#Aragarna

[whirlwind-lancer-dilan]

who's your favorite Zorro character beside Diego, and why?

Yay, one of the things I can (almost) never explain is why I like a given character, most of the time I love them instinctively and rarely have I hated them after getting to know them better or because over the years I started to realize that something about them I didn't like it at all.

But okay going to the question, a character I like from Zorro and why, hmm... Ok, as you know I'm obsessed with New World Zorro (Or Family Channel Zorro or Zorro 1990 or the other thousands ways they call it) and Diego/Zorro ugh, I would eat him (with kisses lol), and as I always think you know another character that I love a lot on the show is that "evil" Alcalde Luis Ramone and I don't love him because he's evil, but because he's fun to watch. I know, some people will think I'm crazy and I know that Tylo who played him was not happy about being in Spain recording (at least that's what I know) and that he put his anger and frustration into the character and... damn, he knew that it was a kids' show and Tylo peppered the episodes with his funny faces, most likely to keep them entertained, and every time I see him I can't help but smile and... gosh, I love him so much and, better than that, I can't explain to you why I like his character so much that I love him perhaps more than I love Zorro himself! 😭

Fun fact? When I watched the show as a kid I hated him and I hated De Soto even more. I have this memory but I can't tell you why I hated them so much (except for the fact that they were the bad guys on duty). I only started to notice things when I was able to watch all the episodes again in 2019 (the year in which Zorro also turned 100 and I didn't even realize it) and… I watched it and my friend and I started talking about the show and Diego and Luis and Victoria and the others and imagining and inventing things and, well, I (we) literally fell in love with him. And to think that as a child, as I said, I hated Ramone. Now I don't even feel like watching the "The Devil's Fortress" episodes anymore. 💔

*Coff Coff* Did I write too much? I hope I haven't written strange things, I have to help myself with the translator because I keeps forgetting a lot of English words and my grammar is terrifying. 💦

[demonicsoulmates-art]

for the artist ask game: 6, 19, 27

6. favorite thing to draw?

I really love drawing people, and I used to love animals just as much.

19. where do you find inspiration?

it depends. Regarding topics... I really like drawing fanart, so I'd say media like tv shows, movies, and books. I love looking up pics of my fave actors and think. But I also like drawing my OCs, and so I look for stuff that might remind me of them etc. Regarding the style and/or colors, I like looking up palettes and see if they spark anything, as well as looking up famous artists I love and see if I can create something similar.

27. do you ever have multiple wips going at once?

Just like when I write, yes. I currently have 8 drawing WIPs 😅

ARTIST ASK GAME

[archaeopter-ace]

For the fanfic ask: P, S :-)

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I think it's a sliding scale, but I do lean more towards 'architect.' Like if a shiny new idea occurs to me while writing I will absolutely make room for it, but I find it helpful to have a plan especially since I write out of chronological order, based on where the inspiration is. And sometimes the way for me to overcome writer's block is to break my outline down into smaller and smaller pieces until I have one Topic Sentence per paragraph. Then I go in and fill in the paragraphs in any order, and if there's one that I just can't find inspiration for, chances are that's because it's not that interesting to me. And if it's not interesting to me as a writer, it probably won't be interesting to my readers, and I can cut it out entirely. Just skip the filler and cutscene away to the next interesting bit, or leave just the topic sentence to show how characters got from A to B without going into detail.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Identity Reveal - and related Power Reveal variations - is my favorite trope to read, but when it comes to writing... hmm... I'd have to say Puns. Like I don't go out of my way to come up with puns, and I don't often write wisecracking characters, but if a pun occurs to me I cannot resist working it into the story. Doesn't matter whether readers will notice or not. One time I was writing a story about shapeshifters, and I had the pigeon guy wear a Columbia University shirt. Because the genus for the common pigeon is Columba. Things like that. Oh, and Actor Allusion, too, I just love making references.

Thanks for the ask! :-)

[mcgregor]

Hi there! Would you be inclined to do gifs from The Ghost Writer? Ewan looked great in that film. Thanks! <3

Ahhh it's such a good idea! He totally does hehe 👀 It's been awhile since i've seen that movie, it's quite gloomy and that ending oof but I'm really interested in giffing Ewan in it 😆

I'll try to do it this week 😃

Thanks!

[silverfoxstole]

For the Writer meme: ⛰ Hardest fic to write? , 👀 What’s an idea you had for a fic that you never did anything with? , 🌈 Your favorite tropes to write about?

Hardest fic... I don’t know if I’ve ever had a whole fic that gave me trouble, more like certain chapters that ended up being like pulling teeth. Snowbound, from Despatches, was missing an ending for best part of a year, and Racing Colours was one scene for ages until it eventually came to life. In both cases I liked what I had and didn’t want to junk them but it was a bit of a struggle. The odd multi-chapter fic has ground to a shuddering halt and been abandoned but they’re thankfully quite rare; I think it’s only really happened to three in nearly twenty years of posting online.

An idea I never did anything with... I have a few written down that I haven’t got to yet, for Christmas fic and a couple of odd bits and bobs. A few years ago I was sort of writing a Doctor Who/Hornblower crossover that didn’t really go anywhere and still languishes on my hard drive but I don’t know if that counts. I’ve not really tended to make notes of ideas (I don’t really plot, not even with long stories; when I’m writing I usually fly by the seat of my pants, which admittedly doesn’t always work) so there are probably a lot that have got away over the years!

Favourite tropes... Friendship, definitely, and family; domesticity, fluff, and humour (does that count as a trope or is it a genre?). I do enjoy hurt/comfort but I tend to read more of that these days. I used to write a fair bit of angst in the past but not so much now. Fairly recently I moved into modern AUs, starting with a Phantom covid fic that unfortunately has been on hiatus since last summer and extending into the Hornblower universe as part of Despatches.

Thanks for asking! 😁

[authorangelita]

Neal, summer :-)

Hi! Thank you for the prompt! It's been a minute since I watched WC, so I turned on a couple of episodes today and thoroughly enjoyed it.

~~

Neal loved summer.  He especially loved summer in New York City, and it has been years since he'd seen the city in all its glory in the August heat.  Some people would complain about the smell or the humidity or just the heat itself.  Neal embraced it all, and he'd missed it fiercely. 

He wandered the streets of Manhattan, making sure to check on June's house.  Cindy lived there now with her family, but the mansion looked the same.  That was a comfort because so much about the city had changed since he'd left. 

He hopped the subway into Brooklyn, and even though it had been a long time since he'd had the anklet, he still got a thrill when he crossed the invisible 2 mile line.  This was a route he'd taken many times, and he let his feet lead the way down the four blocks from the metro station and into a neighborhood he thought he'd never see again. 

The sun was setting as he climbed the brownstone steps and knocked on the door.  Voices, indistinct but still familiar, could be heard inside as heavy footsteps approached the door.  Neal took a deep breath and grinned as the door opened to reveal his old friend.

"Hello, Peter."

Peter's jaw dropped, and Neal had the satisfaction of the surprise.  "Neal?  What are you doing here?"

Neal raised an eyebrow.  "I don't even get a hello?"

"Who is it, hon?" Elizabeth called from the other room. 

Peter motioned for Neal to step inside.  "You get to explain this to her."

Chuckling, Neal moved inside, happy to see that not much had changed inside the Burke house.

[bebx]

list your top 9 characters ♡

tagged by the lovely @foodiewithdahoodie (x) thank you!

from left to right, top to bottom — Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Daniel Harrow (Ioan Gruffudd), Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), Henry Creel | One | Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Reed Richards | Mister Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon), Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp), Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green)

I know, I know, 3 of these are Ioan Gruffudd and 2 are Johnny Depp. I mean can you blame me?

also, I could only list 9, but there were more characters that I loved that unfortunately didn’t make it to the list. I still love them though!

no pressure tags: @mobius-m-mobius @mirilyawrites @ikeepwatchinghelicopters @queereldritch @harringroveera @highwarlockofphilly @doseofthreecuties @aragarna @sunflowerharrington @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @lokisgoodgirl @chaos-monkeyy @argylepiratewd @loki-hargreeves @worstloki @cultofsheep @elsbianism @okilokiwithpurpose @josephandjamie @depper-than-you @josephfakingquinn @sullxo @trekkitkat @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @ohfallingdisco @21deppstreet @jensomniac @miraclesheen @madamedepp @immortaltricksters & anybody who feels like joining ♡

[penna-nomen]

Thanks for tagging me @a-noble-dragon! I'm very happy to be Cinnamon French Toast!

no-pressure tags to: @thesymphonytrue, @ascreamintothevoid-blog, @aragarna, @silelda, @filizzlefuzzybeans and anyone else who enjoys toast!

[thesymphonytrue]

Rate my faves!

Challenge: make a poll of your five fave characters of all time, then tag five people to do the same.

okay so I'm just doing movie/tv show characters bc books would just open a whole new can of character worms 😅

Thanks, @aragarna and @ssk374 for the tag! <3

ugh this was really hard, as this entire poll could be White Collar (but yes, Peter is my most favorite, but I LOVE THEM ALL), and then Obi-wan is also a favorite SW character of mine, followed closely by Anakin, but I wanted to have ONE female on there so Padme won today 😂

eeek forgot to tag....but most of my online buddies have done this already sooo opennnn tagggg 😁

[whirlwind-lancer-dilan]

Where in Italy are you from? (if it's too indiscreet, feel free to ignore)

I don't feel like saying the city here (but I wrote it some time ago on the Zorro server), however, I'm born and live in the Lazio region. I'm not very knowledgeable but I've heard that it's one of the most hated regions here. 🤔 Yet it seems to me that carbonara pasta (one of our regional dish) is known and loved quite a bit outside the Country, even if the ingredients used are not the same everywhere (as far as I know). 🤔😆

[argylepiratewd]

Tagged by @aragarna—thanks!

Rules: Post the last seven sentences from one of your WIPs! I’m not going to say it has to be the absolute last seven sentences you’ve written - just from something you’re still working on.

I'm cheating and going with paragraphs, shhh.

---

On Monday, a local kid named Eric who has some of the longest eyelashes Crowley has ever seen sets up a computer for him toward the back of the newsroom. Eric is the chatty sort, and it only takes a few minutes to learn that his father is a police officer for the town and, according to Eric, not a good one.

"I don't know what all he's up to," Eric says. "The speed trap out by Porrit's Lane is the biggest thing I know about, but..."

"Oof, I'm already familiar," Crowley says.

"He and his buddy Hastur have been running that scheme for years." Eric plugs another cord into the tower. "Hear them laughing 'bout it all the time. But I think they're into something else now, too."

Crowley raises his eyebrows. "Something else?" He glances over at Aziraphale and finds him sitting still, his head cocked slightly, like he's listening. "Any idea what?"

Eric shakes his head. "Just don't want the new guy in town getting into trouble," he replies. "Gotta be careful out there, you know?"

Crowley's eyes meet Aziraphale's. Aziraphale looks as troubled as Crowley feels. "Thanks for the tip, kid. I'll watch out."

---

I tag...anyone who wants to do it. 😁

[ladymisteria]

AMAZON PRIME'S ZORRO PROS & CONS.

After days of watching and re-watching the episodes of the new Zorro adaptation, I decided to share what - obviously only in my opinion - are its main pros & cons.

(For fairness, since I will mention spoiler elements, I thought I'd insert my reflections below the cut).

PROS:

MORE POV. It is impossible to start mentioning the pros of this series without mentioning the very obvious - and extremely right - decision to "broaden" the points of view. Perhaps for the first time, in fact, the story is not narrated almost completely by Diego alone, but also by the various other characters who are part of it (be they the Chinese, the natives, etc.).

REALITY. As already said by @aragarna, this new Zorro gets rid of the "we are all friends/we sit at the same table" contours to show - finally! - the tense and highly classist climate of a sadly very particular historical period. We see the hatred and distrust towards the natives, with the enormous difference - compared to other products that focus on this particular "feud" between colonizers and colonized - of knowing "both bells" (I don't know if there is a similar expression, in English, I apologize) and therefore being able to realize how different things are, depending on who tells the stories. This makes the series refreshingly "real" (yes, even if it includes elements like the Spirits of Native American culture).

NOT CLEARLY GOOD/BAD CHARACTERS. Monasterio is no longer the Commander, absolutely "black", devoid of scruples and good sides. Indeed, as the season continues, he increasingly demonstrates that he is an individual who well understands the absolute injustice of what he does - while nevertheless not shying away from doing it because he is faithful to his position. He is in conflict between what his principles and his role impose on him, effectively making him a magnificent "grey" character. Diego and Nah-Lin themselves are wonderful examples of "well-rounded" characters, because even in their most wrong actions, they maintain a sincerely credible and even - at certain points - justifiable motivation.

TECHNICAL VISUAL ASPECT. The scenes are masterfully shot, the soundtrack is not intrusive but rather an excellent way to underline the various thoughts/feelings of the characters, etc..

ZORRO'S LEGACY. The idea of a "generational change" of Zorro, in a choice that potentially makes it possible to see more sides of the same character - trivially because more people interpret him. A fact demonstrated in this same first season, where we had three Zorros, all three with their "characteristic side".

THE DECISION OF DEPRIVE DIEGO OF HIS MOST RECOGNIZABLE TRAIT. Depriving him - and so soon! - of his father (and consequently of the only person who knows him perfectly), the series allows Diego to always act as himself (within the limits desired by the situation of the moment), without having to resort to that supposed inability to defend himself/laziness/cowardice which is renowned as one of the particular signs of his character.

DIEGO IS NOT INVINCIBLE. It might seem stupid, but in many adaptations, Diego is seen as practically infallible. His plans always come to fruition, he never gets hurt, he makes almost no mistakes... This "new" Diego doesn't; here Diego is young (according to my calculations he is just 21/22 years old), he becomes Zorro not because of his choice but because - literally! - the spirits give him (via Night Crow) the costume and send him home with a lapidary: "You are the new Zorro, whether you want it or not", he still acts like a daredevil boy (complete with Bernardo-Mother Hen)... And this translates into some - very justifiable - errors and just as many choices that are not exactly well thought out.

CONS:

TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE. To be clear: the various plot threads are all (well, almost: Samael and Guadalupe and their "inheritance hunt" have not managed to involve me at all, for the moment) interesting and well structured; but they are objectively many, for a single season. We have the Bear Clan, the Russian-American Company that wishes to "take over Los Angeles", Guadalupe's aforementioned inheritance hunt, Nah Lin's desire for revenge, the search for the truth about his father's murder on Diego's part... And of these very few - if not almost none - had an effective conclusion. The feeling I got was that the producers wanted to "play their cards" all at once, in the hope that this would secure them a renewal for a second season. Something along the lines of: "Hey, we need the renewal! Look at all the unresolved things we left!".

LOLITA. I'm sorry to say this, but I just can't understand what the producers had in mind when they created her character. Or rather, to be more precise, when they created her relationship with Diego. She is initially shown to us as angry at Diego for going to Spain (I think?), in an attitude that could even be understood - if only that same attitude didn't remain as if petrified throughout the rest of the season. Why, exactly, does Lolita remain so resentful towards Diego all the time? Because, despite knowing that he loves her (he himself tells her this, when she helps him with his wound, and even in the very first episode), she constantly pretends not to know what feelings bind him to her, and indeed continually acts in such a way as to hurt him on purpose? Mha! It remains meaningless to me.

Here it is. I have indicated, I repeat, what for me are the main pros and cons of the season (you will probably have found others, or even none).

[amalthea9]

I'm a day late woops but Happy Diwali everyone! Diwali is a Hindu festival that starts November 12 and ends the 16th! It's the festival of lights and celebrates the light's victory over darkness! In some parts of India, it's also the celebration of the goddess Lahkshmi's birth when she came out of the sea! And it can also be the celebration of when Lord Rama and Lady Sita returned to their kingdom from their 12 year exile!

So I decorated my altar space with my postcards of Lord Rama and Lahkshmi. And I was able to order a little tray in time that had little Lahkshmi and a little Ganesha, as well as an oil lamp and a place for incense cones!

🎇🎆🎇Happy Diwali to all!! 🎇🎆🎇

@ariel-seagull-wings @ailendolin @aragarna @silverfoxstole @professorlehnsherr-almashy

[silverfoxstole]

Not been tagged but @aragarna opened it up and I couldn’t resist (though it was hard to choose just four!).

rules: post 4 pieces of art you like and make a poll so that people can vote for their favourite, then tag 4 friends to do the same.

My four paintings are: David Garrick and his wife Eva-Maria Veigel by William Hogarth; Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire and Her Daughter by Sir Joshua Reynolds; Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby and The Lady Of Shalott by John William Waterhouse.

As I wasn’t tagged I’m not going to tag anyone else but feel free to join in!

[authorangelita]

For the Fanfic meme:

1. If you’re an author, how many WIPs do you currently have? (Be honest!)

5. What’s a crackship you love?

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage.

:-)

Thank you for the questions! ❤️

1. If you’re an author, how many WIPs do you currently have? (Be honest!). I counted 19 in my WIPs folder for MacGyver.  And 12 in my WC WIPs folder.  I've had an idea for the next story in the Neal Hughes verse, but I haven't written anything down yet.  I need to rewatch some episodes. 

5. What’s a crackship you love? I had to look up the definition of crackship to see if I had one.  I don't think I do.  I don't have a ship at the moment, and my last one was Sterek, which is huge but was not canon, so that might count if you squint.

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage. Hughes family Thanksgiving that gets interrupted by something.  I don't know what.  Might be some bad guys bust in and take the family hostage, might be that Neal gets lured away somehow, might be that Michael is followed there by someone after him because of his US Marshal job.  I just have this image of everyone sitting around the table, saying what they're thankful for, and then they get interrupted. 

[bebx]

was tagged by @queereldritch (x) thank you! sorry I took so long

last song I listened to:

This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr by Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp. honestly, I’ve probably listened to this song like a thousand times already

favorite color:

black

currently watching:

as in tv shows in general? Forever and Harrow, obviously, these shows mean so much to me (don’t ask how many times I’ve watched and rewatched them). shout out to the sweet and talented Ioan Gruffudd ❤️! as in show that is currently on air, that’ll be the second season of Loki series. can I also just say that Owen Wilson is a treasure?

last movie I watched:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street aka one of my forever comfort movies. I mean I know my definition of comfort here may differ from most people’s definition of comfort, but the film has both Johnny Depp and Jamie Campbell Bower and they’re both just so brilliant in it so... anyway, don’t ask how many times I’ve watched it

sweet/spicy/savory:

depends. any of these are fine for me, so I guess it depends on my mood.

current obsession:

I mean Henry Morgan and Daniel Harrow are pretty much the only characters my brain thinks about these days. they’re so special to my heart

that being said, Henry Creel will always have a place in my heart too

relationship status:

teehee. you guess

last thing you googled:

this is going to sound pretty predictable for me but Harrow season 4 :)

no pressure tags: @doseofthreecuties @aragarna @doomreed @sullxo @foodiewithdahoodie @mobius-m-mobius @trekkitkat @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @mirilyawrites @sillylittlerock @elsbianism @okilokiwithpurpose @a-book-of-lost-things @scarie-carrie