#in all seriousness this is a very difficult question I'll be real

[m0rbs]

If you could only show someone one episode of any Star Trek series what episode would you pick? :)

That one where Spock's tits are huge and it looks like he just forgot to wear his binder

#in all seriousness this is a very difficult question I'll be real #there are a lot of episodes i adore and a lot i think are really important? #baseline everyone should watch trouble with tribbles even if they never watch another episode #but i like showing journey to babel to my friends and freaking out. #but that's just TOS! #there are so many tng eps people should watch (data episodes mostly lmao) and the entirety of ds9 is just. augh. #i think my serious answer despite it all would be the first ep of ds9 actually though. ik it's a two parter #but it's just such a beautiful introduction to what might be the best show I've ever seen #and the topics it touches on are handled phenomenally

[schrodinger-swriter]

Heyoo!! I was wondering if I could request A, D, F, K, L, P, Q, T and X for Angel Dust x reader for the Hazbin fluff alphabet? Thank you!!!💕

A, D, F, K, L, P, Q, T, and X for Angel Dust

I hope this one is okay, I feel Angel may be another character I'll have difficulty catching right, but nonetheless I hope you enjoy, Anon!

Apologies for such a short note, I'm getting another headache coming on.. I think I will write out this post and rest.

For the Tunes segment I would like to apologize for having a trash taste in music, I naturally gravitate to songs I already know with these kinds of questions..

ATTRACTION:

This one is very tricky, given that Angel throws himself at any guy he sees. Though, that's because he feels it's what is expected of him, is it not? At least gathering from his wiki as well as his actions within the series... Pinpointing his type is a little difficult and what he knows he's attracted to. But what about subconscious attraction? He needs someone who's willing to deal with his sarcasm and meanness, but won't totally blow him off. But he also needs someone he can just unwind with, you know? Very hard to say, and comparing how he acts with the rest of the cast is offering little idea.. Definitely going to need to be patient with this one, too, but that's not exactly an attraction thing.. hmm..

DATES:

A club may be his first go to, especially if this before he starts taking the redemption thing seriously. Though, that's not exactly the best date idea now is it? You go there to get drunk or take enough substances to not think straight for the next week; or to fuck. Sure, you can bond with someone over a shot, but is it really.. genuine? Add in he might be stressing over you like he did with Niffty if this is within the second half of the show's current timeline, and you get drunk before he can.. No, my mind keeps wandering to the two of you simply having an at home date. Together, at your place or yours. If it takes place at the hotel he takes you to his room. Less of a date as it is a hangout session, and he might try to initiate sex.. More experienced with intercourse than the romance side of things, so that's going to take time too.

FAMILY:

Sinners can't have biological children of his own, but Angel Dust is fine by that. Perhaps he feels responsible for a moment and admits (likely internally) that he can hardly keep an eye on himself, how can he keep an eye on a child? There's also some level of fear that the kid would follow in his foot steps and end up in a nasty situation, Angel knows he's not exactly the best.. role model. He's more likely to ascend than be a father.

KISSES:

Oh he loves physical affection. Sure, a lot of it is going to be sexually charged. Diving into the romance vs sex side of things, it may take him a while to fully get a grasp on the difference between lustful feelings and romantic ones and how to act them out. Not all kisses and cuddle sessions need to end in intercourse. He loves giving you quick kisses, long kisses, kisses with tongue, kisses without tongue. He's not picky at all. His favorite place to kiss you is really anywhere on your face... but if you give him the chance he'll say his favorite place is more... down south

As for receiving, I think he stands at around the same.. point.. Yeah, point! Not picky when it comes to him getting affection!

PETNAMES:

He calls you everything under the sun. From schnookums to Honey, you've heard it all. He defaults to Baby and Babe, though. Tends to replace your name with something endearing unless there's something serious going on or he's trying to get your attention. Similar to the above segment he's not picky about what you call him, but he does seem to get this look in his eye if you call him something rather sweet and innocent.

QUESTION:

Oooo this ones tough....

He asks what your favorite position is/j

No, but real talk, I think if you two were alone and you're in his room... perhaps in one of your hangouts... he might let his walls slip a bit, ask you some real.. personal stuff, perhaps seeking some sort of validation or even reassurance. This is more likely after a rough day and after a drink or two.

TUNES:

Perhaps I'm biased because I've been getting back into Maneskin but I can imagine you two absolutely BELTING it to this song! Not exactly a "couple song" per say, but definitely a song that you two vibe with together!

As well as this song, for the same reasons above

Though I'm also picturing the Reader and Angel drunkingly singing Tally Hall's version of Just A Friend (while the pair are giggling and getting way into it, you know just having a good time!)

XRAY:

It depends on how long you two have known each other. Are you guys a quick fling that fell together fast, or were you both a slow burn? If your relationship formed quickly, he may be a little stumped on reading you.. which can sometimes lead to him being a little insensitive to your feelings and vibe. Or awkwardly standing there unsure of how to approach you, likely slinking away to let you handle it on your own. But in something that had left more time for the two of you to get to know one another, he's going to let you vent and complain to him. He can tell somethings off with just the tone of your voice or if your wording is a little off. You two aren't totally in sync, but he's not as clueless as the former.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin x reader #hazbin imagine #hazbin hotel imagine #angel dust x reader #angel dust x you #angel dust imagine

[irelandseyeonmythology]

DIAS Black Friday Sale

Once a year, the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), offers a sale for Black Friday -- DIAS is one of the major publishers for Celtic Studies, many of the best studies of medieval Irish material have come through there.

Some books that I recommend, personally:

Fergus Kelly, A Guide to Early Irish Law (26.25 Euro, normally 35) (THE introduction to law in medieval Ireland)

"", Early Irish Farming (26.25 Euro, normally 35) (Everything you wanted to know about day to day life in medieval Ireland but were afraid to ask. Literally. Everything.)

Medieval Irish Prose

Fergus Kelly, Audacht Morainn (18.75 Euro, normally 25)

Are you planning on becoming a medieval Irish king? Do you want to know what you should do to involve the total destruction of the natural order? Then this is the text for you! Now with English translation!

In all seriousness, this text is used a LOT with regards to studies of ideal kingship in medieval Ireland.

Cecile O'Rahilly, The Táin from the Book of Leinster (26.25 Euro, usually 35)

I'll be real with you, lads: I hate Cú Chulainn. I hate him. I hate his smug, misogynistic face. His creepy multi-pupiled eyes. The shitty way he treats Emer. The way that his presence is like this black hole in the study of medieval Irish literature that means that the Ulster Cycle can get a prestigious yearly conference held in its honor while the other cycles are left with either crumbs or outright dismissal. I think the Táin is boring and episodic as a piece of lit and I've never found anything overly redeeming about it over any other piece of medieval Irish literature, especially since imo other pieces of literature do women (and homoeroticism) much better and get much less praise for it.

...that being said. It's important. It IS iconic, both as a piece of medieval Irish literature and, in general, to Irish literature. Its status as The Irish Iliad means that, if you want to study medieval Irish stuff...you have to read the Táin. And this is a version of the Táin that you might not have gotten, translated and edited by a master of Old Irish, with commentary.

"", Táin Bó Cúailnge: recension I (10 Euro, normally 35)

See above.

Early Irish History and Genealogy

T.F. O'Rahilly, Early Irish History and Genealogy (30 Euro, normally 40)

So. On the record, a lot of what he says here is absolutely not currently believed in the field. Just. No. BUT. There's a reason why I always recommend him anyway, and it's because if you're serious about doing a study of Irish Mythology, whatever we take that to mean...you will not be able to avoid this man. His ideas were very popular for decades and still often are to people who don't really focus on mythology. It's better to know where these ideas come from and to identify them than not, and O'Rahilly, in his defense, had an *excellent* knowledge of his sources. It's dense, it's difficult (rather like the author himself, from the accounts I've heard), but it's necessary if you really want to attack this.

Joan Radner, Fragmentary Annals of Ireland (22.50, normally 30)

There is so much weird shit in the Fragmentary Annals. So much.

Welsh

Patrick Sims Williams, Buchedd Beuno: The Middle Welsh Life of St Beuno (22.50 Euro, normally 30)

I know what you're thinking: "Why the FUCK are they recommending this book about a random Welsh saint? Answer: Because this is how I learned Middle Welsh. The introduction to Welsh at the front of the book + the VERY good index at the back is still one of the best ways to learn Middle Welsh. Also if anyone was watching the Green Knight film and going "Why is there a lady with her head chopped off?" this answers that question.

 R. L. Thomson, Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet: the first of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, edited from the White Book of Rhydderch, with variants from the Red Book of Hergest (15 Euro, normally 20)

Once you've gotten enough of a hang of Middle Welsh to know the basics, it's time to dive into the classics, and what better way to do it than with the Mabinogi, starting at the very beginning, with the First Branch? Personally, I dislike a lot of Thomson's orthographic decisions, but, hey, it's the First Branch, and that's Middle Welsh orthography for you.

Ian Hughes, Math uab Mathonwy (22.50 Euro, normally 30)

The Fourth Branch, my beloved. Incest, rape, bestiality (well...pseudo bestiality, really), creating a new life while not being willing to deal with the consequences of it...it truly has it all. Not for the faint of heart, but absolutely worth the read if you can stomach it because imo it handles its themes very well and it's incredibly haunting.

And a lot more -- go in, shop around, see what's available. Even with the older books, they're often things that we're still referencing in some way into the present.

#long post

[phaneseros]

When The Honeymoon Stage Wears Off

I was circling old posts from my main blog and found an old ask by anonymous:

Gods are a huge part of my path both as a pagan and a witch. That being said, I have a very difficult time connecting with them. Usually I'll find a deity or two that I connect with and maybe even a whole pantheon, but somewhere down the line I always find something that just disconnects me from them for some reason. Any advice on working with the gods and being able to stick some and not switch around so much??

My initial answer wasn't too bad, but I want to expand on it.

There is a Honeymoon phase in any new thing. You are excited by this new thing, wanting to look into it more, enjoying yourself.

For anthropologists who go to study other cultures first hand, the first stage of four is the Honeymoon stage.

Defined here as :

This is the first stage and occurs on arrival. In this stage everything is new and exciting. You are intrigued by cultural differences and similarities. There is a feeling that you could conquer anything and that there will be no trouble adjusting.

And defined here :

The first stage is the honeymoon, which can last a few days or up to several months. At this stage, everything is new, exciting, and fascinating. The 'natives' are polite, gracious, and most welcoming. Another way of describing this stage is that of the tourist's experience. (...) Tourists generally return home before the honeymoon ends, whereas anthropologists, aid workers and others move beyond this to the second stage, in which one 'has seriously to cope with the real conditions of life' (ibid).

Many people tend to feel this similar Honeymoon stage of trying new things, from religion to hobbies.

Let's look at the brief descriptions of the next three stages from the first link:

Irritation - Culture Shock

After the honeymoon stage wears off the focus begins to shift to a negative view of the cultural differences. There is often a sense of helpless frustration. People often withdraw in this stage. This is when feelings of homesickness are most prevalent.

Adjustment – Perspective

Adjustment take s place gradually. You start to become comfortable as understanding of the language and culture increase. You are now more confident that you can manage life in your host country. You begin to see multiple perspectives and question your own assumptions about the world.

Adaptation - Feeling at home

Eventually, the host culture is no longer new and you begin to feel at home. You may prefer certain traits of the new culture over your home culture. You might even begin to adopt cultural behaviors. Depending on the length of your stay you may never reach this stage.

The second link also described these:

Not only do simple tasks, such as purchasing food or washing up, become complete fiascos, but the 'natives' do not seem concerned at all. In fact, they may seem unsympathetic or indifferent (ibid). A very common coping mechanism is aggression and frustration-a rejection of the environment that is causing discomfort (ibid:177). (...) If one stays, then the third stage starts as the visitor begins to learn the language and can negotiate daily life on his or her own. Difficulty still exists, but the visitor is able to handle it. The visitor even begins to help others who may be new to the situation. In the fourth stage, the visitor 'accepts the customs of the country as just another way of living' (ibid). Certainly, the visitor will not always understand what is occurring in social situations and may not notice nuances, but he or she has adjusted considerably. At this point, there are things that he or she will miss about the country when leaving.

The second and third stages are often like feeling like a fish out of water. It can be frustrating o even frightening when you no longer have a frame of reference or what you're doing, how you're supposed to do it. But that's the thing. While research and work are important, and definitely time you should dedicate to your new god(s), it is also a time of letting yourself just Exist. Especially when you may not have comparable experiences for what is "enough."

I feel like, after being on this website for 11 or 12 years, there's this weird pressure to grind "daily" worship like WoW or Genshin quests. You don't have to do this. Frankly, I do feel that part of this idea comes from a sort of Christianization for those who live in such areas (which is often many pagan converts) - there's this idea that you must constantly Prove Your Faith, Prove Yourself As Worthy, Suffering Is Sacrifice Is Faith.

Truly, not only do not all religions have this idea, but even historically people did not, every single day, undergo such grueling mindset, including variations of Christianity. Yes, some things are habitual, but cultures and religions that do have daily forms of worship or practice, the people in them are raised with that concept their entire lives. They were taught to do them for years until it Became habit. Since childhood. You, the convert, were not.

Such practices that do have historical or cultural "daily" necessities (usually prayers) will much, much more likely have actual step-by-step learning processes with conversion that will be hard to miss. However, we're talking more general paganism here, which usually does not have such conventions. But if you convert from this kind of practice and feel like there is a void you must fill - you can syncretically adopt your previous iterations of faith and apply them into your new one. Whether it remains throughout your paganism, or falls out of fashion, is individual experience.

Stop feeling guilty about not adhering to a grind mindset, first and foremost. Especially if you're coming from a Christo-Catholic background. You're allowed to be free from guilt.

That said, coming back to the honeymoon phase, it does wear off. Even if you think "I'm going to be excited about this every second of every minute" you won't. There will be at least a single moment where you won't, where you will just Exist as a human person doing whatever it is you habitually do on autopilot, and that's fine. You're allowed to Just Exist without constantly dedicating every second to a pantheon (or even magic path for those who are witches falling in the trap of grind mindset).

I feel like this idea of "switching around" has two reasons:

Genuine dissatisfaction that you are not at fault of

Chasing the high of experiencing something new

If you "switch around" a lot, it could be genuine disatisfaction. That is neither your nor the pantheon's fault. It's just not a good fit. And that's fine. You don't have to force yourself to belong and shouldn't force a deity into your life that doesn't quite work the way you want or need. It's a mutual understanding, a give and take. And if that's not compatible, then finding something new is not a bad thing.

Stop and think to yourself: Are you switching around because the honeymoon stage wore off and you want to keep chasing the high? Perhaps you're under-stimulated? Research more into the pantheon or deity you're trying to have connection with. That can usually aid and/or disperse the restlessness. There's much more out there historically, anthropologically, and we're constantly finding new things about ancient cultures and civilizations. Join communities about the pantheon or deity/ies. Engage with other people to keep your own interest. It's a commitment. All this can either lead to realizing it's genuine dissatisfaction, realizing other issues are at play, or can help you (re)connect and stick with it.

The fact is, the Honeymoon stage will wear off and that's the humanity in you. It will become basic habit. But that's not a bad thing. An occasional prayer is still an occasional prayer. Even some Christians only "Be Christian" on Sundays, or even less on just Easter and Christmas.

If you have an altar, maybe at the least you can dust it. The "connection" isn't going to be loud and in your body, mind, and soul(s) every hour of every day. And you don't have to force yourself into a schedule that doesn't feel right to you. That doesn't mean you're abandoned by gods, nor that you have abandoned gods, it means you're human and are given space.

With that out of the way, here is part of my initial answer to this ask back from 2017:

Accept that there may be times of quiet. You don’t need to be in constant communication at all times. Accept that there will be dry spells and quiet times and that you generally may always be re-welcomed by them. 

If you truly want a basic frame of measurement for how "often" you should "contact" your deity/ies, think of your friends or family. How often do you text them, send them messages, call them, etc? What do those messages consist of? Saw a meme and sent it to your friend? Saw a sunset and sent it to your parent? You can do similar for your god(s).

Reblog that meme that made you think of Deity, that funny looking curio at the thrift store made you think of Deity so either get it or take a photo of it. But don't run yourself ragged or spiral into feeling like what you do isn't "enough" - it can become even antithetical to the joy of worship, especially when deities culturally are intended to be helpful, not hurtful, to the worshiper.

#paganism #paganblr #polyheism

[cinnamontails-ff]

The incredible @kittenintheden tagged me for this, so I'll give it my best shot!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Four.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

224,051 - which, honestly, is insane because that means I've written (and edited) pretty much two entire novels over the course of last 12 months. The vampire elf is too powerful, guys.

3) What fandoms do you write for?

BG3

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm a fandom newbie, so I don't even have 5, but here are my babies:

Accountant's Guide - Pre-Canon Astarion teams up with a human accountant to frame Cazador for tax fraud. It's exactly as whacky as it sounds.

Magistrate's Advocate - The Magistrate Astarion longfic someone had to write.

Vampire Stay-at-Home Trophy Husband - Reverse Isekai EA oneshot

An Empirical Science - My contribution to the Holy Rolan Empire

5) Do you respond to comments?

Always. Obsessively so. Love responding to comments and chatting with readers.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My fics have a good bit of angst and tension and heartbreak, but I always strive for an overall "warm" feeling in my writing, so those moments tend to get resolved at some point. No angsty endings in my portfolio (yet).

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Accountant's Guide is where I gave Astarion everything I wish he could have. Zero regrets.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Occasionally, but it's pretty rare. Not to make excuses for people hating on fics (because that is despicable; we're working for free here), but I don't think my fics are controversial enough to attract a lot of hate. They're cute. They're wholesome. They don't take themselves too seriously, so I think it's pretty difficult to hate on them.

Although someone once called Scarlett a b**** and sometimes I remember that and I become wrath.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Explicit smut is something I've really only started doing when I got into fanfiction this past year. I like incorporating it into my longfics to emphasize key moments for my characters and their development, so it's part porn, part plot.

It can get kinky, but it will always be consensual. Dubcon/noncon is a big no for me, personally.

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No crossovers, but An Empirical Science is where I have a lot of fun butchering adapting Pride & Prejudice lines. I mean, it's a Rolan fic. How could you not?

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know, but I have seen coincidences of very similar concepts and ideas popping up after I've introduced them in my fics.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, there's an ongoing Ukrainian translation for Accountant's Guide! I translate the comments every now and then and readers are really praising the language skills of the translator, so that's awesome!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but we chat a lot about my stories on my Discord server, so that's often a little like writing together.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Shalladin (Kaladin x Shallan from Stormlight Archive). I love Brandon Sanderson with all my heart, but for this, I will never forgive him.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I get very hyperfocused on my stories and rarely work on more than 1 project at a time, so I tend to finish what I start.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Look, my social anxiety makes me a pretty rizzless person to talk to in real life, but my writing is funny. It's charming. I am great at character voice. I keep things real. My OCs don't need to be perfect flawless beauty goddesses to woo the guy; they recite a few paragraphs and swing their fountain pen and the guy is on. the. floor.

Sometimes literally.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

According to a rather charming public bookmark on my fic, I struggle with "pacing issues" and "questionable narrative choices". Clearly, this person knows what they're talking about, so let's accept it as fact.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think this is generally really difficult to pull off without being confusing (check out "The Wee Free Men" by Sir Terry Pratchett for a really good example how to do it). So unless I had a very specific reason for it, I would prefer to write around it as I've done with Infernal in An Empirical Science.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Still BG3. First and last? Who knows.

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

Accountant's Guide. It's the story I wrote when I hit rock bottom and thought I couldn't write anymore. It's the story that made me believe again. My first story in English and by far the easiest thing I've ever written. It's the story I reread when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I want a hug that reaches all the way into my soul. I am never happier than when people tell me this is a comfort read for them, just as it is for me.

I'm tagging @thedreamlessnights, @purdledooturt, @larvasmoon, @karinamay and @davenswitcher if they feel like sharing their answers!

#tag game #astarion fanfic #rolan fanfic #holy rolan empire #bg3 #cinnamontails

[adelrambles]

You have a really good grasp on Bishop (TMNT) character. I really like your analyses on him. But I was wondering something; how does Bishop views each turtle? Which one do you think Bishop believes is the most dangerous? How do you think Bishop will take down the turtles individually? Of course you don’t have to answer this! I was just wondering for my own writing project.

Thank you, I'm very glad to hear that! I'm also quite happy to get questions on him, so much appreciated haha!

This is an interesting one, because we don't really see Bishop do much one-on-one interaction with each turtle, so we're going to have to do a little bit of speculation, based the encounters we do see. I will say that Bishop treats them all as proper threats, (if nuisances,) never letting his guard down even when he has the upper hand. His thoughts on others also tend to begin and end at "how useful are they to me" and "how do I kill them." Also keep in mind that Bishop is known to have been surveilling them before, and might know more about them than we saw him divulge.

If I were to pick one he'd consider the most dangerous, I'd probably say Don, which I'll justify below haha. But honestly Mikey has the possibility of being a close second, more based on speculation than anything we actually see on-screen.

After some review of the scenes where they interact, here's my best approximation:

Donatello

This one is the simplest to figure out, I think, because we already know Bishop holds scientists in much higher regard than most people, even when they happen to be non-human (see: his (granted, taunting) praise of Leatherhead's work during the Good Genes arc.) I think Bishop is aware of Don's genius and most likely finds it a shame he can't make use of it, himself.

It seems like Bishop dodges around Don's bo the most out of any of the turtles, never outright stealing it like he's done with the others. I suspect this is because Don has the widest reach with his weapon, and Bishop is more likely to dodge away than go for a counter, when it comes to him. For this reason, Donny might qualify as the one Bishop deems the most dangerous. He's also the one who takes Bishop off-guard during the fake invasion, twice! First sneaking up on him to get the first attack, and then intercepting his lunge at Raph, ultimately knocking him down one of the tunnels and winning the fight.

If approaching him one-on-one, I think Bishop would try to keep the environment tight and cluttered, to make it harder for Don to use his weapon. He needs to even the field (by which he means, of course, giving himself a dominating advantage,) by ensuring Don can't make use of his weapon's extra reach, which will allow Bishop to counter more freely.

Michelangelo

This dynamic starts off with a mutual underestimation. Mikey attacks Bishop after being freed from the surgical table, assuming he's just some government lackey, only to be taken off-guard when Bishop dodges and counters-- enough that he immediately gets pinned again. Bishop, for his part, seems to have singled Mikey out as something of an easier target among his brothers, and is blindsided when Mikey himself is able to get free from being held hostage.

Bishop seems to be comfortable with-- even possibly has a preference for-- chains as weapons, so he tends to try make use of Mikey's nunchaku, tangling his siblings' weapons in them often. Mikey seems to have caught on to this in subsequent encounters, though. There is the potential here for something of a rivalry; though the show doesn't push it. With both having underestimated one another, and taking one another more seriously after the fact, and taking into account that Mikey is noted to be the most skilled of the turtles when he really tries, there's certainly real estate for an escalation in this dynamic.

One-on-one, in that same vein, I think Bishop takes Mikey seriously, as someone who has proven to be difficult to predict and someone who learns and adapts (like him!) Bishop's superior speed will be his friend, here. Even if Mikey takes him by surprise, it won't be a big problem as long as he can keep on his toes and get some distance.

Leonardo

Bishop is probably aware that Leo acts as the squad leader, and that can be pretty useful information, though I don't think he ever really makes use of it that we see. What he does seem to make use of is Leo's honor and loyalty, leveraging family or allies more than once to trip him up in combat (Usually as in taking a hostage, i.e. Mikey and Karai.) There's even a chance he was banking on Leo's loyalty to coerce a deal out of them during Good Genes.

I think Leo gets his sword stolen the most out of all the weapons Bishop yoinks. Other than that, there's not much unique to how Bishop approaches him as he does his brothers, that I was able to see. One-on-one Bishop's probably more likely to try some mind games, knowing Leo's buttons already. If he's aware of the shoulder injury, he'd definitely target it. And steals his swords, of course.

Raphael

Turns out I have the least to say on poor Raph. He clearly hates Bishop with a burning passion, but Bishop doesn't seem to think all that much of him. His sai are made use of to catch his siblings' weapons second most often after Mikey's nunchaku, though!

Raph's also a prime target for mind games one-on-one. His emotional reactions make him unfortunately easy to rile up into tunnel-visioning. This means he's also really easy to use the environment against, which happens to be one of Bishop's fortes. Bishop also seems pretty comfortable stealing his sai. Essentially, Raph's less of a threat to him the more emotional he gets, so Bishop will certainly be pushing all his buttons.

Fast Forward

I don't know if this is as relevant to you, but it could offer some insight into the trajectory of these dynamics, perhaps? In any case President Bishop's first appearance has him calling them friends, which implies that eventually he and the turtles form an allyship (probably years down the line.) He also seems to be taken off-guard when the time-traveling versions don't want to work with him-- presumably he assumed they were further down the timeline than they were.

Now again there's not much one-on-one, but we know Bishop seems to get annoyed at points with their general... teenager-ness, lack of focus, perceived unprofessionalism, all that. He gets sarcastic with them plenty of times during Head of State. He does appear to obfuscate the information he allows them access to, as well, (you cannot convince me he actually dismissed those Sh'Okanabo reports. He was trying to redirect them away from it for whatever reason, I think,) which suggests to me he's trying to control where their attention is pointed. But he also clearly considers them capable, mostly contacting them to contract them as a sort of personal black ops assassin team.

We do get a clear dynamic in how each turtle approaches Bishop! Leo seems the most convinced of his redemption, interestingly enough, and is shown willing to jump to his aid in moments of crisis. Raph is least convinced, taking any opportunity to needle Bishop about his past actions. Mikey and Don are more neutral, but Mikey leans closer to the distrusting side, while Don leans closer to the trusting side (or at least, the "being polite" side.)

Finally, it's worth pointing out that Bishop does have a something of an established rivalry with Splinter, who has proven capable of keeping up with him one-on-one. Don't know if that'll factor in for you, but it warranted a shoutout!

Hope some of this helps, at least, and have fun with your project! It sounds very intriguing heheh

#agent bishop #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2k3 #asks #teenage mutant ninja turtles #we might be able to use our own knowledge of each turtle's fighting style and try speculate what Bishop would think of it #like Leo fights more traditionally right. which I think would make him a lot easier for Bishop to handle #if Bishop can predict you you don't really register as very dangerous to him #whereas Mikey seems to have a lot in common with Bishop in terms of fighting style. a lot of dodging around and using the opponent's- #-strength against them. He's also the one to accurately analyze that Bishop makes great use of his speed in combat. #this makes him a more difficult matchup in combat #I tried to keep this mostly to just what could be gleaned from observing their interactions in the show tho

[canmom]

another night where i can't sleep...

it has long felt like, while in some respects certain things have come easy to me that most people find difficult, such as maths or computer shit or academic writing, in many other respects the rest of the world had a ten year head start on me. stuff like relating to other people, stuff like art and music, the basic activity of living. it's The Autism, and it's the habits I've accrued over the years.

head in the clouds, full of knowledge and theories and technical this and that, still that smoldering anger that's so abstract, aimed at the nature of the world and all the things that i don't know how to change. personally... i write and write and write on here, because i know how to write, i know how to talk about, i can expound and extemporise, but i feel like so often i don't know how to emerge from behind the scripts I've built up for navigating this or that situation, my ignorance of how I'm seen and what messages i give off, the idea of whatever it is people interpret me as (even those very close to me), and just... connect. see and be seen.

when i get the right kind of work of fiction, it feels like... at last, I've found someone who thinks in a way that i understand. this is what is so intoxicating about seth dickinson's books i think. the earnestness of the feelings that animate them, the way they construct people and motivations, the web of philosophical and scientific and emotional connections, the rhythm as they unfold into a desperate searching for the right question, the wicked humour and abrupt violence and the type of body horror imagery that they reach for. all of it feels like I've finally found someone who gets it. that's why i go crazy about it.

(and it means the world what seth has said about my articles - it feels like a mission.)

i don't know if i can expect anyone else to get what i get out of them. there are criticisms you can make - what i take as fearlessness you might call arrogance, overambition. my partner found it too sincere, too direct and 'mannered' in laying out what it's addressing. these are a matter of wanting different things, i suppose. it's not that i can't see why they say it, i just don't see any of it as a flaw.

but... because I've found that connection, because i want to reach back and say, i see what you're doing, i get it, i feel it too - i write the long exegesis articles, to hold it up to everyone and say look, see, this is how it works.

the last article in the series on The Tyrant Baru Cormorant was to be titled Replication, and it was supposed to attempt to ask how to draw out the spark that animated such books into existence. i had an outline in my mind, to talk about the fingerprints of sff culture of the 2010s and how it affected me and perhaps also seth - and about the determination to take the questions seriously, to push and push. the vulnerability to lay your soul bare.

but from there? i don't know what the answer is, only that i haven't managed to do it with any of the things I've created. what is my baru cormorant, my psycho nymph exile or serious weakness, my nier? what is the thing that only i can make, that will resonate with other souls in the dark? am i getting closer?

I'll keep searching.

I'm halfway through Exordia. i don't know how much I ought to say before the book comes out 'for real', but I'll definitely be writing a spoiler-light advance review. I'm so hooked. i can't sleep, even though i have to work tomorrow. it's 'just a book', but... it's what it's all about.

#baru cormorant #exordia #fiction

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hi! Hello! I heard you wanted some requests! So, may I request the SDV bachelors with a crush or S/O who is coeliac? Basically, they're allergic to gluten and it can make them very sick if they eat it. Cross contamination is also a big issue (spoon touch bread -> spoon touch salad -> can't eat salad)!

Hope this isn't a bad ask! Have a lovely week! :]

Hi Snake, glad to see you in my askbox! 👋

And don't worry, that's a pretty good question. I hope you like this silly HC. Have a lovely week as well 😊

Alex:

Alex always reminds his grandmother about Farmers' gluten intolerance, as Evelyn often cooks pies, donuts, and other sweet pastries for a visiting guest at their house.

Paranoidly checks all utensils the Farmer will eat and drink with, making sure the cutlery has not previously touched wheat bread or similar food.

Fast as lightning, he is ready to carry the Farmer in his arms to Harvey's clinic if they get sick from accidentally eating bread.

Alex keeps track of his diet, because he is going to become a sports star, so if the Farmer wants, he will help with the diet (in consultation with Dr. Harvey, of course).

Although sometimes it is difficult for him to refuse the delicious pastries of his granny.

The Farmer doesn't want Alex to limit himself in this, but the athlete is seriously worried about the health of his friend (crush)/partner.

George benefits from it all ("More food for me!" "Grandpa...")

Elliott:

Oh goodness! Elliott didn't know about it.

But it's good that the Farmer told him about their gluten intolerance. He would not want to hurt his close friend because of his and ignorance.

"Excuse me, my friend, I'll leave you for a moment. Make yourself at home in my little cabin."

Elliott ran as fast as he could towards the Saloon.

"Gus, emergency! The table for two is still stands, but gluten-free meals must be served! This is important! Don't even touch the baked goods please, I beg you! I can't let them go to the hospital because of me, I can handle it if something bad happened to them! Goodness me!"

Gus knew from the first minute that the dishes needed to be served gluten-free, but the emotional writer still continued to punish himself for not knowing about Farmer's illness.

"He's a fine drama actor, alright" Gus thought, pretending he was still listening to the dramatic writer.

Elliott is willing to sacrifice his favorite crab cakes to keep the Farmer happy and healthy.

"I can make them without flour, just have something to replace."

"Gus, why didn't you say that! Then I order, for me and my partne-, I mean, a good friend! Oh, marvelous!"

Any whim at your expense, Mr. Writer.

Sam:

The Farmer has never eaten pizza?!

Sam is saddened by the realization that because of the coeliac, the Farmer is unable to taste the food of the gods, the great invention of mankind, the food without which almost none of his rehearsals with Abigail and Sebastian take place.

"Dude, it's just pizza." "Just pizza?! Seb, how can you say that!"

But without pizza-drama, Sam is now very careful about this information.

He doesn't give the Farmer any snack that has gluten in it.

Sam will tell his mom about it, in case the Farmer comes to visit and the musician himself is not there.

He also asks her if there is a recipe for gluten-free pizza.

"Because man, pizza is a great human creation that everyone need to try. And no intolerance should prevent people from being happy!"

(Sammy, it's just pizza)

Luckily for him, Jodi just happened to have a gluten-free recipe book. And, lo and behold, the pizza recipe is there too!

Jodi made it especially for the Farmer, as the Farmer is also her friend, a real sweetheart, and Sam seems to like them a lot ;) ("Mom!")

The pizza was really tasty. And the Farmer can safely eat it with Sam without fear for their health.

Indeed, the food of the gods!

Harvey:

Oh, Harvey understands Farmer very well. And not only as their doctor, but also as another person who doesn't tolerate gluten.

Friend or partner, he will never forget this when cooking if the Farmer dropped by to visit Harvey. He also doesn't forget about this when dispensing medicines and vitamins if the Farmer has caught a cold or other illness.

If they feel bad about accidentally eating a cookie, then Harvey will immediately come running to their call.

No wonder Harvey is very concerned about Farmer's health - he's a doctor after all, and the effects of coeliac can be very unpleasant (and sometimes life-threatening).

He still doesn't ever lose his temper if there's an emergency, so Harvey's friend (or spouse) is in safe hands.

The doctor is sorry that this disease is incurable. But it's not even that he and the Farmer can't eat pastries (Harvey dislike sweets and pies anyway, preferring vegetables and healthier food). It's just that even the slightest touch of your cutlery with gluten food can provoke an exacerbation of symptoms.

But he will keep an eye on this as often as possible, and the Farmer will also remind Harvey of this if he gets busy and accidentally reaches for a box of biscuits in Pierre's store, confusing it with a box of rice.

Shane:

Coel-what? Can you repeat again?

It took Shane a little longer to figure out what the disease was. So the Farmer can't eat anything with gluten or they'll get sick?

"...Listen, I recently had a burger and pizza in the Saloon, and my hands are still a little dirty after eating. Should I move away from you?"

Shane immediately moved a meter away from the Farmer when they confirmed that cross contamination could also be a problem.

The Farmer feels guilty after this, but Shane told them not to worry about it. After all, it is not their fault that they are gluten intolerant.

"Maybe I fucked my own health, but I don't want to harm other people's health. I'm not a complete asshole."

Before meeting with the Farmer, he began to wash his hands more often.

Sometimes he will defend the Farmer at the fair if someone persistently offers the Farmer to taste the pastries.

Also, eggs don't contain gluten, so they can make a good launch for a guest who comes to Marnie's Ranch (or for a spouse's breakfast)

His chickens will never let you down. Good girls!

Sebastian:

"Oh, sorry..."

"Sebby, what are you sorry for?"

Well, doesn't that mean it will restrict his friend the Farmer from growing certain crops, like wheat, for example? It's just... sad.

Moreover, he just wanted to invite the Farmer to his basement for another Solarion Chronicles: The Game with snacks. But Sam always brings pizza and Abigail brings blueberry cobbler...

No, he doesn't want it to limit his friendship with the Farmer because of that. Therefore, Sebastian still invites the Farmer, promising that he will arrange everything.

Fortunately, Sam and Abby were sympathetic to the situation and prepared gluten-free snacks, since there was a lot of choice.

Although Sam was still a little dramatic. "They've never had pizza?! It's -" "Sam, shut up already."

The board game sessions were just as fun, and the seeki were delicious too.

Sebastian will now henceforth remember Farmer's coeliac. He also wanted to ask them out on a date- uh, he mean just have some fun time in the Saloon, play pool, maybe walk around the city after...

"A night with billiards and no pizza? Is this even legal? :D" "SAM!!!"

#you can guess what kind of food I was eating while writing this headcanon :D #maybe the pizza joke is overdue #but i like it anyway #i hope you having fun reading this too snake 😃 #thanks for asking! #stardew valley #sdv #sdv headcanons #sdv sam #sdv sebastian #sdv shane #sdv elliott #sdv harvey #sdv alex

[esta-elavaris]

I realised that one minor change could've really easily had CTW being a Groves/Theo fic, so I wrote a little scene that sums up that premise. I won't be beginning this one until Fallen Through Time is done, because otherwise things can get muddled and oversaturated really fckn quickly, but this is a good glimpse into where the story goes, as I have it planned now.

(The first few bits are lifted directly from Catch the Wind, so veterans from that fic will recognise a lot of this.)

The gangplank was lowered to the dock to allow for disembarking, but Theo paid no attention to the men doing it. All she could do was stare at the docks - at the passing men and women, all in elaborate historical dress. Not a car, phone, nor anything even slightly modern in sight. She couldn't even be pleased that, true to her earlier assessment, she now knew exactly how fucked she was - because that amount was astronomical. Not only uncountable to humans and mortals alike, but inconceivable, like trying to wrap one's mind around the size of the universe itself.

"Are you well, Miss? You've gone white as a sheet," one of the men fixed her with a concerned frown.

"I…" her voice came out high and reedy "I - I'm just nervous. About crossing paths with the pirates. Captain Norrington told me they would be the first order of business."

"We keep a stern eye on them, don't you worry about that, but it would still be best if you heeded the captain and kept well away," the man nodded solemnly.

Any feeling in her extremities was long gone - even the infuriating burning itch that had set in about the sun burn. Squeezing her hand into a fist until her knuckles must have started to turn white, she couldn't feel a damn thing, there was no pain to drown out the static slowly filling her head, just the slightest sensation of pressure where her nails dug into her palm.

"Right," she said numbly "I'll do that."

Until the one pirate who might just be mad enough to believe her story, and might actually be able to help her, came to Port Royal. Part of her feared the man would insist on escorting her back to the captain's quarters, but thankfully he seemed too frazzled with the amount to be done and departed almost immediately after. She had to act now, before she was sent indoors - before anybody paid any real attention to what she was doing.

After one more glance around to make sure everybody was well and truly too busy to pay her any mind at all, she strode towards the gangplank. But she only made it a handful of steps before Lieutenant Groves was stepping before her.

“Miss Byrne, are you well?”

If there was any real suspicion within him, it was masked by genuine concern, too, as he watched her carefully. Theo felt too dizzy to appreciate it, though, and mainly wished everybody would stop asking her that question. The more they did so, the worse she felt.

“Yeah. I mean, yes. I’m fine,” she breathed, sounding very much not fine. “Just…eager to stand on solid ground again.”

Her words, at least the first few, seemed to garner all of the belief they deserved – which was absolutely none. But he was kind enough not to comment on it.

“I’ve come to see if I might walk you to the church,” he said.

“I thought I had to wait until the pirates were brought out.”

“A lot of procedure goes into transport such as this, there’s a moment or two yet, and my duties do not include participating in said procedures. I’m free to escort you.”

“So your duties include escorting mad Irishwomen to churches?”

At that, he chuckled.

"Those would be my chivalrous duties, I'm afraid. Not quite in the job description, but I take them seriously all the same.”

It was difficult to be annoyed at someone trying to do a good, helpful thing, but she still wished he hadn't approached, all the same. With every second that trickled by, her chance at making a successful exit without anybody noticing grew smaller and smaller - already, she realised with a sinking feeling, it had passed entirely.

#theo²

[henrioo]

CIS PEOPLE CANNOT DECIDE THE PARAMETERS FOR SOMEONE TO BE TRANS OR NOT

I'M FUCKING TIRED OF A CIS COMING TO ME AND SAYING I'M NOT A MAN BECAUSE I HAVE LONG HAIR, BECAUSE I LIKE DRESSES OR HIGH HEELS

THIS IS MY FUCKING LIFE AND I WILL CHOOSE HOW TO LIVE IT, I WILL CHOOSE HOW I WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED, I HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE, NOT YOU

After this scream I'm going to vent a little because even though I'm a hard rock to break, it doesn't mean that things don't affect me

If they don't hurt me anymore, it will be very difficult for you to hurt me, you know, especially about my trans experience. It's hard enough to offend me, so getting hurt is even harder

But it doesn't mean it doesn't affect me, and it affects and affects me, frustrating me, making me mad at a level where I often question how someone is so stupid

There's this woman (cis straight) and we were from a common group and we became friends, everything was fine, we had similar tastes, etc

But she did something that really irritated me, which was writing Mpreg, if you don't know why this is transphobic, etc. I genuinely don't feel like explaining now, but feel free to send me a message and I'll explain it better later and no, it's not necessarily forbidden to write Mpreg because of this, ok? It's more complicated than it looks

But I ignored it and like I said, mpreg is transphobic but being a writer or artist who uses it doesn't make you one, it's different, you know

But I started to notice the signs, one of the first was how she REFUSED to write trans men when it came to mpreg, she said she simply didn't like it and felt it wasn't her style, She also said that she would much rather have men giving birth through the ass than using a natural biological process that is men giving birth through a vagina

You may not see transphobia in this but it's fucking weird

And then I also started to realize that she was strangely obsessed with gay ships, to the level of just liking them and refusing to imagine them with women or accept other couples

It was also very strange that she EXCLUSIVELY liked gay couples, seriously, both the extreme of only liking LGBT couples and only liking straight couples is problematic, ok?

And now I found out that she also came up with this talk about Yamato being a woman, and I just started to get pissed off because it wasn't just like, oh that's my opinion, She spoke in a way that was like, this is a fucking truth and if you don't believe it, you're seeing something that isn't there

AND HOLY SHIT, WHAT IS THE FUCKING PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WANTING TO DICTATE WHAT MAKES SOMEONE BE TRANS OR NOT???

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT A CHARACTER IS NOT TRANS WHEN YOU ARE A FUCKING CIS??? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRANS

And all her arguments were bullshit about Yamato only being inspired by Oden, what a holy shit it already happened, right, use a real argument, holy shit

I'm just fucking tired of people like this

People who aren't even trans thinking they know what it's like to be trans, who know how trans people manifest themselves and expose themselves

No, no, Yamato took showers with men because he likes Luffy, ahem, of course that was it

No, no, Yamato continued using male pronouns even after saying he no longer wanted to be Oden due to Oda's mistake, of course

No, no, Yamato being called son by Kaido himself which only shows that his father knew and supported, besides showing the rest of the world calling him daughter is not a parallel for trans people who are in the closet and can only come out to their parents and sometimes not even that, Of course not, Oda would never think of that pfft

I'm tired, tired of seeing stupid people, because seriously, a person is not stupid because they don't know something, a person is stupid because they refuse to learn something

And transphobes and homophobes are the stupidest people on the face of the earth because they will always refuse to learn

And besides being funny, it's kind of sad, because they never keep it to themselves, they always need to attack others to prove it

Well I never think anyone reads my huge posts but I like to vent on them because I like tumblr

So my dear trans colleague, don't be discouraged, don't be afraid, don't give up

Because you are a star that will still shine brightly in this sky and these idiots will be far below you, millions of light years away, seeing only an illusion of your light, because you will be so badass and so brilliant, that they won't be able to come close to admire your true light

#one piece #henri talk #onepiece #yamato is trans #one piece yamato #fuck transphobes #transgender #transisbeautiful #transmasc #lgbtqia #trans community #im furious #fuck cis people

[inquisitor13]

You know that one scene in game where valrius spills his drink on MC on purpose? How do you think the other courtiers and Nadia would react if MC got up without saying a word and proceeded to pour their own drink right on valirius head and leaned in real close and said “oops”? I saw a scene like this in a show and thought it was the most badass thing ever xx

(Sorry for the misspelling, I’m god awful with their names)

Oh, yes, I saw that scene. :)

Well, it's going to be fun!

Countess Nadia

As a well-bred ruler of the state, she is extremely amazed. Even more: she's in shock. Moreover, it is unclear why exactly she is more in shock – from Valerius' antics or because of the way the MC answered him.

The surprised Countess runs up to MC and Valerius, wondering what happened, who first started this whole nightmare and for what purpose it was set up. Of course, the question is: "who started it first?" rhetorical. She squints irritably at the blushing Valerius, who clearly did not expect that this act would be noticed.

Nadia reprimands the culprit first: "Consul, I did not expect this from you, your behavior is unacceptable and from this day on I forbid you to appear in rooms where others gather with a glass of wine" – even such a harmless remark can hurt Valerius' self-confidence.

After talking to the adviser, she slowly turns to the MC and already addresses them, with the same stern expression on her face. Yes, the Countess is strict, but very fair and wants everyone to get what they deserve. "MC, I understand that you are angry at Valerius because of this terrible act, but try not to do it again. This is not worthy of any reaction. Now let me deal with your stain on your clothes."

As a result, Valerius, hurt by pride, goes to wash his hair and grumbles, and Nadia leaves MC next to her to discuss what happened. She intends to have this conversation with both MC and Valerius when he gets himself in order.

"MC, I am very ashamed of my adviser, I apologize for his antics. I'll talk to him and try to make sure he doesn't try to embarrass you anymore."

Nadia will definitely make Valerius apologize to MC. And the MC will also be obliged to apologize for what he did: she doesn't want people around her to conflict or hate each other.

Quaestor Valdemar

They are not doing anything to stop what is happening. Seriously, they absolutely don't care about this brawl, they just act as a silent observer who came to watch an unfunny cheap performance.

Not a single emotion flashes on their face, but their eyes are closely watching both MC and Valerius. But at the same time Valdemar is not on anyone's side.

When the MC takes and pours wine on Valerius' head, the reaction still appears: they laugh softly, hissing into their fists, squinting their eyes. It's almost impossible to see or hear.

Since their face is hidden by a medical mask, it is difficult to determine: is Valdemar funny or are they just snorting contemptuously? Oh, no, it's really something like a laugh. They haven't had this much fun in a long time.

At the end of this meeting, they will not say anything to MC or Valerius, but they will remember this case for a long time.

Valdemar could not resist and nevertheless inserted their remark: "Valerius, you should not have taken this fatal step. Your pride is wounded," and then spreads into a wide toothy smile that can be seen even through the mask.

In their opinion, this is a good way to put the arrogant Valerius in his place, so they have nothing against it.

Pontifex Vulgora

Get ready. Their laughter will shake the whole room, and Valerius' rage will become uncontrollable, because "no one dares to laugh at the supreme consul!". But Vulgora clearly doesn't care.

"FUCK, VALERIUS, NOW YOUR HEAD LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY HAD YOUR SKULL CRUSHED!"

They catch judgmental glances at themselves, but they don't care at all. They laugh uncontrollably, flavoring their laughter with prickly and witty comments. Finally, this reception has become less boring.

Vulgora does not care about the condemnatory views and comments of everyone present. In a fit of emotion, they can hit something in a hurry and it will definitely suffer.

For example, it can be a vase. And it will be noisy until the Pontifex releases them and they come to their senses, or until the Countess calms them down.

But even after that, they will remember this situation for a long time and make rude jokes on this topic.

Vulgora are even proud that they did not miss this reception and saw the spectacle while being at the forefront.

Preator Vlastomil

Looks at the spectacle with a bit of surprise. Not that what was happening was important to him, because all this time he was busy looking at the worms that he carried in the folds of his clothes and woke up only when he heard Valerius's indignant scream.

"What's going on here?! You are scaring my children!" – he is outraged, for the most part, not by what the MC did, but by the fact that because of Valerius, who began to resent loudly, his worms hid back in the folds of his clothes and now refuse to come out again.

When he sees Valerius doused with wine, he is not thrilled. Now there is a smell of this drink around, because of which his worms will definitely not crawl out now.

However, he is still watching this scene. After all, what else does Vlastomil like besides worms? That's right, gossip. Fresh gossip. Therefore, he discards indignation and collects material for gossip related to Valerius. This is a great reason to put him in front of everyone in an unfavorable light.

Do not be surprised if in a few days the whole palace will be talking about it. Vlastomil, of course, if he is suspected, will say that he has nothing to do with it, but since he is the only most avid gossip here, you should not believe him.

Valerius' reputation has suffered because of him.

Procurator Volta

Like Vlastomil, she wasn't particularly interested in this meeting. She was fascinated by the food she had secretly brought into the room and was just eating all the time.

Exactly until the room was filled with the smell of poured wine on Valerius' hair. She giggles softly, unable to contain her laughter. Valerius is always so proud and arrogant, and now he's so awkward and funny.

"Now Valerius smells so nice of the drink!" – she squeaks.

If Vlastomil is the main gossip of the palace, then Volta deservedly takes second place. Together with him, she, occasionally laughing, and discussing with him all the awkwardness of the incident.

When the performance is interrupted by Nadia's remarks, Volta quickly loses interest in this small scandal and returns to eating again.

#the arcana #the arcane game #nix hyrda #the arcana courtiers #quaestor valdemar #pontifex vulgora #the arcana vulgora #valdemar #vulgora #procurator volta #praetor vlastomil headcanons #praetor vlastomil #quaestor valdemar the arcana game #valdemar quaestor #quaestor valdemar headcanons #valerius headcanons #consul valerius #valdemar headcanons #arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana courtiers headcanons #countess nadia

[onepiece-oc-archives]

what's something you would not recommend when writing one piece ocs?

Hi, thanks for your question!

At first I thought it was a duplicate of the question I answered here but then I looked a little closer. So: In this post, I'll be focusing on the actual writing of OCs, as in fanfic stuff. If you're still in the creating phase, go here for my tips on what to avoid for that.

Alright, writing! My favourite activity on the world earth - I could literally write for entire weeks straight if I wasn't bound by the limits of my human body and mind lol

This list is probably going to be even shorter than the one for OC creation because I'm not about to mess with other people's writing style. Do what feels right for you. You should always be writing for yourself first and foremost because writing should be fun! That being said, there's one One Piece-specific tip I have for you:

Don't translate everything you see in the anime and/or manga directly into your writing. It won't work. Animation/manga and written stories are two very different mediums. I think the best way to explain this would be to look at the changes made between the animanga and the live action:

Changes had to be made because certain things just don't translate well into a live-action format.

For example, most characters don't yell out their attacks in the live action, because it comes off as very silly outside of the animanga format. They're real people after all. The characters who still shout out their attacks are either very silly (i.e. Luffy and Buggy) or... well... Sanji. He's very serious about it. I saw someone theorize once that shouting your finisher attacks is probably a pirate thing and Zeff taught Sanji that - so of course he'd take it seriously because he respects Zeff and takes his word as truth because Zeff used to be a pirate and he should know. Anyways, other example:

Sanji's heart eyes. We're sticking with my boy Sanji, simply because he works really well for tackling changes made to the live action made for genre/format/medium reasons. Why? Because Sanji, in the animanga, is a character who's very reliant on physical comedy. Don't know what I mean, maybe because you're an OPLA only fan (in which case: Welcome, glad to have you here <3)? Here, I'll show you:

That's animanga Sanji. Full-on heart eyes goof and noodle arms. As you can probably guess, this wouldn't work in a live action format. So, we went from literal heart eyes...

... to figurative heart eyes. Still very much head over heels for the ladies, still a hopeless romantic, still an idiot, but not so much of an idiot that it comes across as over-the-top and wildly unnatural.

I would highly recommend that you do something similar for writing One Piece fics, including OC fics. If you want to keep the over-the-top, physical comedy, cartoon logic elements from the animanga for your fic, I won't stop you. I've just noticed that, in my opinion, it's hard to pull off, because describing the absolute tomfoolery of the animanga can be very difficult, and I'm personally not too much of a fan of it. It works in specific situations (caught-up animanga fans might know what I'm hinting at), but I personally prefer my fics to feel more natural - like OPLA. Still silly, but silly in a way that works for a live action and/or written format. That might also have to do with my writing style as a whole, so, like I said, keep the animanga elements if you want or tone them down if you like.

One thing I love to do though is to drop hints to animanga tropes and elements without implimenting them fully. Best example? Sanji's heart eyes. Because look at him! Figurative heart eyes are a thing. Use metaphors and figures of speech, figurative words that imply something cartoony but don't have to be. It's really fun! I really don't know how to explain it better, but I hope you know what I mean.

So, now that I've talked about general things and canon characters and whatnot: What does that mean for OCs specifically?

Maybe try to make a rough separation between their drawn form and their written form - or between their animanga and live action version. This works especially well if you can draw (even just a little bit) but it's also just plain fun to think about without drawing anything. Think about what gags and animanga tropes your OC could have in that format and think about how those things translate to a live action or written format. Do they translate seamlessly? Do they have to be cut because they don't work at all? Would they be changed? Experiment with what works for your own writing style. How does your OC interact with your interpretation of canon characters? Generally: Throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. The only way to start writing is to start writing and to try out what works for you and what doesn't.

And in case you don't know where you want to start with writing or want to try a few things out: Take a scene in canon that your OC would be participating in and write down your version of it. See what changes, try out the dynamics, get a feel for what works and what doesn't...

So yeah, I hope this helped! This feels pretty disorganized (I'm so sorry) but I hope I got my point across.

Hope you're having a lovely day!

#ask the archivist #topic: basics #topic: oc help #topic: writing #no spoilers

[wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart]

✨✨✨✨🫱Care to share🫲✨✨✨✨

The message was sent to you because someone loved your writing and stories. ❤️

▪️What are your writing suggestions for newcomers, or what would you have liked to know when you first started?

▪️How do you write different personalities and perspectives? Could you explain how you came up with the manner you written your favorite or any character?

▪️What do you do when you have writer's block?

▪️How do you come up with new ideas and develop them?

▪️Any messages for your readers or fellow writers?

You are welcome to answer if you have the time and desire, or you can simply respond to the questions that come to mind.

💐Thank you for your work as a writer and as a member of this fandom!💐

Why thank you dear Ano.

My writing suggestion for all newcomers is pretty simple, and I know many have said the same thing before me, but I'll say it again anyway. WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO READ!!! Don't worry too much about what others will think, have fun, be creative and don't take it 'too' seriously. We do fanfiction for pleasure, for freedom, and because it's a great way to escape RL for a moment. Don't worry about kudos and comments, it's not easy, I know, but have patience your mutuals will find you and you them, but it takes time. You don't have to produce! You can't succeed every time! Find your own rhythm, listen to your muse, allow yourself breaks, read other people's stories without envy (we are all different and have different skills and talents), COMMENT and engage with others, and above all BE KIND! Especially to yourself.

I wish I could give a real and 'professional' answer on how I work with personalities, character and pov, but I can't. I write using 'Gefühle', following my instincts and my own perception of the characters and how they will act. It's not a very reliable method, but I don't know any other. I just do it… And as for pov, well, whatever feels right. A few times I consciously choose a certain pov, but most of the time it's a subconscious choice.

When I find myself in writer's block, I've learned over time that it will pass. Sometimes I take a break from fandom. I read, other fic, other books. I read my own 'old' stories, to remind myself how far I've come, how much I'm evolving, and to see that I've actually created something I like. I share some ideas with the trusted few. I find some short prompts to play with. I try very hard not to stress about it. I'm patient… It will pass.

About ideas and developing them. Well I don't even have to try. New ideas usually assault me and I will never be able to write them all, DAMN bunnies. It's a difficult challenge to manage them, and even more difficult to choose which ones to work on. Once again it comes down to instinct/subconscious, the ideas that stick, the ones my muse insists on bouncing around in my brain, those are the ones I work with. Once I start writing, the development tends to come naturally.

To my readers THANK YOU, your interest is precious to me, priceless and beyond description. To my fellow weiters. I love you all!!! I am honored to know you and admire you endlessly. You are a joy in my life that I can't even begin to explain. THANK YOU for being you and for everything you create.

#fanfiction #writing #fan fiction #fandom stuff #creativety #my muse #ask and answer

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hello dear. Hope you are well. I am not sure how best to articulate my thoughts but here we go. It's very very long but you inspired me today. You've been a beacon of change in questioning and challenging ITV. I wanted to quip in. Hope you don't mind. Arnav anger is often excused as coming from trauma and his 'grey/anti-hero' character is often glamorized. He is without a doubt compelling and attractive. Plus, he has his strengths such as honesty and forthrightness.

Ok, so this is a LONG question with a lot of your own analysis and I wouldn't touch that at all cause analyzing is a beautiful thing and I wouldn't want to add/remove from your lovely analysis. I'll just be adding some of my thoughts here and there :D

(rest of the ask below)

His greyness amplifies a lot of the hypermasculine stereotypical traits such as aggression, strength, power etc. In the narrative like in Kabir Singh this makes us discount the wrongs when perhaps his treatment of Khushi in many ways in similar. Rather we swoon over his charm when in reality most 'charming' men have similar shades and unfortunately, never change. The sense of entitlement and the joy of wielding power over others is observed in abusive men.

Tbh though, Arnav doesn't have any charm. Shyam has all the charm in the world and that's interesting considering he's a villain.

Often we excuse this behavior by comparing them to worse portrayals when again abuse usually escalates with time. For example, at least Arnav didn't violate Khushi's consent. How different were Shyam and Arnav? Weren't they both ultimately two sides of the same coin? Isn't this afterall a way to build tolerance towards worse behavior? Shyam is the 'bad' guy because he plans things deliberately, but aren't Arnav's actions also not something he is accountable for?

Fun fact, Arnav and Shyam were written to mirror each other in multiple situations. It was very intentional of the creators to draw a thin line between the anti-hero and villain and to be honest, at one point we all simply believed Arnav is the hero of the story only because he is Khushi's choice.

I wish Arnav's actions were far more accountable for - hence the guesthouse and resignation scenes are some of my favorites.

We don't talk much about Arnav and Anjali here. They are incredibly close, but the co-dependency is discernible. He is obligated to her for being the 'mother' but she is his first and Khushi the second. It does perhaps from trauma but Anjali has a lot of control over Arnav and he is guilt-ridden if she is hurt. We blame Khushi for her mistakes but do we ever consider that it is her desparation to receive unconditional love which is missing.

Arnav and Anjali have developed codependency over their trauma -which is what Shyam exploits.

Coming to Khushi, she is often criticized for her world revolving around Arnav, being infantilized, that she should 'stand up' etc. However, it's not a new fact that abusive relationships can be incredibly difficult to leave and can have a huge physical and emptional impact on a person's self-esteem. Is this not victim blaming? We also dismiss the impact Arnav's family has on Khushi. Anjali,Akash,Dadi -all had a role to play as their support was conditional or inadequate.

Hmm interesting. To share my opinion and take on this - my gripe with Khushi rarely comes from considering her and Arnav as real people and assessing their relationship as such. My gripe is with the writing in the show coming to Khushi. Khushi recessing to childlike behavior is a signal of trauma that @honeybellexox had once brilliantly discussed.

But the show is not portraying the delicate pained layers of emotions you described. The rest of the family is left out to hype TRP forced romance or family politics (not plot) and Khushi's weight of being in an abusive relationship is seriously traded for terrible writing which things suicide is funny, pissing off an abusive husband is hilarious.

We do not SEE Khushi's behavior as a response to a terrible marriage. We are made to see this is how Khushi is 'one upping' against Arnav by irritating him the way she poured juice in his shoes. And wow how intelligent.

There's no depth, no gravity, nothing in Khushi. She becomes hollow - not because of the pain you aptly put above - but due to a very Star Plus enforced 'bahu' trope.

Victim blaming would be wondering why Khushi didn't shove Shyam off the terrace scene and froze when Shyam hugged her - no, any reaction she had at that point is absolutely justified!

But wondering why Khushi acts around Arnav post revelation that she is having an affair of Shyam instead of providing facts or actual reasonings is a flaw in the show. Why? Because the intention of the show at that point was to ensure that Arnav's misunderstanding does not break and he is 'justified' in the audience's eye to mistreat Khushi. Now that is a problem.

The complication of Payal being married into the same family, lack of societal, financial and family support almost meant that Khushi had no choice but to humor situations and find happiness in meaningless trivalities. He child-like behavior and adherence to patriarchal traditions/rituals was her only resort to be accepted. That is so ingrained in her mind, that any attempt to tilt the balance might cause her more problems. Perhaps Khushi's character arc was realistic.

I absolutely wish the show showed the nuance you are writing. Her dancing to Nani for Holi was beautiful - it conveys everything you're saying. Her force-feeding Arnav mid meeting, forbidding anyone to give him food, then eating up food that can feed upto five people and still tasting the food before she gives him to eat is... ridiculous and demeaning as a character.

I do disagree with you on Khushi's arc because her arc, after a moment, is stunted to serve Arnav as a character. An excellent character that displays everything you wrote is Gauri from Ishqbaaz. They lend her the grace and gravity that one can only dream of in Khushi.

(I'll show it to you!!! You'll absolutely love it - it's a solid recommend from @aye-masakalii)

It wasn't the lack of strength or that she had certain traits. Her reality and worth had been controlled, toyed with and manipulated that she no longer could see things clearly which made her sink deeper into the marriage. Should the IPK writers be criticized for mirroring the reality many women still live in or is it an eye-opener which makes us very uncomfortable in acknowleding the sad reality that many women meet the same fate?

Our innate optimism makes us favor the idealized world that Arnav and Khushi were a fairytale. Perhaps they do end up being together but is that the only yardstick to measure marriage? More questions than answers, but isn't is critical to shift the repsonisbility towards Arnav rather than victim-blame Khushi? Love, RDX

I loved your analysis, and if the writing hadn't been so flat and actually conveyed everything you wrote - I would've never wanted Arnav and Khushi together.

Lol, maybe that's why my edits and fanfics exist.

Arnav needed to be held more accountable and Khushi needed to be written further as an independent character - these are perhaps some of my main grievances against the show only because they proved they could do it.

Best,

Soapy

#ipkknd #ask #dropsofserenity

[ambrossart]

Hi, me again. I hope you’re having an amazing July thus far! I know you’re busy, so only answer if you have the time, but I’m just dying to ask. How are you so good at writing Patrick and making me, as a reader, root for him despite all his wrong doings. As we know, he has solipsism disorder…. and for me that’s difficult to understand so I’m genuinely so impressed how amazingly you write him. Like can you share with me how you approach that kind of character. There’s so many layers and yet somehow you’re successfully writing some sort of story with him as a love interest (I don’t think it’s possible for Patrick to truly love someone). You’re amazing!

Boy, that’s a really tough question to answer. I don’t even know if I can answer it, but I’ll try:

I’ve said this before, but writing Patrick Hockstetter as a love interest is the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted. It’s like walking a tightrope. Obviously, I have to soften him a little by introducing some element of sympathy, but I can’t lean too far into that; otherwise, Patrick becomes unrecognizable as a character. On the flip side, I can’t lean too far into his dark side because then he’ll be completely unromanceable, especially for someone like Evelyn. She would never date a murderous psychopath who thinks he’s the only “real” person in the world, not unless she saw a glimmer of something more. That’s why I don’t think of Patrick in those terms. I’m not approaching him like I’m writing a psychopath or even a villain. In this story, he’s not any of those things. He’s just Patrick.

The solipsism is tricky to fully grasp, so I had to break it down and put it back together in a way that makes sense to me. I’m departing a bit from canon here, but the way I’m approaching it is, Patrick feels seriously detached from the rest of the world. He was born that way. Nothing he can do about it. Because of this, he sees himself as the only fully conscious being. Other people may be alive in the sense that they’re living/breathing, but he doesn’t recognize them as thinking, feeling creatures like himself. They might as well be insects to him. Like all the dead flies in his pencil case. That's why Patrick doesn't care if he hurts someone. Why would he? Most people squash a bug without giving it a second thought, don’t they? In his eyes, it’s the same thing.

As we know, this mindset opens the door for a lot of dangerous behavior, but it also reveals a very sad, lonely existence. Because Patrick’s so disconnected, he gets little to no pleasure from everyday things. All food tastes bland to him. Music might as well be radio static. Setting his violent tendencies aside, that's a pretty miserable life.

That's where Evelyn comes in. She's a very emotional, empathetic individual. Patrick describes her as colorful, and that's a huge compliment coming from him, probably the best, most genuine compliment he can give a person. He's not gonna call her beautiful because he doesn't care that much about traditional beauty standards (Patrick's sexuality is incredibly complicated, but we'll get into that later), but calling her colorful says a lot about how he views her. Up until now, Patrick has only experienced "color" when doing/observing something violent and cruel, so for him to experience a similar sensation with her... that's a pretty big deal.

But can someone like Patrick love? Eh, I think that depends on how you define love, but I do think he can develop strong attachments toward certain people. Are Patrick and Evelyn at that stage? No. Right now, I'd say they're in the mutual fascination stage. Patrick is fascinated by her color and she's fascinated by his lack of color. There's an emptiness there that she's undeniably drawn to... probably because she wants to see what, if anything, is on the other side.

Holy shit, I just fell even more in love with this pairing.

And I'm rambling 😅

I don't even know if I answered your question. If I didn't, just throw me a follow-up question and I'll try to clarify.

#patrick hockstetter #bowers gang #it stephen king #it 2017 #it fanfiction #answered asks #thanks for the ask! #paper men #ambrossart

[jamtland]

🤢,🏳️‍🌈 & 💕?

Hetalia Emoji Asks

🤢 - What aspect of canon bugs you the most? Could be a name, an age, a birthday, etc.

Just one?! I read other users' responses to this prompt and a lot of them rightfully brought up the questionable content of the early comics/English dub, the illogical character age determination and the unrealistic human names, so I'll talk about something else. I don't like the canonical role of nations, with the "attending world meetings" and "working under their boss" stuff! What are world meetings for? What kind of work do they do? Who is their boss supposed to be and what makes them special enough to order the personification around? I think it creates an unsatisfying compromise where the nations have some kind of relevance to real-life politics in the canon, but their role is ambiguous. People who are interested in history and politics can't get anything out of the canon because the politics are brushed aside, while people who only want humor have to be careful of political implications because the nations are still related to politics in some way.

I overwrote this part of canon and took out the world meetings and political bosses. I don't enforce a political role on the nations.

🏳️‍🌈 - Favorite sexuality/gender headcanon(s), if you have them?

Answered here!

💕 - You've got your choice of one pairing you can canonize, but you've got to come up with how you choose to do it. Which pairing do you choose and what's your game plan for how it happens?

SuNor 👀 They were seriously done dirty in Hetalia, they have no interaction at all despite their massive shared border and history! SuNor is a very lowkey couple to me. It's very difficult for someone who doesn't know them well to realize they're together, as they're both very affectionate in private but have a very cool demeanor in public. It could even look like they're rivals as they banter with each other a lot (we could add this to the game plan as foreshadowing). The relationship reveal would be completely unexpected from the reader's perspective, like one of them talking about his plans for the day and suddenly mentioning the other as his husband.

Thank you for your ask!

#hetalia #sunor #hws sweden #hws norway #aph sweden #aph norway #ask