)

Paradise Alley (1978)

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Hardcore (1979)

The Funhouse (1981)

all get chapters dedicated to them, not just to general overviews of those films but insights into how they were written and made, an analysis of how they not merely fit into the culture of the time but how they influenced that culture in return, and especially how they impacted young Quentin himself and shaped him as a filmmaker.**

But wait! There’s more! Tarantino also devotes chapters to L.A. Times film critic Kevin Thomas, the transition from Old Hollywood > New Hollywood > Movie Brats, speculation on what Taxi Driver would have looked like had Brian De Palma directed it, and Floyd.***

Add to all that fascinating diversions into the history of various B-movie franchises, wild filmmaking anecdotes, and his own memories of growing up as a movie buff.

Not every person likes Tarantino and his oeuvre in whole or in part, but there’s no denying he’s a well informed and exceptionally perceptive writer on the topic of movies.

He’s stated his planned retirement from directing with his next as-yet-unannounced tenth film, but has expressed an interest in playwriting. I think that would be a great direction for him to move into, especially if he continues writing about films as well.

I highly recommend Cinema Speculation.****

* He makes a compelling argument for why they should have been replaced, but personally I feel we lost something by so easily abandoning the darker / more daring films of that era for the popcorn feel good epics that replaced them. Mind you, as Tarantino points out, there’s room for feel good movies like Rocky when they come from the heart and face the reality of being human, but for every good film like that there are typically a dozen imitators that miss the point entirely.

** I can identify with that, as looking back I see I was analyzing and being influenced by stories I read and shows I’d seen from a very young age.

*** Who? Read the book.

**** Okay, minor kvetch. Tarantino uses italics for emphasis and Movie Titles and Real Names and Character Names and “Direct quotes” and other times for inapparent reasons, which is as confusing / irritating as hell. I do Movie Titles like this and Book Titles like this and “Short stories / poems / songs” like this and general emphasis like this, which I trust is easier to follow.

#Cinema Speculation #review #Quentin Tarantino #movies #cinema #criticism #film making #film criticism

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k00279452 · 1 year

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Composition seminar

part 1

Composition applies to everything , It the way in which the whole of the piece is made up . Compositional quality's of a piece creates a whole which is greater than the sum of its part.( Sex Pistols ) In the visual context its the spatial awareness between all parts of an image , how its composed defines the look , atmosphere and meaning. The composition is like a puzzle and its visual elements are its pieces, each aspect serves a purpose , aesthetically pleasing once the puzzle is complete , balanced.

The principle of designs work symbiotically to convey a statement: these elements are the frame work we hang on , line- draws eye around image, shape- definable edges (positive/negative), colour , texture -actual (tactile) or implied (a way the artist has created the work ), value - lightness and darkness and shapes in image , from - created by light and dark contrast = volume /3D.

The principles of composition are a guideline, which consist of balance- creates stability, emphasis - dominance , harmony-ordering of elements to create unified aesthetic, movement -arranging/combining of elements within a piece action cause eye to move around work, depth, space, pattern-visual tempo(creates movement), proportion- comparative relation of one part to another, tension ,unity- combination of all elements, variety, contrast-creates interest draws eye, coherence, positive and negative space.

Appling these to my work will help the outcome of my piece , using a thumbnail sketch to organize , work out the space in the image will also help the outcome. It helps work through idea, the object and space it occupies. However these are all guidelines and don't need to be followed to a t, a lot of it is intuition . Thats not to say that observing composition is a key factor to creating an intuitive recognition of composition. Recognizing structure in manmade and natural things help to develop intuition .

Sean Scully does this as what happens in the world around him is translated in his work of the abstraction of the wall.

It makes sense that artists learned composition and structure from stuyding other artists , as i do that myself , if I'm interested in an artists particular style i will try to replicate it and make it my own.

Auerbach looks at the structural qualities of the greats and sees the balance and replicates it , showing us how the composition holds up without any narrative.

After watching this , i realized i need to be more aware of my composition and all aspects of the principles of design so that i can convey the message i want clearly.

part 2

I thought it interesting to consider composition in an exhibition sense. With 'fallen leaves' , it was an interactive exhibit , the composition of the space and viewers were an essential consideration as they form part of it. I will have to remember this for future exhibitions of work , as it adds another layer to the piece, emphasizing or changing meaning.

#k00279452 seminar

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