Tumgik
#and she has magic which is a good thing
cubedmango · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
「30歳まで売れないとアイドルになれるらしい」 (from cherry magic volume 12 special edition) — english translation
252 notes · View notes
whetstonefires · 1 year
Note
Do you have any opinions on Scholomance?
I do! I like it a lot. I really enjoyed all three books, blitzed through them easily and was much more excited to see how the plots unfolded than I'm used to these days, as a jaded adult, and I also really appreciated them as works of craft.
Especially the first one, I spent the whole time being all 'wow!' at how simple it was. So easy to read, but no waste. You really need to know what you're doing, to get that kind of pared-down elegance of form to work and still fit so much content in.
Like these are dense, there's a fantastic stylistic minimalism that allows El's character all the space it needs to breathe by making absolutely every other thing and person in the whole novel also do character work for her, which is exactly where the first person voice shines.
Also great use of character perspective to make the pacing feel really natural, so the fact that the first book takes three weeks, the second book takes one year, and the third book is like. Five or so incredibly stressful days spread out over the course of a few weeks? Doesn't feel imbalanced.
I actually got distracted from the story a few times by noticing the strength of Novik's technique. 😂 This is a me problem, in itself it's the opposite of distracting. Very low-profile.
I think the Scholomance is a great example of how far you can go in specfic when you aren't cringing from the label 'derivative,' because the Scholomance books feel very fresh ad clean specifically because nothing in them is concerned with standing out as 'original,' whatever that's supposed to mean, only with being well-executed and suitable to its task.
Hm, maybe that's where Liesel was born, the intersection of the efficient narrative style and the vast proportion of the story that concerns the maximization of utility and the instrumentalization of persons by themselves and others, and the forces that incentivize these behaviors. Or maybe she's just the narrative counterweight to Orion 'Head Empty' Lake lmao. How's that for a principle of balance, Galadriel?
I really did enjoy how beautifully it was laid out, over and over, in dozens of shades of humanity, how no matter where you go in an exploitative system almost everyone is being driven by the same survival instincts.
Because I don't think I've ever seen made so cleanly clear why you just can't expect any person or small group of people, no matter their level of goodwill or status, to unmake one of these systems from the inside; how it's not a matter of people being bad but of every single person being very...small.
And then not retreating into the idea of a person who is Big coming and breaking the cruel system from the outside as some kind of panacea, because 1) that is terrible, even if it's necessary and done in the best way possible and 2) that's not a sustainable answer to anything. Getting a balance between the protagonist being able to effect change and not subscribing to the great man theory of history can be really tricky!
Also did I mention, I love El, and I love most of the cast, even the dreadful ones. How am I going around with this many feelings about Li Shanfeng who doesn't appear until the actual climax?
The romance murdered me a bit, but it took up no more space than it absolutely needed to do its job, and I respect that. Also I appreciated Orion as a love interest; Novik has a slight record at this point of a version of that style of male love interest who's like a caricature of Mr. Darcy but old, which was shaping up to be my least favorite thing about her body of work.
...Orion is kind of like if you took the human king from Spinning Silver and gave him an alignment flip come to think of it, so he's not coming out of nowhere. Lmao.
Which reminds me (re: romance character typing) I've heard Novik didn't want it to be known she was astolat, which this series has renewed my sympathies if so. Because if I were a published novelist I wouldn't want people going 'you know, that resolution was really emotionally satisfying! reminds me of that fic she wrote where optimus prime and megatron get stuck in a hole underground and hatefuck about it.'
I don't even like Transformers. That fic almost made me cry. Actually I suspect it reads better if you don't like Transformers because I'm sure it does not give a shit about canon.
Anyway, whoever pointed out that one of the things El has going on is she's Enoby (and we're going to sit down and explore what the true reason to put your middle finger up at preps is, and what are some constructive ways to channel that socioeconomic wrath, and what it means that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism) was right and I'm not entirely over that either.
Fucking love El's mom as a character. Spectacular level of parent relevance and usefulness. A+.
Aadhya and Liu are also characters who fucking delivered.
Re: minimalism though, I laughed at the start of The Golden Enclaves when I realized that none of the enclaver characters who'd gotten development in the the first two books were from London, the enclave El was theoretically shooting for when we met her.
914 notes · View notes
raayllum · 2 months
Text
I think it was reading @numptypylon's fic that helped cinch it for me, metaphor wise (which kudos for nailing the path metaphor emphasis like seasons ahead) in regards to like Callum and Rayla's devotion?
Because they've always felt equally devoted to me, but with two kind of caveats between both thought process and manifestation
When it comes to how that devotion manifests, we see repeatedly that for Rayla it doesn't always equal the same kind of prioritization that Callum offers (she tends to just have the Most Faith in her loved ones ever??) which makes sense given the way she knew her parents + Runaan loved her but she didn't always feel like their priority, and that they'd do things that were for her yes but also for the common good lumped in together. Whereas with Callum if he's devoted to you, you will be his #1 priority at least 75% to 99% of the time when it comes down to it, because that is how he shows devotion/love through consistency and persistence / general Togetherness
But the other one in terms of thought process / operation is where the paths metaphor Numpty uses I think is really useful and apt, and kind of perfectly illustrates how I & many others see them, because it's like...
Like Callum, Rayla will walk down every path she sees as an option to keep her loved one(s) safe, but unlike Callum, she just fundamentally doesn't see certain paths.
It's not that she sees them as options and doesn't pick 'em, it's that they don't even occur to her as concepts (i.e. she knew Claudia and her bag of dark magic ingredients were there in 2x07 and that there was a chain breaking spell, but it's very clear Rayla never would've considered that as a option given how she does approach freeing the dragon).
Meanwhile Callum, due to his immense intelligence and creative thinking, does see well - creative solutions. He does see those paths (like in 2x07) and because he sees them, because they are presented as options, he can and and will and has gone down those roads. Like Rayla, he'll take every path he sees - he just sees more of them than she does
and Idk, I think it's a very nice piece of not only description but very strong characterization
46 notes · View notes
if i finish writing my fic about chilchuck teaching marcille to knit it'll be over for you guys
#pickle pontificates#think about it. i found another extra that references magic warmups btw#that one had hair braiding meditation and hand gestures#but think about it. are knitting/crochet/various other needle arts not very repetitive meditative things???#wouldn't knitting be a great method of magic warmups in place of hair braiding???#marcille uses her hair for magic a couple times and it could be that it has inherently magical properties#but my theory is that hers is imbued with magic because she uses it for warmups all the time#so then it could follow that the resulting knitted items would be imbued with magical properties... dungeon rabbit resistant scarf anyone?#or a fireproof sweater?#why is chilchuck my chosen victim for the person to teach her? well. on my conspiracy wall over here you can see that chilchuck frequently#sits down to sew his clothes/equipment back together throughout canon. i think it's safe to say that he's canonically good at sewing#the only other characters who we see demonstrate similar abilities are mrs. tansu who is a beast at knitting and an icon#and falin. who carries sewing supplies in her equipment (smart) but has frankly atrocious stitching#as can be seen in the comic where she and laios offer to help put marcille's name on her stuff and it's illegible#mrs. tansu really has no relation to marcille#and although falin's bad sewing may have been due to her eyesight (which would no longer affect that) she is canonically also a bad teacher#i think she would try enthusiastically but i do not see it working out#so chilchuck it is.#a fic based around these concepts allows me to further these agendas:#marcille recovering from dungeon lord shenanigans with the help of her friends agenda#chilchuck engaging in reluctant dadly activities agenda#needle arts chilchuck agenda#and... the special bonus i would like to get to... chilchuck reuniting with his wife agenda#and wingman marcille agenda#AND contributing to the dunmeshi platonic fic agenda??? so many wins#there.#now all i gotta do is finish writing it. which is an issue because i have two school assignments due yesterday
13 notes · View notes
loststolenorstrayed · 6 months
Text
Sometimes I think about how Wendy is both kinder and crueler than she would be otherwise due to the way her background radiation of despair flattens everything
18 notes · View notes
xboxseries · 7 months
Text
eris has been my favorite character for 10. fucking years and i genuinely know more about her than the people writing her. she really might as well be my oc at this point man
24 notes · View notes
mothram · 4 months
Text
youtube
5 notes · View notes
museenkuss · 8 months
Text
Hi ladies have you heard of putting garlic in dishes? Game changer.
9 notes · View notes
wyrmswears · 1 year
Text
shoutout to grubbs for being my favourite reject the call trope
Tumblr media
#i was thinking about him and juni and how they are under such similar circumstances and both turned out so different and yet so similar#like. ok. you have juni who is forced into using her power for good since she was a child.#on earth a hundred years have passed. the world is unrecognisable to her. on her end? shes only 20 and has outlived everyone she knows#ok disclaimer uhm. i dont remember how old she is in demon thief but i THINK shes late teens or early twenties so 20 is her age for now#grubbs on the otherhand possesses his own talents. strong ass magical capabilities for one#he isnt kidnapped like juni. beranabus doesnt force him to be a disciple. but he says that if grubbs doesnt then hes a coward#which yknow after seeing bo run back into the depths of slawter in the hopeless attempt to not abandon her family. yeah fair#juni lets her spite and anger about her role build up inside her until she just. doesnt fucking care anymore and she would do anything to#escape. kill people. kill her friends.#grubbs of course has bad past with lord loss so he doesnt exactly have the same option but to him juni is everything he doesnt want to be#but after wolf island he?? is sort of like her?? i suppose he just starts his Morally Grey arc here. yknow. eating people.#but theres a sense of fuck it. if hes going down then hes the universe with him.#grah this isnt comprehendable#anyway you can tell what one i drew late at night and what one i drew at a reasonable time#i wasnt sure whether to post these because its not work that i care about but honestly at this point the demonata tag is the#'ohh two cakes' thing. the demonata tag is STARVED#demonata#the demonata#grubbs grady#eat up bitches (two people)#grah ALSO#ihave so many thoughts i love tags#grubbs' reject the call is deeply rooted in his trauma#i love the portrayal of his trauma its actually so fucking good#i think about early lord loss grubbs a lot. the kind of grubbs who stayed with random family members and traumadumped to their kids#because idk the interaction of him telling these kids that demons killed his family out of nowhere is such a weirdly human interaction#ok goodnight demonata nation (two people. including me)#wyrm draws
23 notes · View notes
seokjinite · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
its just . harder and harder for my man to hide it
6 notes · View notes
nanamimizz · 3 months
Text
i have so much mixed feelings about gale asking mystra’s forgiveness
2 notes · View notes
musclesandhammering · 5 months
Text
Ok I get that the Chaos/Order thing is a big theme this season, but I stg if they try to make Loki embody order while sylvie embodies chaos… I’m breaking up with marvel for real this time 😒.
6 notes · View notes
karmaphone · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
BOOK APP HAS BOOK I THOUGHT I LOST TO INPATIENT THREE YEARS AGO REPEAT BOOK APP HAS BOOK I LOST TO INPATIENT THREE YEARS AGO
3 notes · View notes
spectraspecs-writes · 2 years
Text
EXCUSE ME??????
Tumblr media
#no no no no no this is the kind of thing i imagine but never want to see#this is going to be awful bc ugh look#part of the good thing about quantum leap was that it was a first#you had a man an attractive man being anti fascist feminist unafraid to wear a dress in public to hear she her pronouns to be an all around#*decent guy. sam beckett broke the mold okay. sam beckett gave me unrealistic expectations for men that I am not backing down from#and another good part about it was it showed a future where all of the ignorant bullshit was come and gone. granted it was just 1999#but still! it was an alternate 1999 like very clearly alternate esp now#you can no longer pretend we're past this shit. you can no longer pretend that 'black people deserve to live' is going to become#*a widely held belief any time soon. and this is because we elected an asshole.#their Al is a woman which could be fun but she's no nonsense? no the relationship between sam and al was great bc they were opposites#they've got magic williams in there too and he was someone that sam leapt into in s3e2 excuse me hes the no nonsense guy#you're telling me a signalman who served under tom beckett in vietnam is no nonsense? no he is not not 100%#there's no saving this for me. the one thing they could do to get points is to explain what happened to sam#al calavicci is dead has to be bc dean stockwell is and al was a heavy smoker#his neurons and mesons were linked to sams so there's no one else who could seamlessly be in touch with sam#he is stuck in the past without a lifeline without access to ziggy he is stuck#did god fate time let him go again? did he decide to go home?#im so mad about this
4 notes · View notes
reddd-robin · 2 years
Text
i think my favourite thing about creating mean and abhorrent characters is the kind of freedom to play around with and understand how they got to that point. not like how people will excuse it but as in psychoanalyzing these things. i love getting into their heads and knowing all their sore spots and what gets bruised when it’s just soo much fun. i love the absence of an idea of ‘good’ or ‘moral’ but the concept of cruelty hanging over the natural state of the world. 
MANY TAGS ABOUT OCS BELOW    V
#this is kind of about gwen. shes a horrible person but i love walking through#her life and knowing what develops when. the enitre concept of her spending centuries FORMING because she's a rock and then being forced-#-to just exist forever. she is so fascinated by animals that it makes her so hateful towards them for having it so easy#she doesnt even WANT easy shes just mad they got it. she spent soo long being mad and bored with her 'family' that mimicked an animal trait#thats another of my favourite things#the idea of the gargoyles little group being a 'family'. because the gargoyles were alll formed from the same mountain/landscape so they-#-cobbled together this social structure to function because the animal societies were doing it so well and subsequently trapping themselves-#-into a constant fight for power but even bigger figh about superiority and the elders being the most important#it all builds up to this constant frustration of gwen being the youngest but the most 'popular' one in the sense that she's a public figure#so she feels so entitled to all the things everyone else has that she comes to a point of taking it by force. in the end leading up to sifa#which i should specify there WASN'T sex involved in sifas creation lol gargoyles do not have genitals they are rocks#essentially the whole reason gwen was so wrapped up in keeping josef was because he's a qursa tiefling#which means he's a wild magic TAP. hes fucking leaking that shit everywhere she felt the power from a mile away#he cannot use any of it because it would kill him probably but gwen /can/ and she spent a good while sapping his magic until eventually-#-propositioning him to 'make' sifa. wherein she would just need to cut him open to take the magic necessary to make a weird almost-clone#its fucked up either way and a violation of josefs bodily automonmy. sorry josef#and also fucked up that sifa can never feel like her own person. girl cause youre not#HUGE RANT#oc shit
2 notes · View notes
black-metal-bard · 2 years
Text
You know a DnD session was a good one when you’re completely exhausted afterward
#IT WAS SO INTENSE#my depression has been super bad lately though so I used SO much energy with how excited and astonished I was#I am ready to ✨PASS OUT✨#holy shit#Meliora preformed SPIRITUAL SURGERY to separate our mentor’s vampiric soul from one of our party members#the party member we Insouciance and he started growing EXTRA BONES AND BLOOD to accommodate Blake’s Vampiric Soul#Trevor assisted Meliora by REMOVING THE EXCESS BONES AND BLOOD AND USING THAUMATURGY TO BUILD BLAKE A NEW BODY#Meliora was absolutely FASCINATED by Trevor’s work SO HE SLOWED DOWN AND TAUGHT HER WHAT HE WAS DOING AS HE WORKED#Mel gained abilities today to allow her to craft dolls and put ghosts in them(so ghosts have physical bodies to solves their unfinished-#-business on Earth with; and Trevor’s work reminded her of her dollmaking)#The same magic she developed to guide souls into the dolls is what she used to separate Blake’s soul from Insouciance’s#Trevor is Blake’s cousin btw so this was very important to him#Trevor is now actively training Meliora in the Magical Discipline of Thaumaturgy#which he himself learned by CONSUMING THE SOUL OF ANOTHER VAMPIRE(he’s Ravnos and shouldn’t have been able to learn it naturally)#but Mel is a DnD Tiefling and basic thaumaturgy is just a natural gift of her blood#so Trevor mentoring her in it means a LOT#GOD TREVOR IS SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER#He’s my favorite NPC#and he canonically has a thing for Mel now!!???#LIKE WHAT#She’s completely oblivious to it though; she grew up in a very loving culture so she just thinks they’re becoming close#since she’s been integrated into Blake’s Caravan#Trevor and Mel: *having a moment* ; Insouciance: *bleeding out in the operating table*#like Trevor I get that it means a lot to you to help her learn; but INSOUCIANCE AND BLAKE ARE DYING#It was a very powerful moment though#I think Trevor having feelings for her is probably a plot choice by the DM based on the fact that Mel’s Lover (my husband’s PC Balasar)-#-ceased to be when he accidentally merged with his evil dad(Dourgothoth) and became a completely new Deity called ‘Sibuna’#Sibuna has Bal’s memories but absolutely isn’t Balasar#but Balasar considered his Hoard to be his friends; so if Trevor and Mel end up getting together that will be TERRIFYING when we eventually-#-face Sibuna. like YIKES. I love angst.
4 notes · View notes