#* it's like playing saint but not understanding what it really means to be kind.

[mimiruku]

Jojooooooo! For ♡ Mimi ♡: "Which canon character annoys your OC?", "Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later?", and "Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive?"

█    𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐎𝐂 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄   ⸻   ( ⚝ )

Here we go again, Nimo! Thank you for always sending some & having me ACTUALLY set things up for him lmao.

Which canon character annoys your OC ? ╰┈➤    Annoyance is more often in a spectrum with him, he finds a lot of them a little annoying in more ways than one . . . or at the very least, dissatisfactory. Even the one he favors most ( Reborn ) , he had held something against at and had struct a nerve . . . rather than asking 'who annoys' Miruku, the better question might be 'what they've done to annoy him' . Currently, Momina, Kyoko, Ipin & Shoichi holds the distinct title of never peeving Miruku in any particular way.

Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later ? ╰┈➤    GOKUDERA HAYATO. He's so loud, aggressive and accusatory and as a teen, it was almost impossible to have a conversation with him that didn't lead to him screaming defamatory and offensive statements ⸻ for a long while, Miruku had marked him as someone he wishes to avoid, though his temperament and patience surprisingly had them still comingling relatively well. ( Miruku is gentlehanded, inoffensive and never treated Gokudera harshly regardless of his actual discomforts. ) Admittedly, his active attempt to reach out to Gokudera where primarily because of Momina, who somehow recognized that ' he isn't all that bad ' . . . well, so if Momina says so, then Miruku has no qualms in believing it. Later, Miruku also began seeing what Momina saw in him, Gokudera is someone he can love too.

Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive ? ╰┈➤    YUNI.    He could not, much as he tries, understand why he must remember such painful memories , why he must carry those burdens again and worst of all, that he has to exist seeing Byakuran's face again. There is this unpleasant bitter fear in him that he might not be able to forgive Yuni at all, that he'd hold her in contempt in spite of her good will. Miruku doesn't know how to hate properly, more likely he is just broken hearted, that someone unknowingly, with a smile, could hurt him this much without a thought. Yuni didn't think of anyone, did she?

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 2.2

Prettyyyyy

Maybe John's not actually crazy for thinking Hey Jude is to him? “For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder.” fool is, in my tin hat world, often a code name for Paul in their songs. And that description is certainly him to a t actually. I wonder why I've never considered it before. 

John: are you happy here, honey? Paul: I ain't happy here my honey, can you take me back? How many songs does Paul write from 1968 on about trying to go back? One day I'm going to make a list and it'll be a long one. 

And thus begins the phase of they just can't help it, can they? But they really wish they could. They make each other so so happy, but they really wish they didn't. It would hurt less that way. 

I love the comparison of Linda's pictures of everyone else and then of John. It just shows that it's not a her problem – that's such a lovely one of George, who Hates Yoko – it's how he feels about her.

John, coming up with every possible weapon to provoke Paul, finally has Yoko sing Paul's part in one of their songs. It really is such a slap in the face. But of course breaking the sanctity of their music is what does it best. And still, all he gets out of him is a look before he walks away. Whatever it is that John wants, I think Paul literally can not give it to him. 

Btw the white album is my favorite, probably. There's just such incredible diversity on it. It's so much fun, you never get tired of it, and it's an excellent display of their genius and versatility. 

He looks like an abandoned puppy. 

What do we think? John says Paul drummed on WDWDITR. Paul says Ringo did. Who is telling the truth?

“It was getting to be where he wanted to do it like that but he couldn't make the break . . .” So John thinks Paul doing his songs by himself means he wants to break the group up? I personally read it as him not wanting to annoy everyone with his bossiness, but that's just my take. 

John talking about how it's him and Yoko now, but before, it was . . .

George needs to send them a cease and desist notice or he'll sue them for breech of character the amount of times they drag him into things he's not a part of. Especially if they're not going to even fucking spare him a glance in reality. Please and thank you, Hare Krishna. 

Paul's epigraph on the two virgins cover. “Battles to prove he was a saint”? What kind of passive aggressive shit is that, Paul?

The eternal question: what happened in India? And does John really not know? Or is he just unwilling to tell what happened to rolling stone?

Somebody please engage with that poor little boy, preferably, you know, his father. Ugh, Cynthia must've had so much anxiety watching that footage, or really any time Julian was with John. And that footage is placed in the doc right after a pic of Paul already being Heather's dad just so naturally. 

But hell, if I've ever seen attention-seeking behavior, this is it. Singing about wanting to die while seductively undressing the closest thing Paul would've had to career competition at the time. 

I'm sorry but it will forever be hilarious to me that when John's singing his part of “I've Got a Feeling” with Yoko it's “soft dream” and then with Paul it's “wet dream”. How John and Yoko tricked everyone into believing they were too horny for each other to control themselves is beyond my imagination. 

On the day John plays their sex tape, “Unusually, Yoko is not present.” LMAO girl same. John: I'm going to play our sex tape for the band tomorrow. Yoko: oh was that tomorrow? Damn, I forgot, I have a thing. 

“Well that's an interesting one.” What did John honestly expect, though? Like I know he wanted Paul to be like, “that's it! Enough is enough I'm taking you home and doing you right!” Or whatever. But what did he honestly, realistically expect?

Always saying the same things at the same time, always on the same page, same word. About everything, it seems, except their relationship. 

Paul: but you won't say anything about it. John: I said what I've been thinking. Paul: Are you still thinking that now? What are you thinking now? John: I'm still thinking about it. Infuriating. Whatever it is John's been thinking, he doesn't want to talk about it in front of cameras. Is it quitting the band? I think it's something more complicated than that but I've no idea what. 

“John, John, joooooohn!” X “Martha my Dear” crossover my beloved. The fact that literally Everyone reacts and tries to get her to stop except Paul is so extremely telling. Yoko: joooooohn! Ringo: He's busy! Yoko: joooooohn! John: Stop that! (And he looks and sounds genuinely pissed) Yoko: joooooohn! Paul: (plinking and pounding away, definitely not thinking thoughts about what he would do right now if he was a girl that will come out of his mouth fifteen years later)

Everyone's trying to figure out the problem with George vs JohnandYoko and Paul's saying “and like with Yoko, they’re real. They mean it.” Linda laughs. “I don't dig that.” You don't, Linda? What about them isn't real to her, I wonder. Does she think they don't really love each other? Or what?

Linda: *Makes fart noise* Go away! Paul: continues to defend them. Neil: everybody cough. See and this is why it sucks that get back was so edited. Because it's important that Paul's defending them here not just going on and on where nobody asked. He knows he's hurt John, and he feels bad enough about it to let him have his mommy with him at all times if that's what he needs.

If what??? Someone needs to force them to finish their damn sentences. Because I feel like he cuts himself off here when (I swear!!) he's about to say what it is that's hurting John so badly.

Anyway, here's where (imo) he's kinda wrong. Where he says "if it came to a push between Yoko and the band, it's Yoko." I think I said it in my get back posts, but I'll say it again. Yeah, if it was Yoko or the band, it's Yoko. But if it's Yoko or Paul filling all the gaps Yoko is currently filling? It's Paul. You know? And I think that's what John wants so badly at this time, actually. Is “a push between Yoko and [Paul]” ending with Paul stepping up for him in some way that he wasn't before, you know?

He really does get it though. John wanting to be as close as possible with Yoko so he doesn't lose her and their connection. Don't forget he does put Linda in his band. He gets it because it was the same with him and John. 

I really do think it's a huge myth that they just never talked about feelings or anything serious. Look at them. This is how they talk in a crowded place with their girlfriends sitting right there. They didn't just get through fifteen years of one of the greatest collaborations in history never actually talking. They talked about deep stuff. And frequently. 

[alexa-fika]

If you think about it really hardthe strawhat with an baby on board might be sick.

But there is a death threat when the child wants to play with Luffy and luffy accidentally throwing the baby too high. But sanji would be a good caretaker with the food getting the babies needs in foods, if the child is allergic to this ortat, Robin is instantlythe mother nobody can change she would benthe best mother in the world. Zoro is great with kids (watch episode 318). Imagine the baby napping with him or sttig on his back while he exercises. Brook and Franky would be the uncles to spoil the baby with toys and clothes, gifts you name it. Usopp and Chopper are the baby siblings, playing with baby and jokes all around. Nami is the sister that protects the baby when their dangers (well, they all do, but she is in the scaredy cat trio) like pulling the baby close and running away.

Any changes, thoughts?

Oh you are spot on right there anon, Luffy is great with kids, just like ace as we saw with Tama and Momonosuke and how he protected her. But just as before just because he is good at protecting the baby and getting on the same wavelengh dosen’t exactly mean the child is gonn aleave unscathe. Luffy is capable of trying to give the baby some meat, if he decides to share it I mean. He dosen’t mean any harm he just dosen’t know, one thing he would be the to go to person is being blunt Id imagine when the kid is older he would go all the time to Luffy, as silly as he is he is also really blunt jusg as we see when he tells people when they are being annoying or crybabies no matter who they are so the kid can count on Luffy to not sugarcoat things just the blunt truth but also give them support. Fun big but honest brother. Totally capable of chucking them to high, but not to worry the crew is always there to save the kid! Hopefully…

Sanji just like you said would be great tending to the kids nutritional needs, we all know he is more than willing to adapts to not knly the needs of a person but also their preferences so no matter what kind of things the kid liek he is ready to provide. Because of his backround I also think he would be more in tune to the feelings of a baby and be good person to go to when they are emotional or just need someone to cry to when they are a little but older

Robin just has that motherly aura, can’t tell me otherwise, like Sanji I think because of her backround she would be more understanding of a child and the emotions they can bring. He has a few years under her belt and because of her background working with someone like Crocodile and all those people she is incredibly patient and is unlikely to loose her cool on the face of a baby’s high demands.

Zoro we know he is great with kids, my man took care of those triplets with style, like did you see how he gave that one baby his milk? Man is cool even under that situation. Not only have we seen him with actual babies but have you seen his relationship with Chopper? Get this man his adoption papers pronto. And despite how he is with Sanji . With a baby I feel liek he would have the patience of a saint, just the baby tossing and turning and he simply shifts or puts him back on hid lap endlessly, to the point that he does it unconsciously, his instincts won’t let that baby fall even if they were napping upside down. Hear me out kn those exercises, I know he is mostly into weights but if he ever does a run, just strap the baby in and you got a weight vest. And he takes the baby on certain weight exercises because the movements are akin to rocking.

Now Brook, you might have seen this one coming but lullubies, baby has got A nap buddy, their oen personal chef and their own personal concert what more can you wish? The baby might not understand what he is saying but you can bet that he will be making skeleton jokes everytime he is on baby duty and the baby will just laugh along because of his laugh ( he thinks they are laughing at his jokes so he keeps them going)

Now listen not only is Franky one of the cool uncles, my man can pull up all kinds builds for the kid, need a new craddle? Leave it up to him, need a new crib? You got one with the latest technology in the blink of an eye. Listen he tried to give the baby soda but after getting screamed at explained that a baby cannot have soda, you can bet the baby will have a Soda stuffie to replace the lack of real Soda. Baby’s gonna have a superrrrrr good laugh with him.

Ussop, like Franky will make sure the baby has everything available, he builds the baby all kinds of fun toys for them to play with; not only that but he gaves a detailed explanation on everything he does, baby will leave with a new toy and a course on construction. He can easily make that baby laugh with his goofy attitude too, rest assured that when the crew disembarks into dangerous territory you will have Ussop’s full disposition to stay behind with the baby.

Chopper has two modes, first one just like you said is being on the same wavelength as the baby. If Chopper is ever nowhere to be found, the crew knows to check the babies room, chopper is often napping with the baby with both of them hugging and cuddling eachother. Don’t count on him to be there when baby needs changing though, that nose of his won’t be able to take it. Second nose is doctor mode, a baby is really vulnerable and won’t be able to communicate what he’s feeling and Chopper is always ready to make him all better and provide the best care the baby could get.

Big sister Nami won’t let baby have anhthing but the best, you know why baby is always dressed up in what seems to be better clothes than the rest if the crew? Yep that comes from rich big Sister Nami. Baby has an outfit for every occasion, not only that but on everystop you can be sure that if Nami dosen’t come back with a new clothing item then she is returning for a new plush toy for the baby. On calm days when everything is quiet you can hear from the deck Nami playing some silly game like peekaboo with baby Strawhat

Lastly we have Jinbei. Him and Ussop often pair up to tell the best of stories they can tell, Ussops crazy stories combined with Jinbei’s calm voice is an audience pleaser. Wether it is an action story to entertain baby strawhat or a bedtime story he’s got it. When there’s a swimday you can bet that it’s Jinbei’s time to chain, they might just be a baby but they will have the time of their lives either way when jinbei is on duty

Overall baby strawhat is leaving the highlife

[ariiadnes]

╭ ⿻ ･ SPINE BREAKER

YOU CLAIM THE SAINT , BUT IT'S THE SINNERS YOU NEED.

-ˋ ♡ ◞ ada wong. resident evil 4 remake. quote cr : the rigs. repost.

there is a betrayal and loyalty that lies in wait : a siren, an alluring, and something entirely human beneath it all. you do not understand ada, know her heart to be ruthless and kind all at once. it is a mess of oppositions, oxymorons, and unease and suspicion, yet there is a strange comfort in the knowing of her existence, even if it may be through superficial means.

you feel something : a presence, distinct, a shift in the air, a foreshadowing of what's to come, and there is something that jolts through your body, alerts you of an incoming danger. suddenly close, then gone. fleeting.

cool metal against your skin. you recognize this sensation all too well. your breath hitches, but you force yourself to forget fear. a smile falls upon your lips ; you tilt your head up, almost lazily, raise both of your hands in seemingly polite surrender.

"your hands aren't shaking this time. you're getting better at this."

"thank you, lovely ada. i'm trying."

your eyes meet. your jaw clenches, and she notices this. you're on edge, right where she wants you. her visage is unreadable, almost cold, but the lightest of smiles graces her lips, amusement in brown eyes. the blade no longer meets flesh, but one wrong move and it could lead to your end.

"lovely?" she tilts her head, plays up that feign curiosity. "cute nickname."

"a generous one, really." your hands fall to your sides. you don't plan to hurt her, just as she doesn't plan to hurt you. "you can put down the knife, you know. there are better ways to announce yourself. like saying hi, for example."

"meet and greet isn't my style." steel against delicate skin. pressure. she leans forward ever so slightly, that familiar smirk blossoming on red hues. it's almost too close for comfort yet not enough-- the way her lips are only inches from yours. and she stays there, waits. she's thinking. watching. "you'll get used to it."

you hold your breath instinctively, but she notes the way you swallow hard, divert your gaze. you're neither relieved nor resentful at this little reunion, and in truth, you've hit a wall in the mission, found yourself at a loss. she always knows more than she lets on. she could help you-- if she wanted to.

the pressure eases. the air shifts once more, twists from a taunting to something almost somber. she puts the knife down once you force your gaze back onto her, turns on her heel and starts to walk. with a delicate lift of the hand, she gestures you to follow, doesn't even bother to see if you'll chase after her.

she knows you will. you always do.

"you're coming with me." the words are flat, but a sense of command lingers. "need to borrow you real quick. don't worry," she begins offhandedly, looking over her shoulder with an all too amused countenance, "i'll bring you back to leon. he'll learn how to survive a few minutes without you."

you almost choke on your saliva. you clear your throat, albeit a little more dramatically than intended as if to disregard your shock at the last few sentences. oh, you really missed her and didn't miss her. you stay in place, weigh your options. you could make a breakthrough in this operation, find out additional information from her, or you could continue to go in circles, endless, and end up in this hellhole for longer than either one of you would like.

you close your eyes, pinch the bridge of your nose, swallow the fragments of remaining pride and frustration. god, you hate it here. you do. but you choose to follow her anyway, steps slow and heavy, pretend you don't see the way she smiles once you get moving.

( you need her just as much as she needs you, and you both know this. )

[xxaraaq]

masterlist

wc | 3.03 k

A/N | damn I think got a little carried away from the the actual football player au but I hope y'all still enjoy

Kirishima x black reader

Standing at six five, two hundred forty pounds, Kirishima is a brick wall of a man. And even though he can make the opposing team’s defense look like child's play, he’s the nicest person most people will ever meet. And on top of being known on campus as one of his team's best players, he’s also known for being fine as hell.

He turns down at least four girls at every party he goes to, people would think that he’s a borderline saint. But what they don’t know is that when he leaves those parties, he goes straight to yours.

With your glasses and book always in hand, people think you're the stereotypical nerd; awkward, geeky, and weird. But honestly, you're the opposite. With your slick ass mouth and resting bitch face, you were the life of the party when your friends forced you out of your cave you called a dorm.

No one could have guessed that you and him would even be in the same circle, much less in each other's pants. And no one would expect the mr. sunshine would be the only one who could shut your shit down.

Truthfully, he has everyone fooled. For some reason, people thought that he was the epitome of kindness. But the way he was beating your shit in from the back, you coulda been fooled. 

You don’t even remember how this happened, one minute you were saying something about how he was acting like a ho at the party y’all went to, and the next thing you knew you were head down, ass up on the bed.

“What was that baby? I couldn’t hear you.” He said, gripping your hips as pounded into you. You didn’t even really understand what he was saying, to fucked out to concentrate on anything but the pleasure he’s bringing you.

“M- m’sorry, I didn’t m-mean it.” You whine, gripping the sheets. He hummed in return, and you knew that he wouldn’t take that as an answer.

“Nah babe, I don’t wanna hear that. Tell me how I was acting like a slut talkin to all those girls at the party.” He fucked into you with fervor, making the headboard slam against the wall.

“Why you f-fuckin me like this? It w-wasn’t that serious, I said m’sorry.” You slurred, eyes rolling to the back of your skull.

“Shhhhh, just take this dick like you wanted. That’s why you caught an attitude right?” He says, eyes glossing over.

He flipped you over to your back, pressing your knees to chest. “Best pussy I ever had, drivin me crazy.” He pushes himself back in, eliciting a high pitched moan from you.

Thrusting at a rough pace, he doesn’t let up. You pull him closer to you, kissing him with a kind of primal desire only he can evoke from you.

“Right there eiji, feels so good!” You mumble, sucking hickeys on his shoulders and neck. He groans, burying his head into the crook of your neck as he thrusts a final more times, spilling into you.

You both stay like that, taking in what happened as you hold onto each other. “What the fuck…” You whisper. You knew your man could fuck, but not like this.

“What’s wrong, did I hurt you?” He asks, pulling out with a hiss. “No. no it’s nothing. Forget about it ei.” You say, shifting under him to get more comfortable. “ Oh… ok. Goodnight, I love you.” He kisses your cheek, dozing off not a minute later.

Damn, you really gotta catch an attitude more often.

–

‘Damn Kirishima, the fuck y/n do to you last?’, was the first thing Eijirou heard after he stepped out of the shower. “What do you mean?” He asks, walking to a mirror. He hears the chuckle of his other teammates as he turns to see his back.

Shit.

He sees a plethora of raised,angry  red marks going all across his back. He didn’t even feel them the other night, to focus on the bliss you gave him as he sunk into your cunt again and again. He sighs and smirks as he puts his shirt, a faux blush on his cheeks.

He’s gotta to get you to do that again.

-Nene

[peaceofflights]

Being in a Relationship With Wally Clark Would Include:

A/N: Someone asked me for a part two to “Falling in love with Wally Clark” where reader confesses their feelings to Wally. For that, and to understand some of the context I suggest going back and reading “What’s Three Years in the Eyes of Eternity.” which is bookmarked on my page!

Warning: this one delves a bit more into your physical relationship, nothing is too explicit. However, if you don’t like don’t read.

Being in a relationship with Wally Clark would include:

•You expecting things to change a lot, but in reality they don’t. You still do pretty much the same things as before… with some added perks.



•Holding hands everywhere you go. If Wally thought you were a hand holder before, he had no idea. It makes you feel connected to him to hold his hand, even if you’re doing absolutely nothing.

•If you’re in a conversation with other people holding pinkies, that way you aren’t too on top of each other.

• Coming up with the most ridiculous nick names for each other. They start off cute, but eventually just start getting really weird.

“Awe, my honey bear”

“Life is short puddin’ pop.”

“My adorable little doo doo”

“The cutest Sasquatch in town.”

•All of the forehead kisses. It started because your friends wouldn’t stop making gagging noises every time you two kissed. So now every time he has to part from you he leaves a very sweet but overly dramatic kiss to your head.

•He’s kind of the obsessed with you. When you’re across from each other either in the cafeteria, Football Field, or Theater you can often catch him staring at you. I mean he did this before your started dating, but instead of pretending to look away or do something else if you catch him; now he’ll give you a wink that of course leads to a lot of blushing on both ends.

•You’ve taken to calling him your puppy dog, since of course he is! At first it was just to other people but once he accidentally heard it come out of your mouth he couldn’t stop beaming. So from that moment forward he was to referred to as puppy.

•If you don’t call him puppy when your alone he’ll get mad.

“Um excuse me!? Who is Wally? Do we know a Wally? I am your puppy? I’m a good boy.”

It’s absolutely ridiculous, and he’s mostly kidding, but it’s just really adorable.

•The two of you do a lot of the same activities you did before you started dating; trying to find good movies to watch in the library, playing endless games of hide and seek, creating your own secret language. However, there are also some new things you do too…

•Yeah… LOTS of new things.

•It starts out pretty innocent, but after the homecoming dance things moved a little faster than they should have.

• Clothes were removed, hands were found in inappropriate places.

•Which brings you back to today. Neither of you by any means are blushing virgins, your college years were good to you. But you both agree that you have your entire after after life to spend together, you don’t need to spend every moment jumping each other’s bones.

•However, you two definitely aren’t saints and your new found physical relationship is one you love exploring.

• Though sometimes Wally’s age and slight less experience leads to some interesting situations. It doesn’t matter how many times you remind him, it feels like every morning you wake up to find some sort of new bruise highlighted on your skin. Which then leads to the never ending bullying of your friends.

•Look he’s your puppy and adore him, but also it would nice if you could go anywhere without being covered head to neck in hickies.

•Though his smirk when you bring it up you helps you realize it was in fact NOT an accident.

•He brings you gifts to make you smile. Sometimes it’s a poorly painted canvas he made in the art room or him serenading you to your favorite song, but it made you realize that you need to step up you girlfriend skills. Which leads you to finally letting him teach you to play football.

• It’s the first time you really focus and attempt to learn the rules and even if you aren’t very good you’ve never seen him so happy.

[my-name-is-apollo]

If you don't mind me asking, what do you feel about Apollo's portrayal in lore olympus, and the whole webcomic in general? Understandably, a lot of Apollo fans are enraged at it. A lot of times LO fans rebuttal is that Apollo has exhibited that kind of behaviour in mythology, but it still doesn't sit right with me at all that the author to invent Apollo r@ping Persephone just to make relieve Hades of his wrong doings.

My disdain for the series isn't just because of Apollo's portrayal, at this point it sucks at the characterisation of pretty much every god that's in it and the story itself is just so. Badly written and underwhelming.

Talking about Apollo, it's true that he has myths where he assaulted women. And every writer has the right to expand on it in their story if they wish to. But you know what else Apollo is in the myths? Interesting. But his character in LO is not interesting at all. You can make really interesting villains. But this Apollo is just pathetic, foolish, delusional and sometimes we even forget that he's in the story despite him playing such a huge role in Persephone's life. And the saddest part is how it butchers all the positive relationships Apollo has in his myths. Artemis, Hermes, Leto, Asclepius. Taking away all those meaningful relationships from him makes him even more one dimensional and uninteresting. I mean, take a look at Apollo in the anime movie Arion. He is a villain but he's well written and I enjoyed it. LO just does a really poor job.

Now talking about other gods. It's so obvious that the comic + fandom is pushing you to think that all the gods who ship Hades and Persephone are saints, despite how terrible they actually are. Like come on, Eros brought some donuts as an apology for drugging a teenager and putting her in a strangers car and we're supposed to go awww and forgive him. And Hades is actually a terrible king. But it doesn't matter because he's nice to Persephone. Persephone is also terrible but it's okay cause she's the protagonist! Demeter is terrible too but that's unforgivable cause she's against Persephone and Hades. Artemis is terrible as well but how likeable she is depends on how much she's willing to let Persephone marry Hades - and this applies for every other god. The story and the character are just a mess - and that would have been more bearable if only the work wasn't being praised as ground breaking and feminist and something deep. To me it reads more like a crack fic and I will treat it that way lol.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Analysing my favourite lines from Six of Crows chapter by chapter: Chapter 3, part 3

Same as usual: famous or popular quotes being missed doesn't mean I don't like them it just means I don't have anything new to say, and some quotes will not have explanations because I just like them I don't really have anything to analyse

' "We fed [jurda parem] to three Grisha, one from each order,"

"Happy volunteers?"

"Indentures," ' - the VOLUMES this speaks. And the willingness with which he admits it because it's such a normalised practice??? I think Anya is actually a really underrated character and we should talk about her more

"[amplifiers] only increase a Grisha's power. Jurda parem alters a Grisha's perception" - can we talk about how Leigh Bardugo is a goddamn freaking genius for foreshadowing the plot of KoS/RoW with this single line? Because that's insane. This line specifically implies that the power parem unlocks for a Grisha is always possible, they simply lack the perception or understanding of it to find that power without the drug inhibiting whichever neural pathways it inhibits. The ability to shed yourself of the restrictions created by strict limitations between abilities, the Orders, etc. is always there but because there's such an ingrained cultural belief Grisha have effectively lost the ability to perceive their power in the way the Saints once did. I hope this makes sense, it kind of links to my post about the small science versus magic in terms of the revelation in KoS and RoW. Even Nina explicitly states that Heartrenders and Healers have the same gift but perceive it in different ways, and yeah I feel like I'm rambling but hopefully this makes sense, I think it's incredible foreshadowing particularly because we really think nothing of it in the moment.

' "What does it do to sorry sobs like you and me?"

Van Eck seemed to bristle slightly at being lumped in with Kaz, but he said:

"It's lethal" ' - ok so first of all I love that Van Eck's superiority complex is so very obvious from so early on, and in this particularly moment it's brilliantly conflicted as well because Van Eck will also see himself as superior to Grisha since he owns Mika's contract on indenture and possibly others. Second I would argue this is yet another red herring, I talk about this constantly but Leigh Bardugo embodies her own ideology of 'always hit where the mark isn't looking' in her writing style and will often give us hints that seem like foreshadowing but never come into play, whilst using them to far more subtly foreshadow what actually happens. Have I ever mentioned that I think she's a genius? In this case, reading these lines made me more concerned that an otkazats'ya character such as Kaz or Inej was going to end up injesting the drug and being killed by it than I was a Grisha character such as Nina. Now that's partly becasue this is given to us before we find out the kind of toll the drug takes on a Grisha and so we don't see anything to fear in it for Grisha themselves, only for the otkazats'ya who fear a loss of their dominance/control. In actuality we never see any otkazats'ya character forced to or accidentally ingest the drug, because it's a precious and rare resource that would only be wasted on killing them when there are plenty of other methods, but in this moment - particularly since, as far as we know, we're yet to meet a Grisha main character - parem is established as more threatening to the characters we know than the characters we don't, so our immediate concerns are raised towards them and we let our guard down slightly to the idea of a Grisha main character being threatened by the drug. Now yes, the danger of the drug for Grisha is established very quickly after this, and our fears for Nina taking it do become much more heightened than any other character, even Jesper, during the Ice Court Heist, but there are still a lot of red herrings and hidden pieces of foreshadowing surrounding Nina's ingestion of the drug, most notably Matthias saving her from Jarl Brum and appearing to have alleviated the threat of the drug only for her to take it by her own choice shortly afterwards, and we still have this initial perception in our minds for what we were first told about the drug: powerful to Grisha, lethal to otkazats'ya.

The fear that I've spelt otkazats'ya a different way every time I wrote it in that paragraph is real.

"If it's not identical to gold in every way then the difference has eluded us. Have it tested if you like," - the challenge, the superiority complex, good lord I detest this man

' "Perhaps you heard of the Shu paying off their debt to Kerch with a sudden influx of gold? The assassination of the trade ambassador from Novyi Zem? The theft of documents from a military base in Ravka?"

[...]

Kaz hadn't heard anything about Ravkan documents, but he nodded anyway. ' - I think this is another red herring (????) I remember reading this for the first time and thinking it must be really important but then it never seems to come up again, or at least not that I've noticed in any of my rereads. If anyone has noticed that it's referencing something please let me know because I might just be missing something, but it catches me out every time

' "Financial markets would be thrown into chaos. The world economy would collapse,"

"How very exciting," ' - I love him

' "At the Ice Court,"

Kaz stared at him for a long moment, then burst out laughing. ' - not only is this so goddamn iconic of Kaz but it's actuallu a really clever writing tool as well, because with this reaction and the short exchange that follows Bardugo quickly and succinctly tells us all everything we need to know about the Ice Court at this time, ie it's impenetrable, introduces the main premise of the novel, and successfully hints at her worldbuilding in a way that tells us there's more to discover but we don't have to deal with it right now. It's effectively a brilliant way of avoiding an infodump and it gets to come hand in hand with such an iconic Kaz moment, so bonus points.

"Kaz pocketed his pistol" - this is so funny to me because I'm sure they establish it's Van Eck's pistol but he just takes it and no-one questions him I love it

"There's no point to a fortune I won't be alive to spend" -later echoed by "you can't spend his money if you're dead" and I find this really interesting because it implies that Kaz absolutely has a set price in his mind for everything. Ten million kruge is not worth drying for but thirty is.

"He had the eerie sense that the carved fish on the walls had halted mid-leap to listen" - I love this so much. Just as a quote in itself I love it. But also, there is a kind of theme following through of this discomfort the characters often find in murals, mosaics, and the like, and they are also often used as a metaphor to represent the character's relationships or arcs, such as the wolves destined to run in circles for as long as the Ice Court stands that represent Kaz and Inej or Nina's comment about how Ravkan folk monsters wait to be awoken by the call of heroes, but she is no hero so hopefully no monster will come. I haven't found a satisfying answer for what the carved fish may represent, but they could possibly just link to lack of trust that should be placed in Van Eck and really the uncomfortable feeling should be more about the merch than his decor. I did a little bit of reading about what fish can sometimes represent in Dutch art, the culture on which many aspects of Kerch are based although Ketterdam itself is confirmed to be an amalgamation of cities around the globe with particular emphasis on Dutch-Republic era Amsterdam, and I found out that in the fish would often be shown dead as a warning of moving away from faith by gluttony or greed - so perhaps a symbol of Van Eck's performative religious acts and the greed that truly controls him. (Yes, I actually spent my time researching fish in Dutch art for the purpose of a one sentence reference to carved fish in Six of Crows, and I know what you're thinking: I must be really fun at parties)

"the dream he'd had since he first crawled out of a cold harbour with revenge burning a hole in his heart"

' Mika started to cough, and Kaz saw blood on his sleeve.

"Sit," Van Eck instructed gently, helping Mika into a chair and offering the Grisha his handkerchief.

He signalled to a guard.

"Some water," ' - I'm not 100% sure on the relevance of what I'm about to say but looking at this exchange retrospectively it just seems so performative and I really question it; I don't this is part of the façade Van Eck presents generally to the world or if it's, in his mind, for Kaz's benefit to give him no reason to distrust him, or what, but I know that I don't for one second believe that in private Van Eck would politely give an indentured Grisha his handkerchief and send someone to fetch him a glass of water.

' "DeKappel oil painting [...] I had been assured that my gallery was impenetrable [...]"

"I do seem to remember reading about that" - the audacity in this child knows no bounds and I'm so here for it

' "I'm inclined to believe that the thief took it for a different reason,"

"What would that be?"

"Just to prove that he could,"

"Seems like a stupid risk to me,"

"Well, who can guess at the motives of thieves?"

"Not me, certainly," - I adore this excahnge so much. And as a side note it's really clever becasue we as the reader know with so much confidence what's going on that there's no need to extrapolate and explain it to us, yet we feel like we have the full story. And of course later we learn it was Kaz and Inej working together and I love this because cna you imagine one of them bringing the paper to the other after reading about the 'impenetrable gallery' and they're just looking at each other like "... we have to, right?" "Hell yeah we have to, get your coat,"

"Kaz had heard rumours of a firepox outbreak [...] skin crawling. He wanted no part of a plague" - this is some mad foreshadowing right here, and the fact that KAz is seized by an unexpected flashback mere lines later tells us so much because when we look back on it we realise that he's so stressed by the idea of a plague and his concern only makes it harder for him to anticipate a flashback.

"Van Eck led him through a door and into a manicured garden, thick with the new nectar scent of early crocuses. The smell his Kaz like a blow to the jaw. Memories of Jordie were already too fresh in his mind and, for a moment, Kaz wasn't walking thorugh the canal-side garden of a rich merch. He was knee deep in spring grasses, hot sun beating down on his cheeks, his brother's voice calling him home," - so this is the flashback I mentioned a second ago and it is literally just a couple of lines after Kaz's concern about a potential plague outbreak. We also have the added twist of crocuses traditionally symbolising rebirth, mirthfulness, and innocence, contrasting Kaz but also arguably existing to taunt him with the younger version of himself and his brother the scent reminds him of. The idea of twisting what crocuses usually represent is also famously used in Vivki Feaver's poem, 'The Gun', where she writes "the King of Death/ had arrived to feast, stalking/ out of winter woods / his black mouth/ sprouting golden crocuses" and Bardugo could be doing the same thing here by using something traditionally associated with youth and joy to represent or hint towards Kaz's traumatic experiences as a child. Possibly the metaphor is extended by the way the scent of teh crocuses is so quickly lost to the stench of the boathouse, particularly with the idea that there are dead bodies in there linking to the feeling of dead flesh, to show the stark contrast of Kaz's life before coming to Ketterdam, and after.

"Councilman Hoede lost a lot of blood. But he's in the same state as these men. He's been removed to the country with his family and the staff from his house" - this was very much the same vibes as the way you can pay an awful lot of money to be buried outside the city or you can be burned on the Reaper's Barge and it's so interesting to me, that even in death your body is priced and part of an institutionalised nonsense social hierarchy.

' "Why do you wear the gloves, Mr Brekker?"

Kaz raised a brow.

"I'm sure you've heard the stories,"

"Each more grotesque than the last,"

[...]

"Pick one," Kaz said, as he vanished into the night, thoughts already turning to thirty million kruge and the crew he'd need to help him get it, "They're all true enough," ' - this is a brilliant excahnge and I love it but when we're looking back on it after knowing the full story it's so sad because part of Kaz genuinely views himself as a monster

[scarfacemarston]

About Mary-Beth, Karen and Abigail

This isn’t the most eloquent thing I’ve written, but oh well. I know, this is controversial and I may receive hateful anons and reposts. That’s just how people react to things on tumblr, especially when it’s a popular character (s.) If you don’t want to see something that is negative towards these Karen or Mary-beth, please scroll on. It’s easier on both of us.  I don’t think Karen and Mary-Beth like Abigail. I think Karen tolerates her more than likes her, but she does appear to like Jack. Karen was kind to Abigail while she was grieving over Jack’s disappearance. This is the only conversation I’ve seen with Karen and Abigail, whereas as Mary-Beth does not have a single conversation with Abigail except to ask where is Kieran and later to ask where is Tilly. I know because I have all the audio files.

Karen has had some harsh audio towards Abigail. I haven’t really found anything of Abigail being harsh towards Karen. Abigail is no saint, I am well aware. She has said her fair share of fiery things, but I haven’t seen it with the girls at all. I’m not counting Miss Grimshaw literally trying to force her back into prostitution - literally one of the worst fates for a woman like Abigail. (nevermind the trauma of being a sex worker back then....)  Outside of that, neither girl talk to her overall.  They aren’t seen standing together much except for Karen occasionally standing with her for coffee. (She’s admittedly not a morning person and doesn’t speak to anyone.) But they don’t eat together, they don’t sit together, play games, work,  etc This also extends to Jack. Mary-Beth especially isn’t seen around Jack. Karen does talk to him sometimes and is pretty friendly. Karen also called out John before when he tried to cheat. I think that’s more Karen being a good person and wanting something better for Jack and calling out John out rather than liking Abigail. Karen comes across as almost being disappointed that Abigail brought Jack into this life so to speak. I mean that in a more sexist matter in that “Well you knew the life and you had a kid. I’ll try to talk to John but you still caused this.” Abigail brings up the pity and disgust the gang has for her on multiple occasions. I mean, look where the girls are always stationed. I just feel like Mary-Beth and Karen are very selective as to the women they socialize with. However, the men don’t seem to be an issue. Molly and Miss Grimshaw both bring up how the girls gossip and the hurt from that as well.  Molly and Miss Grimshaw are tough characters and I totally understand the tension. No doubt whatsoever. A lot of the criticisms are valid, but it comes across to me that Mary-Beth has secret mean girl tendencies or something based off of what Miss Grimshaw says about “knowing her type” and looking so innocent. Arthur’s antagonizing comments also bring this up multiple times.  The exception is Tilly. Tilly came to the gang earlier than Mary-Beth and Karen, so it is very likely that Abigail and Tilly bonded. I hc that outside of Sadie, Abigail’s best friend is Tilly. Tilly also basically says as much in her epilogue letter. Tilly is also the kinder one who is willing to give others a chance. I think she would see more than anyone what Abigail was before versus now and I think Abigail adores and trusts her immensely with Tilly in return caring for her as she asks for advice or sits with her. She’s also trusted with Jack more so than any other member. Tilly is the only one who asks about Molly. Yes, I totally understand their critiques, but Tilly is the most selfless one when it comes to the other women. I think the “drama” with John is what ruined Abigail’s standing in the gang. She went from the highest earning woman outside of Grimshaw, as said by Arthur and Hosea, to nothing. No status in the gang whatsoever.  I am not saying they are absolutely horrible people or that you shouldn’t like them. I just don’t think that they are as pure and innocent as the fandom portrays them as, especially Mary-Beth. She reminds me of the type of  school bullies who were so liked that no one believed the victims when they spoke up. Again, I’m not saying don’t like them. I’m just pointing out that I think these are traits that pop up

[rainbow-0bsidian]

Alex:

I can’t match you for prose, but what I can do is write you a list. AN INCOMPLETE LIST: THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HRH PRINCE HENRY OF WALES 1. The sound of your laugh when I piss you off. 2. The way you smell underneath your fancy cologne, like clean linens but somehow also fresh grass (what kind of magic is this?). 3. That thing you do where you stick out your chin to try to look tough. 4. How your hands look when you play piano. 5. All the things I understand about myself now because of you. 6. How you think Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars (wrong) because deep down you’re a gigantic, sappy, embarrassing romantic who just wants the happily ever a\er. 7. Your ability to recite Keats. 8. Your ability to recite Bernadette’s “Don’t let it drag you down��� monologue from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 9. How hard you try. 10. How hard you’ve always tried. 11. How determined you are to keep trying. 12. That when your shoulders cover mine, nothing else in the entire stupid world matters. 13. The goddamn issue of Le Monde you brought back to London with you and kept and have on your nightstand (yes, I saw it). 14. The way you look when you first wake up. 15. Your shoulder-to-waist ratio. 16. Your huge, generous, ridiculous, indestructible heart. 17. Your equally huge dick. 18. The face you just made when you read that last one. 19. The way you look when you first wake up (I know I already said this, but I really, really love it). 20. The fact that you loved me all along.

Also Alex:

there's this thing you do. this thing. it drives me crazy. i think about it all the time. there's a corner of your mouth, and a place that it goes. pinched and worried like you're afraid you're forgetting something. i used to hate it. used to think it was your little tic of disapproval. but i've kissed your mouth, that corner, that place it goes, so many times now. i've memorized it. topography on the map of you, a world i'm still charting. i know it. i added it to the key. here: inches to miles. i can multiply it out, read your latitude and longitude. recite your coordinates like la rosaria. this thing, your mouth, its place. it's what you do when you're trying not to give yourself away. not in the way that you do all the time, those empty, greedy grabs for you. i mean the truth of you. the weird, perfect shape of your heart. the one on the outside of your chest. on the map of you, my fingers can always find the green hills, wales. cool waters and ashore of white chalk. the ancient part of you carved out of stone in a prayerful circle, sacrosanct. your spine's a ridge i'd die climbing. if i could spread it out on my desk, i'd find the corner of your mouth where it pinches with my fingers, and i'd smooth it away and you'd be marked with the names of saints like all the old maps. i get the nomenclature now-saints' names belong to miracles. give yourself away sometimes, sweetheart. there's so much of you.

-Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

[empty-dream]

Just Read SIN

Now I get why Mordred is here lmao. As well as Spartacus. Jing Ke is obvious choice. They are truly the trio of rebellion.

Well for a story in a land that went so far back and built upon dinasty after dinasty, it does make sense that this becomes yet another one of a rebellion.

Chen Gong look and is so cool! Meanwhile Red Hare really wants to do that "Are you my Master?" thing lmao

I'm so living for QSH keeps misnaming Koyanskaya and tortures her. I mean, after what she did in the last 2 LB, and also in Antartica, I wont lie it feels SO good to see her not on her high throne anymore lol.

Reverse engineering and China's penchant of making things mass produced and of cheap quality lmaooo I didnt expect that.

Now I understand the chaos inside Chinese players when SIN dropped first in JP. It's even more hilarious lmaoo

Now I understand Paisen's hatred for humanity even more... Lanling Wang must have been a SAINT for her to open up and build friendship that lasts BEYOND death, it seems.

And Xiang Yu has never been exactly humane either that he could romance her. I hear about Xiang Yu's last stand that's agonizingly easy to win because of his already low HP. Ngl if I was playing, I'd have a hard time too.

Ah Yu, My Yu. :''''''((((

Lanling Wang-Hinako team is so funny because they are like sitcom enemy for the protagonists. I mean, they come to pick a fight, lose, retreat, rinse and repeat. Kinda show that Hinako is a shit strategist lol.

In themes, LB3 is pretty similar with LB2 in that the people there are basically livestocks with neither wisedom, freedom nor future. I was pretty skeptical when I started LB3, fearing of too many similarities.

And turns out, I think the difference lies mostly in the Kings. Scathach-Skadi is a god acting like human, whereas Qin Shi Huang is the exact opposite. While they are similar in nature (a divine being with 24/7 surveillance and strict control), Skadi is, for better or worse, is compassionate and willing to give chances to her enemies. Whereras QSH is ruthless and quick to take action towards enemies. Skadi gives everything of her, QSH hoards everything for themselves. The role of a ruler is pushed on Skadi while QSH seizes it themselves. It's fascinating that such different rulers end up creating similar kind of civilization.

Now I understand why QSH is popular, appearance notwithstanding. For someone that is basically the self-apointed "only human on earth" (read: god) and the ego that come with such action, they sure are quick to relent once their thinking is proven wrong. Also it's funny to imagine they, basically a glowing moth-motif royal divine being, are tinkering with a tank like a mechanic on a garage.

Wasn't expecting QSH's ideal being defeated by a smartphone lol but at the same time it's so resonating and completely against everything they believe in. I also like that it's Jing Ke who delivers it.

The special theme song Thest is FIRE. Also fun that the lyrics is gibberish to reflect that the people in the Losbelt don't know alphabets.

Ngl it's not as dark as I though a work from THE Urobutchi Gen would be.

TL;DR: Confucians, p e r i s h.

[thrashkink-coven]

Let’s talk about Angels!

Hello all,

I am an eclectic witch and I have been working (seriously) with a few angels, mostly Jophiel, Haniel, and Raziel, and a couple others, for about 4 or so years.

Many folks on seem very interested in summoning and contacting angels. I wanted to share some of my insight with you guys as someone who works primarily with angels. I’d love to hear your guys’ perspectives on them as well.

Something to keep in mind: My experiences and perspectives on these infinitely complex and impossible to understand entities are not the one true most valid ones. My experiences will be different from yours and that is okay and to be expected. While we can always converse and theorize together we must always respect and understand that we really truly don’t know shit 🖤🖤

So you wanna contact an angel. What does that mean?

One of the most important things we humans have to consider when working with angels is that our matter of perspective is super important to how we classify entities.

What are considered angels to some, are gods and demons to others. We consider angels to be angelic because of their nature and attitudes, but it is incredibly important to remember that just because one entity may be called “angel” and the other “demon” does not mean that the angel is this happy go lucky chummy fellow, and the demon is some evil bringer of chaos. Both of these entities are capable of being kind, loving and helpful, and both will quickly put you in your place if pushed to. Both will be willing to work with you regardless of your faith and what gods you follow. The difference between these two entities is more political than physiological.

I have consistently observed with many angels that you do not necessarily have to be religious to work with them. They are very subordinate to the idea of God, whichever God that may be for you, but it is not mandatory. They may ask you to consult “God”, but I have come to realize that they mean something totally different than we do when they use the word “God.” (That is super super important imo)

When I first started working with Jophiel, I only “worshipped” the mother goddess. With him we dabbled with YHVH and some others before becoming comfortable where we are now. With every God I’ve worked with, my angels have adjusted accordingly. Some may speak occasionally about “The one true God”, but again, I don’t think that’s something that we have the best understanding of as a species yet.

Invoking angels “in the name of ______” increases their strength and likelihood of manifesting in my experience as, angels naturally serve and aid God. God means many things. For example, an angel I work with who is very close to Father Lucifer will manifest far better when invoked in the name of Lucifer. My saint Haniel manifests with greater ease when invoked in the name of The Mother Moon or Lady Venus. I’ve played around with this a lot and it seems that angels just like to be aided in their energy when we call on them by a “greater” power. Some food for thought!

Believing in the angel themselves definitely is required as this is a demonstration of faith, but angels are not as concerned with religion as you may think. Some may insist that you are some kind of believer, some are very closed to YHVH, others are less so. Some will want you to be some kind of monotheist, others won’t have an opinion on that whatsoever.

Different angels have different natures, classes, and orders. It’s a good idea to have a very great understanding of angelic hierarchy before doing any kind of work with them. A seraphim for example may present themselves far differently than a Cherub, an archangel, or a lesser angel. Fallen angels may act differently as well. Each angel will have their own energy, opinions on things, and correspondences. Some angels are very fond of humanity and are very willing to be of assistance in magical operations. Some angels are very indifferent towards humanity and might not want anything to do with you. If you’re repeatedly being told no, do yourself a favour and leave them alone.

Don’t make this mistake of underestimating them because they are classified as a “lesser” angel or are not considered a “Great Saint” like Micheal or Raphael. The order of the hierarchy does not necessarily speak to importance or power, just their distance away from us on Earth.

Some angels are more accustomed to modern humans, crack jokes, and are in the know about pop culture , others may speak in very broken english and lots of things may seem to go over their heads. Some angels are very physical and will want to touch or caress you, some will keep their distance. Some angels enjoy sex and others don’t have any ability to experience it. All angels have a completely different set of morals than we do. They may seem aloof or ornery at times. Don’t assume they’re evil just because they don’t come off as enthusiastic.

No two angels are the same. Don’t contact Raphael and expect the experience to be anything like contacting Raziel. Make sure you know exactly who you’re contacting and that you have a good reason. Know what they are all about and what they represent. Don’t assume that what worked for one guy is gonna work for someone else. Likewise I suggest not talking badly on any other entities while in an angels presence, even demons or beings you think are “bad”. Many of these angels are related in ways we might not know. Don’t make the assumption that Micheal “hates all demons”. Talking bad on Asmodeus isn’t gonna gain you points with Raphael.

Avoid testing them by asking them questions like what happens after you die. Some may humour you but it’s generally considered rude and they are not here to spill the beans on all of the great secrets of life. Some might, but always ask these questions with reverence and accept “none of your business kid” as a valid answer.

Angels are quite proud of their names and will usually announce them upon arrival. Likewise they will likely correct you if you have them confused for someone else. Always be willing and ready to interrogate your angel in a safe and respectful way. It is important that you are knowledgeable on tricksters.

When you’re working with angels, be sure not to underestimate them. They are not your pets and they do not exist to make you feel good about yourself. They do not exist to simply tell you good things. They are brutally honest.

Higher angels, like Archangels, are *intense* and burn *very bright*. I’ve seen many people share the idea that unlike working with a demon, there are no prices to be paid when working with an angel. This is only half true. Angels usually don’t accept offerings, they don’t make traditional deals like other spirits may. But, they are an incredibly holy and intense thing to witness. Their presence can be mind altering. You really really need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for such an encounter. They will never make any attempts to harm you on purpose (unless you’re extremely out of line), but it can happen on accident if you aren’t being careful. It is in many ways like looking directly into the sun. This will likely exhaust you. Take breaks and don’t go too hard too fast. Some angels are more considerate than others.

Many higher angels don’t fuck around. These guys are not really beginner friendly. An angel like Michael is a holy warrior and is going to expect that you are committed and disciplined. He is a gargantuan energy and the ultimate protector. Do not flagrantly call upon his energy. Not to say that Michael is not incredibly kind and considerate, but that his energy is so INTENSE that his presence should only be invoked with intention.

The angel I work most often with sometimes appears in a form that is so huge I cannot see the top of him, like a mountain. He can appear truly terrible like an Erdrich horror. Other times they can appear so bright that it feels like my eyes might fry out of my skull. Sometimes they can be extremely loud, like cracking thunder. Other times they can seem extremely quiet, like they’ve muted the whole world. They can appear in human or animal form. Male, female, or something in between. Sometimes they just appear as rays of light or waves of energy. We must be not afraid even when they are being weird as fuck lol.

There are many methods. I like to use sigils and scrying mirrors as well as their names as a mantra for meditation. Whatever works for you is valid. 🖤🖤

[samynaseen]

I love art content, it being drawings, paintings, sewing, music, etc. I love art content.

But I'm struggling with finding my own artstyle for a while and I'm starting to feel stressed about it. I mean, i have the capacity to do something at least close to what i wish, but...What exactly i wish again? What is my objective? Why can't i feel satisfied?

I see so many pretty artstyles, some of them don't even need to be complex to be pretty but you can feel the essence of the artist on them. I really wanted to understand why can't i feel satisfied. It's like i have all the tools and knowing how to use them but struggling to actually making a piece.

I don't feel intimidate by other artists, i actually feel pretty inspired by them and i love seeing how different they can be and how people play with the colors and shape. But I can't help but feel a little sad that I can't look at my art and feel like: "hm, this is my artstyle, yes!" No, i feel more like a print machine trying to reproduce figures.

And there is an addiction to the fact that people on internet really scare me. I used to love chatting and meeting new people from different cultures and learn about them, and i still like this, except for the constant feeling of uneasy meanwhile i even consider doing this.

People are mean for no reason, are irresponsible, egoistic and victims for hurting another people, making what was supposed to be a great social media for interaction between artists and fans a hell to the artist, as people turn them into content machines and not humans beings that can feel and have needs like them.

So, before you harass someone to respond to you, before you do awkward things that make them feel uncomfortable, before you saying something bad or a criticism that the only purpose is being rude for some reason, before you interact with another person, at least think twice and remember that it can happen with you too.

I won't say that I'm saint, if anything, i would be happy if someone told me that I'm being pushy or making the other person uncomfortable, because i really don't want to do anything like that.

The thing is, i fear that i can cause this effect on people so i control myself, and yet i can make mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes. What you learn from them and how you act after that defines what kind of person are you. Aren't it?

Anyways, i would really like having some tips or at least someone who struggled with this.

[all-hallows-street]

Lingzi's Odaibako/Twitter Answers Collection Volume 2

Continuing the compilation of Lingzi's Odaibako answers. Click here for Part 1.

You can still send questions/comments/requests through Odaibako but please be respectful and mindful! As the author stated they will not respond to any questions or suggestions about future content! Also do not spam, Lingzi answers in rare bursts so they might not get to answer your comment any time soon.

A few clarifications. I will skip some doodle requests/drawn answers and will compile them later in a post with all of Lingzi's twitter drawings. Everything with [] marks an edit so the English sounds more natural.

16. Hello. I have a question. There is a scene where Nini imagines (delusions) having a child with Lily. Can demons and angels actually have children? Is there a mix of devils and angels? I was curious because angels themselves don't seem to reproduce.

Yes, that's just Neil's fantasy. Angels don't have the ability to reproduce~

Source

17. Hello Teacher Lingzi I'm Japanese and I'm learning Chinese. I would like to translate your manga All Saints Street into Japanese. But I understand copyright. Can I translate your comics and quote your images? (Also cite sources, of course.) Or is it difficult for an individual to do this?

Ah, sorry, I haven’t looked at the question box for a long time 😂 I don’t know if it’s too late to answer now 🙏🙏😭 If it is only for the purpose of learning and communication, it is no problem to translate comics that have been released for free! 👌👌

Very important answer for me lol.

Source

18. Do you have the names of the demon representative and the vampire representative? (Other representatives too) I like it very much😭

That's a new character created by the animation team, and I don't know him either... (laughs)

Source

19. Hello! I am Japanese. I learned about Halloween Street through anime and fell in love with it! I particularly like Ira. I want to know what kind of woman Ira likes🙇‍♂️💕︎💕︎ I like your comics❣️

Does it mean love in love...? I think he might not be interested in women... nor other genders... He is mainly not interested in relationships, but if I have to choose one trait, I think he might like [loves and is good at playing games] 】Female w

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20. Seven-year-old Anna looks similar to a seven-year-old human, so Damao must be in his twenties? How long is a werewolf's lifespan?

The lifespan of a werewolf is almost the same as that of a human, and Damao should be around 25↑🤔

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21. Hello Teacher! In the anime, Neil's age is stated to be 16 years old, but I read that in the original story, the devil is 80 years old and becomes an adult. Are the age settings different between the anime and the original?

Regarding this... I checked with the screenwriter of the animation before. They forgot the setting of the comic, so they wrote it according to the age of human beings 😂😂 So just think that the settings of animation and manga are different!

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22. Hello, teacher! I don’t know if there is a detailed setting for this, but I am a little curious about whether the ice cream that the devil eats (the name is really apt) is a real soul (?) Can the devil in the All Saints Street world eat human souls?

It’s a real soul 😂 But what’s frozen into ice cream should just be the soul of the fruit (everything is alive👌) Yes, they should like evil spirits and the like.

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23. I really like Neil's design. I love Neil very much and I have all his belongings around me. Neil has one side of his hair braided. Why does he braid it? I like it because it's very pretty. Do you think this is fashionable? (I'm Japanese so the translation may be different)

The setting is because Neil's mother's family has the habit of wearing braids for generations, so he and Nick both have braids. (But the real reason is that I like to draw braids and think they are cute)

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24. Hello, Teacher Lingzi. Does FENZ have any guidelines for doujin activities? (I would like to know if there are any rules like HMCH, such as distributing doujinshi but not producing goods.)

As far as I know, it has never been posted🤔...So I can't give a formal answer to this question. It's just for reference...As long as you don't take the official pictures privately ( Official comics + animation) should be fine if you print pirated copies and sell them, and do fan activities...

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Two similar questions are answered at once.

25. Hello! I recently learned about this through an anime translated into Japanese. All the characters are really cute and I really love them! Will a Japanese translation of the original manga be released…? I really want to read the original… When will the Japanese version of the Manseonggae original comic be released?

Because there are really many people asking about the Japanese single volume, I will give a unified reply here: Thank you for your interest in comics, but… I really don’t know! 😂😂😂 I basically won’t be involved in anything other than [conceiving + drawing] comics, so I really don’t know…but I haven’t heard any relevant news yet, so it should be…not available yet Plan it!

(It's been a year since and there are still no news about an official Jpn manga publication)

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26. Hello, excuse me for asking! Previously, you answered in the question box that angels do not have the ability to reproduce, but how are the genders of angels determined? Sorry for the Japanese. I would appreciate it if you could answer. My favorite work🥰

Being infertile does not mean that you have no reproductive organs🫢(probably) I think you can imagine the body of an angel as that of an infertile human 🤔

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27. Hello Teacher! Does Abu have a sense of pain? If there is something that everyone has that Abu doesn't, or something that Abu has that everyone doesn't? Please let me know!

I still feel pain, but it’s a special place... Maybe it’s because I’m less sensitive to cold and warm. Even if I only wear T-shirts all year round, it’s OK, but I still wear them with the four seasons in order to better integrate with everyone. To change clothes.

This is being answered through Abu's perspective or the translator is confused af. Source

28. Hello teacher~ I just discovered that there is a teacher’s account on Twitter a while ago, so I looked at all the pictures on Twitter. The series on Ira is really warm and cute, but at the end I saw Ira lying on Teacher Lin’s shoulder. It made me think, is it possible for him to lie on top of others like this (stealing) and moving (lazy)? After all, hiring someone to hold a parasol in summer is equivalent to getting a free taxi without having to prepare sunscreen. Although I don’t know how to deal with the clothing issue.

Haha, it’s because of the clothes that he usually doesn’t do that. Although it’s really convenient... If you can change clothes at home, the probability of turning into a bat is higher. Forget it outside, the clothes will fall off. On the ground~

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29. Can devils go into church? 🤔 for example if someone they know gets married at a church do they just have to stand outside? wwww

Oh I never thought about that before, but I think you are right[.] They may not be able to get into the church

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30. Hello teacher, I’m interrupting you again (although I am anonymous). I want to ask this time, will an angel still be an angel without a halo? To be more specific, it probably disappears. Also, can angels share halos?

Logically speaking, the angel's halo will not disappear, but it may be damaged and destroyed. If it is broken, just go back to heaven and apply for a new one😌👌It's not a big problem. Yes, Lily also secretly used Teacher Lin’s aperture.

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Continue in Part 3

[hellsvestibule]

Seee if nobody else got me I know @zeravmeta got me. Please please pleaseee….I…insane clown p-ussy...

I think in his interactions w Anyone really. he needs to be read as pretentiously playing the “devil you know.” Like, as you mentioned here for Jeanne this takes the form of like, an unhinged desperate man turning to her for forgiveness. But he changes his personality up a bit w everyone he talks to in a way that mirrors their perceived insecurities. All of its genuinely Him because he has a strong personality, but he also has very strong paralels to every character I can think about him having any sustained interaction w. I can’t even really get into all of them cuz I’d be here forever but I’ll rant a bit about some scenes he has w Jeanne, mash, the one valentines scene w Kama, his general shtick w nursery rhyme. And how murder at the kogetsukan is actually imo important to understanding who he is at heart.

The thing is in each case I can think of where he does this, the reality is he’s more similar to the person he’s trying to disturb than the person whose evil behavior he’s imitating. Or is equally similar to both and kind of bridges the theological gap between them a bit maybe. Like, w jeanne, it’s not just that he’s behaving like Gilles, he is also situationally a lot like Jalter, he himself is some weird horny old man’s botched lab experiment out to avenge himself and others like him, but also, his approach to this feels more abstract and inhuman than Jalter , more adjascent to jeanne herself, and I think that’s meaningful bc she sort of theologically distances herself from Jalter but here is a guy who is batshit in both ways. He enacts good will through force of evil deeds which distance him from being able to hold normal relationships, the type of morality I don’t think Jeanne who holds tight to goodness for goodness sake, or even most normal people, can really begin to comprehend, but it’s also, the same way others can’t comprehend her insistence that she’d hold tight to goodness no matter what is done to her. Both are simultaneously, totally reasonable for latching onto the abstract concepts of good and evil within their own perspective. But totally incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t also. like that. Sure Mephy may have the “selfish” Jalter adjacent motives of a victim lashing out to avenge himself in an undignified attempt to gain dignity. But also, like, fatalistic understanding of the will of god as something he serves at his own expense, means he kind of is a saint and martyr in his own weird way. When I say serving the will of god I don’t mean happily so, he even says to guda he wants to help them kill god, bc. Well, he’s the worst Big Daddy upstairs of them all. But he’s still a big daddy who can smite you like an insect, so you have to play by his rules. Mephy wants to make everyone think he’s evil, bc he wants to become a real devil, bc that’s what he thinks he exists to be, what will give him power to avenge himself, and so he’s purposely denigrating himself to an inhuman construct to achieve it, and a portion of the audience apparently buys it, bc just being an arrogant asshole dressed like a creepy clown is enough to rub a lot of people the wrong way. But imo he holds a similar type of arrogance as Jeanne’s in this regard. He’s holding himself to an impossible standard of both good and evil so he kind of had the right to call it out in her even if he’s a hypocrite, which he is in every interaction w everyone. And also, even the parallel to Gilles has multi tiered meaning, since Faust is often portrayed as a child abuser, and so is mephisto in the Goethe play, and he sort of ends said play lamenting his obsession w innocence and purity and inability to ever possess it being his downfall... and like, our Mephy, i would guess, despite the conflicting framing of him, probably doesn’t want to become that, but might sort of think this is his natural disposition or fate, simply bc the things he’s implied about Faust or at least how he perceives him. So only Jeanne can save him from becoming and committing evil like that right? But like. No. She can’t. Bc he’s not her devil. And she shouldn’t even really be held responsible for Gilles, or any other unhinged guy needing her forgiveness. Mephy is pointing out how many people approach her w this whim that she can make them fucking normal if she just hits them hard in the head w a brick. This is normal to her but it’s pitiful it’s normal and she accepts it as such, which he probably wants her to admit, bc his repeated theme across these interactions is that he just wants people to be happy and reject creeps like him, but tells them in the cruelest way possible. which brings me to. Mash!! Bc it paralels his behavior towards her too.

When he first meets Mash in garden of order, he says a bunch of things that are brought back as specific notes of contention within her dynamic w Beryl during the lostbelts (and also Pepe and Kadoc to some degree) He says he’s like her big brother in an attempt to get her guard down, which Fujimaru chips in instead of letting it fly as ironic or cruel like yeah yeah, you’re like her big brother, encouraging him in a positive way bc Fujimaru believes in everyone’s capacity to be equals, flying in the face of mephistos assumptions Fujimaru only likes mash bc her lack of agency and rebelliousness, so they would consequently hate him for being. Not a nice sweet submissive person. This is true of Mash in this point of the story, she has little agency in the earlier chapters, and if you understand his character you understand he actually relates to this and is genuinely horrified on her behalf, but is phrasing it more like it’s in a pitiful inconvenience than w the kindness it actually needs to be said, the same thing kadoc did which is why I point out it’s not just beryl even if it’s mostly beryl.

Bc he also says he watched his roommate repeatedly sever the arms of his family members every night, and due to his conditioning by Faust sacrificing humans (supposedly to aid in his creation) doesn’t know if this is done as an act of abuse or love, specifically adjascent to what beryl does to her and what she asks after. At this point in the story you haven’t met Beryl, but Mash still clearly dislikes this, she becomes visibly uncomfortable and for a short bit after that is slightly hesitant towards mephisto, but she also like, gets over it really quickly after she sees him attack his “bad” selves, stepping in to be like, oh, ok, I see you are trying to become a better person despite having been mislead and used as a proxy for other peoples violence. She Gets it. She’s the first to sort of commit to the repeated theme w Mephy, that everyone he attempts to harass is actually hesitantly accepting and compassionate towards him and willing to relate to him, he’s the one who most struggles to accept this possibility of having normal loved ones who care and understand him and not just bc they are naive and mislead by him. Bc if everyone trusts him not due to naïveté but due to recognition of everything he embodies. He loses power as a (theoretical) devil. He is obviously, regardless of his status as a know it all, mostly just a petulant traumatized child, with no real power over anyone. That’s both the sad and hopeful thing. Power is bad for him, it’s the corrupting force which will help him actualize into a real devil. But conversely he’s the easiest villain to defeat and in some ways purposefully so, because deep in his heart he doesn’t actually want to win. He just wants to be innocent, if someone does not give him any power over them by reacting with violence or hate, he utterly flounders. Devils only exist if you will them too, but nobody here wants the devil, they want Mephy to be whoever Mephy actually is, some sort of, weird pathetic clown guy who is sort of sweet and sort of an asshole? and that’s incredibly agonizing to him bc he doesn’t know who the fuck that is without Faust. He has very little personhood outside of Faust and yet constantly boasts his independence and freedom, for understandable reasons.

Preoccupation with avenging lost innocence is a good segueway to the valentines scene with Kama I think. Also note, I use Kama and Sakura sort of interchangeably here but I recognize they still separate characters. To me this scene reads as the character Kama wanting to offer something nice to the character child Sakura. But I sort of mush them together when discussing them.

IMO if you don’t understand these characters backstories still haunt them, this scene might fly totally past the radar as anything important, because Kama is trying to downplay her engagement in any of these scenes, so it’s played for silly and awkward in context. But that’s just any scene Mephy is in, and you have to look past it for what it really is. Kama is pretending to be a child at the park w her dad, sort of, mimicking maybe one of the last happy memories of childhood Sakura has, and Mephy is clearly here to play the villain, he doesn’t even really have to Try to be sakuras devil bc he’s already at glance an amalgamation of the worst traits of all the family members who hurt her but. Also. He’s a stranger,,, or more so, they sort of imply they concocted this scenario ahead of time and are just really bad actors motivated by the same wants, who are using each other as pawns for each others evil ends (showing the hypocrisy central to their approach).

However. Your feelings of dread are kind of mitigated by the obvious fact no one here wants to play out a depraved or traumatic scenario bc it clearly hits them too close to home. I think the implication given by their backstories is they are waiting to see if you are a creepy or innept dad towards child kama, because Mephy as we know from how he talks about Vicky Frank in London, is basically itching to smash literally every shitty dads shitty face in. but of course guda isn’t a shitty dad, so they’re left w nothing but a really awkward setup they’re trying to play off as meaningless that kinda screams like, this isnt meaningless and petty at all actually, both really wish their fucking parental figures had taken them to oniland instead of committing human rights violations. They did not get to have normal childhoods and so they implicitly. want this nice little fantasy to play out for child Sakura. without phrasing it as such bc that kind of open admission of vulnerability is forbidden, so mephisto, as usual, will play the villain to his dying breath, bc he won’t ever directly admit he’s traumatized. Neither will Kama of course, but this is -their- valentines scene, which necessitates them revealing more than he does. It goes to show how hard mephisto will self denigrate until the other party confronts their inner demons, and that’s bc the clown in him that exists to be humiliated and despised, which Kama has to give in to bc a god of love can only go so far in that capacity. So it feels like Kama is both. Irritated by the pretentiousness of this . He ends up being less like shinji or his father or zouken and more like Kariya, and that’s still shitty and traumatizing in its own way. Mephisto prefaces this scene as him being creepy but what he’s really doing is going oh poor baby whatever you’re going through is more important than having my own similar problems be understood. And of all things, that’s what fucks this scene up. She’s trying to brush off why this scenario or any of these scenarios exist bc she’s never dealt w this pain and assumed she could preface all of this w ironic detatchment. But still! Going to a park is something kariya and her mom used to do w her and her sister, showing she might not have actually totally forgotten what this type of thing means and holds sentimental attatchemt to the idea of it (a theme park just ups the ante and the fantasy aspect of it) But also do you really think Kama would admit they want this sort of sentimental thing unironically? So Mephy the clown must prove he is a worse more traumatized asshole than Kama , so she can admit by proxy she just wants to act like a normal innocent kid for a day, she doesn’t have to thank him for this role or even care about him, but she still points out hes not evil, that he does this as a pretentious part of being what he is, and she focuses on the one thing that’s Not familiar. Clown. he’s sticking to the act of a horrible despicable clown, even on Valentine’s Day, bc hes a very pathetic man scared of being loved, and would probably sooner die than admit that. kama does the big person thing, accepts the shallow pretense they brought you here w for the paradoxical depth it has, this is a normal scenario of a little girl at the theme park with her dad, who had a brush in with a creepy clown and just wants to feel protected and loved. Both of them are too detatched to tell Why you any of this was necessary, it’s the context of what they’ve said and done before now you need to read into, It actually makes me really sad to think about.

Also this is why I’m convinced Mephy is concious and self aware in murder at the kogetsukan. Even the naming convention and setup follows everything you see from the established patterns of interactions, the names of the violet family have a lot of biblical conventions which feel too convoluted to ignore the symbolism of. (Also, that dancing with Eve and Lilith is something he and Faust do in the play, and gorgon taking Margaret’s face in the same scene, there’s just a lot of weird little meta bits in here) Mephy’s character is named Cain, which imo gives him an excuse to break the fourth wall 4th wall and literally just be a self possessed actor rather than narratively lacking self awareness. Named after Gods grandson, whom God dismisses because his sacrifice of plant instead of meat is deemed less significant, and so he becomes possessed by the devil and enraged, and imo this is paraleling mephistos preoccupation w his doll body, how it implicitly makes him feel inherently objectified and worthless and inhuman. Like. Valentines day he gives you a pet which will explode and simulate artificial death, and tells you he wants you to see it as a mascot more worthy than fou. Or when you give him chocolate he’s like (clown screech) my heart valve is pumping. Constantly reminding you he isn’t human and feels awful about it. He thinks his own life and death is meaningless because he is artificial which is why he’s a self sacrificing individual. While maybe not concious and self aware. Ignore everything Moriarty says abt the faces not being significant? They are, Lancelot is cast as and is subsequently the perfect father to this stand in for mephisto bc he’s also struggling w these same feelings and told it all to kariya back in fate zero, and he’s worried he’s a bad dad who would objectify or traumatize his kid, something you see Moriarty needle him for in grand carnival albeit played for laughs at the fact that usually Lancelot is the one who ends up objectified, but Moriarty is also someone who needles peoples trauma when trying to help them. But Lancelot’s like, not what people assume him to be, he’s a genuinely loving person, and so is his character by proxy, so the second “Cain” realizes this, he has a massive sentimental breakdown where he says he loves his family and wants to save them, and I think this is important not to distance the characters 100% from the npcs in this moment bc it shows major facets of Mephisto and Lancelot that often get ignored or misunderstood, and lets mephisto actually commit to his genuine issue of just wanting a dad who loves him normally and showcases that Lancelot actually is so good he wouldn’t care if he’s in a family unit wher he’s a cuckold or his kid is a crazy loser like him, the things people sort of assume he’s preoccupied w being like the possession of another man’s wife or having the perfect child, but like, no, he genuinely just wants to love the people he’s with in the moment but is hesitant to attempt it. the event isn’t totally uncorrelated to the faces the npcs have at all. For some people at least (Mephy, Lancelot, Moriarty, and Mordred off the top of my head) all had some deep seated desire or other fulfilled by this scenario . (Sherlock npc dies, mordred npc has a dick) I can’t really rationalize the others but these 4 at least are super obvious, and it’s part of why I want to “blame” mephisto bc I think out of everyone his reasons for wanting this and ability to put it into place as a mythological wish granter who concocts dreams, makes the most sense motive wise, and also, the deadly fever guda falls under as well as the fantasy concocted are both things mephistos poison is capable of in faust. But I might be missing something, it’s possible like the drama Cd or something I don’t remember revealed a culprit behind the “it was all a dream” thing, but I just think it’s notable that for mephisto there is no barrier between dreams and reality.

Also I should probably mention the importance of his dynamic w nursery rhyme mirroring the absense of what he and Kama don’t have? She calls him uncle mephy and is clearly like, trying to talk him out of his nihilistic suicidal outlook of reality. Bc well whatever, they are both helpless broken dolls but also, she has reason to form sentimental attatchment to clowns, they -are- familiar to her, Faust was one of the first plays put on by pantomime, clown theatre, as was the goose that laid the golden egg, a story about sacrificing something loyal to you so you can reap the immediate benefits of its labor. and I think the latter was one of the performances where mother goose went from a folklore figure to having a canon physical appearance (and you can see as of fgo she still does not, she’s still using Alice’s appearance) and there’s even more nameplay going on w the paralels to kariya she’s invoking w the uncle Mephy shtick making them like kariya and Sakura, kariyas name means “wild goose” and being sent on a wild goose chase is a euphemism for becoming lost in pursuit of something you desire. Mephy doesn’t seem to accept anything in reality as anything but nonsense and farce, yet he constantly imbues every attempt at nonsense and trivializing peoples problems w a huge load of painful sincerity. mother goose is, itself, a book of mostly nonsense. But its sentimental purpose as a familiar children’s book and folklore brushes against his, saying “you have a home here” something he’s obviously in severe denial of wanting but also manages to make 90% of his personality. Mephisto at the start of faust is literally just a lost dog looking for a home. @zeravmeta mentioned how little of Mephy is even allowed to be himself, and he exists mostly through others and like, yeah! There’s more paralels than there is Mephy at a certain point. every “joke” scene Mephy is in is actually majorly sad and fucked up the moment you take a minute to dissect it. Bc he’s convinced trauma makes him funny, when it only paradoxically makes him funny by sheer force of how unfunny he is.

[no-where-new-hero]

Fire and Hemlock Readalong: Chapter 2

...in which Polly enters fairyland.

This is a chonker of a chapter. In some ways, we are given every single clue to deciphering the rest of the novel in these pages, even though of course that's not really legible on the first or even the fourth read (DWJ's essay helps to clue you in to everything she's doing here, though I don't recommend it until after you've finished the novel, of course!). I could write an entire dissertation on this chapter alone on the references and foreshadowing.

The most important introduction in the moment, though, of course, is the entrance of Tom Lynn, the Tam Lin figure. One of the many ballad-sourced characterizations of him that I love is how DWJ introduces him as rather purposefully liminal: he is both an adult but childlike, he is embedded in the frightening world of Hunsdon House yet not entirely welcomed by it, and he also exists in a kind of ambiguously gendered state, evidenced by the non-masculine codes of musicality and myopia. Polly divines something sympathetic in him and plays on that to cover for herself, though her ruse eventually grows into a genuine connection built on a game of "making things like heroes up with other people, then being them." I love how carefully DWJ phrases this: Polly doesn't merely "pretend" to be a hero. She is the hero that she creates. This is a thorough transmutation of identity through imagination and will come to link her even more to Tom later on.

I don't know how early I ought to bring this up, but I know people find Tom's friendship/definitely-foreshadowing-as-more-ship with Polly troubling. Of course, this is a legitimate reason to dislike the book/his character, but it’s worth noting how raising the possibility of that discomfort is an absolutely conscious choice on DWJ's part: not only does it set up yet another theme (sexuality, age, and power) but also works directly within the reference frame of the ballad. After all, Janet goes to Tam as a deliberate transgression: she disobeys the injunction given in the first stanza of the ballad, and that DWJ includes as the epigraph of this chapter, which works to clue us into what Polly is doing: she has also broken rules--not just through trespassing onto another property and interrupting Laurel's painting bequests, but also through meeting Tom at all. Rather than a sexual encounter, Polly and Tom forge a bond of creativity that propels the incidents of the novel just as Janet's unborn child does the ballad, and it falls under suspicion by mortal and fairy judgment alike.

Another thing I noticed this time speaks to DWJ's familiarity with medieval literature, but sight and seeing things becomes a cipher to truth. We saw that even in the first chapter, with Polly's changed perspective on the Fire and Hemlock painting and her depressed sense that she has lost something by no longer seeing it "correctly." But in this chapter, we have the fact that heroes can see strange light in a pool and can see four different configurations of words on the same pair of urns, which Polly calls an enchantment. Sight is not always a positive sense--it brings trouble later on. But throughout, as in medieval hagiographies (lives of saints) and narrative lays, it always means a path toward understanding. To see is to know, even if the seer isn't entirely aware of its implications and the knowledge may be forbidden.