#Agnes Shin

[unknown-mecha]

They're all very cute.

[mikyapixie]

10 years ago today Star Vs. The Forces of Evil premiered on Disney Channel!!!💖💖💖💖💖💖

[eg515]

I love that the New Amsterdam finale brought back both Agnes and Cassian for one scene each. I was wondering just during the previous episodes about whatever happened to Agnes, considering we haven't seen her or even heard from her since 4x20. and honestly I fully forgot Daniel Dae Kim is even in this show because he hasn't been in this show since season 3 episode 6.

the childhood flashbacks are cute though

[animemakeblog]

“Uma Musume: Pretty Derby” The Anime Movie Announced for May 2024

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - Shin Jidai no Tobira (Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era) was revealed in the 13th and last episode of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Season 3. On May 24, 2024, the anime film is slated to debut in Japanese theatres.

[physalian]

List of “I need to calm the fuck down” music

(please reblog your own)

Most Trance Music if this list is intimidating- Usually not something you dance to, doesn’t have a lot of percussion and erratic noise. It’s supposed to entrance you.

This list spans the following genres: Pop, folk, grunge, cinematic, and rock.

Maybe I’ll make a Spotify playlist or something with all of them, idk. These are not in alphabetical order but I tried to keep multiple artist entries grouped.

I had the whole thing color-coded but Tumblr didn't like that so here's it in boring text (I still have the colored one if anyone wants it)

WITH LYRICS

Good for Me - Above & Beyond

On a Good Day - Above & Beyond

Blue Sky Action - Above & Beyond

The Hollywood Bowl Show - Above & Beyond

I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis

I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

Through the Eyes of a Child - AURORA

Retrograde - Pearl Jam

Run Boy Run - Woodkid

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Would That I - Hozier

After All These Years- Journey

Let it All Go - Birdy

Holocene - Bon Iver

Home I/II - Dotan

Outro - M83

Flares - The Script

O - Coldplay

Fly On - Coldplay

Strawberry Swing - Coldplay

Midnight - Coldplay

Lovers in Japan (Acoustic) - Coldplay

Clocks - Coldplay

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Coldplay

Up & Up - Coldplay

Fix You - Coldplay

Oceans - Seafret

Dice - Finley Quaye

Medicine - Daughter

Wash Away - Joe Purdy

Upside Down - Jack Johnson

Heartbeats - Jose Gonzales

Teardrop - Massive Attack

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2

Where the Streets Have No Name - U2

Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin

Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts

Something I Need - OneRepublic

Dead in the Water - Ellie Goulding

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Morning Elvis - Florence + The Machine

End of Love - Florence + The Machine

What the Water Gave Me - Florence + The Machine

Sky Full of Song - Florence + The Machine

Free - Florence + The Machine

Choreomania - Florence + The Machine

Walls - Kings of Leon

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Tom Petty/Prince

Silver Spring - Fleetwood Mac

Big Love - Fleetwood Mac

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac

Don’t Look Back in Anger - Oasis

The Albatross - Taylor Swift

The Archer - Taylor Swift

You’re On Your Own Kid - Taylor Swift

Clean - Taylor Swift

On My Way - Phil Collins

Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros

I Shall Not Walk Alone - The Blind Boys of Alabama

Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

Manic - Cloves

Dorian - Agnes Obel

Down to Earth - Peter Gabriel

Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-IV - Pink Floyd

On the Turning Away - Pink Floyd

High Hopes - Pink Floyd

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

Take it Back - Pink Floyd

November Rain - Guns n’ Roses

Breathe Me - Sia

They’ll Soon Discover - The Shins

Just a Kid - Wilco

Evenstar - Howard Shore

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Angela - The Lumineers

Scotland - The Lumineers

Nobody Knows - The Lumineers

Sleep on the Floor - The Lumineers

The Ink from Books - Sleeping at Last

Lightning Crashes - Live

Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins

Glitter in the Air - P!nk

Silhouette - Aquilo

Water Under the Bridge - Adele

Golden Hour Album - Kygo

Stole the Show - Kygo

Wake Me Up - Avicii

Heaven - Avicii

Hope There’s Someone - Avicii

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

WITHOUT LYRICS

Flow State (Continuous Mix) - Above & Beyond

Memory Gospel - Moby

Immanuel - Tony Anderson

Define Dancing - Thomas Newman

Haiku/Nemo Egg - Thomas Newman

American Beauty - Thomas Newman

Chasing Ice - J. Ralph

One Day - Hans Zimmer

Thunderbird/The Decision - Hans Zimmer

1917 - Thomas Newman

The Mighty Rio Grande - This Will Destroy You

The Minecraft OST - C418

The World of Goo OST - Kyle Gabler

Tessa - Imagine Dragons

Forbidden Friendship - John Powell

Experience - Ludovico Einaudi

The Aviators - Helen Jane Long

Once There Was A Hush Puppy - Benh Zeitlin

On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter

The Beginning - Factor 8

End of An Era - Zach Hemsey

I Walk With Ghosts - Scott Buckley

The Chasing Coral OST - Dan Romer

The Luca OST - Dan Romer

Arrival to Earth - Steve Jablonsky

Tower of Joy - Ramin Djawadi

Light of the Seven - Ramin Djawadi

Into a Nighttime Sky - Jeremy Zuckerman

Greatest Change - Jeremy Zuckerman

Your Hand in Mine/Home - Explosions in the Sky

Ori, Lost in the Storm - Gareth Coker

Arrival of the Birds - Cinematic Orchestra

Fireflies - Mychael & Jeff Danna

Across the Stars - John Williams

The Soul OST - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

The Queen’s Gambit OST - Carlos Rafael Rivera

[nerdanel01]

Old Wounds

Agnes felt Emmrich lay his hands upon her bare shoulder, cool to the touch. 

(Felt her traitorous body welcome that touch.)

Then, she felt his magic follow—felt it surging through her. 

(Relief comes not to stopper the flow of physical agony but to release a fresh flood of anguish, and to thrust Agnes into its tempest.) 

She is thirty-two and the Necropolis floor is cold and Wilfred is holding her leg straight with skeletal hands as Emmrich counts to three, then releases his spell on the count of two instead—and she bites the wall of her mouth so hard to keep herself from screaming (to be brave, for him) that she bleeds as the magic surges through her and the compound fracture in her shin snaps back into alignment. 

She is thirty-eight, drunk on fizzante, or at the very least tipsy—enough to have sorely twisted her ankle on Nevarra City’s cobbled streets—and Emmrich is easing her down onto a park bench, and he is lifting her foot, and unlacing her boot, and holding her purple, bare, swollen ankle in his bare hands—and she is not drunk enough to ask, but well drunk enough to imagine how he might press a kiss just there, to the bone of her ankle….

She is twenty—barely known to him—heart already lost to him—and he is looking sternly at the gap in her leather armor along her waist, where the restless undead had managed to lay a single bruising blow upon her, hands already pulsing with magic, murmuring softly, “Let me see….”

(For all Agnes had defended him, Emmrich had always been there to stitch her back together, afterwards.)

_____________________________________________

Emmrich/Rook 9k+ wc | SFW, Hurt/Comfort The rest at AO3 for logged in users only:

[baldursgrave69]

Hands

Listen folks, I have been trying to write this fic for two months and it's finally done.

Rating: NSFW - MATURE, MDNI

Pairing: Enver Gortash x fem!durge (named)

Word count: 2.1K

Tags: MDNI, afab!durge, unprotected sex, piv, vaginal fingering, feelings, oral sex,

While writing this I was listening to: Pork Soda by Glass Animals

Agnes sat with her hands folded in her lap, leaning back in her chair as Ketheric Thorm droned on about his plans to build an army for the Absolute. Enver Gortash sat across from her a quill in his hand as he jotted down notes on parchment. Every time Ketheric opened his mouth Agnes would immediately tune out, she couldn’t stand his tendency for verbosity when it wasn’t necessary, and the way he could go on a tangent for 30 minutes about a painfully specific frontline strategy.

Agnes looked around the room trying to find anything to distract her from the general’s droning. Her eyes landed on Enver’s hands, the golden gauntlet he often wore tapping against the table as his other hand continued to scribble on parchment. She always told him how much she hated the unnecessary, gaudy accessory he insisted on wearing. And she did. He always insisted on embellishments and accents on his clothing that Agnes didn’t feel were necessary. She did perfectly fine flashing a blade to get her way. But he insisted that sometimes it was better to simply “talk” to people rather than threatening them. And apparently appearance meant everything when “talking” was involved.

As Agnes eyed the man’s hands, she couldn’t help but think about what the cool metal of his gauntlet might feel like on her body, the sting of the metal against her bare skin would feel so delicious. She wondered how it might feel for him to wrap his hands around her throat, the tips of his gauntlets digging into her flesh as he squeezed.

Agnes felt heat rip through her, desire burning inside as she fantasized about what Enver might do if he knew she was having these thoughts about him. She could feel her pulse flutter, her face felt flushed and her body felt warm. Agnes bit her lip as she extended her foot, grazing it up Enver’s pant leg across from her. She watched his face, his even expression wavering ever so slightly as she ran her foot up his leg. She felt him rub his leg against hers as he asked Ketheric a question, his hand continuing to drum on the table.

Agnes watched his fingers tap the table, the voices of Enver and Ketheric a drone in the background as she imagined Enver Gortash pounding into her, his hand wrapped around her throat.

Agnes felt a kick under the table, her eyes shooting up to meet Enver’s who widened his gaze at her, subtly tilting his head in Ketheric’s direction.

“What?” She said without thinking, straightening up to look at the general. Ketheric pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, taking a deep breath before addressing Agnes.

“I was asking your thoughts. On all of this,” Ketheric said with a sigh, knowing very well Agnes had no idea what they had been talking about.

“Oh, right. I’d rather hear Gortash’s thoughts,” she redirected, looking in the Baneite’s direction.

“If you’d been listening, my dearest, you would have already heard my thoughts on the matter,” he said with a confident smile, nudging her foot with his. Agnes huffed, kicking his shin and standing from the table.

“I trust you will make the right decision, then. Are we done here?” Agnes grumbled, looking in Ketheric’s direction.

“Just be here tomorrow for our meeting,” Ketheric sighed, waving his hand at her to dismiss her. Agnes spun on her heel, exiting the room and heading for her office.

As Agnes made her way towards her office, she could hear the all too familiar click of Enver’s boots following her down the hall. She kept her pace steady and her head down, entering their shared work space and heading towards her desk. She heard the office door close and lock behind her, a smile crossing her face. Agnes braced her hands on her desk as he came up behind her. Her breath hitched as she felt Enver’s hand wrap around the column of her neck, the metal gauntlet digging into her flesh.

“You little brat, distracting me during our meeting” He growled, his tongue tracing the tip of her ear. Agnes leaned back against him, she could feel that he was already hard, his erection pressing against her ass. She let out a low chuckle, grinding against his crotch. Agnes felt him tighten his grip on her throat, his other hand sliding down her front and dipping into her pants. He pressed his fingers to her cunt, groaning at how wet she was.

“So wet already,” he hissed, biting down on her shoulder as he teased her entrance with his fingers.

“You can’t even make it through a meeting without wanting me to fuck you, can you?” He said, continuing his teasing causing Agnes to moan loudly.

“I just can’t stand listening to Ketheric. I had to keep my mind occupied somehow,” she breathed, his hand still wrapped around her throat.

“Don’t lie,” he growled, shoving two fingers inside her. Agnes yelped at the sudden sting of his fingers in her cunt, breathing heavily as he pistoned in and out of her.

“Is this what you wanted?” he whispered in her ear, his thumb rubbing her clit as he continued to fuck her with his fingers.

“Gods, yes,” she moaned, his fingers hitting that sweet spot inside of her that made her tremble. Enver squeezed her throat as he quickly pulled his fingers from inside her. Agnes groaned at the emptiness, needily grinding against him. Enver spun her around to face him, walking towards her and backing her up against her desk. He pried her mouth open, shoving his fingers inside.

“I want you to taste just how needy you are,” he growled as she swirled her tongue around his fingers, spit dribbling down her chin. With his other hand he dragged his fingers down her neck and chest, the cool metal scratching her skin.

Agnes took a deep breath as he removed his fingers from her mouth, the feeling of his hands touching her body was exhilarating, she craved his touch. She couldn’t help the smile on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing.

“You make it so easy for me to get what I want, Enver,” Agnes purred, hopping up onto the desk and wrapping her legs around his waist. She placed her arms around his neck, tangling her hands in his hair.

“You’re insufferable,” he huffed, pressing his lips to hers. Agnes pulled him closer with her legs as she kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth.

Enver dug his fingers into her, the sharp claws on his gauntlet ripping into her clothing. She moaned into his mouth at the sting of the metal against her skin. She could feel him break skin as he clawed at her, his teeth clacking against hers as he kissed her roughly.

“Clothes off, now,” he hissed as he pulled away, pointing at her with his gauntleted hand.

“Hah. Or what?” Agnes smirked, crossing her legs.

Enver wrapped his hand around Agnes’ neck, squeezing so that the metal claws dug into her skin. Her breath hitched as he pulled her closer, hovering his lips over hers.

“You distract me in an important meeting and then act like this? Who do you think you are?” He hissed, squeezing harder as he bit her lip. Agnes could feel blood drip from her mouth as Enver bit down harder.

Agnes let out a laugh, pulling away to press her fingers to her lips, feeling the blood begin to drip down her chin. She swiftly kneed Enver in the groin, causing him to fall to his knees before the bhaalspawn. She pulled a dagger out from behind her, toying with the dull edge of it.

“You forget who you’re messing with, Baneite,” she said as she tangled her free hand through the man’s dark, messy hair. Agnes pulled Enver’s head back so that he was looking up at her, pressing the dull edge of the dagger against the man’s neck.

“Now, be a good boy and I may give you what you want,” she said with a smile, leaning down and softly pressing her lips to his. Enver let out a huff, giving in and leaning into her kiss. Agnes threaded her hands into his hair, pulling him up onto his feet towards her. She hopped up on the desk, beckoning him towards her with her finger.

“You want my clothes off? Do it yourself,” she smirked, spreading her legs slightly and leaning back on her hands. Enver narrowed his gaze as he approached her, quickly tugging her shirt up and over her head. His eyes trailed her chest as he unhooked her bralette, allowing it to slide off of her shoulders. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers as he cupped her breast, his thumb rolling over her nipple. Agnes felt his thumbs hook into the band of her trousers and small clothes, yanking them down in a swift motion. He pulled away, sliding his hand down her leg and gently removing her pants and boots one leg at a time.

“Very good,” Agnes purred, watching Enver’s gaze darken as he looked her over. He rolled his eyes, closing the gap between them and leaning in to press his lips to hers.

“Ah ah,” she said with a tut, pushing him away from her. “Your turn,” Agnes smirked at Enver, gesturing for him to remove his clothing. He huffed at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You think you can just order me around like some dog?” His body betrayed his words as Agnes watched his erection strain against his trousers, his breathing heavy and gaze darkened.

“Yes,” she said, cocking her head to the side as she dragged her fingers through her folds, a moan escaping her lips. Enver watched as she traced circles on her clit, her head falling back as she pleasured herself.

“Hells below,” he breathed, a hand palming his hard cock through his pants. Agnes looked up at Enver, locking eyes with him as she pushed two fingers inside of her cunt, her breath hitching as she languidly fingered herself.

“Fuck it,” Enver hissed, hurriedly pulling his shirt up over his head and tossing it to the side. Agnes watched, continuing to piston her fingers in and out of her cunt as Enver quickly undressed, his length springing free from his pants. He kicked his trousers to the side, one hand pumping his impossibly hard cock as he walked towards her. Agnes groaned as she watched him spit into his hand, lubricating his length, resting his free hand on the desk.

“Let me fuck you,” Enver breathed, pressing his forehead to hears as he watched her fingers trace circles over her clit. “Please,” he added, bringing the head of his cock to her entrance, teasing her with the tip. Agnes bit her lip, nodding as she felt him nudge the head of his cock inside her. Enver slowly pushed himself inside of her, bring his gauntleted hand up to cup her face.

“You drive me mad,” he groaned, burying himself inside her. He could feel her tighten around him as he languidly fucked into her, grunts escaping from his lips.

“Gods,” Agnes moaned, her mouth hanging slightly open as he increased his pace, pulling her as close as he could with his free hand. Agnes brought her hands up to his neck, wrapping her arms around him as he fucked her. Enver brought his hand to her throat, wrapping around it and squeezing.

“Yes, please don’t stop,” Agnes breathed, his hips pounding against her. Agnes felt the air being punched from her lungs, growing dizzy from the bruising pace and his hand wrapped around her throat. She could feel waves of pleasure ripping through her as her orgasm rapidly approached with his cock pounding into her.

“Come for me Agnes, I know you can,” Enver growled, loosening the grip on her throat as he pressed his lips to hers. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, his thrust becoming more erratic as his own climax began to build. Agnes pulled away from the kiss, burying her head in the crook of his neck as she came, obscenities falling from her lips. Enver held her close, fucking her through her orgasm, his thrusts becoming more erratic as he chased his own.

“Gods I- I’m,” Enver grunted, biting down on her shoulder as he spilled into her. Agnes could feel him throb inside of her, his teeth still buried in her neck. Enver pulled out of her, breathing heavily as he rested his hands on either side of her on the surface of the desk. Agnes smiled at him, caressing his cheek as she caught her breath.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Enver huffed, still trying to catch his breath.

“I hope so, my dear tyrant,” Agnes whispered against his lips.

[melanie-ohara]

Whumpuary2024 Masterpost

As well as every story I've written this month I also want to include some Fun Stats! about my experience of the challenge, as well as a playlist of all the songs I used lyrics from in my titles. Here we go:

The stats:

Words written: 53,034 (!!!!!)

Stories released: 17

Longest story: Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful, 4,165 words, Mass Effect Andromeda

Shortest story: Like a Mouthful of Rain, 963 words, Original Work

Favourite story: Do You Want Me On Your Mind? 2,950 words, Baldur's Gate 3

Chocolate bars consumed: 20

Times cried while writing: four

Main prompts used: 27

Alt prompts used: 3

The stories:

These are all available on tumblr too, but for expedience and convenience these are all AO3 links. I'm also listing the song I used for the title, which wasn't something I was doing intentionally until the third story, at which point I figured it was better to lean into it and find songs that work for the characters I'm writing about rather than straining my poor brain to think of an original title.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful

Mass Effect Andromeda, Sara Ryder/Vetra Nyx

Prompts: Snow, Captivity

Title stolen from Let It Snow by Ella Fitzgerald

My Heart Was Wired in Thorns

Baldur's Gate 3, Dark Urge (Sithla) & Wyll, Dark Urge & Lae'zel

Prompts: "Get away from me", Choking

Title stolen from Circus Bazooko by BRMC

In The Woods Somewhere and Take Yourself Apart For Me

Star Wars Ahsoka, Wolfwren (Sabine and Shin)

Prompts: Stabbed, Used as Bait, Lightheaded, "Help me"

Titles stolen from In The Woods Somewhere by Hozier and Haunt by BRMC

Hollow Yourself in the Mercy of Man

Original Work - Sci-fi

Prompt: Can't Move

Title stolen from Mercy of Man by Robert Levon Been ft. S.G. Goodman

Like a Mouthful of Rain

Original Work - Medieval

Prompt: Kidnapped

This one was hard to write. The previous day's story was such a failure in my eyes that I scrapped the planned second chapter and almost didn't write anything at all, until I threw this together at the last minute. I liked it quite a lot, in the end.

Title stolen from Revolver by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan

Alive, Just to Watch the Bruises Heal

Mass Effect, Shepard/Thane Krios

Prompts: Exhaustion, Old Injuries

This one got pretty dark, but it's something I've been thinking about for literally years. I'm not the first person to justify the ME1 scars not being in ME2, but I might be the first person to think about Shepard putting them back.

Title stolen from Bruises by Band of Skulls

I'm Not Here Looking For Absolution

Star Wars, Nitearmor (Bo Katan/The Armorer)

Prompts: "I didn't know where else to go", Bruises

It is genuinely surprising to me that this is the only smut I wrote for this month

Title stolen from Bedroom Hymns by Florence + The Machine

Like a Broken Sail

Dishonored, Billie Lurk

Prompts: Hostage, Muffled Screams

I really liked this one because I got to subvert the second prompt a little. I was looking forward to it for days before I got to write it

Title stolen from Future Starts Slow by The Kills

The Working of My Hands

Baldur's Gate 3, Tav (Emily of Rivington)/Lae'zel

Prompts: "Do you trust me?", Restraints

Title stolen from De Selby, Part 2 by Hozier

No Hope For Me, Your Last Serving Daughter

Original Work - Etagne Empire

Prompts: Desperation, Can't Stay Awake

This is a story about a character from my work-in-progress book, MYSTERIES IN THE LAND OF ICE.

Title stolen from Hope In The Air by Laura Marling

Do You Want Me On Your Mind?

Baldur's Gate 3, Nocturne/Shadowheart, Tav (Mellephora)/Shadowheart

Prompts: Memories, Forced to Watch

Another prompt I had fun subverting

Title stolen from Fuel to Fire by Agnes Obel

Rulers Make Bad Lovers

Dishonored, Emily Kaldwin/Wyman/Alexi Mayhew

Prompts: "You're awake", Unfair Fight

Title stolen from Gold Dust Woman by Copilot Music + Sound (originally by Fleetwood Mac)

See How Deep the Bullet Lies

Mass Effect, Shiara (Shepard/Liara)

Prompts: Left to Die, "I'm fine"

Title stolen from Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush

I'll Be Your All For Now

Dishonored, Cecelia/Callista

Prompts: Sleep Deprivation, "Let me see"

These two are my number one rarepair, I love them

Title stolen from Echo by BRMC

Can't Touch You Now and A Soft Caress, As Cold As Death

Baldur's Gate 3, Tav (Calarisa)/Karlach

Prompts: Touch-starved, Aftermath

Titles stolen from Because the Night by Garbage & Screaming Females (originally by Patti Smith), and I Want to Live by Borislav Slavov ft. Ilona Ivanova

The songs I stole lyrics from

Here is a spotify playlist of all the music I used, most of which fit the stories or characters in them. They do not flow into each other at all and there's an over-abundance of BRMC (they're my favourite band, shoot me), but these are all songs I really love. Apart from Let it Snow. That's there because I didn't plan any of this.

Final thoughts

Whumpuary2024 is the first month-long challenge I've undertaken, and it was extremely hard and really rewarding. I aimed to average a thousand words a day and blew clear past that most days, and a few times I barely stumbled across the line as beaten and bloodied as the people I was writing about. I'm incredibly glad I did it and I will probably try again next year (though maybe not a prompt a day next time!). Thank you @whumpuary for the fun event and for randomly crossing my dash at a moment when I was feeling creative enough to sign myself up

If anyone made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope you like the stories. It's not a secret that I'm adding a secret 18th story as a follow up to the Wolfwren series, but this is your special confirmation that it'll be out February the first and second

[ravenekrops]

Happy STS! Share a mean line of dialogue? 👀 - @trixierosewrites

happy STS!! since i don't really have any writing of my own YET, i'm gonna share a snippet from an AU i roleplayed with Cyrus @thicc-pirate!

"Mmm." He briefly looked around him, before putting his focus back on the woman. "Well? I'm sure you didn't kidnap me for my good looks."

She stood in front of him for a few seconds, hands in her pockets, looking down on him. Then her foot quickly launched towards one of his shins, hitting hard. "No." She bluntly said.

i separated the parts each one of us wrote, first one is Cyrus' and second one is mine

the woman is Agnes and the kidnapped man's name is Philip, he's an asshole and belongs to Cyrus :3

[the-vibes-are-off]

The Stormlight Archive Volume 1: The Way of Kings’ Review: Chapter 28 + Interludes 1-4 - 1-6

Hello hello hello, I am back, again, with another edition of ‘This Book Delights in Not Respecting the Structured Chunks I Planned to Write on’ bc naturally there had to be ONE chapter in between the previous part and interludes so they’re getting smushed together. No cool accompanying image this part bc all I have done is sit inside and do nothing so enjoy Twilight and mess (and technically Twilight counts as research for my final year project as I’m doing it on vampires so technically I’m working rn). 

Honestly, I think Brando delights in making me forget that Szeth exists only for him to re-emerge and fill my head with his stupid ass name (see one of the previous parts for my inital anger and outrage). All in all tho, I do love the interludes, they have such a palate cleansing vibes after the end of chapter 28 that help you kind of get over the wtf before moving on to the rest of the story. I will never understand when I hear that people skip or disregard them.

Spoiler Free Zone: 

With being so busy recently, I honestly forgot what happened in chapter 28 bc I read it so long ago now it seems but it does not disappoint skimming over it again. Not necessarily the whole chapter, I honestly didn’t have much tabbed, but the Dalinar character development and tHE END?? besties...

Brando’s book structuring is great. Minus the interludes (which again if any of you out there are skipping these ur so wrong for that), this feels so much like a Victorian three volume novel, which for those unfamiliar (tho it kind of speaks for itself) was a form book release under the serialisation umbrella that was popular at the time (for example the Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, as the two were too short for a traditional three volume release, were released together in the three volume format). Naturally this is my lit student side coming out but I feel like this isn’t done enough and it makes for an interesting structure. Ok, nerd moment over.

The interludes themselves, I mean, always iconic. I love the world building element it brings as even having a multi-perspective narrative, considering how expansive the universe is, is limiting to the possibilities you can explore in this. READ THE INTERLUDES AND APPRECIATE THEM. 

*SPOILERS BELOW (I FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THE KEEP READING THINGY TY EVERYONE)*

Spoiler Zone:

And now, the epigraph for this part had me like so ready for this chapter. I was like thinking this shit right here just feels like theres something coming. Now initially I was a little disappointed bc I was thinking this just feels like an average chapter like I’m not seeing anything I feel like tabbing am I missing sections???

Then Navani comes in and starts chatting up my home slice Dalinar and I am like I was sensing tension earlier but more in the traditional sense over romantic tension like what is going on. But like this isn’t the climax I know it isnt.

BUT DALINAR ABDICATING ??? I know its bc like everyone is disrespecting my guy and he needs Adolin to fill the role so nothing like shady can happen but I was like floored man. For it to be then followed by interludes? Bro like just shoot me bc I have to read them its who I am.

It was interesting to see different character perspectives and locations etc in the interludes tho it always is. I love how Brando uses his writing at times to portray clear moral messages like in interludes 1-4 with the farmers as a respected population amongst the Shin and how Rysn finds that odd. For that to be followed by Vstim establishing that its not strange and just different and that should be respected was just such a lovely moment to see. 

A little bit obsessed with Axies tbh bc frankly if there were little spirit creatures that appear with what seems to be a wide range of idk what to call them like states of being or occurrences idk stuff and things basically I would be studying that shit too. 

And then, the bane of my existence, the bastard that haunts my nightmares: Szeth :|. Idk WHY his name passionately enrages the very core of my being but it does. Not to mention that I am actually invested in his story bc wtf is this now with some random geezer materialising from the shadows with the head of his former master? OF COURSE I would eat that shit up man. (I do applaud Brando tho for clothing him like a slut but acknowledging how impractical it is and making it an annoyance that was extremely iconic). 

Tab Count:

Cute <3 - 1

Fights - 0

Sad ;-; - 0

Death - 0

Cool - 5

Wtf wow - 0

Wtf Why - 1

Slay Quotes - 1

Love this! - 3

Hate this >:( - 0

Lore - 1

Tab Total:

Cute <3 - 13

Fights - 9

Sad ;-; - 5

Death - 4

Cool - 13

Wtf wow - 3

Wtf Why - 4

Slay Quotes - 15

Love this! - 17

Hate this >:( - 5

Lore - 7

[are-soul]

10 / 10 songs

New Slang - The Shins

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

If I Had a Gun - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Le Temps de L'amour - Francoise Hard

Booster Seat - Spacey Jane

Hennessy and Sailor Moon - Yung Lean

The Adults are Talking - The Strokes

This Night Has Opened My Eyes - The Smiths

Sound & Vision - David Bowie

Electric Blue - Icehouse

Family Affair - Mart J. Blige

Summer Breeze - Seal & Crofts

Harvest Moon - Neil Young

I'd Like to Walk Around in Your Mind - Vashti Bunyan

Midnight, The Stars and You - Deerhoof

Sinal - Liana Flores

Si Bien du Mal - Herve

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode

Heaven Beside You - Alice in Chains

Lullaby - The Cure

Agnes - Glass Animals

You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins

Pale Blue Dot - Ross from Friends

[chernobog13]

I watched the first episode of Ultraman Blazar last night.

It was an unusual first episode for an Ultra series, but overall I liked it. Very happy that it is not another "New Generation" series, especially since the last two were re-treads of Tiga and Dyna.

Very much got a Nexus vibe off this episode, but not as dark and gritty as that series. Part of that might be Blazar's mostly grey and silver color scheme, which is evocative of Nexus, who also had red and blue costumes.

You can tell that the production team was also trying to emulate the style of Shin Ultraman (2022) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023), albeit on a much smaller scale.

I like the fact that Blazar's human counterpart, Captain Hiruma Gento, is actually in charge of the kaiju attack squad. That changes things up a bit, as he will have to work extra hard to mask his absences when joining with Blazar from the rest of his crew.

Gento is also an older, more mature protagonist than is usual for an Ultra series, which is a nice call back to the original Showa series. I know this a franchise aimed at kids, but I am sooooooooooo tired of the whiney kids with no idea about personal grooming that we've had a near-steady parade of as stars of the shows.

As for Blazar himself, he's a bit...different than previous Ultras.

For one thing, he WILL. NOT. STOP. GRUNTING! It is non-freakin'-stop. And it's not regular grunting that you hear from other Ultras as they fight kaiju; it's as if the actor is speaking some crazy, made-up language.

This was seriously distracting during the fight with Bazanga, the space kaiju du jour. I certainly hope that it doesn't continue for the rest of the season.

Something even more disconcerting were Blazar's antics during the battle. At one point he was doing rapid high-knee jumps like he was a little kid having a tantrum. That was disconcerting, to say the least.

I do like Blazar's main attack weapon, which is a spear made of energy that he summons. It was a little silly that he tossed it a Bazanga (I have to stop myself from typing Ba-Zinga), but it worked so I guess that's all that matters.

I tried to stay away from most promotional material before watching the episode, as I don't want to know everything about the characters and premise before hand. If the show does its job properly, that information will be conveyed through the story. A show/film shouldn't rely on supplemental material in other media for the audience to understand what's going on.

That said, I did read some articles and posts today that gave me some supplemental info.

On this Earth, humanity has been battling kaiju since 1966, which I think is a nice touch. Apparently, they've succeeded at doing so without the assistance of an Ultraman; at least until now.

Ultraman Blazar is not from M78. He is, instead, from M421, a blazar (Wikipedia: "an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a relativistic jet (a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light) directed very nearly towards an observer. ") far, far away.

And, Blazar is reportedly a "more primitive" type of Ultraman, whatever that means. It might serve to explain his wild antics and why he was grunting/babbling the whole time. I haven't investigated this further because I want to see how this is explained in the show.

So now I guess I'll just wait until next Friday night to see how things progress.

[that-banhus]

First lines/last fics x10

Tagged by @landwriter​ - thank you :) (Also, yesssss, more Oaths soon.)

Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Complete fic:

1 - Settled (The Sandman)

On the evening of June tenth, nineteen-sixteen, Roderick Burgess’ circle of magicians, charlatans, opportunists and hanger-ons draw the final runes on the floor of the basement at Fawney Rig.

2 - And Not Ask Leave of Any (The Sandman)

The unfortunate thing about the marches in October - the one unfortunate thing, Hob thought, because of all God’s lands the marches were created beautiful enough to still a man’s heart, and wild enough to set it running again - was that the air was sobering cold at night.

3 - King of Infinite Space (The Sandman)

They sat at the New Inn until the afternoon melted into evening, the sunlight thickened to a rich orange, and the late crowd began to trickle into the inn in chattering groups.

4 - Runs a Joy with Silken Twine (Good Omens)

The summer of the almost apocalypse sloped into a late autumn, and nothing much changed until it did: the weather tipped into heavy rain and dark evenings as suddenly as a seesaw coming down, and Crowley did something new with his hair.

5 - All the Kingdoms of the World (Good Omens)

The thing which stuck with Crowley the most, from the little-Apocalypse-that-couldn’t, was how close it had all been. If the nuns hadn’t accidentally shuffled the antichrist to Tadfield, if Agnes Nutter hadn’t been exactly right, if Adam had loved humanity just a little less, in the end - well, they’d been very, very lucky, was all, and after several thousand years of doing Aziraphale’s job on occasion, he had a natural suspicion of luck.

6 - The Dead and the Living (Game of Thrones)

When she was twelve, Brienne had broken her leg. She’d taken a quick step forward toward the training master, gotten her foot twisted on an uneven cobblestone, and when his blunt sword came at her low it hit her shin with a sickening snap she felt all up her spine. That hadn’t been the worst of it.

WIP:

7/8 - A Local Habitation (The Sandman)

Cheating outrageously and counting it as two lines, because it essentially ended up being two seperate stories:

Dream went to Hell on a Monday, and barely gave Hob an hour’s notice.

and:

In the morning, Hob woke to the doorbell chiming. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, and the two chopsticks he’d taped over his window in the shape of a cross had burned themselves onto the glass in a sooty, smeared blur. 

9 - Untitled Missing Scene/Coda from King of Infinite Space for @chubsthehamster (The Sandman)

Hob Gadling’s unconscious body presented a problem.

10 - To the Strongest (Star Trek: Discovery)

“Do you sometimes think that T’Kuvma got himself killed on purpose, so he wouldn’t have to deal with all this?” L’Rell gestured at the stack of datapads, maps and scrolls, a delightfully petty touch from House Antaak.

Tagging (optionally as always, and apologies if I am re-tagging) @willowcrowned, @tharkuun, @just-add-butter, @moorishflower, @chubsthehamster @mathomhouse-e

[kirstycurse]

A: "You took my sheepy! Wanted to do pets!"

Ag: "Pardon me young lady?! He needed to be cleaned. You should respect your elders"

A: "You're a mean lady!"

And with that Aubrey landed a swift little kick to Agnes' shin.

Orion looked on with amusement. Agnes had never been very nice to them and Alenee. They were in fact the victim of the swinging handbag.

[chaosarchivesandordervault]

Agnes Laegjarn

Name: Agnes Laegjarn True Name: Agnes Epstein Title: ??? Race: 'Saint' Gender: Female Sexuality: Bi Age: Ageless at the moment Height: 5'2 Weapon of Choice: Staff

One who erased herself from time. Yet is still around courtesy of the embodiment of time and space preventing her from fully succeeding with her plan. One can call her another resident of Helheim but in reality she spends more time in the hub reality. Because of her current state she's changed her last name to Laegjarn though people who knows the truth knows her actual last name is Epstein.

You can call her Brynhildr's childhood friend. One as good as making things as Bryn. But she took her inventions in a different direction. Now Bryn and Van both wants to restore Agnes normal existence but Agnes made her sacrifice and will not change her mind. It tends to result in a two vs two match when they reunite. Her and Grendel Shadai vs Brynhildr and Grendel Shin. The four never get anywhere but Agnes feels like she will need to put her argument with Brynhildr aside for a moment.

Zoa-Gilstein and Grendel Zolga. If the two are becoming truly active, she will intercept them. Though the former being what it is means she'll need to come up with a unique means of facing it. So she's gone back to her old research. Assault Frames. Something to rival the Panzer Soldat idea Bryn suggested but never went through with till many centuries later where her younger sister said she needed a hobby.