#and i was able to figure out how to reverse it to re-figure out what time i was born LMAO

[olderthannetfic]

re people regretting transition or detransitioning.

My little cousin experimented with gender for a bit in her late teens before deciding that she was a cis girl after all. The experiment involved clothes shopping, a haircut, and asking her friends to call her by different pronouns, and lasted for maybe two months tops.

Some of my our family members are generally supportive of that, and view it quite reasonably as a young person exploring various options before finding herself. The dumber and meaner ones, on the other hand, say she detransitioned and is proof that trans people are just playing around and that anyone teen who transitions will come to regret it.

And then they turn around and say they're happy for me and proud of my transition. Because I didn't get anything figured out until I was well into my twenties, and I didn't get to start HRT until I was past 30. These family members are actually dumb enough to think it's an age thing, and that my having to suffer for decades was somehow a good thing.

If the "worst" that happens as a side effect of trans acceptance is a bunch of teenagers getting dumb haircuts and wasting a few hundred bucks on clothes they won't wear again, I don't see how that's a negative side effect at all. That's just what teenagers do.

--

Grrr. Fucking assholes.

A lot of the "Oh noes, what if you regret it?" stuff comes with a huge side of "What if your WOMB is no longer able to make BABIES after you POISON yourself?" nonsense too. I see plenty of transphobia of all sorts in all directions, but the specific fretting over transition is so, so, so often about how every uterus should be used as a baby factory. People say this shit with a straight face who would never support that idea if you forced them to face the subtext of what they're saying.

There are, genuinely, rare people who do regret it, but it's way more common that someone either experiments with entirely reversible things or takes hormones for a while and then decides to stop taking hormones without actually characterizing it as "regret" themselves.

It's usually other people imposing that narrative from the outside, aside from rare cases where there was some level of coercion to do medical procedures the person was never that into in the first place (e.g. transitioning in order to be legally allowed to change pronouns on ID or getting a boob job at a partner's behest—a thing that afflicts cis women too).

I remember a friend from school years ago going "What if I'm wrong?" and even at the time, I was like "But what if you're right and then spend 20 years waiting to be sure while being miserable?"

In this, as in most other big life decisions, I think you should take your best shot, not second guess yourself, and if you change your mind years later, you can deal with that then. But yes, so many people think there's some sort of virtue in decades of misery as you either can't figure out what's wrong or know what's wrong and are denied access to medical care.

I questioned my gender in my teens back in the 90s. I just didn't do anything that made other people particularly aware of it at the time and ended up deciding that gender is a big lie and who cares. This is probably more common than people think.

The main upshot was that I ended up reading an incredibly dense book of journal articles on third gender roles that was a bit of a headache for a 14-year-old.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: M6 when a spell goes wrong and they're stuck as a small child for a day

Reverse scenario is here:

~ to set the scene ~

It's been a while since your little mishap with your notebook and spell development. At this point, your day as a toddler has become a funny story to share with guests over dinner. You're reminiscing on it early one morning as you lie awake next to your slumbering beloved. You never did figure out exactly what was going on with that circle. You decide to flip through your notebook and take another look at it while you wait for your darling to wake up.

As you're reading back over it, you feel them stir next to you. "MC? What are you looking at?" Still half asleep, they reach over to pull you closer, but instead their hand falls flat against the page. One bright light later, you're gazing over wide-eyed at the small child rubbing their eyes next to you.

(I've included the official art of child!Julian, Asra, Muriel, and Portia. Unfortunately there's no art for child!Nadia or Lucio. Enjoy! - brainrot)

Julian

Figures out his predicament almost immediately. From the way you're looking at him to how small his hands suddenly are, he knows

What neither of you expects is the pipsqueak voice that comes out of him when he opens his mouth to talk to you

"MC, I - ah! Is that my voice?!"

He's going to spend the next hour while you make and eat breakfast trying to figure out the funniest thing to say in a child's voice, ranging from his extensive knowledge of curse words to lectures on medicine to warbling ancient Vesuvian operas

Malak thinks it's fantastic. He's following nearby, cawing along to whatever Julian has to say

You end up putting him in one of his normal dress shirts, which looks like a dress on him now, and using a scarf for a sash

He'll get bored rather quickly - all of his favorite activities are off the table until he's an adult again

You remember him mentioning living with his parents on one of their merchant ships as a boy though, so you take him down to the docks

A couple polite requests later, and several of the sailors agree to let him explore their ships as long as he doesn't get underfoot

It's a special time for him, running around a ship with the same perspective that he had when his parents were alive. It unearths some memories he had previously forgotten and that makes him so happy

You also had Malak take a message up to the palace inviting Portia down (you didn't want to risk losing Julian in the crowd in the trek up) and she arrives just in time for lunch with Mazelinka in tow

Portia absolutely gets misty-eyed seeing her brother like this again, she always used to think he was so grown-up next to her but realizing he was just a child too is doing things to her heart

You'll have a late lunch on the beach together before heading back to his house

Since all three of them are feeling nostalgic, Julian, Portia, and Mazelinka will pass the afternoon reminiscing on what life was like the last time he looked like this

They leave before the sun sets - they have lives to get back to, and you have dinner to prepare

The first thing he does after poofing back is bellow out a raunchy sea shanty and hunt down the liquor he's been saving in the back of the cabinet. He missed being an adult

Asra

They knew what has happening as it happened, they saw their palm landing on the spell circle and had resigned themselves to the outcome before the light had faded

The first thing he does is take full advantage of his new size to snuggle up on your chest and fall back asleep

And hey, it's several hours before their normal wake-up time, and it's not like you'll be able to do anything else today, so you fall back asleep too

When you re-awaken it's to a suspiciously quiet house

When you find him he's tucked away in a corner with Faust, scheming brainstorming about the opportunities his temporary shift affords him

You're able to distract them with breakfast, but it quickly becomes obvious that their attention span is considerably shorter and their sense of propriety considerably less inhibiting than their adult form

Cue a wild game of chase around the closed shop, Faust watching gleefully from the rafters as Asra keeps setting off latent spells just to watch your reactions before scampering off in a fit of giggles

They're surprisingly docile once you catch them though, as soon as you've got your arms around them they're cuddling up. You've never held a snugglier child

There's also the issue of clothes - none of his clothes fit, and he couldn't care less. You end up tying a shawl around him and knotting it in the back where he can't reach to take it off when it hinders his freedom of movement

If you need to have a serious conversation with them it's entirely possible, they're just living in the moment

You manage to pack a lunch and take him over to Aisha and Salim's

To say they're overjoyed is an understatement. They missed so much of Asra's childhood and growing up, and you've just given them several hours of that back

For the first fifteen minutes or so, he's got his guard up a little. It takes a lot of vulnerability to revisit that stage in life, with the parents he so keenly felt the loss of

But then one of them cracks an inside joke, and all the emotional walls come tumbling down

You get to spend the rest of the day getting a glimpse into the past, of what their family was like before the hard times started

You're also relieved that you're not the only one responsible for keeping them in check

As soon as he poofs back, he's waving goodbye and heading out the door with you. He misses his kisses

Nadia

She realizes a split second after you do, and she is Not Impressed

She's spent most of her life trying to outrun being perceived as the baby of the family, and now here she is - a baby!

She's not upset with you though, she knows if there's anyone to blame it's her for touching the page like that and the look on your face says you didn't mean to

She also knows that there's still Vesuvia to run - oh well, it looks like she'll be taking a vacation

She's standing on the bed, robe pulled around her, arms crossed over her tiny rib cage as she gives directions for her absence

You're quickly realizing that her sense of authority didn't come from ruling Vesuvia - it's clear she was just born with it

Finding a good outfit for her to wear is also quite difficult. She knows it's last minute, but one of the ways she combats her own insecurities is by appearing as put together as possible at all times

You're not sure what to do at first. You know the last thing she wants is to be in touch with her family right now, and she'll get bored quickly if she just stays inside her chambers with you

Luckily for you, she knows exactly what she wants to do - and that is everything that she wasn't allowed to do the last time she was this size

She's leading the way to the stables and getting ready to ride off into the sunset before you can blink

It quickly gets tiresome though. She was already sneaking off the last time she was this age, and she already knows all the area around the palace

Your wave of inspiration hits as it gets close to lunchtime. She's always wanted an incognito tour or Vesuvia. This is the perfect chance

She's immediately for the idea. She was never allowed to do this as a kid, and it's something she still struggles to get away with

You find her some every day kid's clothes in the marketplace and spend the afternoon wandering the streets, giving her a taste of the "real" Vesuvia

By the time you're heading back to the palace as the sun sets, her whole perspective about the day has shifted. She might ask you to do this again, if she needs to do something undercover

She chooses to wait until after poofing back to have dinner. After the day she's had, she wants her Golden Goose

She eventually agrees to let you tell parts of the story to her family members. Watching their reactions helps remind her that they did not look down on her, but truthfully admired her as a kid

Muriel

Completely frozen. It's up to you to make the first move

He understands what happened as soon as it happens, but he's in denial about it

He'll only start moving once you ask him if he's okay, if anything hurts, if he can talk, etc

The sudden levels of attention you're showing him will spur him to action and then he'll start responding again, shifting around and pulling the shirt he's drowning in closer around his shoulders

You'll probably end up tucking him back in bed and suggesting he rest and get over the shock a little more while you prepare breakfast. He'll agree because he's not sure what else to do

It really hits home with him when he sits down to a full, hot meal at the small table with you. You accidentally prepared the amount that the two of you normally eat and he doesn't remember ever having a full stomach at this age

You'll watch him wolf down his plate and then pause, struggling between the instinct to eat while there is food and the desire to savor having more food than he can eat

The morning continues like that, with him silently processing all the ways his life has changed for the better from his childhood's perspective

There is a funny moment with the chickens when it's time to feed them, of course

They've had to wait a few extra hours, so as soon as they hear the feed bucket they're charging at you twice as aggressively as normal

Now that he's small, they don't seem as tiny to him any more, and the hungry chicken avalanche leaves him a little shaken

You decide to give him a day as quiet and pleasant and safe as he deserved as a kid

You'll pack a big lunch of his favorites and go on a quiet stroll through the woods, listening to the bird song and admiring the plants

It's a strange experience for him because he's so used to being the biggest thing in the woods that having to look up at stuff is weird, and slightly frightening

On the other hand, the different vantage point has him noticing all kinds of details that never stood out to him before

Eating your packed lunch together in fields where the grass grows above his head is surreal. Being able to lie down next to you and know that only you and the sky and birds can see him is liberating

When he poofs back after returning to the hut, it's the first time he's felt truly thankful for his size. He can protect you better like this, now that he's been reminded of what the world can be like when you're small

Portia

It takes her a second. She hit the notebook instead of your face because her curls were in her eyes, and they're still in her eyes, but why are her arms so short when she pushes them out of her face?

Whoah, you've turned into a giant. Scratch that, everything is big now, that means she must have shrunk

Now she's spotting the notebook in your hand and the shock on your face, and her own voice confirms it

"MC, I just set off a spell, didn't I?"

You're nodding slowly, watching her carefully stand up and look around

When she turns back to you, it's with an all-too-familiar look of mischief

"This bed is huge when I'm this size! I don't have to worry about breaking it at all!"

She's bouncing on the bed, shrieking with laughter and giggling, and all you can feel is relief that she sees the mishap as a good thing

She'll ask you to send a message giving her the day off of work, of course, and then she'll start brainstorming things to do while she chases a very confused Pepi around the house

"Do you think they'll give me pastries if I ask nicely since I'm so small now? You have to admit I'm pretty cute. I bet I could ask for anything!"

So. Much. Energy. You end up leaving her to her own devices while you get breakfast together, and by the time she sits down to eat she's already deconstructed the entire living room

All of her shirts have wide necklines and don't stay up on her tiny form, so you have to put her in one of your own with a ribbon for a sash. Good luck trying to tie up her curls

You decide to take her into town for the day, on the condition that she not let go of your hand. You both agree eventually to tie a ribbon around her wrist for you to hold on to just in case

You're able to find her clothes that fit, and get a read on Julian's most likely location

As soon as you find him and he spots Portia, he is one smiling mess. So much of his identity is wrapped up in trying to be a good older brother to her, and now he has the chance to do that as an adult

He'll put her up on his shoulders and the three of you will saunter through all the fun parts of town, getting into all the best kinds of trouble

You'll get a summons from Nadia as well for afternoon tea. She wants to see one of her best friends as a child too

When Portia poofs back that evening all the exhaustion will hit her at once like a wave. This day will become one of her fondest memories

Lucio

Is convinced that you're just playing mind games to make the world look bigger than it is until you show him the notebook and explain that it's the same spell that hit you previously

He's a little panicked now. He's been able to survive this long because he was strong and vicious, and when he needed your help his big thing to contribute was his ability to protect you

What if you decide to leave because he can't protect you like this? He couldn't blame you, after the past you unearthed with him he knows you know exactly who he is and sometimes it's hard to believe you love him anyways

You can recognize those wide eyes and trembling lips anywhere, the first thing you're doing is pulling him into a hug

The hug does him in, Morga was never the affectionate type and being held in a such a safe embrace when he feels so small makes him fall apart a little

Will deny any and all emotional vulnerability. He has a reputation to uphold, dammit

You'll get him situated with one of his shirts and a scrapped together sash. He's too busy marveling at having both arms again to complain about it not being stylish

Quickly realizes from your reactions to his requests that he is in fact adorable in this form. Contrary to your expectations, he doesn't mind that at all

It's also becoming more and more apparent that the child-likeness is affecting him. It turns out his obsessive love of partying comes from a very playful nature

If you're on a job at the time, you'll decide to make it a travel day

He'll find a stick to use as his sword and tuck it into his sash since you've temporarily confiscated the real one

He's running circles around you, yelling his little boy's heart out, scrambling up every large rock you pass so you can compliment his climbing skills

Each time you praise him he'll flush, his normally sharp smile softer with the baby fat on his cheeks and his scrawny chest all puffed up with pride. Being a kid around someone who lets him actually act like one is the best thing that's ever happened to him

And that's how most of the day passes, traveling a bit slower than usual through nature, listening to his breathless story telling as he fights off imaginary beasts with his wooden sword and kissing the bumps and scrapes he gets so they heal better

He begins to get a little scared when night falls, because he knows his golden day is about to come to an end

So as soon as he poofs back, you pull him back into your arms so he knows you will always be there to hold him, no matter the state he's in

#the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #the arcana #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana fluff #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

[boinin]

Kaiser's characterisation and the flashback's position in the timeline

Chapter 243's official English release is available, and it's the most insight we've had into Kaiser (and Ness's dedication to him) since they've been introduced. So forgive my rambling.

My initial impression of Kaiser in this chapter was that Rin has a rival for the mantle of edgiest teenager. Did that little diatribe cut his tongue on its way out?

More seriously, have a lengthy analysis of both the timeline and Kaiser's character under the cut, featuring references to Christianity. Years of Catholic upbringing are finally paying off /s

Timeline

I always get hung up on event dates when it comes to Blue Lock (cos I write post-canon stuff and like to keep the lore consistent). It seems like the Bastard Munich try-outs took place not that long before the Neo Egoist League started—maybe as little as a year beforehand?

I believe the flashback takes place around April 2018, or the year before at the earliest. Here's my reasoning.

The panels of the outdoors in chapters 242 and 243 give spring vibes. More tellingly, Kaiser and Ness don't seem all that much younger than they do in the NEL. The main indicator of time elapsing between the flashback and the present manga setting is the addition of Kaiser's crown and thorns.

There's no legislation underpinning the legal status of tattooing in Germany (same as Ireland). But the industry tends to self regulate in the absence of law; another source mentioned that in Germany, people aged 16 or 17 may receive a tattoo only with the consent and/or presence of their legal guardian.

Did Kaiser have anyone in his life willing to accompany him to get a neck tattoo before he turned 18? My hunch is not, based on what he's hinted at in this chapter. So maybe he is 18 in this flashback... or maybe he got a back-alley tattooist to do the rose for him while underage. 🤷‍♀️

In any case, he was likely 18 by the time he got the sleeve done, putting him at either 18 or 19 during the Neo Egoist League. I like @echari3's theory that he's a Christmas baby for reasons I'm about to touch on; that would put him at 19 as of 25 December 2018. He can't be any older; otherwise, he'd be playing in the regular men's league, not at U20 level.

Ness is outwardly quite impressionable and childlike, so he strikes me as being younger than Kaiser or even Isagi—maybe 17 during the NEL? But who knows.

Strange trinity: Kaiser's characterisation

Anyway, back to Kaiser. This is something echari3 has already talked about, as have others, but this chapter further supports the allegories around how Kaiser is perceived (or portrayed) as a Christ-like figure.

The way he offers his hand to Ness—someone in despair, who lacks camaraderie and vision—gives strong Jesus vibes. At least visually; in terms of dialogue, Kaiser speaks like a kid who's decided swearing every other sentence makes him sound tough. But I digress.

Furthermore, Kaiser is capable of "miracles"... at least in a footballing sense. The way this scruffy kid drives a reversal of fortune in this game defies expectations.

His strong kicks and positioning sense are awe-inspiring to Ness, who looks at Kaiser like he's his personal saviour by the end of the match. Because he is. Through Kaiser's intervention, Ness is able to leave his cruel family home and pursue "magic" as a professional footballer. He becomes his first follower.

Kaiser goes on to get thorns tattooed around his arm, as well as a crown on his hand. A crown made of thorns is heavily associated with Jesus Christ (another nod to echari3, who made this connection in her post 💙).

If I had more time to re-read the NEL volumes, there's further similarities between Christ and Kaiser that I'd like to delve into. For one thing, as of the Ubers match, Kaiser is close to being persecuted by Isagi and his teammates, who seek to establish their own dominance over Bastard Munchen. His role as the "king" is being questioned, as Christ's claim to be the Son of God was. It'll be interesting to see how that pans out. Will Kaiser punish the non-believers... or will he be betrayed? Will he appear to die... only to be resurrected at a future date? *cough* the U20 World Cup

Anyway, that's a post for another time. The Christian symbolism doesn't end here though; it just takes a swerve in later panels.

Anyone familiar with the Bible will be aware Kaiser is overtly connected with that mythos: he is named after Michael, a high-ranked archangel. The name itself can be interpreted to mean “who is like God?” (a rhetorical question, since there are none like God according to scripture), or alternatively “gift from God.”

The Biblical angel has many roles and associations, but he is primarily regarded as a warrior, acting as the leader of Heaven's army. Furthermore, Wikipedia references a source which states: "He is viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the "spiritual warrior", his conflict with evil taken as "the battle within"".

This all tracks in respect of Kaiser's characterisation. He is a strong, tall player with incredible strength, endurance and accuracy. He has a weapon (Kaiser Impact) and appears both omniscient (due to MV) and omnipresent (due to his good playmaking and positioning sense) at the start of the NEL. He's exceptional in every sense. He also has some... issues, psychologically. There's definitely a struggle going on under that ridiculous mullet.

But Kaiser's dialogue in the blue rose panel is interesting. He states that the rose symbolises "making the impossible possible in a rebellion against God". This wording brings to mind another Biblical figure: also an angel, but, er... on the opposite side.

This verbal allusion to Satan tracks with Kaiser's rather villainous aspiration to cause his rivals despair. It fits well, being that the Devil is said to reside in Hell, a place that is almost always depicted as being deep underground.

In conclusion, Kaiser's characterisation is multifaceted. He has the ability to inspire and lead others; he is capable of miracles; he is comparable to a god among U20 league footballers; he is waging a war on behalf of Bastard Munchen against his Japanese teammates; and he desires to send all his rivals to metaphorical hell. God, Angel and Devil, all in one. He's his own strange Trinity.

Without further information about his backstory and the reason for his desire to overcome "God", it's hard to draw conclusions. But he's certainly a fascinating little jerk.

I have some theories on what Kaiser's life looked like before meeting Ness, but that warrants its own post another time.

#blue lock #blue lock manga #blue lock manga spoilers #blue lock spoilers #bllk chp 242 #alexis ness #michael kaiser #kainess #mine #blue lock analysis #bllk analysis #boinin talks bllk #long post #tw christianity

[sistemshock]

Ranking Saw traps by whether or not my dog would survive them

Part 1: Saw 0.5 and Saw (2004)

This is Camo, my 2.5 pound 11 year old tea cup yorkie. And today we’re going to be ranking saw traps by whether or not he could survive them.

Saw 0.5

The Reverse Bear Trap

This is an easy trap for Camo to beat. He is simply too small for this trap to do anything to him. He would slip out of the contraption very easily. Should he stay put he would also easily survive this trap. The device would completely miss him as it went off. Right over his head. It would scare him tho.

10/10 survival rate

Saw (2004)

The Razor Wire Maze

This is a very easy trap to survive if you are a very tiny doggy. Camo would easily fit right under all of the razor wire and not get hurt. I am a little skeptical about escape however. As the exit is up a staircase. And he is very scared of climbing steps. But otherwise this is very doable for him. I’m gonna give it a…

9/10 survival rate

Flammable Jelly Trap

This is a hard no right off the bat. First of all there are way too many moving pieces. Not only can he not fiddle with the lock as he has no thumbs, but he also would not be able to reach the flame. The numbers on the walls would startle and confuse him and the broken glass would hurt his paws.

0/10 survival rate

Reverse Bear Trap

Re: saw 0.5 rating

The Bathroom Trap

This is an interesting one to rank as it involves the participation of other people. Camo would very easily escape the chains as they would be much too big to contain him. He would slide right out. However he would be of no aid to the other person in the room. Assuming he is in Lawrence’s corner then the lights would never get turned on as the switch is very high up. If he is adam’s corner then he is too small to do things like look through the toilet tank. This is of course assuming he was not placed inside the tub. As he is a very poor swimmer and would be too small to climb out. He would also not figure out how to work or use the cassette player. However like I said he does have the upper hand with being free of any chains. Thus all he has to do is wait for someone to open the door. Either Zepp or Jigsaw. Then he can quickly dart under their legs. He will of course still be trapped in a vast series of underground tunnels. So I’m not sure about that. I’m giving this trap a dubious

6/10 survival rate (if in Lawrence’s corner)

0/10 survival rate (if in tub)

The Drill Chair

It’s difficult to assign a true rating to this trap as it was not shown in its full capacity. However from what we see I think this is an easy trap to survive for camo. As he is much too small for the drills to reach him. To him this trap is just a another chair. As for escape I believe Rigg would take him home with him.

10/10 survival rate

Quadruple Shotgun Hallway Trap

Another easy trap for camo as he would not be able to set off the trip wire. He is far too small to reach the trip wire. Also the hallway is located at the bottom of a staircase and camo would never voluntarily go down a staircase.

10/10 survival rate

Zepp Hindle’s Test

Camo would not be able to kidnap nor threaten anyone. He only has three teeth. Also I doubt Jigsaw would be able to accurately estimate how much poison to dose camo with. As it would need to be a very very small amount. Perhaps Allison and Diana could take him to an emergency vet? If Jigsaw is lying about being the only person with the antidote that is. Much to think about.

5/10 survival rate

#saw 0.5 #saw 2004 #saw 2004 spoilers #dog #yorkie #everyone check out my new series

[alicedrawslesmis]

Today's chapter really is like... Excuse me she's literally dying over there can you two please have some decency and figure your shit out outside.

But jokes aside, we have here two motifs that keep repeating themselves, an echo of the Conventionist, of words and reactions spoken between life and death, and this theme of Divine authority versus mundane authority. Fantine is the conventionist and Valjean is the bishop come to bless her but being the one who is blessed

And since Javert instinctively obeys the highest authority in the room because he's literally a dog (and at this point they thought this was how dogs worked) he obeys Valjean's divine mandate. Tho also he had an iron bar with him, you get my point.

It's very interesting how Javert's loyalties change because he doesn't think for himself and only reacts to outside forces. This character is fascinating as like an idea. I've seen this idea play out in Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game but it isn't the only time I've seen it, it's also a repeated theme is the Star Trek original series, to name a couple examples.

It's also something that ties into orientalism (I've been reading Edward Said shh) and like this contrast of the learned enlightened Western man versus the base, thoughtless, purely instinctual and reactive Oriental. And the oriental of course is not a set thing but a vague definition that can change meanings depending on context. For Stefan Zweig this man is represented by an eastern european peasant contrasted to an intellectual austrian royalist. The entire novella is about the futile battle between the two extremes, the internal journey and the purely external. In Star Trek the contrast is between a being of pure unfeeling logic, a computer, and its inherent inferiority to a man according to Roddenberry's point of view. The computer always loses to the greatness of man's empathy and instinct. It's also like, wish fulfillment. To try to make yourself believe you can't be replaced by a computer.

Anyway this was a bit of a tangent because I have some thoughts about Star Trek's orientalism re: Spock. But also because Hugo looooooves an illuminism VS barbarism contrast and he loooooves orientalism. And I argue that Les Mis is actually a turning point for him. Because if you read Toilers of the Sea what you get is actually a kind of reversal or culmination of his ideas on the grotesque and the barbarian. Maybe because he left France and actually saw that there are other people in the world with different worldviews and he was able to grasp them because they were still European

edit: Edward Said talks a lot about Victor Hugo, Flaubert and Nerval in Orientalism btw and an attentive reader can very clearly see the aspects of orientalism that stil permeate Les Mis even when he isn't even talking about the orient itself. The orient presents itself as a dramatic trope or a creation of the ""West"" for their dramas... Good book btw

[tavina-writes]

Just there to say, loch 2017 fight scenes are the best thing ever!! I like them SO MUCH. so, I am wondering, very foolishly, how is jin yong writing style? Does he write great combat scenes?

Also, I am insane over how everyone can teach everyone?? I remembered in mdzs a part where it is stated that people can't learn different cultivation styles, or their cultivation will be compromised. It's an interesting world building. Like, loch world building is quite different from mdzs. It's such a great drama!

omg I am SO GLAD you're also hyped up on the fight scenes. The fight scenes in LOCH 2017 are spectacular and SHOULD be hyped. Everyone has very distinct and VERY cool fighting and I adore it.

On to Jin Yong's writing style and combat scenes, I think this depends a number of factors, but I really love Jin Yong's writing. It's a bit difficult to get across in translation, but there are some REALLY great imagery and poetry in his work and honestly it's a crying shame the translation has a hard time getting this across. I think the best way I can describe it is that it's evocative? Sweeping?

For example:

Though the two’s laughter had gone, their faces still carried a smile, the valleys quietly echoed back the sounds of two people laughing. Northern Beggar and Western Poison have been adversaries for many years, they hated each other, how could it be that they ended up dead together on Mount Hua. The two of them were enemies when they were alive, just before they died they were hugging each other, laughing. All the feuds and arguments that they have had over the years were finished over a laugh! - Return of the Condor Heroes, Chapter 11: A Pause From Roaming

or:

Tuolei gazed at Guo Jing's back, which became smaller and smaller. Like a dark shadow on the vastness of the desert, [he] finally disappeared on the southern horizon. - Legend of the Condor Heroes, Chapter 38: Secret Order in the Embroidered Pouch

As for the fight scenes themselves, I think they're often really dynamic and fun to read about (though the narrator LOVES digressions into historical stuff surrounding the fight scenes; I could talk about the LOCH narrator all day but I'll contain myself since this post will be REALLY LONG regardless) and they're very detailed, but they do kind of rely on the reader having some genre knowledge -- what certain acupuncture points are/where they are/strong visualization abilities to figure out where everyone is/etc.

On to your second paragraph of thoughts: actually! Well, okay so I think there's a slight difference between being a cultivator and like, being a LOCH style martial artist. This is fermenting in my documents somewhere re: society related meta but typically in cultivator novels, cultivation (of Qi, internal energy, etc) is separated from the martial arts bit (which weapon you fight with, palms, fist, sword etc). MDZS is a bit complex in that it doesn't really uh, distinguish between these two things and also doesn't really care much about say, "this sect has these specific specialties and moves" etc.

But basically: the way you cultivate your qi in these sorts of novels is typically sect specific and very secretive and incompatible with how other people in other sects cultivate their qi and this is actually no different in LOCH! But for like, external martial arts -- how you punch and swing a sword or be able to do x or y -- that tends to be transferable between people of different sects and you even have characters who are easily capable of imitating what they see from other sects/reverse engineering how a character can do x move or y move. (Huang Rong in the book is a great example of this!) Specific moves are also very heavily specialized to specific sects (the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms are a Beggar Clan specialty, etc) -- so people in Jin Yong universes are able to recognize each other's sects and maybe even specific shifu(!) by the types of moves they use if they're seasoned jianghu travelers. Which. Also can't happen in MDZS bc MDZS doesn't really care about this sort of thing.

What's happening to say, Guo Jing in LOCH regarding so many people being able to teach him stuff, is that:

His qi/internal energy basis is from the Quanzhen Sect which is Taoist and the most orthodox sect in the martial world, which means he's got a very mainstream and well established internal energy basis and can very easily incorporate anything that is Taoist philosophy related regarding how to cultivate qi. (The 9 Yin Manual was developed by a government minister who read too many Taoist Philosophy Manuals, Zhou Botong, while not a Taoist Priest has long been affiliated with Quanzhen and his own qi cultivation philosophy also aligns with orthodox Taoist cultivation practices etc).

A lot of the moves that people are teaching other people in this story are external martial arts moves. How to punch, how to use this particular weapon, etc. Most of this is not strictly, in Jin Yong philosophy, linked to your internal qi cultivation. These are therefore, easily transferable.

We actually get an example of what happens when you try to cultivate qi via a way that isn't compatible with how you know how to cultivate! When Mei Chaofeng and Guo Jing meet at the cave in Zhao Palace early on in the story, she's actually suffering from a qi deviation that blocked her ability to use her legs because her qi cultivation basis is an unorthodox method based on Peach Blossom Island's personal philosophy, and she'd been trying to work out instructions on how to cultivate qi in the 9 Yin Manual which was Taoist philosophy based and actually heavily injured herself while doing it! Which is why she can't walk or use her legs.

This is all explained in the novel by our helpful narrator friend who is the most bonkers of all the narrators I've ever met. Narrator friend will tell you all #TrueFacts but they WILL drop some out of the 17th story window and never ever come back to address this ever again bc narrator friend doesn't care and refuses to explain themselves if they don't want to. If narrator friend told you it's 100% factually true, but. At What Cost. (Imagine if you will, you're being told a very long and rambling story by a friend who, if you ask them to expand on a certain thing will sometimes go "oh we don't have time for that! MOVING ON THOUGH, let me tell you about the politics of late stage Song Dynasty China, you want to know that right?????")

:D Thanks for the ask Mar! I'm glad you're having a good time with LOCH 2017.

#legend of the condor heroes #guo jing #asks and answers #meta #my meta #god I have so many THOUGHTS about our narrator friend in LOCH #they're nuts #but in such a different way than MDZS's narrator friend

[bunnydayss]

hiiii ! i absolutely enjoyed your random skz pair hcs :)) can i request for 2min and jeonglix? only if you're taking requests !! thank you <3

╭─────────────.★.. ─────╮

✰ Requested Skz–Pair Headcannons: ✰

╰───── ..★.─────────────╯

(Please note that I do not actually ship them in real life, this is for pure fun and giggles. — It might also not be realistic lol).

Pairs included: 2Min, Jeonglix

Listen along while you read :)

————————————————————————

[ Re: ] hihi 🙌 I’m so glad you enjoyed the first part AAAAAA—requests are totally open yes, and I hope you enjoy the hcs ❤️❤️ (I’d also like to thank you for being so sweet).

————————————————————————

. . .

:: 🌿 2Min 🌿 :: ( Minho & Seungmin )

• Cat and dog dynamic, but hear me out it sometimes reverses and Minho will be the one acting like a golden retriever to a snarky Seungmin.

• Minho proposes first, no particular reason why other than he was faster to buy the ring and prepare his big moment.

• Married couple vibes, they bicker but it’s usually just pointless fighting. If an argument erupts to a somewhat significant level, Minho becomes level headed and tones down the situation with a distraction while their temper dials down. (“WELL YOU—”, “Hey, okay. Let’s take a break, and circle back. You probably haven’t eaten lunch yet right?”, “no..”, “Okay, I’ll go make something.”).

• Both are hardheaded as hell, not to mention a little petty. So it’ll either work in your favor, when they agree with you on something, or it’s your worst nightmare. (The rest of SKZ has been on the back burner of many heavily fueled arguments from 2Min).

• Teasing Minho whenever Seungmin wants affection if any kind, be it verbal, physical or anything in between. For this reason, Seungmin avoids being direct about what he wants, little does he know Minho reads right through him.

• Minnie likes to sneak a taste at whatever Minho’s cooking when he thinks he isn’t looking. (He is, and he lets it go).

• Minho got Seungmin a tiny flip-able magnet for their fridge that lets him know what he’s in the mood for. (One side says cuddly, the other says prickly). Communicating without communicating, their favorite thing.

. . .

:: 🌸 Jeonglix 🌸 :: ( Jeongin & Felix )

• If they fight it usually ends in both parties in tears, extremely sensitive to conflict. They both go their own ways to calm down but always sleep in the same bed no matter how bad the fight is. They collectively have a mindset of “you’re not going anywhere until we figure this out” and will spend an entire day talking it out if they have to.

• Felix definitely has to snatch I.N.’s devices away, in order to make sure he gets sleep. If that doesn’t work, he nags him over and over under he gives up and slightly (Jeongin would argue he doesn’t at all, but that’s just denial) cuddles Felix back.

• “Things he says when he thinks I’m asleep” trope!! Late at night, when the two are in bed, Jeongin definitely voices some thoughts he wouldn’t dare to if Felix was awake. (Yet somehow in the back of his mind, Jeongin knows Felix is listening to him, but refuses to listen to that thought).

• Felix proposes first, because of course he does—Innie had pondered on making the first move but chickened out, scared of rejection.

• Jeongin thinks Felix fell first, but everyone (including Felix) knows he’s had a soft spot for Felix ever since he met him. Jeongin both fell first and fell harder when he realized his feelings (after Felix confessed).

• Sickeningly sweet affection from Felix both excites and scares Innie, he’s not used to constant skinship, but eventually his walls crumble for Felix and for Felix **only**.

• Felix likes to hoard items from their dates (e.g. tickets from going to the movies) to remember how far they’ve come and how comfortable they’ve grown.

———————

This was a lot of fun! If you have any requests please ask away (SKZ, TXT and maybe some other groups but it depends on my familiarity with them).

P.S. Even if I’ve already done the pair you want, you can still request! (I can write more 🙌).

Don’t forget to eat and drink water :)

#straykids #incorrect kpop #skz incorrect quotes #incorrect kpop quotes #incorrect stray kids quotes #kpop #lee minho #lee know #kim seungmin #seungmin #2min #skz 2min #yang jeongin #jeongin #i.n skz #felix #lee yongbok #lee felix #jeonglix #heacanons #skz headcanons

[thebookewyrme]

So. The Ghost City Discord has concocted a novel. A Secret First MXTX Novel. MXTX’s Goncharov if you will.

First, it must be stressed that this is not actually a novel, but a Takarazuka script. All roles are played by women. Second, the name is Bones of the Dragon Sword Master (BDSM 😏).

So, the basic plot is a kind of Romeo and Juliet to start off…but it’s genderqueer the whole way down. Red/black feral woman-disguised-as-a-man is forced to marry the cool white/green man-disguised-as-a-woman from a enemy cultivation clan. (Please remember that both these characters are played by female actors. Does your head hurt yet?) Their wedding night is a farce of confusion but after much hijinks the two figure out their assigned genders and actually fall in love. They continue to insist that he is the “wife” and she is the “husband”. Everybody has a gender-induced headache by this point.

All well and good, but the happy couple is puzzled by their families enmity and set out to find what has caused it and bring the feud to an end if possible. Many hijinks ensue as they sift through family lore and learn that all of their grandparents were the students of one master, the Dragon Sword Master. But none of them is talking. So our intrepid duo sets out to find the Dragon Sword Master together. In his mountain training school, they find only his bones.

Spoilers ahead!

Our protagonists are stumped for a bit, until they learn somehow of a ritual that will re-animate the Dragon Sword Master and allow them to speak with him. The only problem is it requires a particular McGuffin. As it turns out though, they each possess 4 pieces of the McGuffin passed down from each of their grandparents. Combined, they are able to complete the ritual.

Unfortunately, the reason the Dragon Sword Master had died was that he had attempted to take over the world and his students had banded together to stop him. As soon as he is re-animated he summons an army of undead cultivators to complete his plan, and captures the protagonists. They get a message out to their families, and all 8 grandparents come out of retirement and band together to stop the Dragon Sword Master again and save their grandchildren. Along the way, they remember how close they all used to be before politics and arranged marriages tore them apart. Separated couples come back together and realize they still love each other despite being married to others. Every single couple is gay. The grandfathers hook up with each other, and the grannies become lovers.

I will remind you again, every character is played by a woman in sweeping makeup and grand cDrama costumes.

Anyway, the grandfathers and grannies succeed in putting down the Dragon Sword Master, halting his dastardly plan, freeing their grandchildren (each still dressed as the opposite gender) and everyone goes off to live happily ever after.

(Credit to toffeecape and Basingstoke for the ideas and plot).

So what say you tumblr MXTX fans? Can we Goncharov this? Can we reverse engineer this secret First MXTX work?

#goncharov #mxtx novels #unreality #TGCF #MDZS #svsss #discord shenanagins #crowdsourced collaborative content #cdramas #takarazuka #takarazuka revue #genderqueer #lgbtq #queer #so so genderqueer #queering the narrative

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Vesta enters retrograde zone

Timeline (current events in bold)

Friday, August 18, 2023, 02:04 UT - transiting Vesta enters pre-retrograde shadow, 21°45’ Gemini

Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 23:22 UT - transiting Vesta enters Cancer

Friday, November 3, 2023, 01:52 UT - transiting Vesta stations retrograde, 7°30’ Cancer

Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 10:08 UT - transiting Vesta retrogrades back into Gemini

Thursday, February 8, 2024, 09:44 UT - transiting Vesta stations direct, 21°45’ Gemini

Sunday, March 31, 2024, 10:56 UT - transiting Vesta re-enters Cancer

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 03:07 UT - transiting Vesta exits post-retrograde shadow, 7°30’ Cancer

-=-=-+-=-=-

Caveat: this may not have much of an impact on you unless Vesta is prominent in your birth chart - strongly in aspect to the Sun, Moon, &/or an angle.

Because I have about a hundred things to do before school resumes (my day job is being a paraeducator in a local high school) I’m going to figuratively hand the mic over to Martin Bulgerin (from his site www . biopscinst . com):

Vesta rules over a core sense of identity and independence, a kind of faithfulness to yourself that allows no compromise or selling out. You are focused or centered in yourself, able to tap into the great powers of the self when you act out of truthfulness and integrity. When Vesta is in reverse, this fidelity to yourself is tested. Situations come up that force you to decide how much integrity really means to you and how much you'd rather "slide through life". She teaches us to be beholden to nobody, to stand up and be responsible for ourselves, to demand the best of every experience.

Because this is the pre-retrograde shadow, we need to be alert for/aware of possible issues in Vesta’s areas:

Personal integration

Devotional/religious activities

Scholastic interests

One’s work or path of service

Just be alert, and note anything that comes up - we’ll do the actual work when Vesta is going backwards. Some potential trigger times are (with a couple of days on either side):

Monday, August 21 - Vesta/Gemini semi-sextile Uranus/Taurus. Some little inner nudge of dissatisfaction; we’re lacking something important.

Monday, August 28 - Vesta/Gemini sextile Eris Rx/Aries. We are so going to make it right!

Saturday, September 2 - Vesta/Gemini square Neptune Rx/Pisces; Sunday, September 3 - Vesta/Gemini sextile North Node/Aries, trine South Node/Libra. We have a goal, but we aren’t sure how to get there - or vice versa, we know how to get there but we don’t know what “there” might be. Patience.

Thursday, September 7 - Vesta/Gemini inconjunct Pluto Rx/Capricorn. Making adjustments; concern with health or skills.

Wednesday, September 13 - Vesta/Gemini square Pallas Athene/Virgo. Lack of focus, distracted by everyday problems.

#Astrology #Transiting Vesta enters retrograde zone #Ms M astrologer

[the-eeveekins]

2023 Gunpla Recap

I built a lot of Gunpla in 2023! Some of that is because I was unemployed for a month and a half and some of that is because I don't spend a ton of time on each kit. I like gunpla because I can usually build something nice in an afternoon. So without further ado...

RG RX-93ff Nu Gundam

My first build of the year but I didn't "finish" it until I got the Double Fin Funnel expansion set later. While I'm not a big fan of the Nu, I did want to own at least one kit of it, and was intrigued by the ff with it's classic tri-color color scheme. The giant funnel is a little goofy, but the kit itself is fantastic.

RG Tallgeese III

This kit looks fantastic but I hated nearly every minute building it.

MG Char's Z'Gok

Of all the Z'Gok's I've built, this one is my favorite. It's a shame the box got absolutely destroyed during shipping.

HG Gundam Aerial

I couldn't get ahold of an Aerial until after S1 ended. Great kit, but those reverse stickers are a nightmare.

MG Dozle Zabi's Custom Zaku II

This is technically the Dozle Zabi P-Bandai kit, but I really got it as an excuse to build my own custom Zaku II (Teal/black being my favorite color combo and MORE SPIKES!) I haven't finished it yet though.

SD Xiao Qiao GN Archer

I love the Gundam Artemie/GN Archer, tho I'm not a big fan of the Sangoku SD kits. I mostly bought this for my wife, who loves it.

HG Hashmal

The Hasmal is so cool, I'm glad I was finally able to snag one. I kinda gave up once I got to the Pluma though.

HG Demi-Trainer (Holder Custom)

The first kit I ever fully painted, and it shows. Still more or less happy how it turned out, although I forgot to mask the visor when I top coated it x.x

HG Gundam TR-6 [Woundwort] Psycho Blade Custom

My 2nd Woundwort, I had to get it for the fancy V-Fin. I don't like it as much as the original Woundwort though, it definitely loses something in all black.

HG Gundam Aerial Rebuild

I built this at a time when I was seriously considering abandoning the HG line because how much I'd grown to dislike the builds. But this kit was so amazing it rekindled my interest in HGs. I highly recommend it.

MGSD Freedom Gundam

This may be one of my favorite kits this year. Absolutely amazing build with zero stickers. It felt great to assemble, feels great to hold and looks amazing. I hope the MGSD line sticks around because this one was GREAT!

RG Destiny Impulse Gundam

Definitely knew I had to have this one as soon as I saw it. Destiny Impulse is a favorite of mine and it's glorious in kit form. The colors are gorgeous.

FRS Suletta Mercury & Miorine Rembran

Two for one! I had to keep Sulemio together. These were my first FRS kits (poseable figures usually aren't my thing) and they're...okay? I was actually surprised by how much effort the Suletta kit required with it's uniform stickers, and the waterslide decals for the eyes on both were a nightmare. I have the normal uniform Suletta on pre-order, but I'm not in a hurry to build another one.

FM Gundam Aerial (Permet Score Six)

Oh, what a wonderful build. It's not quite a MG on the inside, but it absolutely looks the part on the outside. I painted the shell units blue for that Score Six look, although it doesn't pop as much as I'd like. I hope this line continues.

MG Testament Gundam

The Testament has been a favorite of mine for a long time, so this was a grail kit for me. I wish it was molded in the original white instead of red (and the build was kind of bad), but this kit looks fantastic!

MG Re-GZ Custom

Much like I wanted to build at least 1 Nu Gundam, I also wanted to build at least one Zeta Gundam. I'm not enough of a fan of the Zeta to buy it, but the Re-GZ Custom is IMO the coolest of the Zeta line, especially with the AK-47 Beam rifle.

HG Gundam Calibarn

The Calibarn is now my favorite Gundam, and I love this kit. However, it does require a lot of stickers (the broom thrusters are AWFUL) and/or detail painting to get complete color accuracy, which makes it a little bit of a tedious build, IMO.

HG Demi-Barding

From here on out it's all G-Witch (for a very specific reason). The Barding may have been criminally underutilized in the show, but the kit itself is great! Mind you, it's basically the Demi-Trainer build with a new trim and a fancy backpack.

HG Gundam Pharact

This kit made me fall in love with the Pharact itself, what a great design. Those C Clips are absolutely terrifying though.

HG Gundam Schwarzette

Perhaps my favorite HG kit ever. It's a fun and easy build, looks great with minimal effort, and those thick stickers for the sword are so satisfying to apply. This kit comes with my highest recommendation.

HG Gundam Aerial (Permet Score Six)

I definitely prefer this over the retail Aerial. It still has those reverse stickers, but the glitter effect on the shell unit covers really makes them pop (please do one like this for Calibarn, Bandai).

HG Gundam Excalibarn

My goal was to create a Gundam that used the Aerial's Escutcheon shield, the Schwarzette's Guardian sword and the Calibarn's broom rifle. It's not 100% finished yet, but I'm satisfied with how it's come out so far.

HG Gundam Lfrith Ur

Solid kit, love the teal armor, hate all the sanding.

HG Gundam Lfrith Thorn

Ugly as sin, yet it keeps growing on me over time. More horible sanding, but I want to kitbash it with the Ur someday.

#gunpla #gundam

[houseofhurricane]

In ACOMAF and ACOWAR, our favorite characters are dealing with a mysterious substance that renders them incapable of performing magic: faebane. 

I found this plotline interesting, but didn’t think much more about it until I came across this scene, early on in ACOWAR:

Lucien stood, back against a tree—twin bands of blue stone shackled around his wrists. I’d seen them before. On Rhys, to immobilize his power. Stone hewn from Hybern’s rotted land, capable of nullifying magic. And in this case...holding Lucien against that tree as Ianthe surveyed him like a snake before a meal (ACOWAR, 85).

Aside from being completely grossed out by Ianthe (she gets worse every time I reread this series), I was struck by the description of that stone. The fact that it’s blue. It reminded me of another stone in another SJM series: gorsian stone, from Crescent City.

Sure enough, I found this description when Bryce and company are in Ydra:

Hunt went on, “This metal... The Asteri have been researching a way to make the gorsian ore absorb magic, not suppress it.” Ruhn said, “Seems like ordinary titanium to me.” “Look closer,” Hunt said. “There are slight purple veins in it. That’s the gorsian stone. I’d know it anywhere.” “So what can it do?” Bryce asked. “If I’m right,” Hunt said hoarsely, “it can draw the firstlight from the ground. From all the pipes of it crisscrossing the land. These suits would draw up the firstlight and turn it into weapons... The suit would never run out of ammo, never run out of battery life. Simply find the underground power lines, and it’d be charged up and ready to kill” (HOSAB, 473).

Now, I know that these stones are blue in ACOTAR and purple in HOSAB, but apparently Rhys and Ruhn have the same eye color, which is purple in ACOTAR and blue in HOSAB, so I’m going to assume that this stone is a similar color (which might have interesting implications).

Going back to the stone itself, gorsian stone/faebane is a huge problem for these characters. The good news? In ACOTAR, they have solved the problem of faebane:

“And what has this to do with the faebane?” Helion demanded. Thesan’s lover seethed at the High Lord of Day’s tone, but one glance from Thesan had the male relaxing. Nuan turned, her dark hair slipping over a shoulder as she studied Helion. And did not seem impressed. “Because I have found a solution for it.” Thesan waved a hand. “We heard rumors of faebane being used in this war... We thought to look into the issue before it became a deadly weakness for all of us.” He nodded at Nuan. “Beyond her unparalleled tinkering, she is a skilled alchemist.” Nuan crossed her arms, the sun glinting off her metal hand. “Thanks to the samples attained after the attack in Velaris, I was able to create an...antidote, of sorts.” (ACOWAR, 431-432)

Prythian has already found an antidote to the effects of faebane/gorsian stone. It’s a powder that they can ingest in food or drink and Thesan, Nuan, and the Dawn Court of Geniuses have already figured out how to mass produce it. This makes their victory against Hybern possible, removing one of their most powerful weapons.

I have to believe that this antidote could also be effective in Crescent City, and now that Bryce is in Prythian, she might be able to reverse the tide of her own war by coming back with the antidote.

Later in the scene, Nuan goes on to say that: “The Mother has provided us with everything we need on this earth. So it has been a matter of finding what, exactly, she gave us in Prythian to combat a material from Hybern capable of wiping out our powers” (433).

Given the significance of Prythian to the Asteri and the Fae of Midgard, I think it’s interesting that the material for this antidote is specifically from Prythian. 

We do know that SJM didn’t start planning the crossover until a year after ACOWAR’s release, but even so, I’m realizing that there are more of these significant objects and overlapping plots than I originally thought. Plus, I think this kind of save would be really satisfying to the members of the Court of Dreams—though I’ve got to be honest, I think that somewhere in the Dawn Court, Nuan is probably on to bigger and better things already.

But I definitely wouldn’t mind if she made an appearance in CC3, especially if everyone’s favorite tinkerer and alchemist had a grand reveal up her sleeve once again.

#hosab spoilers #hosab #house of sky and breath #acotar theory #gorsian stone #faebane #maasverse crossover #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #feyre archeron #rhysand #nuan #justice for nuan #i would like a whole novel about nuan please #it could be steampunk in prythian! #the possibilities!!

[fallensnowfan]

More somewhat scattered thoughts about my beloved samurai family - In general, they are a reflection of the Straw Hat crew of sorts, one who lost their Luffy. Though they held strong in spite of the overwhelming odds they faced and were able to regroup for the sake of liberating Wano from Kaido.

Each of them have been in a leadership role or top position, in some way or another, at some point in their lives.

Kin'emon - Founding member of the alliance and Momo's father figure.

Denjiro - Boss of the Yakuza and of a district in the Flower Capital. One of Hiyori's father figures.

Izo - Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Took care of Kiku on his own for a time, when the two were very young.

Kiku - Does teahouse poster girl count as a top position? I didn't see anyone else doing it. The most beautiful woman at heart. Also guided groups around Wano to where they needed to be during Acts One and Two.

Raizo - One of Wano’s best ninja.

Ashura Doji - Leader of the Atamayama mountain bandits.

Inu & Neko - Ruled Zou and are founding members of the alliance.

Kawamatsu - Holds/held the title of Yokozuna, the top sumo wrestler in Wano. One of Hiyori's father figures.

More detailed thoughts:

Kin'emon & Kiku - Attempting to reverse engineer some of their scenes. Kin'emon allowed Shinobu to escape from Onigashima with Momo, Shinobu showing she understands what Usopp would say to Kin and Kiku in chapter 1036. Kin then lived and motivated himself to find help for Kiku. I think they both needed to be hurt/in a position where they would ask Usopp to leave them, for the sake his big moment of calling out a negative part of the samurai mindset that had them being too eager to give up on life.

For Kin specifically - In a flashback near the end of the arc, Kin said. "To disregard a woman's decision that she gathered all of her courage to make does nothing but shame her." I think both he and Kiku knew what the result of re-matching the traitor would be, but they are both samurai who are very very stubborn. A bad situation all around and again, that’s why what Usopp shouted to them in 1036 is so important.

For Kiku specifically - She is forced to confront her sentimentality, the fact that the past can not be returned to, and that if she continues following the way of the samurai, being a way that is very in conflict with some of her own desires, it will only continue to harm her.

Izo - So stylish, so cool. Went with Marco to return a favor to his homeland, and to his first found family. Kiku is his younger sister, of course he would do anything he could to ensure she lives, especially after losing a younger sibling during the Marineford war. I see CP0 during the Onigashima war as being almost representative of the WG, just on a smaller scale. Izo killing one of the agents represents a step towards the WG's downfall, while it's unfortunately not so easy, the dominos have begun falling, in large part thanks to Izo. Post-Wano is the Straw Hat’s and friend’s time to continue what he started.

Denjiro - A classic One Piece badass with a goofy side, also blue. I like his story being mostly separate from the Straw Hats. Forcing every major character to interact with the main cast when it’s not needed could easily lead to awkward storytelling. Same can be said of the stories of other Wano characters as well, mainly Hiyori, Kawamatsu, and Ashura, to varying degrees.

Raizo - Extinguishing the flames of the castle is his way of not allowing a repeat of Oden Castle burning, and of repaying the Mink's for protecting him during Zou.

Ashura Doji - Most reliable of the group when it comes down to it. Easily able to see past any nonsense and recognize situations for what they really are. His joining Oden is one of my favorite recruitments of the group.

Inu - Fought Jack not out of revenge, but to keep him from creating more victims. Which I like for how it suggests he doesn't see the harm he and Zou underwent protecting a comrade as a defeat. Because they did protect Raizo.

Neko - Did fight Perospero for the sake of getting revenge. Independently of anything to do with the Kozuki clan, the Big Mom Pirates caused a lot of grief to the Minks in years past, during Whole Cake, and to Wanda and Carrot soon before Neko arrived. I like revenge being the motivation for Neko in this case.

Kawamatsu - Best Kappa. I would have liked to see him get a bit more individual spotlight and scenes with Hiyori, though the Beast Pirates who ran Udon Prison were his main tormentors, so seeing him beat them up a bunch was very cathartic. I absolutely adore his scenes with Onimaru and him being best Kappa dad to Hiyori.

#one piece #wano arc #one piece spoilers #akazaya nine #kozuki clan #kin'emon #denjiro #izo #okiku #raizo #ashura doji #inuarashi #nekomamushi #kawamatsu #kozuki hiyori #kozuki momonosuke

[notasapleasure]

I'm asking aLL THE FIC WRITER MEMES!!! in reverse order from current WIP back through your published works

Omg thank you, you mad man! But you know now I’m wondering just how much homework you set your actual students… ^^;

So I’ve chosen to interpret this in a very literal way. I started with the bottom ask and applied it to the current WIP, and worked backwards through my fics as I went up the list. I didn’t answer any of the ones that needed a trope or ship picking, but am still open to being asked if anyone wants!

★ what was the scene you most wanted to write in [fic]? what was the hardest scene to write?

(Whumptober 2022 day 31: Comfort | Bedside Vigil | “You can rest now.”) The whole thing is really just one scene, but it really did epitomise the eternal problem with writing Francis/Jerott, which is how do you get them to stop being smart with each other and just. Open up a little? Of course this opening up is also the scene I want most to write at any given time. Though any and all Jerott whump makes my horrible little gremlin brain happy, so to be able to include various flashbacks to times Jerott was having an even worse day was fun. And Francis feeling guilty about the kiss in Anemone was also fun >:} But I think finishing this one was hard. I wanted to push for more intimacy between them but that isn’t where either of them is at this point, but Francis’ care for Jerott even in his disappointment – AND VICE VERSA – is honestly one of my favourite things about Checkmate, so it was trying to do that justice while keeping them in-character.

✿ did anything major change when you started writing [fic] to when you finished?

(Only Ever Just One Night). I initially thought I’d write follow-up chapters. I had a mean little desire to whump Brasso and have Cassian get him out of a Situation. But it would have meant Plot, which I never fully managed to figure out, and then I got distracted writing lead-up smut to the friends-with-benefits situation instead. But on the whole what’s posted wrote itself really easily – it’s often the way with my first fic in a new fandom, all the initial impressions and headcanons come gushing out before I can start making problems for myself by overthinking.

☉ what do you do when you get stuck writing?

Ahhh, sulk? Nah, it doesn’t happen too often, and usually I manage to knuckle on through. A tried and tested method is a two hour bath lol. Lock the door, turn my music on, nothing to do except figure out that tricky bit of bridging. Usually results in fewer words than it feels like, but gets me through sections I’m struggling with. Also just leaving gaps and continuing to write the bit I want to write, knowing I can go back and join things together later. Making a playlist to remind myself of vibes helps, too.

✄ what’s your editing process?

I re-read quite a lot and tinker with things as I go. I quite like editing (good job as I do it all day), and I like seeing things come together, but I am awful at kill your darlings. I’m writing for fun so I just leave it all in – ‘sure this might not be relevant relevant but it adds fLAvourrrr!!’ I will stick a bunch of line-breaks in or use highlighting/bold to remind myself that a section doesn’t read well or needs adding to, though, and try to go back and figure it out before I let myself continue much further.

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

Some of the Whumptober days were like pulling teeth and I think it shows. I think the sweet spot is when I have a pretty clear idea of vibes and outcome and it’s not had the chance to outgrow containment – some scenes (e.g. the chapters at the summer house in Inchoate) lie in wait in my head and when I get to that part of the fic they practically write themselves (sometimes it’s nice stuff, sometimes it’s DDDNE, but it’s basically kind of scene or action with a concrete beginning and ending). But often fitting these scenes in – what comes just before and after – is a nightmare. And like. Yeah ok, I could just write one-shots of the scenes I want to write without the thousands and thousands of words of context but – and you might have noticed this – I am a CONTEXT FIEND. In terms of stand alone fics it’s like I said above about Only Ever Just One Night – fresh in a new fandom and determined-to-get-my-thoughts-down fics are usually dead easy to write.

✎ how do you think readers would guess a fic was yours if you posted anonymously?

Ah this one’s easy: it would be LONG. Probably at least three times as long as it needed to be. For a long time very little would happen, but the minutest detail of everyone’s body language would be described and everyone would probably be in denial about their emotions/circumstances. Most likely they would fuck nasty about it.

♡ pick a fic and I’ll pick a comment that made me really happy

(Escape Velocity) Well OF COURSE I am happy the person it was dedicated to left lovely comments. But especially where you picked up on Brasso being worried about flying in ships because he knows how to take them apart, and even more especially the idea of Cassian ‘stealing’ Brasso temporarily at the moment it’s paralleling the light on Kassa’s face when he leaves Kenari :’) it’s especially pleasing when readers pick up on stuff like that.

▵ pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite line

(Counting on You) Still a wip, so subject to change, but I’m very pleased with ‘something crueller than punishment - the certainty that Cass is loved’ and utterly delighted that @elwenyere picked it out in a comment <3

♫ send a fic and i’ll make a 3-5 song playlist for you

(Brassian saga au) Thankfully I already have a 3 hour playlist for the vibes, so to cherry pick some essentials, here we go…

Kate Bush – Get Out of My House Sam Lee – The Devil & the Huntsman Björk – Pagan Poetry Nikniume – Nonantzin Anna B. Savage – Crown Shyness

#asks #ask memes #fic asks #my writing #my fics

[widowsslump]

On this 2024/01/25 I figured I should take a moment and articulate my thoughts and feelings coming into Tekken 8 later tonight. I can see a world in which Tekken 8, despite doing it all right, repeats history like T4. But to start with the optimism. The arcades look wonderful, I had so much fun trying it in the Demo, and I look forwards to seeing if the game manages to help players come from button mashing-> thinking about their neutral -> using all 3 dimensions available. Or at least more use of the plane. -> More player choice here. But ultimately the game still needs to teach combos and frame traps and setups to their players. But these... Are complex concepts to understand, or are mechanically demanding tasks that require practice and development. In this regard the training arena at least looks incredibly promising. Learning how you lost in Tekken 8, and what might have been possible combined with their replay system revamp. I saw what this did in Starcraft 2, and short of being able to recontrol the game with 2 players, it is incredibly similar. The game of course, looks and feels amazing, smooth fluid Tekken gameplay all the way down, but of course this is the part of the game that BNE has established in the early 00's. But this is where I get into my fears. Heat and chip. Playing some of the demo, and to clarify I do not mean the crack (my raven ass has been playing Kazuya I can show the ghost.) Heat is amazing. It has minor elements of bursts re guilty gear, but they remind me more of reversal guards from Soul calibur 6 after some time recently replaying that. And in that comparison really does draw some alarm, especially considering they were not that well received there either. However my fear is not with the heat engagement so much, I think heat will prove to be much more invaluable in combos. I know in the CBT with Raven using 3+2 to get an extra tornado inbetween something akin to fF3 fF4 tornado and a 41bt4 or b242 can lead to insane wall carry and damage. With Kazuya changing my combo from df3 df1DF2 and adding in heat burst to fF2f allowed me to still throw in whichever ender I wanted. This meant that a launch near half could result in a death between the added damage, wall carry and potential wall combo/oki. This combined with the impact of chip are my two main concenrs. As it stands there are 3 major chip categories I have seen from my play and the community. First is the non-existant impact. A game where the chip damage never matters, it plays out with little impact because either 50/50's are hitting, the recoverable health is not being capitalized on, or your landing mostly clean hits instead of combos or counters and it has little impact. Secondly while I did not play the CNT, the utility of oppressive moves, with crazy on hit 50/50's with lots of chip made their MU's incredibly difficult and forced more movement. While I like Tekken because of it's movement, these matchups were toxic in their forcing your hand to fear a tactic that already gave you disadvantage. However the interest in chip has hit, there have been games I have had where we both get low, with recoverable health, and the battle becomes much tighter because of it. But I feel like this is more of an issue with casual Tekken anyways. Where players do not want to do slow things because they are less flashy. I think Tekken 8 has the promise to really help players who want to learn and ge elbow deep into the meat of Tekken do this. I think the fear however is that getting elbow deep into Tekken is a death knell for the game that requires it.

#Rambles #Tekken 8 #Video game writing #fears and hopes for Tekken 8

[ramblingaboutglee]

Brittana. Thoughts?

Ooh, question!

I will try to restrain myself from full-on rambling again. They’re sweet! Like, they’re not my absolute favourite ship on the show, but that’s more because I gravitate towards ones that are fun to make angsty and messy, and brittana aren’t really that? They’re two people who know one another so well, and will always support one another, and they’re just sweet on those grounds. 

Dynamic wise, I love the fact Santana will find any excuse to insult someone, but when it comes to Brittany she’s instantly supportive (shout out to “Our prom theme is dinosaurs!” “Sheer genius.”) Absolutely no one would get away with even half of what Brittany does if they were anyone else, but Santana has a secret soft side and it’s adorable. Equally, Brittany low-key being very perceptive and being willing to go just as far for Santana makes them a good match. 

Brittany able to be casual enough that there’s no pressure on Santana when she’s figuring herself out, that side is just sweet. And then as the years go by, the flipside - I feel like the break-up episode of S4 is endless drama in the fandom, but I kind of love the fact that the two that get the healthiest ending are brittana because, like, they know each other better than the rest, they are more mature than most of the cast. They’re that dynamic Glee seems to love doing, the cynic and the optimist, the cynic helping balance out the optimist from going too into the clouds, and the optimist just lighting up the cynic’s life. 

Like, they contrast each other in so many ways that you can imagine people not really understanding why they’re together, but the fact they are ends up making a lot of sense. 

(Also First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, not strictly a brittana song but it has a moment and it’s my fave cover on the whole show so I’m mentioning it here because I can)

If I’m going for a potted season-by-season:

S1 - okay I saw the “Sex isn’t dating. If it were, Santana and I would be dating,” clip before I saw the show but I didn’t realise it was basically Britt coming out so. I support her?

S2 - ...yeah I’m just going to skip this. From what I can tell S2 is very love-or-hate? And I just. Do not like any characters or ships this season. Brittana are not immune unfortunately. 

S3 - okay, there is the one Episode that probably merits a rant-post at some point, but in general I love them here. Troubletones were great, they got more chance to show why they worked well together, and mutual care. This, for me, is when a lot of ships took off, and Brittana are definitely contained with that. We see Santana in a more supportive role than her usual, see the side of her that loves, and they shine. 

S4 - yes, break-up angst, but couples that can break up and still navigate a friendship can make for compelling drama. The fact all of that care is still there - the fact that Santana seems to be less jealous that Britt’s with someone else, and more of the fact that she can actually see Sam being a good boyfriend and that potential ‘not endgame’ getting to her, it’s messy but it’s compelling. I love when Britt’s the more grounded one of the two of them sometimes as well, really shows how they complement each other. 

S5 - as a follow-on, it’s nice to see the roles reversed for them - Santana coaxing Brittany back to being cheerful, while Brittany is the distracted realist. (Who has terrible maths teachers by the way). Like, it’s small, but it’s a sweet continuation for them. 

S6 - I had a grin on my face for the whole wedding thank you

You can probably squeeze jealousy angst into them (as mentioned, I love that S4 ‘Santana broke up because it was the best thing for the both of them, but she does miss Britt even if she’s trying to put on a brave face and not hurt her’ and ooooh “To cry in front of you, that’s the worst thing I could do,” is a glorious re-use of the lyric) but for the most part, they’re two people that care for each other deeply and will do what they can to make the other happy and, yeah, sweet. 

There’s less to dig into, I feel, beyond the ‘two people that complement each other wonderfully,’ but sometimes that’s just enough. (With the caveat, as ever, I do get the most drawn into the post-graduation dynamics, which does limit brittana interactions). 

I can’t speak as to the history of them because I wasn’t there, but I know they were a huge deal to a lot of people when the show first aired, so that definitely earns them a few points too. 

...I rambled anyway didn’t I?

#Glee #Brittana #Brittany Pierce #Santana Lopez #Ask

[beatrice-otter]

questions for fic writers: 7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Oooh, good question! I love worldbuilding. This is not all the worldbuilding I'm proud of, it's just the ones that popped into my head as I was thinking about this question. (I've been writing fanfic for 20 years or thereabouts, so I don't always remember everything I've written even if I really like it.)

In Juno's Lands. (Stargate SG-1, gen, Daniel & Teal'c) This story comes from two places. One is the artwork it was made for (it's a reverse big bang piece) and the other is my ongoing frustration with how white all people in the Stargate galaxy are. These people are supposedly descended from North Africans kidnapped through the Stargate 10k years ago, why aren't more of them black? Yes, they're Egyptians, and most modern Egyptians are fairly light-skinned; but that's the result of successive waves of conquest from the Greeks to the Romans to the Arabs to the Europeans. So I decided I was going to have Daniel and Teal'c marooned on a planet where the locals were as dark-skinned as they ought to be by rights. I was frustrated by a lack of sources available to me in English in the time I had to write the story, so most of the worldbuilding isn't based on any particular North African tribes, but I was able to get at least the names and some of the language. And the economy and village life and temple functioning were based more on "okay, but how would the sort of stuff we usually see in Goa'uld-owned planets actually work?" and my long-ago history degree than anything else.

From Castle to Palace. Beauty and the Beast/French History RPF. Figuring out how to fit the Beast into real French history was fun, and then figuring out "so what would be going on in the French court at this time, and how would people react to Belle, what would her options be?" was even more fun. I wrote all 17k of it in like a week or so, because the ideas just kept coming. If I'd known more about Revolutionary France, or had more time to research (it was a Yuletide treat), it would have gone longer, I had all these vague ideas for how having the Beast as king instead of the guy who was (in real life) King Louis XVI would change things, especially with Belle there as an advisor.

The Genetics Factory. Criminal Minds/SG-1, Derek Morgan. So this one started with me watching that CM episode where Derek holds little Henry (I think it was Henry? idek, it was years ago) and deciding that he would be a great dad, and how could we accomplish that, and my main fandom was SG-1 at the time, so this melded with some Thoughts I was having re: the Trust/Evil NID. To wit: getting people with the Ancient Gene is really fricking important for the safety of the planet and the ability to exploit Ancient technology, and the Trust/Evil NID has already demonstrated their willingness to do Evil Mad Science on humans. How might these two facts combine? If the Trust/Evil NID were going to make a baby factory to produce people with the Ancient gene, how would that work? And then once I had that answer, I added Derek Morgan, and voila!

Keshta'shivau. Star Trek AOS, Spock/Nyota. This was inspired by me reading a lot of stories about Spock and what the Vulcans were doing and how that would affect his relationships, and getting annoyed because none of the worldbuilding fit with my ideas of Vulcans. So I did my own! This is heavily influenced by the Star Trek TOS novels of the 80s and 90s, especially the ones by Diane Duane. (Spock's World was formative, for me.) So I extrapolated from that to "what does that mean for Vulcans after their homeworld has been destroyed?"

#ask meme #fanfic #fanfiction #star trek #criminal minds #stargate