#(I was literally 12 when I joined DA)

[grimmjowjaegerjaquez]

if i was someone with any kind of consistency i couldve been known for ach'm. my stupid sexy frog man. (who is also a cyborg)

[satellite-blossom]

Sick coloring and shading, dude ❢ Unfortunately I don't like how you draw Sonic the hedgehog so I'll have to blacklist your blog because I don't want to block you.

[thessaralka]

DAI, DA2, DAO are flawed masterpieces but they all thematically feel deeply similar.

veilguard dookied all over the dark spiritual/ moral/ religious themes of DA by erasing slavery, the bigotry of and towards the elves (dalish in particular), sidelining andrastianism, ignoring the dwarves apart from harding's questline, and HR-ifying the writing.

where was slavery in tevinter, the literal slave capital of thedas, apart from the existence off the shadow dragons (who must be doing a really good job btw bc slavery and the impact of it is basically not a thing), and in scenes w venatori where they're using slaves as benches in this weirdly-comical-dismissive way?

where was the nuance and moral greyness in how some people sell themselves into slavery or join the qun to escape poverty and lives that would otherwise be a lot less structured and even comfortable, and the cognitive dissonance that fact gives us? where was the "slaves are illiterate so they communicate with symbols" underground slave rebellion?

the most we get of solas and his thousands-of-years-long slave-freeing mission is a comment from neve about the chains in his hideout, we see nothing about how fen'harel freed slaves as basically a lifelong purpose of his, and how many of those freed-people dedicated their lives to that mission, joining him in his cause. solas would have had other people helping him out with this, he would have had a structured slave-freeing organization, he probably would still be using the lighthouse for this, but the most we get is "crusty wifeless bachelor pad" solas all alone. did he tell everyone to fuck off, like what happened there? why was solas soooooo alone, when he literally had cultists in trespasser and logically would have EVEN MORE cultists now? i understand he's mentally and emotionally alone, but an ancient elven god who has built a slave-freeing operation he would not be so physically alone, he'd have tons of people obsessed w his mission.

making the only dalish we encounter these veil jumpers that we have no connection or care for unless we read some books is lazy, and these dalish don't seem to care that their thousands-of-years-old faith that their entire culture is founded on is being demolished before their eyes, the DREAD FUCKING WOLF is back (one of their literal gods, and he's been back for like 12 years and many of them have joined him - where are thooooose dalish?), the dalish in VG are perfectly fine working with humans (the very ones who exalted-marched all over them, humans that rape and pillage them, humans that oppress and subjugate them, humans the dalish have canonically hunted down and killed - just for being human - in past games). the dalish are canonically shitty people who are also massively subjugated, are victims of their own hubris, victims of a war they started and lost and never got over, victims of their own bigotry, victims of their own misinterpreted and forgotten lore. while they have a right to be victims, it's never talked about how fucking revolutionary it is if any dalish/ elven hero of the past games (warden or inquisitor) was able to overcome the biases of their culture and heal, and work together with humans (inquisition did this really well for Dalish Inquisitors btw). the dalish being as forgiving and open as the veil jumpers are should be a bigger deal and have a major story reason behind it because healing thousands of years of trauma in a decade is impressive (fake).

[avernusreject]

Warning ya'll this is gonna be a long post. But please join my descent into insanity, as I deep dive into the vague wormhole that is the durge betrayal pre bg3 timeline.

Before we start, it’ll help if you have context around the faerun calendar. There are twelve months in total, each having exactly 30 days. Additionally, weeks don’t exist in faerun. Rather months get broken down into chunks of time called tendays, which you guessed is literally just ten days. If that was too straight forward for you, don’t worry, they add in five extra days to the calendar that fall outside of the months (ngl I still have no idea where these are located) to make the full year 365 days. 

At the beginning of the game, the nautiloid crash occurs at 20 Eleasis. Which means, the game starts in the middle of summer. Obviously, the way you play the game is going to influence the speed of events, but for my playthrough I reached moonrise towers around 12 elient (total time being 22 days). When you get to moonrise, in Bathazar’s chamber you can find his journal that explains that Kressa (the crazy necromancer chick) managed to keep durge alive. This entry is dated “two tenday ago”. But in game, that makes no sense because we know that the nautiloid should have crashed around that point. So either Balthazar doesn’t understand how the Faerun calendar works (I mean same, my guy) or we have to change our frame of reference. I think its more likely that the implied frame of reference is the start of the game, 20 Eleasis (since the developers can’t control how fast the player goes). 

If true, durge was saved by Kressa around 1 Eleasis. Her vivisections took place after this in the following days. However, durge is taken away before the end of the following tendays (at least before 10 Eleasis).

Now when you talk to Kressa in the basement of moonrise, she states that she found durge only hours after they had been given the tadpole.

In the fight with Orin, she states that when she attacked durge she carved out a hole for the worm (ignore the Half-Elf part, that's just from the moment Orin turns into durge during the pre-fight convo).

The part that we're missing is when specifically the tadpole was inserted into durge. But given how the game describes just how utterly fucked durge was, there's a high likelyhood that the tadpole was given to durge moments after their fight. Which if true, places Orin's betrayal at 1 Eleasis. Giving us twenty days till the start of the game.

The piece that threw me for a bit was this piece of the narrator's dialogue when durge examines the pod, stating that durge had no idea how much time had passed.

But the blood in the pod is still fresh enough that Astarion is able to ID it as durge & in another dialogue choice if you examine the blood further the narrator states the blood hasn't been there long enough to rot.

I think this dialogue is more explaining that durge is actively being tortured by Kressa so time feels unending (kressa being the one who put them in the pod to begin with).

I've seen in other posts that Gortash's draft memoir explains that Orin's betrayal occurred during or just around the crowning of the brain (I don't have a screenshot of that unfortunately). But we have to take that with a grain of salt because Gortash is the definition of an unreliable narrator.

Personally, I don't think he's lying though. Orin's betrayal occurred in moonrise and there's really no other reason that Orin and durge would be in moonrise that the game has provided. Not to mention, the warden explains the last time that durge was in moonrise, they never left.

I don't think durge came to moonrise more then once given the fact that the warden, who had clearly been there a while, had no clue who they were. I find it hard to believe their identity would be kept under wraps had they been at moonrise multiple times. Employees have to gossip about something.

I think its likely that Ketheric, Gortash, and Durge tamed the brain in the days leading up to 1 Eleasis (like ~20 to 30 Flamerule).

In summary, the dead three had a Phineas and Ferb summer vacation by deciding to create the cult of the absolute.

And yes if you are wondering this is how I look now.

[ahalliance]

qétoiles n qbagz’ convo about his code arm + fun banter from last sunday :] english subs + transcript below da cut

[Video transcript:

Etoiles: But yesterday when he [Forever] talked to me, he was so frightened, basically he was like, ‘But one day won’t you lose your shit and want to kill the Eggs with the Code, and everything?’ Though I was telling him, ‘But the fact is, I know the Code very well’—

Baghera: Oh, so you told him you joined—?

Etoiles: No, no, no, not at all. It’s just that he has these assumptions that I’m really allied to the Code because—

Baghera: I think it’s due to your Code tattoo, also, it gives off the impression you’re in the process of transforming into a Code, Etoiles, let’s not lie.

Etoiles: That’s it, that’s it. But, basically I told him that I’ve had it since—

Baghera: But you don’t give a shit? You’re taking it well?

Etoiles: Well, yeah, I don’t give a shit because I know he’ll never beat me. Basically I—

Baghera: But you don’t give a shit about the code literally popping up over your body?

Etoiles: Well, yeah, because it’s a part of me now. It’s normal.

Baghera: How?

Etoiles: Well, after— after fighting someone 17 times, you start— you start creating links. But those links—

Baghera: But— you know that’s not how things work. Like— look, we cross paths. Right now we’re crossing paths. You see? We’re crossing paths. I kick your ass. Like, for free. You see? I see you, I’m like, ‘Bro, I don’t like his face,’ so I kick your ass.

Etoiles: But no! Because if you tell me ‘Good fight’ at the end—

Baghera: I see you again— wait, I’m not finished. I see you again like 12 times, and I tell myself, ‘Hey, I’ll do it again,’ I kick your ass again. After a while, Rayou, I won’t get diabetes!

Etoiles: Well, maybe you will, huh.

Baghera: Yes, but it’s not— it doesn’t work, like— there’s no correlation, you see!

Etoiles: You know you won’t have those cells anymore, you know, it’s possible.

Baghera: But— no— what I mean is— Etoiles! That’s now how it works! It’s worrisome! It’s normal for us to worry!

Etoiles: Well, yeah, but, uhhh. Basically, you’re all used to talking with me on the island. And you understand very well that there’s nothing able to corrupt me.

Baghera: That we don’t know, Etoiles! Because— if it’s— I know that your morality, and your enormous brain, and your big body, won’t get corrupted. But if there’s suddenly— well, what I mean is that we don’t know what all the possible systems of manipulation on the island are.

Etoiles: It’s true. No, it’s true. But for the moment I’m doing well.

Baghera: Yeah, well, so much the better. But—

Etoiles: For the moment I’m doing well!

Baghera: If you feel any change, Etoiles, mention it, okay?

Etoiles: Oh, I’ll talk about it. But for the time being I’m doing very well.

Baghera: So I can understand peoples’ fear upon seeing you LITERALLY transform into a Code and who tell themselves, ‘Oh, strange, maybe there’s a thing with the Codes.’

Etoiles: It’s true but who can better know the dangers of the Code than someone who’s confronted it his whole life? Instead of someone who—

Baghera: I’m well aware.

Etoiles: No but it’s— it’s— it’s for that reason that I told Forever. I totally understand the fear and everything, it’s normal. You see a dude turning into a Code, you ask yourself, ‘What’s the guy who sent him doing?’

Baghera: Well, yeah, there you go.

Etoiles: Like, ‘Who sent him?’

Baghera: But you don’t feel any different? Nothing?

Etoiles: Absolutely not, no. Everything is going well. I still hate the Code whenever I see him, I still want to kick his ass. Everything’s fine. Even if right now I want him—

Baghera: But you join up with them when he suggests it, yeah. Well, it’s to get the shield back.

Etoiles: It was just for the shield, believe me. Believe me, if I run into them again- if I run into them again and they don’t offer me things to save the Eggs and everything, it’s goodbye. And considering what I’ve prepared— considering what I’ve prepared, I objectively think that 5 Codes won’t be enough to kill me. There’ll need to be 10 of them.

Baghera: They might bring 10, huh.

Etoiles: Yeah, well, then again, we have time.

Baghera: Well, in any case, they don’t want to kill you anymore since you’re working with them.

Etoiles: Well, in fact, we’re not really— actually— I don’t really know what he’s thinking. Because the last time we talked I told them, ‘But if you lay even a finger on the Eggs, I’ll kick your fucking asses, you sacks of shit.’ And they left, and they didn’t answer me.

Baghera: Then again, they’re a bit cryptic, the Codes, you know.

Etoiles: Yeah, but normally they— I managed to talk with them a bit, so— so I don’t know. Personally, I’m telling you—

Baghera: Okay, no, what I mean is that I understand why when people see you they think, ‘Maybe it’s possible he’s getting a little bit corrupted by the Codes.’

Etoiles: No but yeah, yeah, I totally get it. But honestly, never. Never in a million years.

Baghera: I believe you! I trust you. But if there’s— if once you feel any difference or something of the sort, you mention it, okay? To whomever you want, but you mention it.

Etoiles: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (10000x)

Baghera: You know you’re not very reassuring when you say that, as an answer.

Etoiles: That’s true. But I’m telling you there’s no problem. And— actually. The moment I start feeling strange, I’ll put numbers. And so you’ll have to come get me.

Baghera: Okay, okay. I’ll remember that.

Etoiles: Just that. But I— I— yeah. I whisper in the Code’s ear.

Baghera: The day you start talking to me in binary, there’ll be an issue, basically.

Etoiles: The day I say, ‘10001’, that’s it. But actually, I’m telling you, I could never be corrupted because I have AVAST, my wool block which blocks viruses.

Baghera: That’s real, that’s real.

end video transcript.]

[lvrcpid]

headcannons ii - modern!au

neteyam

— he was the type of kid who did the lemonade stands as a kid, backwards e and all.

— his led lights are always set to white. he doesn’t even use the light in his room

— he definitely goes trick or treating still. no matter the fact he’s almost 6 foot. he’s gonna get him some free candy

— speaking of candy, his favorite candy is..TWIZZLERS 🤢

— if there’s one thing neteyam will do, he gonna take a deep sigh like he a stressed father of 5

— he has his caps lock on 😟

— such a mommas boy

— ‘you need help ma?’ ‘i can pick her up for you ma’

— idc what y’all say him and jake ARENT THAT CLOSE

— nete def strays away from jakes old veteran ass but the first one to use his military discount anywhere they go 💀 he’s so me

— that boy loves him some the weeknd

— die for you is his favorite song

— the type to literally hit you while laughing

lo’ak

— he’s always in some sort of pain

— ‘my back hurt’ ‘my ankle hurts’

— he was the type of kid who got caught with kik at age 12

— when he finally got his car, he got a dent in it not even an hour later

— he thinks those a.i president videos are top tier comedy

— his closet is where he records his raps 💀

— neytiri has to FIGHT with him to make him wash his favorite hoodie

— ‘MA I CAN GO ONE MORE DAY’ ‘ITS BEEN TWO MONTHS’

— under his bed is literally comparable to a landfill. ITS SO DIRTY UNDER THERE

— when he was a kid, he ran into a wall and knocked his two front teeth out

— something tells me lo’ak is a fast eater like you could blink and his plate is CLEAR

— jake made him join jrotc 💀

kiri

— she’s def a morning person

— you can find her in her room mediating or doing yoga

— very in touch with her higher self

— she’s given herself a lot of stick and poke tattoos

— her favorite one is a heart on her finger

— shoes? hell no. crocs and slippers.

— funniest person in the family hands down

— she actually enjoys cleaning, it’s therapeutic

— the type to make twitter stans mad on purpose

— has way too much blackmail on everyone in the family

— she probably can’t dance tbh shed rather watch

— gives the MEANEST side eye to people

ao’nung

— he has facial hair (teehee)

— he probably was the type to go “boi 🫱🏽” in middle school

— he smells like irish spring ¿

— big big big sneaker head

— ‘where my hug at’ AONUNG GO TO HELL

— got that stiff athletes walk to him

— something tells me he has a letterman jacket with ‘A’ on it

— he definitely needs his license taken away. he has three tickets already

— speaking of license, his picture is his rizz. he looks so pretty in his picture

— poor baby hates eye contact, it makes him nervous

— he’s so fruity. talking bout some “POOKIE 😆”

— he’s a beast at mini golf

— da hood is his favorite roblox game. he definitely gets annoying and tells people to mic up

tsireya

— she actually believes in the tarot readings on her fyp

— she’s confident. not cocky.

— she can whoop ass. PRAY WITH HER DONT PLAY W HER

— she wants to dye her hair but she’s so scared

— she got a tattoo of a heart behind her ear behind her parents backs

— my girl loves her some astrology

— ‘WHATS YOUR RISING??’ ‘tsireya get the hell out of my room’

— she has a pet kitten named wiggles

— her lock screen is of her , lo’ak and wiggles

— she loves oreos

— her and the sims locked IN

— she’s spent at least 500 dollars on packages for the game

— she wears glasses but never wears them so she’s always squinting

— she’s a concert junkie. she’s been to almost every single nct concert she could attend

— ‘lo’ak let’s get matching silk presses’

[blackbackedjackal]

So to put this in perspective. I was about 5-7 when The Burned Furs was happening. I literally went to see Pokemon: The First Movie IN THEATERS, while this was going on.

By the time I was using the olde internet was about 10 or so. My family had a home computer system with Windows 98 and kept things upgraded over the years due to my dad needing access to "the internet" for work. I was left alone a lot as a kid (busy father/neglectful mother) and this was around the time of "CHECK OUT WWW.POKEMON.COM FOR MORE DETAILS" kind of time of the early internet + advertising. Like I was still using AOL dial-up for a lot of my original internet deep dives. Then, when things like Neopets took off, I was using the computer religiously. I stayed (mostly) on kid-safe spaces, but of course, the internet was, and is, the internet and I eventually branched out. I wanna say I was looking up pictures of Inuyasha to print out and use as art reference, as well as Digimon and Wolf's Rain. I know one of the earliest pieces of furry media was Renamon porn around 2002-2004, as well as a lot of art by Dark Natasha through her website.

At some point around 2005-2006 I stumbled onto VLC. I remember because I saw some furry art by an artist and really liked his style and was emulating it for a bit. At this time, furry art was still ruled by many people emulating Animalympics (which I only knew of because my family owned one of the first official releases of the VHS copies), as well as Osamu Tezuka's deep stylistic influence on the furry community in the 80-90s. The Disney influence from TLK hadn't fully seeped into the community at that point, and, being a little anime kid, I was genuinely fascinated with the art style. One of the first pieces of art I posted online was something I drew inspired by some furry fox art I saw on VLC, but then hyperfixated more into the general "I wanna draw a cool edgy anime wolf" kind of thing.

My first OC, Jade Shadowblood (lol) I made when I was about 9-10. I still own the sketchbook where I first drew her. This was sometime around 2001-2002. She was an Inuyasha self-insert character and intended to be "me" if I was in Inuyasha. I always refereed to her as "this is me if I was a wolf demon" to my friends at the time when I showed them my art in elementary school. I got the idea to make more "wolf demons" of my friends when they asked me if I could draw them as wolves at school. I took a lot of design inspo from Neopets/Neopets Adoptables at the time, and a lot of my original OCs were in fact, based off of kids who were my friends at the time (I have all of these original pieces still saved to this day).

Anyway, I joined DeviantArt in 2006 when I was 12-13 under the handle ShroudofShadows. I heard the name on Xiolin Showdown and thought it sounded cool for an internet username. This was my first real venture into social media. I scanned in and posted some of my old art, and continued making art inspired by Inuyasha, Wolf's Rain, Neopets, etc. It wasn't until about 2007 or so when I shared Jade on DA that one of my friends asked me "is this your fursona?" and I was like "what's a fursona?" and well, here we are I guess?

My first webcomic was started at this time, I found out about other people making wolf comics with their characters and I was like "I wanna do that too". The OG Wolf Song was heavily inspired by Inuyasha/Wolf's Rain, but because I also liked Don Bluth, an inspiration Kay Fedewa also used for her art, I got lumped in as "copying" Kay Fedewa because our styles were similar.

Kay got started with The Blackblood Alliance around the same time I did, and did influence about 5 or so of the original pages. Even though I knew my characters and plot were different and eventually would deviate from looking similar to her art, I just leaned into it since people were accusing me of copying her when we just happened to be posting around the same time. I had no idea who she was prior to people comparing me to her.

Wolf Song, ran for several years, but due to being bullies by TheRoguez/RayJ and her band fo merry fuckwads who made it their goal to "remove" wolf comics off of deviantart (the great sparkledog cleanse) and people like MirrorZan and BlueShineWolf having some very public drama in the wolf comic community, I eventually stopped working on my comic to do a big re-write. I wanted to FINALLY get out from under the "oh you're just copying these people" bullshit because I was like "I literally don't know who this is until you name dropped them". I stayed in my lane with Wolf Song and didn't branch out too much to other wolf comic artists since we were all getting harassed at this point. I didn't really know who to trust outside of the friends I had made in my early DA days.

By 17, I was applying for colleges and didn't have time to work on Wolf Song anymore. This was also around the time the other Wolf Song, the one on youtube, began taking off more and my comic was buried under the popularity. I figured "eh ok" and dropped the project while focusing on school.

I never felt like I really fit in with any one place/group. I had my own space and the fans of my comic which made me happy, so I avoided social media/fandom stuff for a few years. I was always on the fringes of the furry fandom, but due to coming across some really racist proboards forums about the furry fandom when I finally looked into it and saw "N*ggers can't be furry/therian/otherkin", I was like "ok fuck you too" and never wanted to participate in the fandom.

[oscarisaacasimov]

Hozier's interviews, radio & podcast & tv, August 2023

Aug 3, 93.1 WYEP, Joey Spehar hosts

https://wyep.org/feature/an-interview-with-hozier/

On the power of music to unite us globally:  “I wish I had a more decisively optimistic outlook on it. If we’re looking to musicians for the answer or the cure, for the real serious challenges we’re facing, to heal them or fix them, we’re really in trouble…That being said, a song can really capture a collective moment, a collective experience, and maybe it can bring people together on an issue, or resonate with large amounts of people, and hopefully then those people could collectively turn to those who do have power and hold them to account.”

Aug 8, RadioEins

“De Selby part 1 more resonates with that character…he’s this lunatic philosopher, has an Alice in Wonderland way of seeing the world. Because light moves at a certain speed, when you look in a mirror you’re technically looking back in time, and then if he had enough mirrors, he could see himself as a child…That nighttime is not an absence of light, but the sky secretes “black air” and the world is wrapped in that…The song is writing from his perspective, when you can sit in complete darkness and complete quiet, you can establish for yourself that you no longer exist and that’s very freeing.”

Aug 8, FluxFM, Wencke Fiedler hosts

"It was important to allow each song to be what it needed to be instrumentally, texturally, each song fulfilled itself."

Aug 10, My Turning Point, Steve Balkin hosts

“Alex Ryan the MD would come in at sound check and say I want to try something - what if in this section you do that. Once upon a time, I would have said, let’s not deviate, but watching the set change is part of our experience of the tour. You become less precious, less dogmatic in the way you want to do things…It’s way more fun if you’re with people smarter than you.”

Q: Which Tom Waits song do you wish you had written?  H: Soldier's Things…it's him listing all these items that belong to an unnamed soldier, "this one's for bravery, that one's for me, everything's a dollar in this box." It's this subtle anti war song, there's a terrible sadness to it, but it doesn't preach. There's a brilliance to that.

Aug 12, RTE Radio One, Brendan O'Connor hosts

H: “The early demos were far too concept, were a little too prog, a little too music theater."  BC: "You nearly did a rock opera! Maybe that's next." 

BC: “How did the pandemic challenge you?"  H: “When you’re on your hamster wheel and you’re running, keeping yourself busy. When you step off, you’re forced to sit in the cage of your life that you’ve built for yourself.”

Aug 16, Behind the Song 

On De Selby

De Selby is part genius part lunatic, he sees the world through a very dreamlike logic, it’s a way to open the album with a reflection on darkness, as something that’s very freeing, all things are lost in that darkness…If I can’t see where my hand ends and the darkness begins, they become literally one and the same…The Irish expands upon that in the direction of a love song, you come to me like nightfall is saying, you & I mixed up together, you and I metamorphasize when you can’t see where one ends and the other begins…We’re lost together in this darkness, we are everything, there’s no beginning or end.

Aug 16, The Current On the Circles of Hell 

“It was hard to find a choice for heresy, because I was writing a lot of stuff that you could class as heretical, which is fun always to do.”

Aug 17, Hugendubek, Booket List

Discussing favorite books (Dante’s Inferno, Fairy Tales by Oscar Wilde, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Ulysses by James Joyce, 1984 by George Orwell) 

“I wish I read more. I’m not a good reader, I’m not a committed reader, but when I obsess over something, I allow it to ruin my life.”  

“With books, people could stand to gain a wider palette of understanding different human experiences.” 

Aug 17, Diffus magazine 

Reading Dante's Inferno, not a true interview but delightful. 

“That day (after he kissed me), we read no more.” A nice way of saying Netflix and chill for the medieval period.”  

“Dante is by our standards a fundamentalist thinker… Dante the character is sympathizing with people in hell, and yet Dante the poet put them there.”  

“Virgil is so taken with Beatrice and her perfection and her beauty, he says “So perfect is your command, if I already obeyed, it would have been too late,” how moved he is to do anything Beatrice would ask him.

Aug 17, Amazon Music

Q&A 

“An album I know by heart? Bon Iver’s debut For Emma, Forever Ago, I listened to that like an absolute psychopath when it first came out. Also Aretha Franklin's debut, and Moondance by Van Morrison.” 

"If I was a worm would you still love me?" "Of course, yes. As a fisherman, who needs to catch fish."

Aug 18, CBS, Anthony Mason hosts

Q- Did you make peace with it all?  Hozier - "Yes he says as he's welling up! I made an album."

Hozier - "As a teenager I fell in love with Tom Waits work. I was amazed that noise was coming out of his mouth." Q - Interesting because vocally he's nothing like you.  Hozier - "Well, we'll see!"

Aug 18, Good Morning America  brief interview + De selby part 2 performance

“The title Unreal Unearth got its hooks on me early in the process. I started writing some of the songs in the early parts of the pandemic which felt surreal. But then also some of the songs play with myths and fictional characters, so there’s the unreal in that. For unearth, I enjoyed that, to dig and uncover and explore.”

Aug 18, Hozier reads TikTok comments, Linda Meiden hosts 

 "Theres a lot for me to live up to, allow me to disappoint!" 

"I have an amazing mum, but she is married to my dad." 

*I should show them to my exes, I don't know if they'd agree with you."

Aug 18, Chicks in the Office 

“I used to covet alone time, what I found out in the pandemic was the upper limitations of what solitude can give me…. I was energized to work with other people when I got to LA…I haven't jammed like that since I was 15.” 

“A good idea is like putting your ear up to an abandoned well and going, oh something's in there.”

Aug 19, NME  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HlEYnU8n7g   I am a private person but I haven’t had to work hard. People work hard to be famous, I don’t have to do that, I don’t want to do that…I do reveal a lot of myself in the work and in interviews like this, most people don’t sit down and do a chat.

Aug 24, Spotify UK TikTok

"Victoria Canal, Swansong switched me into her work, The Last Dinner party, I'm excited what's ahead for them, Rachel Lavelle, I'm excited for her career, I'm excited we have artists like her." 

Aug 27, Lipps Service, Scott Lipps hosts 

"Take me to Church was the first song I released, and I think we worked extra extra hard to catch up. Something I’m very proud of, somebody does an aggregate of how many miles a touring group has travelled and how many shows it’s done, and based on that, we were the hardest working touring group of 2015. We’d do two radio shows a day and then a gig that night, it was inch by inch. Looking back, I thought everybody did it that way. "   

Q: Top 5 Irish acts ever for you?  A: Christ, no I can’t. In no order, Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, the Pogues, U2… it has to be top 7…Sinead O'Connor, the Cranberries. For more traditional acts, Paul Brady.

Q: Top 5 greatest voices in music today?  A: I’m always astounded by Yebba, by Brandy. You've got to look at soul and r&b, when you're talking greatest vocalists. Aretha Franklin, I think greatest vocalist ever to have lived. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday was a huge voice for me, Otis Redding was a huge voice for me. I can’t give a solid five. An old favorite is Nina Simone, for what she carries.

Aug 28, Apple Music, Zane Lowe hosts 

Z: In 2020 most of us were drinking wine, watching family feud, pretending this wasn't gonna last more then two weeks, homie went straight into Dante's Inferno.  H: One line that really spoke to me at the time was "Through me, you enter into the population of loss." Anyone who lives long enough will go through their own hell and out the other side. 

H: There is a spot called Glendalough, and something hums in that valley. Z: Like a lay line almost? H: For those who believe in that, Ireland is very rich in lay lines, there's a thrumming, these sites that have been centers of worship and burial for thousands of years.  Z: Well there you go, thousands of years would suggest - and why would you not want to believe in something way bigger than ourselves? I'll never understand people trying to disprove it. Why would you want to think, this is it. Don't you want to believe in magic?  H: As you get older, you cultivate a relationship with joy and wonder that you never had as a child. 

H: The hard work is nothing, you love what you do, it's fine. The work gets done, you've got no choice, nothing in your body says I can't or I won't. It's the sacrifice, the relationships, the time you never get back…To be in step with yourself, to be fulfilled, to feel whole, to feel connected, to feel in place, the biggest part of that is community.

Aug 31, KXRW, Chris Douridas hosts

"With Ella, the ease with which she would forget a lyric and just riff in that empty space, do an impression of Louis Armstrong…The fresh invigorating runs, this incredibly creative way she uses her voice as an instrument, Ella Fitzgerald as a vocalist, is somebody I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes of again. I love those old jazz standards, how cyclical their lyrics are, setting up a premise of a lyrical motif and then concluding it in a successful way."  

[bigsnaff]

ough 12, 17, and 20 for Dokks from the OC ask game!!!

x @/scourgeblooms

OC ASKS

12. Generally, what's most people's first impression of them? + What impression do they *want* to leave on others?

It largely depends on whose first impression it is, because it tends to go either one of two ways:

They warm up to him very quickly! What's there not to like? He's charismatic, he's thoughtful, he's energetic. His presence pretty much immediately lights up a room.

His upfront friendliness reads as over-familiar or offputting, sometimes even infantilizing. I don't think he comes across as disingenuous by any means, but I can see how he would seem overbearing.

Either way, Dokks doesn't tend to put too much stock into first impressions of himself. He's had his fair share of people figuratively (and sometimes literally) turn away from him for his demeanor, but for as incredibly warm of an individual he is, he's also not a people-pleaser. He never has and never will change himself to be palatable to individuals that can't take having this oldie dad them. If it sucks, hit da bricks!!

17. How talkative are they?

Dokks is VERY chatty when given the opportunity! Don't get him wrong, he can read the room; he knows when saying his piece may be inopportune or out-of-place, depending on the circumstance. But he's the type of guy to stand there for hours chatting away with someone by his side, even if the only indication of them listening is the occasional "Uh-huh," or "Really?". Walk out of the room and you'll still hear him talking away in there for the next hour!

And this is a two-way street! Dokks is happy to listen to others, ecstatic even! Join him in his workshop one day when you need someone to vent to; he'll always have some advice or words of comfort to offer, and he very much enjoys the company. Ignore it if he accidentally bangs his head on a bar. It happens.

20. Any song(s) that you feel represent your character best? (bonus: would *they* like this/these song(s)?)

THIS little track has been in my head for years as Dokks' theme. I generally associate synth-heavy songs with Dokks anyways, but this was the first! It has the energy to it. It's the type of song I've imagined him bouncing his head to while working on a project of some sort. ...So I imagine he would like it just because of that, haha.

As for a song that has actual lyrical substance to it, Unity by Shinedown really really really gets me for him. It highlights the most significant parts of his character; his family, both past and present, the ones that are gone but he continues to live for, and the ones that are still with him and he is holding onto with everything he has. I think he'd really like the song just for the message it carries alone.

[stealthnoodle]

Ice Pond Thou Art, to Ice Pond Returneth: Let's Finish(?) Tears of the Kingdom

We're finishing the plot, anyway. All of the spoilers!

Sidequest clean-up time! I am getting up to such antics

Monster decorations: check

Freezing my tits off in the desert while holding up a giant mirror: check

House? check!

I'm sorry but I am literally 12 years old right now:

I wasn't going to chase after dragon!Zelda just yet but she appeared literally right in front of me so I figured I might as well hitch a ride on her and make Link sad.

Da-da-da-daaaa in a minor key:

For some reason I'd been assuming I couldn't dye my sexy thunder shawl but nope! What lovely news for me and fashion aficionados everywhere!

Puzzling with the Boner Squad

I'M STILL 12

A lot of people just come out around me! It's a gift.

Sure do!

Truly, no one can resist my charms.

Bitch I DELVED:

I know I said collecting all the bubbul gems would be my Cruella de Vil origin story, so call me Emma Stone because I have lost my entire goddamn mind. Fewer than 20 remain and Koltin is no longer offering me hints for some reason? Whatever, I'm not doing it for him anymore. I'm doing it for ME.

I have looked up a map of caves and I WILL spelunk each one, mark my words

Oh right we got some caves in the GODDAMN SKY, WHERE CAVES DON'T BELONG

I'm fine I'm fine

One more and the eye strain ends. Squinting from the map on my laptop to the in-game map on my TV. Oho, Death Mountain, I see you now!

FUCKEN GOT EM

Shine on, you crazy diamond bubbul gem. Maybe someday I'll smack you around for rupees. Until then, I will think of you and your completionist nightmare sidequest every time I glide through the air with my fancy new paraglider pattern.

Okay I can finish the plot now

I am doing this final stretch of mini-dungeon the way the goddess intended: by throwing down my traveler's medallion and popping back for more sundelion dishes before getting back to it.

At long last I have killed a lionel, and I started with a gloom lionel because why not. Bitch was in my way.

Me when the sun rises before 7:00am:

Let's see how many Ganon phases we get! Dueling Ganon. Big Hair Boner Squad Ganon. Big Hair One-on-One Ganon. Ganon Become Dragon.

Why does everyone but Link get to scarf down a tasty magatama treat? UNFAIR

At least I look good thrashing around between Ganon's giant dragon teeth:

Took me a second to realize what I was meant to be doing but this was a pleasantly cinematic fight phase with lots of catching little rides on Zelda's big fuzzy dragon head.

Game removed my good hat >:( but also removed my shirt :) so I feel like we're half on the same page.

Guess we're not getting an ending where Link joins Zelda on an eternal draconic frolic, which on the one hand, yes, my girl deserves a happy ending, but on the other, "dragon" is a whole new gender spectrum Link should get to explore.

Game ALSO removed my cool arm. :< Now how am I gonna remodel my house?

Grabbing Zelda as she falls would be a lot easier with Ultrahand, just sayin

At this point, is Zelda, like Marvin from Hitchhiker's Guide, older than the universe itself? My girl's been through it

My robot girlfriend is moving on to robot girlfriend heaven. This too is yuri.

And I am moving on to fucking around endlessly, but first, there's only one way I can end this, right?

Back to the ice pond, baby. I made myself a little blue cultist outfit and everything:

That's all, folks!

[blvcklizard]

Ich habe 139 Mal im Jahr 2022 etwas gepostet

Das sind 32 more posts als 2021!

58 Einträge erstellt (42%)

81 Einträge gerebloggt (58%)

#reblog – 77 Einträge

#bungou stray dogs – 21 Einträge

#bsd – 20 Einträge

#servamp – 17 Einträge

#spoilers – 12 Einträge

#hunting dogs bsd – 11 Einträge

#bsd jouno – 11 Einträge

#literary stray dogs – 9 Einträge

#daily life of silver – 8 Einträge

#hyde servamp – 8 Einträge

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#i knew they were being shipped before i met them in the manga and i think it's one of the reasons why i immidiately loved them this much

Meine Top-Einträge im Jahr 2022:

#5

If Lawlicht not canon why this

Okay but jokes aside, I love this panel so much. For various reasons.

First of all obviously because of that look, come on, you don't look at everyone with so much love in your eyes.

But also the context! Because he's doubting. See how he skips straight back to the fact that they can't really do anything. (Notably he doesn't say this out loud though).

But those eyes? Those trusting, sincere eyes? He meant it when he said yes.

"But Lawless is an emotional crybaby, he'd probably want to be reassured in this situation too"

Lawless? Lawless "I'd rather watch the girl I love die than put my wishes over hers" of Greed? That Lawless? Nah, we all know what this is. Because it could still have been a form of reassurance, however directed at himself rather than Licht, but it's more likely that this isn't even necessary. Not because he doesn't care about Crantz, but because he doesn't doubt Licht.

This? That's not some half hearted lie to make either of them feel better. That's pure trust in his angel. Licht knows what he wants, and Lawless knows that he will get it.

Sounds familiar?

He has kept his Eves around for 200 years for the purpose of trying to avoid losing his mind (a little too late, Lawless, but I don't blame you). Remember the flashbacks with Iris? He didn't have faith in her or her decisions one bit. I mean, why would he?

And then Licht singlehandedly snapped him out of this state. Hmmm, I wonder why him, of all people?

Which leads us back to the topic of reassurance. Iris was entirely indifferent towards him, and we can assume that it was the same with all his previous Eves. Now Licht the Archangel cared about him (hate is a form of care too, Licht), and, most importantly, is not the kind of person to comfort him and take his hand. His reaction to Lawless's memories? He was helping him, and he was actively aware of it. And he didn't do it the nice way, but rather by telling him to get it together.

Which is exactly what Lawless needs.

(Excessive) reassurance and comfort are dangerous for people like him, even if it might feel nice. Lawless needs a strong, firm person to snap him back to reality. Someone like Licht.

Alright, that got out of hand. TLDR; Licht is the best thing that could have happened to Lawless and I have obsession issues.

73 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 2. September 2022

#4

“The last words your soulmate says to you are tattooed on your skin” AU but with Suegiku

So Tecchou goes his entire life assuming that he will kill his soulmate one day. It makes sense, right? The last words they will say to him are challenging him to a fight, and he’s strong, let alone has literally a sword-related supernatural ability. It’s the logical conclusion.

And to avoid that, his younger self made a promise to himself; he won’t try to look for his soulmate, he will just pretend he doesn’t have one. He won’t fall in love. And to his surprise, it isn’t too difficult, he doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone anyway, and any possible feelings are easy to ignore until they go away on their own.

So when Jouno joins the Hunting Dogs, it’s not a big deal to brush off all the little things he’s feeling about him. He’s objectively attractive, that doesn’t mean anything. Honesty and a strong sense of justice are admirable traits regardless of the person, right? (Sure, his methods need some adjustment, but Tecchou will gladly help him with that.) It’s only natural to be curious about him, isn’t it? Teruko probably thinks about him just as often. And she’s probably just as convinced that his eyes are as beautiful as the rest of him, and would really like to see if she’s right, too. As the stronger and more experienced one, it’s normal to want to protect him, too, and spend nights at his bed or in front of doors at the hospital whenever he gets hurt. Just, you know, normal teammate stuff. His feelings more persistent than usual, but that’s normal as well, right? They’re partners after all, so it makes sense that this small crush, if he can call it that, wouldn’t wear off as quickly as his previous ones did.

So when he hears Jouno say those words to him at the airport, it catches him completely off-guard.

That’s not real, right? He probably misunderstood, or this is some sort of mistake. Jouno can’t possibly be his soulmate, he hates him, or Tecchou doesn’t love him either. He was so careful after all, right? He has never seen Jouno’s tattoo, he was equally scared it would sound like something he would say and something he would never say, and besides that, Jouno wouldn’t have shown it to him anyway. So he can just assume, but there’s no way he didn’t misunderstand, right? They didn’t even get as far as actually fighting, so...

It’s not urgently important, though, is it? If he needs to act, he will do so, anyway. If Jouno is in danger, he will protect him, and he’ll have enough time to figure things out later.

But Jouno is going to be safe. They will chase after those terrorists together, and Tecchou doesn’t need to worry until then. There will probably be some complications with the ADA, and he will protect him when he comes back, like he always does.

But for now, he doesn’t need to worry. Jouno is going to be safe. He is with their commander, after all.

85 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 1. Mai 2022

#3

Things I wonder about in BSD that will probably never be elaborated on:

Why did Tecchou hesitate when Jouno told him to kill Yosano

What was Gin about to say/do when she addressed Tachihara before he made her stab him in chapter 68

What is Teruko's actual age

The whole page around the "because my friends think I'm invincible" line from chapter 56. Why does he look so sad? So lonely? Does his acceptance of not being an ability user lead to feeling isolated from his friends? Has his trust in the president as well as the others been broken/bruised? Why is no one talking about this?

122 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 18. Januar 2022

#2

Chuuya fans being shocked about the new chapter

Akutagawa/Tachihara/Jouno fans:

176 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 2. Mai 2022

Meine #1 des Jahres 2022

Since with season 4 many people will meet the Hunting Dogs for the first time, I would like to tell the anime-onlys that these two are soulmates

199 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 10. Februar 2022

Hol dir deinen Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 →

[jamesfalt]

adds to this as well with my tips since i'm in my last year. i'm an art major so some of these are very specific to art classes

CHECK YOUR EMAIL BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR ANY IN-PERSON CLASS it's only happened a handful of times but i've literally had professors cancel 30 minutes to an hour before class and reach out by email

i'm sure if you've had a lifelong disability this is the first thing you do anyways, but always check with your disability center what they can do to help you!!! mine offers note-taking services where someone will go into class to take notes for you, it also helps if you need longer testing times and excused tardiness

IF YOU'RE TRANS AND OUT BUT HAVEN'T HAD YOUR NAME CHANGED: CHECK ALL THE ONLINE RESOURCES TO SEE IF YOU CAN'T JUST AUTOMATICALLY MAKE EVERYTHING YOUR PREFERRED NAME!!! i did digging on mine very early on and found a place to put a preferred name and have not had to deal with any deadnaming outside of more official matters (paperwork and such) since.

most professors are chill just talk to them if you need anything. when i caught covid last year it took me out of my classes for a week and my painting professor allowed me almost a whole extra week to finish my paintings simply bc i asked. had a power outage that lasted like 12 hours last semester and had to ask the teacher to extend the due date for the assignment due that night bc i just literally couldn't get online.

do not buy ANY BOOKS until you see that syllabus and the professor TELLS YOU TO BUY IT I'M SERIOUS. THE BOOKSTORE WILL STILL HAVE IT AND IF IT DOESN'T U CAN FIND IT ONLINE TRUST ME

unless the professor tells you not to, you can eat in class so long as you're not a nuisance

don't take morning classes unless you have to and if you do take only ONE per semester

art students: do NOT overwork yourself and pace yourself based on your projects in other classes. ask around what studio classes would be awful to stack (my painting professor had me convince another student to not do three studio classes where one of those classes was intro to ceramics bc that workload would've been BAD)

if u struggle with socializing and can't seem to make friends in class, join a club! clubs often also throw events and stuff you can go to outside of them that you can also make friends at.

check your email at LEAST 3 times a day you never know WHAT could happen genuinely

to reiterate an earlier point in the post, drop out of a class as soon as you realize you don't like it, i really wish i did this first semester when i took an english class that had everything due on wednesday at 10am. like the whole week.

i go to a state university and not a specific art school so it's not the same but unless your professor is super anti-fanart it's fine lol. i love doing fanart for class, i try to keep it minimal but if it works it works

oh feel free to bring shit to do with your hands for lecture classes. you can draw in them. you can crochet/knit. bring a fidget toy that doesn't make noise. never had a single professor who cared. bring stuffed animals who gives a shit.

if you ahve class on halloween go to class dressed up it's fun :( last year i only saw people from the art department dressed up it was so sad

if the weather is bad don't risk it honestly, even professors will cancel class if the school won't in those conditions.

uhhh just find out the fun things you can do around campus :) go to ur college's events they're fun,

OH LAST POINT find out what resources your campus has. for artists see what the campus print shop has and their prices, see what the craft shop has if your's has one. my print shop does stickers and magnets and transparencies all for really cheap, the craft shop has a kiln that is literally available for anyone to use so long as you have a membership or pay the day fee (or go on a free day for students). see if your campus has free counseling for students. does it have an on-campus clinic? use that too.

have fun and if shit sucks, hit da bricks! (drop that class! change your major to something easier for you!! drop out altogether if it's just not working!)

Actual good first-time college student advice:

Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna

Backpacks with thick straps are your friend!  Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back

You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class.  Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.

If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE!  It’ll only get worse from there!

If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.

You are in charge of your schedule.  Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.

Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.

Pay attention to your credit hours and grades.  Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!

Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or so before buying an expensive textbook.  Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online.  Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts).  Use your best judgement on what you think you need.

Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them.  It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.

The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates.  They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study.  And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.

You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!

If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted.  Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!

Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!!  Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed.  Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time.  Look into it if you need to!

Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something.  Anything.

Eat and stay hydrated.  Bring a water bottle and snack to class.

All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.

It’s going to be hard and there will be times you might think about giving up.  This WILL happen.  You just have to make sure what you’re doing isn’t making you absolutely miserable and/or there is something rewarding and positive to look forward to at the end!

[zoneofsmites]

7, 11, 12!

(questions from here)

Thanks for the asks Alex <3

7. Why does Rook agree to join the Veilguard?

The number one thing is that Felix is clearly in danger after releasing the slaves the Venatori were keeping. He was going to have to skip town anyway, might as well leave with more purpose than just to hide out somewhere until it blew over.

The rest of his motivation for joining is because he would jump at any chance to save people. It's why he joined the Shadow Dragons.

He has that bleeding heart, to a near detrimental degree. More so than any of my DA protagonists ever came close to. (Dane Tabris is more strategic, pragmatic. Mirevas Lavellan is likewise pragmatic, and has bigger political stakes to consider. Ambrose Hawke might be close, but he is ultimately a little bit too selfish.)

It also helps that this is THE Varric Tethras. A hero of the inquisition, someone who fought alongside Magister Pavus. (and the writer of his favourite romance serial)

11. Does Rook keep up with current events? (How aware of the situation are they at the start of the game?)

Mostly kept up with the news back home in Tevinter. He's also kept tabs on Antaam invasions, but not as in-depth.

Less current events, but before the game events he did look more in depth into the Inquisition when the Lucerni rose up. (He was a bit of a Magister Pavus fanboy. Sue him he was 18~ and desperately looking for any kind of non-shitty tevinter mage role-model)

12. Does Rook have any family? Do they keep in touch?

Felix was adopted by the Mercar family, a military family. The game states Rook to be found as a baby, but I have my own early history for Felix. He was adopted around 12 years old, found by his father in the middle of a battlefield near Ventus.

Felix is the oldest of 5 children, he is also the only one who's adopted.

He gets along best with his father, and has a more complicated (but not less loving) relationship with his mother.

Constance (second oldest) and Felix have an argumentative relationship. They never quite managed to get along. At this point they piss each other off just to piss the other off.

Aloysius (the middle child) looks up to Felix quite a bit. Joined the Shadow Dragons after his brother had to skip town, to continue the fight in his name.

Then the youngest are the twins, Cecelia and Albus, a bit of a late addition… and accident. They're only 10 years old, and Felix was definitely involved in raising his younger siblings.

As for if they keep in touch… well…

(spoilers for the main quest after Davrin's recruitment under the cut)

After Felix saves Treviso, he has to deal with more consequences than just Minrathous and the Shadows falling apart. It's quite literally his whole life that he has destroyed here.

Aloysius and his father perish in the attack. His mother takes up arms against the venatori, despite an old injury, and his sister genuinely hates him now.

As for the twins, I like to headcanon they stay in the Lighthouse after. It's safer than Minrathous, and with mother and Connie busy in the aftermath of the dragon attack, it makes Felix the best candidate to look after them.

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

12 & 17~

Got it, anon!!!

Off the Road

Non-Idol AU

Prompts: 12. "Babe don't worry I got this" they do not got this. 17. "Is this illegal?" "Maybe."

TW: Language, Implied Major Character Death

Y/N Pronouns: Not Specified

Genre: Fluff, Angst

[Prompt List] | [Main Masterlist]

Word Count: 0.6K

Notes: I'm in an angsty mood I'M SORRY ANON

As soon as you turned off the street and, quite literally, into a forest, Kun's heart rate jumped up. He looked around the car, there wasn't so much as a street light to illuminate the way. He did his best to hide it, but the way he gripped the armrests must have given it away.

"Kun, relax! Just trust me!" You told him while somehow maneuvering the car through the narrow dirt path. Of course he trusts you, after dating this long he doesn't see why he wouldn't. He'd follow you to the end of the earth if you asked him to.

"Is this illegal?" He probably shouldn't have asked for his nerves.

"Maybe."

"What do you mean maybe?"

"It might be private property? Maybe not, I've never seen anyone else here," you shrug. The car jerks to a stop and you both yelp. Kun looks at you worriedly, and you smile, trying to push away the nerves.

"Babe, don't worry, I got this," you gave him a thumbs up. He could tell that you very well do not got this, but decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. You walked out of the car and over to the front, your arms crossed over your chest while you observed what happened. You walked over to his side and tapped the window. He rolls it down and you smiled again. "Okay, so we're going to have to walk the rest of the way." Kun's hopes drop. He looks into the dark forest.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"What?! Goodness, no. If I wanted to do that then I would've done it in a cooler way, Kun. Just trust me! I know exactly where to go," you opened the car door for him and he reluctantly stepped out. You turned your phone's flashlight on and hooked your arm around his while you slowly guided him through the forest. "Did you know that-"

"Don't say it or I'll scream."

"Fair enough! Don't worry, we're almost there!" You were dragging him at this point, but he had to admit that you piqued his curiosity. Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, you step into a clearing. The moon was high above you both and the grass lush and moving only slightly with the breeze. In the middle was an old wooden picnic bench that had obviously seen it's fair share of years. "Ta da!"

"Dare I ask how you found this place?"

"Just did some exploring! I used to come here a lot when I was younger, and I've never seen anyone here so I guess it's free game, you know?" You sat on the bench. "And it's still sturdy! Come, come, take a seat!" You patted the spot next to you. Kun moves to join you. As he sits down, the rest of the forest comes into perspective. It was scary at first, dark and filled with shadows. But, now, in the moonlight, it was more illuminated. He could see the reflection of raindrops and dew, he could see the fireflies and the small critters.

It really was beautiful.

But, it truly was nothing in comparison to you who sat next to him. Perfect in his eyes and in every which way. How the light shone down on you, how the outfit you wore so perfectly suited you. You were perfect.

Too perfect.

"You know..." your voice drifts off. "In all my years of working, this is the first time someone has wanted solitude."

"Solitude?"

"Usually, people like for their last moments to be with people they love, or people they cherished. Or sometimes maybe they just wanted to watch in the sidelines. But, very rarely, do they ever ask to be in solitude." Kun was silent.

"Were they special to you?" He looks at the ground. He doesn't recognize you.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Ran off somewhere and never returned."

"I wonder if they're still here."

"So do I," Kun looks up at the sky. Then back down. You sat next to him in silence. But was it really you? You stood up and offered your hand.

"Had your fill? It's time to go."

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[sanguinewolves]

jumping in bc this seems fun

1. are you named after anyone? yeah!! 4/5 of my names are actually after fictional characters - dean spn cas spn perseus greek mythology and ghoul danger days :)

2. when was the last time you cried? idk sunday i think

3. do you have kids? absolutely not and im 98% sure i dont want any

4. what sports have you played/do you play? i hate literally every team sport ive ever played. i like archery though if that counts as a sport

5. do you use sarcasm? yeah all the time. less online though i think

6. what do you first notice about ppl? uh. usually either their side profile or their clothes ig?

7. what’s your eye color? that’s a topic of much debate but i think green

8. scary movies or happy ending? i guess if its between these 2 then happy ending im not that big on scary movies unless im watching them with someone elsw

9. any talents? i can draw and write. if either of those counts

10. where were you born? the us

11. what are your hobbies? writing, drawing, reading, listening to music, making patches for my jacket (is that just an offshoot of drawing?), being really really normal about The Characters

12. do you have any pets? 2 cats and 11 chickens :)

13. how tall are you? 5’1.5 😔

14. favorite subject in school? probably art if that counts. or english excepting this year bc my teacher SUCKS.

15. dream job? working on a small farm and helping run a little bookstore or maybe cafe or something in my spare time

no pressure tags: @fangsforfags @pnuk-r0ck @oh-my-muffins @pansypr3p @queerplatonicboyfriend @trannydean @jacklesbrainworms @acornmaybe @acetheticlytired @wingl3ssthing @i-got-da-rubes @roahthefunkpoet @joplinspiderz @drgermy @jacuzziwaters @looniecartooni and @ anyone else who wants to join in :)

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

The rules are: Answer the 15 questions and tag 15 of your mutuals.

ty @trvbblemaker for the tag :D

Are you named after anyone?

not that i know of

2. When was the last time you cried?

like last week after the orthodontist lmao

3. Do you have kids?

i have plants

4. What sports do you play/have played?

i did gymnastics and dance now i do nothing~

5. Do you use sarcasm?

it's somewhat of a coping mechanism

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

how they dress/their hair

7. What's your eye color?

hell if i know

8. Scary movies or Happy endings

happy endings :]

9. Any talents?

i'm rlly good at overthinking and ignoring problems (like genuinely tho ig i'm good at art)

10. Where were you born?

america 🇺🇸 (i hate it here)

11. What are your hobbies?

crocheting, watching shows, drawing

12. Do you have any pets?

cat named otis <3

13. How tall are you?

i think technically 5'4 1/2"

14. Favorite subject in school

art

15. Dream Job?

something i don't hate hopefully in an art field

no pressure tags: @newtness532 @lirdgorl @rainysaturdayafternoon @justkeepwalkingnothinghere @snek-amiga @deusetco @crayonssmellgood @arshemelsoe @lizvi @bbreaddog @noworneverphantom + open tag

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: Nirvana in Fire, Episode 02

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 54 Episodes!

A Cunning Plan

Let's start by checking in with the in-progress schemes. Nirvana in Fire features many, many overlapping schemes that stretch across multiple episodes.

Princess Nihuang's Marriage: Princess Nihuang is betrothed to a dead guy, and that's fine with her. If she needs tender emotional care she's got Xia Dong. Xia Dong is married to a dead guy so this works well for both of them.  

The Emperor wants to marry Nihuang off, because she's got a loyal heap of troops at the southern border, and he's a paranoid old fuck, who doesn't like anyone to have the power to overthrow him. Marrying her will sort of force her to hand her troops off to her impulsive younger brother, or something.

The Emperor has a soft spot for Nihuang, however, so he's allowed her to set a bunch of impossible conditions on the marriage, including a martial arts contest. NIF is a hybrid palace drama and Wuxia drama, so there are courtesans and backstabbing and sneaky maids and sneaky eunuchs but also, people can fly.

The two main power seekers, Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, have flunkies that they want Nihuang to marry, but their flunkies suck at martial arts, so if they want her to marry one of their dudes, there will have to be cheating.

Note that Nihuang's good friends Jingrui and Yujin are taking part in the contest to marry her, which might be weird, except they both know she can beat their asses so they seem to just be joining in for fun & prestige. 

The fact that she doesn't want to marry either of these loveable cuties means that she's pretty serious about staying betrothed to her first love, despite his apparent deadness.

(more after the cut!)

Recruiting Mei Changsu / Killing Mei Changsu: Team Prince Yu wants to recruit Mei Changsu. Team Crown Prince wants to recruit him or kill him, if recruiting him doesn't work. 

Mei Changsu acts like this is so tedious; all he wants to do is rest. But they only want to recruit him because he and his pal Lin Chen made them believe he is the answer to their problems.  Whenever Mei Changsu acts annoyed at something, it's probably something he actually orchestrated. "Pork chops again?" (secretly buys more pork chops).

The Duke Qing/ Landgrab Case: In Episode 1, the Jiangzuo Alliance protected some witnesses against Duke Qing in an enslavement/land grabbing case. It's difficult for me to find anything about historical land grabbing in China because Google is full of 21st century land grabbing information. Anyway Duke Qing works for Prince Yu, so the witnesses are (whether they mean to be or not) on The Crown Prince's side. The Emperor has an interest in this case, because land grabbing is bad, apparently, even by corrupt-emperor standards. Xia Dong is in charge of investigating.

The Chiyan Army Case: This is the big conspiracy that the entire show is about. 11 years ago, the Emperor received evidence that Prince Qi, Lin Xie (Mei Changsu's father), and the entire Chiyan army were going to rebel. This was supposedly reported by Xia Dong's husband, Nie Feng, before Lin Xie supposedly killed him. The emperor ordered executions for everybody.

Prince Jing thought this was a bunch of bullshit and didn't hesitate to say so, which got him sent off to distant regions to do army things for years at a time, and landed him a place high up on the emperor’s shit list.

The Hazelnut Pastry Scheme: This is a small scale, benevolent scheme, in which Concubine Jing will eventually stop making cookies with hazelnuts in them, because Mei Changsu is allergic to them. 

Ok, that’s the scheme roundup for this episode. On with the show!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

After a quick expository chat between the Emperor and Gong Gao, laying out the reasons for the Nihuang Marriage Scheme, we go to Prince Yu’s place to watch superhot Meng Zhi, commander of the emperor's guards, whip some ass. Not, alas, literally.  Despite his leather shoulder thingies and his handsome beard, and his commanding ways on a battlefield, when it comes to interpersonal relations he is pretty much a labrador retriever puppy in human form.

Meng Zhi is kicking the asses of Prince Yu’s fighters to determine if they're qualified to compete in the Marriage contest. They are not. He points out to the Prince that they can't put such terrible wimps into the competition because it will make the country’s defenses look weak.  

This beatdown is observed by Prince Yu and by Xie Yu, who Prince Yu thinks is on his side. Xie is 100% on the Crown Prince's side, but is carefully hiding that fact; he has his son working for Prince Yu as part of his cover.

In determining how severe an ass kicking is, everyone talks about how many moves it takes to defeat someone, like it's chess. Meng Zhi can beat literally anyone else in the show. He's number two on the Langya List of fighters & we never meet #1.

Fe Liu Was Fast as Lightning

Mei Changsu is hanging out in the garden at Xie manor while Fe Liu jumps around. Fe Liu wants Mei Changsu to play Roblox with him, and pouts when MCS opts for staying in the garden and reading a book.

Fe Liu is utterly devoted to Mei Changsu; I really love their relationship. Fe Liu’s backstory isn't fully explained in the show, but apparently he was raised from an early age to focus on being extremely lethal, and didn't spend much time learning to talk or other skills, making him the epitome of the asynchronous/ gifted teen. Mei Changsu isn’t who raised him to be like this; MCS and Lin Chen rescued him, which is why he is now Mei Changsu’s personal murder pet.

Fe Liu is both a complete fantasy character and also a really believable teen, beautifully acted by Leo Wu, who DMBJ fans know from Tomb of the Sea, and who Xiao Zhan fans know from Battle Through the Heavens.

Fe Lui promptly gets into a fight with Meng Zhi, who's visiting Xie manor. All Fe Liu was doing was leaping about the rooftops like an assassin, but since Xie Yu is the sort of guy that a lot of people would like to kill, Meng Zhi doesn't think this is so good. They have a hilarious, entertaining fight with many, many wire-assisted moves.

They're pretty evenly matched, and Xie Yu watches them with extreme interest until Mei Changsu shows up and tells Fe Liu to stop. Xie Yu is watching because he needs to know how many dudes he should send to assassinate Mei Changsu. Answer: more. Always more.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately since it’s probably all part of MCS’s plan) Fe Liu's extreme skilz make it obvious that his boss is someone important. Mei Changsu discusses this with Jingrui and Yujin in an open-air setting where Jingrui's brother Xie Bi can totally hear them.  In no time flat, father and son have reported his identity to their respective princes.

Over at Prince Yu's place, Qin Banruo and her awesome eye makeup join the party. She's Prince Yu’s advisor/manipulator, working for the (fallen) Hua kingdom, led by the (deceased) Princess Xuanji . She has a network of spies who work for her, that she deploys for Prince Yu's schemes. Her ultimate goal is not to help him, however, but just to fuck up the Da Liang Empire, which conquered the Hua.

(Nearly) Everybody Hates Jingyan

Xia Dong heads out on her assignment in the Land Grab Case, and Nihuang goes to see her off. They talk about gender expectations and how annoying it is to have to marry a dude, and briefly hang out being WLW goals with their mutual devotion, excellent fashion sense and deadly fighting abilities. Nihuang, in particular, wears the prettiest things and also stands at attention like she's commanding an army; I adore her.

They're interrupted by the arrival of Prince Jing, who is greeted cheerfully by Nihuang and eye-rollingly by Xia Dong.  

He's wearing an awesome brass-and-blue armor that we never see again after this episode. It's too bad - it's a good color for him and it has a cool vampire cloak with a high collar.

Prince Jing takes the opportunity to snark at Xia Dong about her investigation and the Xuanjing Bureau’s penchant for inventing finding conspiracies, and then rides off before she can reply.

This leads Nihuang and Xia Dong to get into their chronic argument about the Chiyan Conspiracy and the Lin family, and then Xia Dong hits the road.

Prince Jing and his subordinates stand around outside the palace waiting to report to the emperor while the emperor ignores him. They get sweatier and sweatier while they wait. which makes me like the Emperor a little bit more.

Prince Yu and CP Xian are busy sucking up to the emperor as they look at a manuscript. They are a bunch of assholes and you can see that Gao Zhan isn't a fan of this bullshit.

Eventually Gao Zhan reminds/persuades the emperor to summon Prince Jing, whose brothers snark at him like a couple of 12 year old girls while he radiates manly vigor and handsomeness.  

Consort Jin is bummed that she can't see Prince Jing for another 5 days, and her maid sidekick says random comforting things. This maid, Xiao Xin, is actually a little snake, who works for Qin Banruo's network. We don't learn that until sometime later.

All of the maids have this same hairstyle. If you are a westerner and you think this hairstyle is crazy, have a look at some Roman and Byzantine historic hairstyles. I'm not saying this hairstyle is NOT crazy, mind you; just that crazy hair was a feature of many, many historical empires.  

Consort Jing has someone deliver her hazelnut cookies to Prince Jing; she doesn’t know about Mei Changsu yet so hazelnut is still on the menu. Nicest mom. Also smartest, helpful-est mom, as the story develops.

Suck-Up Contest

At Xie manor, Xie Bi tries to get Mei Changsu to go meet the Empress, who has stopped by with Nihuang specifically to meet him, as part of the Recruit Mei Changsu scheme. Jingrui says nope, fuck that, he's not going to be a pawn in your political games, fuck off. We get to see Jingrui being steely and righteous, which is both cool and hot. Nihuang should totally marry him.

The Empress is annoyed that Mei Changsu doesn't show up, and Nihuang is like, it's ok, I don’t actually give a fuck about meeting new men. But I did want to meet his murder puppy Fe Liu.

Grand Princess Liyang says they don’t need to bother meeting pugilists, despite her son being one and her supposed best friends/co-parents also being pugilists.

Grand Princess Liyang will probably be glad Mei Changsu didn’t come to her little party, once she realizes what tends to happen when Mei Changsu comes to a party.

Then we go to the suitor tournament, in which everyone more or less sucks.

The princes really want to go over to Mei Changsu’s balcony to meet him, and they have a hilarious silent interaction where they both try not to be the first one to move. They finally cave, and go together.  

Then they compete to see who can be the most cringe and blow the most smoke up Mei Changsu's ass.

They ply him with gifts and flattery, which he mostly manages to resist.

Cookie Time with Granny

Then they get summoned to go meet the grand empress, who is (I think) the mother of the previous emperor, the grandmother of the current emperor, and the great grandmother of basically every highborn character of the current generation, including Nihuang and Yujin, although it’s not clear where they sit in the family tree. Historically, cousin marriage - particularly of maternal cousins - was no big whoop in China, so it's not surprising that a lot of nobles would share a great-grandmother.

The Grand Empress is a sweet lady with dementia. She can’t figure out who the hell anyone is. First-time viewers feel the same way.  

Her dementia is pretty well depicted, unlike a lot of TV dementia, or at least it matches up to my experiences with my own elders. She remembers the distant past more vividly than recent times; when she understands who’s in front of her she connects with them emotionally, but she falls off track easily. And she projects the identities of people she misses onto people who are around her.

Like many other grannies, no matter who is visiting, she wants them to 1. get married 2. produce offspring 3. eat something, you’re so skinny

When Mei Changsu meets Granny she immediately calls him Lin Shu, either because she recognizes him or because she really misses Lin Shu, or both. She calls Nihuang over and joins their hands, and Mei Changsu grabs onto Nihuang's hand and holds it for a while.

Everyone thinks it's adorable that Granny has dementia and is confused about that guy who was horribly killed, except Nihuang, who was already checking Mei Changsu out and is somewhat verklempt. She might have to revise her anti-man feelings a little bit.

Everyone leaves, and Nihuang hits up Mei Changsu to take a walk with her, casually mentioning that she could have his hand cut off for touching her, but since she's not in the mood, he's ok.

She prods a bit to find out what he's doing in town and what he's up to. “Do you have a girlfriend? Like a serious girlfriend or just a stalker who works for you?” She asks him which of the two princes he's going to support, but they’re interrupted by a eunuch beating a slave child. That’s the price you pay for trying to have a date in the palace, I guess.