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onlymingyus · 6 months

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Bound to You (fall-ing for you collab) [teaser]

pairing; yoon jeonghan x f!reader

genre; smut (minors dni), angst, supernatural au, soulmate au

warnings; warlock!jeonghan, wonwoo side character/family member, mentions of magic, curses, death/murder, auras, soulmates, death of parents, complicated family dynamics, borrowed story point from Goblin, protected sex, fingering, oral (f receiving), cum eating, orgasm denial, edging, overstimulation, very light bondage in the form of binding hands/tying to the bed, marking/biting, pet names, aftercare

w/c; 12.9k and some change (860 ~ this teaser)

svthub fall-ing for you collab masterlist

a/n; thank you to @wonwussy for beta/proofreading -- if you have been following me for a while you might notice this fic is in the same universe as Lavender Tea and Honey. I hope you enjoy this.

this fic will be released sunday 11/12 at 3 pm est to read it now subscribe to my patreon and click here

“I’m–my name?” You had one—a name. At least you had one up until the moment before you looked up into the man’s eyes. Now you weren’t sure if you remembered how to breathe, much less speak or think straight.

Jeonghan smiles, feeling himself becoming more enamored with you as you look confused and as scattered as he had felt just a moment ago. Did you feel it too? The sudden, odd connection? Biting at his bottom lip, Jeonghan slides his chair closer to your table, turning it towards you as his fingers delicately trail along the handle of his cup.

Your eyes are drawn to his fingers; your pretty eyes are almost entranced by the movement as you take a steady breath, seeming to come back to reality. “Y/N. I’m Y/N.”

You hadn’t asked for his name but Jeonghan didn’t mind. You were looking at him like he was the first and last thing you wanted to see on any given day and he knew the feeling. Taking his own deep breath, Jeonghan glances back down at your fingers and the maroon ribbon of magic swirling around them.

“I’m Jeonghan. It’s nice to meet you, Y/N.”

Your name on Jeonghan’s lips was better than any music you had heard in a long time. It was reverberating in your ears, causing goosebumps to erupt along your skin. He was so handsome that you were having a hard time keeping your thoughts organized. Everything seemed jumbled, speeding towards him, and at the same time, everything was in slow motion around you.

“I–” You laugh softly, shyly looking down, before you force yourself to look back at Jeonghan once again and into his pretty dark eyes. “It’s nice to meet you too. I come here all the time, and I feel like I would have seen you here before. Are you new to town?”

Meeting your eyes, Jeonghan can’t help the way his smile exposes his enthusiasm. He wanted to play it cool and be some attractive man you had met in the coffee shop that you would pine after for weeks. Instead, he couldn’t help feeling like some schoolboy with a crush as his stomach tightened when you smiled back at him.

Leaning his arm on the table, Jeonghan bites at his bottom lip, drawing your attention towards it briefly before he laughs almost as if he’s trying to consider his next words carefully. His eyes move past you towards the counter where Wonwoo was talking to a customer before he furrows his brows and shakes his head.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve visited before. Many times, actually. My family…extended family owns this shop. Wonwoo is my cousin; it seems like you know him pretty well. I just recently moved here, though. I’ve been spending a little more time here in the shop, at least for the past week or so.”

That made more sense to you as you nodded along, staying quiet. Your eyes move to Wonwoo, who seems to notice, giving you a friendly smile, only to glance towards Jeonghan with a curious look in his eye. There was a bit of caution laced in his gaze but he didn’t seem to linger, instead going back to his tasks.

“I see, I was out of town a couple days. I normally come in almost every day to get my drink so I probably would have seen you sooner.”

You smile again, making Jeonghan swallow hard. There was no way that if you had stepped into this cafe before today, he would have missed you. There could be 100 people surrounding him now and he would find you again.

Looking down at his own drink, Jeonghan lets out a soft, breathy laugh as you seem to study him, waiting for what he will say next with baited breath. You had never cared that much about anything anyone would say. It wasn’t like you needed a partner. It wasn’t like you came to this cafe or any cafe for that matter, looking for someone to be with. Especially not someone that you needed to speak to you so that you could breathe, but that is how it felt after just fifteen minutes of sitting at a table near Jeonghan.

“I wish you could have come in sooner... Fuck, I can’t explain what I’m about to say. I–I swear, I’m not a creep.”

Almost afraid to meet your eyes, Jeonghan laughs, only to fall silent when you shake your head, letting out your own soft laugh.

“For some reason, and I really can’t explain why I’m even saying this but I think no matter what you are about to tell me...I think I’ll understand. I sound like a crazy person.”

Jeonghan shakes his head this time, lifting his eyes to yours to meet them with a persistent look, trying to shake away that feeling from you. You weren’t crazy. He knew crazy; he had met crazy, and that wasn’t you. Crazy couldn’t hide from him.

"No, you don’t. Not to me. I was going to say I’d like to get to know you better. Could I get your number? I’d like to take you out.”

READ THE FULL FIC NOW ON PATREON

#jeonghan smut #seventeen smut #svthub #jeonghan angst #seventeen angst #svt smut #jeonghan x reader #seventeen x reader #svt x reader #seventeen supernatural #seventeen soulmate au

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favouritefi · 5 months

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I love your Terror catboy AU, it’s a funky combination of adorable drawings and Victorianesque pseudoscientific hierarchies. However, it made me wonder about catgirls/doggirls; if you’re happy to answer, how do you see the intersection of gender and hybridity playing out in this universe?

I LOVE THIS QUESTION THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION i have a lot of thots on this bc the whole "angel in the house" image of the ideal (middle class) victorian woman is such a fun concept to play with more under cut

ok so what im about to say rn really only applies to middle class and upper class women in this au as those are the main characters in the terror if we get into the lower classes its a more complicated and nuanced story.

anyway in victorian times women were expected to be chaperoned everywhere by an older woman such as a female relative or female servant lest she be corrupted by the ills of the world and by men etc. this is where cat/doggirls come in. its expected that if you have a daughter then you goooootta adopt a companion or two for her both to show off your status and to ensure that your daughter has a friend / chaperone / mentor / moral compass for life. so in cat/dogpeople households the cat/dogboys usually go off to whatever institution their bloodline is associated with and cat/doggirls usually become companions for the wives and daughters of the men employed by those institutions. its very different from human family structures because the expectation here is that your child will not stay with your household, youre making children knowing that they will likely not belong to you regardless of whether they are male or female and that you might never see them again once theyre adopted and they need to be adopted or else its a failure on you and your bloodline. (grim i know) this system is also why each generation of cat/dogpeople tends to be fairly large, little and hodgson and irving all have an overabundance of siblings and cousins many of whom theyve never met in their life.

interestingly, cat/doggirls are actually more valued amongst these families than cat/dogboys because cat/dogboys can only be sent off to the institution the bloodline is associated with whereas cat/doggirls can be sent off to any upper/middle class household regardless of association and it would still be considered respectable AND it creates new relationships between human families that the human owners might find beneficial (kind of like how marriage was historically the exchange of women to strengthen political ties between families). this means that excess cat/dogboy sons are often disappointing to the parents - edward little is one of these. all 3 of his elder brothers had already left for the navy so he grew up playing w his sisters and getting dolled up in their dresses and being told that oh he'd make such a pretty girl and pretty bride oh if only he'd been born a girl etc. totally doesnt fuck him up.

speaking of fucked up theres hickey and his whole situation w sophia. having a catboy as a companion for an upper class girl is a big no-no and only happened because [insert hickey backstory here that is too long and really should have its own post]. no body approves of this but sophia loves him so very much and they were inseparable up until they were separated when sophia went to tasmania with the franklins and hickey was abandoned to the streets against both his and sophias will. sophia refused to adopt a new more appropriate companion in tasmania and after the franklins returned to england she tried to find him but couldnt and assumed he died. then when it seems like the ships are lost and jane starts campaigning for a rescue mission suddenly hickey shows up and for a few blissful years they are together again. he is older and quieter and has scars he wont explain, but hes still hickey and sophia still loves him. and then sir john comes back and fucks all of that up again.

sorry this was meant to be about gender dynamics in my deranged catboy au but i got distracted by hickey (as per usual)

#hope this answers some things #it might also raise more questions #which i probably have answers to #bc i think way too much about this au #Purror and Erebark

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onceuponalegendbg-rwby · 7 months

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Reaction to RWBY Crew Commentary V9

Alright, as is tradition at this point, got my copy of the Blu Ray so let's get started.

Okay, first of all, before I even hop into the commentary, I love that the title screen for the menu is Ruby falling through that mural in the OP. That is... That is so cool man! Whoever thought of that... I love you. You're a genius.

So we start off with Kerry, Eddy, Laurie (hope I spelled that right). And addressing how they had to work mostly from home on this volume and the challenges that caused.

Yeah, quick reunion was the right call. I mean, we did the Team RWBY split for two volumes (4 and 5) and then again in V8. Don't keep the girls apart again.

Little origins! Give me! Someone that starts how Ruby started...

I mean... yeah, I assumed Ruby knew about Penny from Weiss. Like... duh.

Same peeps for episode 2 but also with Paula? Again, I hope I heard that right.

Return of Blake the Book Nerd.

Yang and Blake kind of dig the Ever After, Weiss hates it, and Ruby is lost in her thoughts.

Luci improvised Little's little song.

Oh, Yang might still think this is a dream so nothing here matters... That's an idea. Everyone grieves differently...

Man I love Weiss in this episode.

"We can't have her be the butt of every joke." .... I want to see what they cut.

Episode 3! We've picked up Conner, Dustin, and Kiersi! Lost Laura and Paula.

The animation is so good man.

Putting away depression to help her friends.

Prince Trauma(TM)

Neo Scary.

Episode 4. Kerry, Eddy, Miles and Dustin.

Curious talk.

Self critic!

"She learned her lesson in the end, right?" "Oh, I'd certainly say so."

"If there's something Ruby can blame herself for, do it!"

"Cat wanted to scope out which one of the girls was weakest."

Shout out to the VAs!!

Chapter 5: Kerry, Eddy, Paula, Kiersi!

Cat is dismissive of WBY. Focuses only on Ruby.

The Blacksmith: The Ever After itself is now reaching out to Ruby.

Walking the line between the audience knowing that Ruby needs help and WBY not quite understanding how bad it is.

Making sure the emblem wasn't on Ruby's model after was a pain.

"Oh no, he's hot."

Episode 6: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Laura.

The difference between Jaune having already lived for many years with this guilt in the Ever After and RWBY who are still fresh.

How protective Kerry is of the Bee scene is amazing.

There was an idea that the vision Alyx saw was that she saw that someone in her party was going to keep her from returning home, and it ultimately is herself before the Cat kills her.

Ya'll have already seen other posts about Kerry and crew's thoughts on the Bee scene and what it means for the Yang and Blake so I won't go into all that because, yeah, can't say it better.

"They were actually in front of each other the whole time." Excuse me!

"Now she has to step up again." ....Ow.

Episode 7: Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Dustin? I think that's what I heard.

How the meeting went: "Well he can't have been doing nothing, that would be really disappointing." *Beat of silence* "Oh, that would be really disappointing." Evil geniuses.

Stuck in the pattern of trying to be the hero. Both incredibly busy and doing nothing.

"He's more lost than ever."

Fighting on a hill. I'd never considered the complications of that either.

Miles and Lindsey kill this scene man. It's so good.

Episode 8 (oh boy): Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Paula, Kiersi.

Had to cut an episode due to scheduling and budget. Scary to have to rework that.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

The flowers on the Tea Cups are Forget-Me-Nots.

Imposter Syndrome.

Neo landed on the Brother's Acre.

"Neither one of them won that fight." Neo and Ruby.

Episode 9: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Dustin, Kiersi.

Blacksmith is a therapist.

Weiss is the best, true.

What do the characters want?

Episode 10: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Kiersi, Dustin.

Aw, their kids contributed some of the background drawings for Yang and Ruby's room.

Furious Cat.

"She's the self that chose herself." "She emerges herself but different."

"I'm so happy." I love how much they love this show.

"How do we not redeem her but give her this sort of neutral path?"

Oh man, I'm tearing up before Somewhat even shows up.

Somewhat is no longer defined by having one purpose.

Dude, they keep talking about not wanting this to be filler so they had the backstory of the Brothers but I will always stand by that if the characters learn and grow as people then it will never be filler. So from the beginning this was never going to be filler.

"One small kindness, in one small moment, led to such a marvelous transformation." That line always destroys me.

Whelp, that's a wrap on the commentary for V9. Now... we wait.

#rwby #volume 9 #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #greenlight volume 10 #greenlightvolume10 #kerry shawcross #miles luna #kiersi burkhart #eddy rivas #lindsey jones #kara eberle #arryn zech #barbara dunkelman

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playstation-lichenthrope · 7 months

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Hello Hello! I've spotted the Deck of Phoenix tag enough times on my dash now that I HAVE to ask. Whats it about? Care to share the cool oc universe story thing? If you're interested in doing so of course! I would love to hear about it (:

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO FRIEND /pos

This is going to be long and barely coherent/word salady but here you go friend Merin :)

Okay so... Deck of Phoenix. Prefacing this with with the fact DoP's message is about finding your own way to deal with trauma of all kinds. All of the characters have their own trauma and deal with it in different ways for better or worse LOL! LMAO! The main 6 we have for the cast are Neptune, Vikki, Teresa, Twilip, Ichigo and Salem. Salem is Ollie's OC that got absorbed into the story and became one of the linchpins in Ichigo's backstory (Childhood friends who were kinda romantic then shit happened and then OUAHGAHFDHGgeF anyways)

The magic system in the story is really complicated to explain because it really only makes sense in my brain at the moment and it's supposed to be universal across many different alien worlds :) Hehe! Did I mention this is a fantasy sci-fi? In the way of a fantasy world in a sci-fi setting!!! HEHEHHE!

Every person/soul is born with an ability that aligns with two sigils (magic types) and it can range from something extremely powerful and useful to something that never even manifests. An example of the latter would be a character we have; she seemed powerless until she died because her power was to revive permanently when brought back by a necromancer. Back to the main characters! Neptune canonically has schizophrenia, he has the ability to see the future of someone when he looks them in the eyes, which is how the story starts and also how he finds out he saves the universe from an evil tyrant called Paradox (Name might be temporary, idk lol) But yeah he has a character arc that might be spoilers so i'll explain on discord but it makes his schizophrenia so so soooo much worse <3 <- Projecting my problems onto him. (Also he is the only human in the group)

Vikki's powers are under construction but! She is basically the glue holding the crew together and is a satyress :3 She likes ballet and is the sweetest person you'll ever meet unless you get on her bad side HFGJEHFVQ Also she's built like a centaur and it's so cool to meee cuz I love drawing non-human characters

Teresa is like if Doc was a Loverboy and also a necromancer >:) I'm thinking about giving her the weird gender swag just to make one of the others the only cis person in the group TKYURLF (Twilip) Xe's an alien from a desert planet and is kinda a cyclops lynx/kangaroo mouse and she kinda looks like a vortigaunt now that I think about it..

Twilip. How do I even explain... He's like if Boomer (bubby x coomer) was a person tbh.. Cranky old man who gives tutorials and worked at a library and he misses his late wife so so much :( BUT he has a swag ass pen that can make drawings come to life and he's about the size of a cat btw if you even care <3 /ref

Ichigo... WHERE DO I START. Ichigo's been our OC since we were a KID! So they technically have the deepest lore due to sheer time scale soooo.. They use any pronouns with a preference for they/them and ze/zir and zir sooo everything to me <3 Imagine Leading Light with cloud's buster blade and soooo many more insecurities... Yea :) I can't even begin to dive into their backstory because I will be here FOREVER but long story short, canon system allegory with being 3 souls meshed into one body by the US government to be a super soldier (A human, an alien, and an inter dimensional being) and the alien part is destined to destroy the universe but that's beside the point! Teehee!

For Salem I suggest asking Ollie because I don't wanna misinterpret anything about him <3

That's all I have for now because my fingers are starting to hurt from typing /g /lh I hope you enjoy!!!!! >:)

#deck of phoenix #dop lore #merklins #asks #unidentified alter

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jflashandclash · 2 months

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Is it limiting to write TFMO after already posting TOO, is there any struggle to build the characters up to how they were in the beginning of The Whispers of a Snake?

I've been loving the younger Pax brothers and newer characters like Lou Ellen and Mercedes. It's also cool to see small differences like Pax playing more with gender which wasn't as present in TOO.

(Hi btw, glad to see you back after so long.)

HI JACE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE ASKS! you have no idea how much they mean to me and how much they encourage me to keep at this!

*rolls up my sleeves*

*puts on my nonprescription glasses for effect*

Let's fucking GO--

Yes.

Yes there is.

Because of this-->

stoic piece of--

(I know. this is an old picture. He should have a combo of dreads, braids, and quarter shave in the old school version. And WAY less facial scars. I told myself to make drawings. one d a y.)

In my main series, you might notice that Axel....

Can be comically useless. Don't get me wrong. He's meant to be a bad ass and have so much complicated turmoil to work through. But, keep a counter on how many times he gets taken out of a final fight before he actually gets to fight. Or gets his ass kicked.

Book 1: Aphrodite kneecaps him. On a sinking ship he didn't want shipped.

Book 2: Brothers being Brothers, blasting Axel's bluster with a bullet

Book 3: he gets to fight. But. Almost dies by praetor. Almost drowns by human fire hose.

Book 4: Almost dies by childhood fear of water puppy. Almost dies by half-brother's mom's parental skills.

Most of Riordon's plots revolve around a Hero's Journey, often times. His characters are normally rising bad asses. Axel already had his hero's journey when you meet him in Traitors of Olympus. It is well established and agreed upon by the other characters that Axel is a bad ass, even though you rarely see him win a fight outright. I get a certain amount of pleasure from the "oooOoooo, he's a bad asssss, when he's fighting oversized pidgeonnnnns with a frying pannnnn--"

My secret with Axel is he spends more time In Need of Rescuing than doing the rescuing. This works (oh gods--it does work? Right? Right guys? He seems cool--please--) because he has the presence, both in how he acts and how others react, of someone who is used to being in command and can command well. People respect him because of past heroics, even if you're not seeing him kick ass here. (How many of his fights has he won against Reyna, hrm?) Otherwise, I spend four books emotionally had physically kicking the cho out of him.

..... then comes the prequel

"Oh, fuck, I need to make Axel ACTUALLY cool--"

Axel is meant to be many things. In the first four books, he was meant to be

I wanted to take figure that looked like he would embody everything of toxic Hispanic Machismo, and then make them a hyper-feminist, social justice warrior that super supports their nonbinary little siblings, someone to fight a nasty stereotype from when I was growing up

Worthy of Reyna. Yes. Axel was made for Reyna, and they STILL SCREWED IT UP--GSDI REYEL, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO--

But in the prequel, he's meant to be the parallel to the Greek's Percy and Rome's Jason. Lord knows (hail Kronos) that Riordan didn't set Luke up well for that. (I can do a different deep dive into this.) That means, not only does Axel need to progress, but he needs to rise above those around him. And he's surrounded by titans, mythical monsters, and serial killers like Jack and Flynn that can alter people's wills and health with words and songs. I'm going to end up truncating Axel's character development more than I want to, but, by all rights, he should have his own series-worth of adventures, and I believe he does.

It's just freaking HARD to go from humiliating and crushing someone for four books and then be like, "oh.... you need to... win here..."

Otherwise, Pax is relatively easy. Oh, except the Lamia thing. I might be, um, skipping over the Lamia thing. That is the one thing I just can't fit (we'll see) but the Trauma from--ehem, I mean the Massacre of Mount Othrys is more important to his character development. He has more pivot points, whereas Axel has long progression.

Jack was always meant to be a sweetie church boy that's got just a smidge of serial killer problem. Just a lil.

I'm SO freaking happy you like Mercedes and Lou Ellen. Mercedes is one of my favorite characters in Tales From Mount Othrys. <3 Her dialogue and scenes are tricky to write, but she's SO much fun to bring to life!

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ASKS!

#asks #jacereaal rocccckkks #I CAN'T BELIEVE ALL THE FREAKING BEAUTIFUL ART YOU HAVE DRAWN #I WILL BE RESPONDING WITH PROPER COMMENTS SOON I HOPE #Axel is a coatimundi's butt #But I still love him even if he has to be cool for real now

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patron-saints · 3 months

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When looking at the fanon interpretation of your fav fma ladies, what makes you go like yesss she would say/do that!! And what makes you she wouldn't fucking say/do that?

(Happy birthday!!)

oh my gosh thank you so much!!! i did my best with these, i feel like i might be forgetting stuff but i tried!

izumi:

i love it when people treat her as the elrics adopted mother! i think there's a reason why she lost a child specifically and why they lost their mother, and while the rituals they did to bring those people back didn't work, they still found their ways to each other. love it when people INCLUDE HER also!! so many times in fanon stuff she just gets left out completely and it makes me sad.

hate it when people call her abusive? like. the manga makes it really clear that she's doing all of their training with as much care and caution as you CAN do a martial art, and that her assistant was watching out for them while they were on the island (and kicking their ass but you know. he knew they were safe). she's a good mom and she's a good teacher and i won't hear it.

olivier:

olivier as a character is like wildly deeply nuanced and layered and i really love fanon posts that engage with her on the level of that complexity! she IS that complicated.

one of my biggest olivier "she would not fucking do thats" is almost any non-izumi ship, and it's not like. it's not like.. BECAUSE of izumi. i polyship all the time. it's just. she would not fucking do that. roy mustang she hates, her assistants are also men, riza is her friend and very specifically in the same cateogry of friend to her as jean havoc... so...? so probably that yeah. i just can't get into any of them. i have tried.

riza:

probably the most in character thing i've seen in this:

(edit by spidermanifested)

also i love everything by tumblr user courtmartialme. he's so good and he draws her with so much love.

i think my biggest and worst crime against traditional fma fandom is that i believe riza hawkeye is aromantic. so like. it makes me feel "she would not fucking do that" about so much royai content all of the time. and i still love queerplatonic royai so much so i reblog it a lot with my qp glasses on but the super romanticy stuff i- oh. OH. even worse than that is royai parent stuff. either as the elrics parent figures (they r coworkers at worst and weird uncle/aunt at best) or as having their own kids. augh

lust:

biggest fandom "she would fucking do that" of all time is THIS. which i hope everyone has seen. forever. she would. i am writing a whole fic about how much she would.

a lot of rizalust art has lust in a position of being the one to be sort of menacing and scary, terrifying riza as much as she turns her on, and like. while i do think she has the capacity for that VERY much, i think it's way more fun when she's pathetic. <3

also i wanna see more acknowledgement that her dad sucks too

#birthday ask party #heavenlyshadowhunter #ohhh i hope i dont start too much shit w this one

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yazthebookish · 2 years

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Let's talk about Rhordyn

After my reread of To Bleed A Crystal Bloom, I think Rhordyn is so incredibly misunderstood as a character and his role in this story.

I have to establish that Rhordyn is an extremely complicated and nuanced character. He is a morally ambiguous character but in no way the villain in this story.

Disclaimer: notes contain TSASS (book 2) spoilers so avoid reading the comments in the notes.

First let's get some facts straight:

1. Rhordyn is not forcibly locking Orlaith in the tower, it is mentioned multiple times that he tried to integrate her into society, but Orlaith is content to live in behind the safety line away from the whispers of the general public. This is what he says to Orlaith: “I’ll stay here,” I whisper, and a shadow shutters his eyes, the muscle along his jaw feathering. “Live, Orlaith. All I’m asking is that you live.” Rhordyn even tells Orlaith at some point that her tower won't keep her safe from the looming danger, this is why he wanted her to train to fight with Baze, he wants her to be prepared in case the worst happens. The only instances he locked her in is when he did not want her to attend the ball (because of Cain) and to not let her leave to Bahari/Cain. Unlike the fairytale, Orlaith was not locked in her tower the entire time. Actually she wasn't locked for 90% of the book except on two instances.

2. He can be controlling and manipulative at times especially when it concerns her safety and her feelings, but he is not a groomer in any shape or form. It's mentioned that Rhordyn avoids her like the plague to the point she never sees him around since he rescued her until in recent years. Orlaith is raised by Cook and Baze, Rhordyn wasn't involved in raising her at all nor did he act like a parental figure to her (more of this is even clarified in book 2 about what happened in the past). Her blood was even delivered by Cook to Rhordyn until she was able to do the offering herself and place it in the small door for him to take, it's even mentioned in the book Rhor was never involved in the act and he did so the first time when she refused to give him the blood offering (there is a reason behind him needing her blood). Orlaith did not grow up while being in love with Rhordyn, her feelings were only recent. Yes, there is a clear power imbalance between them that he uses to his advantage and protection comes in many "forms" even one that is very questionable. As Orlaith begins to rebel and ask questions Rhordyn is not ready to answer, he resorts to the influence he has over her and the unexplored connection between them to push her back.

3. Rhordyn IS toxic but he is not the villain. Nothing that Rhordyn did was ever meant to harm Orlaith. He is the one who wants to appear toxic to her to push her away and to accept that he is a monster beneath. He finds relief in her ignorance merely because the fear that took root within him the day he saved her and tasted her blood will force him to confront the reality of their situation and of who they are to each other—and that is what he thinks might break Orlaith. It's very likely that they are mates.

4. Not once has it been mentioned that Rhordyn had been inappropriate towards Orlaith or had shown any desire for her prior to the events in this book. Eventually, it's pointed out to which moment he actually started to feel more than just a protective instinct (as I said they have a unique connection that is likely a mating bond).

5. Last but not least, I think Rhordyn directs so much self-loath at himself. I do not think he finds pleasure in what his instincts draw out of him especially when it comes to Orlaith. I don't think he relishes in their power imbalance either and I'll dive into that more when I talk about the mates and their bond. His self-loath is what influences a lot of his actions when it comes to her. Not justifiable in any way, but this is why this book is considered a dark fantasy romance. Nothing is coming easy for them.

This doesn't mean Rhordyn's actions can be justified because what I love about this book is you can understand the questionable actions of the characters without the need to justify them.

Sarah unfurls such a complex relationship with a tinge of taboo and yet underneath it all lies a thousand questions and secrets.

I think the tabooness of their relationship is what haunts most readers, which is totally valid. But there is some clear misinterpretation that's confusing readers.

The dynamic between Orlaith and Rhordyn is meant to unsettle the reader but also spark that intrigue and curiosity on where it could all lead to.

Their relationship is dysfunctional and the power balance is very off, but for such a dark tale and for the sake of Orlaith's arc it should be done that way.

Orlaith is not kept from the world, there is not much of the world out there to discover because it reeks of monsters and deaths.

And perhaps, the world is kept away from Orlaith herself. She's the one with the mark of death.

This is not a blossoming romance, it's tearing both Orlaith and Rhordyn apart. This longing, attraction, and anguish is a festering wound on their souls.

The day Rhordyn had a sip of Orlaith's blood was the day the gods damned them both.

As much as I have enjoyed the sexual tension and chemistry between them, neither of them are ready for any notion of a romantic love. Orlaith must break out of her confines and let her world expand beyond her tower—and Rhordyn must face his own demons. As of now, they are not a healthy option for each other, not until that power imbalance shifts and for Orlaith to experience what the world, and not Rhordyn, has to offer for her.

And if they turn out to be mates, which I truly believe there are given the strong evidence in the book itself, I'm really intrigued by the concept of a mating bond that is not romanticized. Most of those who find their mates struggle a little or accept that they have found their one true love, and that bond mostly gives them little butterflies and an infinite love. The dark concept of mates in this world is a tragedy, at least for Orlaith and Rhordyn.

Her voice may have been fragile, but everything else was the opposite. Her upper lip was curled with hate, she had fire in her eyes, and she looked at me she saw through my skin to the monster I am beneath.

Part of me was relieved—screamed for her to look deeper. To delve until she ripped herself on all my sharp bits. Perhaps then she’d see why I’m stuck in her orbit ... unwillingly.

Why drifting too close would destroy everything.

---

“Mates, Orlaith, are a fairy tale. A tragedy painted with the pretty face of a happily ever after, but at its core, it’s still a fucking tragedy. If you believe everything you read, you’ll be disappointed when you finally step into the real world.”

They would be the epitome of star-crossed lovers.

His eyes harden. “What I want, what I need, and what is right are three entirely different things.”

To me, it feels that the source of Rhordyn's self-loath comes from how the bond influences his feelings for Orlaith. He is a man of complete control yet a force beyond his reach is slowly depriving him of that privilege and it pushes towards instincts that he may find... depraved.

He seems to be tainted by her affections, not because they repulse him but because she is too good for him. He wishes that she could see the monster underneath his skin, probably in belief that it may deter her.

It seems like a doomed love more than anything -me he knows it—and maybe it has to do with the prophecy?

This is why I love Rhordyn as a character, there is so much to explore about him and while my morals can be questioned because of the type of characters I am drawn to, I only hope that we get to see his ice crack and he is caught up in Orlaith's fire.

In the end, what matters to me is Orlaith's journey and I'm so excited to see where it will lead up to. I may be rooting for a second chance romance for her and Rhordyn but I'm rooting more for her happiness.

#to bleed a crystal bloom #to snap a silver stem #tbacb #rhordyn #orlaith #sarah a. parker

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demon-blood-youths · 1 year

Text

A Deadly Battle pt. 5 || A Risky Solution???

Here are the previous drabbles by me and the great @the-silver-peahen-residence. This is part 5. To anyone whose interested, please read the the following drabbles.

Part one: King vs. Dragon heir

Part two: Aftermath

Part 3: The king vs. Matt Knack

Part 4: Aftermath Acceptance

-----

( Some oc devils, Jujustu characters canon characters ( especially Sukuna and Yuji) and some ocs ) belongs to Peahen-mun

( Ink, Vanity...and some of the devils ) belong to me. Now get this show on the show.

------ Brief Summary ------

After the aftermath of Sukuna’s rampage, the fractions remain hiding and told to remain hiding after the defeat of the fractions such as Ink aka Van Ink the Dragon and the following defeat of Matt aka Killer Night when he and his fraction encounter Sukuna.

The following few days were fill of anxiety wondering if Sukuna might find them, thinking he can cut a hole into the demon world. However....Ink who suffered the brutal defeat at the hands of King of Curses decided to resolve this in a way she knew how. What would be the risky solution to this deadly ordeal???

-----------

It has been a few hours now stretched into a few days. The fractions are still in Vanity’s domain as they are unsure if they can return to the human world with Sukuna around.

Duke visited Ink in her room. She watched the fight between Matt and Sukuna using an orb. Ink considers Matt a formable opponent. Of course, they are not friends but they are not enemies. It’s a complicated relationship, they’re more like rivals. After their first encounter, their battle ended in a draw and later on, they fight once a month.

Still....it didn’t made her come out of her room. She heard that Matt and his fraction was sent here thanks to his devil’s Chernoborg. So in a way, she’s glad that Matt and his fraction is alright even if they used to be their former enemies. Then someone walked in.

“Ink?” It’s Duke. Wearing a coa

“Duke....” Ink greets her quietly.

“Have you been watching?” Duke asked to which Ink nods. Seeing Matt being beaten like that. Is painful. From Sukuna’s clone no less. It’s rubbing salt into the wound.

“Have you been thinking what Vanity said to you?” Duke asked.

“Yeah.” Ink nods, her expression is unreadable. Duke sees her eyes were dried after shedding many tears. “And...” Duke hasn’t fought Sukuna but seeing the confident Ink like this reminds him of himself when he was around her age when experiencing a battle that wounded his pride, body and soul.

“I don’t know. I have to fight Sukuna sooner or later if we....no...I go back out. I don’t.....think I would be willing to kill him because Yuji. Yuji doesn’t deserved that.”

“Do you think he would be happy knowing that you held back because of him?” Duke said.

“No....but it’s not fair to him or to his friends. Yuji shouldn’t take the blame for what Sukuna does.” Ink heard from Taz of how she enjoys Yuji’s company. “I can’t kill someone that Taz cares about.”

“So it’s Taz. Kinie Ger’s heir?” Duke said to which Ink nods. “But also....I’m scared...” She said making Duke blinked. “If I fight again, I will be killed and what would happened to my team? I don’t think Sukuna would be able to stop if he killed me.”

“Well....I did heard that from your friends that Sukuna has a time limit. Although...I am surprised that he will possessed the boy for five minutes while....he defeated the fractions. So we should wait for time to passed.”

“Yeah but it doesn’t mean he won’t come back and take over Yuji again.” Ink sighs, “But if there is some way if I find a way to beat Sukuna at his own game, there has to be something I need to do. I just need to think....” Ink said.

And so Ink thinks for a long time. Soon, she begins to have an idea and wonders if that works.

--------

Vanity is in throne room as he sits down in his seat, sighing. His fellow devils were enraged, confused and unsure on what to do. They were angry that a cursed spirit managed to beat their heirs with little effort. Someone enter and Vanity shifts his head to see his second heir.

“Vanity. We need to talk.” It’s Ink. Vanity raised a brow. So she came out of her room, she doesn’t look to be heal. Not yet.

“Yes?” Vanity said. Ink steps forward as her head is down. “I think....I know what to do to fix this.”

Vanity waits.

“I’m going to apologize..”

Vanity blinked, wondering if he misheard. What?

“And then I’m going to request a rematch with Sukuna once I do.”

Vanity stares down at Ink wondering if she’s serious alright so he needs to make sure what he’s hearing from her.

“Apologize?” Vanity asked, repeating and narrows his eyes at her. “Do you think that the King of Curses would accept your apology and just accept your request for a rematch?” Such a thing is very navie and he highly doubts that Sukuna would accept that. Then again.....she sounds calm.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks. But it’s not only to him but to the people who been affected by this.” Ink said seriously. “Also....I was thinking how to help Yuji at the same time.”

Vanity wonders what the girl is thinking. He heard from Senkai that Ink’s craziest ideas that is contribute by her and her fellow friends that got them out of sticky situations so what sort of solution is Ink thinking here.

“Go on..”

“I was wondering if....” Then the next words Ink said makes Vanity widen. Vanity listened and thinks.

“You want to make a deal with him? Something like that?” Vanity asked. “Well...it’s been awhile but.” Thinking about it, this might sasfify the King of Curses or rather this deal can surprise the cursed spirit if told. On the the other hand.....

------- the devils’ meeting -----

“Your heir wants to do what now?!” It’s Caym staring wide-eyed at Vanity in disbelief. “Has she lost her mind or has the battle made her head soft??!” Caym cawed. The devils became concerned. Vanity didn’t say anything but glares at Caym for his outburst. the bird shut up but inside he’s fuming. “Your concern is well-noted, Caym. Does anyone wish to speak?” Vanity said, looking at his fellow devils who are preplexed and shocked at what his own heir is proposing.

“I see....” Uriprayt thinks. The devils can’t believe what Vanity’s heir’s proposal but at the same time...

“Thinking about it, it might make sense. I mean-” Leonado thinks.

“Oh come on! He’s a human turned cursed spirit! An Imaginary Demon at that!” Cal yelled, not liking this at all. “A damn human is always a damn human, he died becoming a vengeful spirit after being beaten by humans. He’s just think he’s all powerful...because he’s a damn prodigy.” Cal is still mad about his heir Ashely being hurt.

“But this vengeful spirit beats all of our heirs. No one should dissupte that.” Kukuclan who is Ethan’s devil. A snake-like demon with feathery wings as he looks like he is wearing Mayan outfits as he rattles his tail.

Oski, Rex’s devil sighs, “ “I am conflicted, I understand what your heir is trying to do but...”

“This might save all of us and our heirs.” Ironia, Rust’s devil aka the Iron Madien who manipulates blood and iron. “Not to mention the boy that this Imaginary Demon is possessing.”

Goa, Shdwkyz’s devil as she closes her fan as she hisses her snake tongue, “Although her idea makes sense..but would Sukuna accept?”

“And what?” It’s Ymir, Fin’s devil the ice giant. “He’s going to laugh at us once he heard it and try to take us on next after he’s done! Heck...he’s probably going after everyone in the North America continent because he’s bored!!!”

Beezlebub nods as he buzzes his bug wigns, “Exactly....that man thinks he is god compared to us! Why would he listen to us?!”

Nagi and Orochi, Vivi’s devils is also concerned about this.”I agreed. Sukuna is not like other creature we seen based on what we saw so far. We should tread lightly on this. The last thing we need is provoking him any further.”

“I think we should allow it.” It’s’ Chernoborg, Matt’s devil who agrees with this plan making everyone turn their heads at the dark angel devil. “Sukuna is what he is and proves that to all of us despite his origins. I think we should consider it and see how it goes.”

“Did you just forget that he beat your heir to a bloody pulp?” It’s Ira, the Wrath demon who is Kali’s devil. He looks like a monster with four arms as he has blue hair and red skin. He can’t believe what Chernoborg is saying. “Doing that makes that cursed spirit our problem now!”

“Matt knows exactly what he’s getting into. Knowing Matt, he is reckless for his own good and I’m happy that he learns this experience from this.” Said Chernoborg as he shrugs his dark wings. “Not surprised that he survive this ordeal though. But that aside, we will provoke him either way no matter what we do. We can’t predict his actions but given what we see so far, this idea that Vanity’s heir makes sense. The King of Curses would be foolish to pass this up.”

“Speak for yourself.” Zek said. “My heir almost died and we have to do this to make him happy? I don’t like this.” The toxic flame Zek can’t believe this. “This guy thinks he’s too good.”

Yuki; Jinx’s devil a flaming feline devil with black flames hums, “He might be amused by this but surely he won’t want to stay in a human vessel forever and given what Van Ink the Dragon’s idea is. This sounds beneficial to him and probably to the heirs if we play it right...”

Allocer, Guam’s devil looks unsure but sees there is no other choice, “I’m still unsure. But we can’t go on like this and fighting for solution that won’t get us nowhere so I agreed with this idea.”

Yen-Lo-Wang sighs, “What other choice is there? It seems like Vanity’s heir must got an idea and after thinking about it. You might be right, Yuki. Vanity, I say we go with this plan.” She heard that Ink was in her room all day after her defeat and overhears that she took the defeat very hard than other fractions. Maybe she is reflecting on the situation and is trying to find a way to fix this. An admirable quality she must admit. She would bet on this gamble.

Most of the devils hates this but if they have to save their heirs and make sure they continue living as well as dealing with Sukuna, they have little choice so they go with it.

“Very well....then we must find this Gojo-sensei.” Vanity said. “I was told that this man is this vessel’s teacher and a jujustu sorcerer.”

“Gojo? Hold on....” It’s Rave, Oblivion’s devil, a tengu whose head is like a hawk as he has wings and carries a kanabo. “ A Gojo? From one of the three great Sorcerers families from Heian era???” He blinked

“You heard of them?” Vanity askede.

“Yes! That family tried to exorcise me in the past once around the Sengoku Era!” Rave chuckles, "I think I can pinpoint this sorcerer’s cursed energy. It should be easy.” Rave cackled.

Goa sighs, “My fellow clansmen also encounter some of the Jujutsu sorcerers and Gojo is the most powerful next than Zenin and Kamo clans. The Gojo is a formidable opponent but do you think he would listen to what we said?”

“If my heir said that we should talk to him then I assumed that this man must be reasonable to talk with.” Vanity said.

“Very well then. Let’s inform them.” Yuki said, knowing of the Gojo clan.

“Then Rave....find Gojo Satoru then.” Vanity said.

“Will do!” Rave smiled.

“So we’re asking a jujutsu sorcerer for help?” Ammit asked. “Great....”

“My heir that she knows this person well.”

------- human world -------

Five minutes were up and Yuji is founded.

Gojo-sensei is sighing. He found Yuji Itadori but he is hiding in his room. Gojo guessed that the teen felt terrible for what he did to teens of New York. Nobara and Megumi look exhausted but are sleeping.

----- Sukuna’s domain ------

‘Damn it! Sukuna! Did you really have to do that?!” Yuji yelled at Sukuna who is sitting on top of his skull throne, looking smug.

“What? Those brats with demon blood running their viens deserve it. Thinking they’re high and mighty with their powers granted by their devils. The only thing I feel pity is those demons giving them powers they don’t deserve. I bet those devils are regretting it now.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Yuji cursed.

“You can thank the dragon brat for that.” Sukuna retorted.

“For fuck’s sake, you’re going to get pissed by what Ink said?! What are you, five?!”

“Ha! She challenged me and I delivered!” Sukuna barked in laughter. “I showed them what a true demon is. Not those idiots playing pretending to be one!”

Yuji felt angry at Sukuna but mostly himself. He can’t believe that he allows this. But what’s next is something they didn’t heard in the next hour. Ink wanting to talk to them both.

------

Gojo is thinking on how to report this as he is on the rooftop. Not only that, he senses a prescene behind him. He turns to see two figures. Cursed spirits? No....they’re different.

Two that looks humans but they had wings. One that has bats and another that has bird wings.

“Are you an Gojo? We....demons wished to speak with you. It concerns Van Ink the Dragon and Sukuna.”

“And who you might be?”

“Ah....an aquantiance of your family centures ago. My name is Rave, a tengu during the Sengoku Era and this is my demon contractor, Senkai.” He introduces himself and his contractor.

“And what can I help you with?”

------------- Minutes later -------

“Gojo Saturo, I presume?”

Gojo turns around to see a dragon with long horns and black hair. He is sitting down and is huge that his head at Gojo’s eye level.

“And you are?” Gojo said.

“I am Vanity. Ink’s devil as you known her as Van Ink the Dragon.” Vanity introduced himself. Gojo hums.

“You must be the one who rescue all the demon fractions from Sukuna. And us.” Gojo said as he can sense their cursed energies, Ink’s including. “Nice to meet you, Vanity.” He smiles. “I wish our meeting could go different.”

“Likewise.” Vanity speaks, “and that is correct, we devils have to get involved because of Sukuna and I wish to speak with you.” Gojo has a blank expression but looks intrigued despite wearing a blindfold but hears him out. “Alright...although I don’t know how you devils work. No offense since I’m a Jujutsu sorcerer. But I will hear you.”

“That is quite alright. Cursed spirits are similar to demons in some ways.” Vanity speaks.

“So what did you brought me here?” Gojo asked.

“I think we might solve our problem.” Vanity said and goes to explain Ink’s plan to him.

------- Minutes later ----

“Is that possible?” Gojo can’t believe what he’s hearing. “That’s....crazy...insane.”

“Yes.”

“But doing so will mean....” Gojo wasn’t sure if this is a good but if the devils have trouble in coming up with their own and considering it then. Now thinking about it....

“Yes. But it could save the boy and everyone involved, solving this issue.”

“This is going to be tricky....”

“Hm?” Vanity raised a scaly brow.

“You see Yuji Itadori is scheduled to be excuted by the elders once he consumed 20 fingers of Sukuna.”

“20 fingers?” Vanity titled his head. Gojo sighs and goes to explain to the dragon about the situation that Yuji is in. “yes....Ryomen Sukuna as a cursed spirit was almost impossible to exorcise so he had to be seal in 20 fingers of his orignal body. Yuji swallow one of them and Sukuna is awakened. Because of that, the elders want the boy executed as they feared Sukuna's existence. To stall it, I had to buy time for Yuji by telling the elders to have Yuji consume 20 fingers and to destroy Sukuna forever.”

“By executing the body?” Vanity said, now understanding the situation. He wasn’t told this but it seems Ink didn’t know about it.

‘Yes if the elders find out what you devils trying to do, they will freak out even if the plan makes sense. There is no way the elders allow that.”

“I see..that is tricky. Still...how would that plan work? If he cannot be exorcise by normal means then a body such as a human vessel won’t stop a cursed spirit if the human flesh is destroyed. Hence this plan that we have might work for everyone else despite what those elders think.” Vanity said. Gojo shrugs. Vanity hums. “Then this plan is good as ever. You can save the boy and deal with Sukuna at the same time. Even close to death, Yuji Itadori would be fine.”

“Why is that?”

“We devils have our ways....” Vanity chuckled. “That said, Ink requested a match and issue an apology to Sukuna himself.”

Now Gojo looks conflicted and is considering this might be a bad idea.

“No offense to Ink, Sukuna would laugh his head off if he heard that and will kill her.” Gojo can’t believe that Ink wanted a rematch after what she’s been through. Why would she want to go something like that again? He heard that the fight from Megumi as he watches this from the sidelines. It was brutal.“But apologizing to Sukuna, the King of Curses....what would that accomplish?”

“That is what I said...but I am interested what would her apology be in detail.” Vanity said. “But....in your professional opinion, do you think Sukuna would accept the deal if he heard it?”

Gojo hums. “Well this is Sukuna here we’re talking about and he wouldn’t pass up the chance if he was told that. He would be too dumb to accept that. This is a gamble but I’m going to bet yes on it. But if anything happens, I would get involved and this deal will be void.”

“Good then let’s begin the preparations.” Vanity said. Like Gojo said, this is a gamble and he will bet on this too.

----- Back in the city ------

Ink waited. Ink waited on the Empire State Building’s observatory deck. She turns her greatsword around and around, pointing at the floor, waiting. The only eyes on this is Vanity, the devils and Gojo, they aren't here but they are watching. The fractions aren’t aware of what’s happening right now. Ink would prefer it that way until this meeting is concluded. Ink breathes in and out. She’s not ready yet but she needs to resolve this.

“Ink?”

Ink blinked and turns to see Yuji standing there. “Yuji....uh....” She expected Sukuna but not Yuji is in place. Maybe it’s because of the time limit.

“I heard...that you want to talk to Sukuna but....” Yuji sighed. Gojo told Yuji that Ink wants to talk to them both of them. Sukuna and him, saying that she wants to talk to them.

“He doesn’t want to talk?” Ink said.

“Not really but he did want to hear you out first before....he does anything.” Yuji said looking nervous about this. “Also he had me ask you questions like where your friends are and why you show your face after...getting face taste the ground or something.” There were questions that made the pink-haired teen frowned but didn’t want to say it to her face.

Ink begins to tremble but grips onto her greatsword tightly. “They’re safe. It’s just you and me.” She answered. Yuji can see how Ink is. He can feel something is wrong. Was....Ink nervous? Or was it something? Her face looks tired yet there is something in her words that he tires to make sense of it. Yuji is angry at himself for allowing Sukuna to terrorize Ink, Taz and their friends. He felt so horrible that he wish he should die.

“Look Ink....you don’t have to do this. you’re not fully healed yet and-”

“No, Sukuna has to hear this and you too.” Ink said. “Because...I want to apologize.”

“Huh?” Yuji blinked. “Apologize?”

“I want to apologize for what I did..” Ink starts to her bow her head, “I shouldn’t say that I’m the strongest or told you that I am. I....I was afarid and I was too stubborn because I didn’t want to know my place because of my pride. Because of me....you were disappointed because you had high exceptions and everyone got hurt because of me. So I’m sorry for challenging you...and not knowing any better because I know I won’t beat you like this...” She doesn’t know what else to say as she bows her head to him. Silence fills the sky and everything is silence.

“And Yuji. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t blame yourself where I’m the one who caused this. I take full responsible for this so....don’t beat yourself up. Taz still cares about you whether you switched with Sukuna or not.”

Ink looks up to see Yuji still standing there. “Ink.......” Yuji looks worried and felt guilty eharing this but also looking apologetically. “You don’t have to apologize. I...”

“Yuji....no....this is my fault” Ink sighed, “If I didn’t piss him off, you wouldn’t have to deal with this. You shouldn’t feel responsible...it....was out of your control.” Ink sighs as she grips onto the railing. “But also.....I’m sorry about this. But I also wanted a rematch. This time....I will give Sukuna what he wants if he wins..”

Wait what? Yuji widen his eyes at the girl. Ink....wants a rematch with Sukuna. What for?!

“HUH?! Ink! What are you talking about?!” Yuji look nervous now, “That’s not a good idea.”

“Brat....” Yuji pauses when aneye and mouth opens on Yuji’s cheek, it startles the girl. “Sukuna....” Yuji said his name.

“Hey Brat...Yuji....bring your hand up over your mouth.” Sukuna commanded as he said his name.

“I....”

“Don’t make me switch...” Sukuna warned. Yuji did as he told despite hating this. He hold his hand over his mouth where a mouth appears on back of Yuji’s hand. Ink watches and grips on her greatsword tightly.

“You know....if you really want to say you’re sorry. At least grovel at my feet while you’re apologizing properly, maybe that way I might accept your half-ass apology.” Sukuna speaks.

“....that won’t happened unless you beat me for a rematch.”

“Ha?” Sukuna said, as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “First you apologized to me and this brat,” He refers to Yuji, “and now you want a rematch??? Wow, you must be becoming more stupid and lost your mind or maybe I hit you too hard that you soft on the head..”

“I’m not stupid...I know what I’m saying....because in the next five months later, I will become stronger and you get what you wanted if you win.” Ink said.

“Oh? And what do you think what I wanted?” Sukuna laughed. Yuji wonders what would Sukuna would want from Ink. How can she appease him? It makes him nervous.

“If you win, then you can be separated from Yuji and have you become a real devil in the demonworld.” Ink said. There she said it. That was the idea. That was the idea Ink told Vanity. Sukuna became silent, there is no laughter from him as he stops. Yuji widens his eyes in disbelief. What did she said?! Seperated Sukuna from Yuji and Sukuna will become a real devil in the demonworld?! What the heck?

“Ink....” Yuji said her name so Ink continues but before he says anything. Sukuna speaks..

“Oi....what are you trying to do here, dragon brat?”

There is no emotion in his voice making Yuji tremble inside, a pit in his stomach. He can feel the burning glare onto Ink. Sukuna is mad. Ink still stands. She can’t show it, she needs to push through it.

“I want you to stop hurting anyone else.........” She said honestly. “ You made your point already. But I feel like you won’t stop....there so that’s why.”

“So...If I agree to your match and will win, you’re going to free me from this brat whose my vessel and become a devil like you?” Sukuna asked.

“No. Better. You can become a devil in your own right just like my dad.”

“Your dad?” Sukuna questioned.

“Vanity. He’s my devil, he gave me powers to become a demon after I signed a contract with.” Ink said,“And you get your form back or whatever you had back then...you can be free in the demon world, get your own domain and you don’t be stuck in Yuji forever.“ Ink said.

“Oh?” Sukuna said. “Demonworld, huh?” He muses. Yuji looks seriously worried, what is Ink thinking right now. Why would she promises something like that. That’s crazy!

“Yeah.....you will get what you wanted. So why not take it? I mean.....to everyone here, you’re the real deal and a devil instead of an imaginary demon like you says. Like I said you made your point. Even Vanity thinks so.”

"And what? You think that will stopped me?! Did the devils set you up for this? Because they hate seeing their punk-ass brats getting wiped the floor by me? And now they realize that the one who made this happen is you? I don't know...why the hell would I accept something like that?? It sounds like you want to appease me to make me accept it! Why the HELL would I want to take you up on that???"

Ink pauses for a moment and thinks. “Because I know.....you would be too stupid not to. The devils are different from jujutsu sorcerer and he will make it come true. Think about it. You won’t be the imaginary demon anymore. You will be Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses in hell. You won’t be just a cursed spirit anymore, Sukuna. You can be devil with your own domain, have followers, and you can be free. If you skip on that chance, you will be the King of Stupid here, not me.”

Sukuna stays silent. Yuji wonders what Sukuna is thinking right now.

“And all I need to accept your rematch? I just to need to win against you. Only you?” Sukuna said, making sure to confirm.

Vanity told her the meeting with Gojo. Ink nods, “Yeah....if you want all the details, you can talk with Vanity about it. But the only thing I can tell you is that I’m not going to make it easier this time. Give me five months to be stronger and I make sure you won’t be disappointed again. I’m going to show you why demons are stronger than cursed spirits.”

Yuji drops his jaw hearing this. Why is she doing this to herself. Even Yuji is not that crazy enough so why? Yuji gets it. Why is she doing this? Because she feels more guilty than he is? Does she want to take this on by herself? She doesn’t have to do this?

“Hmmmm....alright.” Sukuna thinks, but first things first. “But first. Remind me....why are you doing this? And don’t repeat all that like you said before. I want to know the true reason behind it. Your reason... ”

Ink blinks and looks down, gripping her sword tightly. “I want to regain my honor and pride....and want to solve this..on my own terms. Nobody else.”

Silence fills the observatory deck as Yuji hears this. Ink wants to do this because she wants to regain her honor and pride? Is that how she really feels? Was she beaten that badly? What is going through her mind right now? Yuji wasn’t sure what to think until Sukuna says.

“Brat. Let’s switch”

Ink became startled as she heard that, as her eyes slightly widen, gripping her sword tightly but she didn’t raise it.

“Huh?! No! I won’t...you can’t! I won’t let you klill-” Yuji argues.

Relax. I won’t hurt her. Just want to talk to her face to face. Personally.

But.

“Switch.”

#rp #ic #thesilverpeahenresidence #thesilverpeahenresidence ( The King of Curses - Sukuna Ryomen )#vaninkthedragon #A Deadly Battle || Drabble #A Deadly Battle|| A Risky Solution #you can have sukuna thinking in thoughts as Ink talks.#and gojo watching this go down...

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eli-elien · 1 year

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1, 3, 4, 5, & 17

[Sorry that it's so many, I couldn't resist asking a lot xD]

1. Show your most recent wip

A ref for another oc for a friend's book

A young man who was ran out of his own kingdom at 13 by his family due to his cursed power: Rot. He lived on the streets ever since, the rotting scar growing more and more, adding bandages and cloth to hide them.

He finds himself afraid of intimacy for fear of killing others with just a touch and thinks of himself as a monster. The main character finds him endearing and slowly helps him accept this as apart of himself even if he doesn't like it.

3. Least favourite things to draw?

mmmmm mechs and metals, funnily enough I love drawing weapons and armor but just can't deal with mechs esp ugh

that is why I love fantasy bc it usually don't have mechs lol also kyo and most shield hero characters bc holy shit they are so complicated esp that albino bitch

4. Favourite things to draw?

top 3 things would be Howl like characters (see what Elijah and William look like), environments esp greenery and skies, and expressions the way the eyes and how the nose crinkles when we're angry stuff like that very human and stuff :]

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

Animals in a less cartoony way I usually do also classical esqe paintings I always admired the way the skin looks so soft and how the hands looked esp regarding hands holding again the humanity within these paintings is so very mortally immortal idk thats how I'd describe it

17. What inspires you?

A lot, a lot and a lot of things. Could make an essay. Mind if I make an essay?

No? Eh you're still getting one lol

But I think life inspires me, humanity inspires me, my daily relationships even the smallest interaction with an acquaintance. It's love and the hate and the daily struggles and the tragedies we see in the world. And again at the end of the day it's love that inspires me.

And I know this is about paintings and drawings but writing is an art on its own.

And the things I want to write about are all of this including the grief of being human and the blissfulness too.

I'm gonna be real for a second and say this is also based off of my experiences with death and how I've dealt with grief especially since all three were different.

also just ye uh cw death and all that and it might go into some uhhhh ig traumadumpy territory but I promise it's related

One was of somebody that refueled my love of writing and making my own stories and he was honest to god my fucking hero and I wouldn't have gotten to where I am without him.

Thank you Technoblade for inspiring me and alot more people.

It was indirect and I didn't really know him know him, yknow I was just a fan and yet it hit so badly and it still does and just man grief just it never disappears and I can't put it into words yknow

Another was a figure from my childhood, somebody like Techno who I really looked up to and I wish to this day that he got to see me grow up and I could see him and remember him before he got sick and just its a grief of wanting to go back and spend as much time as I wished with him, he was sorta a second father to me

The last and most recent is someone who couldn't control themselves and needed help but the state didn't give it and bc they didn't get the help it ended up hurting the people around them too, tragic and painful and its just so fucked and really fuels my hatred for the state

Anyways after all of that I wanted to write and draw, create something to put all of my feelings about death and grief and my continuing love for life even if it can be shit into something so I wrote Reverie of The Axe Hero and have come up with similar ideas about the struggle of being plainly human

And I think once I'm done with Reverie I think I'll finally heal from this grief, and it may not ever disappear, it never does; but I'll be able to move on. Sorta my own stages of grief if you will.

#ask game #asks #ye I was Real for a sec ok time to go back to goofy anime and hannibal posts

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cheerstotheelites-if · 1 year

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Super excited for all your wips! 👀👀

How do you render your drawings they look so cool!

*SWEATS* Mamser, I literally have no idea what I even do while I make art—

My rendering isn't that grand nor complex (and I don't think there is any rendering. They're mostly all just flats with barely any shading or lightning with this cartoony-anime mixed style), compared to other authors who also draw their character portraits for their IF's.

It's simple and workable, like my artstyle, and I don't think it'll get more complicated than that! If it works for me, then it works.

I don't have any big brain wisdom I can impart on you or for any other budding artists, because I'm no professional and is merely self taught, but I may have some personal ones:

Steal like an artist. Find something in someone else's artstyle that you really like and adapt that to your own! Artstyles are a personal mishmash of the artists you look up to, and not all are the same even if you and someone else may have the same artistic idols. This is different from tracing, however. I DO NOT encourage tracing over someone else's work and claiming it as your own. That is stealing, you utter criminal, and I will dropkick you if you do that.

Practice. Old wisdom, but it works and it's true. You don't become Bob Ross or Leonardo Da Vinci in a day after all. It's a struggle and it'll be frustrating, but I promise once you learn to draw the thing you finally want to draw, the high from reaching that achievement is absolutely real and so, so worth it.

References. If you think you can draw a sitting position freestyle from your brain, you're wrong, because when you look at a reference of that then at your sketch, you're gonna see a lot of mistakes in the anatomy, poses, perspective etc,. So, please, stockpile your references for every possible thing that you'll be drawing, because you'll absolutely need them.

Have fun. As artists we tend to compare our work to those who we think are better in the craft, when in reality we all are just trying to get better in what we do. Look, it doesn't matter if a 3 year old can recreate Mona Lisa in perfect detail, if you enjoy doing your work then that's already enough. I prefer to see "better" artists as inspirations to try and achieve more, not as some unachievable pedestal. You can achieve that too! May not be as quick as the rest, but you will get there in your own pace. Art is a journey, not a race. Take your time, learn what you want to learn, and have fun!

Experiment. You gotta if you wanna find out what stuff sticks with you and what doesn't. It also helps you find out a technique you might like for sketching, lineart, coloring etc., or if you just wanna get the hang of something first! OR if you wanna try out a new artstyle! Art is a science, in a way. A wonderful alchemy of color, wrist pains, and shrimp posture!

Also thank you for showing excitement for my WIPs, anon! I'm trying me best to work on all of them. You get a mwah from me. 😭💙💙💙

Free art from L? How scandalous! This is also just an excuse for me to ramble about my other characters amongst my 200+ bucket of them.

Some of these are old, but I just wanna share 'em for the funsies.

And, yes, the light blue haired, dark blue eyed lady in black and glasses and guy in a green parka with a resting bitch face are Carmen and Everest, Ophelia's older siblings. I also have Weylyn's older siblings, Bleddyn and Riekka, but I plan on reworking their design first. Why do I have so many redesign plans for so many characters.

1. Random character I drew for Religions Class last semester. I loved her design, so I kept her. No name yet, sadly 😭

2. Rival Agent Team in The Company. No names yet, though purple haired gal is named Agent Carrion. All of the designs and colors were from picrews, I just changed whatever was needed to suit my own preferences.

3. Lucian and Louise Dagohoy doing a clothes swap (2020). They're siblings I love dearly. They'll show up in an IF soon. I have big plans for them.

4. Carmen and Everest. Had this for months now, and I had no idea when to show it. Might refine their design a bit when I have the time.

5. Mint. Yes, her name is Mint. Not a Familiar, but a different kind of Fae entirely. Did this on my phone in 2019(?). I was bored at the time, and wanted to do a simple doodle, so I drew Mint about to eat a carrot.

6. - 7. MSPaint doodles from 2021, during a boring class if I remember. First one's Quentin the Monarch Fae king because it's been a while since I drew that man, then Louise. She's usually drawn happy all the time, but I wanted to make her sad, so I did. Not that hard to draw on MSPaint, really. Great for lineless practice because there are no layers.

8. - 10. Raphael, Gabriel and Michael Zealon. A pair of twins and an older brother. They have the old designs of High Court Angels (this was 2021), and their conversation was based on a tweet I saw on Twitter. Don't ask why. I'm too sleep deprived to answer.

And if you're wondering what art program I use, I either use MSPaint (when I'm bored) or FireAlpaca (for most of my works). The drawing tablet I use is a Huion H430p. It's smaller compared to the normal drawing tablet (H640p) of Huion, and it's as big as a standard notebook.

I would add 20 more art if I were on my laptop right now (and also because most of my art is stored there), but that'll be all for now.

#author ask #curious anon #L

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janus-cadet · 1 year

Text

J'ai publié 61 fois en 2022

49 billets créés (80%)

12 billets reblogués (20%)

Les blogs que j'ai le plus reblogués :

@mimmixerenard

@jonathanstims

@mimmixereblogs

J'ai étiqueté 56 billets en 2022

Seulement 8% de mes billets ne comportaient pas de tag

#fanart - 18 billets

#digital art - 18 billets

#artwork - 17 billets

#tarot card - 10 billets

#le visiteur du futur - 9 billets

#vdf - 8 billets

#art request - 8 billets

#tarot card concept - 8 billets

#sanders sides - 8 billets

#pride month 2022 - 8 billets

Tag le plus long : 98 caractères

#but i mean if you're looking for stuff about the corinthian you are probably not triggered by eyes

Mes billets vedette en 2022 :

n°5

This one was request quite a few time on Instagram- therefore, many version of the same drawings. I would love to make a version for each one, but let’s be honest, time is working against me!

And it’s not like I will never draw that character again.

Sooo here come our favorite demon, Crowley, with the non-binary, genderfluid and mlm flag.

Voir l'intégralité du billet

286 notes - publié le 22 juin 2022

n°4

I’ve started a drawing before the six fanarts challenge, and therefore, I’m finishing it now. Like, let’s call it a sort-of-a-break, while being aware it’s not really a break, since it’s definitely more complicated than a serie of portrait...

So basically, I was feeling hyped because of the second season, and I drew the Ineffable Husbands from Good Omens. It’s been so long since I last drew them!

Yes, I wanted to draw the wings- but more importantly, Crowley’s hair. So yes, it’s the part of the drawing I spent most of the time on.

I still like the ensemble! It was supposed to be a background for my computer.

Voir l'intégralité du billet

317 notes - publié le 22 février 2022

n°3

It's been a while since I last drew a simple portrait, and I did not realise how much I loved and missed it! Alan Rickman is a delight to draw.

I think I might try to make prints for that one, in a close future.

571 notes - publié le 8 novembre 2022

n°2

I seem to be on my way to do all Major Arcanes, and, for some reason, also the Suit of Swords. Ah, well.

Today, I drew the Seven of Swords ; and who's better to incarnate a card about betrayal, deception, lies et keeping secrets than our one and onely Lord Of the Lies, Janus Sanders ?

Believe it or not, the swords were actually not easy to draw. I am no sword-person. So why draw the Suit of Swords ? Eh.

Upright, this card indicates theft, trickery, among other things : you may be trying to get away with something, or are being sneaky. You use cunning and deception to get the advantage in situations. On another note, it suggests that you may need to put yourself first to get that stuff you want, and grossly, don't hesitate to, ya know, attack the Piñata. Sometimes, you need to put your own needs first, even if other may not agree with you.

Reversed, the cards implies you feel like a fraud, that you are deceiving yourself, attempt to fool yourself that everything is okay when it's not. Il represents keeping secrets hidden from others, which may bring you stress, tension, along with guilt and shame.

I think you can see why I picked my favorite snake to represente the card !

Voir l'intégralité du billet

611 notes - publié le 2 août 2022

Mon billet n°1 en 2022

I may developped a fixation on that movie. And on that guy. Oopsie daisies.

“There was blood all over my nice antic couch.

- Which one ? The red one ?

- Well, it’s red now, Ja.”

668 notes - publié le 26 mai 2022

Obtenez votre année 2022 en revue sur Tumblr →

#tumblr2022 #année en revue #mon année tumblr 2022 en revue #votre année tumblr en revue #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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writingwithcolor · 3 years

Text

Gingerbread man as golem

@yaronata asked:

I would like to write a character who is Jewish and uses a Golem. She's based on the D&D class of the artificer which looks magic but isn't, because they produce all their effects with inventions, like the "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" quote. Her story is that her very Jewish town was under attack from a terrible monster when she was little. Her Rabbis made a Golem to protect the town, and it succeeded but was torn to pieces in the process. She was fascinated by the Golem and as a kid didn't see a big difference between it's sentience and person's so was really thankful for its sacrifice like you would a person's sacrificing their life for you. They thought all the pieces had been devoured by the monster before it died, but she went looking and found the piece used to animate the Golem, which she, kinda misunderstanding called its "heart". She kept the piece and grew up to be an incredibly skilled cook, specialising as a baker in the town. I imagine she would make a lot of really good food for the Jewish holidays, or to break fasts on ones like Yom Kippur or Tish'abav. But she also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice and the town still being alive, because I feel "we are not dead woo" is a big theme for Jewish holidays from my research, so it could fit, for which she invented ginger bread men to be the golem, and gave them little "hearts" of fruit or honey, and you're meant to eat them limb by limb like the beast did before eating the heart. This would be the inspiration for using the "heart" piece later to make her own giant gingerbread Golem to help her save the world.

These are my questions 1) would it be considered bad or disrespectful for someone who isn't a Rabbi to make a Golem, or is this method of taking an animating piece someone else made disrespectful? 2) Her journey will take her far from her town and her Jewish family and friends and she will likely travel with gentiles. Would it be disrespectful for a Golem to be used to protect a lot of gentiles and one Jew in the course of saving the world? I don't want to fall into the stereotype of someone putting all their effort into valuing and protecting very specifically the group that in real life is oppressive to them. 3) While she is not using magic and is actually mimicking its effects with technology she invents, is this drawing too close to the line of "magical Jew"? 4) I like to "play test" my characters in ttrpgs to really get a feel for them before I write. Would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character when I am a gentile, and would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character in a setting where there are demonstrably real gods other than the one of Judaism?

I really like this character idea and I think it's cute and fun and rooted in Jewish culture but I really want to make sure it's respectful and as good as I, a gentile researching on the internet, thinks it is. Thanks so much! Have a nice day!

My answer to this is very complicated because there are things I both like and do not like about this premise. First of all, I love the idea of a cookie golem, and I'm even imagining the magic word that brings him to life (EMET/truth) would be written in icing. And I'm okay with the part about how she found a piece of the old golem and used it to build a new golem, because that makes sense for a golem made from a baked good when you think about how people use sourdough starter to make a new batch of sourdough.

However, here are the thing that make me cock my head to the side like my little sister's German shepherd:

1. re: "magical Jew" - that's not a trope I've ever heard of. Remember, marginalized groups don't receive identical disrespect across the board. It is indeed a trope to use Black people or disabled people as supernatural plot devices who exist only to further the stories of white main characters or able-bodied main characters. But I can't say as I've ever seen anyone using Jewishness that way. Usually if we are someone's one-dimensional plot device it's as someone's lawyer, fixer, "money guy", etc, not a supernatural force. So this isn't something you have to worry about.

2. I have a certain level of discomfort with you playing as a Jewish character just because playacting as a marginalized culture you're not part of strikes me as off, but I understand that that's how you gain insight into a character you're about to write so it's more of a writing exercise than anything else. (I wonder if D&D regulars from marginalized groups have written about this -- I've only played a few times casually with family so if I did run into this type of discussion in my social justice reading I wouldn't have absorbed it. If anyone is curious I played first as Captain Werewolf, and then switched to playing as Cinnamon Blade because lawful good was too hard. :P )

3. I would prefer you omit the detail about eating the cookies piece by piece symbolically, for two reasons: a. it unintentionally evokes Communion by having appreciative people consume a baked good symbolic of an entity who sacrificed his life for theirs, and b. focusing on the details of flesh consumption reminds me too much of Blood Libel (yes, a gingerbread man is in the shape of a person but how many of us actually think about it literally, the way this act would cause?)

As to your first question: I'm fine with her making a golem even though she's just a rando. Second question: I see what you're saying and maybe it could be more okay if it's really clear how well these gentile folks are treating her? And questions three and four are answered above.

I really do love the idea of a giant gingerbread man golem. Cookie golem T_T <3

--Shira

I would like to second Shira’s point about not ripping apart the gingerbread cookies. I honestly would prefer they were used as decoration, and other cookies eaten instead, since that part just feels so not-Jewish to me, but I don’t have golem-specific issues other than that. It seems like you have already been doing a lot of research, which is appreciated.

As far as the ttrpg/DnD aspect… I bounce back and forth on the topic of playing characters that are so very different from our experiences, other than in fantasy-related ways. However, I am aware that a lot of people will play with, and experiment with gender in game, and learn something about themselves in the process (the number of trans players of ttrpgs who tried out their gender in game before they were out is high). It’s different with Judaism, and even more significantly different when it comes to things you can’t convert into, like various actual, real-world races. But because people do sometimes experience growth from experiences like this, I’m hesitant to dissuade players completely. I do urge you to, at a minimum, bring the same care, research, and willingness to learn, that you brought to this question.

--Dierdra

This sounds like a creative storyline that you could have lots of fun with 😊

At first I was confused by this part:

She also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice

But then you really got me thinking about different types of Jewish holidays and how they come about, so thank you for that!

Because it’s often the little details that either make a story super powerful or kind of nonsensical, I think it would be a good idea to decide what type of holiday is being created here:

A full-blown chag with restrictions on labour and halachic obligations? These are commanded in Torah and new ones can’t be added.

A minor yom tov with halachic obligations but no restrictions? These were instituted by the rabbis prior to the destruction of the Temple, so again new ones can’t be added.

A public holiday or equivalent? This would usually be declared by the Knesset in Israel, and filter to the rest of the Jewish world from there.

A community-based yom tov with specific customs only for people in the know, such as certain Chasidic groups celebrating the birthdays of their deceased leaders? I asked around, but no one can really tell me how these holidays get started, which is probably a good indication that they arise quite organically from a group of people who all just feel that it should be celebrated. Probably not created by a single person, as such.

Something she runs from her bakery, not religion-based, but more like a day of doing special products and deals the way many small businesses do on their anniversary?

Now, if the people of a modern-day town were actually saved by a real live Golem, that would arguably be the most overt miracle for many generations, so there would be a decent chance of options 3 and/or 4 happening. It’s entirely plausible that there could be special foods for this day that become a tradition, including Golem cookies. People who directly benefited might also return to the site where the Golem fought the monster and recite the prayer, ‘Blessed is Hashem, Master of the Universe, Who performed a miracle for me in this place.’

Alternatively, if it’s important that your MC created the holiday, something like option 5 might be the best. Hopefully this will still fulfil what you need: you describe her as incredibly skilled, so I can imagine the day when she goes all out on the Golem cookies being one of the most exciting events of the year for the townspeople, just because her baking is that good. Plus, they already have a personal stake in the Golem’s sacrifice, so I definitely think it could be a thing without being an official holiday. Also, if she is outside of an all-Jewish environment, don’t forget that she would have to decide whether to commemorate the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar or the local one.

Coming back to the cookies, sorry if we’re getting a little repetitive on this point! But I don’t see the cookies being torn limb from limb as part of a celebration. First of all, this doesn’t sound like a very celebratory thing to do, to say the least. Can you imagine explaining that to a three-year-old on their first Yom HaGolem? They would be terrified! (I don’t read this suggestion as accidental anti-Semitism so much as getting carried away with a metaphor, which I’m sure as writers we have all done!)

But also, it’s worth pointing out that our commemorative foods aren’t usually that literal. If you think about hamantaschen, maror, or apple in honey, they’re all symbols. That’s not to say that having Golem-shaped cookies is a problem, as this sounds like just a bit of fun that the MC is having and not something that is directly at odds with Judaism or Jewish culture. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the more literal you go from there in terms of tying the cookies to the event they commemorate, the less culturally aligned your holiday food becomes.

Finally, about the Golem protecting non-Jewish people: I like this idea! There’s a stereotype that we only use whatever is at our disposal to help ourselves and other Jewish people, so a Golem being created by Jews but helping others as well is a big plus for me. Of course, as has already been pointed out, this would be an odd choice if her Saving The World team were anti-Semitic or otherwise disrespectful to her/her community, but I don’t think you were headed that way!

-Shoshi

I have to come back in here just to squee over the phrase “Yom HaGolem.” Well done :D

--Shira

#asks #Jewish #dnd #golem #food #Jewish stereotypes

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black-owl-nebula · 2 years

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Writing tips: one-armed characters

As promised, I'm gonna do a character tip for people born with one arm! I see a lot of people write pretty well amputee characters but I rarely ever see characters who were just born without one arm. Specifically, with no second arm at all. Obviously, a lot of this is personal experiences, but it could be very useful even if you take just some of these tips!

1. Being born with one arm is different from becoming amputated, mainly, in the adaptability part. There are many things I can't do like any amputee, but I never have to actually think about adapting myself. I was always very quick in finding ways to immediately do something in a way that ends in the same result as someone with two arms. It's not that people who are amputated are less good with adapting, it's more like when you're born with one arm you don't have to adapt out of your mind that you used to function with two arms. I never had two arms so I don't need to think about how I used to do it vs how I can do it, now, based off of my previous experience. I just think about how to do it. Idk if this is too complicated but you can ask me questions about that lol.

2. I know a lot of people prefer to have a prosthesis, but like the other post describing the eye prosthesis, it's mad expensive, like thousands of dollars and I haven't worn mine since I was a pre teen (at the time, it was over 600$CAD). Both because it's expensive but also because I really didn't have much use for it because I personally was able to adapt myself pretty easily without it.

3. Another thing, people with a missing arm have a higher chance of developing minor to severe scoliosis, if left unchecked. This is because since you have a lot more weight on one side because of your arm and may naturally tend to tilt your back towards your present arm's side. I had a lot of posture appointments as a kid, because of this and I do have minor scoliosis. Mostly I just can't stand for very long periods of time and my back is way more sensitive to back pain.

4. Speaking of, at least me personally, I have the tendency to almost never sleep on my left arm (btw that's the arm I have). Idk if others do but I don't because it's super bothersome and way more comfortable to sleep on my right.

5. The advantage to being born with one arm is that I also tend to be a bit stronger than average, even if I don't necessarily have a lot of muscle. I do everything with this arm so, I guess it always shock people that I don't need much help (unless I ask) to lift heavy things.

6. On that note, though, a lot of people will try to "help" me, especially without permission. Like any other disabled person, I think it's extremely annoying. This is a psa to always ask if a disabled person needs help before helping them, it can be very humiliating especially when I can do it myself.

7. The inconvenience, though, especially for a lefty, is using things that are usually for right handed people. It's hard enough as a two-armed lefty having to use your other hand to do things, so imagine the awkwardness when I don't have the option to use the other arm lol. Sometimes I still can do it, but other times it's just impossible and a left-handed version is required. You might have to ask for this particular point.

8. Actually on a lighthearted note, smudging things I write/draw is 10× worse lmao since I use my wrist/side of my hand to stabilize my paper too. Left handed problems lol.

9. A silver lining is that I use my fingers feet and mouth (very occasional) to basically use as my "second arm". An example that comes to mind is picking up a ball. You'd think something so simple because all you need to do is use both arms, when it's a big ball, so I use my foot to stabilize the ball and pick it with my hand. Maybe I should do a video or something to properly explain but, imagine the way soccer players lift a ball up with their feet, but also I'm using my hand at the same time lol. Another is like, in video games, I can't play mouse+key but I can use my fingers to spread around the analog and buttons. Some controls I can't play with, but if I can change the control map, I'm good! But also maybe it helps that i have long fingers lol.

10. Also a lot of times people close to me forget I just have one arm. This is normal and I feel like it's a good thing because, at least to me, it tells me that they don't see me for my disability, but just for me. They see me be able to do things and forget that I'm actually adapting to a two-armed world. I love when people let me participate in something, even if I can't actually do it, because it makes me feel like they want me to just do the things they do and don't immediately push me away or discount me just because of my disability. Which can honestly be very hurtful, when people assume that I can't do something, especially when I can, and they won't let me participate just because I'm disabled. But when they think I can do it, whether I can or not, that's extremely appreciated, it makes me feel included.

11. As for jokes, as you can see in this post, I really don't mind making lighthearted jokes about my disability. Which, vice versa, I don't might light hearted jokes other people make. Obviously, insults are unnaceptable and don't make fun of us, especially shit about us being weak, that's just being ableist. Fun things like "on one hand [thing], on the other... I don't have one" or other stupid puns like that. Just lighthearted and funny.

Anyway, that's all I can think of, but if I think of anything else or YOU think of anything else, absolutely feel free to add on this post.

#owl talks #writing tips #ok to reblog #disability awareness #disability positivity #long post

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camxnoel-updates · 3 years

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Cameron Monaghan brought the character of Ian Gallagher to life on Showtime’s hit series, Shameless. The series aired for a total of 11 seasons after originally premiering in 2011. It ranked as the network’s no. 1 comedy, longest-running series, and had the youngest-skewing audience of any Showtime series. Monaghan also joined two legendary universes with roles in both Gotham and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which I got to ask him about too!

The final season of SHAMELESS finds the Gallagher family and the South Side at a crossroads, with changes caused by the COVID pandemic, gentrification, and aging to reconcile. As Frank confronts his own mortality and family ties in his alcoholic and drug-induced twilight years, Lip struggles with the prospect of becoming the family’s new patriarch. Newlyweds Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) are figuring out the rules and responsibilities of being in a committed relationship while Deb embraces her individuality and single motherhood. Carl finds an unlikely new career in law enforcement and Kevin and V struggle to decide whether a hard life on the South Side is worth fighting for.

Along with the final season, fans also got a six-episode series that featured new Shameless scenes juxtaposed with a retrospective look at each character’s journey over the prior 10 seasons, titled, Shameless Hall of Shame. The first episode followed Ian and Mickey, showcasing their unique relationship and its evolution from a teen fling into a loving, complicated marriage.

I was able to chat with the actor over zoom and ask him all of my burning questions regarding the series finale, Ian and Mickey’s future, the show’s open ending, the representation his character provided to those watching, what he kept from the set, his future projects, and so much more! Keep reading to find out everything he told me.

So first of all, I want to say a huge congrats to you for wrapping Shameless after 11 seasons and bringing this character to life, who has inspired so many and that so many relate to. I wanted to ask, what has your time on the show meant to you and how would you describe how it helped you grow as an actor?

Cameron Monaghan: I mean, it’s so difficult to distill 11 years into some sort of concise answer, but it’s meant a lot for so many reasons. I think that obviously it’s been important for my career and my life in a sense of how it’s not only given me exposure but also given all of us a platform as performers to be able to tell interesting and challenging stories and to really develop and grow. Obviously, we had a couple of old pros on the show– when I say old pros, I’m not calling them old, just that they’re professionals and they’ve been doing it for a long time, but like William H. Macy, Joan Cusack, and a number of people who had very storied careers. Then we had actors on the show who had never appeared on anything prior and for a lot of us, we were somewhere in the middle, where we’d been working for a number of years, but hadn’t been given the opportunities to really put ourselves out there in such a significant way.

So being able to get an audience over the course of 11 years– and the show grew steadily, it was a marginal success at first, but it wasn’t until like season 4 or 5 that it really started to be seen by people and really connect on a larger platform, and a lot of that had to do with Netflix. When that happens we had such an influx of people kind of saying how they related to it and I think that that’s something that I’ve really taken away– I think we’ve all taken away, to be able to hear a lot of other people’s stories and how they’ve connected these stories in entirely different ways. Everyone has had different favorite characters or storylines and they have brought their own personal experiences to that, but for people to say that they feel seen or heard in some ways by these stories, I think is very special. You know, the character that I was playing was an LGBT love story, as well as a story about mental illness, and coping and struggling with that. I had so many positive responses from people regarding those things, and it was amazing to hear people’s responses. So I think that not only was I able to grow as an actor but being able to hear that response and feedback helps you grow as a human being too. I guess that’s what one of my major takeaways is.

What was that final day of shooting like for you, and how did you feel when you officially wrapped?

It was a bit surreal. I don’t think it really set in at first. It’s always funny when you wrap on a project, I feel like it comes in waves, and with something like a TV show, you start to feel it on the last few episodes of like, “Oh, wow, it’s going to be over.” You start trying to find your little ways of saying goodbye to people and understanding that these conversations are obviously not the last for everyone; we’re still close with each other, but you start to recognize that within the context of the show they’ll be your last so that’s a difficult thing. I’ve never been particularly good at saying goodbye, you know? I feel like in general, I’m kind of a person that just likes to be like, “I’m just going to walk away from it cause I don’t know what else to do really.”

So, we were shooting pretty late at night and we were all there hanging out and cracking jokes, and it was just of like, “Oh, I guess that’s it.” We all kind of looked at each other like, “Well, what do we do now?” A bunch of us stuck around for a few hours afterward, we popped a bottle of champagne, and we sat in each others’ trailers and just kinda hung out until pretty early in the morning, the next day. Then we’ve all kind of just been hanging out and seeing each other since. Everyone’s been really busy, thankfully. So we’ve been traveling and going to different cities for work, but when we’ve been in town we’ve been trying to see each other. I had dinner with Jeremy and Ethan, who played my brothers on the show last week. Noel Fisher, I just saw yesterday. I’m going to see Shanola Hampton in a few days. We’re all still staying in touch with each other is what I’ll say.

Were you personally satisfied with the ending of the show? I think it was very open-ended, which was kind of nice and left a lot open for the future. And was there anything you wanted to see for your character that we weren’t able to?

Endings are difficult in general, but I feel like, especially with a show like Shameless, which is a show about a slice of life and sort of how existence doesn’t really fall into a perfect narrative; it tends to be messy and kind of just continue in spite of itself, and it’s a stream of these little victories and these constant mistakes. So you can’t really cap off a pure ending to a story like that. I think that what John Wells tried to do with writing it is not really conclude the stories. He concludes certain aspects, but the way that he explained it to us is he wanted it to feel like if you were walking through the streets of Chicago, maybe you might bump into these characters. Maybe they’re still out there and maybe they’re still doing things. Some of us had more resolution than others.

I would actually say that the Ian and Mickey storyline was one that did have a fair amount of resolution for the final episode. It was about their anniversary, how they were going to deal with their future, and they’ve kind of figured out some sort of life with each other. There are still large questions, whether or not they’re going to have kids and what the terms of their marriage will entail in the future, but those are questions that are lifelong questions, and ones that I think that we know these characters well enough and we understand their relationships well enough that we can draw our own conclusions for. I think there is something beautiful about the fact that the audience will project what their future for these characters will be.

I think it was a challenging final season because of so many extenuating factors in the world. All shows, businesses, everything was trying frantically to keep up with a changing landscape, and the fact that we were able to make it in spite of all of those things, I think is a victory in itself; one that we are all proud of and happy with. I do think there’s still a future, years out, where we might return to these characters and explore them further. I think that I’m happy putting them to bed for now, I think we all are, but I would like to maybe check in with these characters in 5 or 10 years, and just kind of see where they’re at and what they’re doing.

Kind of like a little Shameless movie, just to play catch up for a little bit.

Yeah, I think that’s something that is kind of more possible now with these streaming networks. They’ve done it with a few series, to sometimes success and sometimes mixed results, but I do think there is a possibility of a reunion season or something like that, depending on where the show fits into the public consciousness in a few years, you know? It’s an open question, but one I’d be excited to see.

How you would describe Ian’s evolution and journey on the show?

I think that Ian has come a long way in terms of confidence and assuredness in himself and his own decisions. I think that’s what a lot of the exploration of the character was, especially in the middle seasons between seasons like 3 to 8 or 9, are this guy who sort of just doesn’t necessarily know what he wants for himself and he’s dealing with a bunch of surprises about himself that he doesn’t necessarily understand, or hasn’t really come to terms with. I think it’s amazing to see Ian in these earlier episodes where he’s kind of getting kicked around by his relationships and by his family. He’s kind of a forgotten kid a little bit. He’s like a middle child, who’s just sort of– people aren’t really looking out for him. His brother does to a certain extent, but also his brother is kind of telling him what he wants for himself and Ian isn’t as active.

At a certain point, he starts to really come into his own as an adult and as a human being. I think it’s amazing how we see him as not only a big brother by the end of the series, but also sort of– there’s something a bit paternal about him. He becomes a bit of a father figure, even a little bit in his relationships. I think it’s interesting how Mickey was always sort of the commanding force and deciding factor for so much of the series; when Ian was really struggling with mental illness and down in the dumps, Mickey is the kind of guy who was looking after him, but by the end of the series, Mickey is a bit childlike in certain ways. Ian is kind of protecting him to a certain extent, and even with his older brother, Lip, Ian is sort of looking out for him in a slightly paternal way, which I think is kind of interesting. He really comes a long way in sort of being confident enough in himself to start looking out for other people that I think is a really great quality. It makes him a character who has made a fair amount of mistakes but mistakes that we understand, and I think that ultimately he’s a guy that I understand and really relate to because he does have this quality to him.

So I have to ask you some questions about Ian and Mickey. I personally love them together, they were one of the reasons I started watching the show. In the end, as you said, we kind of get some closure, but also an open ending with them and it’s a happy one; they’re together and celebrating their anniversary. In your head, what do you think that their future holds? Do you think kids are in the picture; do you think they’re going to be parents? Ideally, what is your version of their happy ending, if you could create it?

I think that they both still need to do some work. I would say that they need to do work as a couple in their marriage still of just defining the terms of what is it that they want financially, sexually, intimately, personally, all of these things. It’s a show full of people who aren’t great at communication or dealing with their own feelings– I mean to a certain extent, most human beings aren’t, but these guys, especially, come from a rough background and they have that tendency of just kind of wanting to push that stuff down. Ian has really opened up Mickey and Mickey to a certain extent has really opened up Ian over the course of the series, but I still don’t think they’re fully all the way there. Mickey has a lot of emotional baggage when it comes to parenthood, his father, and dealing with responsibility.

I don’t know if Mickey is fully there. Hopefully, he would be one day in the future. And hopefully, Ian would be patient enough to give him the space to make that decision and to not want to rush into it. I do think that it would be something in their future. Parenthood was a huge motivating factor for Ian earlier in the series, going so far as to steal someone’s baby at some point because he wants to be a father. I would hope that they would be able to provide that for him and for themselves, but there’s no way to know, we have to sort of make that assumption for ourselves, but I think so.

Ian and Mickey have been this fan-favorite couple that means so much to the LGBTQ+ community in terms of representation. What was the moment that you personally started rooting for them?

I think it was pretty early. I was rooting for Ian from the first episode, from the pilot, but the second that Mickey gets introduced to the show, he brought such a fun dynamic with him. Obviously, a massive amount of charisma that was coming from Noel Fisher. The scenes were always fun, exciting, and felt steeped in a lot of dramatic tension. Whether or not they were destined to be together was kind of a question that still was developing. In the first season to the third season, the Mickey character is pretty rough emotionally and physically; he is at points pretty, extremely abusive in a way that is great for a character and for a story, but if I was talking to Ian as a person in real life, I would probably say, “Get the hell away from this guy. He’s awful for you.”

But within the context of the story, we’re able to get the internal life of these characters and we understand them well enough to really want to be rooting for them and see them succeed. It builds into this pretty epic love story of these characters that really do feel kind of intertwined by fate and something greater. It feels like you have these forces pulling for them in a way that you want with every fiber of your being to see it work out for them because you care for them. So obviously, Noel and I had been rooting for these characters the entire time, but it was really fun playing some of the ridiculousness of the situations of the two of them, where they were just very at odds with each other at times. It was a joy bouncing off of each other in both the highs and the lows of the character.

Is there sort of a message that you hope their love story gives to viewers that see themselves in these characters?

Well, I think the aspects of the characters, especially for Mickey, that I’m sure a lot of people relate to, and it is sort of the greatest tragedy of the character, is how he is deeply in the closet and he feels that he can’t embrace his own self and also this beautiful love because of this situation that he’s in; a traumatic home life, specifically an abusive father, and also an environment that doesn’t allow him to be what he wants to be. I guess the message that I do hope that people who are relating to that get is that there are places where you can be accepted and there are better options for you, and sometimes that takes time, but as cliched as it is, it does get better. So hopefully people are able to find these safe environments for themselves to be able to improve the quality of life and to get better situations. I hope that people find hope in the story ultimately.

Another relationship of Ian’s that I have to discuss is his relationship with the whole Gallagher family; that was a focus of the series since day one. What was your favorite part of their dynamic and playing off that?

Obviously, the chaos of the family is always really fun to play. We had these scenes that were kind of an amazing balancing act of like 8 or 9 people in a scene, all messing around with these different storylines that are bouncing off of each other, intertwining, and you have this really biting sharp satirical dialogue that all had a very specific rhythm to it and was a sort of flow that was established early in the show that was kind of kept across the entire series; one that was a genuine joy as a performer to play. But I think that specifically the relationship that I’ve always been a fan of and I love from the start, is probably– it’s definitely one of my favorite relationships on the show– was the relationship between Ian and Lip.

There’s not a lot of depictions of brotherhood and intimacy between men that are deeply sensitive, close, and uncomplicated. Those are definitely scenes that I felt very personally moved by, of two brothers who have just had a world of shit, a lot of complicated and messed up things that have been dropped on their heads that they’ve been dealing with for the entirety of their lives, but they’ve sort of made a pact that they were just gonna be there for each other no matter what. If they weren’t there for each other, who knows if they would have survived. I think that there’s something really amazing about those scenes in that they’re just very open with each other, and that’s something that’s established right from the start and was kind of one of those key relationships for the show that survived until the very last episode and that I’m very proud of, cause I do think that those are some of my personal favorite scenes of the show.

Here’s a fun three-part question: most challenging, fun, and insane storyline for you as an actor?

Most challenging would probably have to be… we reached a point in the series around season 8 and they were trying to contextualize the characters in a modern way, put them into new circumstances, but try to retain what the characters were, but they’ve moved a lot from where they originally were. We were at a point where we were getting so many new writers onto the series, and the show I feel struggled for a second, which happens with any series that’s been on for a while. It felt like there was a point where they didn’t know what they wanted to do with Ian. There were a couple of episodes where I was kind of looking at the story and being like, “What are we doing here? It doesn’t really feel like anything is happening with him and we’re kind of floating across these relationships.” I wasn’t sure what we were trying to say, but that being said, that is kind of true to life, to a certain degree, where we do find ourselves sometimes in these ruts where we don’t know what we’re doing with our relationships, our lives, and ourselves. There is a little bit of a struggle there and that is kind of real to a certain degree, and I do think having those episodes make when they started finding the way with the character and relationships again, kind of more satisfying cause he sort of loses his way and he comes back. So it was kind of a challenge, but I think it all worked out ultimately.

Craziest would have to be… so this is one that no one would even know is like a thing really, no one would even think of it as a thing, but the scene in the pilot episode, Lip and Ian jump out of like a window and they run out of a house to escape an angry parent, right? And they’re kind of running in a rush. So they run out in their socks, down the street, and it’s the middle of January in Chicago and the streets are covered in mud, water, and ice. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever felt in my life that I actually thought my feet were going to like fall off. I thought we were going to have to amputate a toe because of frostbite. We did the scene a bunch of times, and because Jeremy and I were young, we were just sort of trying to be tough, just like, “Yeah, whatever, it’s not a problem. We can do this over and over, not a big deal.” Then I definitely learned a lesson of like, when something is a problem, you have to say, it’s a problem.

Most fun… I don’t know if I can distill it to just one scene. I think the most fun was just getting to interact with all of the wildly different personalities of our show, and just kind of get to sit around and hang out with everyone. There were times that we would just be laughing so hard that one of us would start and we just end up crying, laughing. Usually, it was because of Howey cracking jokes or something like that, but it could be just the dumbest to smallest thing, but it’s the kind of thing when you become so comfortable with people, it just starts to happen. Sometimes it was just the downtime and these little small kind of boring or mundane moments that really ended up being some of my favorite experiences.

Did you take anything from the set at all?

I did. So in the final season, there’s a storyline where Frank steals Nighthawks, the Edward Hopper painting, and that was actually done in cooperation with the Art Institute of Chicago and the Edward Hopper estate. They did these really high-resolution prints of it that were then painted over by hand, and they even took pictures of the back and mimicked the way that the canvas wrapped over, the small writing, and everything. It’s a pretty damn good forgery of Nighthawks. So I stole one of those and that’s hanging up in my living room. I also stole one of the mugs cause in the show we’re always having breakfast and drinking coffee, so there are these rooster mugs and I stole one of those.

Since you’re talking to The Nerds of Color, I have to ask you about Star Wars and Gotham. What stood out to you about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order compared to your other work, and what did it mean to you to join that iconic universe?

I mean, what stood out pretty quickly was that it had a tone all of its own. Star Wars is a very specific tone. It has sort of its own language, pacing, style, and rhythm; there’s something very specific about it, something that I’m a big fan of. I grew up watching the Star Wars movies and that was definitely… you know, anytime that you’re jumping onto something with an active and passionate fanbase it’s going to be slightly intimidating. There’s no way around that. Thankfully, I’ve at this point done enough projects with really passionate fanbases to kind of understand what that entails, which is that there’s going to be a lot of opinions. A lot of people are really excited about things and no matter what, even the smallest things, someone’s going to be very, very angry about it. That comes along with the territory, but that’s kind of fun to a certain degree; it’s fun to hear such minutiae and being examined, and these conversations are ones that are being had on set too.

There’s so much conversation between the Lucasfilm story group, Respawn, and EA, who are the production companies behind the game, and also the cast, directors, and everybody involved are sometimes discussing, “How does a person stand? How does one get onto a speeder bike? What kind of sound does this monster make?” And there’s always a genuine deference and respect to the series. We know how much people care about it. We know because we care about it a lot, and everyone on this project are huge fans of the source material. So that was exciting to be a part of, obviously; I mean, that should go without saying. It’s so freaking cool to be a Jedi and to be the face of this massive franchise, and to be able to not only be a part of a really well-known property and part of this large project but also to be able to tell an interesting and intimate story within it. For as bombastic as all of the action is, and as big as the Star Wars universe is, I feel the story of Cal Kestis and the people that he interacts with is a somewhat smaller one and a more intimate one. It’s ultimately, at least for me, a pretty emotionally resonant one and a story that I actually very much care about and relate to. I think that was probably the most exciting part about it, was being able to within the framework of this big machinery of what Star Wars is, still tell a story that might actually affect people and make them feel things, I think was just really cool.

Could you describe how it felt to take on the role of the Joker?

Exciting, intimidating, an honor, and challenging; it’s a role that I didn’t take lightly. I understood what it was, which is that a lot of the people who were seeing me in the role had never heard of me and didn’t know who I was, and it was a way to prove myself and to show off my take of what I could do with this. It was really cool too with that show that we were getting to do something that had never really been done before with the character, which is to show multiple versions and possibilities of what that character could be, and to kind of tip our hat to some of the famous stories that came before, and then kind of give a unique spin and show off some new things with it as well.

Obviously, that show was heightened to a certain degree and kind of existed in this wacky over-the-top violent, but also slightly cartoony universe that was kind of its own little thing. That was really fun to play around with it and to totally get to do something kind of different with that, something that we hadn’t seen before. But I think it was specifically really intimidating because, at that point of casting when I performed the episode in the first season of that show, no one had played the role since Heath Ledger had posthumously won the Oscar for the role. So the only people who had touched it in live-action had been Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, which are just massive, massive shoes to fill and two people that I deeply admired. Again, it’s just sort of a case of respect and wanting to kind of come in, just do my absolute best with the material, and to try to pay a certain level of honor to the people that came before.

Anything you can tease about what you’re going to do next? Any future projects?

Absolutely. It’s always difficult with this stuff because there’s only so much you can say. I can say that I just shot a film that hasn’t been announced yet, but I was out of town shooting it for a while. It’s the starring role in the film, and that will come out to theaters in the near future. I’m also working on another project over the course of the next year that I will be working on and off for. Again, thanks to the joys of NDAs, I can’t actually say what it is. I have a movie that I will be doing in June and then also I’m starting to move a bit behind the camera as well. So I’m working on producing and starring in a feature in August or September. And I’m writing a couple of projects right now as well. So it’s a loaded year for the next year, but it’s all very exciting that’s happening.

#LOVED THIS #cameron monaghan #shameless #shameless us #ian gallagher #gallavich #noel fisher #mickey milkovich #jerome valeska #the joker #gotham #jeremiah valeska #mr j #cal kestis #jedi fallen order #star wars

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airplanned · 3 years

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Ned Talks About Fight Scenes

I write a lot of fight scenes, and I consider it something I'm good at. There are a lot of things to consider when writing a fight scene and they all intersect with each other. I'm going to talk about three things: Clarity, Emotion, and Flow.

Clarity is important, because you don't want your reader to stop and say, "Wait, there's another guy?" "Since when did they have an axe?" "I thought they were on the ground?" "When did they get inside?" Anything that pulls the reader out of the story disrupts your flow and is bad. You need things to clip along, so be sure that your choreography makes sense and that you're clear about what's going on.

The biggest problem I see in fight scenes is when a transition is missed so a character is over here, and then all of a sudden they're over there or facing a different way. I'm not saying that there needs to be a whole big thing made about the transition, because that will affect your flow and slow you down with excess description, making it feel bloated. But saying, "He turned around," takes up minimal space and will sometimes save you a lot of grief.

I think the easiest example to show of this is actually a make-out scene I read ages ago. (Make-out scenes and fight scenes have a lot in common.) It went something like this: "He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her shoulder. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist." ... The picture I have in my head is that he’s still behind her, but her legs are folded backward like a ballerina. This would be easily preventable with a simple "She turned around and..."

Now, this example is a very close example. The characters are attentive to every little moment, so a jump into a different position is jarring. A fight scene example would be if you have a one-on-one duel, and it's emotional and calculating, and your character is very attuned to every movement that their opponent makes. It's a little different if you have a sweeping battle scene with a horde of hundreds of enemies, like if you're writing an Age of Calamity battle. Your main character isn't thinking in minute steps, but rather in sweeping moves, so your reader is fine not hearing that your character has turned around, but wouldn't be fine not knowing that your character is suddenly bleeding from dozens of fatal wounds or is half way through a battle with a big monster that actually matters. So be aware of the scope of your scene, and that will guide you in how detailed you need to be. (Also keep in mind that you can zoom in, like you fight a big Age of Calamity battle, but then things get more personal when you meet the boss and fight them.)

I know that just saying "don't so this" is not super helpful. First of all, sometimes something is so clear in your head that you don't even know that your reader isn't following you. The main solution to that is a beta reader. A second set of eyes can easily point out these moments. You can also draw stick figures (it's fun!). For each sentence, draw where they would be and make sure the change between them makes sense.

Sometimes, you might have something very complicated in mind. But if you cant describe it clearly, it's not worth it and it might be worth scaling back. Killing your darlings happens.

Sometimes, the fight will be a huge mess and our hero will be flailing around, not knowing what's going on or which way is up or when it's going to be over. But in that case, you can just say that. Be clear about it. And then tell us what your POV character does know. If they're overwhelmed, tell us what they feel. Adding in emotion can actually be clarifying in explaining to the reader why the character acts the way they do.

Which brings us to

Emotion. It's important for a lot of reasons. First of all, if you leave out the emotion completely and have it be straight action the whole time, then your hero looks as if it's no big thing. This battle is simple and they are a killing machine. Maybe that's what you want. But if there's no tension for your character, there won't be any tension in your reader. If you say that this scene is no sweat, I (the reader) will not be sweating. But if your character is struggling, if they're fearing, if they're exhausted or hurt, I'm going to worry for them and you automatically have tension.

Second of all, I tend to write more character driven things, and what's the point of the fight scene if it doesn't have some effect on the character or show something about them? What purpose does it serve in the story? Maybe it's just to be cool, and that's okay, but don't expect more from it if that's the case.

The other cool thing about including emotion is that if you have a paragraph in the middle of a fight scene where the character is thinking about how hard the fight is or worrying about protecting someone or excited to finally be using a sword again after a long hiatus, then your reader will assume that time is passing while they're thinking, and then when you pull out of that paragraph and back int the action, your character can be in a new place, fighting a new monster. It's one way to avoid that jarring lack of transition that we talked about earlier.

So returning regularly to your POV character in a fight scene is a good idea. I tend to do one pass where I just write the choreography (unless some big, climactic emotional moment is the whole point of the scene/story, in which case I'll write that first), then I'll do a second pass inserting some interiority.

Flow deals with how the scene reads. You want it to read fast (action packed!) because your character will be thinking fast and things will be moving fast and you want your reader's heart to be beating fast.

You can achieve a lot of this on a micro level with just word and punctuation choices. 1. Commas: a comma is a way to show a pause for breath, so in some cases, misusing commas and using a run-on sentences is your friend. Lists are also your friend, because you can have this happening and that happening and something else over there and they felt dizzy and tired and yet the list goes on.

2. Longer sentences tend to pul you forward through the sentence whereas short, choppy sentences have a lot of periods, which are hard pauses.

3. To Be Verbs slow you down. A "to be" verb is any conjugation of "to be": was, is, were, are, be, am. You might have heard this in high school English class and rolled your eyes, and I have strong feelings about how this is not a hard and fast rule that should be used in all situations. However, to be verbs DO slow you down, and that's not what you want here. So let's use a test sentence like, "He was running towards the moblin." The thing about this is that "run" isn't the verb. "Was" is the verb. What was he doing? He was existing. Which is more exciting: existing or running? Change this to "He ran towards the moblin," and already that reads faster.

4. Over-specificity will slow you down too. There are so many fight scenes out there where I think they're trying not to fall into the trap discussed earlier of being unclear, so they go hard in the other direction and over-specify. If you want to tell me at the very start that our hero has a sword in his left hand and a dagger in his right, go for it, but I don't want to hear about what anyone's left hand and right hand are doing during the actual fight. (Unless handedness is a theme or something in your story?) I don't need to know how many degrees they turned to block a blow. I don't need to know too many adjectives, because each of your adjectives should be hitting me in the face.

There's a lot more I could say about flow. I do a lot of work with numbers of syllables and length of syllables, which means that certain words won't fit in the sentence I'm working on. I do a lot with timing the big moments and arranging the white space around paragraphs so that the reader has a pause to go "oh shit!" when I want them to go "oh shit!" I do a lot of onomatopoeia (sound effects) as shorthand for movement. "ClashClashClash. Boom!" But I feel like getting into all that will be a bit too much and it's kind of more of a feeling than a science, so I'll stop here.

Good luck!

#follower day #craft essay

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