#my love for howl’s moving castle know no bounds

[thebarontheabyss]

I absolutely adore your IF! the aesthetics, the storytelling, the mystery, the fantasy elements.. everything. I've never read an IF where I've had such a hard time choosing someone to romance. usually I only gravitate toward 1-2 ROs but with yours, I want to romance all of them!!! excuse me while I ramble... [spoilers ahead]

Death: everything they do is just so cute. the way they kept glancing at us from afar at the bar, and that scene where they're lying in our bed and tells us how pretty we are... I was kicking my legs and screaming internally

Lilith/Damien: hottie alert!! can't help but be drawn to them even knowing how dangerous and scheming devils can be... my MC be shamelessly flirting with them in front of yaga and peisinoe

Morgan(a): so charming and swoon-worthy. that dinner date was so romantic! it doesn't help my heart that the Morgan character art reminds me of howl from howl's moving castle... and the angst potential with them being a mortal... I can't wait to see where this goes

Peisinoe: the scenes of their past were heart-wrenching, I just want them to be happy :'( I also love how you've written out the lyrics to their performances, I really feel the melancholic vibes

Hastur: I'm a sucker for the stoic duty-bound types! I can't wait to break down his walls... hehehehe

He Without Name: I can't wait to find out more about him and unravel his mysterious past! really curious as to whether he will take on a more solid form and be able to interact better at the end..? having read up to the memoriam update, I do have a theory about him being related to adamot somehow - I could be totally off, but he said his purpose was to keep balance? whereas tehomot is for entropy/chaos. and maybe he is "the child" that tehomot was referring to in that council of nine scene. also I can't get out of my head how for Valentine's Day, he would just leave a flower under our pillow <3 simple, but cute and impactful

thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. I'm so excited for more updates!

Thank you for the positive review! It warmed my heart ❤️ Still recovering from the flu here so I hope it doesn't raise my temperature again jkjk

And here are my notes about your notes lol:

Drunk Death is the best Death!!! I can’t wait to write the date scenes for them actually

For Lilith/Damian, scheming will play an integral (and infernal part) of their story. They will be a focus for the update following this one along with Yaga, and I'm excited to start defining their characters!

Howl was a reference I sent for the artwork for Morgan/a! That wonderful wizard totally inspired their character, although I want to make them into more of a reconstruction of the character type later on 👀

Every time I hear a jazz song lately, I just Imagine Peisinoe singing it. I can’t help but stan them.

There won't be a long wait for Hastur! The walls will crumble in the upcoming update. That's all for now. 👀

Damn, I love your theories about He Without Name! My boyfriend always says I'm addicted to spoilers, so for my own personal growth, I'm just going to quietly enjoy the speculations for now hehe

Again, thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts! ❤️ These are literally the fuel that helps me get back and write!

#choice of games #interactive fiction #cog #choicescript #hosted games #wip #hosted game #interactive novel #fiction #thebarontheabyss #he without name tbota #the witch tbota #hastur tbota #the devil tbota #tbota #death tbota #the bar on the abyss #anon ask #answered asks #answered #asks tbota

[lyss-butterscotch]

Hey— you!

I noticed the interests in your thing, what other series you didn’t mention there yet you like?

Oooh okay okay so im just gonna mention the medias i like / that stuck with me for long / have good knowledge of

Games :

Rain World - love the lore, the procedural animation, detailed bg and ecosystem

Hollow Knight - my first ever computer game, 112% full achievement it 3 times (twice pirated, once in steam), love the art style, mechanics, and lore

Ultrakill - Fulfilled the aggression i got from HK's godhome but 100x over. I love the simplicity over everything and the smooth rewarding combat mechanics. Also The OST

Genshin Impact - Mild interest in the lore, but i love the character, environment designs, and the OST, one of my 'go to for design ideas' media

Celeste - EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, the story the artstyle the music and THE MECHANICS, i love going nyoom and i love being able to conquer difficult things in games that is purely skill based

A Hat in Time - Very cute feels good games. Its old timey but in a good way. Love the characters, artstyle, and the BANGER OST

Inscryption - Aesthetics goals. I love the atmosphere, the sfx design, the story. I just really like how snappy and satisfying every move is

Stardew valley - comfort game :)

Project Moon Games (Lob Corp / Library of Ruina / Limbus Company) - I love Lob Corp in particular because of the monster designs and the batshit mechanics and lore, I love the other two because the lore is onpar with whatever homestuck got going on but like... it actually makes sense. TLDR its SCP but worse /pos

Resident Evil (Specifically RE7 above) - I like the horror vibes, character and environment designs inspos

OFF - Weirdcore but in a nice way. I love the sketchy artstyle

Oneshot - 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Funamusea Games (The Gray Garden / Wadanohara / Mogeko Castle) - Funny lil stories, mostly love it for the character designs since the artist makes alot of OCs

Animes :

Madoka Magica - AMAZING WRITING ANIMATION CHARACTER DEPTH OST EVERYTHING, What i strive for when writing characters, the collage facked up witches is also such an inspo

Ghibli Movies (HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, Princess Mononoke) - Animation, Artstyle, Background art, Story inspirations. Theyre so feel good while also being illegally pretty and heartfelt

Kill la Kill - really fackin brash but i love the OST and the fluid lively animation, just a fun watch

Houseki No Kuni / Land of the Lustrous - Its really pretty, it has AMAZING WRITING, the 3d anime for it was SO GOOD, the manga broke me, aesthetics of all time

Saiki K - No reason in particular, the dude's just a constant mood

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun - I just really like the aesthetics and the artstyle its so pretty, aesthetic goals

Other medias :

Homestuck - I was there when [S] ACT 7 dropped. I know its like shitpost 70% of the time but it inspires me to see how it started and how it ended

Epithet Erased - I really like the art style and the simple yet lively tweening, the rare animations are really good too. I love the character designs alot

Wakfu - Animation, artstyle, and aesthetics goal. I never finished it and the story is a lil wonky but the artstyle stood out alot to me

The Owl House - The animation and characters and environment designs are so good. The story is really nice too they got to end it well despite being cut short.

Alien Stage - I love the art style. I LOVEEE THE MUSIC ITS SO GOOD AND I LOVE THE CHARACTERS, THE STORY IS WRITTEN THROUGH SHORT SONGS BUT DAMN DO THEY HIT

Analogue Horror (Backrooms, Mandela Catalogue, Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment) - I love the vibes and creative story telling. World building inspos

#thats all i can remember from the top of my head #but yeah most of these are what shaped how i art through the years #lyssten to my rambles

[faux-fires]

tagged by @ranilla-bean for the 20 questions meme!

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 35

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 466,309. Hey, that's not too shabby!

3. what fandoms do you write for? Currently NONE. previously: dragon age, tsubasa chronicle, supernatural, fullmetal alchemist, legend of zelda...

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Your Princess is in Another Castle ("Dragons kidnap princesses, everyone knows this… except sometimes, they get it wrong. Or do they? A story about mistakes, misunderstandings, and flower crowns. Also Kurogane's non-stop never-ending suck of a life, and the idiot that causes all that chaos to begin with.")

For Better or for Worse ("A 'five things' fic, featuring five different times Hawke proposed to Anders.")

The Centre of All Things ("Hawke gave Anders a ring, after their first night together, and never quite told him what it meant. As Kirkwall begins to crumble around them, Anders struggles to strike a balance between love and the needs of the mages.")

Adjustment ("A year after the end of Act 2, Anders comes home late, and Hawke missed him.")

Bound ("Anders receives many gifts from Aggressive!Hawke across the years. He's charmed by most of them, surprised by others.")

most of my fics predate ao3 and while i backloaded the TRC ones on, I can't be bothered doing the same for the FMA fic i wrote 20 years ago. and the SPN stuff, uh, well, AO3 kind of did it for me! i woke up one day and an old archive i forgot my fic was on had been ported to the archive, all my spn fics helpfully attached to my account in the process. when i tell you i orphaned them at something like the speed of light -

5. do you respond to comments? Um.... I MEAN to, but.... i'm not great at remembering...? i really cherish every one i receive and i KNOW it's bad of me, i can only offer apologies.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i literally just write happy endings i can't answer this

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? how are defining happy??? look mikke takes the piss out of me ALL THE TIME for my definition of fluff, ever since i entered a fluff vs angst competition on the side of team fluff with a story in which one half of the otp was tortured and murdered (he got better)! *i* define a happy ending as one in which, during the course of the story, a character grows and develops. by that metric, an ending where the character loses everything and everyone they love but gains a mindset enabling them to find peace with the loss is a happy ending, TO ME. a sad ending, by contrast, is one in the character does not grow or change, and stays in the same state (or worse!) than they started the story.

so with that in mind, probably through a forest wilderness. people die! anders and hawke are rejected as monstrous by the people they tried to save! but they gained one (1) feral orphan and solved their relationship issues, d'awwww. <3

8. do you get hate on fics? nope

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? yes, but not in EVERY story. i find smut to require a lot of effort to write! there's complex choreography and emotions to handle... the only thing harder (HEHEHE) is fight scenes for the exact same reason

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? i'm not interested in crossovers (blorbos from series a meet blorbos from series b) but i love a good fusion fic, where blorbos from series a have always lived in the world of series b. craziest... probs the trc/wow fusion fic i wrote for an audience of three people? idk i've written a lot! i dreamed of a zukka howl's moving castle fusion a few days ago (probably inspired by chiptrillino's gorgeous illustrations she's been sharing recently) so that was pretty fun, as someone who very, very rarely remembers my dreams.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? nope!

12. have you ever had a fic translated? yeah, to russian!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? yeah, @mikkeneko and i wrote a whole SPACE OPERA. well. half of one, i guess (oops).

14. what’s your all-time favourite ship? whatever i'm shipping at the moment

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i plead the fifth

16. what are your writing strengths? EMOTIONS. also i think i write humour well?

17. what are your writing weaknesses? starting, continuing and finishing. /sob

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? even if you're fluent in that language, it alienates more people than it impresses, i think. i love using other languages as an easter egg (like rana has a character named with a cantonese pun in the iconoclast) but whole dialogue is like... very hard to pull off, and outright mortifying if you don't actually speak the language and just google translate it.

19. first fandom you wrote for? the legend of zelda! my irl friends and i (aged 13) had a massive shared self-insert 'verse going on. my first steps into fandom PROPER tho was with fullmetal alchemist.

20. favourite fic you’ve written? this is a complex question because how do you define favourite? swift illuminations was probably the most fun to write (anders vs hawke arm wrestling) and i always enjoy getting to write comedy - your princess is in another castle has my favourite lines i've ever written, for example:

"Can I go?" Yuui asked Ashura. Despairing it was, then. At least he wasn't naked. It was a low bar to meet in terms of presentation, but so far two of the six people in this room weren't making it.

these skies are breaking i've always been fond of because it's 35k and i wrote it in two days but the plot is uhhhhhh. missing. ash on the windowsill same sitch, 50k in 36 hours and my first completed multi-chapter fic but i wince at how clumsy it is when i reread it. i'm proud of a lot of my later dragon age fics because they contain better exploration of ideas and characterisation, so... idk. toss up!

but in terms of stuff i'm most satisfied with, probs 'how to love a god' this short character exploration piece i wrote for the anderszine. first time writing second person and because of the zine space limit i had a hard maximum word count too so i agonized over every word choice. i don't really edit my own stuff - i post it pretty much hot off the hoop - but i did actually enjoy doing it that time.

uhhhh so that's me. but i'm tagging.... anyone who wants to do this!

#writing meme

[smalltownfae]

Top 10 Favourite Middle Grade Books

I say middle grade, but I am including young YA too and at least one that is categorized as for children. Either way, this is my current top favourite books for younger audiences (I would say before the age of 15). I have read some of these many years ago and I haven’t reread them since so this is according to my memory of the feelings I had at the time. It is bound to change as I read more books. I don’t read many books for younger audiences nowadays, but I think they are charming and I have a soft spot for those published before the 00s because it feels nostalgic to me somehow.

1 - Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This is one of my favourite books in general. It would be in my top 10 favourite books of all time because I love the Howl, Sophie and the humour so much. I’ve watched the studio ghibli adaptation first and even though I thought it was beautiful visually I ended up thinking the story just ok and I found it weird that the second half was so much different from the first half of the movie. A few years later, a friend that loves Realm of the Elderlings made me attempt the book and since we have many media tastes in common I did. It was the best decision ever because I completely loved it. The characters have so much more personality and the story makes much more sense.

The book is about Sophie’s character growth, but Howl feels as equally important. It is very funny and I love the banter between the two main characters, but it’s also very creative and a little bit mysterious. It’s such an incredibly well plotted story about making your own destiny and finding your own power and it’s also about family and caring for others. It’s just a very charming book that I read 3 times already even though I read it for the first time only 3 years ago or so. It’s also really short so that helps.

“If I give you a hint and tell you it's a hint, it will be information.”  

2 - The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

I read this series of 5 books last year and this year I finished the short story collection. This series feels very nostalgic to me because it has many classic fantasy tropes. It’s a coming of age story about a boy named Taran that wants to go on adventures, but when he finds himself in the middle of that he just longs to go home and it’s also a story about magic leaving the world and the pain of those who left and those who stay. A very classic tale with some similarities to Lord of the Rings, beautifully told and it feels very cosy. It’s also inspired by Welsh mythology and it has morals woven into it for children, but done in a clever way.

I know I watched the Disney adaptation titled the Black Cauldron once as a kid, but I don’t remember anything about it because I didn’t care for the movie. From what I’ve heard they made a mess of trying to combine the first two books and it lost the charm of the source material.

“There is much to be known… and above all much to be loved, be in the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.”

3 - The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip

This is the only McKillip book I read that I think is suited  for younger audiences. The other ones feel like older YA to me. A friend made me see the similarities this book has with Howl’s Moving Castle in terms of plot, but this book is not as funny. It is sad and sometimes melodramatic. It follows a young girl that lost her father to the sea as she gets involved in the mystery surrounding a prince. The girl works at an inn near the sea and I found the setting very cosy. The story is magical and tackles the subjects of greed, identity and family.

A lot of McKillip’s books feel like original fairy tales and are told in a lyrical prose. This is one of the most straight forward and easy to follow out of all her books.

“I don’t know what to do. What must I do? I belong to the sea and it will not let me in, and I cannot bear this land and it will not let me go.”

4 - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

I enjoy the movie (which I once again watched many years before I read this), but I like the book more. The writing style is beautiful and the story, much like McKillip’s books, feels like an original fairy tale. It follows a unicorn that overhears that she is the last of her kind so she goes on an adventure to see if that’s true. She finds some companions along the way and there is an evil guy. On the surface, it’s a traditional fantasy story, but it has some little changes that make it more interesting. Once again, it’s a story about identity (I really like those) and can be a bit melodramatic.

“Take me with you. For laughs, for luck, for the unknown. Take me with you.”  

5 - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This book could be higher if it wasn’t for Mr. Toad. I really didn’t like him or the plot around him, but I love everything else so much that it is still currently in 5th place. The writing in this is really pretty and charming and the animal characters are adorable for the most part. I don’t even tend to like books about anthropormorphic animals, but since this one worked so well for me that I want to try more of those.

This is a story about the lives of four wood creatures. That’s it. It doesn’t seem like much, but I always enjoyed slice of life and scenes where the characters just talk and reveal bits of themselves so this was great. There is a lot of thinking about having a home and if it would be more fullfilling to stay in one place or to go on an adventure.

This book is put in all the cottagecore recommendation lists and for a good reason. It’s really nice and comfortable like a warm blanket (if you forget Mr. Toad exists, that is).

“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”  

6 - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

So, this could be higher if the two books that followed the first one were as good. The first one is still my favourite, but I still enjoyed the other two (especially one particular scene in the last book). The first one was the only book in this trilogy to make me tear up though and books that make me cry usually get on the top of my lists. It’s just the way it is. I don’t think this one needs an introduction. The themes about religion are cool and I love Lyra and her mother.

Once again, I watched the movie first and I didn’t hate it (which seems to be an unpopular opinion). A few years after I decided to try the books because someone reminded me of their existence and they were pretty good. This placement in the top is mostly due to that first one though.

“The idea hovered and shimmered delicately, like a soap bubble, and she dared not even look at it directly in case it burst. But she was familiar with the way of ideas, and she let it shimmer, looking away, thinking about something else.”  

7 - The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

This is probably the book I read the longest time ago on this list, except from the one in 10th place. All I remember about it is that the Velveteen Rabbit wanted so much to be a real rabbit and that it made me cry. I definitely need to reread it, but I remember really really liking it at the time.

“You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”  

8 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I only read the first one and I am unsure if I will ever continue. If I do I will have to reread it. I remember really liking it, but it had heavy religious messages here and there.  The tv show improved upon it. Still, it had a pretty writing style and the characters were really charming. I loved Anne and her adoptive “parents”, Diana and Gilbert. This is also another book that would fit in cottagecore lists. It has a similar atmosphere to The Wind in the Willows.

“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?”  

9 - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I remember the movie more than I remember the book, to be honest. I know that there were differences between the original and the adaptation but I only remember a few things. This was an interesting creepy tale and I liked it a bit more than The Graveyard Book so here it is. I need to reread this one soon.

“Now you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names.”

10 - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I haven’t read this one since primary school. I remember really liking it though and there was a fox in it, which was enough for child me. It had some really cute messages about connecting with others and I remember vaguely that every planet the little prince talked about had his own moral message, but I only remember the greed one. This is another book I want to reread soon.

“In those days, I didn't understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contradictory! But I was too young to know how to love her.”  

#top 10 favourite books #top middle grade books #howl's moving castle #the chronicles of prydain #the last unicorn #the changeling sea #the wind in the willows #the little prince #coraline #anne of green gables #his dark materials #the velveteen rabbit #andi recs

[hoescarer]

dooing a lil get to know me thing for my mutuals and stuff because uh! i dont rlly talk abt myself a lot on here! and i think thats a teeny bit important maybe

☆☆☆

name: Leon!! i also like the names noel, leo, leonii, and link! i obviously go by hoe scarer on here (cuz i scare the hoes) (or hoes carer? i care for the hoes too yk)

pronouns: he/him!!

interests: insects, spiderman: across the spider verse, lomando/fancy island, wendell and wild, pro-wrestling, howls moving castle, toilet bound hanako kun, alien stage, five nights at freddys, adventure time (not fionna and cake!! i havent seen it and kinda dont plan on it), abbott elementary, imaginary (2024)

fav characters: jessica drew (sm:atsv), sister helley (w&w), raul (w&w), chaori (lomando), kuroageha (lomando), leshawna (tdi), calcifer (howls moving castle), till (alien stage), hyuna (alnst), frylock (athf), yuri (ddlc), video girl barbie (barbie 2023), ava coleman (abbott elementary)

kins (characters i heavily relate to): gin ibushi (yttd), miles morales (i/atsv), jessica drew (atsv), harold mcgrady (tdi), howl pendragon (hmc), raul (w&w), hanako (tbhk)

fav ships! (multishipper btw): motorfang/fangbike, spidermoms (jessica drew x rio morales), bookitty/natsuri, raul x kat, ivantill, sister helley x buffalo belzer, mitsukou, hananene, lesharold/leharold, avanine

misc: i draw sometimez. i love music!! (most genres!) i am ava colemans husband and boyfriend and fiancee

additional stuff idk: i have panic disorder and am most likely autistic..? but i dont interact with people a lot on here kinda. at least not enough for that to be relevant?

ok thhats it bai bai leave me alo ne (better edit 3/14/24)

#leo yapping #kins #blorbos #OTPs

[grantofalltrades]

Something from way back that has stuck with me - not wanting to claim credit by any means, just really want to be sure it does not go unremembered, I give you this tale from Scylla of the Straight Dope Message Board circa 2001:

Another Dog Story

I once read a story about an Irish Wolfhound.

These are the largest of all dog breeds, and the reason there are no wolves left in Ireland.

There was a Prince, and he had a wolfhound that he loved.

The dog was named Gledden.

Every morning the Prince would go hunting with the dog.

The Prince felt bad when his wife gave birth and he didn't hunt with Gledden for a whole week tending to his wife and daughter. Gledden didn't seem to mind though.

Finally, the Prince felt that his duties would allow him a morning off, and he took off, eager for the hunt. He was a bit miffed that Gledden seemd nowhere about. He hunted by himself, and after a fruitless morning, returned to his castle.

Upstairs though, he had cause for alarm. The nursery was disheveled. The bassinet was empty, and there was blood everywhere. Fearing the worst, the Prince called loudly for aid.

Hearing the cry Gledden came bounding to his master from the adjoining room. His mouth and chest were covered with blood, as he leaped onto his master with greeting.

Putting two and two together, the Prince concluded his prized dog had become jealous of his son, and killed him to secure his affections. In a murderous rage, he plunges his sword into Gledden's chest.

Gledden's death howl wakes up the Prince's son, and the the Prince hears his son's wail from the adjoining room Gledden had just appeared from.

In that room the Prince finds his son, unhurt, and still wrapped in his swaddling clothes. His son lies next to the corpse of the giant wolf that had pulled him from his bassinet.

It was that wolf's blood that covered Gledden.

The Prince buried Gledden on top of the highest hill, and changed the town's name to Gleddenfeld, meaning

"Gledden's Bed." That is what it is called today.

It is said the Prince never smiled again.

Gelert by Charles Burton Barber (c.1894)

I was intrigued by that legend, and I read up on the dogs.

When we bought this property, I wanted a large and fierce appearing dog.

Everything I'd read about Wolfhounds said they were gentle giants, and I spent $750 for a pup from a breeder. I figured such a large and loyal dog would be excellent around the farm. My wife would be spending a lot of time here alone while I worked, and the presence of such an animal might be a strong persuader to anybody who thought of messing with her.

The pup grew awkwardly. His front legs would grow, but the rest of him would stay the same for a few weeks, and he'd look funny. Then his ears would get left behind, and he'd look funny.

When fully grown, Corwin was 130 pounds. He'd jump up and greet me, and when he did so, he'd place both paws on my shoulder and look down at me.

The Irish Wolfhound- Get to know the Legendary Gentle Giant

When we wrestled he did something I've not known another dog to do. He'd give you a foot sweep. He'd walk up and club you in the lower leg with his big baseball bat of a paw and knock you down. Then he'd slobber you to death.

Sometimes he did look fierce, but then he would move and spoil the illusion. The fact of the matter was that he was obviously a big goof.

He'd run full speed through a field, and suddenly trip. He'd go cartwheeling and sliding fifty yards before coming to a stop, and there'd be a big trail of dust marking his crash. It was like watching a bus wreck.

Little kids loved him, and would actually ride him. He was polite, always friendly, and a good companion. He'd go wherever you went, and love it.

He was a terror inside the house though. He had that hound smell, and he'd render furniture unfit for human use just by being near it. If he sat on the couch, it'd be all dented and covered with coarse white hairs. There'd be a huge trail of drool soaking the side of it and puddled on the floor.

He'd wag his tail and it was like slinging a baseball bat.

Chairs would get knocked over and lamps thrown from tables.

My wife and I worked a deal to preserve the marriage. I built him a home in the barn to sleep in. He could spend evenings in the house, but in the Great room only, so that the damage could be contained.

Corwin, being rather agreeable towards anything, was fine with this.

The other problem was I got no respect. People around here are serious about their dogs, and nobody took big goofy Corwin very seriously. People have Rotweillers, Shepherds, Jack Russells, Retrievers, but I had the only Wolfhound, and there weren't any wolves.

Then, one day, at my nieghbors house, Corwin and my neighbor's Rottweiler hooch were messing around. They were in the back of my neighbor's pickup truck. I called Corwin to go, and he jumped out of the truck.

He didn't quite make it.

Corwin's balls landed on the trailer hitch.

H0000000000wwwwww000000000000! He cried, curled up pitifully.

It cost me two hundred dollars to get his balls treated.

What little respect I had received from my neighbors for Corwin was due to his considerable size. Now he was the laughingstock.

People would ask me how my dog's balls were as a form of greeting, their deadpan delivery giving way to a sly grin.

In spite of his clumsy good-natured klutziness and the ridicule it got me, I loved that dog. When he sighed contededly, it was a titanic emotion. You could lay down on the floor with your head on his chest and hear his mighty heart pulse. When he played with little kids or smaller dogs you beheld an infinite and epic goodwill and kindness, and a careful gentleness.

Later we got another dog, and it was the height of comedy to watch the little puppy "pin" Corwin to the ground.

He had a great soul, and I came to think of him as "Great-Souled Corwin," and admire his humanity (for lack of a better word.)

But, I thought of him as a lovable, but ultimately inept goof. A comic figure.

Corwin though, showed me differently, and we shared a defining moment.

I was walking around the property. Corwin was off galumphing about somewhere ahead.

There's a wild dog problem in this area. People buy a dog, decide they don't like it and set it free in the gamelands a mile away. Every late fall these dogs get hungry, lean, and mean, and they cause trouble with livestock and scare people. I've had five or six encounters in my time here, and I now do what my neighbors do when they encounter one.

They shoot it.

This was my first fall though, and my first encounter. I was unarmed, and merely out for a walk.

It was a Doberman, and it had been shot in the side of the head at some point. It had a big infected wound, and it was pissed off and seemed inclined to take it out on me. I knew better than to run, but this dog had me scared. It would charge forward silently a few paces, stop and back up. It wasn't barking, just growling quietly, and it felt like it was testing me out prior to a serious attack.

I was trying to make my way to a tree when Corwin showed up.

He came bounding over, toungue hanging out of his mouth, tripping over his own feet, and stopped dead when he and the Doberman simultaneously spied each other.

And then the dog I knew was gone. For the first and only time in my knowledge, Corwin became all business.

His goofy ears flattened against his shovel of a skull. His great long neck angled low to the ground, leaving his huge head parallel and a few inches above the dirt. The tounge withdrew into the mouth whose lips curled, revealing teeth and jaws more befitting a T-rex than a dog. The front legs and paws splayed widely and his huge shoulder muscles bunched. His tail whipped slowly from side to side like an angry and venomous snake.

The Doberman growled dangerously.

Corwin did not growl. I swear it. I know a growl. A growl is a threat. This was not a threat. It wasn't even a promise. This was a fact that issued from his throat. It was the eager fact of death both imminent and inevitable. It was the sound of murder.

I had never heard a sound like that before, and it's difficult to describe. It's a sound like an IRS audit, or the last tortured cry of the turbine engine on a jumbo jet before the plane crashes. It's the sound of a bill due and payable when you're already overdrawn.

It literally gave me goose bumps and loose bowels as I stood there. I knew if he had ever made that sound to a human being he would have had to have been destroyed.

Suddenly I understood his epic good nature and careful clumsiness. Equipped as he was, a perfect machine for murder, Corwin could not afford to pose or play it tough. Any overture in that direction would have been overkill.


Later I figured out that he shared something in common with every legitimate badass I’d ever known. He didn’t give a shit about his image. He knew he was deadly, and saw no reason to adertise the fact.

The other dog saw it too, and tried to back off without turning tail. It didn’t work. Corwin slid in low and fast.
His front paw shot out and swept the front legs of the Doberman, knocking it off balance. Then the Corwin’s huge jaws were around the throat of the Doberman. His neck came off the ground, taking the Doberman with it. The muscles clenched and you could hear bones snapping like crunching Broccoli.

All the while the same low yet insistent sound of murder continued.

It ended quickly, but Corwin held on for a long minute, unmoving.

Then he dropped the dog, and turned to me.

The ears popped up in their airheaded way, and he bounded comically over to me

“Duhhhhh, how ya doin?” his look said.

Wolfhounds don’t live long. 10 Years is a rarity. They are too big. Bloat gets them a lot, as does cancer, but most die of a heart attack.

Corwin made it to three years old. One night he seemed tired. He’d jogged with me that day, so that wasn’t unusual. He was mighty but he never had especially good endurance. The next morning he was dead.

I buried him, and planted a Maple. My brother, never a sentimentalist, loved that dog, and drove 4 hours to say goodbye.

I’ll never get another. The heartbreak was too much, and three years is far too short a time to spend in the company of such a magnificent animal.

That dog taught me a lot about manhood. I had just gotten married when I got him. Just bought this farm. I was pretty caught up in my image and felt very self-important at my relative success in business. I was proud, and thought dignity was something you wore like a piece of fine clothing. I thought it was a thing like a museum piece.

I’d like to think I know better now. I’d like to think that manhood and dignity are a compassionate fool who moves like a living Chevy Chase pratfall, that the greatest and stongest of us all, hide as clowns.

And, I hope that I learned enough from that dog that my daughter knows him, though they have never met. I hope that I’m man enough to reflect enough of that animal onto my daughter.

#tw: animal death #cw: animal death #straight dope message board #sdmb #mpsims #Scylla #corwin #irish wolfhound

[harker-jonathan]

7 May. —It is again early morning, but I have rested and enjoyed the last twenty-four hours. I slept till late in the day, and awoke of my own accord. When I had dressed myself I went into the room where we had supped, and found a cold breakfast laid out, with coffee kept hot by the pot being placed on the hearth. There was a card on the table, on which was written—

“I have to be absent for a while. Do not wait for me. D.” I set to and enjoyed a hearty meal. When I had done, I looked for a bell, so that I might let the servants know I had finished, but I could not find one. There are certainly odd deficiencies in the house, considering the extraordinary evidences of wealth which are round me. The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought that it must be of immense value. The curtains and upholstery of the chairs and sofas and the hangings of my bed are of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics, and must have been of fabulous value when they were made, for they are centuries old, though in excellent order. I saw something like them in Hampton Court, but they were worn and frayed and moth-eaten. But still in none of the rooms is there a mirror. There is not even a toilet glass on my table, and I had to get the little shaving glass from my bag before I could either shave or brush my hair. I have not yet seen a servant anywhere, or heard a sound near the castle except the howling of wolves. Some time after I had finished my meal, I do not know whether to call it breakfast of dinner, for it was between five and six o’clock when I had it, I looked about for something to read, for I did not like to go about the castle until I had asked the Count’s permission. There was absolutely nothing in the room, book, newspaper, or even writing materials, so I opened another door in the room and found a sort of library. The door opposite mine I tried, but found locked.

In the library I found, to my great delight, a vast number of English books, whole shelves full of them, and bound volumes of magazines and newspapers. A table in the center was littered with English magazines and newspapers, though none of them were of very recent date. The books were of the most varied kind, history, geography, politics, political economy, botany, geology, law, all relating to England and English life and customs and manners. There were even such books of reference as the London Directory, the “Red” and “Blue” books, Whitaker’s Almanac, the Army and Navy Lists, and it somehow gladdened my heart to see it, the Law List.

Whilst I was looking at the books, the door opened, and the Count entered. He saluted me in a hearty way, and hoped that I had had a good night’s rest. Then he went on.

“I am glad you found your way in here, for I am sure there is much that will interest you. These companions,” and he laid his hand on some of the books, “have been good friends to me, and for some years past, ever since I had the idea of going to London, have given me many, many hours of pleasure. Through them I have come to know your great England, and to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is. But alas! As yet I only know your tongue through books. To you, my friend, I look that I know it to speak.”

“But, Count,” I said, “You know and speak English thoroughly!” He bowed gravely.

“I thank you, my friend, for your all too-flattering estimate, but yet I fear that I am but a little way on the road I would travel. True, I know the grammar and the words, but yet I know not how to speak them.

“Indeed,” I said, “You speak excellently.”

“Not so,” he answered. “Well, I know that, did I move and speak in your London, none there are who would not know me for a stranger. That is not enough for me. Here I am noble. I am a Boyar. The common people know me, and I am master. But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one. Men know him not, and to know not is to care not for. I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he sees me, or pauses in his speaking if he hears my words, `Ha, ha! A stranger!’ I have been so long master that I would be master still, or at least that none other should be master of me. You come to me not alone as agent of my friend Peter Hawkins, of Exeter, to tell me all about my new estate in London. You shall, I trust, rest here with me a while, so that by our talking I may learn the English intonation. And I would that you tell me when I make error, even of the smallest, in my speaking. I am sorry that I had to be away so long today, but you will, I know forgive one who has so many important affairs in hand.” Of course I said all I could about being willing, and asked if I might come into that room when I chose. He answered, “Yes, certainly,” and added.

“You may go anywhere you wish in the castle, except where the doors are locked, where of course you will not wish to go. There is reason that all things are as they are, and did you see with my eyes and know with my knowledge, you would perhaps better understand.” I said I was sure of this, and then he went on.

“We are in Transylvania, and Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things. Nay, from what you have told me of your experiences already, you know something of what strange things there may be.”

This led to much conversation, and as it was evident that he wanted to talk, if only for talking’s sake, I asked him many questions regarding things that had already happened to me or come within my notice. Sometimes he sheered off the subject, or turned the conversation by pretending not to understand, but generally he answered all I asked most frankly. Then as time went on, and I had got somewhat bolder, I asked him of some of the strange things of the preceding night, as for instance, why the coachman went to the places where he had seen the blue flames. He then explained to me that it was commonly believed that on a certain night of the year, last night, in fact, when all evil spirits are supposed to have unchecked sway, a blue flame is seen over any place where treasure has been concealed.

“That treasure has been hidden,” he went on, “in the region through which you came last night, there can be but little doubt. For it was the ground fought over for centuries by the Wallachian, the Saxon, and the Turk. Why, there is hardly a foot of soil in all this region that has not been enriched by the blood of men, patriots or invaders. In the old days there were stirring times, when the Austrian and the Hungarian came up in hordes, and the patriots went out to meet them, men and women, the aged and the children too, and waited their coming on the rocks above the passes, that they might sweep destruction on them with their artificial avalanches. When the invader was triumphant he found but little, for whatever there was had been sheltered in the friendly soil.”

“But how,” said I, “can it have remained so long undiscovered, when there is a sure index to it if men will but take the trouble to look? “The Count smiled, and as his lips ran back over his gums, the long, sharp, canine teeth showed out strangely. He answered.

“Because your peasant is at heart a coward and a fool! Those flames only appear on one night, and on that night no man of this land will, if he can help it, stir without his doors. And, dear sir, even if he did he would not know what to do. Why, even the peasant that you tell me of who marked the place of the flame would not know where to look in daylight even for his own work. Even you would not, I dare be sworn, be able to find these places again?”

“There you are right,” I said. “I know no more than the dead where even to look for them.” Then we drifted into other matters.

“Come,” he said at last, “tell me of London and of the house which you have procured for me.” With an apology for my remissness, I went into my own room to get the papers from my bag. Whilst I was placing them in order I heard a rattling of china and silver in the next room, and as I passed through, noticed that the table had been cleared and the lamp lit, for it was by this time deep into the dark. The lamps were also lit in the study or library, and I found the Count lying on the sofa, reading, of all things in the world, and English Bradshaw’s Guide. When I came in he cleared the books and papers from the table, and with him I went into plans and deeds and figures of all sorts. He was interested in everything, and asked me a myriad questions about the place and its surroundings. He clearly had studied beforehand all he could get on the subject of the neighborhood, for he evidently at the end knew very much more than I did. When I remarked this, he answered.

“Well, but, my friend, is it not needful that I should? When I go there I shall be all alone, and my friend Harker Jonathan, nay, pardon me. I fall into my country’s habit of putting your patronymic first, my friend Jonathan Harker will not be by my side to correct and aid me. He will be in Exeter, miles away, probably working at papers of the law with my other friend, Peter Hawkins. So!”

We went thoroughly into the business of the purchase of the estate at Purfleet. When I had told him the facts and got his signature to the necessary papers, and had written a letter with them ready to post to Mr. Hawkins, he began to ask me how I had come across so suitable a place. I read to him the notes which I had made at the time, and which I inscribe here.

“At Purfleet, on a by-road, I came across just such a place as seemed to be required, and where was displayed a dilapidated notice that the place was for sale. It was surrounded by a high wall, of ancient structure, built of heavy stones, and has not been repaired for a large number of years. The closed gates are of heavy old oak and iron, all eaten with rust.

“The estate is called Carfax, no doubt a corruption of the old Quatre Face, as the house is four sided, agreeing with the cardinal points of the compass. It contains in all some twenty acres, quite surrounded by the solid stone wall above mentioned. There are many trees on it, which make it in places gloomy, and there is a deep, dark-looking pond or small lake, evidently fed by some springs, as the water is clear and flows away in a fair-sized stream. The house is very large and of all periods back, I should say, to mediaeval times, for one part is of stone immensely thick, with only a few windows high up and heavily barred with iron. It looks like part of a keep, and is close to an old chapel or church. I could not enter it, as I had not the key of the door leading to it from the house, but I have taken with my Kodak views of it from various points. The house had been added to, but in a very straggling way, and I can only guess at the amount of ground it covers, which must be very great. There are but few houses close at hand, one being a very large house only recently added to and formed into a private lunatic asylum. It is not, however, visible from the grounds.”

When I had finished, he said, “I am glad that it is old and big. I myself am of an old family, and to live in a new house would kill me. A house cannot be made habitable in a day, and after all, how few days go to make up a century. I rejoice also that there is a chapel of old times. We Transylvanian nobles love not to think that our bones may lie amongst the common dead. I seek not gaiety nor mirth, not the bright voluptuousness of much sunshine and sparkling waters which please the young and gay. I am no longer young, and my heart, through weary years of mourning over the dead, is attuned to mirth. Moreover, the walls of my castle are broken. The shadows are many, and the wind breathes cold through the broken battlements and casements. I love the shade and the shadow, and would be alone with my thoughts when I may.” Somehow his words and his look did not seem to accord, or else it was that his cast of face made his smile look malignant and saturnine.

Presently, with an excuse, he left me, asking me to pull my papers together. He was some little time away, and I began to look at some of the books around me. One was an atlas, which I found opened naturally to England, as if that map had been much used. On looking at it I found in certain places little rings marked, and on examining these I noticed that one was near London on the east side, manifestly where his new estate was situated. The other two were Exeter, and Whitby on the Yorkshire coast.

It was the better part of an hour when the Count returned. “Aha!” he said. “Still at your books? Good! But you must not work always. Come! I am informed that your supper is ready.” He took my arm, and we went into the next room, where I found an excellent supper ready on the table. The Count again excused himself, as he had dined out on his being away from home. But he sat as on the previous night, and chatted whilst I ate. After supper I smoked, as on the last evening, and the Count stayed with me, chatting and asking questions on every conceivable subject, hour after hour. I felt that it was getting very late indeed, but I did not say anything, for I felt under obligation to meet my host’s wishes in every way. I was not sleepy, as the long sleep yesterday had fortified me, but I could not help experiencing that chill which comes over one at the coming of the dawn, which is like, in its way, the turn of the tide. They say that people who are near death die generally at the change to dawn or at the turn of the tide. Anyone who has when tired, and tied as it were to his post, experienced this change in the atmosphere can well believe it. All at once we heard the crow of the cock coming up with preternatural shrillness through the clear morning air.

Count Dracula, jumping to his feet, said, “Why there is the morning again! How remiss I am to let you stay up so long. You must make your conversation regarding my dear new country of England less interesting, so that I may not forget how time flies by us,” and with a courtly bow, he quickly left me.

I went into my room and drew the curtains, but there was little to notice. My window opened into the courtyard, all I could see was the warm grey of quickening sky. So I pulled the curtains again, and have written of this day.

#dracula daily #dracula #My Good Friend the Count

[ravnloft]

hellooooooooooooo i realized i have never done like a full list of my ocs. so here it is

amma theylin: dark elf rogue, chaotic neutral (leans evil), dual-wielding swords and ranged bow, proficient in being sneaky and being hot. tragic backstory is she became infatuated with a guy who was trying really hard to be lawful good and when he dropped the ball on their coup d'état plot she killed him and ran. will do literally anything if it pays well enough. played her in dnd, bg3 and elder scrolls.

lady gwendolyn viridience morrigan, druidess, esq.: half-elf druid, usually chaotic good, majored in botany, minored in ethically questionable usage of charm spells. tends a greenhouse that holds a portal to the feywild, the stewardship of which she was bequeathed by a very powerful archwizard and mentor and good friend, on his deathbed. she never wanted it but the choice was between her and her evil sister/s so the archwizard gave it gwen. now she uses it to (1) be the best damn florist in neverwinter (2) howl's moving castle her way away from bad fantasy tinder dates because she's a hopeless romantic and terrified of commitment. played her in dnd and bg3.

samson o'dare: human/aasimar paladin, true good, big sword and bigger shield, great with animals, has wings like a mourning dove. he worshiped chauntea as a child and then one day lathander appeared to him in the middle of a field and told him it was his holy holy duty to be a paladin of light. samson was like hell yeah i want a sword. and began adventuring. adventuring quickly proved to be far more unpleasant than he had expected and he prays to chauntea every day like "mom i'm scared come pick me up". played him in dnd and bg3.

nol barrow-bound: undead death cleric, ??? (she is extremely impressionable), sickle and staff/half-caster, uses a human skull as an arcane focus and has 1 million holy symbols on her person. used to be a hag's apprentice and then she woke up on the side of the road one day and was just like, "guess i'm an entrepreneur now". gifted alchemist, even more gifted necromancer, makes her living as an herbalist and medium, lowkey cheats on the medium part because she just tells people what they want to hear (or at least what she thinks they want to hear) but she doesn't see it as cheating because she IS contacting the dead she just isn't letting them be RUDE. collects roadkill. also kind of looks like roadkill. one time i thought "haha what if nol and samson were in an adventuring party together" and now they're tragedy-to-romance endgame lovers. played her in dnd and skyrim. she's usually my go-to for dnd oneshots :')

sigg solveig/sigourney gevaudan: human (? she's huge, there's no way she's fully human)/werewolf barbarian, will change her entire ethos if a hot girl says so, sword/axe/hammer so big it is physically impossible for people other than her to wield. tragic backstory is she contracted lycanthropy at a young age and wound up killing her familar. she went into hiding and became a fighter, a laborer, a soldier, whatever put food on her table, but eventually her lycanthropic bloodlust got hard to control and she became a hermit rather than risk killing her loved ones again. she is not smart or wise or especially clever but why would she need to be when she can crush someone's head with one hand. womanizer but her deepest wish is to get married and be a stay-at-home mom baking for her wife every day. played her in pathfinder and skyrim.

princess daisychain frances van pancypants iii: goblin, class variable but generally support/healing, true good. looks like an albino bat. raised by halflings. the sweetest, nicest, tiniest magical girl you will ever meet. completely filled with love. knows one (1) swear word. played her in dnd.

arkhemites "miette" du bäl: tiefling warlock, something evil but might go on a hero's journey idk, worships whatever tentacled space monster is native to the setting. wants to plunge the world into entropy so it can be born anew. she's noble or royal but has like 16 sisters and most of them are older. played her in starfinder.

#piri.txt #behold. my children

[illusioninteractions]

Hey! So, I've done some thinking and I think I've decided I'm okay with taking requests! Though, before I go through my rules, let me introduce myself to those who read this or follow me who don't know who I am!

My author's name is Illusion Interactions, and I started writing fanfictions about 2 years ago, but I've been writing my whole life. I started posting on Wattpad, which went well for my first fanfiction book. My account is still up, and I will continue to post multiple chapter-filled stories there. I am the author of "Shifting Souls" on Wattpad, "Love Never Discussed" on Tumblr, and "A Spark That Grows Into A Flame" which is also on Tumblr. I do plan to keep long stories on Wattpad and One Shots here on Tumblr, so I'm posting on both depending on what you're interested in!

Now, here are my rules for requesting One Shots from me:

-Smut, lemon, etc, I will NOT do. I need more practice in the area before I'm completely comfortable writing such explicit stories, but the moment I am, I will make sure to update this post! I can do Lime, which is just mentioning's, yet not going in depth.

-Characters I don't know won't be written about, so here is everything I've watched/played/read: Genshin Impact, Obey Me, Attack on Titan, Black Butler, Banana Fish, Tokyo Ghoul, Fruits Basket, My Hero Academia, Backflip!!, Haikyuu!!, A Silent Voice, Fire Force, Kakegurui, Hunter x Hunter, Bungo Stray Dogs, Anohana: The Flower We Saw that Day, Charlotte, Horimiya, Komi Can't Communicate, Demon Slayer, Spy x Family, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Ouran High School Host Club, High School Babysitters, Yuri! On Ice, Death Note, K, Kamisama Kiss, Erased, Stars Align, Devilman Crybaby, Howls Moving Castle, The Case Study of Vanitas, Claymore, Your Lie in April, Toilet Bound: Hanako-kun, Violet Evergarden, High Rise Invasion, Cheer Boys!!, A3!, Angels of Death, Skate the Infinity, March Comes in Like a Lion, Joker Game, All Out!!, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Plunderer, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, 5 Centimeters Per Second, A Whisker Away, Flavors of Youth, Mirai, Your Name, Weathering With You, Drifting Home, Bubble, Belle, Akira, A Lull in the Sea, Stranger by the Shore, The Garden of Words, Given, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Digital Circus, Boyfriends, Heartstopper, Our Life: Beginnings and Always.

-I'm totally okay (and love) doing Y/n inserts, but pronouns will be automatically set as Gender Neutral unless spoken of otherwise. If it's between two characters, or more, that's also perfectly fine!

-I can also do music One Shots, so if you're interested in that I can comply.

Hope you guys will enjoy my writing! If anything happens to change any of this, the post WILL be updated!

#writing requests #one shots #requests open #taking requests #anime #video games #reading #author #genshinimpact #attack on titan #helluva boss #digital circus #Heartstopper #our life: beginnings & always

[waddddle]

2024 TBR

It's the last day of December, and I am still stuck in bed with the flu. Twelve days of lying in bed feeling terrible. The only upside of my bed-bound misery is updating my reading spreadsheet. I bought quite a few books in 2023 and haven't had the time to update my spreadsheet. 

Because of this update I realized that i have 33 unread books on my shelf. That is a lot of books. Leaving these books unread on my shelf forever would be a waste of space, so I have set a goal for myself. Read all the unread books on my bookshelf.

There are 52 weeks in a year. If I were to read one book a week, I would reach my reading goal with ease. To motivate me to read these books I am setting one simple rule: no more buying books until the unread books have been read. Basically just a book-buying-ban. 

So here is a full list of all the unread books on my bookshelf.

Yerba Buena - Nina Lacour

One of Us is back - Karen M. McManus

Paper Towns - John Green

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green

All I Know Now - Carrie Hope Fletcher

In The Time We Lost - Carrie Hope Fletcher

Pindakaas en Sushi 2 - Roderick Leeuwenhart

Pindakaas en Sushi 3 - Roderick Leeuwenhart

Heartstopper vol. 5 - Alice Oseman

Solitaire - Alice Oseman

Loveless - Alice Oseman

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburg - Rachel Lippincott

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

Als het Leven Pijn Doet - René Diekstra

Hoop - Roland van der Vorst

Grote Kleine Dingen - Liane Moriarty

Wild - Charyl Strayed

The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkind Reid

Normal People - Sally Rooney

The Queen and I - Sue Townsend

Bi - Julia Shaw

I am Glad My Mom Died -Janette McCurdy

Howl's Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones

Castle In The Air - Dianna Wynne Jones

Here's To Us - Adam Silvera & Becky Albertelli

More Happy Than Not - Adam Silvera

Five Survive - Holly Jackson

You Will Get Through This Night - Daniel Howell

Legends and Latte's - Travis Baldree

#books #tbr list #tbr #to read

[killdeercheer]

Studio Ghibli Reviews: Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Originally the first in a series of novels by Diana Wynne Jones (starting 1986), Howl's Moving Castle is said to have been one of those film ideas that struck Hayao Miyazaki almost spontaneously. He read the novel and was immediately pondering on how the titular castle actually moved; this was not described in the book. Throw in a little bit of his "great deal of rage" about the US-Iraq War and the usual Ghibli messaging about enjoying the one life you have, and thus Howl's Moving Castle was born. And we are all the better for it.

Plot: Set in and around the fictional European-inspired city of Ingary, we meet Sophie Hatter, a young hat-maker who lacks self-esteem. One day, she briefly encounters the infamous wizard Howl Pendragon. This is especially prominent when she's cursed by the Witch of the Waste - who is tracking Howl - to become an elderly woman. To try to break her curse, she manages to find Howl and becomes caught in his ever-growing web of magic and mayhem. Ingary is at war with another nation over a missing prince and Howl is seemingly duty-bound to serve his country, but chooses instead to hide in his castle and live a rather irresponsible life. Now Sophie must not only end her curse but provide the dramatic wizard Howl with something worth fighting for.

- this review will be mainly spoiler-free -

This is my 3rd favorite of the Ghibli films, but I've since learned that Howl's Moving Castle is somewhat divisive among fans of the studio. It is well-loved and highly-regarded, but compared to the rest of Miyazaki's output, it is frequently ranked as one of the lowest. Granted, this is usually not meant to say that the film is bad (I don't think anyone has seriously argued that), but rather that when it comes to the story-structure and pacing, Howl's Moving Castle falls flat in certain respects. The movie supposedly "starts out strong" but then peters out until the very end when things are wrapped up rather suddenly. I will concede that - if I'm looking at this as objectively as possible - I can understand where these sentiments are coming from. However, as this is my personal review, I will say that I don't see this as a problem for me. Ghibli films tend to meander and "lose their plot focus" at points, but that's part of their charm for me. I love these films for their plots, but I also love them for their characters, scenery, world-building, and music. And Howl's Moving Castle is one of the best in these respects.

It's a rather mature film for its subject matter. The main leads, Sophie and Howl, are (at least according to the book, so your mileage may vary) 18 and 26, respectively. They're adults and their concerns are adult as well: running a hatting business and serving under royalty as a soldier when needed. But that's not to say that the film doesn't know how to have fun! On the contrary, once Sophie enters the moving castle and meets Howl and his makeshift family, an air of whimsy enters the picture. And it's between these two extremes of adult-oriented wartime-drama and magical enchantments of childlike wonder that the film juggles quite well.

This is helped by the - once again - gorgeous animation. Much of the film is traditionally animated with a fine eye for detail in everything from the women's dresses to the obligatory flying machines. Howl's castle is, in contrast, primarily computer-generated but not in the way you'd expect where the whole thing is a rendered model. In fact, the castle consists of separated-painted pieces that were translated into CG-polygons which could be moved altogether into one complex structure. It's an... atypical style from what I'm used to, but I think it works very well and matches the overall animation of the film without looking out of place or aging-poorly (as so many animated films over the 90s and 2000s have suffered). I also really enjoy the European-imagery of Ingary's towns and technology: it's all very early-19th Century and yet feels like its own parallel-universe where we figured out flight early and just ran with it.

The cast in this movie is fairly large. Besides our two leads, we get a substantial supporting cast and they are all just wonderful. Markl is Howl's young-assistant, an orphan who utilizes magic to disguise himself so as to help customers without giving away his identity. He's bratty and has a heart-of-gold. Calcifer is a sentient fire demon (well, that's not really true but no spoilers hehe) who's an adorable wise-ass that should be more threatening than he actually is. There's a living but mute scarecrow whose named Turnip Head. He's adorable and sweet and is also not technically a scarecrow but again spoilers ;). I've already mentioned the Witch of the Waste, who is dastardly and voluptuous. She functions as an antagonist who wields powerful magic but also has deep secrets that show us that this wicket side of her is not all she truly is. We also meet Sophie's family (her mother and sister) but while they don't have a lot of screen time, they leave a fair impression. There are other characters but for the sake of keeping the story a surprise for new viewers, I'll leave them be for now.

I find Sophie and Howl to be wonderfully complex characters even within the complex, weaving plot threads. Sophie is as kind as possible to everyone she meets and exerts an air of confidence when it comes to the work she does - whether it be making hats or cleaning up a wizard's messy castle. This is in stark contrast to her lack of confidence regarding her life goals and personal appearance. A running theme throughout the film is Sophie's battle to appreciate her own beauty and skills; this is reflected in the spell that's cast on her by the Witch of the Waste, in which her age gets progressively more old the more she loses her self-worth. But even as a 90-year-old woman, Sophie brings out the best in everyone around her, and remains one of the best positive-representations of the elderly in animation (this is a common occurrence in Ghibli films, much to my delight).

Howl Pendragon... oh goodness me, Howl Pendragon. Where do I even begin? Howl is a mess. He's a powerful wizard who can shape-shift and weave dramatic spells but only uses these powers for himself and his immediate companions. He is lazy, sloppy, and a drama-king. This is exemplified in an infamous scene, where we find Howl fretting and fuming on the verge of despair when his blond-hair is accidentally dyed another color. "I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful." Howl, sweetie, you're beautiful no matter what hair color you have. Okay, focus... focus. What makes Howl such a great character is that, when Sophie is thrown into the mix, she becomes a brilliant foil to the wizard, and we start to see him, slowly, come around to the idea of helping others before himself and finding purpose in life. It's very sweet and something special for an animation studio where the majority of its output places little emphasis on romantic relationships.

... Howl is also extremely sexy and no I will not be taking questions.

As mentioned beforehand, the story does tend to wind around between two plots rather haphazardly. There's the conflict with the war between the two nations, and then there's the journey of Sophie in Howl's castle where she has to try to break the curse, and the two do converge by the last-third of the film. Howl is a wizard who chooses to work for himself, despite taking an oath to fight for his country, and detests the "filthy murderers" from each of the warring nations for their careless bombing of civilians. Right away, Miyazaki's thoughts about the first Iraq War are out on full display, which was something he was vocal about at the time (even choosing not to visit the US for his Oscar award of Spirited Away), and was an element not played up much in the original book. Given how much time has passed since the end of that war and the seemingly irreparable legacy it has left on recent history, I can't help but still find the messaging still relevant today. Unless you're a blind-nationalist, I think it's safe to say that barely anyone looks positively on what happened. Good on Miyazaki.

The English dub is very well-done and features some of my favorite voice-work for an American Ghibli release (which is hard enough to rank, I'm afraid. A lot of care has been put into these dubs). Emily Mortimer and the late Jean Simmons (no not that one) play Sophie as a young and old woman, respectively. Mortimer's soft-spoken voice perfectly matches the character's personality, while Simmons gives the elderly-version a charm and wit that retains the youthful spirit of the young Sophie. Christian Bale voices Howl and oof my word it is so deep and mysterious and sexy and I need to stop before I go overboard. Fresh-off the production of Monster's Inc., we have Billy "put that thing back where it came from or so help me" Crystal as Calcifer who is just so wonderful and hilarious and really provides some great comic relief. A young Josh Hutcherson is Markl who is appropriately bratty without over-doing it. What is it with Ghibli films and doing child-voiceovers so well?? The Witch of the Waste is given a brilliant and flair performance by the late Lauren Bacall who was apparently one of the most beloved of 20th Century film actors. Great for her! Thanks to her role in the film, I cannot help but always say "A chair! It's mine!" in her husky voice whenever I need to sit down.

Before I close out, I need to say a little something about the music. Once again, Joe Hisaishi brings to the table a setting-and-theme-appropriate score to Howl's Moving Castle. "The Merry-Go-Round of Life" is fittingly whimsical and immediately places you into the world of the film. We also get a stirring end credits song "The Promise of the World" performed by Youmi Kimura that is so sweet and never fails to choke me up a bit.

Howl's Moving Castle is one of those films that I will never tire of watching. If for some reason its showing somewhere, I will without hesitation sit down and enjoy it all over again. I adore the cast, I adore the setting, and I adore the craziness of the plot. Alongside Princess Mononoke (and a few others), it is one of the more adult-oriented of Ghibli films, but I don't believe this should detract younger viewers from enjoying or gaining something from it too. The messages about the folly of war, learning to help others, and gaining self-courage despite the tricks of your brain are valuable ones to learn. What better way to do it than aboard a magic, moving castle?!

#Studio Ghibli Reviews #Howl's Moving Castle

[saint--claire]

Tagged by @blackidyll - thank you! (◕‿◕✿)*:･ﾟ✧ I had fun with this, this was a good one.

10 Films I Love: (not in order, because jesus, I can’t pick that)

1. The Little Mermaid.  Little me was obsessed with it, adult me still loves it, and all versions of me can still sing it (badly). 

2. Top Gun Maverick - MY BELOVEDS.  Something that (for me) the sequel was even better than the original.  TGM was such a brilliant sandpit to fic writers that I got back from my 2.5yr year writing slump, and got to get back the joy of that as a hobby.  Watched the ending in awe, having completely lost track of time in the cinema and with no idea about whether they were going to kill of Tom Cruise in a blaze of glory.  (For the record I am glad they did not).

3. Now You See Me - the ending to this day delights me.  I caught the movie by accident right at the start cooking dinner at uni one night, with the movie on the communal TV. 

4. The Old Guard - undying found family.  Beautiful dynamics between everybody.  Sweet romance.  Insane anti-hero who you know is going to stir some shit up.  Very hot woman swinging deadly weapons around.  Also love that.

5. Howl’s Moving Castle - Restful.  Old Sophie has the attitude on life that I want.  This movie is calm-down-and-drop-off-to-sleep - everything’s safe watching.

6. Glass Onion - A Knives Out Movie.  Just delightful.  The main thing I enjoy about this movie (apart from all of it) is how very obviously each actor is having the time of their lives.  They all look like they are having fun.  I also suck at murder mysteries and the endings are complete surprises to me every time, which is great fun.

7. Fast & Furious - I saw the trailer for FX yesterday and I am WILDLY excited.  It looks absolutely batshit insane and I nearly cried when Paul Walker came on. Another movie where the actors are all having the time of their lives.  Fast cars go zoom, cool stunts, great actors, a movie that understands exactly how far outside the bounds of reality and physics it is and still doesn’t give a shit.  Inspirational.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean - Boats!  Swords!  More cool stunts and pretty people!  Everything about the series.  I was about to say my favourite was the third, but then I remember the fountain of youth and curse of the black pearl and couldn’t commit.  Still absolutely obsessed with the King of the Brethren Court, and her hat.

9. Skyfall - I’m with blackidyll here, this was the best.  We were given so much - Q, James & Q, everything that happened with Skyfall manor, and James and M.  I will say Eva Green as Vespa remains my second favourite Bond Girl, as the first, clearly, is Q.

10. The Martian - Maybe I was lying when I said I couldn’t pick a favourite movie.  I adore this movie.  I watched it for the first time with my Dad, not having read the book, and then twenty minutes after it finished I found and read the book and loved that even more.  The love, emotions, desperation, and humanity gets me every time.  “Houston, 6 crew safely aboard”.

I am going to tag @milestaller @luddycris @glitterisblue - if you have the time and spoons xx.  Anyone else following me - also feel free to complete!

#saintclaire speaks #shout out to Malificent which nearly ended up on the list because I can't count #for aesthetic reasons #I would like to do a netflix party with people #we can do a rewatch #bonding via carrier pigeon

[eden-falls]

Thank you for answering my ask....if you don't mind me asking (again), who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

hi again!!!! ive never answered any questions before yours!!!!!!! i'll write about 10 ships like my character post. spoilers for each series will probably be present

some runner-ups:

• yuu and touko (bloom into you)

• yatoyota (blue period)

• sangcheng (mdzs)

• galolio (promare)

• renga (sk8 the infinity)

• sherliam (moriarty the patriot)

• reisuka (evangelion)

• akanene (toilet-bound hanako-kun)

• neirika (wonder egg priority)

• diakko (little witch academia)

• nezushi (no. 6)

10. shinomitsu (seraph of the end)

they have more chemistry than yuu with either of them. their antics are so silly i really love them so much!!

9. leon and count d (petshop of horrors)

(there's better pics of them but i like this one)

GODDDD THEY MAKE ME SO MAD. d. YOURE IN LOVE WITH HIM YOU DUMBASS. stop running away from your love you look stupid. all hopes for a reunion are gone at this point but they'll always be precious.

8. howl and sophie (howl's moving castle)

they're not cishet if they're both nonbinary lesbians. boom no straights on this list!

7. victuuri (yuri on ice)

i mean theyre on everyone's list. epitome of pure love. THEY GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. madohomu (madoka magica)

homura's eternal devotion to saving madoka no matter how many times she has to redo is a pure testament of her love for her. its so endearing and sad that she loves her so much but she can never save her.

5. kaebedo (genshin impact)

(edit above by me lol)

my favourite ship in genshin!! the possibilities for these two are endless even going off the tiny amount of information we have about their relationship. klee mentioning that albedo paints kaeya (enough for it to be noticeable for her) drives me CRAZY. i think there's a lot of potential for them in the story at the end!!!

4. vanoe (the case study of vanitas)

GGRGRGRHRHRRRRERR they make me. aaaaa. i want to put them in my mouth and shake them. their chemistry is INSANE. it breaks my heart knowing how their story will probably end but for now awwww cottagecore husbands <3

3. soukoku (bungou stray dogs)

i've been obsessed with them for 2 years. its out of my hands now! they would be in the number 1 spot if not for... gosh can u guess...

1. suouni (children of the whales)

listen. i will die on this hill. nobody else agrees with me but. they're just my absolute faves. they make me so happy!?????? everything about them sends me into the stratosphere. the issue of the sasa keeps me up at night. only suou can truly save ouni (ignores other parts of canon). theyre soulmates and meant to be thank u for coming to my ted talk.

#shinoa #mitsuba #owari no seraph #seraph of the end #pet shop of horrors #howl's moving castle #victuuri #yuri on ice #mahou shoujo madoka magica #madoka magica #genshin impact #kaebedo #kaeya #albedo #vanoe #vanitas #noe #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #soukoku #skk #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd #children of the whales #cotw #kujira no kora wa sajou ni utau #kujira no kora #suou #ouni

[cookiesandbiscuits]

About the Baker: Additional Information

Hi, it's me, your resident baker girl! This post are for those who want to interact with me/want to be moots and wish to know what my interests are!

And so, here we are!

BASIC PERSONAL INFO:

Name: Cookie or Cass (pick whichever you're comfortable with)

Age: 18

Pronouns: She/Her

Likes: chilly weather, books, sweets, sea, music, starry skies, DUCKS!, cats, foxes, forests, hot anime guys/fictional characters

Dislikes: COCKROACHES, garlic, hot weather, annoying noises

INTERESTS:

1. Anime:

- Yumeiro Patisserie

- Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

- Kamisama Kiss

- Cardcaptor Sakura

- Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

- Gugure! Kokkuri-san

- Hell Girl

- Studio Ghibli movies

2. Manga:

- Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

- Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

- Ouran High School Host Club

- Kamisama Kiss

- Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

3. Mobile Games:

- Obey Me!

- Ikemen Vampire

- Twisted Wonderland

- Cats Are Liquid

4. Webtoon (there's a LOT ^^;)

- I'm the Grim Reaper

- Siren's Lament

- Eaternal Nocturnal

- Regina Rena: To The Unforgiven

- Lore Olympus

- I'm the Queen in This Life

- The Remarried Empress

- Surviving Romance

- See You in My 19th Life

- Omniscient Reader

- The Guy Upstairs

5. K-drama/Shows:

- Goblin

- Hotel del Luna

- I'm Not a Robot

- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

- The Lost Recipe

- Maria Clara at Ibarra

6. Cartoons

- Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

- Star Vs. The Forces of Evil

- The Owl House

- Amphibia

- Gravity Falls

- Steven Universe

7. Movie Genres:

- Horror/Thriller

- Adventure/Fantasy

- Romance

- Comedy

- Mystery

8. Science, esp. Astronomy, Geology, Biology, Paleontology

9. History!!

10. Arts & Crafts, and Interior Design

FAVORITE CHARACTERS <3333 (not in specific order)

Lucifer (Obey Me!) - Luci!! The love of my life, my starlight, the apple of my eye... My No. 1 husbando (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Ikemen Vampire) - Mo-Mo!! My lovely prickly pear!! Comes VERY close to Luci when it comes to my levels of simping

Solomon (Obey Me!) - funky magic man!! A guy I would probably have a crush on irl #1

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland) - My tackle hug buddy!! We're a chaos-incarnate when combined >:3

Azul Ashengrotto (Twisted Wonderland) - A guy I would probably have a crush on irl #2

Riddle Rosehearts (Twisted Wonderland) - The character who made me interested in TWST. Also a guy who I'd probably have a love-hate relationship with irl.

Teru Minamoto (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun) - I would defend this guy from his haters!

Tsuchigomori (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun) - He's nice :D

Yako (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun) - A QUEEN! Also very goofy

Joker (Kaitou Joker) - First anime crush but would annoy the hell out of me irl. My darling toebeans.

Howl Jenkins Pendragon (Howl's Moving Castle) - a crushable handsome wizard in the movie, a goofy magic man in the book

Rena Rubel (Regina Rena: To The Unforgiven) - ANOTHER QUEEN!! My TWST Yuusona Elyssabeth Alcyone is based on her

Kalego Naberius (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) - My secret manga husbando (have you seen him in the manga?? He's hot >///<)

Tomoe (Kamisama Kiss) - I can't believe I forgot to add him here. Malewife material fr.

Arthur Conan Doyle (Ikemen Vampire) - 🥹😘❤️❤️❤️ He's so... he's so... ❤️❤️❤️ I love him so much AAAAAAA!!! Also someone who's VERY close to Luci when it comes to the amount of simping I did over him. Very stinky at first but he'll grow on you. A very very sweet (and traumatized) guy. I would love to marry and take care of him.

Dazai Osamu (Bungo Stray Dogs) - Scared the hell out of me the first time I saw him from Auburn's post. A silly, goofy, and unhinged guy.

#personal!! #a cookie lore?!?! #self introduction

[askjtetch]

Hello there dear Hatter! i hope you are having a good day!

do you perhaps know about "Howl's Moving Castle"? i thought it could be a story of your liking! I really loved the animation movie, and now i'm wishing into geting my hands on the book

I wish you well!

I know of it, yes!

I’m afraid that I haven’t read the book by Diana Wynne Jones, nor have I watched the movie, but I would very much like to. From what I’ve seen it looks just wonderful, and anything from Studio Ghibli is bound to be a treat.

I wish you well also my dear!

#askjtetch #the mad hatter #jervis tetch #dc #howls moving castle #studio ghibli #diana wynne jones #ask blog

[hexsrealityarchived]

TAG  PEOPLE  YOU  WANT  TO  GET  TO  KNOW  BETTER .       repost  don’t. reblog .

FAVE  COLOUR(S) :      black, red, grey, purple, pink, mustard yellow, orange 

  FLAVOUR(S) :     spicy, sour, and sweet 

FAVE  GENRES :     horror, fantasy 

FAVE  MUSIC :   I love heavy metal, industrial metal, goth rock, some black metal, punk rock,

FAVE  MOVIES :    The Craft, The VVitch, The Love Witch, Scream, Mean Girls, Demon Slayer Mugen Train, The Crow, Crimson Peak, Practical Magic, The Shape of Water, Labyrinth, Coraline, Akira , Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Perfect Blue , Silence of the Lambs, 13 Ghosts

FAVE  SERIES :    Fruits Basket, Spy x Family, Ergo Proxy, Demon Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jujutsu Kaisen, Nana, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun, Sailor Moon, House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones

LAST  SONG :      Pet Sematary by The Ramones

LAST  MOVIE :     I don’t remember too well, but I think it was Big Trouble in Little China 

CURRENTLY  READING :   The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, Tomie by Junji Ito

CURRENTLY  WORKING  ON :   Study guides, Essays for final exams, my drafts, my asks, responses I owe

tagged by:  @pistoiet (Thank you!!)

tagging: @fasciinating , @firefated , @hiredassault , @bothsidesofaquestion , @untamedtempest , @rgerz , @jensationals , @timewound , @breaksmen​ and you!

#଼⠀ ݁⠀✴︎〝𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 ¦ games.