#BUT WONG IS A VERY COMMON LAST NAME

[alexcaninnit]

i JUST FOUND OUT. THAT THE WEBSERIES VIDEO GAME HIGH SCHOOL. THAT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING ON A SCHLATT REACTION VOD

WAS MADE BY WILL CAMPOS FREDDIE WONG AND MATT ARNOLD FROM DUNGEONS AND DADDIES

[johnwickb1tsch]

Sympathy for the Devil ~ Part 6

A Donaka Mark x housekeeper!Reader fic, based on @discoscoob 's concept & bot! Warnings: Donaka Mark is a bad man with a soft spot for you. dark romance, possessive behavior, nonconsensual voyeurism, red flag red flag girl!🔺, psychological games, power imbalance, eventual dubcon/nsfw.

one. two. three. four. five.

Six. 六

Your dark mood lasts for days. You do not shirk your duties, but you definitely brood, hating everything, most of all yourself. A part of you hopes that Donaka decides you’re not worth the trouble after a glimpse of this other side of you. He does not prod you further, seemingly steering clear of you. He had his fun taking you down a peg–what more could he want with you? Surely he has better things to do… The more time goes on, the more certain you are that his proposition was mostly in your head.

Amusingly, it’s little Mrs. Wong who gets you out of your funk, yelling at you in Cantonese and smacking you with a wooden spoon when (maybe?) you didn’t move out of her way fast enough in the kitchen. You are determined that someday she’s going to let you call her Auntie, but apparently you still have some distance to cover. Her temper is like a firecracker, loud but shortlived. She’s adorable and terrifying, and it’s all so ridiculous that you cannot stop laughing as you flee, and the shroud of your depression lifts again like the sun penetrating through the clouds.

The absurdity of life has always saved you in times like this. What do you have to be sad about, anyway? You are healthy, you are housed, and you are fed in this beautiful place. You are having an adventure. So what, if your diabolically handsome employer does not approve of you? You’re just here to clean his floors, for fuck’s sake. 

Maybe Donaka Mark is rich, but that doesn’t mean he has all the answers to the mysteries of life. You find your mental state improves, when it seems like he’s ignoring you. 

Flirting with the cute gardener’s assistant doesn’t hurt your state of mind either. His name is Jun, he has an infectious laugh, and he offers to show you around the city on your next day off. Thinking some down time with someone your age will do you good, you are set to meet him at the bus stop down the hill from Mr. Mark’s house. 

However, he never shows. You try not to take it too hard, but it still bums you out. 

He does not return with the gardener the next week either, and then you start to worry. The kind old man who tends Donaka Mark’s plants just shrugged at your inquiry and said, “He quit.” 

It seems odd, but you brush it off. You suppose you’ll just have to explore the city on your own. You ask for the day off for your birthday, wanting to go do the touristy things, like ride the historic ferry and take the tram up to Victoria Peak. Maybe visit a temple, do some shopping at the Night Market, and definitely indulge in some local eats. Something about living in Hong Kong has you dreaming about noodles. It’s an affliction. You want to try them all. 

On your day there is a little carved wooden box on the table where you usually partake your breakfast in the common area of the servants’ quarters. You’re not sure why your heart falls to your feet with something like dread, but somehow you just know that Mr. Mark has not forgotten about you after all. 

With a forbidden thrill you flip the lid carefully, finding a domed-link silver filigree and enamel bracelet set with dreamy jade cabochons. The little details are exquisite, and you’re instantly enchanted. When you look carefully at the bauble, you realize the stylized blue designs aren’t flowers–they’re bats.

He remembered that conversation you’d had, that very first day. It warms you to your toes, and maybe scares you too. He's good to the staff, but you don't think he usually buys them jewelry.

Goddammit.

You just know, deep down, that you shouldn’t accept it. You even set it back down in the box again, just looking at it with hands on your hips. 

But therein lies the crux of temptation: you want it. It’s pretty and well made, not cheap tourist junk, and…he’d put thought into this gift for you. 

This bait for you, you remind yourself. It’s still hard for you to believe that he’s propositioning you, if for anything, because a man like him could have a supermodel on each arm if he wanted. What the fuck would he want with a girl like you?

Maybe…it’s just an apology?

Not likely, but surely he’s not going to expect you to sleep with him for a silver bracelet??

You have a problem, and possibly, a screw loose. You know this is a flame you should not play with. You are toeing the line, dangerously close to falling in.

What if…you just wear it today, then give it back? It’s not like he’ll know. You doubt you’ll even see him today.

It feels like a guilty secret, as you pick it up again, clasp it on your wrist, and set out for your big day. You like the weight of the heavy silver on your skin–worse yet, you like knowing that Mr. Mark selected this bauble just for you. It feels…like a badge of honor, and you know it’s stupid, to feel proud of yourself for catching the attention of a man like him–but you can’t help it.

You are smart, but sometimes? Your heart is really really stupid.

You do not return to the house until well past after dusk, nearly midnight. You made a day of it, actually able to enjoy the city since Mr. Mark pays so well. You will remember the hand pulled noodles with beef you had for dinner in the Night Market for the rest of your life, they were so delicious. Watching the chef stretch them out from a lump of dough was like a religious experience. 

Having your fortune told in the Night Market was memorable too, but maybe a little unsettling. Squatted on a stool in the older woman’s stall, you paid 100HK dollars for her to look at your right hand and frown. She told you that money would never be a problem for you, but the men in your life would always cause you difficulty. Looking at your relationship with your father and every man after that, you reckon she was probably right. You know you should take it with a grain of salt, but you can’t quite shake the hum of unease in the back of your mind.

On tired feet you walk through the garden, around to the entrance to the servant’s quarters. 

"Did you have a nice day?" asks a voice from the shadows. You start, then realize Mr. Mark is sitting on the carved stone bench, on the path to the servants' wing of the house, tucked back in the manicured trees. 

Fuck.

Immediately you tuck your wrist behind your back.

“Mr. Mark?”

“Come here.”

His voice is deliberately neutral–you can’t quite gauge his mood as you approach, feeling like a teenager caught staying out past her curfew. You have no way of knowing he has been waiting for hours, growing more and more annoyed that you are away from him, not under his watchful gaze, where you belong.

He knows where you were, if not exactly what you did. Unbeknownst to you, there is a tiny tracker inserted in your new bracelet you wear with such foolish avarice. 

“Well?”

“Yes, I had a wonderful day,” you confirm, coming to stand before him, committed now even if you are walking into the lion’s den. You find it odd he’s waiting up for you, but it is a beautiful night to be out in the garden. A cool breeze is coming off the water, lifting your hair.

“Let’s see it then.” He points at your hand so casually held behind you, and you know you are caught out.

Almost guiltily, you extend your arm to show off your new acquisition in situ. 

He props your hand with just the tips of his fingers, his touch maddeningly light on your sensitive palm as he turns your wrist to inspect the bracelet, sending a thrill down your arm. He likes seeing the gift that he selected upon you.

“It suits you,” he finally assesses, though you still can’t tell if he’s displeased. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” you answer, barely above a whisper, feeling as though you are sealing something between you as you admit it. 

“Well, that’s convincing.”

Your heart feels like a sea urchin lodging in your throat. You’re not sure what it is about this man that makes you want to please him–and tell him to fuck off–all in the same breath. 

Then he gets to the fun part–for him. “You shouldn’t have stayed out so late alone,” he scolds you. 

You cant your head and press your lips, holding in the smart remark that burns on your tongue as his coal-black eyes bore into you, settling for, "I didn't mean to worry you…but it is my day off. I think I'm free to do what I want." You just can't stop yourself from adding the last bit, and you wonder from his darkening expression if it will be your undoing.

He imagines in that moment what it would be like to reach out and put you over his knee. Instead, he stands abruptly, startling you into taking a step backwards. 

He likes that. 

It irks him, that you dare defy him, like he doesn’t know what’s best for you. If you insist on acting so tough, he’s tempted to throw you over his shoulder and show you just how little it would take to actually break you. 

"Were you drinking?" he asks darkly, hating the thought of you out in a bar, with other men, enjoying yourself. Laughing, like you were with the young gardener not so long ago. The moment he saw that on his camera feed that he constantly watches of you, Donaka saw red. You should not give your joy to others so freely. You sprinkle it around everywhere you go, and he covets it all for himself.

That boy had to go.

"No," you defend, and you’re telling the truth. "I just...walked around." There was plenty to see in Kowloon district. 

Donaka takes another step closer, his body almost pressing against yours, the heat of it warming you. He watches your reaction as he speaks, his voice low and firm. “You should have let me arrange a driver for you.”

This again. It feels as though he wants to cloister you away from experiencing the world, by shoving you in a car. "Donaka..." you sigh, slipping into using his first name for the first time ever, because you’re tired, and your feet hurt, and he is standing very close, talking to you like he has a say in what you do…

It’s maddening and arousing all at once, rubbing with a velvet touch against some long long cavewoman instinct in your brain, and if you’re not careful this just might be the night he outmaneuvers you. 

Donaka’s eyes narrow at hearing you dare to be so familiar with him, even if deep down he secretly loves it. He takes another step into you, crowding you against the stone wall, caging you in with an arm. He’s blocking your path to a quick exit into the servants’ quarters, you can’t help but notice. Your heart pounds in your ears–but you’re not half as afraid as you should be of this man. 

“Hong Kong is pretty safe, as it goes…” you continue to protest around the sound of your heart drumming in your ears, earning a scoff. 

“You have no idea, the sorts of things that could happen to a girl like you in this city.”

You can’t help but think you’re not sure if you feel safe here at home now. 

“If something happened…I would have called you,” you offer up, appealing to his ego as protector, the role he’s apparently decided to take on for himself without asking you. 

However, he sees right through you, rolling those beautiful dark eyes. “You should have let me take you out,” he suggests in a low tone that curls your toes in your sandals. He says it like it had been some option on your menu that you’d rejected. Never in a million years would it have even occurred to you to ask. 

You find yourself doing your best impression of a fish out of water, like the ones you’d seen stacked like cord wood in the market. His other hand lifts to touch your chin lightly, closing your mouth. “Would you have liked that?” 

You honestly don't know the answer to that. 

This man fascinates you and repulses you. He's handsome and commanding and oh so forbidding. He scares you, but he draws you like a moth to a flame. Having these little flirtatious interactions around the house are one thing. Going out with him would be...something else entirely. The thought of what it could mean to socialize with a man like him, where you are so far from being equals, makes you uneasy. It's much safer to just...write about what might have been in your journal, later. 

"I'm not sure that would be appropriate," you finally answer breathily.

His smile for you is nothing less than the wolf baring its teeth. “Why not?”

"You're my boss..." you try to defend. You scare the shit out of me is the real answer you don't dare say aloud.

Donaka can’t help the dark laugh that falls from his lips at your answer, the way you flounder as you grasp for a defense, utterly drowning. A part of him wants to claim you right here and now, for being such a sweet, soft, naive little thing in his claws. 

He leans down closer to you, his head dipping down to your ear, his breath hot against your skin. “Is that the best excuse you’ve got?”

For a moment, you think your soul might evacuate from your body. 

"Pretty sure it's a good one," you barely manage to reply above a whisper.

“You still don’t understand what I’m offering you, do you?” he asks, his voice deceptively gentle, a dagger clothed in velvet.

You love it how he makes you out to be the obtuse one, when he is the one who has spoken so cryptically.

“I…might,” you answer. You’re not a complete innocent, or a total philistine.

What would a VIP experience on the arm of Donaka Mark be like? Although he can be charming when he wants to be, it makes you feel more anxious than intrigued. You imagine a dinner at some high-end restaurant you could never afford. Somewhere people go to be seen, more than to eat, though the food would undoubtedly be amazing. Somewhere you would feel incredibly out of place. Then what? A ride in one of his ugly but wicked fast sports cars? A night of hedonism at some exclusive club for millionaires only? And what would he expect as payment for all this? You can’t even say you wouldn’t be willing to give it. You want this man with a voracity that is–frankly–terrifying to you. 

You’ve never felt anything like it. 

What you wouldn’t like is the inevitable aftermath of later: he's offering you the opportunity to give yourself up–then get thrown away, with the enjoyment of some perks in between. You could repeat your mother’s history all over again, a thing you always swore up, down, and sideways you would never do.

Donaka watches all these thoughts play across your face, without a word aloud to accompany them. You just stare, unable to speak, and he narrows his eyes at you.

“Say one sentence of the novel you just wrote in your head out loud,” he challenges.

You open your mouth to try, but nothing comes out. All you can do is look up at him with what you are sure is a pathetic expression on your face, paralyzed. He is so close, and your eyes fixate for a long, damning moment on his mouth. In the end you have to close your eyes against that laser-like stare, shaking your head.

“You know something I find interesting about you,” he goes on. You open your eyes, though your tongue is still tied. “I think if I made you choose between an Hermès purse or that cheap bauble on your wrist this morning, you still would have chosen the bracelet, wouldn't you?”

“Yes,” you answer immediately, maybe not to your advantage. Then you feel a little relieved, glad it didn’t cost a fortune.

“Comparatively cheap,” he clarifies, as though he doesn't want you to feel too at ease. How did he know? 

You narrow your eyes, lifting your wrist towards him. “Maybe…you should take it back.”

You think you might die of a heart attack, when he folds your smaller hand in his, and kisses your knuckles lightly. “It’s too late for that.”

You’re not sure what that means, but as he strokes your thumb lightly with his, you start to tremble.

“Sir…” 

He pins you with his stare, looming over you, but makes no move, waiting. 

“It’s getting late…and I have to work tomorrow.”

He lifts an eyebrow, smirking down at you. “And whose fault is that?”

“Mine…though it’s starting to be yours.”

He snorts. “Then ask me for the day off again,” he dares you. When you answer him with yet more paralyzed silence he gets frustrated, tilting your face up with his huge hand engulfing your jaw. For a man who works in tech…his fingers are calloused, and strong, and your legs just might go out from underneath you.  “Ask me. Say it out loud, y/n. Tell me what’s going on, behind those big eyes.”

You, however, just shake your head against his masterful grip. “You don’t want to know.” 

“I like secrets, y/n. I want to know everything.” You suppose that is his bread and butter, with his security business and all his cameras…you don’t know why it never occurred to you before now, that it could be a personal obsession, as much as professional. 

You’re tempted. God, are you tempted, with this beast of a man looming over you, touching you, looking through you with those piercing dark eyes. Like he wants to eat you as much as he wants to fuck you… 

Somehow you know if you dare go down that path…there will be no turning back. 

You choose the coward’s road.

“Please…I think…it would be best…to call it a night.”

He weighs you with a heavy gaze for so long that you start to doubt he will let you go–in the darkest dungeon of your heart, you know that a part of you doesn’t want him to. It would be convenient, if he would make the choice for you. Let you taste the forbidden fruit with none of the blame…

You are losing your goddamned mind over this man. You need to stop.  

You never really know why in the end he releases you, pushing back from the wall to give you space. You side-step towards the door of the servant’s quarters, afraid for the predatory look he’s paying you, that he might change his mind.

 "Good night, Mr. Mark," you say quietly, before disappearing into the little building where you sleep. A rush of frustration flares inside him as you scamper away–again. He narrowly resists the urge to kick down your door and show you who you belong to.

“Good night,” he answers back through gritted teeth, only the crickets left to hear him. He’ll have your secrets, one way or another. He can genuinely say he tried–a first, in so long he can’t remember when. For what happens next…you will only have yourself to blame.

[nonsensical-pixels]

Dear Sims 2 Community,

Or really, just about anyone who does the stuff this post mentions...

Forewarning: this is a LONG post.

For the last few years I've just kinda bottled this rant inside of me. But I've just gotten tired of trying to be patient.

Yes, Abhijeet is a real name--and quite a famous one. Yes, there are millions of people out there with Ng or Wong as a last name. Yes, Pong is a real name too.

Abhijeet - 'victorious' or 'conqueror' in Sanskrit

Ng/Huang (黄）- 'yellow', to 'fall through'

Pong - 'noble'

The same goes for almost every first and last name in The Sims 2's name generator. They're not made-up names just because they don't fit your image of a Western suburbia. In fact, they are taken from the developers' names. Just because they're Asian names, or non-white names, or 'spelt weirdly', doesn't mean that they're 'fake' or whatever or 'weird'.

I am tired of going on Reddit or Discord or whatever and seeing people making fun of names like 'Ng' and suggesting that the developers were lazy to put that in the name generator. Uh, no? 'Ng' is a very common surname for Chinese people--not just in Asia, but in the West too. So either you are being grossly ignorant, or you just cannot believe that Asians exist out there.

As a South-East Asian, I am tired of this whole ‘not-white, not real' logic exercised in this community. Not everyone who plays this game is from the West. As a South-East Asian, it's quite infuriating to see people make fun of names like 'Pong' because they can't be bothered to at least Google the name's meaning.

What I love about The Sims 2 is how diverse the names that townies generate with are. The developers could have left in your average American names and left it at that. Instead, they used their own names, and it's just proof of how diverse the developer team was. If you look at the names townies can generate with, it's actually insane. There are so many unique, rare names on there that people are just... making fun of, because they have this belief that The Sims 2 is an 'American' game and as a result everything should match what your perfect American suburb would have in it.

As if there isn't a whole neighborhood inspired by Shakespearean lore in there where a child has the name Bottom--or whatever.

Maybe I am overreacting a bit. But it makes me so infuriated when people make fun of things they don't fully understand. Without even Googling it. Every other post on r/sims2 is 'Is Abhijeet a real name??' Uh, yeah, a single Google search could've told you that.

In short, I am just tired of the Sims community constantly misrepresenting people like me or acting like Asians in the game are unusual.

It's not just names, too. It's also in appearance, languages, etc. So I've compiled a small list of misconceptions you may want to avoid, because why not, too many people never seem to get them.

Not all Asians are Chinese. I've used Indian and Chinese surnames as examples because they're closest to my understanding (being part Indian, part Chinese) but I see an insane amount of people acting like Indians aren't from Asia or all Asians are Chinese. Same goes for the people who act like all Asians are Japanese. Mary-Sue doesn't have to be Chinese, she could be Japanese, Korean, or not even Asian at all. I am really tired of people acting like my HC that she is only part-Asian is weird.

Not all Asians have light skin. It's not even a regional/ethnicity thing, where Indians are also Asian and a lot have brown skin, etc. There seems to be this idea in a lot of communities that all Chinese must have ultra white skin, black hair, and brown eyes. I have never met a Chinese person outside of actual China who looks like they'd blend in with the snow. South-East Asia is not only chock-full of Chinese people whose ancestors left China decades ago, it's also smack-dab on the Equator. If you can go about your daily activities and stay pale, I am in absolute awe of you.

Not all Asians have 'slint-eyes'. I find this grossly racist and very ignorant, because even that term makes my skin crawl. Yes, some of us have our eyes slanted towards the center of our face. That does not mean that all of us do or that the Korean girl you're making must look like her eyes are sideways.

Not all Asians speak Asian. I have no idea who thinks that Asia, a continent that contains most of the world's population, consists of people who all speak the same language. Asian isn't even a language. You may be thinking of Chinese--which, although having one singular writing system (okay, it has a modern one and a traditional one I can't even read) actually consists of dozens of dialects. Most Mainlanders speak Mandarin, but around my area there are so many people who speak Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, whatever. This concept that all people from a continent must be able to understand each other is stupid when you look at the European continent.

I apologise if I've misrepresented anyone on this list--if you are a person and you speak the language Asian, do let me know you exist--but for the love of all things holy, please remember that Asians and non-Western people exist. Some of them made this very game that you play every day, and they'd be baffled, I think, to know that you believe Wong is a made-up name.

I don't mind people who use mods to change up the names used to generate townies and make them more suit their gameplay--if you want a themed neighborhood or one that's all-'American', go ahead. But if you're gonna make fun of someone's actual name because you can't fathom that not everyone has first name John last name Smith, please do educate yourself.

Thank you for reading this very long, very on-the-spot rant, have a pleasant day, and please don't be afraid to ask, comment, or give feedback on this post :]

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : steamed?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as scrambled eggs // leon as christmas

Dear scrambled eggs,

I kissed someone on new years. I kissed that model I was talking about in my last letter on new years. Oh my god. I'm like. I don't know I'm like going through it right now. But you know what happened to me?? I FORGOT TO GET THEIR NUMBER. Sorry, I know I don't usually write like this but I'm so mad at myself for completely missing her number. Ugh...

I've decided to draw fireworks to indicate that it's the new year. I hope you had fun on new years as well. Maybe you were with your best friend? Tell me more about it, will you? I realized very quickly after leaving with my two friends that day that I have like no friends. Are we friends? I'm guessing yes since you're... well, giving me love advice and whatnot.

Other life updates... I've been home with my dog a lot more often lately. He's called Sunny. He's a golden retriever. I've had people tell me that he looks just like me, and, well, obviously because he's my son. I'm his dad, who else would he look like? (joke (am I using this right)). My manager told me to take the week between christmas and new years off, and a handful of days off in the beginning of January off. I have a shoot in a little bit, but it's less of a modeling shoot and more of a... face-modeling gig? I'll be the face model of a game or something. Sounds a little familiar, but oh well.

Okay, back on the topic of that model. I didn't get to bond with her but in the blurred memories of my drunk self, I did get to kiss her. quite passionately too. Like, I was fully hunched over her on the couch or something. And get this, she called me sugarlips. sugarlips. Crazy! Does that mean I was a good kisser? Okay, my rationality is telling me that it was just because she was drunk or whatever, but she picked me so that's gotta count for something.

Ugh, what is this? A stereotypical high school romance? I'm not a teenager anymore. I really gotta get my life together and start having my manager book more. Maybe I'll see them— I mean, I gotta forget about them, obviously.

Thank you for the stickers! One of the dogs look eerily like Sunny, so I'm sending you two polaroids of him. I hope you don't mind that he's the one I'm sending this time. I keep all of my cameras on me at all times, so maybe I'll send you a photo of Ada if I ever get the chance.

look forward to your next letter, Christmas

True to his word, Leon is back to modeling back and forth as soon as his little break ends. He meets new models, small talk easy on his lips as he makes acquaintances. He finds that it's not all that hard to talk to people, and he's sure it has to do with the fact that he's no longer someone who prefers sticking to the shadows. Well, he wouldn't have been able to get far if he did in the modeling industry. He still needs to meet Ada.

"Oh, Leon, was it?"

Leon jumps in his skin at the sight of Ada with the same dots on her face as him.

"A-Ada! I'm honored you remember my name." Well, there goes his cover or a normie.

Ada laughs, waving her hand. "Did you get scouted for this too?"

"Yeah." He mumbles. "I don't know what to expect from this."

"Well, neither do I, so... we'll tough through this together?"

"Please take care of me." Leon nods.

"I can't take care of you if I don't know what's going on either." Ada laughs lightly, turning her head as she spots a familiar sight in the crowd. "Oh, found them."

"Are you..." Leon follows her gaze and spots you of all people, and he blinks. "Friends?"

"Something closer than that." Ada nods, waving. "See you around, rookie!"

Leon nearly has a heart attack at the first half of his undercover twitter username. No, there's no way she knows — and, while he's calming his heart, he barely notices the way you step up to him, brow raised amusedly as he jumps in his skin.

"Ah, so that's where your eyebrow ends." You blink at his face, humming slowly as you map it out with your eyes.

Leon blinks back at you, holding his breath from your proximity.

"Sweetheart, the poor man isn't breathing."

You take a step back at Ada's words, continuing to blink at his face, and Leon wonders if you even remember that you kissed on new years.

"Hey, do—"

Ada cuts in, smiling at Leon, and Leon wonders if it was on purpose. "Wanna say hi to Luis and Wesker? They're here too."

"Oh, god, yes!" You gasp, turning on your heel, waving bye to Leon before skipping after Ada.

Was that... was that on purpose?

prev post : masterlist : next letter

[burningvelvet]

to cope with my post-binge blues from watching black sails, i just finished the treasure island audiobook. it's my first time with any treasure island media - now i have to watch the muppets movie. any way here are my thoughts:

- i knew the character of trelawney had to be based on the romantic era edward john trelawny of byron/shelley fame and I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sources: WONG, AMY R. “The Poetics of Talk in Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island.’" A Sandison Robert Louis Stevenson and the Appearance of Modernism

- i know that black sails isn't fully intended to be a perfect prequel or meant to be taken as filling in all of the gaps to treasure island but i'm still going to compare & contrast the two lol

- billy spending his whole life obsessed with flint and having alcohol withdrawal induced hallucinations about him. OMG. and i'm shocked that they just casually dropped that he visited flint in georgia to get the map like did flint request to see him before he died, was it just about the map, or did he want closure about the whole thing, did billy seek flint out, why didn't they kill each other, how the fuck did that whole thing go? i need more information dammit

- saw another post on here talking about how in black sails flint has that speech about the drunk guy named flint asking his grandpa for rum before disappearing into the sea and then in treasure island we find out flints last words were asking a "darby mcgraw" for rum before he died SO IN THE BLACK SAILS UNIVERSE DARBY IS HIS GRANDPA and so im wondering DID FLINT 1.0 EVER EXIST AT ALL OR WAS IT SIMPLY FORESHADOWING ALL ALONG but at the same time it doesnt matter because the black sails creators said the ending is intentionally canonically up to interpretation and black sails canon and treasure island canon dont match up any way but still it gives us so much to think about bc we never canonically find out who the fuck darby is

- the doctor is the funniest character ever and him giving zero shits about billy or silver is hilarious LMAO

- rly enjoy the descriptions of the contents of billy's pockets and chest. i love old shit and that whole nautical aesthetic ugh. im currently wondering about the significance of the five sea shells billy had (jim wonders abt them too) if they were souvenirs from the island or what... but we never find out!!

- and what the fuck was up with those black spots I NEED ANSWERS! It worked on Billy but not Silver?

- having grown up on PotC i'm very enthused at the references (the song, the rum, "dead mens chest," etc)

- wish we saw more of jims mom, she was lowkey a badass for a moment there telling everyone off and willing to face the wrath of the pirates with her son lol

- love how the men just take jim on for his valour and then decide to make him a cabinboy and the mom just gets a replacement son to help her around the house lmaoooo i wonder if that was a common thing for single women to do though?

- long john silver has a sort of jekyll/hyde personality (btw the author stevenson also wrote jekyll/hyde for those of you who dont know!) - also why the fuck did they leave him to his own devices toward the end and not have a gun on him 24/7 like? i was also shocked that he didnt run off with all the gold only some of it. most chaotic character ever

- my biggest questions are why did black sails take out the alcoholism and the sea shanties? but importantly the alcholism - if they were going for gritty, as they were? flint and billy's alcoholism is integral to their characters (defines their characters actually) in the book as contrasted by silvers moderation & thats rly interesting. and the lack of singing is just boring - pirates rly did have sea shanties - however i can understand for time constraints per episode and whatnot them taking out the singing for practicality - but the alcoholism again is integral to those characters as well as being historically accurate and realistic & would have added a lot imo

EDIT: immediately after posting this i realized that since there are a few years between the treasure burial and flint's supposed death in georgia, he could have become a drunk in that time if we're creating a black sails to treasure island timeline, and billy wouldn't have become a drunk til later on since black sails is set roughly 20 yrs before treasure island.

HOWEVER - by the talks of it in treasure island, and all the pirates referring to flint as a drunk etc., it would still seem that flint was always that way when they knew him, prone to drinking... but at the same time i guess you could say all the characters are jollier than in black sails as indicated by their singing and their more stereotypical piratey ways.

however i still think the alcoholism & addiction theme would have added an extra layer to everything especially after flints sad drunk scene with eleanor. also in toby stephens deep fathoms interview he said flint is essentially like an addict when it comes to his delusion & desires. anyway i digress

transcript here, audio is on youtube: https://www.justsaypodcast.com/blog/2018/12/18/transcript-interview-with-toby-stephens-of-black-sails

[maetheartist]

RESIDENT EVIL 4 REMAKE ROLEPLAY CALLOUT: REWRITTEN!

Hi I copy and pasted my last rp callout for Resident Evil 4, if you noticed, no you didn’t

Hi there! My name is Mae, pleasure to meet anyone who happens to come across this post- I am a young artist, hopping right back into Resident Evil 4 after the hype died down- yes, I joined last minute, I know… but I may or may have not gotten attached to a certain someone and am down horribly for- Major Krauser - AHEM. BUT ANYWAYS, I am looking for some people to rp with for the drama, romance and ships alike! I am dying to find fellow people who share my interests and are willing to hear me out on the concept ideas I made for Resident Evil 4! But nonetheless, let’s get right into it, ladies and gentlemen! :DD and yes, I rewrote my shit, new rules!

So here are the rules

Lets start off with requirements and rules!

Self-inserts are welcome!

Have a semiliterate writing style, proper grammar, and use quotations marks.

I roleplay on discord, I will not be role playing anywhere else.

Do not try and convince me to do anything that goes against what I have as my personal rules… if you are a decent human being, I humbly ask of you to please respect my boundaries, and I’ll respect yours!

If you want to have an rp… please send me a writing sample of yours so I can get an understanding of how you write, and see if I wanna work with it. It’s not required! But highly preferred and appreciated!

No…

No Mary Sues or Gary Sues, please, it is literally not any fun if your OC is too OP and has no weaknesses, just no, I will point it out in the RP if it Happens.

No Incest or Sexual Assault themes in role plays, a hard no.

No smut. If there is to be a smut scene in an rp, there will be a time skip to after the scene, no during it, no nada, only before and after scenes, I will NOT be writing two of our characters doing the nasty baby making ritual. 😭

No… but…

No Smut, definitely not… but suggestive and flirtatious dialogue is allowed! If there are to be any sexual scenes to happen, there will be time skips.

No controlling my OCs! but I can understand describing things like rain on their skin and certain pains they feel on their body.

No one sentence or very short replies… but I understand a small sentence or two, but don't do it the whole RP.

Do not keep the whole spotlight only to your character and their ship Partner, it is not Fair.

My writing style is Semi-literate, I prefer semi-literate writers over text talk writers unless it’s OCC.

Don’t what that is? Here!

Semi-Literate example:

The Moon goddess her lake from the bridge, sighing in contentment as she turned her attention to the moonlight reflecting the water’s surface with a soft gaze. "The best place to be for the silence is here..."

Text-talk example:

*Suijin looked at her confused* what do you mean? *She raised a brow*

Stuff I do and prefer!

I enjoy roleplaying fluff, romance, platonic relationships, action, and or comedic stuff!

I accept OC x Cannon, OC x OC and Cannon x Cannon ships! I also heavily encourage self-serts!

AUs are welcome! Though when I say AUs, I mean the fairly common ones like Yandere AU, Enemies to lovers AU, etc, etc. BUT! I’ll always be open to hearing out whatever you bring to the table!

Paragraphs? WHERE?!? Paragraphs are something I am absolutely down for, and I love them in roleplays! Especially when they are very detailed! I do em too and I would love it if someone else did as well!

If you know what Resident Evil 4 is all about… then you already know, violence and gore is definitely allowed, lol. Dark elements too, as long as they fit under the resident evil dark category.

Characters I’m able to play!

Leon S. Kennedy

Ashley Graham

Jack Krauser

Ramon Salazar

Luis Sierra

Bitores Mendez

Lord Saddler

Ada Wong

Ingrid Hunnigan

The Merchant

Characters I’d like you to play, if possible!

Jack Krauser (Top of my list because I’d very much would like to do an OC x Jack Krauser ship, lol)

Lord Saddler

Bitores Mendez

Ingrid Hunnigan

Ada Wong

The roles can be negotiated before an rp, we can switch stuff up depending n what you’d like to rp, I am flexible with who I play as! but I fear the only ship I will not be doing is Jack Krauser x Leon S Kennedy, I don’t know, it makes me uncomfortable as I see them with a Jim Hawkins and John Silver relationship, sorry! (I hope someone out there knows treasure planet to know what I mean.)

If you worry about getting responses back to me late- don’t get too worked up over it, we all have lives outside of the internet, and we just have to accept the fact that we can’t always be available! But do keep in mind that it’s good to let your friends online know that you may have to disappear for it bit, it also lets me know you’ll be busy for a bit! :D

If you want to RP with me, that’s great! I rp in Discord as it helps to organize everything, and if you’re interested and would like more questions- shoot me a dm, and I’ll answer when I can, thank you, and a have a wonderful day!

[denimbex1986]

'Believe it or not, Oppenheimer won't be the first time Cillian Murphy has played a physicist named Robert who is responsible for a bomb that will change the course of human history. In 2007, he starred as physicist Robert Capa in Danny Boyle's Sunshine, a sci-fi thriller set aboard a spaceship in 2057. The sun is dying, and the film follows a crew of eight tasked with launching a massive "stellar bomb" into the sun to reignite it in humanity's last hope of preserving life on Earth. As the ship, Icarus II, makes its way toward the waning but still deadly star, things, of course, begin to go wrong, due in part to human error, in part to human evil, and in part to the terrifying whims of nature.

The premise might sound a little goofy — a bit like a reverse of 2003's The Core — but it's actually quite grounded thanks to writer Alex Garland's dedication to scientific realism. He and Boyle brought in physicist Brian Cox to consult on the film and to help anchor the premise in real scientific theory. There's still a bit of hand waving involved — for instance, it's never explained how the interior of the ship has Earth-like artificial gravity, one of the most complex problems facing actual long-term space missions. But the movie feels realistic enough that it's easy to overlook such omissions. The film is also surprisingly absorbing, carried by Danny Boyle's masterfully slow build-up of tension, plus strong performances from a stacked cast that includes Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Mark Strong, and Benedict Wong. The sun itself is also very much a character, its power and proximity having profound but disparate effects on each crew member.

'Sunshine's Production Was Not Your Usual Movie Set

Boyle put the actors through the wringer to achieve those excellent performances: over the course of six weeks prior to filming, they watched movies together, including classics like Das Boot, The Right Stuff, and Alien; went to science lectures; toured a nuclear submarine to get a feel for the claustrophobia of a spaceship; went scuba diving; experienced weightlessness in zero gravity simulators — Boyle himself took a ride on the infamous vomit comet — and even lived together in a minimalist college dorm. As Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Captain Kaneda, told SciFiNow in 2019, “We had small rooms, no TV, no refrigerator but a shared kitchen and every night one of us had to cook for everyone." That experience was recreated in an early scene in the film, when engineer Mace (Evans) complains about navigator Trey's (Wong) cooking, to which Trey responds, "If you don't like it, you take my shift next time." Boyle also insisted on using physical effects to stand in for the computer effects that would be added later, so the actors had something real to react to.

Brian Cox Helped Cillian Murphy Realize Robert Capa

Although the cast is ostensibly an ensemble, Capa is our primary point-of-view character. His voiceover provides the opening exposition, and he is the only character we see recording video messages to send home. Murphy spent extra time with Dr. Cox, even shadowing him as he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva — home of the Large Hadron Collider — and sitting in on meetings. According to Cox, Murphy picked up mannerisms and speech patterns from the physicists around him, which show up in some of his improvised dialogue. In fact, the experience had such a profound effect on Murphy that it changed him from an agnostic to an atheist. “Not just because I spent time with these guys," he said in 2007. "They just confirmed what I’d always suspected."

Cox, who worked as a professional musician for the bands Dare and D:Ream while earning his Ph.D. in particle physics, often sports a band t-shirt under his blazer and doesn't look like a stereotypical physicist. The resemblance between Capa and Cox is unmistakable, from the shaggy hairstyle to the wiry build to the youthful handsomeness. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cox later praised Murphy's performance as "brilliant."

Capa’s demeanor — usually calm and grounded, but punctuated by moments of both dry humor and intense terror as everything goes to hell around him — is reminiscent of Murphy’s breakout performance in another Boyle-Garland collaboration, 28 Days Later. While the entire crew understands well the enormity and significance of their mission, only Capa truly grasps the power of the Manhattan-sized (an apt analogy) bomb they tow, as well as the sheer insanity of their plan to launch it into the sun and escape with their lives, protected only by the gigantic but far from indestructible gold leaf shield that stands between the Icarus II and instantaneous incineration. The weight of this knowledge hangs over Murphy's character, who is outwardly in control of his emotions, but perhaps just barely.

'Sunshine' Is Finally Getting the Appreciation It Deserves

Despite largely positive reviews, Sunshine flopped at the box office, failing to make back its $40 million budget, outshone by more fantastical franchise fare such as Spider-Man 3, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Some have speculated that a summer release — which forced it to compete against the aforementioned blockbusters — was a mistake, particularly in the film's home base of Britain, where winter is the more popular season for theater-going. Others believe the film was too cerebral, and that extremely high-concept sci-fi à la 2001: A Space Odyssey just didn't have much of an audience in the late 2000s. Today, although it hasn't quite garnered a cult following, the film has gained greater appreciation as more and more fans of the genre discover it and fall in love with its cast, smart writing, and that beautiful, nerve-strumming tension.

Although Oppenheimer is set in the past rather than the future and is grounded firmly on Earth, Murphy's performance in it more than likely benefitted from his time spent working on Sunshine and learning from today's most brilliant physicists. As Danny Boyle knew, even a baseline understanding of the subject matter can help an actor add a level of nuance to their performance that wouldn't be possible if they were going into the role completely ignorant. I, for one, can't wait to see how Murphy brings that understanding to his portrayal of the Father of the Atomic Bomb in Oppenheimer, which hits theaters Friday, July 21.'

[afaimsarrowverse]

250(ish) Favorite Arrowverse Episodes: Part 6: 125-101

Picked from „Arrow“, „Black Lightning“, „Supergirl“, „Legends of Tomorrow“, „The Flash“, „Barwoman“ Season 1+2 and „Superman & Lois“ Season 1+2. I did consider kicking „Superman & Lois“ of this list, but since it pretended to be part of the Arrowverse for its first two seasons I left it on here.

 125. The Man in the Yellow Suit (The Flash 1x9)

9, Written by: Todd and Aaron Helbing, Directed by: Ralph Hemecker

 "I screwed up, Dad. After years of searching... I finally found him. I found the man who killed mom... the man in yellow, the one in the lightning. He's out there, and I had him. He got away. I... I was so close. I promised you that I would get you out of here. Every day you spend in here has been because of him... until today. Now you're in here because of me, and I'm so sorry. I..."

 124. Reign (Supergirl 3x9)

51, Written by: Paula Yoo, Caitlin Parrish, Directed by: Glen Winter

 "Who is she?"

"Worldkiller. The one who will bring about the end of times. This is your purpose, to fight the Devil."

 123. Turncoat (Legends of Tomorrow 2x11)

27, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Matthew Maala, Directed by: Alice Troughton

 "There's no rhyme nor reason to any of this, Jax. History is war and slavery and holding a dead son in your arms. There's no point in protecting history, so we might as well just burn it all down."

 122. Running to Stand Still (The Flash 2x9)

32, Written by: Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen

 "Flash-y the red-nosed speedster. Had a very shiny suit. And if you ever saw him, you might even want to puke. [gags] Merry Christmas, kiddie-winks. I'm back! Citizens, you know, the holidays can be a time for gentle reflection on the year past. Our ups and downs, our triumphs and heartaches. But don’t forget, it can also be a time for disemboweling our enemies. No. My stocking won't be completely stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody Flash parts. So what do you say, speed freak? You wanna roast chestnuts?"

 121. The Book of Apokalypse: Chapter 2: The Omega (Black Lightning 2x16)

29, Written by: Charles D. Holland, Directed by: Salim Akil

 „If I can float in my sleep, than I can probably fly when I'm awake.“

 120. LaWanda: The Book of Burial (Black Lightning 1x3)

3, Written by: Jan Nash, Directed by: Mark Tonderai

 „No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! He's supposed to be dead! He's supposed to be dead! Are they singing? They are singing! That's why I hate these church going Negros, always singing and praying, praying and singing! They all want to go to heaven, but don't none of them want to die!“

 119. The Book of Markovia: Chapter 4 (Black Lightning 3x13)

42, Written by: Charles D. Holland, Asheleigh O. Conley, Directed by: Salim Akil

 „Allow me to suggest a man does not get the name "Gravedigger" because he's kind and gentle.“

 118. Dead to the Rights (Arrow 1x16)

16, Written by:Geoff Johns, Directed by: Glen Winter

 "Why should I trust you!?" "Because you always have."

 117. Star City 2046 (Legends of Tomorrow 1x6)

6, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Steve Shill

 "Well, someone has to, because last time that I checked, you were dead. Everyone thought you were dead. I've been trying to hold this city by myself because I thought you were gone."

 116. It’s a Super Life (Supergirl 5x13)

100, Written by: Robert Rovner, Jessica Queller, Derek Simon, Nicki Holcomb, Directed by: Jesse Warn

 "Guys, you've been with me from the second I became Supergirl. In my best moments and especially my worst moments. That means the world to me."

 115. Truth and Consequences (Superman & Lois 2x11)

26, Written by: Andrew N. Wong, Directed by: David Ramsey

 „Anyway, the older you get the more you realize everyone is dealing with something.“

 114. Lowest Common Demoninator (Legends of Tomorrow 7x9)

106, Written by: James Eagan, Emily Cheever, Directed by: Eric Dean Seaton

 „I don't like this. You know, we didn't plan for a hell detour.“

„Yeah, I know. We got robots and Evil Gideon and now ghosts. I am at capacity.“

 113. Broken Trust (Superman & Lois 1x6)

6, Written by: Katie Aldrin, Directed by: Sudz Sutherland

 " When I first showed up in Metropolis as Superman, there was a lot of talk about what the world should do with someone who had powers like mine. And it took me a minute to realize that other people were more afraid of what I could do than I was. So what I had to do, more than anything, was earn their trust, prove to them that, no matter what, I would never use my powers to hurt them. 20 years later, every time I use my powers, that trust is tested, every time. Just today, in fact. The thing about trust, Jordan... Once you break it, it's take a lot longer to heal than a wrist."

 112. Take your Choice (Batwoman 1x12)

8, Written by: Ebony Gilbert, Directed by: Tara Miele

 "I always wondered what my life would have been like if you had saved me. I just never imagined that I'd be so basic. Eyes that never had to witness the horrors that I saw. Ears that never had to hear the evils I heard. Lips that never had to beg for her life."

 111. An Un-Birthday Present (Batwoman 1x11)

11, Written by: Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, Directed by: Mairzee Almas

"Can't imagine what years in that place must have been like."

"But you do know what it's like to feel trapped don't you, Sophie? I imagine you felt that way your entire life. It's unbearable when the only thing you dream about is being out."

 110. Deathstroke Returns / Promise Kept (Arrow 6x5/ 6)

120/121, Written by: Ben Sokolowski, Spiro Skentos, Oscar Balderrama, Rebecca Belotto, Directed by: Joel Novoa, Antonio Negret

 "When the Jackals took my son, they didn't count on who his father was!"

 "Then I didn't tell you what happened after Lian Yu. I went home, to my son. And I promised him I would stay and never leave. And I broke that promise."

"You broke the promise because of the Mirakuru."

 109. The Magnificent Eight (Legends of Tomorrow 1x11)

11, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti, Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

 "This town is being terrorized by the Stillwater Gang, and I aim to do something about it." "You aim to? You going native on us, Haircut?"

 108. Back from the Future 1+2 (Supergirl 5x11/ 12)

98-99, Written by: Dana Horgan, Katie Rose Rogers; Rob Wright, J. Holtman, Directed by: David Harewood, Alexis Ostrander

"In a way, you kind of helped me. Growing up, I was constantly burdened by my father's crimes. You know, son of a madman. Pretty sure everyone judged me for it. Everything I've done in my life has been in defiance of that. Joining the Superfriends, running out to the future with Legionnaires to fight your cousin and stop him. But all that pales in comparison to saving my own future. Plus, I got to see some old friends."

 "You guys, when I told you that I was okay being called 'Computer Lad', are you kidding me? No, I hated that.“

 107. Girls Night Out (The Flash 4x5)

74, Written by: Lauren Certo, Kristen Kim, Directed by: Laura Belsey

 "Because we live in a society that's dictated by the male gaze. I want to control the narrative of feminism, okay? I want to show the world that a powerful, strong woman, she can wear anything! Be it a bikini, or a pantsuit."

 106. The Ex-Factor (Legends of Tomorrow 6x3)

85, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Tyron B. Carter, Directed by: David Geddes

 „The Rock's the President? Please tell me John Cena's the Chief of Staff.“

 105. A Girl Named Sue (The Flash 6x12)

126, Written by: Thomas Pound, Lauren Certo, Directed by: Chris Peppe

 "Oh my god. It's you. You're Sue Dearbon."

"In the flesh. And you are?"

 104. Impulsive Excessive Disorder (The Flash 8x6)

157, Written by: Thomas Pound, Directed by: David McWhirter

 „Okay, I get it. I'm the new guy. You're busy, and I heard you just lost your partner, which has gotta be tough. Plus, one of our CSIs is in a coma, and on top of all that, you got shot down by Counselor Horton.“

„Who told you that?“

„ Uh, everyone.“

 103. The Satanist’s Apprentice (Legends of Tomorrow 6x5)

87, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Caity Lotz

 „I miss my blood pool.“

 102. Cause and XS (The Flash 5x14)

106, Written By: Todd Helbing, Jeff Hersh, Directed By: Rachel Talalay

"The ripples you'll cause, who's life you're gonna affect. No one can do that."

"No one?" "No. We're not gods, Nora. We've just been given extraordinary abilities."

 101. Cause and Effect (The Flash 3x21)

67, Written by: Judalina Neira, Lauren Certo, Directed by: David McWhirter

 "But you don't ever do that. You're not him, you're a good person." "I know, but it's in there, you know. That's in me. That power, that pain. That's where Savitar comes from. From loss. From losing you."

[purplesurveys]

1598

What was the last book you read? Midnight Sun, haha. The writing is atrocious, but it’s a guilty pleasure. 

Have you ever had a friend named Mary? I used to be friends with a Maryrose but people liked calling her Mary.

What does the name "Ada" make you think of? A high school batchmate. Also Ada Wong from Resident Evil. Have you ever had a friend named Ada? ^ Yeah, I was civil with that batchmate and we continue to follow each other on social media.

Do you live in England? 🏴 Nope.

Have you ever been to England? 🏴 I have.

Are you English? Not in the slightest. Do you speak English? Yeah. Thanks colonization!

If you could build a robot to perform one chore for you, which chore would you have it perform? Cleaning up after the dogs. That would be such a big relief for my back, lmao.

...and what do you think you would name the robot? 🤖 Hal? Hahahaha just kidding. Maybe Will, from Good Will Hunting.

Did you get into trouble a lot when you were a kid? Not even close. I didn’t want to go beyond the rules for fear of pissing somebody off.

Have you ever been to London? ☕️🇬🇧💂‍♀️ I have not.

Did you know that England's flag and the United Kingdom's flag are different? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 Well, yes.

Do you know which four countries make up the United Kingdom? 🇬🇧 England, Wales(?????), Scotland, Ireland.

How many sisters do you have? One.

Do you have a wicked stepmother? Continued from yesterday morning. No, I don’t even have a stepmother. Would you rather be a scientific and mathematical genius or an artistic genius with a huge imagination? I’d take science and math. I love looking at art from afar and I don’t want to turn it into a job.

What is your favorite type of tea? ☕️ I don’t like tea.

Where was the last place you traveled? Not counting trips I take within the city/region, Zambales. Have you ever ridden in a horse-drawn carriage? Not a carriage, no. But I have been on a horse.

Have you ever met anyone with the last name Byron? Not at all. Idk where you can find anyone with that surname here.

When was the last time you were in a bookshop? Yesterday evening when Angela, Reena, and I went gift shopping. Angela needed a children’s book and crayons for her nephew; Reena needed notecards for her gifts.

Do you enjoy reading historical fiction? If I come across a piece I like, then I could enjoy it. I don’t seek it out though; I never do so for fiction.

What is your favorite work of historical fiction? Without Seeing the Dawn.

Does it rain a lot where you live? Between July to October, yes. Flooding is a common occurrence and a very big problem in certain areas; and with the government never doing anything about it I imagine it will continue to be an issue.

When was the last time you got caught in a thunderstorm while out walking? Fortunately not. 

Have you ever built a zipline? Nah.

When was the last time you rode on a zipline? I think as a kid when my parents used to take me to indoor playgrounds? My stomach doesn’t fare well with motion/suspension stuff so I’ve never taken any adult-level ziplines.

Did you ever sneak out of your house when you were younger? No, it’s useless to lie to my parents because they find out one way or another. It was always a lot easier to just let them know where I planned to be; it was for safety reasons, too. If I found myself injured in a car crash and was 4798234 km away from where I said I was supposed to be, what else was I gonna tell them? Thoughts like that kept me from lying.

...and if yes, where did you go? - ....and did you get in trouble? I never got in trouble for things like that.

Do you own a horse? 🐎 Nope.

What is your best friend's name? Angela, Andi, Reena. Is anyone in your family an author or poet? My great-grandfather’s cousin is an established author in the history scene. His works continue to be a part of syllabi in universities today.

Is anyone in your family a scientist or mathematician? I feel like this is giving away too much at this point, but the same ^ relative was accorded as a National Scientist of the Philippines. 

What was the name of your first crush? The first irl crush I had had been Andi. Not the same Andi who’s my best friend today, but it was a girl from grade school that I had become good friends with.

Have you ever dated a guy with a girl's name? I’ve never dated a guy.

Have you ever kissed someone in a graveyard? 🪦 Uh, I don’t think so.

What is the most scandalous thing you've ever done? Idk man. Even if I knew, idk if I’d feel like sharing right now.

What do you think of the name Fanny? I don’t like it. Do you believe in fairies? No.

Do you believe in vampires. No.

Would you rather be named Fanny or Faye? I hate both of them but I guess Faye.

Do you have a godmother? Well, yes, in the Christian sense. As far as I know having godparents is a requirement when getting baptized. Since I’m the eldest, my godparents are my mom’s and dad’s siblings; my sister’s godparents are my mom’s first cousins. I think my brother’s are my dad’s college friends.

Are you someone's godmother? To one of my cousins, yes. I imagine I’d be a godparent to more once my friends and cousins start having kids of their own, too.

How many doors are there in your home? 🚪 Too many.

What color is your closet door? Brown. Have you ever snuck out a window onto a rooftop? Never done that.

Have you ever snuck out of your house to go meet up with a guy somewhere? No.

....that your parents didn't know you were dating? No.

Would you rather travel to Paris or London? London.

Would you rather travel to France or Switzerland? 🇫🇷🇨🇭 Switzerland.

Are your parents divorced? They are not. If they wanted to, their best resort is an annulment because we don’t have divorce here.

What is one thing that you hope to accomplish before you die? Continued (again) from Christmas Eve, lol. Can I finally finish this survey now that most of the family reunions and socializing are over? Let’s find outtt. Travel to a different continent.

Have you ever built a robot? 🤖 I have not and haven’t been interested in making one myself.

Have you ever been to a magic show? 🪄🎩 Yes, magic shows are practically a staple in children’s parties here. I’ve seen a bunch and they’ve all always been very entertaining.

When was the last time you saw a frog? 🐸 Last Saturday when there were a couple of frogs hopping around our villa.

Have you ever been struck by lightning? ⚡️ Oh, wow. No. Wouldn’t I have been killed if this happened?

Have you ever received an electrical zap? ⚡️🔌 Yes. Looking back it was an incredibly dumb fault of mine, but I was 11 and didn’t know any better. Anyway, it’s also the reason why I’m still scared to plug anything and usually ask for help to do so to this day. Have you ever ran away from home? I considered it a handful of times in the past but it never materialized. Cutting off ties with everybody in your family was a big risk/jump to take.

When was the last time you wrote a poem? Years ago.

Who is your favorite poet? I don’t have one.

Do you enjoy writing poetry? I never liked it. Whenever we had to write poems in school, it was never more than homework to me; I was never good at them and I never liked the read-between-the-line-ness of poems either.

Would you rather write a novel or a book of poems? When it comes to me writing I’ve always enjoyed doing long-form pieces more, so a novel is more likely to happen.

Have you ever been to a poetry reading? Nope.

Do you believe that it's possible for someone to be resurrected from the dead? No. Well I believe those accounts of people who’ve flatlined but were able to be brought back to life, but that’s it. 

When was the last time you felt like you were being followed? It was in like September when I was picking up my mom from work and I decided to take a little walk in the area while waiting. I happened to be at a poorly-lit area when suddenly I get the feeling this dude behind had his sight on me, so I changed my walking from Pleasant Stroll to Survival Mode and just went to the nearby Starbucks to be safe. I’m sure the dude was just a normal pedestrian, but I needed to be safe because the moment something happened and I started screaming, I doubt people would stop and help.

Have you ever felt like you were being followed by someone? As far as I know it has only been that ^ one incident. 

Have you ever idolized someone (or just really looked up to someone) and then found out they were selfish? I feel this way about Kristen Stewart with regard to her cheating.

Do you have a cousin named Peter? I do not.

How far away do you live from Switzerland? A Google search tells me it is a quick 10,472 km away.

What are three things you think of when you hear the word "Switzerland"? Mountains, chocolate, neutrality.

Have you ever been to Switzerland? I have not.

Would you rather meet Peter Pan or the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz? I haven’t watched either movie so idk which one I’d like more.

Are you afraid of thunderstorms? ⛈ I love them when I’m indoors. But the last thing I want is to be stuck outside when a thunderstorm starts.

Do you wish you had a fairy godmother? Well, no. Cosmo and Wanda had me imagining how cool it would be to get everything you want, but I knew they weren’t real anyway so it wasn’t like I was the kind of kid who was convinced fairy godparents could come to life if I believed in them hard enough.

Which name do you like better for a girl: Jane or Claire? I really love both. But I think I like Jane just a teeny teeny tiny bit more.

Do you have a common first name? I wouldn’t call it common. It’s familiar to people, but it’s never been a Top 10, 20, 50, 100 name.

Is your first name old-fashioned? It comes off as one, at least to me. Idk what others think though!

What color hair does your current crush (or boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, whatever) have? I don’t have one of those.

Have you ever been to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris? No.

Do you like kale? I’ve never had it.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you in a theater? It was more embarrassing for my siblings than it was for me, but the 3 of us once watched the last full screening of a Spongebob movie and I fell asleep halfway through. I woke up with the credits nearly ending, nobody but us left in the theater, and the crew coming in to start cleaning up trash.

In my defense(?), I have no idea why neither of them just shook me awake. They literally just stared at me until I woke up on my own??????? Like what would they have done if my brain decided to sleep through the night? LOL

Have you ever gone out with a guy and then later found out that he was married? No.

...and would you be upset if this happened? Duh. Upset, infuriated, and grossed out would be an accurate summary.

What was the name of the main character in the last book you read? Edward.

...and what was the name of the villain? James.

What do you think would be a good name for a villain? I feel like many of the exceptional TV/movie assholes actually have mundane, office-ass names. Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Gus from Breaking Bad...

Have you ever had someone ask you if you had magic powers? No.

...and do you have magic powers? No. Wishing we could stop with the fantasy questions at this point, too.

Are you a fan of Frankenstein? No.

What are three things that the word "Frankenstein" makes you think of? The character, the character’s hair, and the wrestling move Frankensteiner.

Do you try to make the most of every day? Well, not literally every day on the calendar. Some days I just want to take it easy.

What was the last valuable life lesson you learned? Take chances, especially those where you’d have nothing to lose. What was your favorite teacher's name? Ettie. Have you ever had someone copy you or steal your ideas for something? Probably.

Have you ever dated someone behind your parents' back? For six years.

[dolphs-world]

July 27

Lately, I've been, I've been thinking, I want to be happier. I don't know why that song popped into my head, I don't even know who sings it. Initially I started this blog to be a diary. Why online then? Because I find the notion of knowing someone so intimately extraordinary. Understanding the way someone thinks and feels and writes allows you to know someone fully. Instead, I've only really used this place to review movies. But again, if you pay attention, you can truly know someone from something like opinions on Pixar movies. There was a point a couple of weeks ago where I watched a bunch of movies and wanted to share but I ran out of time. There's no real in depth analysis but little reviews. The Martian: An awful miserable film proving to me once again that Ridley Scott has only made one good movie, 'Thelma & Louise'. Instead of approaching the subject with seriousness everyone just speaks in quips. The writing is atrocious. It was well acted, very well acted, but the only characters I liked were played by Jeff Daniels and Benedict Wong because they were real, and even then they had some lines that made me wince. This is a hi-sci-fi concept that could easily find an audience but instead they are trying to appeal the lowest-common-denominator. Sidenote: Sean Bean is in the movie and there's a scene where NASA names a secret mission 'Elrond', the meeting in 'The Fellowship'. The nerd in the meeting, despite this being NASA, proceeds to explain the name to everyone else including Sean Bean. Sean Bean was at 'Elrond'! Spider-Man: I rewatched the Sam Raimi trilogy for the first time since I was 10 and I still prefer the 3rd one. Joel Schumacher once said in regards to his adaptations that they're called comic books not drama books and he made the worst movie ever. Sam Raimi actually achieved Scumacher's vision. The first 2 movies are very interesting in their direction and focus. There are so many little people who are in only one scene but make an impact. These movies are really goofy and, much like comic books from the day, feel as if they it would be hard for most people to emotionally connect with. They are mainly pushed by the 2 greatest villain performances by Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina. James Franco is also great in these movies, as opposed to his co-stars who just get the job done. I also really liked the last scene of 2 where MJ looked on at Spider-man somewhat regretting her decision. Criticisms against the 3rd movie: It feels a lot more generic in it's direction, there are no more distinct personalites that weren't in the previous films; e.g the banker, go spidey go, Jim Norton. Pros: everything else. The film was a slowburn psychological thriller. The movie just kept getting more and more insane. Peter Parker exposes Eddie Brock as a fraud and Brock pleas for forgiveness. Parker responds "You want forgiveness? Get a religion!". Brock then goes to a catholic church, in the comics Brock is a devout Catholic who just so happens to be there at the same time as Parker is getting rid of the symbiote, and asks god to kill Spider-man. This movie is fantastic.

[revenge-of-the-shit]

Writing Chinese characters set within Western worlds

If you don’t want to read it on tumblr, go check this out on medium or go follow me on instagram at @annessarose_writes!

Alright. You know what. I’ve seen plenty of stereotypes in fiction (and in social media) that are so incredibly pervasive I’ve seen many Chinese people within the western world internalize it themselves. So here’s a rough guide on writing Chinese characters in an English-speaking Western setting, written by me, a Chinese Canadian woman.

If you’re here to say something racist fuck off. Otherwise, welcome! This is not a comprehensive guide by any means. This is merely a brief overview based on my own experiences. My experience (as someone in North America) will differ from someone living in, say, Europe or South America. I’m not representative of every Chinese person because everyone’s experience is unique. So here were are.

1. Our names

Chinese names are usually written as follows: [family name] [name]. Let’s take a Canadian historical figure as an example: 黃寬先. In Chinese, it’s pronounced “Wong Foon Sien.” On Canadian documents — which are written [First name] [Last name], he’d be called “Foon Sien Wong.” He went by “Foon Sien” for most of his life. That’s his full “first name.” Nobody would call him Foon because that’s just half of his name (unless given permission). It’d be like meeting a stranger called Alex and calling them “Al” right off the bat. Sure, they could go by Al, but you don’t know that.

For those of us living in the Western world, some of us have both a Chinese name and an English name. In these cases, our Chinese name becomes our middle name in English (e.g. a character could be called John Heen-Gwong Lee).

For some people who immigrated to the Western world but were born in China, their legal name would be their Chinese name. Some choose to keep that name. Some choose an English name as their “preferred” name but keep their Chinese name on legal documents. It varies.

2. Parents & Stereotypes

There’s two stereotypes which are so pervasive I see it being used over and over in jokes even within Chinese (and, to a larger extent, asian) communities:

The [abusive] tiger mom and the meek/absent dad

Both parents are unreasonably strict/abusive and they suck

I have yet to see any fiction stories with Chinese parents where they’re depicted as kind/loving/supportive/understanding (if you have recommendations — please do send them my way). Not all Chinese parents are tiger parents. Chinese parents — like all parents — are human. Good god. YES, they’re human! YES, they have flaws! YES, they are influenced by the culture they grew up in!

That isn’t to say there aren’t parents like those tropes. There are. I know this because I grew up in a predominantly Chinese community where I had many a friend’s parent who was like this. Parents who compare their kids to the best kid in class. Parents who force kids into private lessons and competitions that the kid despises because the parents think it’s for the best. Parents who have literally called their kid a disappointment because they didn’t get 100%.

But please, also consider: there’s parents who support their child’s goals and who listen. Not all parents force their kid into the stereotypical trifecta of lawyer/doctor/engineer — I know of a good number who support their child in choosing the path they want. There’s parents who make mistakes and learn and try their best to support their child. So please, for the love of god, if you write a Chinese character, don’t reduce their parents to stereotypes.

3. Language & Learning

When I first read The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, I was so excited to see a Chinese Canadian character in Frank Zhang. Finally, there was someone like me. Finally, there was representation in well-known western media.

While I do appreciate that RR added in Frank Zhang, it’s pretty obvious that he didn’t really know how to write a Chinese Canadian character. One of the most glaring examples: in The Son of Neptune, Frank reveals he can’t really read Chinese. In like, the next book (I think — it’s been a while since I read it), Frank is suddenly able to read Chinese because he “learned” it in two week’s time.

Nope. Nuh-uh. Learning Chinese is a pain, let me tell you. There’s thousands of different characters and it is something you need to devote a lot of time to learning (especially if you’re progressed past the best childhood years for learning a language). So if you’re writing about a Chinese character living in the western world, here’s what you need to know:

A character who was born and raised in the western world does not necessarily know how to read/write in Chinese.

If they were raised by their own family, the character would very likely know how to speak their own dialect. They’d be able to understand the language used in movies/TV and they sound like a native speaker, but they may not know how to use language outside of certain contexts (the term for this is heritage speaker).

They probably went to Chinese school. They probably hated it. Chinese school is usually universally hated and does not teach you jack shit other than a hatred for the place and a vague memory of learning how to read the language without actually retaining knowledge of what you learned.

Most of my friends who know how to read/write in Chinese learned from tutors, parents, or were born in China.

There’s two main types of written Chinese: Traditional (used by Cantonese speakers) and Simplified (used by Mandarin speakers).

There are MANY other dialects (which I don’t know much about). The most common ones are Mandarin (usually spoken by people from the mainland), then Cantonese (usually spoken by people from Hong Kong).

4. Fitting into the community

Usually, the story is one of two things: they’re the only Asian kid in the entire school, or they grew up in a predominantly East Asian community. Things to consider for both of these when you’re writing:

Growing up the only Asian kid

They’re “that Asian kid.” They’re different. They walk into a class and feel weird and out of place.

They bring food from home (usually ethnic cuisine) to school. Other classmates stare at it, make fun of it, demand what that strange food is.

“Where are you from?” “Here.” “No, like, where are you really from?”

“Your name is funny.”

People literally never getting the character’s name right.

And that horrible, horrible feeling: wishing that they were white so they could avoid all of this.

Growing up in a predominantly East Asian community

It’s not uncommon for Chinese cuisine to mix with other east Asian cuisines. For special occasions (or just for a casual night out), your character could very well go out to get some sushi, or go for some KBBQ, or get some Vietnamese noodles.

Screaming “AIYAA” at/with their friends unironically if they’re annoyed (I’ve done this a lot with Cantonese friends. Less so with Mandarin friends).

Slipping into Chinese for like, two words, during a mostly-English conversation to talk about food or some other topic that can’t be adequately conveyed in English.

Reading books by white authors and learning about white history and growing up thinking white names, white books, and white history is the norm and standard even though the community is surrounded by East Asian people.

When the character leaves this community, there’s a brief culture shock when they realize how sheltered they’ve been.

Things in common for both of these:

The character has grown up on ethnic cuisine. Yes, Chinese people do eat rice with many of our meals. Yes, boba (bubble) tea is extremely popular. No, rice isn’t the only thing we eat. No, not all Chinese people love boba (though as a Chinese person I admit this sounds sacrilegious to say…)

The character likely grew up watching film/TVthat originates from East Asia. It’s not uncommon to watch Studio Ghibli films. It’s not uncommon to watch Japanese or Korean shows with canto/mando dub (examples: Ultraman, Kamen Rider). If you want to see a classic Chinese film from Hong Kong that’s fucking hilarious, watch Kung Fu Hustle.

The character has felt or been told that they’re “too westernized to be Chinese, but too Chinese to fit into the western world.” They’re torn between the two.

5. General portrayal

It’s quite simple, really. We’re human. We’re regular people. We have regular hobbies like all people do. We’re good at some subjects and bad at others. We have likes and dislikes like all people do. So here’s a list of stereotypes you can avoid.

STEREOTYPES TO AVOID BECAUSE WE’RE REGULAR HUMANS AND WE DON’T FIT INTO A SINGLE COOKIE CUTTER SHAPE, DAMMIT.

The character is a maths whiz and perfect at all things STEM.

The character is a straight-A+ gifted/IB/AP student.

The character is the next coming of Mozart and is amazing at piano/violin.

The character’s free time is spent only studying.

The character is insanely good at martial arts.

The character is either meek and submissive or an explosive, dangerous force.

I’m not going to mention the other stereotypes. You know, those ones. The really obvious ones that make fun of and demonize (sometimes through multiple untruths) how we look and how we live our lives. You should know.

Of course, there are people who fit into one or more of these. That’s not the point. The point is: molding all Chinese characters to these stereotypes (which white media tends to do) is harmful and reductionist. We’re more than stereotypes.

—

6. Conclusion

We need more diversity in portrayal of Chinese characters. Reducing us into one-dimensional caricatures has done nothing but harm us — look at what’s happening now. This guide is by no means comprehensive, but I hope it has helped you by providing a quick overview.

If you want to accurately portray Chinese characters, do your research. Read Chinese fiction. Watch Chinese films/TV. Initiate a conversation with the community. Portray us accurately. Quit turning us into caricatures.

[stuckybarton]

Manifestation of A Happy Ending

SUMMARY: "Everyone deserves a happy ending, even you."

CHARACTERS: Stephen Strange x Reader;

WARNINGS: Brief Description of Child Birth.

WORDS: 2,022

MASTERLIST || Join the Taglist

~

Part 5 CANDLELIGHT

One of the few things you had learned since your past and your present had collided was the world was constantly moving. Everyone would try to move on, try to better themselves. A process the might look painful on one end, and easy for some. You had it easy. Having Stephen by your side all throughout was good, being able to find the good in the world in him, in your relationship and eventual marriage as well as the child you were carrying.

Things has been going well and you found yourself visiting the compound more on a regular basis now with Stephen constantly by your side. His sling ring a good tool to use to avoid dealing with New York traffic. Being able to reconnect with your friends had been hard at first having ghosted them for a hefty amount of time, but things had been good, especially with everyone just as excited about the baby coming in a few more months.

"Have you found out about the gender?" Nat had inquired as soon as you had arrived into the common room, your husband and Wong was dealing with a mission briefing with Steve and Tony while you waited.

"Not yet." You smiled at your friend before rubbing your growing bump. Sitting by the window with your friend, it was still weird for you to come back here, knowing everything that had happened. The way you just left and never looked back. "We still haven't decided if we're going to wait until the baby is born."

Nat smiled, asking your permission, had placed her hand against your stomach. The light thump had made the two of you jump, your baby's first kick.

"Still can't convince you to name the baby Natalie?" She teased making your burst out laughing.

"Tell that to Wanda and Thor, they're already bribing me with naming the baby after them too." You giggled remembering the multiple of times you had to deal with the two when you visit. "But I'll think about it." You assured knowing the name you had in mind would sound good with a second name added to it.

"We're not mad at you for what happened, Y/N." Nat had spoke all of a sudden, surprising you with the shift of your conversation. "We're surprised that everything happened the way that it did, but we understand why you did what you had to do."

You were left in silence, it was still something you tried your best to keep to yourself. A resentment they might have towards you because of your choice, how you turned your back on all of them when your relationship with Tony ended.

Before Nat could continue on with her words, FRIDAY had called for her to the briefing as well.

"We'll talk later, I'll find someone to keep you company for a while." Nat has said with a smile leaving you all alone to your own thoughts.

It would take a while to come to terms with your choice, but as long as you had Stephen and the baby, you had nothing more you had to worry about. Rubbing your stomach again, the thump had made you smile as you started to hum against the air, hoping to calm your restless baby.

Your eyes lingered onto the windows, the well manicured lawn and the vast land of the compound. You had remembered the time where you would sit in the middle of the grass, soaking into the sunlight after being in the confinement of your former room for days on end.

"I hope I am not intruding."

Turning your head away from the window, the sight of Loki had surprised you. For the most part, you had known about the team's hesitation towards the reformed God, and the other part of you still wary of him after the last time you've seen him in person--when he and his brother had made their way to Stephen's sanctum hoping to find you. The words that he spoke that became the push you needed to this life you now live.

"No you're not, Loki." You assured the God as he has come to approach you. "How's your stay since I've last seen you?" You inquired the man.

Unlike everyone in the team, you didn't have the same resentment towards the man--knowing from Thor what had happened to him, what he had to do to survive, you try your best not to put it against him if you could. And he is a good company to have while you do your research for your book.

"I'm afraid I've lost my library companion." He responded, a ghost of a smile resting on his face. "And I think an apology is long overdue after what I've said."

One brow rose waiting for him to continue his words.

"What I had called you in Strange's Sanctum is uncalled for and I never got the chance to apologize to you."

So he did know you were in the Sanctum. Blinking you didn't really know what to say.

"Why didn't you tell Thor or Tony?" You found yourself asking after a moment.

"What for? If you truly want to be found, you wouldn't have hidden, in such a poor excuse of curtains of all things. And I do not believe that you would be happy with Stark in the long run."

"So you're favoring Stephen over Tony?" You smiled knowing the vendetta still placed on Stephen's back for what he did to Loki all those years before.

"I have said no such thing." He brushed off finally sitting besides you on the couch. "But you're more tolerable compared to the rest of the people in this compound, so your happiness is something I'd champion for."

The biggest compliment you had received from Loki and somehow you find yourself blushing at it. You held onto the man's hand.

"I think I might just name my baby after you, Loki." You teased. "Is this your plan all along?"

"Is it working?" He smirked right back, mischief twinkling his eyes.

"You have Nat, Wanda, and your brother to fight for that right." You pointed out giggling at the antics that Loki was slowly showcasing you. A rare sight as the man chooses to keep to himself most of the time. "Want to feel the baby?" You offered looking up at the man.

"Are you sure?" The man sounded so uncertain and for a while you understood where he was coming from but knowing him, knowing he wouldn't hurt you, it doesn't sound too bad to have him feel the baby too.

Hand still holding onto his own, you placed his palm on top of your stomach. Smiling as soon as his palm rested, a sudden kick had made the two of your jump for a moment. Giving him a side glance, an amazed look that rested on his face placed you more at ease.

"They like you." You pointed out with a smile.

"A mistake they'd made before they're even born." Loki muttered pulling away.

"Loki--" You warned. "You don't contradict a pregnant woman." You warned with a pointed look now focus on him. A sheepish smile now resting on his face because of it.

Before Loki could further contradict himself, the sound of a few voices approaching had the two of you looking up and the sight of your husband and Wong coming to pick you up. But the sight of Tony and Steve also with them, the smile on your face had fallen. So much for trying to avoid the man.

"Hands off the wife, Laufeyson." Your husband warned, but you rolled your eyes and smiled towards the also much annoyed Loki.

"Loki's been keeping me company." You pointed out finally standing up and approaching your husband in the process.

"Fifty bucks he's also trying to convince you to name the baby after him."

"Keep your money to yourself, Strange." You snorted wrapping an arm around his waist. You smiled beamingly at your husband before winking knowingly at Loki and the conversation they had would only be theirs to keep from now on. "Loki's been nothing but nice to me and I'm staring to like the idea of Baby Loki."

At the grimace your husband had on you couldn't help but burst into as loud fits of laughter.  Resting your head against his chest, try as the man could, it was still hard for him to keep his emotions and his sass in check. You were fine with it, happy for his antics from time to time when he wasn't getting on your nerves.

"We'll talk about our child's life choices if you do that when we get home." He muttered cradling your head as you pull back to look at him. "Say goodbye to your friend before we go."

You smiled hugging Loki, taking the man by surprise before promising to catch up with Steve if Stephen ever stops by the compound again. But for a fraction of a second, you found your attention towards Tony, the longing look on his face as he looked at you and it scared you so much. You know you wouldn't leave Stephen, after everything you had been through, but it was just sad to see the playboy so broken--because of you.

"Bye, Tony." You finally whispered before joining your husband and Wong through the portal to bring you right home to the Sanctum.

~

"Benedict Vincent Strange."

The name had escaped your lips as soon as the baby was born. The past thirteen hours, Stephan had been besides himself. Everything he had learned from Med School was thrown in the trash when it comes to you. The doctors had tried their best to stay as far away from him while making sure you were well accommodated.

And everything was worth it as he now held on to his son. A blend of you and him. 

Even as the past few hours had been you sobbing to the high heavens while you pushed for the baby out while you pray for their safety. Stephen was relieved to know you and the baby were safe and healthy judging from the lungs capable of screaming up a storm from the both of you. The smile had somehow found their way onto his face.

He had watched the doctors begin to clean up his son before turning his attention back to you. Leaning back against the bed, even with the fatigue and pain still painting your face, you still had this big smile watching from the sides as the nurses swaddle your son.

"He's got your eyes." Stephen pointed out with a smirk and you were quick to roll your eyes. It was just a fun little debate the two of you had while you prepared for the baby, how such discussion span and become so meaningless as all the mattered was this very sight.

A life he never thought he would be allowed to have in his life. After everything he had done--the mistake he had made, he was still allowed to have his own happy ending in the form of you who had almost fallen face first in front of him in the cafe.

"Do you ever regret it?" Stephen asked after a moment of silence passed between the two of you. "Leaving Tony behind for someone like me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Stephen." You smiled holding onto his hands, pulling him closer to where you laid to rest. "I've got everything I could have ever wanted in my life. A decent man that loves me more than the whole multiverse combined. I've got a child that I will give my life and soul to protect and love."

It was the truth, and the smile that lingered on his face made everything alright now. There would come a time that his life would be put on the line for the sake of the world, but it was alright. It was for you and it was for your son. His own little manifestation of a happy ending.

He would want nothing more in his life.

Tagging:

Stephen Strange One-Shot / Series

@secretsthathauntus @delightfulheartdream @d0ct0rstrangewife @gumgum78 @supervengerslock @inas-thing

Everything~

@wandering-spiritash @emmy626 @star017 @silverrmistt @broadwaybabe18

[tsukimine-moonlight]

Some things, you just don't think about.

Clow Reed is very good at this. He's made himself very good at this. He can't stand thinking about what happened the last time he slipped and wished and wanted, because when he did the universe snapped a little piece of itself off to grant it, and he can't forgive himself that. So he doesn't think about it. He has a very powerful Lock at his disposal, after all.

He forgets, but he doesn't forgive. Forgive what? He doesn't know. Some things, you just don't think about.

He doesn't think about how too many people will pay the price for what he felt too strongly. In the wake of the disaster he caused, even his guilt and regret have taken on a face and form, and thinking about that could only compound the problems they already have. In the moments where he gives himself access to his memories, heavily Shielded and Locked away from the world to prevent any further disasters, Clow thinks of Fei-Wong with a tickle of bitter amusement, because he bears his name. Whatever he does will always be associated with Clow himself, but he can't begrudge him that. Clow is the reason he exists, after all, and Clow damned him to a bitter existence; there's nothing more to him than yearning, wanting, desperate seeking, and there never will be. The human aftershock of Clow's wishful thought is wrapped up in a stubborn self-righteousness, centered in the knowledge that what he wants is justified, and that want doesn't revolve around Yuuko's life or death, no matter what he tells himself - no, Fei-Wong exists to prove that he's better, knows better, can do better, can and should and will control how things should be.

It terrifies Clow, because if he closes his eyes and tilts his head and almost-sort-of-not-really imagines in just the right way, in just the right world and at just the right place, he thinks he could have ended up that way. He could have started feeling that way. He likes to think that he wouldn't have, that he would never devolve into tyrannical certainty that his will is how everything should be, without a thought for the lives of anyone but himself and his own loves. But he knows better than to comfort himself with the idea that he never could. He lets himself have a little refuge in the fact that it still has the capacity to frighten him, instead.

Though what exactly "it" is, he doesn't know. He only knows he shouldn't be arrogant, and that he should never give himself over to wanting things ever again, and that the rest has been Locked away, because if he thinks about that too hard it will have consequences that no one alive will be able to fix.

Some things, you just don't think about, and Clow Reed is very good at this.

He's gotten used to it. He's made himself used to it. He isn't quite a creature of habit, and he never has been, and that makes it easy to continue living his life around the secrets he keeps from himself. When he starts to think something and finds his attention pulled violently somewhere else, he lets it go. When he blinks and can't remember what he was about to say, he lets it go. When dread pits in his stomach at the memory of the memory of a name, when he starts to think this spell is just like one I've cast before and the details blur before his eyes, when he finds himself suddenly desperate to cook or clean or garden instead of whatever he was about to do (what exactly was he about to do?) he lets it go. It becomes common to find himself a few paces away from a bookshelf or stack of records that he'd meant to retrieve something from, or to find himself suddenly unable to continue writing about something he'd just thought, and he learns not to chase those topics down. It gives him headaches, to press and push and dig at those things. If he tries anyway, he gets dizzy and can't keep his balance, and if he's stubborn and stupid enough to search his mind for answers when he's bedridden he's met with rushes of adrenaline and alternating urges to fight or fly until he can't hold anything else in his mind.

But he learns not to dig, learns his own limits against his own magic, and settles into a new routine shaped around the knowledge he's deemed too dangerous for himself to have.

(It isn't just about how the avatar of his wish will have torn dimensions apart to pull reality inside-out to save one person's life. It's about smaller things, too, though what couldn't look small beside that? Hidden arts, love and loss, locations of deadly treasures, truths no one needs to know anymore - they blur together somewhere in his mind, somewhere he can't keep track of on his own. Secrets are manifold and many in a sorcerer's life, and it's important to protect himself and the people he loves just as much as it's important to protect the things he knows.)

He teaches Lock rhymes and signs and pass-phrases and riddles, because it's important to know how to unlock something just as much as it can be to keep it buried. She's playful, as many of the Cards under Cerberus are, and she loves the learning of these games. Together they seal layers of secrets beyond more secrets; gaining one answer from Lock will only ever yield another riddle that he might not even retain access to, if he isn't in the right state of mind. Fragments of songs given the wrong words and questions with strange answers are his favorite ways to lead himself back to his memories. These things don't prompt too much of an investigation if he finds himself thinking of them again suddenly when he isn't sure what he'd been thinking of before, and they're easy ways to lay false trails. He doesn't think there are any rivals left in the world who would challenge him for his secrets, even lightheartedly, but there is always the chance of petty subterfuge, and he will pay if he's ever not careful again.

Careful about what? He doesn't know.

Some things, you just don't think about.

-----

“The door of truth can be opened and shut. I notice my own heart and can know the secret of another. However, it would be better to leave it alone for now.” -- Card’s Message, the Lock, Clow Card Fortune Book

Clow's secrets have secrets

He uses The Lock card to keep secrets from himself. Some things, he just can't think about.

[herorps]

Hey flo do you have a guide to naming Chinese characters?? So I can be ethnically correct !

i apologize for how late this is. i’ve had a very busy work day and i’m only now getting some downtime to sit down and answer this the way i want to answer this. i want to start off by saying that i am chinese-american and that what i say and how i name my chinese characters is based on my personal experiences in my community growing up and what i’ve gathered through long-sought out research and diaspora twitter. 

i also want to say that of course your ethnically chinese character can have an western name, it’s very common that we do, especially in modern times and in immigrant spaces, however i think we should be able to normalize using ethnic names. also unless you are adopted ( see: leah lewis ), in my experience you 100% have a chinese name on top of having a ‘western’ name, so if you want to give your character a western name it’d be accurate to give them a chinese name as well ( see: natasha liu bordizzo/liu chengyu ).

if you find this guide helpful, please like and reblog the post, validate me and if you have any questions/corrections/add ons please let me know! 

i would have you start off by reading this really helpful guide. it’s a little long winded and you don’t have to read all of it but they do a great job with describing the different romanizations of names and how they’re different across different dialects/regions. you need to first decide what context your character exists in, whether they’re from beijing or taipei or hong kong, their full name is going to be spelled differently based on what background you want to give them.

my mother’s surname is actually a great example of this. her surname is 湯 which in mandarin chinese is pronounced “tang” but because my mother’s family is originally taishanese, her last name is romanized “hong” everywhere that uses an english spelling. alternatively, if my mother’s family changed their romanization when they moved to hong kong, where they speak cantonese, her last name would have been romanized as “tong”. 

another example of this is chou tzuyu. because she from taiwan, the romanization of her name is chou tzu yu but if her family was from, like, shanghai her name would be romanized zhou zi yu. same chinese characters ( 周子瑜 ), but because they are pronounced differently across different languages and because she is taiwanese, the romanizations are different. 

so after you’ve decided what romanization you want to give them, the next step is to actually choose a name. i personally begin with the given name with all of my characters because i like attaching a meaning to the given name over the surname. and also surnames are pretty easy to find/figure out.

here is a guide that discusses a little bit about naming conventions in china, particularly about gendered names. i really like what tangelotime had to say about the fact that gender doesn’t really matter when it comes to naming because, in my opinion and experience, it doesn’t. i would say that what would be “gendered” is possibly the way a name sounds. idk how to explain this but there are some names that sound “girly” but more in the sense that it’s like girly vs. butch. and i can’t think of a good example of this so you’re just gonna have to ... idk go with your gut. but for the most part, chinese names are gender neutral. 

what tangelotime also said about how giving a chinese name is intense is absolutely true because there are so many things that parents may consider including chinese zodiac and fengshui and radicals in a certain character and what it means---it’s a sport that i do not have the effort for nor the intelligence to properly explain. however, i think the guides that i’ve linked so far do a good job in explaining that in a way that i cannot. here is another extensive guide, but this one discusses historical contexts ( for all u historical rpers heh ) and more importantly imo, the list of themes that a parent might take in creating a name. 

8/6/21 edit: i came across these pictographs of characters from mdzs that analyze the etymology by the radical that gives you a lot of insight to possible name meanings and to the written chinese language. 

additionally, here is a video by avenue x, an amazing creator on youtube who reviews c dramas and gives a lot of in depth cultural context for some of the shows she watches, that explains the names of characters from word of honor and gives the poetry references that the writers may have used. 

so if you’ve taken a look all the guides i’ve given you, good on you, i really appreciate you putting in all the work. now let me give you some examples of how different things may be taken into consideration when giving a chinese name. 

my given name is 安儀, romanized “on yee” because my family speaks cantonese. the first character means “safe” while the second character means “appearance,” so together my name means “safe appearance”. but, my mom also took into consideration the radicals of the characters as well. the first character looks like it has a hat or a roof on it right? that is intentional. the character underneath the hat is the character/radical for girl, so my mom wanted to make sure that her daughter had something over her that would protect her. hence why she chose the character 安. the second character in my given name consists of primarily two other words/radicals, 亻+ 義. the first radical is a variation of ⼈, the chinese word for “person,” and the second radical can roughly translate to “righteous” which means when put together, 儀 can mean “righteous person.” however 儀 can also come to mean “the appearance of a righteous person” if you consider all of the meanings i’ve given so far. my parents thought heavily about what my name means, not only on a translation level but also on a structural level. 

if you’re writing a family with multiple children, consider having a generational name. in short, generational names usually have a shared character among a single generation of family members. both of my parents and their siblings are named in this manner. my mom and her siblings all have the 華 ( wah ) character in their names. my dad and his brother have the 少 ( siu ) character and his sisters have the 美 ( mei ) character in their names. my grandparents ( both sets ) thought to give their kids a generational link in their names. 

now let’s look at jackson wang’s given name, 嘉尔, which he explained was homophonic in meaning. this is a tangent but chinese people love homophones and it’s why we don’t trust the number 4 but love the number 8. his given name, romanized “gaa yee”/”jia er”  is essentially a homophone for “plus 2″. he said ( in a video that i cannot find anymore ) that his grandfather named him because he wanted the meaning to be “a king with two guards to protect him”. jackson’s last name 王 (wong/wang) means “king” so “king” “plus 2″ is the intention his grandfather had in naming him. 

but if you’re really not versed in things like fengshui or poetry or you don’t have someone with chinese literacy available to you, the next best thing is to honestly ... take a look at media. whether that’s celebrities or film/tv/book characters ( written by actual chinese people pls ) and see what their names are ( or at least the romanizations are ). this will help you figure out what sounds appropriate and what sounds like you’re just mashing sounds together ( see: cho chang is she korean... is she chinese?? who the fuck knows ). and then finding characters that give off a meaning ( like my name meaning “safe appearance” ) is just fine imo. 

and honestly sometimes giving a name doesn’t have to be so deep. like fan bingbing’s name literally translates to “ice ice” and i don’t even know what her brother, chengcheng’s name is supposed to mean, i think their parents just think having the duplicated character is fun and cute. so don’t stress yourself out. 

also a lot of what i’ve gone over has pertained to the common 3-character name ( 1 character surname, 2 character given name ) but you can also consider a 2 character name ( 1 character surname, 1 character given name ) ( see: xiao zhan ) or even a 2 character surname ( see: ouyang nana ). 

so finally, to get you started, here is a short list of characters and their romanizations that you can take a look at.

thank you so much for bearing with me, i know this is a lot of information to take in but it is great that you are seeking this information out in the first place. i also know that this may seem very daunting, and even for me it’s daunting sometimes, but if you have any more questions, please let me know and if you have anything you’d like to add, please let me know. 

[maniculum]

The name thing is also used to establish — when he mentions John’s name — that we’re dealing with an unreliable narrator on multiple fronts.

1) John & Dave are bad at research and/or communicating with each other. Dave says that John picked his pseudonym because it’s the most common first name in the world, which isn’t true. (It’s "Muhammad", or variants thereof.) Possible explanations:

They just assumed this was true and didn’t check.

Dave assumed this is why John picked it and hasn’t asked.

John looked up the U.S. Census data instead of global trends, either on purpose or by accident.

John actually thought it through slightly more and ignored all the names that are very common in other parts of the world but would stand out in the American Midwest, and didn’t bother to tell Dave he should do the same.

2) You just straight-up can’t trust Dave sometimes. As soon as he says "John" is the most common first name, he drops a Fun Fact: despite the popularity of both names, there's nobody named "John Wong". The person he’s talking to responds, "I work with a John Wong" and Dave concedes he’s "not above making shit up".

3) Information is sometimes withheld: what’s John’s last name? We’re four books in and I don’t think it’s ever been mentioned. Admittedly; this could be an artifact of the book’s origins — Pargin mentions in the acknowledgements of at least one of the books that John originated from a friend and fellow Internet writer who goes by the pseudonym "John Cheese". So it’s possible that John’s surname is canonically "Cheese" and Pargin just avoids saying it.

Purchased the new Jason Pargin novel and took note of the fact that he’s stopped publishing under the David Wong pseudonym. I get why he had to drop the bit, but I really did appreciate it- really great understated joke/characterization beat, sorta a great synedoche for the JDATE’s protagonist’s whole life situation.

[gothamstim]

True Self - chapter 1

So since after Batman: Urban Legends I couldn't stop thinking about what Oracle told Tim, and I wanted to give my interpretation with a story.

I neve truly wrote a fanfiction, so I tried now to write the first chapter to see if someone may appreciate my story. So, here we go, enjoy the absolute angst this is haha

Tim Drake was always up to analyse everything and everyone in his life. Analysing things made him feel in control, made him feel that he could make sure anything was handled. But Tim Drake never truly realised, up 'til one day, that he analyses everything and everyone but himself. He was starting to be aware that he suppressed any emotion, any thought about his life, to keep himself safe and in control. The suppression of feelings was common in the Wayne family for sure, starting from Bruce. But everyone in the batfam handled themselves always when it was necessary, not every minute of their life. Unfortunately, Tim always chose the last option. Why?

This has started when he had lost everyone he cared, one by one. He realised that he couldn't handle the pain, his grief. Emotions destroyed him, made him weak, vulnerable, made him lose control. So he tucked his feelings away.

But was "not feeling" enough for living? Or he was just barely surviving?

Even after Tim fortunately had again in his life the people he loved, he kept suppressing part of his true self. But what was his true self?

He was lost. He was so involved in saving the city, fixing everyone and helping them, that he gave away piece by piece the chance to really find out who he is, what he wants, up to this moment.

Tim felt pain in his heart, and felt an unpleasant sensation suffocate his mind and body. 'is it fear?' he thought.

Tim Drake was scared to analyse himself because he could find some things he didn't like about himself. Something to be scared of.

Perhaps he always knew what that was, but tried so strong to cancel those thoughts out of his mind that almost forgot what he was scared of.

A name always tucked to his heart, even when he lost his memories.

A name always came back to him.

A name he could never forget, no matter what.

Why? Why was that name so important to his heart? Why the innumerable feelings he suppressed always tried to break the walls he built around his heart when it came to that name?

Conner. Kon.

Suddenly, emotions bombarded the walls he built around himself.

What was that? Why did he had to feel this way for a person he always considered his best friend?

He liked girls. He HAD to like girls ONLY.

Not boys.

Why not? Was it wrong? Tim didn't know.

perhaps it was wong for HIM.

He thought that it was a truth that could destroy everything he achieved in his life. In particular his most important friendships. He couldn't do this to Conner. He would be disgusted, ashamed, for sure.

So, everytime he felt something, he tossed it away, like he was letting grow thorns around his heart. It hurted, but he was used to pain.

He won't let his stupid being ruin his life. Because it could only bring ruination, right?

For sure.

Involuntarily, a tear slipped from his control and made his way through his left cheek, touching the tip of his lip.

Was he really crying? Fear came back and tried to take control of him.

He had to be strong, he had to compose himself before any other emotion would surface.

He was sitting on a chair in the library of Wayne manor. But Tim didn't realise he was not alone anymore.

"Tim? Is something wrong? Are you okay?" the worried voice of the one and only Conner Kent came from the open window at his right. He was there, floating, and entered the room looking at Tim with a worried expression.

Tim gasped to have been caught by surprise and speak of the devil, it was his best friend.

Tim realised he couldn't speak so he raised up quickly from the chair, as it something burned him, and tried to leave the library. He had to get away from Kon, he wouldn't want him to see him like that.

"Tim!" Kon said, alarmed. Tim froze in place, startled by Conner's voice. Taking a breath, he turned toward him and tried his best to not show anything that slipped from his grasp a few moments before.

"What are you doing here?" he said, in a tone that sounded most accusingly as he expected. Conner raised his hands, like to reassure him and to apologize. "I'm sorry Tim, I didn't mean- I was not very far and I heard you sobbing and your heart beat so fast that I felt...like checking if you were okay"

"Well, I'm okay. Now if you would excuse me, I want to be alone"

Conner's face saddened hearing Tim using that cold tone to him.

Tim felt extremely guilty about it, but he needed space, and maybe being away from Conner for a few days would help him being in control of his emotions like he always did.

"You are evidently not, Tim. I won't force you to speak about what's troubling you, but just know that sometimes opening up to someone can make you feel better."

Tim's mouth involuntarily trembled. 'what is wrong with me? Am I really starting to lose control over myself?'

"I said I'm okay. You don't need to check on me everytime I breathe. Goodnight, Kon". Tim hated himself for how he was reacting, because he was angry with himself, not him.

Tim didn't see Kon's hurt expression. "Okay, I'm sorry then. Goodnight. I hope to see you tomorrow night at the birthday party. I'm coming with someone". And with that, he flied away.

The fucking party. It was Bart's birthday, and he invited of course the Young Justice and many other people. So Conner was going to bring someone to the party. Who? Him and Cassie Sandsmark didn't date since a long time. But Kon was always the crush of some girl. With his curly hair and undercut, his black leather jacket, the sunglasses, his tight red jeans, he always had admirers. Not mentioning his beautiful blue eyes, and his smile...

stop. STOP.

What was Tim doing? 'stop thinking about your best friend's goddamn smile' he cursed himself.

Tim closed his bedroom door and sighed. As if Bart heard his thoughts, Tim received a message from him:

22.17 (From: Bart) Hey yo Tim remember to bring someone to the party! See you tomorrow!!

The message was followed by too much emojis as always.

He didn't care, he would go to the party alone. And he won't think about Kon's companion. He won't think about Kon at all. He could do it. But as he was ready to go to sleep, sad and hurt blue eyes hurt by himself wodn't leave his mind. Another hear slipped from his eye, and he was sure he won't sleep at all.