#;asks; who dwells?;

[puppppppppy]

you are umasou

[turquoisemagpie]

Appreciate the little things.

Not to ignorantly deny all of the big bad things in the world, but to survive them.

[ducktracy]

are you anti "sour-puss" daffy? that characterization of him is the primary one in my head. like duck amuck is epitome of daffy in my mind.

CRACKS KNUCKLES SO LOUDLY THEY EXPLODE. i’m giving my “HEADS UP THIS WILL LIKELY BE EXHAUSTIVE” warning now because i love love love love love love love love any chance to talk and analyze and pontificate about the duck. TLDR: YES AND NO

SO. i don’t consider myself “anti sour-puss” so much as i would consider my stance “if Daffy has to be more egocentric and miserly than he usually is then i prefer a very specific set of circumstances for this to be the case”. i have warmed up to the Jones and Freleng duck of the ‘50s onward CONSIDERABLY in recent years—there was a point where i just refused to touch any Daffy short made after a certain point because i knew it would make me frustrated and sad and mad and that’s, respectfully, ridiculous!

it took me watching the Speedy and Daffy cartoons to realize that Daffy in THOSE shorts is what i thought Daffy was in the Jones and Freleng shorts. it dwindles a bit over time (compare how he behaves in The Hunting Trilogy to something like Ali-Baba Bunny, which is a short i still have yet to come around to for that reason—i don’t like the “MINE MINE MINE GO GO GO DOWN DOWN DOWN” duck very much and my issue was that i thought he behaved that way in every single cartoon after a certain point which is thankfully incorrect!), but there’s still some nuance. by the time we’re getting to shorts where Daffy is saying “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO STARVE ON MY PROPERTY” is when i fully throw in the towel lol

another thing that’s helped me warm up is the realization that Daffy’s personality change is not nearly as objective as it’s made out to be. he has always had an ego, he’s always been reckless, impulsive, and yes, this absolutely includes the ‘30s shorts! Chuck’s Duck is Chuck’s Duck from day one with the line “not bad for a guy that never took a lesson in his life!”.

Scalp Trouble has Daffy on an ego trip fancying himself as an army general (and there is a legitimate, honest to god small dick metaphor joke in that short because he has this huge giant sword sheath that is indiscreetly phallic in design, only to reveal a tiny little dagger), ordering people around and essentially LARPing in this role we immediately know is way too big for him. and when it comes time to battle, what does he do but spend the majority of his time cowering in a corner.

he’s always had these traits! maybe they’re a bit more primitive earlier on, some other traits are a greater priority. but Drip-Along Daffy is one of my favorite Chuck Jones shorts because it’s basically a sequel to The Great Piggy Bank Robbery. and you could argue the same with Duck Dodgers! all shorts have him fantasizing about a hero role that is clearly too big for him to fill, and he is absolutely getting the biggest kick out of assuming this role. Drip-Along is still early enough to also have this sort of innocence and unflappability (that may more accurately be described as delusion or ignorance): when Daffy gets no reception whatsoever in the bar, instead of screaming at everyone to look at him, he just marches to the next order of business and indulges in his next part of his fantasy. this NEVER would have happened had the short come out 5-10 years after when it did.

likewise, the Daffy of the ‘50s and ‘60s is still insane, it’s just a different manifestation of how that’s the case. earlier on, he’s a bit more visibly unhinged. his HOOHOOHOOing fits are a catharsis that you can just FEEL crawling up his throat and dying to get out, and in the really early shorts you can see this sort of half and half battle between cognizance and succumbing to insanity (The Daffy Doc and Porky’s Last Stand especially come to mind). it’s an insanity that relieves itself through sheer manic catharsis. as time goes on, he matures a bit, he knows how to keep better wraps on it; the manners in which he gratifies his impulses just shifts.

and also, Daffy can still very much be a sourpuss early on! Bob McKimson’s Daffy, whose interpretation is very integral in my sort of mental default of who Daffy is, can be very bitter and cynical in particular! or, again, early shorts like The Daffy Doc or Scalp Trouble where he’s more argumentative and his ego is clearly much more tender.

the seeds of what Daffy would become have all been planted, and so that’s allowed me to bristle a bit less and lower my haunches. and i am making more progress in coming around to the later shorts! i’ve been on a Chuck Jones kick recently and been watching lots of Chuck Jones Daffy shorts and enjoying them. i love Drip-Along, Duck Dodgers, Duck Amuck, Deduce You Say, Robin Hood Daffy—i’ve even come around to Rabbit Seasoning which is kind of NUTS to me because there was awhile where i was acting like Bugs and Daffy shorts killed my firstborn. “pronoun trouble” is an inside joke with my friend and dear lord i laugh every time at Daffy’s reactions to Elmer falling for Bugs’ drag act, and the ENDING!!!! omg. i love it. i’ve come around to Beanstalk Bunny as well! it’s a great short!! in getting to know the duck better and understanding how nuanced his development is, i’ve gone a bit softer which is good.

i was just chatting about this recently—i think most of the thorns in my side come from the Daffy and Bugs pair-ups. what i like best and get most out of each character, i get none of when they’re together. i’d rather see Bugs behaving and doing something else, and the same for Daffy. i’m not opposed to a sourpuss Daffy so much as i really don’t like seeing him suffer. i feel like the Bugs and Daffy shorts “punch down” a bit more on him, and i still haven’t found a way to really properly articulate this… i’ll just copy and paste what i was saying the other day here:

Daffy earlier on has all the traits above we talked about, but the difference is that he isn’t really shamed for them outright? of course we’re meant to laugh at his cowardice as he says “go… back… in again….” to the giant towering rat gangster he screamed at to confront him, we’re of course supposed to laugh at the asininity and selfishness of him dodging the draft and taking the Little Man From the Draft Board down with him by locking him in a safe and suffocating him. Daffy isn’t exactly meant to be a role model (but that still doesn’t stop me from finding his bombasm and exuberance and zest for life extremely empowering!), but there’s less narrative pushback against it. seeing Daffy be Daffy and have every action be interrupted by another character rolling their eyes going “oh brother” is where i have a problem, it just sucks the air out of the room for me. especially when Daffy is made to feel ashamed or beaten down for this as well. that’s why i enjoy shorts like Beanstalk Bunny or Drip-Along so much, ending with stuff like “it’s a living!” or being contented in his new position that is often very degrading and a direct consequence of his impulsiveness. a huge part of Daffy’s charm for me is his resilience (even if that equates to ignorance at times), if he wants something he will go to absolutely asinine lengths to get it! and i love that! his drive is so admirable! and i just feel like after awhile that resilience is lost. the issue isn’t that Daffy is a loser, as he’s lost quite a bit before that—moreso, he doesn’t have that good humor about being a loser anymore

I’M ALMOST DONE I PROMISE. but my tags in that video post, as i said in them, i watched The Million Hare the other day which is a short i very much dislike. and it’s not really out of anger or “UUUURGH NOT MY DAFFY”, but moreso it just makes me SO. DAMN. DEPRESSED.

this is the most soul sucking image i’ve ever seen. i get genuinely sad that the cartoons have devolved to starting with “characters watching TV because they’re too bored to do anything, and Bugs just joins him”. no part of this is the resilient, impulsive, manic, pleasure seeking duck that carried us through the past few decades. and this certainly doesn’t represent the wily, impish, inciting rabbit of the past few decades either! Bugs has a greater excuse since i know there’s the pattern of his domestication and Jones’ rule of Bugs minding his own business before being provoked, etc. but man. this image just represents all of my problems with the later shorts and dynamics. the characters are hollow and so are the stories and the directors are checked out or moving onto greater things, and i think all of that just coagulates and manifests in the characters.

I HAVE SO MUCH MORE I CAN SAY but i’m finally realizing i’ve gone on way way way too long and don’t even know if i answered the question all that well LOL. don’t even get me started on “modern”interpretations of Daffy… [starts ranting about how TLTS killed my family for the 80th time as i’m gently lured into the nursing home].

BUT! to answer your question! i’m not really opposed to a more cynical and conceited duck because those traits have always been there, just in varying degrees of intensity. my ideal duck is definitely one locked in the ‘40s—Frank Tashlin and Bob Clampett’s Daffy have always been my favorite, but i’ve sort of adopted a coagulation of Art Davis, Bob McKimson, Norm McCabe and Friz Freleng’s duck as my mental default. i am extremely protective and loving and fanatical of Daffy, i love him more than any cartoon character and i resonate with him more than any cartoon character! i bet he too would also spend an hour typing up a diatribe on his character evolution and how he’s been sorely misrepresented. maybe. Daffy is one of the most varied characters of all time, and it’s really hard to pin him down for this reason. i like a duck that best has a bit of a balance between his traits, and i get more chafed when he’s made more narrow and transparent and just “flanderized” (for lack of a better word) to one or two tropes that then speak louder than his character. i prefer shorts that are more sympathetic and celebratory of Daffy rather than admiring how funny he is as a loser. which, he is funny! but IUNNO. i like a more upbeat and resilient and charming duck, and he can be all of these things later on, but it unfortunately does get fleeting

[ushas42]

I'm not sure I agree with Martellus's assessment here. Yes, I think he's right that this is an attempted attack on Mechanicsburg, but I don't think the Queen of the Dawn is behind it. I think it's much more likely that Patel is acting on standing orders from Klaus himself, regarding what to do if it looks like the timestop is about to be lifted. It being the Queen of the Dawn requires that Patel be either a revenant or loyal to Lu/Zola, neither of which I think are likely. It being Klaus only requires that Patel be more loyal to Klaus than he is to Gil.

Because we haven't really been dwelling on all the conflicting loyalties that are about to pop up once there are two Baron Wulfenbachs running around. I can't imagine that Gil hasn't given it a lot of thought, but what's the plan? How are they going to prevent Vole's predicted "messy, terrible, civil var"? I know Gil doesn't *want* the empire, but as things are he can't safely hand it back over to Klaus. They'd better have a way to yeet his ass back to Skifander or some such or this is only going to get worse.

[nana2009]

so, you made that art abt yandere Dave (the latest one) what’s the backstory behind it???

you sea, sweetie, when daddy loves mommy very much but they arent together, drastic measurements have to be taken......fortunately, dave has been trained his whole life, and knos exactly what to do! :D

[sunflowersunite]

You seem to be very bent on positivity (which is a beautiful thing, by the way). Is there anything in nature besides sunflowers which you've seen that inspires you?

Thank you for the ask, @starshower1215!!! This is a very interesting question actually. Tbh sunflowers and stuff in nature are lovely but the things that inspired me to stop seeing the worse in situations lie deeper, and it took time and effort to become this way (and I'm still trying). Appreciating nature (and sunflowers) just came as a result.

So let's see what there is that I appreciate.

Mornings. I like having the whole day ahead of me.

The hour just after a summer sunset. A lingering light between day and night.

Stars. Millions of explosions and dead things which aren't there anymore, but the light of which we still see. Because death doesn't mean forgetting. People made stories out of those dead things and still do, so they still guide us, they still matter.

⭐

Speaking of which, stories. I think it counts. People are in nature and stories are deeply rooted in people. I've appreciated stories since I was young and they mean the world to me.

Standing under a tree while it rains, water dripping down the leaves onto the ground around you. At least you're dry. At least you're safe for a while.

The sea, always. The best secret keeper. Only there it is that things can be gone forever, never to be found. It's a friend and your worst enemy at the same time. The flow of rivers, the crash of waves. It sounds like home.

When nature reclaims human structures. Abandoned castles and walls and houses. Ivy growing around them, moss onto the stones. Soon, they'll return where they belong.

Black holes in the universe. An actual paradox for us to witness. A miracle of physics, a bend of spacetime. They're just wonderful.

Mountains. They're so big. I'm happy they're here otherwise the world would be boring. I like seeing villages built around them, on them.

Birds and cats and dogs. If an animal can worry less about what it's going to eat the next day, so can I.

People. They can be very helpful, if you know where to turn.

I appreciate all those things. What is there not to appreciate anyway? 🙃

[brittlebutch]

i really do still routinely forget how old i am. i have finally moved past the impulse-answer of still being a teenager, but now i seem to be stuck at like '22' and then i get jumpscared by the 'you are 27 years old' that finally clicks in a second later.

[aceghostsarchive]

2, 12, 22 and 32 from the fifty (more) rook questions pls!

Thank you for sending these in! I had fun diving into some of the scenes.

fifty (more) questions for rook

A scene from Rook’s year with Varric and Lace:

“Aren’t you a good boy?” Zalan praises, scratching the chestnut mabari behind his ear. He confidently barks, sticking his chest out proudly; He is a good boy. Behind them, someone giggles. “Didn’t know you were such a fan of mabari,” Harding says, as Zalan stands up. The mabari leans against their leg, begging for more pets, and Zalan rubs his head. “They’re good dogs. I know a few wardens at Weisshaupt who had them.” Dogs were loyal, faithful creatures, but mabaris were different. The ones they met at Weisshaupt were utterly loyal and devoted to their owners; always by their side through thick and thin. It wasn’t unheard of for a mabari to follow their warden into the deep roads when the calling came. “I always wanted one since I was a kid.” Kind of like the Hero of Ferelden or other wardens of legend.

“Really?” Zalan nods as Harding asks, “How come you never had one? Was it because of the circle? Zalan tenses; an adopted qunari in the Anderfels was definitely not going to have a mabari. It would have drawn too much attention, and they already drew too much attention as a lone qunari, trying to hide their magic. The mabari gently nudges his head against Zalan’s hand, and they swallow, playing off the bitter memory. “Couldn’t have one because it was too cold. I grew up in the mountains of the Anderfels; a mabari wouldn’t do well there.” The only dogs Zalan grew up around were livestock guardian dogs with thick fur so white that they almost seemed to blend into the snow. “And every time a mabari became available at Weisshaupt, I was out in the field. What about you? You're Ferelden; you must have had one.” Before she can answer, Varric steps out of the Tavern. “Got our next lead on Chuckles;” He smirks as his eyes settle on the mabari, “Recruiting a new team member, Rook?” Smirking back at Varric, they tease, “We already decided that he’s getting your bed roll and rations.” Varric laughs. “You sure about that? Seems like the type of dog to kick you out of your own bed roll.” The mabari barks affirmatively, and the three let out a laugh. “Come on, we have to go.” Zalan gives the mabari a final scratch behind the ear, “You be good, okay?” The mabari whines, almost as if he’s sad to see them go. As they follow Varric and Harding, Zalan casts one final backward glance towards the mabari, who wags his tail as he locks eyes with Zalan. “After we stop Solas,” Harding says, falling into step with Zalan, “You should come with me to Ferelden; we’ll get you a real mabari.” They break out into a wide grin. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

(That definitely doesn't hurt considering what happens to Harding in my playthrough. 😭)

An argument between Rook and their LI(s):

(Context: I imagine this takes place before Zalan and Emmrich actually get together.)

“Bellara, you think you can get that Artifact working?” She nods, a determined glint in her eye. “I can do it. Someone will need to distract the guardian; I won't be able to fix the artifact with it attacking.” That’s all Zalan needs to hear. “Emmrich, go with Bellara. You watch her back if anyone tries to sneak up on her while she’s fixing it.” “And you are?” Emmrich asks, a hint of anxiety in his voice. “Playing the distraction.” Not the first time they’ve played the distraction, and certainly not the last. As they go to vault themself over the wall, Emmrich grabs their right wrist, pulling them back down into a crouch. “Are you certain that’s the best course of action?” They’re touched by the concern in his voice, but this plan will work; Zalan knows it. If the large guardian is focused on them, it won’t be aiming for Bellara, and they can’t risk anyone getting to her while she’s working. “We should-.” “No,” Zalan replies curtly, “I can do this. Trust me.” Does he not trust them to do this? “It’s not a matter of trust, but rather getting yourself killed. You cannot face it on your-.” Bellara nervously cuts in. “Maybe-.” “We don’t have time for this.” Every second they waste is another chance for someone to get hurt, another dereliction of their duty. Slipping out of Emmrich’s grasp, Zalan commands, “Get ready to run for the artifact.” With that, they vault themself over the wall, running towards the guardian. They whistle sharply, fully gaining the guardian’s attention as it turns toward them. Hefting its battle axe, the guardian descends upon them. It swings, blade whistling in the air. Zalan’s spell orb crackles in their hand as they duck under the large blade. Please, please let Bellara succeed. Eventually, Bellara must succeed as they hear the artifact right itself with a loud pop. “Rook,” Bellara yells from behind, “we’ve got it-.” Zalan turns to face her, a rookie mistake, one they should know better than to make. Taking advantage of the distraction, the guardian swings its axe, catching Zalan in the side with the flat side of the blade, sending them flying. As they land a few feet away, someone screams their nickname, the sound of a fight resuming. A few moments later, the fight ends with Bellara and Emmrich rushing over to them. “I’m-,” a pained wheeze escapes Zalan as they get up onto their feet, “fine.” “We need to get you to the lighthouse-.” “What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed.” Emmrich sounds terrified. "You should have-." “Not the first time I’ve nearly gotten myself killed.” They had far too many close calls, far too many to be comfortable with. “But this might be the first time I’ve gotten lectured by someone so handsome.” Emmrich’s eyes widen, stunned by their shameless, perhaps inappropriate flirting. Bellara, wisely, chooses this moment to intervene. “Come on. Back to the lighthouse we go.”

(As always, Zalan picks the worst time to start flirting. I like to imagine quite a few of Zalan and Emmrich's arguments focus on Zalan's attempts to downplay the very real danger they face rather than acknowledging it.)

In Rook’s opinion, was the best meal Bellara prepared? And Lucanis?

Zalan really enjoyed the Tevinter Khachapuri that Bellara made. What can they say? They’re a sucker for cheese and bread.

Zalan is a fan of anything that Lucanis cooks. (It's always a good night when he cooks.) They always enjoy the desserts that he makes.

Did Rook uncover Solas’s memories? Any particular revelation shake them especially?

Yep. Zalan managed to find all the wolf statues and uncover all his memories. Solas's memories were certainly something, but the revelation about the Blight really shook them as a Grey Warden. All the destruction caused by the blight-families torn apart, lands inhabitable, lives destroyed-could have been avoided if Solas had stood up to Mythal and the Evanuris. Zalan knows they can't change the past, but they can stop Solas and the Evanuris, no matter what.

[sexysilverstrider]

My thoughts on Volo’s Togepi loving him and him having multiple Pokémon who are friendship evolutions while also having “love for Pokémon” as a disliked topic in Pokemas is that Volo is someone who manipulates others for his own purposes. He’ll play the long game and take on whatever facade he needs to in order to get what he wants out of others, whether they’re people or Pokémon. The thing is, he’s done it for so long he no longer recognizes when those actions and feelings of his have sincerity to them. So I think he does love his Pokémon as much as they love him. But Volo may not recognize that the care he shows his Pokémon is real after so much time spent deceiving others. And maybe, after so much time putting on facade after facade, he doesn’t want to take the time to think about and realize those genuine feelings he has.

ANON IM SICK AGAIN

[anon-unofficial]

hey so. um. i was told that lmk didn't have any pain. and. haha. haha. haHa...what the f

[cynicalmusings]

actually, because of that secret secret i just read, i’m going to post this thought before i forget about it, actually — for the last few days i’ve been turning over the idea of dan heng x reader where the reader, a chef or at least competent cook, joins the express and works as chef to save everybody from himeko’s… creative dinner plans (inspired by the recent event)… and there’s something about the effortless, easy confidence with which you navigate the kitchen which dan heng admires. it’s an art form of its own, really.

(plus, as i mentioned, everyone loves you because you’re there to step in and lend some guidance when himeko decides it’s her turn to cook…..)

[dragonpigeons]

Where is part 3 of roommates? (RIIDA X DEKU)

Lost in the tumbling pipes of time along with the one black sock I've lost the pair for.

I'm joking. I have it in my drive but I've not touched it in A Time. It's been like 5 years. I wasn't really sure where to take the fic at the time so I stopped and then I got into other stuff. Maybe I'll get back to it some day soon, now that the hype for BNHA is resurfacing again with the end of the manga and the ongoing season.

No promises though. My priorities do lie elsewhere, like my recovery (I've been in hospital) and generally getting my life in order. Fandom stuff in general has been put on hold. Art in general has been put on hold. There's a lot I need to sort out coz dang my life was a hot mess before lol. I need to dedicate my energies towards getting it straightened out. It's gonna take time.

Thank you for your interest in my RiiDeku Roommates fic. It's always pleasant to hear that somebody out there is reading it even after all this time. Hope you have a nice day.

[kakusu-shipping]

⏰ and 👶 for N!

Waaaugh N my beloved <3

⏰ Somehow you meet your F/O when they were a little kid. What are they like? How do you interact with them?

I scoop him up and run as far away as I can from Ghetsis. Even if he struggles, or fights back I get him out of there and somewhere that man will never again find him.

I'd also.. probably apologize.. for abandoning him.. Disappearing without a word like that....

👶 Switch time! Your F/O meets YOU when you were little. How do they interact with younger you? How would your younger self interact with them?

Younger me would be very sad to meet older N. He doesn't look as happy as he did when they'd run and play in the forest as children. He doesn't try to use moves or battle wild Pokemon anymore. He seems so much quieter, so much more distant...

I don't think N would know how to interact with younger me. He's not really ready to face how much he's grown and changed... Was he always this much bigger than me? Was he always so much stronger? When did he change? Why did he change? How can he.. go back?

[silver-queen]

BOY YOU'RE RUMINATING AGAIN BOY

[the-kipsabian]

hey

dont talk shit about other peoples tattoos or ridicule them for getting whatever on their bodies just cause they wanted to. not your body, not your decision or place to comment

thats all

[showfallmediamaintenance]

what does it say? -?

'Hello I rekognise you from my mommas old picktures of her and my uncle and his friends! i hope you liked the apple i got you. bye!'

This was written by a little kid. What the fuck. What the actual fuck.