#(And also the architecture of his own destruction)
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hayanahed · 1 year ago
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Emergency: Help Evacuate My Family From GAZA WAR
Dear Humanity,
I'm Haya from Gaza , from a family of 8 people: my parents, two sons, and four daughters (two of them suffer from allergies).
I've witnessed the evidence of the tragedy that has struck our lives in Gaza, where my family and I have survived amidst numerous previous wars. But today, we face the most dangerous and fierce battle in the current war. The urgent need intensifies for us, as we have nothing left and are unable to secure our basic needs such as food, water, and safe shelter.
Here is our story - On October 7th, our lives changed forever, my family and I evacuated from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, hoping to return soon, but it wasn't meant to be. Our home was surrounded, burned, and then completely destroyed, Our home, once a fortress of hope, now lay in ruins, a stark reminder of our shattered dreams.
The night before we left from the north to the south was terrifying. Shelling sounds were everywhere, making a loud noise that felt like it went through our souls. Every explosions shook the ground like earthquakes, sending shockwaves of fear through our trembling bodies. filling us with fear. The air smelled of destruction and blood, making it hard to breathe. When dawn came, we saw the devastation around us, realizing our home was now a symbol of loss and despair.
We ran into the streets and with each step we took into the unknown streets, we felt as if we were plunging deeper into the abyss of our shattered existence, leaving behind everything we own in our home: Clothes, important official documents, the car, and literally it's almost everything - the enormity of our loss weighed heavily upon us.
Our home it was where we found hope, safety, and made precious memories. Losing it felt like losing years of our lives, leaving us adrift amidst the wreckage of our shattered existence.
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A brief video depicting the devastation that struck our home and our entire neighborhood in Gaza.
Desperate Plea: Escaping Gaza's Allergy Nightmare
I, Haya, suffer from severe allergy to penicillin-derived medications, and my sister, Amal, also suffers from severe allergies to medications from my family such as Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.
These allergies create a deep sense of fear and anxiety for us, as we live in a constant state of tension and fear of anything that may require a visit to the hospital. We fear being given inappropriate medications due to the unavailability of suitable treatments in Gaza because of war or lack of awareness and not informing the doctor of our allergies, which could lead to serious consequences threatening our lives.
MY Father Income
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Our dreams are heading towards oblivion in the labyrinth of an uncertain future
My story, along with my siblings, represents a united team of four individuals, three of whom are skilled programmers and one graphic designer. We work as freelancers in the world of freelancing.
As for my younger sister, she is a student studying at the College of Architecture. She has always carried a big dream in her heart, a dream of being part of changing Gaza, of making it more beautiful and better. She looked forward to the day when she would receive her degree and start building this dream. But the beginning of the war changed everything. The destruction of infrastructure and universities cast shadows of despair over her dreams.
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When I think of my brother in Belgium, I can't help but feel deep sadness. He has been suffering from unbearable anxiety and insomnia since the outbreak of the war. Sleep eludes him at night, and his physical and mental health collapses under the weight of these heavy burdens, negatively affecting his performance at work. Problems and challenges pile up in front of him without the slightest opportunity for rest.
We all feel psychological pressure and extreme anxiety. The war hasn't been limited to external attacks but has deeply infiltrated our daily lives. We search among the rubble for a little safety and the basic resources for survival. Every day comes with a new challenge that we must overcome.
As we sway amidst the rubble of shattered dreams, our souls wrestle and our hearts beat strongly challenging the ravages of war.
Our parents earnestly seek a way to rescue us from this hell, feeling the heavy responsibility for every moment we spend under the shadows of fear and destruction. They dream of a safe place where they can build for us a better future, filled with security and hope, for we deserve life in all its meanings of comfort and peace.
Perhaps this fundraising campaign represents a light in the midst of darkness, it is indeed the only hope we cling to firmly.
I appeal to the world as a whole to hear my cry and the mournful cry of my family in Gaza. We need the helping hand that reaches out to wipe our tears and build a bridge to safety.
Your donation is not just a donation; it's an opportunity to rebuild life and brighten a better tomorrow. Be part of our hopeful story, for we need your hand to start anew.
The purpose of the fundraising campaign
The goal of this fundraising campaign is to rescue my family - my parents, my siblings, and me - through the Rafah Crossing to Egypt, which currently requires $5000 per person. This campaign is our only chance to stay alive, and I humbly request your assistance at this critical time. I will provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses, committing to transparency and clarity.
All of our important links are here https://linktr.ee/hayanahed
Verified by :
⭐️ operation olive branch, number 26 on their spreadsheet. (On Master list)
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⭐️ Project watermelon,line 249 on their spreadsheet. Or you could see it as number 212 here is the photo for more clear proof
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Thank you for your kindness and support.
.جزاكم الله خيراً
yours sincerely;
Haya Alshawish.
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kiragecko · 11 months ago
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Story Idea
Telekinetic supervillain who REALLY loves historical architecture. Living in a superhero universe where heroes keep crashing through stained glass windows and leveling entire streets. As well as the normal corruption causing building to be demolished or “restored” in extremely destructive ways.
Kinda has Poison Ivy vibes, without any of the femme fatale trappings - her entire focus is preserving historical valuable buildings, and she doesn’t really care if humans that get in the way die. But she also isn’t going out of her way to kill people.
And the leader of the local superhero team can see where she’s coming from. And decides that just throwing her in jail every time she acts up is a sign they’re failing in their duty to protect the city. Instead, he starts trying to gain her trust. He doesn’t care that much about buildings, but he works on lessening his team’s collateral damage. He promises the supervillain that he’ll try to pressure the city government if she brings problems to him rather than taking them into her own hands. Eventually, he convinces her that she can protect the city’s infrastructure better by being on his team than she can on her own.
She’s incredibly helpful! She will keep burning buildings from collapsing until everyone can get out and the fire is extinguished. She’ll hold skyscrapers up while supervillains reign destruction down around them. She’ll deconstruct traps and grumpily direct her teammates towards the hidden mastermind who set them up. And when the crisis is over, she’ll see what can be salvaged and rebuild it if possible.
But she’s a PR nightmare.
Former Supervillain refuses to help people. She DOES NOT care. Your kid is trapped in the burning building? That is not her problem. Go bother someone else. Dude is holding a bunch of people hostage? It’s fine, he’s not causing any damage to the building he’s in.
People DO NOT like this attitude. People do not accept that she’s part of a team, and other heroes are capable of filling the “empathy” and “human rescuing” gaps.
And she’s high maintenance! The team frequently end up in situations where protecting lives is in conflict with protecting property. They take missions that mean very little to them, because they’re important to her. And the leader is constantly having to talk her out of rampages, pressuring the government to drop lucrative and unethical contracts, and making sure she’s sticking to the plan in the field. And she isn’t interested in interpersonal relationships or social niceties, so none of them are even doing this out of friendship!
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Sometimes, you help someone not because they’ll be grateful, but because it will make your community better. Sometimes, you help the local drug addict not because he’s likely to turn his life around, but because he smashes less windows when he has a warm, quiet space to stay. And sometimes, keeping that community benefit takes a long term commitment.
I want to see a superhero team turn a villain as harm prevention and then willingly bear the cost of keeping that villain from causing harm. Not because it’s rewarding (though there are rewards) but because it’s more effective than any other method. And I want the villain to go along with it because the heroes actually found a more efficient way for her to reach her goals.
And it being messy for everyone, but I want them to make it work. And it to be worth it, in the end.
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cartoonartistpng · 4 months ago
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In the spirit of Unleashed gaining an (unofficial) PC port, here are the designs for Dadphiles Werehogs!
(Dadphiles AU Masterpost)
Tidbits:
Follows after the events of 06 (obviously)
Silver has newly moved in with them, but after witnessing the destruction of their father along with the reveal of who he is, the brothers are left to pick up the pieces
Silver struggles to not only find his place in this family Sonic and Shadow have formed, but his place in a time and world completely unfamilial
Sonic, Shadow, and Tails (along with all their friends) try to help Silver acclimate to the very different society
Due to surviving his timeline while everyone else (including the Blaze he knew) was erased, Silver feels a form of Survivor’s Guilt. This coupled with his paranoia from years in an apocalypse makes Silver a bit of a Helicopter Sibling in regards to his brothers
After a talk, Silver endeavors to trust Sonic and Shadow when they go after Eggman’s space fleet alone with just the emeralds. However, after learning they both got hurt and turned into Werehogs, all that guilt and paranoia comes back full force as Silver blames himself for not being able to protect them
Sonic and Shadow get frustrated with Silver’s protectiveness, with Shadow even blowing up at Silver at one point
Silver and Tails bond as Sonic and Shadow have to deal with the Dark Gaia creatures. Tails shares his sympathies and experiences with Silver as sometimes just having to trust that their brothers know what they’re doing (even if it doesn’t always look like it)
Silver gets to see more of a world not overrun by fire. His brothers are delighted to show both him and Chip all the different cultures, food, architecture, and nature the world has to offer
Shadow’s Black Arms DNA comes out a bit with this transformation
After Chip regains his memories, he gives answers to some of the questions the brothers didn’t get to ask Mephiles/Solaris. (This is also when they learn that Solaris isn’t necessarily dead, just that he won’t reform until millennium after they’re dead)
Where-as Sonic is forced to become a brawler when transformed, Shadow is forced to be a lot more agile and hit-and-run based than his preferred method of taking opponents head on
When the group gets separated at Eggman Land, Silver follows after Sonic and Shadow to meet Dark Gaia
Silver transforms for the first time with the Chaos Emeralds following his brothers’ weakened states after they’re drained by Dark Gaia. Soon after, Sonic and Shadow convince their brothers to let them fight alongside him
Super SSS squad + Ruin Mecha Chip vs. Dark Gaia ensues
The brothers finally come to an understanding, with Silver trusting that his brothers can take care of themselves and that this era is not nearly as dangerous as what he’s used to, while Sonic and Shadow promise to be a lot more patient with their brother
When they all get back home, Tails surprises Silver with his own garden, with seeds from different plants and fruit that they experienced around the world. (Not really part of Unleashed but this does lead Silver to experimentally cooking a bunch of random food together, failing horrifically, and the Prower Family sentencing him to cooking lessons from Vanilla.)
Extra tidbit:
These designs are based off my Big Chip design, which you can find under the “#Dark Noodle AU” tag on my pinned post
Stand Alones:
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two-stars · 11 months ago
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fuck it. I’m analyzing Dr Ratio’s eidolons.
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I interpret eidolons as different facets of a persons character, tying back into their journey in life. (Also this shit loooong so I’m putting it under cut)
1. Pride Comes Before a Fall: this phrase originates from the Bible (proverbs 16:18), which talk of how the sin of pride will eventually lead to destruction, and telling one to practice humility*. To me, this phrase refers possibly to Ratio’s desire to be noticed by Nous. His pride originating from his previous achievements, lauded and touted as a prodigy from a young age (this is, of course, speculation because MIHOYO WONT GIVE ME RATIO LOOREEE). Through this pride, we can obviously see what happens next: he is never noticed by Nous, this is his fall. Either in the eyes of others, or himself (as it is never outright stated that Ratio sought the gaze of Nous, but I subscribe heavily to this line of thinking, due to his voiceline when you max level him: “If this day I have not gained the recognition of Nous, it stands to reason I never will at any point in the future”).
2. The Divine is In the Details: This is an idiom, although it’s more commonly said as “God is in the details”. This phrase is meant to emphasize the importance of the smaller, overlooked details which make up the whole. This is used most often in art and architecture, but can be applied to many other things. I connect this to Ratio’s meticulous nature as a scholar and researcher, but I also draw lines to his 1st eidolon. After Ratio is rejected by the higher powers, he turns instead to the “insignificant” common people, realizing their importance— we know that Ratio values all life, even one’s “marked by failure”, which others may overlook. Real divinity is not the God, but rather the beauty of humanity’s falls and successes.
3. Know Thyself: This was a proverb written upon the temple of Apollo, in Delphi, Ancient Greece. This has many meanings, from knowing your limits (either as one’s place in the universe, or your own mortality), to the broader interpretation by Plato as knowing your soul, and a a common theme of through studying the self could one know the universe. All of these relate heavily to Ratio, considering his tenets of self-improvement. He also references in his line when he finds an enemy target, “You learn to know yourself before your enemy.” (Which is ALSO a quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.) I think this one is pretty self explanatory as a continuation to the previous Eidolons, after his rejection, he seeks to reevaluate (relearn) himself and his stance in life.
4. Ignorance Is Blight: This represents Ratio’s goal to eradicate ignorance and stupidity across the universe, but it is also a inverse on the popular idiom “ignorance is bliss”. This idiom is basically everything Ratio stands against, he will know and say the truth unfiltered, even if it is uncomfortable. I also see this as Ratio finally discovering his calling as a teacher.
5. Sic Itur Ad Astra*: Written in the Aeneid, meaning “thus one journeys to the stars”. It has merged over time with another phrase in the Aeneid, “opta ardua pennis astra sequi” (meaning: desire to pursue the difficult-to-reach stars) becoming the common encouragement, “Reach for the stars.” We know Ratio never settles for doing anything in halves, and as a teacher, he constantly pushes others and himself to reach for high goals. Although his methods can be harsh, it is ultimately through strife (“— it is only in moments on solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up.”), that he seeks to unlock the potential of every person. This is most obviously seen in the Trailblazer Continuance quest: Crown of Mundane and Divine where he leverages the situation to try and topple the blind worship of the Genius Society on the space station.
6. Vincit Omnia Veritas: Meaning: Truth conquers all things. Surface level, this one is pretty straightforward too, Ratio values truth highly, and to him, it is the antithesis to ignorance, and therefore knowledge. As his Ultimate voiceline goes, he says, “Knowledge is the measure of all things. It reveals truth, and falsehood.” What I want to focus on however, is his pose in the eidolon. It is the exact same pose as Michelangelo’s David statue. This depiction is of David before his famous battle with Goliath. In this eidolon, Ratio is the figure David, who was also known as a symbol of the protection of civil liberties. And in by interpretation, Goliath is the stupidity he wants to eradicate. Just as truth conquers all things, Veritas will conquer all ignorance.
*— I also think this is why he consistently downplays himself and avoids the spotlight (calling himself a supporting character).
*— fun fact, this phrase is also used as the motto of Cambridge University, very fitting.
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lesbianologist · 1 month ago
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You have such good analysis of this show, I need to ask. Do you think they are heading to a Deborah dies series finale? It seems like they've dropped hints in that direction (coughing in s4 finale, saying 18 months is a long time for her, telling DJ she can have her tennis bracelet when she dies). But also, they love a twist and I can't imagine their big twist, and what they've been scheming since 2015 is sunsetting their diva. It just seems too predictable. Would love to hear if you've given this any thought. (Also sent this to sapphicscholar, you two are my fav critical analyzers of this show)
this is so unbelievably sweet. this show invites such rich, layered reading, and it’s been a joy (and a quiet ache) to unpack what it’s doing. i’m grateful to be part of that conversation. thank you. truly.
i’ll answer as concisely as possible: no, i don’t believe the show is heading toward a “deborah dies” series finale—both because of what the creators have explicitly said and, more importantly, because of what this story is fundamentally about. it’s not a death narrative. it’s a transformation narrative. below the cut, i’ll unpack that further.
first, we have compelling reason to believe this isn’t the intended ending—both from the creators' own statements and from the architecture of the narrative itself. paul w. downs has explicitly stated that the storyline involving deborah’s obituary has been a central idea since season one, inspired by the story of alfred nobel. nobel, after reading a premature obituary labeling him “the merchant of death,” was confronted with how history would remember him—not as a visionary chemist, but as someone whose work brought destruction. it catalyzed a transformation. nobel responded not by retreating or dying, but by radically reshaping his legacy through the creation of the peace prize. that, downs says, is the model for deborah: a woman granted the rare and painful chance to see herself through the eyes of legacy, of what she's actually leaving behind in the eyes of others', and to decide if she can live with what she sees.
it’s not a conclusion; it’s a reckoning. not death, but the profound possibility of change. it boils down to this: can she choose it?
importantly, downs emphasized that this moment (this “obituary arc”) is designed to be the fire lit under deborah going into the final season. a spark, not a funeral pyre. and aniello, co-creator and showrunner, has affirmed that the series’ ending has always been clear in their minds (since 2015, allegedly), and part of the original pitch. while she acknowledged that it may extend (into a sixth season) (and paul has suggested the same elsewhere, i just can't find the link), the way she talks about the ending (wanting to do right by the characters, wanting to land their arcs with care) implies resolution, not tragedy. hacks is not a show that kills its protagonist for shock value (at least, i don't think so) (frankly, i think they were riffing on how a lot of shows do kill off characters lazily).
hacks is a show that takes its time, unearths its emotional bedrock, and builds toward something earned. it’s deliberate.
narratively, deborah’s mortality has never been the emotional center of the show. it’s been present, yes; everyone jokes about her dying on stage, and yes she even coughs ominously in the s4 finale, but all of that serves to highlight how aware she is of time. not how close she is to the end, but how terrified she is of not having used it well, of not leaving a legacy she's proud of. what���s more likely is that illness becomes a narrative device to reveal vulnerability, to deepen emotional stakes, to require deeper emotional care (eg. from someone like ava). not to trigger death, but to invite closeness. this is reinforced by a subtle detail: paul downs posted an image of elsa nursing anna back to health, captioned “hacks s5.” the symbolism is quiet, but clear. we’re not heading toward a deathbed, per say. but i do think we’re heading toward care, softness, the rare act of being held. of being cared for.
it makes perfect sense in the broader emotional landscape of the show, too.
deborah pushes everyone away, keeps everyone—including her daughter, sister, and friends she’s had for years—at arm’s reach. she keeps her vulnerabilities guarded, weaponized, withheld. she rarely tests others, rarely pushes back, mostly just engages in acts of harm without looking back. with ava, she doesn’t. her softness lives in the pauses between their sparring, in the moments when she lets her mask slip. no one else gets that from her. vulnerability, for deborah, is a scarce currency—and ava is the only one she spends it on freely.
at its core, hacks is a story about damage. the long shadow of frank’s betrayal, the loss of trust between sisters, the dream of late night turned to ash. deborah once had love, once had laughter, and built a life on it—only for it to collapse under the weight of ego, ambition, and betrayal. frank didn’t just sabotage her career. he stole something fundamental: the dream, the intimacy, the belief that she could have both love and legacy. what followed was decades of loneliness, pride, and estrangement. and then—ava. this strange, sharp, chaotic woman who made her feel again. who made her laugh. 
in one episode (though the number and season escapes me, because of course it does), deborah speaks to ava about marriage, about how essential it is to laugh with your partner, to be able to challenge each other. it’s one of the rare moments she lets something personal slip out under the guise of advice. what she’s really describing is longing. not just for companionship, but for something more rare: a partner who matches her wit, who provokes her, who sees her clearly and still wants to stay. it’s a description that doesn’t fit frank. it doesn’t fit marty. it barely fits anyone. except ava. ava brought her back to herself. “you made me want more for myself,” deb says. no one else has done that since frank. no one has replaced that part of her.
and maybe that’s what scares her most.
ava resurrects the dream. makes it real again. and the moment it threatens to cost her ava, deborah lets it burn—not because the dream didn’t matter, but because ava mattered more. because ava is everything. deborah calls her a creative partner, her voice, someone she loves. she could have used a million other words, like creative visionary, someone i admire, someone i trust, but she doesn't. she uses language that is rooted in love, devotion, partnership. her relationship with ava is unlike any other in her life: not transactional, not distant, not performative. it’s deeply intimate, revealing, and tender. it's steeped in the kind of romantic love she once shared with frank, but this time, unspoken and terrifyingly real.
hell, i sometimes wonder if deborah ever told frank about her childhood, her belief in hell but not heaven, or even when that belief ultimately developed.
the choice to choose ava over her dream is instinctive, gut-deep, and is what reveals the essential truth of the show: it was never about ambition, or the kind of legacy that's about career. it has always been about connection, about a legacy of love, of devotion, and about healing. it's spiritual, frankly, and it's why we see her following ava's suggestion to have new/fresh talent on the show after their talk about life and death, and heaven and hell. she believes in ava. the foundational truth in this show is about whether deborah can let go of the ghost of her past and choose something present, something alive. a different kind of legacy—not one etched in trophies or airtime, but in love.
frankly, i that’s why the season one finale ends with the phrase, “i think she will" as the title. it appears to float without context, but in retrospect, it’s the thematic hinge of the series. TIME magazine’s headline asked whether deborah would make history. by s4, we know she already has—she did make history, in resurrecting her late night career. but the deeper question is: will she heal? will she change? will she let herself be loved?
the photo from kathy, the one marcus threw out and ava saved—quietly reframed, subtly placed—is the thread tying all of this together. it’s the emotional fulcrum of the series. it’s a gesture of belief in deb. belief in heaven, in forgiveness, in healing.
and we can’t ignore the real-world meta-commentary, either.
in hacks, late night is still treated as the comedic summit, but that’s fiction. in reality, the genre has lost a lot of its cultural relevance. what remains is not prestige, but nostalgia. deb’s arc, then, may involve finally seeing that the mountaintop she’s spent her life climbing was a mirage, a constantly shifting emblem, and that it's not enough. she may realize that what she’s been chasing isn’t worth the cost if the goalpost is constantly shifting/changing.
so how does it end?
maybe a kiss. i'd be shocked if we don't reckon with their feelings about each other. i really would. maybe something scared, tender, unsure. more likely, a conversation—about the age gap, about boundaries, about what can and cannot be. a romantic pairing remains unlikely, given the history of TV and its failure to do right by sapphic stories. the pattern is clear, and the deck remains stacked. but they might take the risk.
still, what���s more probable is something subtler, but no less radical: legacy. not one signed in contracts or ratings, but one written in devotion. in choice. deborah leaving some of her life (material and emotional) to ava, mentoring her, choosing her, loving her, even if she can’t say it outright. even if it's as "close friends".
that’s what hacks has always been about: not whether deborah vance can be great in her career, or whether she and ava will kiss and/or become a couple, but whether she can let herself be loved, and whether or not she can heal and change.
if the show is as honest, intentional, and deliberate as it’s always been, then the answer will be: i think she will. because (i reference carol a lot, especially since they casually dropped it in the convo with kiki about deborah/ava): "everything comes full circle".
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blasphemousclaw · 9 months ago
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thank you for being so normal about the hornsent 🙏 Thank you cause jesus christ. anyways for the ask ermm The hornsent npc melina or messmer
you’re welcome I just got so attached to the hornsent while playing the dlc! after watching Belurat burn in the story trailer, going into the ruined city in the game and seeing all the graves and mourning spirits really affected me, and I’m honestly shocked that such a huge portion of the fanbase didn’t feel the same way. also they are literally so cool like look at their art and architecture. their armor sets. their divine beast dancing lion. if people can’t enjoy that because they’re “evil” well I have great news. they are not real
anyway here’s capital H Hornsent my best friend Hornsent
• favorite thing about them
how his quest ends with him attacking us no matter what we do. I know I know! it’s so frustrating that we can’t convince him we’re on his side! but the fact that he tries so hard to push us away just makes me love him more! he refuses our second offering of scorpion stew because he isn’t here to make friends, he’s here to win he’s given his life for his revenge... his line “I wish not to friendship kindle” drives me crazy because we have this moment of human connection with him, which he acknowledges, but he can’t let himself lose sight of his purpose! admit it Hornsent. you like me
also his character design and voice acting are fantastic
• least favorite thing about them
I already like how his character is handled but I think it would be even stronger if he or someone else dropped a few more details about life in Belurat before the crusade. he enacts his revenge not just in the name of his murdered family but his entire culture, and it would be nice to learn a few more hornsent cultural details through him!
• favorite line
“What’s this? Do you think me in need of alms? Ah… but this dish. Tis fare o’ the tower. I remember fondly this kin-clad scent. …Brings back memories I’d all but forgot. This, by my troth, is but a dismal copy. Indeed, I think it rather plain to see… things once broken can never be the same.”
I love the scorpion stew interaction so much! “things once broken can never be the same” hits so hard after exploring Belurat and seeing the city’s destruction, and pairing this dialogue with the scorpion stew description is even more tragic: “Traditional meal of the hornsent. Once made with love by a certain elderly woman for the family table.”
• brOTP ОТР whatever this is
Hornsent and Tarnished. what if I could fix him
• nОТР
I don’t think about this at all
• random headcanon
the marks on his face are burn scars from the fires… I think he had hair but it mostly burned off. maybe I’ll draw what I think his face looked like without the limitations of the npc character model sometime
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• unpopular opinion
I don’t think he was a greater potentate! I think it’s strongly implied that he lived in Belurat before the crusade, not Bonny Village. I think he sought out the potentates’ caterpillar mask because it’s used to enhance focus and banish feelings of doubt in one’s purpose, which makes perfect sense for his revenge quest
• song i associate with them
once again please leave any suggestions in the replies/tags!!
• favorite picture of them
not to boost my own content but this was hysterical
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skyeslittlecorner · 1 year ago
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Can I request some scenarios between Mc and the kings? Like how MC is amused by the king's powers and they let MC play with it.
Yeah like play with Satan's weapons and be bitten by him, Mammon's golden hand and the ability to build buildings, Leviathan's monsters and ropes, Beelzebub... 🤷‍♀️ Not sure if playing with the clones or flies better 🫢 (it's just my thoughts, you can write the things that easier for you to write ofc :3)
As a descendant of Solomon, we have access to the power of kings (chapter 4 for example). I wonder how much fun they will have when we use these powers~
Satan's power isn't just about creating weapons. He can create anything from scythes to diamonds. It also works much better if you bite the one who loves you the most. At this point, the entire Gehenna will lie down at your feet, offering you their wrists, necks, or - nothing else, because even by offering the neck, Satan will kick their asses so much that they will fly for a week. He himself is at your service. He will be amused, wiping the blood dripping from your chin, and watching the destruction you bring in his name.
Mammon will offer you private lessons. Making fists is fun, but when you try something more complicated, you end up with very poor modern art sculptures. You need to have at least the basics of sculpture and architecture so that what you have in your head translates into reality. The wasteland where you practice will become an art gallery in the future, and the little demons will have to interpret what you meant. Of course, some of them are Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon.
Beelzebub rather wants you to play with his teleportation than his clones. But okay, no problem, he can clone himself enough times for you to be a couple and a hundredfold. Of course, you can't be with him and the other demons like this. After all, stealing your lover is the ultimate crime, and you are still you. As for the insects, Beel is curious which of you they will listen to more. He will order them to submit completely to you so that you can have fun. He will show you the most beautiful of them, such as moths and butterflies, but also the tastiest... at least in his opinion.
Leviathan. Phew. Dear. There are *so many* possibilities here. Ropes, tentacles and a masochist, what more could you want? His monsters are not very cooperative, at least at first, which is why you will hear a few comments about your incompetence. Then you can shove all these words down his throat when, with a wave of your finger, you tie him up like a puppet and tell your tentacles to play with his own little tentacle. Or maybe you will play with them yourself and make him watch, enjoying his jealousy and fury… there are many options.
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juricel · 5 months ago
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hihi.. im a big fan of your works and your characterization of smc and i was just wondering if you would ever breakdown your view of his character like an analysis! its a weird request but ive always been wanting to hear your general understanding of him not as a character but as a person
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greetings! I was initially gonna ignore this as it didn't fall under my usual requests, however, thank you for your compliments! I love shadow milk cookie a lot and the way he is written by devsisters, albeit I have grown a bit reluctant to write him after episode 8 as I feel I might be mischaracterizing him.
to me, shadow milk cookie's actions are mostly derived from his desire to be understood.
however, I do not believe he is only motivated by the desire to be understood; his actions are also derived from his desire to gain control.
He seeks validation not out of insecurity, but as a means to absolve himself of responsibility. If someone can justify his actions, then his isolation is not his fault—it is the world's failure to understand him. His cruelty is both a test and a performance; by provoking hatred or fear, he ensures that others respond in a way that reinforces his worldview (treating others horribly so he can be treated terribly back) Whether they despise him or cower before him, he bends them to his will, using their reactions as both proof of his power and fuel for his own twisted sadistic amusement. for him, there is no respect that comes with being understood.
And this is where I'd like to bring up the relationship betwene him and truthless recluse, or so, corrupted pure vanilla for it plays a lot of part in his character.
The reason why Shadow Milk Cookie did not kill him as what most of the beast cookies did to the ancients is also from his desire to be understood.
Shadow Milk Cookie is not content with mere ruin and his appetite demands something far more exquisite. To unseat the Truthless Recluse from grace was an indulgence, a meticulous orchestration of despair, yet even as his victim lay in the wreckage of his own unspooled faith, it was not enough. Dissatisfaction lingers, a quiet yet insistent dissonance. And so, he prods, he teases, he dismantles, pressing against every last remnant of defiance with a sadist’s precision, savoring the gradual erosion of resistance. Only when the Recluse surrenders—not merely in body, but in the marrow of his being—does Shadow Milk Cookie begin to entertain the notion of “us.” It is not affection but possession, not camaraderie but consumption. The moment of true capitulation comes when the Recluse accepts the obliteration of choice, when he understands that he has no destiny, that his life is not his own, that he is owned. And though Shadow Milk Cookie treasures him, it is not in the way one cherishes a person. No, the Recluse is an artifact, a masterpiece of ruin, an object molded by his hands—beautiful in its defilement, valuable only in its submission.
And this is also why Shadow Milk Cookie cannot abide the thought of being deceived—not by the Truthless Recluse, not by the very thing he has sculpted from ruin. That the Recluse might hold some secret, some flicker of will not yet extinguished, is an insult to the meticulous artistry of his destruction. After all, he was made to be remade, stripped of destiny and rewritten as something less. To Shadow Milk Cookie, he is not a counterpart, not even a disciple, but a possession, a thing molded to fit within the perfect architecture of his dominion. Understanding is a need that gnaws at him, but not in the way of ordinary souls who seek connection. No, Shadow Milk Cookie’s hunger for understanding is a hunger for control. He does not crave an equal, does not desire recognition from something separate from himself. He wants a mirror, a reflection that does not distort, a mind that does not exist beyond the confines of his own design. Until Pure Vanilla has been stripped of even the capacity to deceive, he will never be seen as anything more than an echo, a lesser fragment of the whole.
That was his weakness. That was the fracture beneath all his grandeur, the flaw that made him incapable of taking Pure Vanilla’s hand when it was offered. He could weave illusions as intricate as constellations, construct labyrinths of deception so vast that even their maker might forget the exit—but truth was something he could not stomach. To accept Pure Vanilla back would mean acknowledging that he, too, was flawed. That he was not some immutable force, not a being beyond imperfection, but fallible, weak, capable of error. And that was unthinkable. He clung to the notion that he was something greater, something sculpted by the witches as a divine instrument, a creation set apart from the common masses of Cookies who stumbled through existence in their fragile ignorance. To admit weakness would be to shatter that distinction, to strip away the layers of self-fashioned divinity and reveal the raw, trembling reality beneath: that he was no different from those he manipulated, that he was just as bound by the cruel absurdity of fate as the rest of them. And so he rejected truth. He rejected Pure Vanilla. Because to accept either would mean confronting what he truly was—and that, more than anything, was a reality he refused to face.
Regarding his past, I do believe I have written my understanding of it already in the request in which the reader was a previous yandere; Shadow Milk Cookie’s fall was not a moment, but a slow unraveling, a quiet, insidious corruption born from the realization that truth was irrelevant. He had once spoken to enlighten, to illuminate, to guide, but he came to understand that it did not matter what he said—people would listen regardless. They did not crave truth; they craved *him*, his voice, his presence, the way his words could shape the world into something easier to swallow. They did not seek understanding but comfort, clinging to his wisdom not as an answer but as an escape. And so, piece by piece, he lost belief in his own purpose. He had long struggled with being misunderstood, not as a person but as a symbol, an idol for the desperate to worship without truly seeing him. But instead of seeking to reclaim himself, he turned outward, lashing against the world that had failed him. If no one cared for truth, then he would make truth meaningless. If his words were only ever a salve for the weak, then he would twist them into weapons. It was a self-destruction turned outward, a choice to rot not in solitude but in dominion, to bring ruin as proof of his own suffering. This is what set him and Pure Vanilla apart. They both knew what it was to be unseen, to have their existence reshaped by the expectations of others. But where Pure Vanilla chose to heal, to extend kindness even in the face of his own pain, Shadow Milk Cookie chose cruelty. And though his descent is understandable, even tragic, he is no gentle victim of fate. He is vicious, theatrical in his sadism, delighting in the slow, deliberate unraveling of others—because if he must suffer, then so must they.
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thedinanshiral · 6 months ago
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The silent resistance.
Ever since Inquisition, and specially the Temple of Mythal scenes, I've entertained the possibility that some Evanuris were let's say just a wee bit nicer than the others, and on this I do take Solas' word like it's set in stone because he's a primary source, their last contemporary. Yes, he lies and manipulates, but he never does that without a reason and when he speaks from emotion is when there's a higher chance he slips up. So when he speaks of the Evanuris' evil, sadistic ways I believe him. When he says Andruil was also a goddess of sacrifice and Falon'din was so vain he instigated wars so more people would worship him as Guide of the Dead, I believe him. Mostly, I believe these people did things that angered him considerably, that he condemns their ways so badly that even thousands of years later and with them already dead and gone Solas can't keep his opinion of their character to himself.
So considering how Solas doesn't hold back talking the awful truth about the Evanuris I think there must be a reason why he has zero to say about three of them: Sylaise, June and Dirthamen.
While he insists they were all awful it's clear the ideals of those three may have been the most harmless -home, hearth and architecture, protection and preservation for Sylaise, arts and crafts, beauty for June, silence and secrets, privacy and confidentiality for Dirthamen...compared to vengeance, retribution, sacrifice and unethical science from the others..-
..and that reason for Solas to hold his tongue against those three may be that they contributed to his rebellion in secret, behind Elgar'nan's back.
Sylaise may have provided shelter -the Lighthouse- and medicine or other forms of protection, June may have provided his tech and filled the Dread Wolf's armories -as seen in Trespasser- and maybe Solas outsmarted him modifying the Vi'Revas as everyone thought or maybe June helped with the modifications himself, and Dirthamen may have aided with secrecy, for all we know maybe the reason the Lighthouse is hidden in the Fade is owed to a loan of Dirthamen's magic, concealing it from the enemy's eyes.
Why would some Evanuris join Solas' rebellion? For starters, Elgar'nan was a tyrant, and nobody really loves a tyrant, they get support from others for as long as it's convenient for them. Still, Elgar'nan was dangerous enough that maybe denying him publicly represented too great a risk to take, even for other accomplished Evanuris.
The murals in Veilguard interestingly enough hint at a sort of clique: Elgar'nan, Ghilan'nain and Andruil.
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Mythal was the most decent among them and unaware of their breaking of the seals when these three released the Blight so she wasn't part of the gang, and Falon'din was probably too busy feeding his vanity with the blood of the innocent. So where does that leave the other three? Well, until BW comes out to say any different, I'm assuming they supported Solas in secret.
Particularly Dirthamen, perhaps he joined the rebellion out of love for his brother, seeing how his new ways fueled by Elgar'nan's ambition and the blight's power was turning him into a vain deathbringer rather than the friend and guide of the dead he used to be. As for the couple's reason to join Solas in secret i guess it would be all the senseless destruction of the war, and the corruption of their creations at the hand of the blight-addicted evanuris; all the war and infighting destroying their precious cities, turning their beatiful works of art and craftsmanship into empty tools for killing. For instance, June's artifact that we can see during one of Bellara's quests in Arlathan Forest, his "Tear", has the power to separate an object into its various components and it may have been originally meant to gather materials, but in the hands of Ghilan'nain it would have turned to a much darker purpose, used on living beings to get body parts for her own creations.
Veilguard also has way too many casual mentions of June as well peppered around, possibly more than in all three previous games combined. He’s responsible for the Eluvians -made from two fragments of lyrium which used to be one, so that’s how two eluvians connect to each other. June also designed the light beams we use in Arlathan and the Crossroads for some puzzle solving. And the crystals we use to energize some doors and bridges...basically June seems to have designed Elvhenan’s whole tech and aesthetic. I couldn’t believe how all of a sudden he was the most mentioned Evanuris after the two that got out of the prison.
I always theorized that, due to how little protagonism and mentions they had, June and Sylayse may have been somewhat decent Evanuris. Most of their contributions were directly to the People, and to making everyday life a bit easier (medicine, shelter, tools, hunting). The couple are the most domestic of the group so it wouldn' be so weird they maybe cared for the people a bit more than the others. Solas insist they were all corrupted, sadistic, and freaking evil in their ways, and i'm sure Sylaise and June had their darker side (there's just enough on Veilguard to imply June may have used spirits for those beams of light and that's a bit creepy to think about). I've been keeping this inside since 2015 and i frankly never imagined Veilguard would have so much to add to it. Also, June's dragon was Urthemiel, the archdemon from the Fifth Blight, and its soul can be saved through Morrigan's ritual and if so, later extracted from Kieran by Flemeth in Inquisition. We still don't know where that soul ended up. All of a sudden June's become even more mysterious so there's a chance, however slim, that he could return somehow.
And as for Sylaise again, there's this codex in Veilguard and i want to focus on this part:
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She was linked to someone only known as "the Healer", but this high-ranked ancient had their name magically erased from the records, apparently by order of no other than Elgar'nan. Just imagine who could elicit such a reaction from the Firstborn of the Elvhen. Surely someone known as a Healer is doing nothing wrong? Why bother erasing them from history like that? Unless...that was one of Solas' many titles.
This rang a bell so loud in my memory I just have to add it here, from Solas' Inquisition dialogue lines with Blackwall:
Solas: I wish to apologize for what I said to you, Blackwall. Blackwall: You were right, though. I deserved it. Solas: My people had a saying long ago - "The healer has the bloodiest hands." You cannot treat a wound without knowing how deep it goes. You cannot heal pain by hiding it. You must accept. Accept the blood to make things better. You have taken the first step. That is the hardest part.
Oh yes, he was a healer alright. Remember Solas often speaks from personal experience and his own memories, but presenting it more objectively, he tells on himself a lot and i think that was one of such instances where he's actually talking about himself.
That Sylaise codex in Veilguard turned out to be more about this unknown healer than about Sylaise herself and i think that's also of note because Solas says it himself in the prologue, "The Veil is a wound inflicted upon this world. It must be healed"...and he's trying to heal it, he's the only one who can.
He is the Healer, and his hands are bloddied.
I hope in time we get more info on that period of Elvhenan and on the other Evanuris and we can answer all the questions, or most of them at least.
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useless-catalanfacts · 1 year ago
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Did you know that the Catalan vault can be found in many buildings of the United States of America?
Here's some examples:
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Grand Central Terminal, New York City. Photo from Getty.
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Boston Public Library. Photo by Michael Freeman/Boston Public Library.
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Ellis Island Registry Room, New York. Photo by Mike Ward on Flickr.
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City Hall station of the New York subway. Photo by Michael Freeman.
The Catalan vault is a brick arch that is widely used in traditional Catalan architecture. It's also present in other parts of the Mediterranean, but not as common. Its main characteristic is that it's built with the longest side of the brick facing down (usually, ceilings are made with the shortest side facing down) and with a very gentle curve, resulting in a strong self-supporting vault that allows covering a whole room without needing columns or pillars in a way that would be impossible with other kinds of masonry, and also makes it possible to build it quickly and without needing centering (the wooden structure used to support the vault or arch while it's being built, and which is removed once it's made).
So how did it make its way to the USA?
It was brought by the Valencian architect Rafael Guastavino i Moreno (1842-1908). He had already designed important industrial buildings in Catalonia, including the factory that later became the Industrial School in Barcelona and La Massa theatre in Vilassar de Dalt, among others. At the time, in Catalonia, the Catalan vault was being widely used to cover ceilings in factories.
In 1881, Guastavino moved to New York City (USA), where he used the Catalan vault to cover big ceilings, which made him gain some fame for it. He patented the vault in the USA with the name "Guastavino system".
At the time, Americans were very worried about buildings catching fire, because it often happened and had caused a huge destruction in the Chicago 1871 fire. As a response, in 1883 Guastavino bought a patch of land in Connecticut, built two houses in it using the Catalan vault, and set them on fire. He took photos of the whole process to document it and prove how this architecture style is efficient in the case of fire. He wrote about it in the magazine Decorator and Furnisher and soon won the contest to design the Progress Club's building in New York City, which made him famous among architects in the area.
He created his own company (Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company) which was focused on building the Catalan vault. He was hired for many buildings and this architectural element spread. Most churches with stone vaults built between 1890 and 1940 in the USA were designed by Guastavino's firm, as well as many other buildings across the country, particularly New York and Massachusetts.
He's buried in the St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville (North Carolina, USA), a building he designed.
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matthew2641 · 5 months ago
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reflecting on this exchange between Will and Margot in Tome-Wan, and how it pertains to Will's internal discourse on the nature of autonomy and the struggle for self-definition in the face of an all-consuming malignancy.
Will's counsel to Margot, similarly to his attempted paternalistic guidance toward Abigail, is a veiled self-address. he urges Margot toward a severance he cannot enact for himself, his words are not absent of sincerity but tremble with the weight of their own insufficiency, a sentiment expelled in a silent plea to alleviate the gnawing uncertainty of a salvation beyond reach. Will's plight is not one of purely external conflict against Hannibal's incessant influences; rather, a classic existential dilemma of identity versus agency. is one truly the architect of their own fate, or merely the instrument of a preordained design? his morality, precarious and contingent, is sustained less by resolve than by desperation — a fragile edifice erected against the encroaching void. nonetheless, within the marrow of his being persists an unsparing truth, that this severance is naught but an illusion, a momentary reprieve in the theatre of self-deception. though free from the fetters of encephalitis Will finds himself entoiled in another, more potent fog, a metaphysical haze wherein acts of rebellion become indulgences. amidst the framework of his schemes, the act of betrayal unfurls itself into something more sinister and paradoxically intimate: a betrayal of self. the sadistic torment of Freddie Lounds in Naka-Choko reveals a rapturous capitulation, cloaked in the pretensions of pragmatism. in the chiaroscuro of his mind, Will delights in the ecstasy of moral abandonment, an allure Hannibal had long beckoned him toward. it is, in essence, a lover's flirtation. a subconscious elegiac rehearsal for a truth he dares not speak aloud, yet knows intimately.
Margot, by contrast, absorbs these notions with a clarity that eludes Will. Mason's domination is no less suffocating than Hannibal's, yet while Will is mired in recursive defiance, Margot is decisive. she does not merely sever herself from Mason's grasp — she wields it, repurposing oppression into agency. a transformation of the forces that sought to be her annihilation, thereby establishing herself as an agent of her own will and ushering in a future of her design.
the futility of Will's extrications reaches its crescendo in the wrath of the lamb. with the illusion of resistance finally collapsing Will, long poised at the precipice between opposition and surrender, succumbs at last not only to Hannibal, but to the inescapable and grotesque sublime of his nature. he had spent a lifetime retreating from the spectre of himself, crafting fragile architectures of defiance only to find them dismantled brick by brick, by the one man who had always known him in his entirety. never entirely deceived by Will's moral equivocations, nor deterred by his feigned reluctance, Hannibal had always seen Will with an unbearable clarity. such acuity meant that to be perceived by him was to be laid bare, to be known so completely is a terror beyond words, yet it is also a seduction too exquisite to deny. theirs is a courtship written in ruin, an elegy composed in the syntax of bloodshed. a union fated from inception could never culminate in means so mundane as survival, only in obliteration could it be truly consummated.
Shakespearean tragedy dictates that a hero's downfall is not the machination of fate alone, but the consequence of the protagonist's internal contradictions — their hamartia. for Will, this fatal flaw is hesitation: a tragic vacillation between hunter and hunted. yet, in this final act he at last resolves this contradiction, not through salvation, nor submission, but the ecstatic finality of mutual destruction. here, all promises made to Margot, Abigail, and himself are not only broken but rendered obsolete. now relics of a man who once entertained the fantasy of autonomy and self-denial.
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atopvisenyashill · 2 months ago
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as a professional branologist what are your thoughts on bran’s last chapter in acok? <3
A few pines along the edge of the wood had been scorched, but deeper in the damp soil and green wood had defeated the flames. "There is a power in living wood," said Jojen Reed, almost as if he knew what Bran was thinking, "a power strong as fire."
i love his acok arc it’s my favorite right after adwd, and he even gets seven whole chapters 😭 if twow doesn’t get bran chapters in double digits im going to fire bomb that old man’s house for playing in my face all these years.
this chapter is interesting because it is a hinge point in his arc - you could call it crossing the first threshold, when bran must finally abandon the politic arc for the magical journey that has been calling his name since he fell. there’s no going back now; into the unknown world bran must go. but with that decision are reminders of who he is that follow him along the way. as luwin says, they are robb’s heirs, the princes of winterfell, and the reeds insistently refer to him as such throughout the next part of his journey even as they encourage him to embrace his magic.
“The wolf ate,” Jojen said. “Not you. Take care, Bran. Remember who you are.” He remembered who he was all too well; Bran the boy, Bran the broken. Better Bran the beastling. Was it any wonder he would sooner dream his Summer dreams, his wolf dreams?
but there are some things you have to learn on your own. and though bran is finally taking up the call, he is losing himself in summer’s skin because summer is his strength, his power, his ability. but relying on magic so closely always has consequences and more than once from both jon & bran, death is associated with the feasting of a direwolf. I think this is interesting when you compare the two magical animal guides in the series and the imagery that surrounds them - the dragons cause the destruction and the direwolves feast on the remains.
which leads us to a chapter it is contrasting with in many ways - the prologue, cressen’s chapter. the book starts with shireen’s dreams of dragons dancing and everywhere they danced the people died. cressen describes the odd architecture of dragonstone, where the towers are shaped into dragon heads, and describes his descent as stepping into the dragon’s maw….
“Death comes out of the dragon’s mouth,��� Septon Barth had written in his Unnatural History, “but death does not go in that way.
and then summer describes the smoke as winterfell burns as a dragon.
The smoke and ash clouded his eyes, and in the sky he saw a great winged snake whose roar was a river of flame. He bared his teeth, but then the snake was gone. Behind the cliffs tall fires were eating up the stars.
Special attention is payed to the gargoyles in both places, with Cressen initially being frightened of them when he first arrived to Dragonstone to now sitting with them in companionship, and the gargoyles that were Bran’s friends, the ones he held onto just before he was pushed from the tower, now shattered on the ground.
Cressen, like Luwin, sees himself as a father like figure to two brothers, with Cressen referring to them as his boys, and Luwin knowing the boys weren’t dead bc he knew them. Luwin and Cressen are both passing the torch as well - Cressen to Maester Pylos, and Luwin to Osha. There’s also the presence of Patchface having once been witty, turned mad by a storm that might have imbued him with prophetic abilities while stealing his sanity, who is the devoted companion of the sickly Shireen, and Hodor’s own fate as the devoted and equally “simple” companion of Bran. Especially when in this chapter, there’s an ominously long scene where Bran has to continue to order Hodor to open a door that is blocked closed. It’s not subtle, i’m saying, what’s going to happen to poor Hodor.
[can i briefly get into the “repeating cycles” thing and say i think all these associations with stone, coming out of the earth, and the green wood/godswood are part of the God-On-Earth imagery with Bran, and I think it’s interesting that the book starts with all the stone dragon stuff then ends with Bran coming out of the stone and earth to what is described as a smokey dragon. this is also why i suspect the "last hero" isn't an azor ahai figure but a god-on-earth figure - especially when you figure in the god-on-earth was the son of the lion of night and there's heavy focus on the tower that the lion (jaime) pushed bran out of in this chapter as well. it really makes me wonder about the long night in general and that whole cyclical thing. but moving on.]
and speaking of reading into stuff, i mean, i read every rickon and shaggydog scene and just swing wildly between “he’s doomed” and “he’s gonna be fine, actually” like shaggydog being attracted to the smell of blood and death? don’t love that! and then shaggydog and summer start fighting, and summer wins, shaggydog calms down and submits. am i cornplating? of course i am unless im not.
and since we’re on direwolves - i think jon’s first chapter in twow is going to open like this one. it’s going to be ghost’s pov and it’s going to be confusing as hell as jon tries to parse through what ghost is seeing. this line in particular-
“Bran?” It was Meera’s voice. “You were thrashing, making terrible noises. What did you see?” “Winterfell.” His tongue felt strange and thick in his mouth. One day when I come back I won’t know how to talk anymore.
-makes me think of Jon ad some issues with being too "wolfy" when he comes back, although it could also point towards Bran potentially struggling with speech over the control of the weirwood hivemind. but maybe i just really want ghost’s pov. sue me.
i do think there’s some jon snow stuff here in general as well - the dragon imagery over Winterfell in particular - but that’s because this is a chapter involving his brother having a violent death and rebirth, and jon dies and is reborn. of course jon is sprinkled all over for seasoning. i think you could say sansa is here as well. she ends a storm of swords in sansa vii (similar amount of chapters too - am i cornplating am i cornplating) where she rebuilds winterfell out of snow and a precursor to her "slaying the savage giant" happens, just after bran is killed, and reborn in winterfell's destruction (and imo, jon & bran are also over asos sansa viii).
Their faces were stern and strong, and some of them had done terrible things, but they were Starks every one, and Bran knew all their tales. He had never feared the crypts; they were part of his home and who he was, and he had always known that one day he would lie here too.
In many ways, Bran is being contrasted with Stannis in the prologue, which is interesting to me - a clash of kings starting with stannis kicking off a war he knows he can’t win and ending with bran, escaping from winterfell because he knows it’s too dangerous to stay.
And whereas Stannis spends his chapter loudly rejecting Dragonstone and its lords, Bran is once again One With The Land - he stays inside Summer to watch Winterfell fall, in a greenseer’s sleep for three days not eating nor truly resting, as the land suffers. And when he wakes, the land reflects what Bran has finally accepted is the truth - this is who he is. He is a warg, he is Bran the Beastling, he is Bran the Broken, and he has to live with it. No more hiding. Bran is disabled, and now so the land has been disabled and wounded as well. But like Bran, it’s not dead, just broken, and the roots are strong, and both Winterfell and Bran will rise again. This is why, in particular this chapter, I think its kind of laughable that people still insist Bran will stay in that fuck ass cave. He is the land and he will return to it and teach it to live with its disabled body, just as he will one day have to accept his own disabled body, and not just live with it, but love it, because even with its faults it has brought him this far. For now though, Bran and the land accepting that reality is reality is enough. Acceptance comes later in the hero's journey.
tldr
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pretzel-box · 1 month ago
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》》 APPLICATION POST!! APPLICATION BELOW!! DEADLINE IS IN 2 WEEKS!! 18TH JUNE!!
》 Welcome to the Tales of Stonks! A block tales story that includes canon characters and your ocs! Follow the group on the magical journey to make stonks.
It all started with a white van.
Well, it was technically white… if you squinted through a filter of nostalgia, forgiveness, and heavy denial. In reality, the van was about as white as a forgotten banana peel left in the sun.
Rusted, dented, possibly haunted—and absolutely, one hundred percent, stolen. Yet, miraculously, still driving. Probably out of sheer spite.It cruised through serene landscapes of green meadows and baby-blue skies, looking like a misplaced background extra in a travel brochure. Inside, chaos brewed.
“I swear, this is just a giant clown car,” groaned Griefer, the group’s resident sarcasm expert, as he kicked Cruel King's seat for the fifth time that hour.
“If so,” Cruel King sighed, rubbing his temples, “then it must be the perfect size for you.”
Tension? Yes. Adventure? Also yes. A working air conditioning system? Absolutely not. But you could smell it, the electric, slightly moldy scent of ADVENTURE. And possibly expired road trip snacks.
Of course, we couldn’t afford to turn this into a movie. We had the budget, but Griefer 'accidentally' broke several priceless artifacts, a vending machine, and one guy’s dignity. But imagine this: a group of legendary heroes, crammed in a wheezing van, driving toward the camera in glorious slow motion, not for dramatic effect, but because there’s a speed limit. Behind them, a majestic spotlight shines! Except it’s just the sun and the van's rearview mirror taped at a weird angle.
The crew inside? I can't even find a word for it, each with a backstory weird enough to deserve its own musical number.
First, meet the leader: Chirians, the almighty travelling seller of trading items who once sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door but upgraded her hustle to selling miscellaneous 'treasures' she found lying around. Some might say it’s junk. She calls it 'vintage opportunity.' The van is basically a wheeled garage sale with questionable legal status. Somewhere in there is a mysterious box labeled 'Mem’s Notebooks.' Who’s Mem? No idea. But we don't judge.
One day, Chirians found a legendary sword, glowing with power, destiny, and potential plot relevance. She gazed upon it and heard the call of fate, divine whispers echoing from beyond.
“Sell the sword,” they said.
“Make stonks.”
Then there was Cruel King, a regal man with jawlines sharp enough to slice bread and a castle made entirely of fancy architecture and poor life decisions. Chirians crashed into his royal courtyard (literally) while trying to reverse park. Windows shattered. Royalty cried. But amidst the destruction, a business deal was born. Cruel King, desperate to fund castle repairs and maybe therapy, joined her on the sacred journey of sword-selling for profit.
There was also Griefer.
They found him in a rainforest. Why was he there? No one knows. Not even him. But when he spotted the giant stack of Bloxy Cola in the van, he leapt in like a caffeinated raccoon. The rest of the group didn’t even realize they’d accidentally kidnapped him until they were three hours and one game of 'I Spy' too far to turn around.
As for the rest of the crew?
Well, their entrances are being dramatically delayed for maximum storytelling impact. But rest assured, they’re weirder, wilder, and possibly allergic to common sense.
And so, our heroes ride into the unknown, armed with sarcasm, debt, snacks, and a suspiciously rattling sword in the trunk.
This is not just a journey.
This is not just a van.
This… is the Tales of the Stonks.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
To applicate fill this out and send it per private message towards me, no ask box entries!
Name:
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Personality:
Apperance: Feel free to add a picture
Favourite thing:
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Any relationships to the canon characters? : No romantically or we all would have to share...
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tokiro07 · 8 months ago
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Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2024, Issue #52: Self-Harm Week
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HxH: Morena's card game begins, and she exposits that she was conceived in a state-sanctioned non-consensual orgy; Borksen learns that thanks to Nen restrictions, she actually does have actually does have an escape route. The implications of Morena's backstory are certainly staggering, but also lost on me
Yozakura: Taiyo has an "I know you're in there" fight with himself, ending with him expelling Asa by shooting himself in the heart. Taiyo's willingness to damage his own body to make it uninhabitable to Asa doesn't seem ideal, but definitely preferable to being possessed
Undead Unluck: Soul tries to force Andy and Victor's souls back together, but Rip cuts them apart permanently with Unrepair. This is Rip's capstone, where he finally uses Unrepair for someone else's happiness instead of ruining his own with it
Roboco: Roboco writes more shameless ripoff manga, but finally learns that her own original material is a lot better. I have no faith that this lesson will stick
Sakamoto: Atari's luck has literally run out; she reveals to Tenkyu that his friendship w/ Uzuki is irreparable; Shin resolves to kill Tenkyu, even if it means severing ties with Sakamoto. Both Tenkyu and Shin are losing their friends because they're killing in their name against their wishes; Atari's an idiot for using such an obscene amount of luck last chapter just to fire ONE bullet
EluSam: Tokiyuki and realKojiro gush over Kojiro as he fights Nagao; the scene cuts away to Mima getting into architecture and interior design. This seems to have an affect on enemy morale, but I feel like it's not worth ignoring what seems to be Kojiro's most important fight
Witch Watch: The flashback gang discusses the legacy of Familiars and their prejudice towards humanity; Kuon warms up to the team, and Taiga raises more death flags. The idea of magic fading away as a sign of peaceful times is a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately because I've been revisiting Medaka Box; this may inform a future essay
Blue Box: Taiki endears himself to Chinatsu's dad with his earnest, if a bit overbearing, nature. I'm glad we're not drawing out the tension too much, it makes the dad more relatable
Akane: Despite Miroku's refusal to let them perform, Shiguma and Issho learn enough rakugo for Kiroku to give them a slot; Miroku offers to grant Kiroku his name and rank if he will use it to expel the pair. This is clearly the event that led to the founding of the Arakawa School, but even with a foregone conclusion, it's a nailbiter
Kill Blue: Juzo and Shin use assassin techniques to advertise the bakery; Yoichiro wagers his staff's bonuses to whichever club can beat their challenges. Clearly he's plotting something, but I can't quite see yet how this furthers his plans
Nue: Rido spontaneously achieves his Bankai Spirit Armor and promptly passes out. It looks cool, but I'm already so unclear on this power system's rules that such an upgrade only serves to confuse me further
Kagurabachi: In a side story, we revisit everyone's favorite guy, Sojo, trying desperately to enjoy a bath despite his routine being ruined at every turn. Looking back, I'm sad that Sojo died; I hope he continues to haunt the narrative
Chojo: Keinain's new assistant, Makami, finds everything about the Chinjuku station to be lewd; this is not because she's a prude, but an extremely repressed pervert. Would
Astro Royale: Himuro reveals he became a cop to stop the Yotsurugi family from interfering with his dad's business, but only found out later that they were supporting him through hard times; the damage he caused this business relationship resulted in his father's suicide; he eats the Daybreak Ore and becomes a mutated mass. Himuro's motivations now reflect Kinpa's, but just like he hurt his dad by targeting the Yotsurugi's, his rage is misdirected and self-destructive
Kiyoshi: Asuta's time runs out and he gets away, cementing the sacrifices made to summon him; as he leaves, he calls Kiyoshi his soulmate in a perverse twist on Kiyoshi's own desire for friendship. Axe-deniers when the lead fails and lets 100 innocent people die - 🎉🍾🥳🎊🥂; throw the yaoi girlies in there too since there's about to be a huge boost in sales
Hima-Ten: Tenichi takes up the rear on the class hike; Himari fakes an injury to keep him company. Very cute, but how the hell does this moron not realize she's in love???
Ichi: Just before the contest begins, Ichi sees a mysterious figure; the Kindake Magik vows to kill everyone who doesn't worship his mushrooms, then escapes into his mushroom forest. So much for not being a human-hater; Togeice's poor sense of direction will certainly make this challenge much harder on her
Shinobi: Yodaka sabotages Hachikuma's strings and turns them against him. Though heavy-handed, Yodaka straightening and braiding Hachikuma's discarded, tangled strings as a symbol of the value of putting effort into maintaining relationships is sweet
Hakutaku: The mechanics of the AR game are explained, but Hikuma sleeps through people actually enjoying it. Maybe it's cus I don't like mobile games, but I do not see the appeal of this game, which is probably the most damning indictment of a game design manga
Syd Craft: Elio is revealed to be Levie Olyn, Syd's favorite romance author, who became his assistant after he cleared her name in a case; she writes her books to vent her DEFINITELY NOT ROMANTIC feelings for Syd. That's a great dynamic, I love girls who pine, I'm super endeared to this idiot
My top 3 manga for the week are:
Undead Unluck, unsurprisingly, for its fantastic color page, multiple great spreads, and at least two of what will undoubtedly become the most iconic moments in the entire series; congrats on netting the final cover of the year!
Syd Craft for continuing to expand upon its concept in a way that really appeals to me; let it be known I never said Tsutsui was a bad author, I just said he was a coward
Kiyoshi for dodging the axe, establishing an interesting dynamic between Kiyoshi and Asuta, and the bravery to leave it on such a bleak cliffhanger
Runners up include Astro Royale and Shinobi Undercover, both for giving me some interesting symbolism to chew on, as well as Hima-Ten and Chojo for women in denial that fall short of Elio
Edit: I want to correct something I said last week - it does not seem like Bug Ego is joining Weekly Jump after all, I think someone I follow on twitter either got a bad tip or I misunderstood what they said. Bug Ego was added to the Shonen Jump app, not Shonen Jump itself. Apologies for any confusion!
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momentov1vere · 11 months ago
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Assigning PJO/ HoO characters to Knights Radiant orders (+ my reasoning)
I put too much thought into this not to share it somewhere so here’s a sort-of character analysis that is much longer than it needs to be (bc I was bored and stuck in a car for 10 hours) :)
Not sure how much of a crossover there is between the PJO and Stormlight Archive fandoms but this was mostly for fun (and I want to see what happens lol)
Here we go!
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🔱 Percy Jackson : Stoneward
The powers don’t rly fit (Cohesion- manipulating objects at a molecular level- & Tension- changing the stiffness of something) but none of the Radiants have water powers so 🤷‍♀️
Loyalty is pretty much the #1 belief of the Stonewards (“Though sometimes gregarious, they are never flighty. If a Stoneward is your friend, they will be there for you”) and Percy’s fatal flaw is literally loyalty so that’s that
Percy is said to be one of the best fighters seen like anywhere in a long time and Stonewards are the order that is viewed as the best soldiers of the Radiants
They like a challenge and will often take on more than they can handle (like Percy choosing to take on the Great Prophecy)
Stonewards are also good at being able to find a solution to a difficult situation with only few resources and Percy often comes up with things on the fly/ improvises
I struggled SO MUCH picking one for Percy oh my god he had similarities to like half of them (I almost made him a Bondsmith or a Windrunner but they didn’t seem right)
🦉 Annabeth Chase : Elsecaller
Powers : Transformation (changing an object into something else- aka ‘Soulcasting’) and Transportation (looking/moving between realms); Annabeth likes creating new things (architecture) so there’s a bit of a connection to the Transformation power even tho she doesn’t really have powers
Elsecallers are always trying to reach their full potential, like how Annabeth is always be seen trying to learn new things and become the best version of herself
They are regarded as the ‘wisest’ Radiant order (just like Annabeth/ the Athena cabin are viewed as the ‘wisest’ demigods)
Annabeth always has her goals in mind but also always trying to lead and encourage others (like Damasen) which is common amongst Elsecallers
🐐 Grover Underwood : Edgedancer
Powers: Abrasion (altering the friction between surfaces) & Progression (quickly growing organic objects faster than normal- including plants, skin, body tissue, etc.)
He’s able to make plants grow faster using his magic reed pipe so that would translate into Progression
Abrasion would kind of fit for him too, bc of the goat legs (he’s able to navigate more difficult terrain than humans)
Edgedancers care about the ordinary/ overlooked people of the world and spend most of their time making sure those people are protected. Grover cares deeply about nature/ animals and always tries to protect them bc humans often deem nature unimportant (nature = ordinary people in this scenario)
☠️ Nico di Angelo : Dustbringer
Powers: Division (control over destruction/ decay) and Abrasion
I don’t know if Nico has anything that really fits the Abrasion power- except for maybe the fact that his shadow travel helps him get places quickly- but Division is definitely similar to his power over death/ earthy materials
Dustbringers typically don’t get along with others (including people in their own order) because of personality differences and stereotypes about their powers like how Nico is often ostracized at first bc he scares people
☀️ Will Solace : Edgedancer
Powers: Abrasion & Progression
Will is a healer so Progression would be a good power for him to have; while he doesn’t have any powers similar to Abrasion I think it would be useful for him to have to get to injured people faster
Will cares about everyone and will do his best to heal anyone because he doesn’t want anyone to suffer, and he doesn’t just focus on the powerful demigods- he makes sure to lend his power anywhere it’s needed
Fighting is not the the Edgedancers’ main concern, preferring to protect/help the injured (especially people who aren’t necessarily warriors) and Will also is more like a wartime medic than a fighter (though he- and the Edgedancers- can fight if necessary)
They want to see and understand both sides of something, even their enemies, rather than seeing everything in black and white. Will struggled with this in TSATS but eventually realized that places like the Underworld aren’t necessarily just about death/decay, but are also about life
🌩️ Jason Grace : Windrunner
Well first of all the man flies and that’s basically what the Windrunners do lol
Their powers: Adhesion (temporarily sticking two objects together) and Gravitation (changing the direction/ strength of something’s gravitational pull)
He cares a lot about protecting innocents/ the defenseless and keeping his friends safe which is a main idea of the Windrunners
Windrunners are very militaristic in general and Jason was raised by the wolves and the Romans to be that way as well
Tempest would be his windspren & prefer a horse form cus they can do that (I think)
⚡️ Thalia Grace : Windrunner
I know she hates flying but I don’t think it’s really a requirement of the Windrunners to ‘fly’; they mostly just change the direction/amount of gravity that’s pulling on them so she could find creative ways to use Gravitation (walking on walls/ceilings which then appear to be the floor to her, etc)
The Hunters of Artemis are pretty militaristic as well (they have a specific leader & ways of doing things, similar to the Romans)
Thalia cares about innocent people/creatures and is very protective over the people she cares about (Annabeth, the Hunters, etc)
Windrunners tend to attract “big-sibling types” and Thalia is definitely a big sibling type lol
🏹 Frank Zhang : Stoneward
Powers don’t rly fit him either but personality-wise I think it’s right
Frank is really loyal to his friends (sometimes to the point of attacking/fighting people more powerful than him to save them) and will always be there for them both in battle and for personal issues
He’s pretty good at improvising and his shapeshifting allows him to come up with creative solutions (turning into an iguana to get out of the Chinese handcuffs lol)
He’s also pretty quick to come up with creative solutions without many resources (using his firewood to free Thanatos when there was no other heat source, etc.)
💎 Hazel Levesque : Lightweaver
Powers : Illumination (illusions) and Transformation
Hazel learned how to manipulate the mist from Hecate, essentially giving her illusion powers, & she can change the shape of earthly materials (can’t change the material but it’s close enough to Transformation); this is one case where I almost made her a Stoneward but Lightweaver just fit better for everything else I think
Lightweavers are the ‘artistic’ order and attract people who love art/ creativity (Hazel is an artist)
They tend to not follow rules the way other orders do, instead choosing to reach their goals by their own means (ex. Hazel choosing to go her own way and make her own choices rather than taking one of the paths Hecate gave her in HoH)
🔥 Leo Valdez : Dustbringer
Same as Nico; both of them being Dustbringers would be an example of contrasting/ clashing personalities within the order
Fire is definitely a destructive ability similar to Division (they can burn things) and without a level of control (which Dustbringers need to learn before they can advance their powers) things could get bad (and have- rip Esperanza Valdez)
Leo hasn’t really been ostracized for his personality like Dustbringers could be but his powers originally made people scared (they didn’t know he had them at the time but his cabinmates did say a that having that power was dangerous and they hoped no one would ever have it again so he took that a little personally)
🗡️ Reyna Ramirez-Arellano : Bondsmith
She’d be bonded to the Stormfather (1 of 3 beings who can gift Bondsmith abilities), allowing her to generate Stormlight and infuse other Radiants with it; this is incredibly draining and similar to Reyna’s ability to share her strength
Bondsmiths’ main focus is unity/ bringing people together and Reyna definitely spends a lot of time attempting to unite the Roman and Greek camp (after all, she did spend an entire book helping Nico and Coach Hedge get the Athena Parthenos back to CHB as a peace offering)
Bondsmith powers aren’t typically used for fighting but rather for assisting other Radiants and keep them fighting; Reyna is skilled with weapons but doesn’t use her powers to fight, only to help others keep up their strength/ motivation
🕊️ Piper McLean : Lightweaver
Piper had some personal things that she had to work out (lying to her friends in TLH, etc) before she fully embraced her power, & Lightweavers have to come to terms with truths about themselves before they can progress as people & as Radiants
There aren’t really any Radiant orders that work with manipulation magic so it’s hard to bring the Charmspeak in but the illusion magic Lightweavers have does allow them to change their appearance, so I’d imagine her using it to make herself super beautiful for espionage purposes or smth (maybe using it to transform into someone’s loved one?)
Transformation would allowed her to turn something into something else (etc. mud to food) which kind of relates to her cornucopia & how it makes food out of nothing
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Hooray we made it to the end!! Sorry that this was so long, I had a looong time to think about this and wanted to get all my thoughts down
I mostly used coppermind.net and the descriptions of the Radiant orders on Sanderson’s website so some of this info may be a little inaccurate but this was just for fun lol
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prpfz · 19 days ago
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🫀 Hi all - 27 y/o trans masc nb ISO a semi-lit to advanced-lit writing partner for different dynamics with my OC's - one is M/F and the other is F/F. Open to writing out any ideas you may have as well - don't have many limits.
M/F SYNOPSIS:
My 40+ year old OC is the heir to an old-money tobacco dynasty and the CEO of a world-renowned architecture firm. He uses this architecture firm as both a farce and a vehicle for the heists that he orchestrates. At this point, he also serves as a ringleader, and has vexed international authorities for years after conducting a heist on a five-star Las Vegas hotel, a federal reserve, and on a luxury department store in Dubai. Personality-wise, he is aloof, mechanical, and distant, and lives a fairly lonely life that he is largely responsible for creating. → ISO someone to write his college sweetheart turned ex-wife whom he still has a tumultuous on/off relationship with, and/or his former intern and now executive assistant who is unaware of his crimes but is one of his only genuine friends and confidants.
F/F SYNOPSIS:
My OC is a 35+ year old new money nepo baby and My Super Sweet 16 alumna who now owns and operates a multinational luxury perfume company. She is an early 2000s a c-list celebrity and socialite who also serves on the boards of numerous nonprofits and somewhat of a major influencer, though she's secretly chronically bored albeit too conceited to admit her gaggle of friends and lifestyle provide no enrichment or fulfillment for her. Definitely an unstable cluster b disaster and a femme lesbian, which is a well-known and open secret. → ISO: a sugar baby adjacent original character. She'd meet her organically or via a service and it can develop from there. She is quite controlling and dominant. Thinking of some mutual obsession and assured destruction/codependency as well!
My favorite/wanted themes include:
codependency
dead dove
mutual obsession
identity porn
doomed relationships
D/s, and more.
I enjoy a fairly even mix of smut and plot, and I find OOC back-and-forth about worldbuilding, inspo (sfw and usfw), aesthetics, etc., to be almost as exciting as the writing itself so extra bonus points if you're down for that. I also use TupperBox, and my reply speed can vary from 1-2 times a day to 1-2 times a week.
Also, I'd be looking to use real-life/live action faceclaims and have them in mind for my muses as well. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE LIKE THIS AND I'LL REACH OUT! 🫶🏼
give a like and anon will get back to you
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