#this is where my classics major would have been helpful if I was actually done with it

[abucketofweird]

I don’t have the time to write it all out or to do the research but I would love to see some analysis of polin compared to the myth of Euros and Psyche that was referenced in episode 4 of season 3!

I just don’t know the myth well enough which means I would have to do a lot more research to fully grasp the nuance that I believe exists within this frame of reference!

[shironekil]

My love for Tokyo Ghoul.

I cannot express how much I love Tokyo Ghoul.

I finished my first reread last Saturday, and I’ve been experiencing classic TG brainrot. There has been so much going through my mind related to TG and I wanted to put it all down, somewhere, anywhere. I thought jotting it down into a tumblr post might be nice. I haven’t ever done this before, and I often find it hard to put all of my thoughts and feelings into words. Honestly, I didn’t expect everything to hit as hard as it did compared to when I first read TG. Considering I already knew the major reveals and plot points, I didn’t think they would make me feel the same way they did on my first experience, but I was very wrong. From start to finish, I loved every bit of it, probably even more than I did on my first read. Remembering the main aspects of the story and the different arcs and plot points actually gave me the chance to focus on and appreciate everything about TG so much more. Be it the characters or the art or the themes and symbolism. Also, I definitely think reading it at a slower pace helped, considering I bingeread it the first time. Without a doubt, Tokyo Ghoul is my favourite piece of fiction ever.

Tokyo Ghoul had everything I could ask for. The aspect of TG that I treasure most is the cast. It has a wonderful, wonderful group of characters. I can’t emphasize how much I love the TG cast. I probably have a special spot for almost every single one, at least among the significant characters. Be it Hinami, Tsukiyama, Hide, Eto, Juzo, Urie, Amon, Saiko, Akira, Nishiki, Takizawa, Renji, Ayato, Arima.. Ishida just presented them in a way where I could do nothing but be heavily invested in them. I can’t really think of any other manga that made me love the characters this much. Granted that stories like One Piece, HxH, JJK, and Jigokuraku each have an amazing cast with characters I love, I just feel different about the characters in Tokyo Ghoul. It might be because of the deep level of empathy I developed for each one of the characters? Maybe I could better relate to or understand what they went through? I personally think Tokyo Ghoul combined fiction with reality so well. When I say fiction, I mean in the sense of fantasy. When I read manga like One Piece, I feel immersed in the world and it takes me out of reality when I’m reading. Even for manga in real world settings, such as JJK, I get so caught up in the outwordly story that I don’t really have a grapse on reality. What I’m trying to say is that with TG, I really felt that many things depicted in the story were directly applicable to the real world we live in. It gave us a two-sided story where we constantly had a perspective of the Investigator and Ghoul world, and how their actions impact everything. It felt like this could be something happening in real life. In fact, many things shown in the manga are happening in real life but in the context of only humans. I’ll probably elaborate on that further after I finish talking about the characters or on another post. What I noticed is that I grew so much more fond of some characters I grew during this reread, who I didn’t really care much about before. Ui, Hanbeh, Hirako, Naki, Hairu, Hsiao.. I could go on. One of Ishida’s many strengths is his character writing and development. Kaneki is on a special tier of his own, to the point where I would say he is the best written character in manga. It might be a stretch for some, but the complexity and depth of Ken Kaneki is just something I haven’t gotten over since I first read TG. Aside from our MC, the way Ishida developed our side cast was amazing. Notably, I felt the strongest character arcs (aside from Touken) over the course of two parts were Arima, Eto, Suzuya, Amon, Shuu, Hinami, and Yomo. In relation to :re, Urie and Mutsuki probably had my favourite character arcs. Every character got a share of magic. On the reread, I got to appreciate certain characters a lot more.

The concept of investigators coming from the Hakubi Garden piqued my interest in Hairu, Hsiao, and Squad 0. I barely noticed them when I first read TG. When Hairu debuted, I had no clue she would be such a menace with her quinque. My first impression was that she was a cute and mysterious airhead. When she faced Matsumae and the others for the first time, I was blown away by her skills. Arima was very different, as he was built up constantly throughout the entire story. Kishou was literally named the “Reaper”, I don’t know what else you could to build that lethal, frightening aura he had. When I saw Hairu battle with such ease, I was instantly a fan. In an exagerrative sense, it felt like we were somewhat seeing a female version of Arima. That is where I really understood how special these Hakubi Garden children were. My appreciation for Squad 0 jumped up from then on. Hirako, similarly to Ui, had my attention from the 20th ward anteiku battle, and I really liked the bigger role he had to play in :re. Hsiao was the “new” quinx that immediately grabbed my attention. I loved her character design and reading that she came from the Garden meant I was going to read in joy whenever she was action. Hairu and Hsiao gave me some of my fav moments during the Rosé and Dragon arcs.

Ayato is someone I absolutely love after the reread. The way he matured reminds me a lot of Urie, although each of them did so differently. When we first met Ayato pre time skip, I couldn’t think of him as anything but an annoying rat. He wasn’t nice, he was aggresive, and I can’t really blame him because he was just one of many victims of the cruel world. I immediately caught onto how much Ayato had grown by TG :re. The panel where he tells the Torso, in calm and reasonable fashion, that him and his gang are nicer than the other Aogiri ghouls. I instantly remembered how he told Kaneki the same exact thing while he was repeatedly kicking him. The contrast in how Ayato acted in these two situations made it clear that Ayato had changed, from someone filled with rage and violence to someone composed and rational. Renji did say, during his fight with Arima, that the Kirishima siblings were like their mother - out of control. Touka undergoes a similar transition. I understood that both of them had let go of the past, which previously filled their hearts with hatred and anger. All his future actions and mannerisms displayed further showed us that Ayato has really grown up. I definitely think that Hinami played a key part in helping Ayato change. When Ayato first met Hinami, he still seemed somewhat unapproachable, like he was when he dealt with Kaneki. When Ayato got angry at her and Hinami laughed, it was probably the start of a new path for Ayato. Similarly to Touka, I felt that he was dealing with the despair of being alone in a cruel world. Parents gone, sister not there. Ayato dealt with it different to how Touka did, but they both felt alone and angry. Hinami gave Ayato the opportunity to feel that warmth he was missing - to fill that void in his heart, similarly to how Kaneki did with Touka. I could talk a lot more about Ayato. “Keep going Kaneki” will always give me goosebumps. He had accepted Kaneki, not only as his King, but as his brother in law.

I was dragged into getting all sympathetic and attached to Naki. He might be “bros” with that psychopath Jason, but I just couldn’t shake off how I felt about him. The loyalty he showed was second to none. Whether it was that panel of him mumbling his comrades names or when he protected Miza or when he pledged loyalty to the One Eyed King, on top of the fact hes a goofball, I couldn’t help but like the guy. I won’t forget how he improved his vocab through reading because Ken advised his people to do so.

The Quinxes shined ever so brightly, which I expected as I only had good memories of them from the first time I read TG :re. Every single Quinx left a lasting impression on me. All for different reasons. I could talk constantly about each Quinx. Kuki Urie, who had one of the best character arcs I’ve ever seen in animanga, will always be a hero for me. I cannot get over how he turned from an egotistical and self centered dog to a considerate and thoughtful leader. What I really loved about Urie is that his character development was extremely visible. You noticed it in the story and you would notice how you changed from “I hate this dude” to “I love him!”. So much about him had changed, which was conveyed through even the smallest details. I noticed how little he would smile before losing Shirazu, and how much more he smiled when he became Qs leader. That moment where Urie just smiles at the sight of Saiko crying tears of joy after finding out Maman is still alive is so heartwarming. Saiko is the most precious character in TG. I could not get enough of how adorable she was. When she saved Urie after framing out, when she saved Mutsuki on the dragon, when she was hugging Maman when he was still in a coma, or when she was holding Touka’s hand as they waited for Ken to return. On top of giving us heartfelt moments, she was incredible with her kagune and I’m so glad she was the Quinx who had the ability of using her kagune so freely, I felt it really suited her character. Toru Mutsuki probably has one of the creepiest character arcs I’ve ever seen. Normally, I don’t get too affected by fictitious violence, in the sense that I don’t let it lurk in my mind later, but I just could not get over Mutsuki and her story. Chapter 79. No exagerration, Chapter 79 is one of the most sickening and provoking chapters I’ve ever read. Pre Rushima, I loved Mustuki. She reminded me so much of Kaneki before he had met Jason and tragedy occured. The parallels between Mutsuki and Kaneki were very clear throughout the story, even during Rushima and especially during Chapter 79. I could say so much about what that chapter meant and how it made me feel. Kaneki was an example of someone who was able to overcome his demons, whereas Mutsuki was an example of someone who couldn’t. She went onto an absolutely hopeless path as some sort of psychopath which was really painful to see. I could talk endlessly about Mutsuki. As a character, I love her as much as many of my favs. Urie and Mutsuki are perfect examples of side characters that just stick to your mind. I hadn’t read TG in two years, but whenever someone talks about well-written side characters, they spring to mind.

Furuta was an unbelievable antagonist. Ishida managed to create the TG version of the Joker. Nimura managed to be evil and heartless while running a troll gimmick. I couldn’t help but laugh at his trolling, even in the most serious situations. In addition to the Joker, he reminded me of Aizen. The fact that he has basically planned everything that has happened in the plot, from the moment he dropped the steel beams to the moment Ken eats all of the Oggai, was just so Aizen-esque. As bad as Furuta was, his backstory still broke my heart. The despair he felt stemmed from the world he had to live in and he decided to destroy it all.

I just have to leave a special mention in this post for Tsukiyama and Hinami. I adore both of them, especially with how :re went on and concluded.

Kaneki and Touka have a special place in my heart forever. I absolutely adore them and I love them so much. My favourite characters in all of fiction. I can write pages of what I feel and think about them. My sweet eyepatch and darling rabbit. Ishida gave them royalty treatment in every way possible. Everytime they were together in a panel, my heart just filled up with joy.

TG art is unrivaled. I haven’t and I doubt I will ever come across anything with art like this. It just isn’t something you can replicate or imitate. Every drawing manages to convey different feelings and ideas.. I never truly understood the beauty of art until I read Tokyo Ghoul. It isn’t just a drawing or depiction of a certain scenario. It bursts out at you with emotion. There are obviously other manga which have got amazing art. Berserk and Vagabond come to mind. I just feel TG art contains so many thought and emotion provoking layers to it while simultaneously being aesthetically pleasing. The art is obviously one of the main appeals of TG. You could pull almost any panel and I guarantee it would look amazing. A panel may provoke fear, sadness, despair, joy, amazement, or a bundle of different emotions in you when looking at it. Chapter 145 is a perfect example. An entire chapter with no speech at all. An entire chapter of nothing but beautiful spreads and panels depicting the destructive and chaotic nature of the dragon. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

What I really love about Tokyo Ghoul and what I believe attracts me to it the most are the themes and ideas that Ishida is constantly trying to convey, and how so many of them are directly applicable to the real world. Tokyo Ghoul gave me so many life lessons on so many different things. Whether it was related to loneliness, relationships, discrimination, inner peace, normalcy in life, the purpose of life and moving forward. It all comes to mind when reading TG. Each theme or idea is obviously interconneted with the others, and I really feel that they’re directly applicable to the world we live in. We obviously don’t have to deal with ghouls, but many of the struggles and conflicts that our beloved characters faced reminded me of the things we face in our everyday lives. I could relate to some of the things that they showed in the manga in relation to these ideas. “This world is wrong.” I haven’t come across any line in anime or manga that stuck with me like this did, until I read :re. “The world isn’t wrong. It just is.” The way grey morality was depicted in TG in relation to what is right or wrong is an issue I feel strongly exists in our world, especially in today’s day and age. This is probably because the setting and events in Tokyo Ghoul remind me so much of the things happening in our world. TG just had the perfect mix of fiction and reality. I was immersed in a different world that was filled with ghouls and humans while somewhat keeping me linked to reality. I don’t really know how to put it into words. If I had to explain it, I guess it kept me fully engaged in this fictional setting where ghouls existed, where I would just constantly think about and get anxious, sad, or excited over the characters. At the same time, the events and dialogue taking place in the story constantly made me go back and think about the real world and how it relates or applies to reality. I was absorbed by this fictitious world while always thinking about how it relates to our world.

I just have to mention how special the writing and storytelling in TG is. I noticed such things individually and got to do my research on them, in addition to discovering other aspects to his writing and drawings from reddit. In Tokyo Ghoul, it was clear from the start that every single panel, drawing and piece of dialogue served a purpose. There was always some sort of significance to whatever Ishida was showing us. A panel could include either subtle details in his art, such as the constant tarot card hints or the habits the characters had like Kaneki touching his chin or Mutsuki clenching her arm. A panel could directly imply something, such as making a literature reference. This added more depth in relation to the story, the characters and what Ishida wanted to convey through various methods of symbolism. Reading about the context of the tarot cards, literature references and metaphors made the story much more interesting. It helped us understand the TG characters on a deeper level in terms of what themes they symbolize and what role in the story they represent.

I feel like I’ve written a good share on Tokyo Ghoul for now. I understand that much of what I said might seem all over the place, but I just wanted to speak from the heart. I have so much more to speak on, which I will probably do in other posts. I guess my final words on this have to be:

I LOVE TOKYO GHOUL!

[terrence-silver]

We know that TIG can sing, and so can some of his characters. If pressed to sing, which songs would TIG characters choose?

---

― Twig, growing up as a rich boy with, if we read between the lines, draconic parentage with possibly high standards and rather perfectionistic attitudes in education, the only things a young Terry would sing is some kind of classic tune instructed by an onslaught of private tutors hired by his parents for the explicit purpose of training their son's voice or the Zemirot sang around the table during Shabbat, Jewish kid that he was. That's it for you. The first vestige of actual freedom and individual expression, came, perhaps, ironically, in the military, in the early 1960's, surrounded by soldiers from all classes and walks of life, everyone with their own flavor of music, songs and tunes of the decade and my god, if the high of that didn't hit a young Terry quick and hard to the degree it re-wired his brain chemistry, I don't know what else to tell you. Self-control and liberty gained, Twig, would, given the chance, sing or hum anything just because and he was pretty damn good at it too. Suppose when it was just him, John Kreese and Ponytail in the bunk all by themselves, a young Twig might merrily sing something while they conducted their chores together; moments of calm before the storm.

― Terry Silver in the 80's gives a mocking and taunting edge to everything he does because he's tough, he's powerful and he's at the top of his game and he's fairly shameless and despicable when he wants to be which means, around this era in his life man could do anything from busting into an operetta with expert proficiency, because if he does something it will be done perfectly or sing into a mic like he was born to sing into a mic, but will do neither seriously because there's veiled cynicism and an ulterior motive behind it. He's always laughing behind the eyes and yes, you're the joke. Imagine him singing We are The World during the height of a famine in Africa (Ethiopia 1983-85) he might've contributed to by having a major factor in the continent's pollution through Dynatox and trying very hard to seem very heartfelt and genuinely empathetic as he does it for a non-profit organization meant to help the poor (Look! He's helping!) or in equal measure, being at a black tie event fundraiser and singing some tune for (reads smear on hand) ah, yes, children in need. Either ways, the audience esthetically clapped and Mr. Silver gleefully ate up the praise being the center of attention like the big, smug snake he is.

― Old man Terry, if prompted to sing, simply wouldn't. He's past the point of singing, regardless of the fact he's a fierce, deep voice that's more than educated for it. Sure, there must've been a garden party or two where some rumbunctious guest must've prompted Mr. Silver charm all those gathered with a song or a tune on the piano but Terry might've responded with an equally charmed smile and had the obnoxious guest singing for him instead (as a very concealed punishment and veiled hazing ritual hidden beneath layers and layers of relaxed politeness) --- yes, who's to tell Emile, for example, didn't end up entertaining the whole party because Terry turned the tables around on him? Or god knows what sort of various humiliations he put Stingray through purely because he could and because it's awfully easy to imagine him saying 'Sing, Raymond.' as he pours himself a glass of Cognac, eases himself into the nearest armchair and has the buffoon shakily sing, for quite literally, his life. Nothing's for free, right? But, see, that's the point: Terry's convinced he's the earned the right sit back and be the overlord. Not that he ever doubted it. He's Grandmaster. He's Sensei. He's Sir. He's Mr. Silver. He's the Dragon. The dragon doesn't sing. The dragon rules. If he sings and plays it's because he wants to, mostly for himself.

---

― Terry McCain undoubtedly sings something Irish, to nobody's colossal surprise because everyone who even vaguely knows the man knows for a fact that this is his go-to choice of music each and every time; some folk tune from the old country passed down through many generations, until the person it originated from is long since forgotten in his family and all that remains is a memory of a memory and Terry's rendition of it, that is, for all intents and purposes, spectacularly good and catchy, especially when he follows up his own song with a tune he plays on a piano --- a thing culturally near and dear to him, and it's surprising with what gusto, passion and emotional charge he does it with, the same way, Catholic boy, born and raised that he is, it is not entirely shocking to find him being very apt and capable of delivering a church melody that could bring a parish choir member to absolute shame and in times like these it is abundantly clear that The Detective is awesomely multi-talented, and that if it wasn't for his career in law enforcement, one in music would've suited him just as well, if not better.

― Cash cannot be persuaded to sing because he doesn't care about the pursuit, finds it a waste of his time and quite frankly, he'd be most likely to glare if it's ever suggested to him --- the most he's willing to do is absent mindedly and very quietly hum some real or imaginary tune while he's waiting in ambush, tapping his gloved finger on the steering wheel, car parked a couple of blocks down as he carefully scopes out a target and patiently lays in wait for his cue, sipping on a cup of black instant coffee --- and even that only if his wait proves to be very, very long. His life is one of excess tension and it's quite literally no song (pun intended) nor is there any time for it and when there is, there's little place for yearning left. In fact, the man undoubtedly doesn't remember when was the last time he genuinely had time or the desire to switch on the radio and deliberately sit down and just listen to music for its own sake. But, if this man ever stalked someone? He's never likely to forget the music he's heard them listening to when they thought they're all alone. Undoubtedly, they're the very tunes he later absentmindedly hums.

― Gus Travis likes his sea shanties because his dream was quite simply put to buy a boat one day and sail out there, live off of the great, wide blue, but it's an ambition that never really came into fruition in the fullest sense, bogged down by the career criminal in's and out's of his dalliances on the wrong side of the law. It is what it is. Nevertheless, he enjoys the notion of a life at sea and everything involved in it, including the associated tunes, songs and music, not that he sings with any positive notion behind it, a full heart and joy either, more like, if Gus ever sang, he'd sing it almost mockingly, yo ho ho, while dangling a live victim upside down over a shark tank, mocking both the poor, unfortunate soul he's about to feed to the fishes down below and mocking himself, in a way, perhaps without even realizing it or wanting to admit that that's precisely what he's doing, because this is what his life has come to and everything he's ever wanted has been slipping further and further away from his fingers with each passing year or has, for the lack of a better word, gone to shit.

― Jan Valek is a medieval Bohemian clergyman, so, utilizing some form of logic, if he ever sang, it could be some old lullaby in Czech that lingers on the very edge of memory, sang to him by who knows who and who knows when, perhaps a mother, a kindly family member, someone from where he used to live when he was human and very young at that, long before he took his vows, or he'd sing some religious hymn in Latin in a voice that could freeze over the full moon with it's haunting beauty; a remnant of a bygone time when he was mortal and dedicated to the service of God, all association with music intricately tied to a more vulnerable time when he wasn't accursed and condemned, now, his song resembling a howl in the dead of night, a phantom's call slashing through the darkness, something chilling and gorgeous that is hard to explain, but certainly not entirely human. The type of thing you hear and you no longer belong entirely to yourself, falling under a vampire's spell, rather, you go out there, looking for the source of whatever it is you heard, mesmerized.

― Jack Blaylock, or rather, Timothy Calloway is All-American; irregardless of the fact that he lives in Japan, made his life in Japan, is embedded in the culture (and its Underworld) of Japan, operates out of Japan undercover with the facade of an Expat like any other, and hey, for all we know, he was born there too, which might make his attachment to all things American profoundly fascinating, no less the fact that if he sang, he'd not only sing something American, but something profoundly anachronistic and belonging to a bygone and nearly idealistic era he never even experienced himself, the same way he either never experienced his actual homeland or experienced it so little and so long ago, one can consider him remotely estranged from it (never say this to his face). So, knowing all of this, it is easy to envision Jack softly singing something by The Harptones, Bobby Darin or The Platters as he cleans his sword, produces his blades, checks his firearms with an immaculate attention to details, puts on a crisp, clean button up shirt, preparing for his next hitjob.

[bella-rose29]

Not Your Lover - Chapter 2

I'm not gonna lie there's not much plot in this other than building up more hate between them but oh well :)

Also apparently I have a thing of writing fake kisses now?

Word count: 3.7k

Warnings: swearing

Tag list: @a-candle-maker, @bubybubsters, @el-de-phi, @hauntedenthusiasttragedy, @iambored24601, @itsyoboo-jassy, @karensirkobabes, @kentucky-criedfricken, @little8sun, @mrsklockwood, @mvidaaaa, @nalie-98, @naushtheaspiringauthor, @notoakay, @pietromaximoffsbabe, @simbaaas-stuff

As always, let me know here if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! <3

Y/n was fuming.

What made Dominik think that he could just waltz into her life like that, making her mother think that the two of them were together?!

She was slumped in a chair in the waiting area of the town hall, leg bouncing and arms crossed as she tried to contain her anger. Surely he was getting something else out of it, right? A man like him wouldn't say no to female attention, Y/n was sure of it. He was a classic fuckboy, all smiles and nice words until he ruined a girl's life for the fun of it. So why did he want to stop that? It was infuriating, not being able to figure out what he really wanted, and Y/n didn't like it one bit. Annoyingly, he was right. Her mother had hinted this morning that Y/n would be getting the grant now that she had a boyfriend, and his offer to work on the building with her was useful (and had been begrudgingly accepted), considering nobody else wanted to. It would be difficult getting the place in a good enough position, but she was sure it would be a piece of cake compared to pretending she actually liked Dominik Opus.

"Y/n? They're ready for you," Sofia said from reception, smiling widely. Offering a smile back (that probably looked more like a grimace), Y/n stood, clutching her papers to her chest.

"Thanks, Sofia."

Pushing open the door, Y/n braced herself for the onslaught.

~~~

Nikolai was quite happy at the moment.

His plan had worked, and while a good number of women were still hanging around, trying to figure out if he was actually taken or not, the majority of them had heard that he wasn't single anymore and had gone home. He'd finally had time to work with Gregor on the carriage that had come in a few days ago, and it was now ready to go back to the wealthy noble that had sent it in. Nikolai had hidden in the back when he came to collect it, the man surprisingly coming in person and not sending somebody to pick it up in his place.

"Well, it looks alright. How do I know you haven't done some Grisha magic on it?"

"I use my hard-earned talents on pretty much everything, sir. I only use my natural ones if I really have to. Besides, I had an assistant who is otkazat'sya and very good at what he does helping me on your carriage." Nikolai's chest swelled with pride at his employer's praise. As a child, he'd been told many times to not pursue his love of machinery, or making things, since it wasn't very princely. Perhaps that was why he'd dedicated so much time to inventions as king; he was the top voice, and technically nobody could tell him what was and wasn't very royal. Being here, in Taya, he could be completely himself (minus the name and some of the backstory), indulging his desire to make things and build, and it was amazing.

"Where is he? I'd like to take a look at him and decide whether he's trustworthy or not for myself."

Nikolai held his breath from his position behind the door, hoping Gregor would come up with an excuse as to why his coworker couldn't be there.

"He's in the back room, I'll just go get him for you."

Fuck. So much for that, then.

Nikolai sprung back just as Gregor opened the door, hoping it didn't look too much like he'd been listening in.

"Wants to meet you. Something about making sure you haven't fucked it up or anything." Gregor's tone left no room for argument. Nikolai nodded, swallowing. Since he'd found out that Nikolai apparently had a girlfriend, he hadn't been too happy, but Nikolai had been working all morning to make sure that Gregor knew that he wasn't going anywhere. He understood where Gregor was coming from, having told him only a couple of days ago that he wasn't interested in girls at all at this point in time, but surely the man could have some leniency?

Pushing through into the main room, Nikolai thanked the Saints and any other deities that he had no idea who this noble was, because he knew everyone that he had had an interaction with as Nikolai Lantsov, and this man in front of him was not one of them.

"Who are you then?"

"Dominik Opus, sir." It felt weird calling someone sir, given only a few months ago Nikolai had been king.

"Right. How long have you been in the business?"

"Pretty much my whole life, sir. Started about 20 years ago."

"How old were you? You barely look 20 years old anyway."

"I was always making things, but I first got into machinery at the age of around 8 years old." He left out the part about how he'd rearranged a priceless heirloom of a clock, resulting in his family grounding him in his room for a month.

"And you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well I'll take your word for it, Dmitri. If anything goes wrong, it's on your head, boy."

Nikolai bristled at the wrong name, and at the attitude this noble had, and was instantly glad that this man had never been in his court. He did wonder what kind of people Zoya was letting in, though.

"Of course, sir."

The rest of the meeting went without fault, Nikolai stood off to the side while Gregor secured the transaction, and he felt himself relaxing. That feeling left just as quickly as the noble when Gregor turned to him, unreadable expression on his face.

"I think we should talk." He moved in the direction of his office, and Nikolai felt unease creep up his spine. When the door was shut, Gregor sat in his chair on one side of the desk, motioning for Nikolai to sit opposite him.

"Is everything alright? I know what I said about how having a girlfriend was the last thing on my mind, but I really didn't expect-"

"Who are you? Really?"

Nikolai blinked.

"Sorry?"

"I think I know who you are, but I'm giving you a chance to come forward on your own, Dominik."

"Well who do you think I am?"

"I think you're the previous king of Ravka Nikolai Lantsov."

Nikolai blinked again.

"I take it I'm right?"

"Yes." There was no point denying it now, given Gregor had figured it out.

"Do I need to use a title?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Right." He paused for a moment, unreadable expression still on his face as he observed Nikolai. "Why are you here? And why the fake name?"

Nikolai shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I wanted to be somewhere where it wouldn't matter who I was, where I could hide. I didn't want to stay in the capital, or anywhere like that, but I'm still a valuable target for assassins wherever I go, hence the fake name. Taya? It's small enough that people wouldn't ever think to look for me here, but big enough for me to make a life for myself."

"Why would you ever want that? I mean, you've spent your life in a palace, and now you're in a shitty little port town with zero tourism."

"I like it here," he said, smile on his face. "And I didn't spend my whole life in a palace; I was in the army for years, and then on the sea for years after that. This life is what I want, where I feel most like myself. And machinery has always been a better friend to me than people, so it made sense, I guess."

Gregor sat back now, blowing out a breath. "I suppose that all makes sense. Where'd you come up with the name?"

"Dominik is- was, my best friend," he swallowed at the past tense of the sentence. "Opus is a sort of take on my father's last name, Opjer."

"So you are a bastard?" His eyes went wide immediately afterwards, going to rectify the question at once.

"Yes. Surprising that nobody noticed the lack of inbreeding in my features sooner, really. And if anybody had actually seen him, there would be no doubt that my mother had had an affair." Gregor seemed somewhat embarrassed at Nikolai's nonchalance towards his mother's infidelity, eyes still just as comically wide as they had been before. The man went to speak, but was interrupted by a shout from the main room of the mechanic.

"DOMINIK?" Nikolai winced, recognising the voice.

"I think you'd better answer," Gregor said, smirk on his face. "I'll keep quiet, too. You're too good at your job for me to lose you."

"Thank you, Gregor. That means a lot," Nikolai smiled, pulling open the door. "Hopefully I'm not sacrificed in the next five minutes and I can keep working here." Gregor laughed, the sound echoing in the room as Nikolai let the door swing shut, leaving him and Y/n alone in the main garage together.

"There you are!" she huffed, looking out of breath. "I just came from the council meeting and they've given me the grant, but only for a month, because apparently my project won't be worth any more than that, so I have to get three rooms done by then, and-"

"Woah! Woah, calm down! You lost me past 'council meeting' because you were talking too fast! Slowly, what happened? And why did you sound like you wanted to murder me just now?"

"One: they gave me the grant," she held up a finger with each point she made. "Two: I only have a month. Three: I have to get three rooms ready by that time or four: they're revoking the grant. Oh and five: mother wants you to come to dinner tonight and she made it clear we couldn't say no."

"Well the first bits are positive, right?"

"How can you do that? Smile about only having a month to do this? You've seen that place! One month for three rooms is ridiculous!"

Nikolai came closer, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place and calm her down. "One month starting today, right?" She nodded. "Well then you go and make a start. Did they specify which rooms?"

"No, just said I needed three."

"Okay. You decide which of the three rooms to do, although if I can make a suggestion, I'd say go for the front three for easy access, and when I finish work later I'll come and help. Did your mother say what time for dinner?"

"8 bells. Which makes me think she's cooking enough food for the entire town because we normally eat earlier."

"Well I have a large appetite, so don't worry about that. I finish at five bells, so I'll come over to help afterwards, okay?"

"Okay. How are you so calm about this? It's one month!"

"I'm calm because you're not. If we were both running around like headless chickens, nothing would happen. I'm assuming that if you can get the three rooms done they'll extend the grant?"

"Yeah. They just need some way of generating income while we carry on."

"Right. Well, I think we can do it. If you need anything fixing urgently, just bring it here and I'll work on it in the shop, alright?" She was much calmer now, and Nikolai's hands were still on her shoulders, rubbing soothing circles into her skin with his thumbs.

"Thank you," she sighed, then pointed an accusatory finger at him. "I still don't like you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Now go on, get your house ready," he smiled, receiving a glare in return as she stalked out the room. Apparently the moment of softness was gone, and Y/n was back to hating him.

~~~

It was nearly eight bells, and Y/n was close to gauging her eyeballs out.

Her mother hadn't stopped talking about Dominik the entire afternoon, so Y/n had had to hide upstairs to prevent unnecessary injuries from happening.

She'd been surprised at how level-headed Dominik had been that morning, and had been considering rethinking her original perception of the man, but when he then never turned up after five bells, as he said he would, she berated herself for ever thinking that he would be different. He obviously had no desire to be near her, which was why he had never showed, but he'd seemed so sincere that morning it made her heart hurt a little at having fallen for the nice guy act again. He was probably annoyed that she'd invaded his personal space, but then if he didn't want that, why pretend to be her partner? She'd let out her frustration on the weeds in the front garden of the mansion, ripping them up from the ground as she muttered expletives under her breath.

Since getting home half an hour ago, her mother hadn't stopped talking, again, about how happy she was that Y/n had finally found somebody. Seeking an escape, Y/n had run a bath, hoping to have some peace and quiet while she washed off the dirt and sweat from her day. She had stayed in there until her fingers wrinkled, and reluctantly put on the dress her mother had laid out for her. She'd made it clear that Y/n would be wearing it or starving, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Hearing a knock on the front door, Y/n jumped, then sprinted down the stairs to reach it before her mother. Flinging open the door, she came face to face with Dominik, looking annoyingly put together in contrast to her own wild hair (made that way by her rush downstairs). She glared at him, hoping he'd understand where he went wrong and would apologise profusely, but his smile never wavered as he leaned in for a hug. Immediately, Y/n flinched, going still as his arms wrapped around her.

"What. The fuck. Are you doing?" she hissed directly into his ear.

"Your mother is at the end of the hall and is watching everything, so maybe look a little less like a brick wall and more like you're actually happy to see me?" he whispered back, breath tickling her neck. Begrudgingly she brought her arms up around his torso, pushing herself up on her toes a little so her face wasn't uncomfortably jammed into his shoulder.

"Can I let go now?" she grumbled.

"Sure." He pulled back before her, but kept one arm wrapped around her shoulders to prevent her from running away.

"Oh, don't you two look wonderful!" her mother clapped from where she stood, painfully oblivious to how they kept pinching and poking the other in the side. "Well, come on through! Dinner's on the table already!" She disappeared through the doorway, leaving Y/n and Dominik on their own.

"I'm going to bruise from your torture," he whispered, yanking off his jacket. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"Where were you earlier? You said you'd come by after five bells and you never showed!"

"I never said that," he frowned, hanging the coat up on the wall. Y/n could only stare in disbelief at his blatant lie.

"Yes you did. You said that when you'd finished work, you'd come and help me. Or is your memory so shit you can't remember making a promise to your fucking girlfriend?"

"You are not my girlfriend," his expression hardened. "I am not your boyfriend, we are not anything. I can remember that just fine. I don't owe you anything, and you don't owe me anything. We're just using each other to get what we really want, alright?" He left then, following the footsteps of her mother, and when Y/n heard him cheerily greet her as though he hadn't just been an ass, she wanted to cry. Sure, she hadn't been the nicest to him, and sure, he'd given her no reason to think that he wasn't the fuckboy she'd decided he was, but he was the one that had come up with this ridiculous charade in the first place, so he could at least fucking try.

Hearing the laughter coming from the other room, she brushed away the few tears that had fallen, then went and splashed some cold water on her face. She refused to let any more tears fall for that man, and putting on a brave face and a fake smile, Y/n entered the lion's den.

~~~

"So how did you to meet?" Y/m/n asked, and Nikolai swallowed his mouthful to answer. Before he could, Y/n had done it for him.

"Just in town," she waved her hand in a way that was just as vague as her words.

"Oh, come on, darling, you can tell her the whole thing," Nikolai spoke up, smirking at her glare. She did that a lot, and he had to wonder if she was going to end up not being able to make any other facial expressions.

"I don't think mother wants to hear-"

"YES! Yes I do! Tell me everything!"

"Why don't you tell the story, sweetheart? Since you seemed so keen for my mum to know?"

Now it was his turn to glare, hiding it behind a sickly sweet smile.

"Of course. I should have known you wouldn't want to tell it, given how embarrassing it was for you." Her mouth opened in indignant shock, and she jabbed him in the side.

"It was not embarrassing for me, if anything you were the one who was embarrassed!"

"JUST TELL ME!" her mother shouted, glee written all over her face.

"Well. I had just come in to town, been settled in for a few days, started my job. It wasn't long before we met, actually," he gestured to Y/m/n. "Darling Y/n here needed something fixing, I couldn't tell you what it was, I was too busy looking at the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life," he glanced over at Y/n, forcing a loving expression into his eyes while she looked like she was trying not to gag. "I thought she was flawless."

"Thought? Do you not still?"

"Well she tripped and fell flat on her face after she saw me, obviously shocked by how handsome I am. Y/n is still gorgeous, of course, but nobody is perfect."

Y/n scoffed. "Yeah, sure, I tripped over because of how attractive I find you," she deadpanned. "You'd left a cable lying on the floor, and I fell over because of that, you shit. Besides, that doesn't even begin to compare to how you couldn't utter a single word in my presence, you were stuttering all over the place, flustered by my beauty." She smirked up at him, shoving a mouthful of food in. Nikolai was seething. He never allowed himself to be unable to speak; he prided himself on his public speaking abilities, and Y/n knew it.

"Sure. Think what you like, darling. That doesn't stop the fact you were totally checking me out while I fixed that thing for you."

"You mean the light? Sweetheart, I think you were the one checking me out given you can't even remember what it was I brought in for you."

"So how did you end up together then?" Y/m/n was leaning forward in her seat, plate of food long forgotten.

"She said no the first time I asked her on a date, but when I bribed her with the promise of paying for everything she accepted."

"As if I would go for that," she mumbled under her breath. Speaking up, she said "He did, as well. He's surprisingly well paid for a mechanic. We went to Marie's place, down by the sea."

"Oh, Saints, that's expensive!"

"What can I say? There's not much I won't do for my love," he looked down at Y/n again, sending yet another fake smile her way. Her mother sighed in happiness, resting her chin on her hands.

"Why don't you two have a kiss?" Nikolai froze, an he felt Y/n do the same from where his arm was over the back of her chair.

"Do we really need to, mum? Can't we just-"

"Why don't you two have a kiss?" Her tone was much harsher this time, although her smile was just as sweet as before, and suddenly Nikolai understood where Y/n got it from.

"Darling?"

"Sweetheart?"

"I think your mother wants us to kiss."

"Touch me and die," she whispered as he leaned in. Rolling his eyes slightly, he brought his spare hand up to the side of her face, covering their lips. He came close enough to feel her breath on his face, and when he whispered into her he felt the ghost of her lips against his own.

"Close your eyes, and try and make it look believable." He closed his own eyes, tilting his head slightly as her hand came up around his neck.

"What are you doing?"

"If you don't want to kiss, then you don't want to kiss. I value my life and I fully believe that you would kill me if given the chance." He pulled back, opening his eyes as he felt his face warm from how close they had been, but when he was immediately confronted by Y/n's glare, the warmth disappeared, and he was filled with cold-blooded hate. What had he done now? He'd done what she'd asked, hadn't he? If this was still about that afternoon, then she needed to get over it. He couldn't tell her the truth, obviously, since it involved admitting he occasionally became possessed by a demon and probably telling her who he really was, and while he definitely shouldn't have lied in the way he did, he hadn't been able to come up with a feasible excuse. He knew that she was close with Gregor, and since the man lived above the shop Nikolai knew he couldn't say that he was working late. Besides, he'd told Gregor that he was headed over to the mansion, and had fully intended on going over and helping when the demon forced its way out and made Nikolai change his plans.

"Wonderful, just wonderful!" Y/m/n exclaimed, and Nikolai couldn't help but disagree.

Chapter 3

[typingwithmyhandstied]

a love letter to the Realm Breaker trilogy

I am losing my mind over the Realm Breaker trilogy again, and I can't wait for Fate Breaker next week. To my knowledge, only one of my mutuals has read it (@crowgenius <333), but I will probably not be shutting up about it. Here is my little love letter to Realm Breaker because it may not be my absolute favorite, but it does mean a lot to me. (I did not mean for this to get this long sorry)

I first read Realm Breaker around the time it first came out in paperback. It was one of the last (if not the last) fantasy books that I found in the bookstore by chance and picked up. I had never heard of it before. It wasn't one I'd seen recommended somewhere or something. I did vaguely know who Victoria Aveyard was (I owned Red Queen but had never read it). It was facing out on the bookshelf, and I could see the cover. I think that's what caught my eye first, and then I noticed how the back listed characters (i.e. "a squire forced to choose between home and honor, an immortal. . .). It reminded me of Six of Crows which I had loved, so I bought it.

I looked it up on Goodreads that night (which I had just recently joined). I remember cursing when I saw that it was an incomplete series. I didn't do those. I had never done those except a select few (the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita which I'd been obsessed with and KOTLC). I am surprised I even read it after that to be honest. I did not want to be left on a cliffhanger, but I did. I read it. I wasn't even thrown off by the length, only excited.

It was more intense and LOTR-esque than anything I'd ever read. It was also probably the first book that I couldn't just memorize the worldbuilding for (I had learned the Grishaverse backwards and forwards as well as everything that came before it). It was the first book that I mostly had to go with the flow and be immersed in it and learn as I went along. There was no info dump at the beginning. I loved it. It is also to this day one of the most descriptive books I have ever read but not suffocating. I also really loved how Corayne was handled as if not the classic chosen one character then something adjacent (I love her with my whole heart).

I feel slightly ashamed saying it, but I was a lot like every other person I knew in the sense that I really liked romance. I remember specifically not reading things because they didn't have a romantic focus. I am not saying that Realm Breaker did not have hints of romantic potential and building (my favorite), but it is in no way portrayed to be a main, driving factor of the story. It is there, but it is not the reason to read it as much as even some less romantic heavy books (Six of Crows, etc). (To give credit where credit is due, ADSOM was also something I read before that and doesn't have romance as the main reason to read it, etc, but I do not think that I realized how it was done before.) I was new to that. It challenged me to return to the mindset of romance not being the most important factor that I had had before with other books like Percy Jackson, etc. It was good for me. It helped push me on my journey to understanding that romance was not the most important thing in books to me, and that really that was just the characters and their dynamics in general. I had just been presented with many books where the majority of the notable characters and relationships were displayed in a romantic sense. (A quick caveat---I still absolutely adore a good romance with my whole heart. I love my romance novels. I also do enjoy many fantasies where romance IS the driving factor.)

Upon finishing Realm Breaker, I instantly wanted more. It was a masterpiece in my mind even if it never had that feeling I got with many other books that meant it would be one that stuck with me forever. (Realm Breaker had been 4/5 stars for me the first time. Upon rereading, I realized that it was even better than I remembered and actually was a favorite and a 5 star read. Was I just too stupid to appreciate it fully the first time? Jury is still out on that one.) It was only a few months until Blade Breaker came out. I was resolute. I could wait, and I would be able to wait until the third book came out as well.

"I cannot wait" had to have been among the first thoughts I thought upon finishing Blade Breaker. I had looked forward to books in the past (the aforementioned prior incomplete series), but those books had been ones I'd patiently waited to have the mail carrier bring them. I could not wait that long for Blade Breaker. I had to have it. So on a hot summer day, Blade Breaker became the first book that I went to the bookstore on the release day to purchase. I went with my mother. I ran into my friend in the parking lot. Life was good, at least until I finished.

I had brought Blade Breaker with me on my family's annual camping trip. I usually spend the whole time sitting in a hammock and reading. I had already finished Geekerella by Ashley Poston on the trip. (I needed light reading for the car.) I read Blade Breaker sitting in a hammock looking out onto the lake. When I looked up, I could see tall pine trees and a bright blue sky. I could have been in some of the forests the Companions traveled through. I read for as long as there was light. I read in the tent with a flashlight. I read as bugs bit me. I finished it days before the trip was done.

I remember that I finished it just as it got dark one night. My parents were making a fire. I walked over, and I sat down on the big rock in the dimming light. I was flabbergasted. I was awestruck. I was heartbroken. I was so close to tears. I remember telling my mother that all of my favorite characters might be dead, and I remember it hitting me that I'd probably have to wait over a year to see if they were alive. Little did I know that it would be even longer than that. So long that I managed to completely block out the ending for my own emotional survival probably.

I waited and waited. I understood why I had to wait of course. I in no way expected instant gratification. I knew it probably wasn't even written. I knew writing and publishing took pressure time, so I persisted. Then, in December of 2023, I decided that I would have to reread. I needed to remember the worldbuilding to be able to appreciate the intricacy and nuance of Fate Breaker, but also because I happened to read a horrible book (which I will not name) that did everything Realm Breaker had done so well so badly. I needed to remind myself that good books existed.

I accidentally opened Blade Breaker to the last page first. It is then that I realized I'd completely blocked out the last few pages and what happened on them. I knew that I thought many of my favorites could be dead, but I did not remember that. I did not remember the specifics. I did not remember the last paragraph. I was crushed, but I kept rereading. I listened to the audiobooks while I did everything when February hit to finish on time. I looked at the map. I got my bearings back in this fantasy world I loved so dearly, and the best part was that I loved it even more the second time.

Then, yesterday exactly a week before Fate Breaker releases, I read the ending of Blade Breaker a second time. This time, I was not just close to tears, but they did fall. This time I was terrified not just for the characters in that moment but for all they were yet to encounter. All of the possible foreshadowing of their imminent deaths. I am still terrified today, but I am mostly excited because I know that Victoria Aveyard will at least write it well no matter how cruel.

Next week, I will be buying Fate Breaker on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 when it comes out in a bookstore just like I did for Blade Breaker. I will most likely scream and cry and be my overdramatic self. One thing is new though. I will be spending every moment up until then scheming up what I think the plot will be to that book. I have developed new habits (thank you secret shanghai fandom).

I am excited. I am terrified. I am ready to have my heart broken. Thank you, @vaveyard, for writing such a beautiful book series. It has been something I never knew I needed until I had it. Please don't kill my favorite characters. Please. If Andry Trelland dies, it will be my villain origin story. 

[natequarter]

I was reading your posts about how badly most/all historical fiction and period dramas are when it comes to faithful portrayals and was wondering about your thoughts on Wolf Hall, whether you read it, watched it, or both. And also, are there examples that you feel do it well? Or are there examples where they get it wrong but you still enjoy them? (Can you tell I’ve been on a historical fiction kick lately?) I know that’s a lot of questions, so please don’t feel obligated to answer them.

oh boy, this is... complicated. i'll start off with wolf hall, because that will probably be easier: necessary disclaimer that i have not watched or read all of wolf hall, but i have read a significant chunk of the first book.

firstly, i actually enjoyed reading wolf hall a lot. there are a couple of bits that grated me when i read it (iirc it suggests that henry viii was to become archbishop of canterbury before the death of his brother, which is emphatically not true; nitpicky, i know, but it's one of the misleading "fun facts" you often hear about henry viii), but for the most part i found it rather refreshing. i have to praise hilary mantel's writing style, of course; it's beautiful prose, and a relieving change from first person present tense narratives, which are bad. (disclaimer: this is a personal opinion. i happen to think that 99% of all first person narratives are utter shit.) in terms of plot events, i think my favourite parts of wolf hall are cromwell with his wife and children, and him grieving his wife and children; the quiet reminders of their absence are heartbreaking.

now, onto the things i didn't like. i didn't love the tv show; nothing wrong with it, necessarily, it just didn't click with me - and it probably didn't help that when i watched it the screen light to room light balance was very off. and as for mantel herself... quite a few people have pointed out that her treatment of the women (notably anne boleyn and jane parker, her sister-in-law) in her series comes off as misogynistic, and i personally find the treatment of thomas more grating. essentially, she buys into a lot of the old narratives of jane parker being 'scheming' and betraying anne boleyn and her brother george; and her depiction of anne can similarly come off as that of a scheming woman and nothing more. there is an argument to be made that we're seeing this through cromwell's eyes, so naturally he's going to be biased against certain people - but mantel is the writer and she chose what she wrote. she seeks to balance out the classic depictions of cromwell as scheming and more as a literal saint, but it tips over into just making more look like a villain - things such as him choosing to educate his wife are warped into more being... evil? somehow? there's a double standard with cromwell vs the other characters: when cromwell is pious, it's devotion; when more is pious, it's fanaticism, and the same with cromwell vs the women in the books. finally, hilary mantel was transphobic. i'm not here to argue about that one.

granted, i don't think these things make wolf hall unforgivably bad, by any stretch of the imagination. i think it's a complex, flawed book and the same applies to the show. i think this youtube review summarises it well overall - and of course these things are always nuanced and complicated and so on and so forth.

there are shows which do historical fiction absolutely horribly, like the spanish princess. i have no interest in defending that, because, as far as i'm concerned, it's a mess not worth attacking; that's been done to death. i would also consider the vast majority of books by philippa gregory and alison weir to be a major waste of time. weir is also a non-fiction writer, and her non-fiction is exactly as bad, so for the love of good, please don't pick those up either. both authors like to draft in rape, magic (dear god, don't talk to me about the fucking magic), not-like-other-girls female characters, incest (???) and a bucket load of misogyny in lieu of actual plot. neither of them are good writers, either.

onto works which do an alright or complicated job. i think wolf hall belongs here - it does some things very well, some things... not so well. i'd also put becoming elizabeth here - as you've said, this is one where they get things wrong but i can still enjoy it. the show covers the reign of edward vi (1547-1553) and the teenage years of elizabeth i (about 13-19, so literally her teenage years). the good parts? it's a fantastic depiction of edward vi and mary - both are brilliantly cast and the acting from them is amazing. it incorporates black characters into authentic period roles, the clothing is really well done, and it shows most of the important parts of edward's reign. the bad parts? well, elizabeth is played by a woman in her late twenties. this lets the whole thing down, frankly. it's supposed to be a show about elizabeth, and yet edward or mary could easily replace her as protagonists - i don't think the actor playing her is great, personally. and then there's the fact that this show portrays the grooming of elizabeth by thomas seymour. the show actually makes their relationship out to be genuine and the two sleep together, a deviation from history and a particularly troubling one given that the real elizabeth was uncomfortable with seymour's advances and actively tried to avoid him. it also spends six of its eight episodes on seymour when seymour was beheaded a third of the way through edward's reign. thus, it has its upsides and its major downsides - oh, and the characters say fuck a lot, which is mildly annoying. but i can enjoy it, as long as elizabeth's not talking and they're not focusing too much on seymour... a bit of a letdown from a show supposedly about her.

there's also the tudors, which is a bit of a mixed bag - it makes some inexplicable changes from history, but it often uses quotations from tudor sources in its dialogue. the casting can be a bit... wonky, but it does have its moments, and offers a somewhat more balanced version of more vs cromwell. i don't particularly like it because it often modernises the characters a bit - and i don't want that! making characters act like modern people seriously misses the point: this is historical fiction, not a modern thriller or whatever. the girlbossification of historical women who were often seriously held back by the men around them and wielded influence in rather different ways to what we think of as strong women is exhausting.

and there is historical fiction which i really enjoy. dissolution (and its sequels) is a murder mystery series by c. j. sansom, narrated by the fictional matthew shardlake, a disabled king's commissioner working for cromwell. he ends up investigating the murder of another commissioner at a monastery in scarnsea. it deals with the issues of religion, gender, and disability in very interesting ways; matthew is not infallible and clearly holds some very tudor views of the world. it's a richly-written world and it really does feel like you're in 1530s england, and i really recommend it. i also like becket (1964) and the lion in winter, neither of which are particularly striving for accuracy - but they're good dramas and brilliantly acted, and, you know, maybe henry ii was secretly in love with thomas becket. (both are heartwrenching films and i will never be over: 'You give the lions of England back to me like a little boy who doesn't want to play anymore. I would have gone to war with all England's might behind me, and even against England's interests, to defend you, Thomas. I would have given away my life laughingly for you. Only I loved you and you didn't love me. That's the difference.' my feelings on bill (2015) are more or less the same - it's an intentionally ahistorical film, and it works because it's well-written and not trying to accurately represent the past. the '70s series like the six wives of henry viii and the shadow of the tower are really enjoyable, too - because they actually cared about making decent series about the tudors relying on the actual events which transpired during the era!

i'll leave the question of costuming out in the open; i think this youtube video has some good points on whether period-accurate costuming is essential. i like it, personally, but i'm not going to be furious at a missed french hood; the only thing that will truly make me furious is a french hood with no veil. either bother, or don't bother! don't... don't do neither, jesus christ! as for historical accuracy in general - i think that's a question which will never have one true answer. personally, i do value a rough adherence to the historical timeline, at least for fairly well-know facts like, i don't know, henry viii having two sisters? why does the tudors merge them into one person? what? anyway. i think these posts offer some valuable insight into how vague and murky a concept historical accuracy really is and how it can be wielded as a weapon against people rather than in the interests of a good story (read at your own peril - they are quite long). there is also the problem of hindsight - as readers, we know that edward vi will die at only fifteen. the average person at the time did not! well, not until 1553. the point is, books where the narrator has seemingly prophetic powers or knowledge of future events are unrealistic. what i think is most important is writing stories that more or less accord to the timeline of history in the general details and capturing the attitudes of people who lived in the past decently. this is what really brings historical fiction to life, in my opinion. these also offer up good opportunities for parody and satire - a film which intentionally gets history wrong Because Incest is frustrating, but a film which intentionally gets history wrong to parody it, like blackadder, can be incredibly entertaining. inaccuracy is not always bad. that said, if you don't make henry viii ginger, i will hate you forever. soz. as for language - it's ridiculous to expect dialogue to be written 100% in middle english or what-have-you, but the occasional 'god's bones!' instead of 'oh my god' would be nice, and an avoidance of just putting a load of fucks in there...

and finally, for the elephant in the room... misogyny. there are certainly other -isms which permeate historical fiction as they do everything else, but this is the big one. so many depictions of women in historical fiction uncritically buy into the narratives of misogynistic medieval commentators which we have inherited from centuries of men recycling them. like calling women sluts, or witches, or writing them as genuinely sleeping with a male relative - taking the slander against them literally. like boxing women into a few stereotypes - docile and submissive; scheming bitch; old hag; and whore. like sexing up rapists and groomers. like forgiving historical men for things we condemn historical women for.

i hope this helped! i have many thoughts, none of which are easily summarised. i don't know if there's a right answer to this. but i do know one thing: the white princess is bad. thank you for the ask!

[trashboatprince]

SO!

The Star Beast!

Let's talk about it!

(Major spoilers under the cut)

-First off, I fucking love Fourteen, absolutely a delight, I wanna hug them (Okay, technically I HAVE hugged them when I got to hug David at the con this year, but still!). Also, 'male-presenting Time Lord', bah! Still gonna use they/them when I refer to them because please just let me have this, I don't care, the Doctor canonically doesn't give two shits about gender and even refers to going by the article Doctor over a pronoun in this special anyway.

-Second, DONNA! OH DONNA! I love her, I love her so much, just- oh, she hasn't changed a damn bit! Including missing the fucking alien spacecraft because that was exactly what I expected from her. <3

-Also, most supportive mom, love that.

-Rose~! Oh, oh Rose, how I love you! No notes, she's amazing! It did hurt to hear her dead name being used, but considering that it was done by a bunch of dickheaded kids, it makes sense. But we will never use that name for her here, nope, she's just Rose. <3

-Shaun is a delight, Donna got herself the most excellent of malewives ever

-Sylvia, ah, exactly as I expected, though she is trying to be better for her daughter and granddaughter, so points to her.

-Meep! So much to say on the meep but I'll keep it brief: transphobic little shit.

-UNIT is always fun to see, but how well known are they nowadays because the BBC report actually referred to them. I dunno, I've still working my way through the Third Doctor's era where UNIT was a major plot point and I haven't... finished watching Thirteen's era yet (only because I want to watch it with my gf the next time we see each other).

-Fourteen interacting with the Noble family was great, especially with them trying to see the Meep and Sylvia panicking and wow, this face cannot escape being slapped I wonder if Donna will get to do one herself.

-The action stuff is so much fun, exactly what I expect from this series.

-Being on the Meep's ship, the fact that Donna went to help the Doctor and just... oh, oh, them freaking out and crying because they were scared she'd die when she remembered. I started sobbing.

-Hell, I was crying when they held her in their arms and said he didn't care if the grunts shot them... uuuuhhhhhggggg... Fourteen cares about her so much! That's his best friend!

-Rose! Rose and Donna, Time Ladies! Lord, Lady, and neither! Don't care what anyone says, I loved this. I didn't voice it, but I had a very strong feeling that Rose would inherit the DoctorDonna.

-Was a little confused about them 'letting go' but... yeah, alright, okay. Still, I wonder if there is still a bit of Time Lord left in them.

-Is there any chance that they can sell Rose's plushies. I really want the Ood one.

-THE TARDIS!

-Oooooh, she's beautiful and big and very classic and yet so very nuwho at the same time, a perfect blend, and just so gorgeous! And Fourteen freaking out in excitement, running around like a child, being so happy about a coffee maker in the TARDIS! <3<3<3

-And Donna's reaction! She was so happy too!

-But then the 'killed me' scene... oh, oh honey, you've been holding onto that for centuries, those memories and the guilt. It's honestly heartbreaking to know that the Doctor, through all their new faces, still held onto those feelings about what happened to Donna.

-I'm excited, don't know what the fuck is gonna happen in the next episode since we didn't get a preview and I think it's the least known of the episodes so far.

-I saved this for last, but I wanna talk about the sonic screwdriver cause I know some people are gonna be all 'oh, it's too OP!'

First off, the sonic has always been, it always will be, it's a fucking sci-fi tool, sci-fi series always have some sort of tool that does everything.

Second, whatever the hell it did to make the shields was awesome, that's such a cool trick and I love it. I bet it's done using sound and light waves, which makes for a very interesting concept and something I'd love to explore in one of my sci-fi aus. Not sure how it made that cool schematics things, but whatever.

Also, leave me alone! I love the new sonic! I need to get my hands on one, but they're always sold out or too expensive!

(Okay, not really last, just a bonus, but damn, no offense to Ten, but Fourteen is a bit more attractive to me. I dunno, I mean, I was crushing hard on the DT at 15, but at 31, it's like, oh. Oh no. He's aged so well, he's so pretty. This is probably Crowley's fault.)

[nkatr84]

Scrooge: Old Vs New

There’s a few posts I wanted to make. The new Guardians Of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Disenchanted. Slumberland. Wednesday. That one Moon Knight fan fic sitting in my drafts. But I’ve got to talk about this.

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol on Netflix came out this year in 2022. While Critics haven’t been too kind to it (I’ll get to my theory why in a second) y’all on Tik Tok and Tumblr have been losing your minds. You’re falling in love with the music (particularly Later Never Comes). But mostly…many of you have this reaction.

The surprising hottie in question being this rendition of Ebenezer Scrooge.

And I get it. As is tradition in animated takes of Dickens immortal classic, the animators clearly took inspiration from their voice actor Mr. Luke Evans. And Mr. Evans is a very handsome man. So I’m right there with you guys simping over an old man with a sexy voice.

But! I would be remiss if I failed to educate my fellow fangirls, fanboys and all between that this movie…is technically a remake.

Directed in 1970 by Ronald Neame, Scrooge was nominated for Four Academy Awards and won a Golden Globe. Quite an achievement in a time when movie musicals were fading in popularity. And it’s composer Leslie Bricusse (who also helped bring Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to life) was an executive producer and helped write the screenplay for this new version. And since he passed away last year, the animated film is dedicated to him.

Of the original eleven songs, five were carried over to the new movie. Happiness. I Like Life (with updated lyrics). Beautiful Day, Thank you Very Much and I Will Begin Again. Yet while the original movie received generally positive reviews from critics, the new movie only holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s the difference? I mean the animation is very nice. Sometimes downright gorgeous. Obviously the music works. I’ve heard people praising both the new songs as well as the older ones. And they actually add depth to the original story.

Well if I had to guess, the new version is very much catering to kids versus families. The Ghost of Christmas Present has cute little Minion like critters. They cut the line of Scrooge saying, “If They (the poor) would rather die then they better do it. And decrease the surplus population!” I guess because it’s too mean? Speaking of, they give Scrooge a dog named Prudence. I guess to show the kids that he’s not all bad. He has a cute doggy! He’s kinda indifferent to the dog but hey! Don’t look at the scary imagery of Scrooge watching his own ghost rise from his grave! Look at the puppy! Look at the puppy! I mean Mr. Magoo kept the mean lines in as did the Muppet’s. Plus they trusted kids with the scary stuff.

Yeah as cute as those reindeer antlers on her looked at the end, Prudence was definitely a studio note and serves no purpose. She could be cut and you wouldn’t miss anything. Plus I’m not a fan of the opening number. Too peppy and modern. I wished they had done an update of the song that opens the 1970 movie, “A Christmas Carol “

Plus I love this song from Cratchit. It’s so Christmas… I wish this one made the cut.

But I do like the new version. Later Never Comes goes way harder than “You” and Luke Evans really balances out Scrooge being an old curmudgeon and a man who knows and regrets his choices. Plus the whole thing is animated like a dream. I love Luke Evans singing “I will Begin Again.” It’s a song of hope, passion and joy. And when Albert Finney’s Scrooge sings it …well… he tried…I can’t post it here but trust me. Luke Evans is a major upgrade. They make up for it with the finale in the 1970’s version where they almost reprise every song in the movie. Plus my parents always like how they made Albert Finney up to really look like a miser than doesn’t cut his hair or even clean his nails or his house. And technically Albert Finney was a sex symbol back in the day. Where he played both the old and young versions of Scrooge. So having a sexy Scrooge is technically precedent…

So give the original movie a watch if you like this one. It can be it’s own kind of goofy at times, but it’s definitely worth a yearly viewing. As is the new version on Netflix.

[moved-2-koiranliha]

junji ito frankenstein review came out to be a page and a half long, it’s under the cut, go fuck yourself (spoilers for both the original and the adaptation, both are really good, read them.)

If you've ever read the original Frankenstein and wanted more, you know how much of a nightmare it is to find adaptations that are faithful to the source material. The vast majority of movies turn Victor - a college dropout who's never burned out and can't handle the slightest failure - into a brilliant scientist with an assumed doctorate, a remote castle, an assistant or two, and most importantly, good parenting skills. The man's like 24 when he meets Walton at the beginning of the book. I've seen a single movie that even halfway faithfully adapted the book, and Victor had two assistants. I've never been able to find that movie again.

First, I'll start with the grievances I have with so many adaptations of Frankenstein. Naturally, every time I see that someone has adapted my favorite piece of classic literature, I get a little nervous. I think, "Oh god, what have they done this time? How have they screwed it up now? How have they attempted to make Victor likable?" Spoilers, you can't make Victor likable or else he's no longer Victor Frankenstein. That's the whole point of his character, and partially why most adaptations are almost as infuriating as Victor himself. I despise Victor if you couldn't tell. I could go on a 10 page long rant about how much I hate him, but I'll try not to for the sake of this review, which at the time of finishing is over a page and a half long.

Another reason most adaptations are infuriating is because they make the monster stupid. I kind of get where they're coming from, I mean he's basically an 8 foot tall baby in terms of how long he's been alive. But it's simply inaccurate. He has an adult brain. In the book, he taught himself how to read and speak, and he does so with eloquence. He demonstrated knowledge of the scientific method. He's cunning and kinda charismatic. He was handsome too, barring the fact that he was stitched together from grave-robbed corpses and certainly looked like it. I'll admit, Shelley's characterization of the monster feels more realistic than "He's a big baby! He's a newborn!"

Now I must preface, the monster is not handsome in this adaptation. He's pretty decayed and wrinkly, which would be accurate to reality. I think if he was made of fresher parts, though, he'd be like a 7 or 8, so no points docked there. Not that I'm doing a points system anyway.

And now onto an actual review. WOW. Just WOW. Junji Ito, as he does with all of his work, so clearly put his heart and soul into this. There are small details from the source material included that so many adaptations have cast aside as unimportant and unnecessary.

Now of course, there's plenty of differences, which is unsurprising I think considering that's just how it is with adaptations of any kind, but especially visual adaptations. Let's get into those. Spoilers abound, you have been warned.

1: I appreciate that Ito wrote Victor and Elizabeth to see each other as adoptive cousins rather than adoptive siblings. Of course in this day and age, it's still gross, but it certainly lessens the discomfort significantly.

2: In the original book, Clerval doesn't do much. He's Victor's best friend (for some reason, Clerval honey you can do better), but he's woefully ignorant of his friend's horrifying creation. In this adaptation, however, Clerval actually finds out what's going on as Victor is creating a lover for his monster. And Clerval offers to help. To be honest, I ADORE this little change. Clerval really felt like the type to do something like this, to support his garbage friend unconditionally, and it also makes him a more important character (which he deserves).

3: The monster's bride is actually finished. She's successfully brought to life, but almost immediately lashes out and is killed by the original monster. She hated him just like everyone else. I like this. It rekindles his hatred for humanity, and it honestly makes him more of a sympathetic character. I think it's a suitable replacement for Victor overthinking and forgetting he can just not give her a uterus and destroying her. It also confirms his fears that they won't get along after all. It gives him more to fear; he failed to satisfy his creation's wishes, and now he'll continue to suffer. Honestly, good. I hate him. RIP to his innocent family members, but that's what you get when you can't take responsibility for your actions!

All of these differences were made for various reasons, but they all feel natural. They fit well in the story - you could rewrite the original book with these changes and it would still feel right.

My only real grievance is that Junji Ito didn't include the monster reading Paradise Lost. I certainly understand why it wasn't included, it wasn't touched upon very much in the original and on the surface it didn't really change anything. But it was somewhat important thematically, as the monster sympathized with Satan and thus found some comfort.

Overall? WORTH IT. This goes on my minuscule list of good Frankenstein adaptations.

[minuy600]

Review #0002: Breakout (Arcade)

Another major release, coming 4 years after Pong. You can clearly see Atari (including developer Steve Jobs!) trying to perfect the genre of hitting balls with a paddle. With more sounds, more elaborate visuals and a high score format that I don't think has been done before and I usually love, you'd think that I would be raving about this one.

You'd think. Let me explain.

Graphics (4/5)

To start off on a positive note, I do really dig this aspect. This is a simple looking game, but it revels in that. The colors with the overlay are vibrant as heck. Keep in mind, expectations are pretty low for one of THE first microprocessor titles. In that regard, hell yeah is it an upgrade over Pong. Much like how the game itself is pretty much just a very expanded, altered version of that game.

Sound (3/5)

I'm gonna be a little harsher here and say that the sound is fine. As with the graphics, this is not the period of time where it can be judged very harshly. This sounds a lot like it's 'predecessor' and that's okay. It does what it's supposed to.

Didn't need the sound of an extra free play being the one of getting your molars drilled, though. That irks me. Couldn't it have been a high pitched beep or a fun jingle instead, Steve?

Gameplay (1.5/5)

Okay, here we go. Might be a controversial take, but in my opinion, this original iteration of the genre is anything but enjoyable to actually play. We all know how arcade games tend to be hard, very very hard. This one takes it to an extreme however.

The game is deceptive with it's low entry bar. You see bricks, you gotta destroy em with a ball that you bounce off a paddle, that's how it works. The ball gradually speeds up over time as you bounce it more, and that's where the problems start.

It may just be the fact that i'm playing on Switch and not in an actual arcade, or my lack of True Gamer Skill (trademark), but getting the ball to line up with the paddle at higher speeds is HELLISH. It is ridiculous to lose multiple lives in a row like that.

Even setting the DIP switch to give you 5 lives instead of 3 does nothing to help out. You're still gonna lose before you broke through to the top even once. I don't like that all.

My thing with video games is that I like the sense of improving myself, that it IS possible to overcome certain big barricades that prevent me from beating it. None of that here. It feels like a luck based mission that at some point becomes too fast for me. Save states do not help either. I'm done with it. I desperately hope the Atari 2600 version improves my chances.

Longevity (3/5)

Interestingly, this game seems to be the first to introduce a kill screen for when you play too well. ...Beating 2 screens was considered masterful at the time.

Because of the sheer difficulty and it being one of the first games to actually have more than one level, you can keep bashing your head against this one for a fair amount of time. It's a shame I do not have that level of dedication.

Overall

It's hard to understate this game's importance. It's concept holds up very well, and i'm excited to try out this game's ports and sequels. By all accounts, this seems like a true Atari classic.

It sucks that this SPECIFIC, ORIGINAL version is sadly too far gone for one big reason. Me being bad at video games. It's the first game (out of ~30 i've played for this series) where I legit had to give up before the first hurdle. Sorry. We'll see you again soon, Pong 2.

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW!! Could you tell me a bit more about the level of technology in your saga? From everything I've read it sounds like a super interesting mix. Any fun details or sciency facts you're particularly proud of for thinking of?

Hi kat!!! thanks for dropping by with this ask, i didn't mean to leave it in the inbox for two weeks but i'm glad i did so i have something super fun to start off with in this catch-up!!!

SO

in the Ehlverse, there's a few different levels of technology going on at once (which is 100% most prevalent in Millennium Saga because they actually interact with multiple different tech levels for plot reasons throughout the books) - and the reasons for these differing levels basically comes down to how prevalent certain magics are in the culture/area we're talking about, because certain Elements, all Sorcery, and most Alchemy manifest in ways that break the physical laws of universe, which breaks things like computers that rely on, say, electricity always flowing in a certain way through the crystals in the motherboard.

(and this got Very Long, as my wbw answers tend to, so it's behind the cut if you want more detail!! thank you again!!! i'll try to remember to hit you up with a double-wbw ask the next time i'm here for it :D)

For instance, let's take Ehlven societies (e.g. the kind we spend the majority of TMS neck-deep in) - every Ehlf is an innate font of Elementalism, and only 2 of the 9 total Elements are guaranteed not to mess with circuitboards, 3 more can be safe if they're used carefully, and the rest are catastrophic and unavoidable in their influence. A metal mage walking too close to a fantasy!iPad would wipe the memory completely with their inherent magnetism, a fire mage touching a keyboard overheats the whole machine, etc. etc.

HOWEVER, this does not apply quite the same to less delicate instruments, like steam engines. In fact, even without the help of Dwarven magic metals, Ehlven societies can get away with running steam trains and other motors without using any fuel, so long as there's either a water mage present to convert liquid to gas or a fire mage to facilitate combustion!

(That's probably one of my favorite science-y things I've done with this system!!)

On the flip side, we have the Lellan crater and the Goblins that call it home. Goblins are a people completely devoid of magic - some would say they're even magic-repellant to a certain extent. And they've been the only people without magic for a very long time.

Long enough for them to be at about the level of your classic hard cyberpunk setting, to compensate for their broader disadvantage in this magical world. And while that doesn't net them any respect when it comes to global politics (which are super magic-centric to the point of even pushing out formerly-magical peoples like the Fair Folk), it certainly makes it easier for them to make advances in science that end up benefiting the whole world. If it weren't for them, the Ehlves probably wouldn't know about, like, evolution, or germ theory, or electricity.

And I talk about it here like they're super separate societies with no overlap, but that's not quite true!! It's just the simple way to talk about it - there's lots of "Little Wasi" districts in Ehlven cities with local power generation and more robust machines and electronics, and there's a not insignificant amount of non-magically-volatile Ehlves in Wasi, Gyr, and the smaller satellite cities of the Lell. And many of the trains that cross the Maelands are of Dwarven make, with self-perpetuating clockwork at their cores.

The only truly isolated people technology-wise are the Fair Folk, whose society functions more like those of wasps, bees, and ants than humans or humanoids. They're nomadic and tend to nest solely in the Godwoods, where they hollow out one tree at a time into a hive, and don't have a huge interest in technology of any kind (or humanoid society at large, honestly). But there's still a few here and there who have stepped away from that society to mingle with humanoid friends!!

[lucid-stories]

The World from the Stories

A Twisted Wonderland Fanfiction

⚠WARNING⚠

- Female reader

- Reader here will also be Yuu

- Reader will be able to conjure magic unlike the game

- This is a new creator's work so please bear with me or atleast I am trying to shift from being used to a chat fanfiction creator to the more classic type

- Actually on second thought, I want to name the person Aisha Eleni Lenore "Y/N" L/N so y/n is considered a nickname

-Reader gets transported into Twisted Wonderland

-Not proofread yet

_________________________________________

I watched in horror as my heroes fell. One of the greatest losses in the past decade was broadcasted for the world to see.

===============================

"The crown princess, her royal highness <insert mother's name> and the prince consort, his royal highness < insert father's name> has fulfilled their duties until the end, both as royals and as nobles. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten but this raises the question what is will be the future of our country? For the past thousand years there has not been an unnatural death in the family, could this mean-"

===============================

Irritated, I shut the broadcast down and threw the remote. "I get that they're worried because of the prophesy but can't they just grief for a moment for their fallen royals and just think about everything else after the mourning period" Unable to control her emotions with anger, sadness, betrayal, grief and fear, A hurricane accompanied by heavy snow and thunderstorms begins to brew.

*hik* "-What will I do now" She manages to choke out "Grandma, they're already gone"

"..."

"Is this really the price we have to pay after everything we've done for the sake of the majority? I don't want to be alone"

"..."

"Mom and dad are dead, my older twin brother is missing and I am only 10 years old SO PLEASE WAKE UP... I need you now more than ever... "

"..."

"... Something feels wrong, it's too... silent"

'smoke... Where is it coming from?'

I walked towards wherever it was coming from. I can't help but feel something eerie as if something is watching me. I turned to where I felt the gaze but there was nothing.

Everything felt off ever since I left my grandmother's chambers. I haven't seen a single maid or servant. Even the animals are quiet, a little too quiet for my liking. Not to mention the persitent gaze I feel behind my back every now and then.

Just when I turned back once again to check where the gaze was coming from, everything blacked out.

==================================

'I can't move but I don't think my limbs are binded together'

'How crude, it seems like they trapped me in a box'

I tried to banged on what seems to be a wooden cover from the inside hoping to attract someone however the lid opened before I got the chance to do so.

'I think that was a coffin... Is this the afterlife?'

"Please step forward and state thy name" The talking mirror said.

"Aisha Eleni Lenore L/N"

"As expected of the first female member of our prestigious school!"

The crowd's chatter is too loud to ignore but what caught your attention was what everyone was wearing and the talking mirror.

'Was this something like a sorting hat scene from Harry Potter? And did that mirror say first girl???'

"Child, your soul is compatible with all of the dorms, however, it seems that your blood has more connections to one dorm than the rest. As such, Diasomnia will be the best dorm for you as for now."

"We're done with orientation and dorm assignments? All right, new students—let me be clear. At Heartslabyul House, I am the law. Break the rules, and it's off with your head!" 'As much as I would like everyone to follow the rules, I think the off with your head thing is a bit too much. Probably a red flag, literally and figuratively'

*Yawn* "Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever. I'm going back to the dorm. If you're in Savanaclaw House, follow me."

"New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement.

As dorm leader of Octavinelle House, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience." 'He gives off salesman vibes, do not approach unless absolutely necessary'

"Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony..."

"Some headmage he is." A voice was projected from a floating tablet

"Maybe he had a tummyache?"

"I certainly did not, I was just making whatever caused the alarm to go off was a false one. After all, I am so kind to prioritize the safety of my students."

*ahem* "I hereby declare that orientation has concluded. Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms.

...Hm? Come to think of it, I don't see Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere."

"And that surprises you? Dude's a total recluse." A man with lion ears stated mockingly

"Wait a sec... Did anyone even invite him?"

A guy who looks like someone who stepped out from the screen suggested, "If you're that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself."

'I agree if you want to make sure something is done then you have to do it yourself'

"Maybe, but I don't know him too well either..."

Student A:  Draconia... Like, Malleus Draconia? THAT Draconia?

Student B:  So it's true? He really does go to school here?

Student C:  Yikes.

"Ah. Just as I'd expected." A child looking person with red eyes sighed. "I figured I'd come down and see for myself whether Malleus had made an appearance.

But once again, he was evidently not informed that his presence was required at an official ceremony."

'This Malleus person must have either too small or too big of a presence if people keep on forgetting him' (why too big, because people assume they have already ben invited)

" You have my sincerest apologies. I assure you, this oversight was in no way intended as a snub."

"I mean, you must admit, he's not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with."

"No matter. All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow me." The vice-housewarden motioned for the first years to follow him.

"I just hope he doesn't sulk about this." He sighed.

_________________________________________

Timeskip to after they were sorted into their dorm rooms

_________________________________________

"... " >w< I tried to process everything, from the fact my parents died, somehow I got to this place, got sorted into a dorm and finally the fact that it was a school filled with males. Not to mention that this place is nothing like any place I bave ever read in the history and the modern aged books with exceptions to works of fiction. It was too much for my brain to take so I went to a corner and bawled my eyes out.

Feeling my eyes sting and no water came out after who knows how long, I picked myself up and around the room. After all, grandma always said that you will only lose when you give up.

'I will learn everything I can from this place so it won't be a waste' "..."

'but for a place I will be living in for the next (few) year/s, it's a little bare but nothing a few magic spells can't fix.'

-After doing the bare minimum, cleaning spells, creation spells for the bare necessities like the bed, food, clothes-

"I will finish decorating my place tomorrow... I promise"

_________________________________________

"You called, lilia-sama?-" A loud man with green coloured hair that seemed to resemble a lightning bolt said enthusiastically.

"Father, here's the information you asked." A person who looks like a prince inserted before the person before him could continue.

"Good, both of you are here" The man appeared behind them upside down. It seems like the senior does this quite as the 2 young ones were barely even fazed.

"Why is he bringing all the information we gathered for this year's first years?" The loud one asked. "We already checked everyone a couple of times before the entrance ceremony"

"No, not everyone" Silver rebutted. "There was no female student in the list"

"As I thought, I was making sure that particular student just slipped off my mind however, it's impossible as a female wouldn't be common on campus" Lilia added to Silver's. "There is no information in the entirety of Twisted Wonderland on this student. Sebek, I trust that you'll find out everything you can on campus"

_________________________________________

TO BE CONTINUED

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

Hello!! Fairly new Doctor Who fan here—I’ve finished Nine and am partway through Ten and am absolutely loving it—and I had a question: when/where do you recommend starting with the audio dramas? I started one about Nine, but got the feeling that I was running into spoilers…thanks!

(Also, love your blog!)

hi there!! :D

I'm so sorry I've left this ask unanswered for so long 😅🙃 I hope you don't mind me finally coming around to answering your question now; hopefully you're still interested in the DW audios!! they are honestly so much fun, and it always excites me when I see someone new looking to get into them, whether they've been a long-time DW fan or are just getting into the show!!

maybe it'll help a bit if I just share my own experience with getting started with the audios--I started watching DW not long after Thirteen's first series (s11) aired, and enjoyed those episodes so much that I went all the way back to s1 and watched through the entire show. once I finished watching all of NuWho (all the episodes 2005-present), I wanted to try some Big Finish audios, but I didn't want to spend any money on them yet because I wasn't sure how much I was going to like them (and also I was a broke high school student 😅😂). I was informed that there were quite a few of the older audios available on Spotify (completely free!), so I found a list of some of the best stories online somewhere and listened to one audio from each of the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Doctor's storylines. I still knew basically nothing about any of the Classic Doctors or their companions or the story arcs they had on TV, so I was a bit lost with Five, Six, and Seven (although the Six story I listened to was 'Jubilee,' and I did thoroughly enjoy that one even without much prior context).

the one story that really stuck for me was the Eighth Doctor audio I listened to, 'The Chimes of Midnight'. there was some earlier context that I was missing that caused some of the major plot moments to be a bit confusing for me, but both the Doctor and the companion were brand-new and there wasn't a ton of show-canon context that I didn't have, unlike with the other Doctors' audios. so I went back to 'Storm Warning,' the first audio with Eight and the introduction to his companion Charley Pollard, and moved forward through Eight's audios from there.

so this is usually the path that I recommend people new to Big Finish take when getting started too! both because it's so accessible (due to the first major arc of Eight and Charley's stories being free and easy to access on Spotify), and because Eight barely has any screentime at all, so it was left up to the audios to pretty much develop the character from the ground up. and it worked really well for me and has done for others I've recommended starting this way.

however, if you'd rather try another course than this one, the Tenth Doctor's audios are also a pretty good jumping-on point for a new Big Finish listener. I've only listened to a few of them, but I enjoyed the ones I heard, and there wasn't really any context that you would need outside of Ten's TV episodes to enjoy them. (you definitely do need to have seen all of his TV run before listening to those audios, though.)

another decent place to start would be with the Diary of River Song audios, or the Tenth Doctor and River Song boxset (but only once you've watched through the Eleventh Doctor's era, and only if you actually like River Song as a character. otherwise these audios will probably just be irritating to you, since she's, ya know, the main character of them 😅)

I'm also going to leave this post open for any of my DW friends who would wanna chip in and add their recommendations for the best places to start with Big Finish to do so! there is honestly so much good storytelling in the audios; at this point, I really do think Big Finish does far more for my love of Doctor Who than the show (which isn't to diss the show at all; that's just how good the audio writers are and how much I really do enjoy the stories they come up with!)

(and aww, thank you!! ^-^ :D)

[tornrose24]

Tagged by @hey-hey-j  for the tag game. It’ll be interesting to see how I answer these.

Rules: if you get tagged in this, answer the questions that are written and make sure to swap out one question at the end of it for the next person to answer.

1. Are you named after anyone?  I’m sort of named after my aunt, who was named after a character of a TV show (that my grandfather liked) based of a book, and THAT character might of been named after someone. I admit it’s kind of amusing that it’s such a chain of ‘named after this person.’

2. Do you ever go window shopping on sites like Etsy, and if so, what kinds of things do you look at?   Not really.

3. What’s your choice of listening material when doing stuff? When I’m writing I prefer listing to music without lyrics (if it matches the tone of whatever I’m writing it helps) and it varies. Most often it’s video game music, Miyazaki, classical, etc. If I’m just doing art I’ll throw on YouTube videos.

4. Do you like a song for its sound or for its lyrics? Often both. I’m picky about what songs I like, but I like it when both work well together. (Though I hate it when the lyrics DON’T match the tone of the music, or aren’t sung in the right tone). Also, there’s some songs where I prefer the cover version over the original (I don’t care for Billie Eilish’s singing, and there’s a Motown version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it off’ by PostModern Jukebox that is vastly superior to the original version.)

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Usually whatever they wear or else their physical appearance. It depends.

6. What’s your eye color? Green. (Though maybe they might be hazel since there’s a light brown ring around the pupils).

7. Scary movies or happy endings? I prefer happy endings. Some scary movies are actually quite enjoyable, but only if they are done right (Jordan Peele’s Nope is such an example). Otherwise I hate it when scary films get too violent, have a downer ending, or involve topics of abuse. Or have constant jumpscares, which is why I never really got into most horror games.

8. Any special talents? Singing. I’ve done choir, Opera, musical theater, etc. I’ve done some acting as well. Drawing and writing are pretty obvious ones for those who know my works. Painting is a major one too.

9. What trait in others draws you to them? Honesty is a huge one. I like it when people are open about themselves and what they like, as well as what they don’t like. Or if they tell you something you need to hear.

10. What are your hobbies? Writing and drawing. Painting is a big one too. I used to play video games but I don’t as much (partly because I feel like a new system is going to be coming soon anyway). I suppose singing could count.

11. Do you have any pets? I used to have cats. Fantasia was my last cat and I had her from middle school to some time after I was done with college/university. She always sat on the table whenever I got help with math and she’d watch me and my dad.

12. What sports do you play/Have played? Tennis is probably my favorite. Soccer is fun too. I used to do running when I was really little. However I was more of a theater kid.

13. How tall are you? 5 feet, 2 and a half inches.

14. Favorite subject in school? Literature/Language Arts. I was one of the few kids that would read whatever I was assigned more than once. When I was in middle school we had to read ‘The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe’ and ‘Roll of thunder hear my cry’ and I read the other books in those series. I also took pride in scoring the highest out of anyone on a test for Cyrano de Bergerac in my high school senior year. (However I ****ing hated reading Moby Dick over the summer) and was NOT happy when I found out that I didn’t really NEED to read the entire thing to do all the paperwork/answer all the questions.)

I don’t know if art and choir count since they were extra curricular classes, but I loved them as well and could share lots of stories. Plus one of my favorite teachers was my high school art teacher.

15. Dream job? I would love to be a writer and illustrate my own books. Alternatively it’d be awesome to do artwork for an animation studio.

I’m tagging @artistcaptainbendy  as the next person. Anyone else can do it too.

I’m changing #12 to: If you became a God/Deity, what would your domain be and how could you use your powers to make the world a better place?

[weatheredpileoftomes]

tinker, tailor

For FFxivWrite2022 Day 20, “anon”. Frydlona, early post-A Realm Reborn, ~500 words. I couldn’t get anything with the time-ambiguity framing of classic anon until what turned out to be too close to noon (stay tuned for next free day!) so have…my original idea ft. anonymity instead.

It’s nice to simply do things.

There are more and more places where Frydlona is just recognized as the Warrior of Light or the Defender of Eorzea, titles she hasn’t earned and doesn’t feel belongs to her. She’s just been in the right place at the right time, with the Echo, that’s all. Anyone else would have done the same, given the same chance.

The important people in all the major cities know her by sight. Everyone at the Archers’ Guild certainly does, though Leih is at least still willing to go to the markets with her or join her for patrols or a meal. Leih still looks up to her, but she was doing that even before Frydlona met Jehantel, let alone any of the rest of it. Back when Frydlona was just trying to help out her new home, as best she could.

What Frydlona likes is when people evaluate her on what she’s actually done—the things that take skill and work and intent, not just doing what has to be done because she’s the one there.

They don’t recognize her in the trade guilds. Oh, her guildmasters do—most of them, anyway, she’s fairly certain Severian truly has no idea—but it doesn’t matter to them. She likes the honesty of that.

Geva would never give her a compliment she hadn’t earned, and Beatin would never make an allowance for carelessness or waste, just for a few military victories she’d been involved in. Fufucha has the same verdant dreams of peace Frydlona does, but even softer and brighter, not the hard sheen of midday sunlight on ripe crops but the shimmering haze of dawn sunlight on spring shoots. Brithael and Serendipity need her. Redolent Rose and Lyngsath and Adalberta respect her accomplishments, easily and naturally, and the things she accomplishes matter—finding and making things people can actually use. Severian’s legendary temper and mysterious project both mean she can understand the scraps of tolerance he tosses at her as sincere praise. The example H’naanza wants from her has nothing to do with luck or violence and everything to do with skill.

Sisipu, admittedly, does admire Frydlona for her luck, but that’s just fishing for you.

Not one of them would entrust Frydlona with responsibilities she hasn’t earned, when they have so many apprentices and journeymen who could benefit from those same opportunities. She could be anyone, to them, just the same Frydlona Merlgeimwyn who’d first left Cliffhide what seems like both years and days ago looking for a chance to make herself a new home.

The apprentices really don’t recognize her, for the most part, especially the ones in Limsa Lominsa where Frydlona looks profoundly ordinary. She does stand out in Gridania, a bit, but even there it seems people just don’t think to recognize her.

After all, what would the Warrior of Light, the Defender of Eorzea, be doing squaring off logs for apprentices’ lessons, or crawling around the Greatloam Growery helping weed? Surely she has better things to be doing with her time, more important things, like slaying dragons or rescuing princes, or some other faerie-tale nonsense.

She likes it best that way.

[zekekaiju]

The Batman 4/10

Spoiler free zone

I recently saw The Batman and I gotta say I'm not impressed.  Now some of my complaints are specific to plot details but I'll do my best to list as many as I can in the spoiler free zone. The three biggest complaints from a technical perspective is the writing, specifically the dialogue, the pacing and the light choices.

I get it, it's Gotham, it's dark, it's gloomy, but one light per household and nigh perpetual rain is over doing it. Seriously, it is almost always raining outside and is always overcast. Now to give credit where it's due the movie does a better job then many modern movies of making sure the poor lighting doesn't obstruct the action and, the use of shadows in a few scenes was well done. Overall the lack of light is not a deal breaker but it does make it less enjoyable.

More irritating for me was the pacing. Everything in the movie moves slowly. People walk pretty much everywhere all the time. They talk slowly, no one ever appears to be in a hurry to do anything. Even some of the chase scenes feel slow. The movie is 3 hours long and I couldn't help but think that the time could have been cut if someone had been willing to run somewhere. This could have been a really cool effect if only Batman was the one who moved slowly. It would have given the impression of being in control and methodical. But since everyone was doing it the effect was lost.

The dialogue is subpar. I don't want to spoil things but at one point Batman is asked " do you know my reputation" he responds "yeah I do, do you". Batman asks a man if he knows his own reputation and whatever they were going for there doesn't work. The dialogue frequently feels unnatural and stilted, like someone was trying to be clever but weren't very good at it.

So those are the negatives, what are the positives and what does this movie do well. Well to start off with as I mentioned earlier their use of shadows is effective. The movie showcases how Batman has turned the shadows into a point of fear for the criminal underworld. He uses them to pull his classic disappearing act and they are overall well utilized. 

The characters are written well enough. I don't dislike the heroes and I do dislike the villains so that's good. The fight scenes are reasonably well choreographed. They aren't anything really special like a more intense action movie like Jason Bourne but they are still pretty good. It also has some good messages, points about vengeance and how you go about helping people and righting wrongs.

SPOILER ZONE

Spoilers past this point

The main way this Batman movie fails as a Batman movie is in the villains. Now I didn't always love Pattinson's Batman and there were some definite things I would have done differently with him but he was recognizably Batman. The penguin and the Riddler were not recognizably themselves. The movie did also have Catwoman and carmine falconi in it and they were alright. Catwoman acted more as an anti-hero then a villain, and rarely actually stole anything. Overall I feel her characterization was just alright. She was obviously Catwoman but in my opinion she was neither a groundbreaking new rendition of the character nor a comfortable retred of old ground. She was something in between which didn't quite work for me. Carmen falconi was your stereotypical mob boss. He wasn't anything special and that's a good thing. When you have supervillains such as the Riddler, the penguin or even calendar man, your mobsters should feel fairly stereotypical and boring so your supervillains can stand out. The villains don't stand out; they actually seem to fade into the background. The penguin is a minor villian definitely not a major character, which in of itself I don't have an issue with. I don’t think for the most part you need more than one supervillian in the first movie of any franchise. My issue is that he is not recognizably a penguin. He is a portly cigar smoking mobster. There is no penguin-like laugh, there is no monocle, or tophat. His style of dress is not terribly distinctive and he doesn’t have an umbrella once throughout the entire movie. It is frequently raining. Go for the low hanging fruit. He wouldn’t have even had to use the umbrella as a weapon, just carrying one would have made him more like the penguin. DC comic has a tendency to embrace gritty realism to the point that it swallows up the distinctive aspects of their characters.

Now the penguin isn’t the main villain he is a side character. The main supervillain is the riddler, or as I like to call him lame nerdy joker in a trash bag outfit. There is nothing really that stands out as the Riddler. He is a man in a plastic bag talking through a voice modulator. He is insane which is unnecessary for the plot of the film cause his motivation makes sense outside of his insanity. He needs to only have a slightly lower sense of empathy or a slightly more misguided sense of morality and you have an intelligent foil with the same perceived values as Batman. This would force Batman to seriously evaluate his mission, it would actually push him to change from a symbol of vengeance to a symbol of hope. As it is Riddler is just a less unique and interesting joker in this movie. It's a disappointment as he could have been so much better. 

Overall the show had potential but it was stymied by interesting concepts not going anywhere and the general way dc handles Batman movies