#I want to emphasize that people can write and draw whatever they want to

[justawrites]

((Warning, long response incoming!! Sorry in advance!))

I totally agree with your vent post! While I really enjoy the fandom's diverse takes on Nari and Lamb's dynamic, motivations, and designs, I find that in AUs where they’re really horrible to each other romantically, they seem to lack any real chemistry. In these AUs, I often wonder what they could possibly even see in each other and wish they’d just move on, find someone else, or leave entirely. Oh well, at least I can enjoy the neat art styles. :/

I’ve also noticed that in AUs where Lamb abuses Nari, his agency is often completely stripped away, including the ability to care for himself, which feels annoyingly infantilizing. He also simply endures the abuse, like a battered spouse, with little to no pushback. It's frustrating, mainly because it feels like punishment for the sake of punishment, with no real motivations behind it. To me, these portrayals of Nari tend to exclude any grey area and lack nuance in terms of character development. They seem to focus on portraying Lamb as "good™" and Nari as "bad™," all while having the first abuse the second, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, tbh.

((Btw, I feel that if someone tried to trap Nari again, whether through marriage or whatever else, he would try to leave as quickly as possible. He spent a millennium trapped; even if he could get the crown back, why would he risk staying, only to be trapped again?!))

Honestly, your work is one of my favorite depictions of Nari and Lamb because you give them both agency and clear motivations, while highlighting their strengths alongside their flaws. I particularly love how Nari's departure allows him to heal and find himself. You also take into account the complexity of not just their dynamic, but also their interactions with the Bishops and the rest of the flock. It feels like you genuinely care about how these characters will end up. The AUs you create are so fun, I’m always impressed with how developed your worlds and scenarios are. Ultimately, I find your fics really interesting to read. As someone who loves world-building and visual development, your work has inspired me in how to approach my own AU.

((I have a lot of feelings about this and could go on forever, but I won’t—otherwise, I’d have to include a tl;dr! XD))

But anyways, thanks for your time and have a good one!

(No worry I love long asks <3) Long answer so below the cut

You! You get it! Though I won't sit here and say I don't enjoy toxic fictional relationships, but it all depends on the framing for me. In a lot of cases it feels like shipping for the sake of shipping. I mean in Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Unfulfilled, I definitely went with the toxic Lamb angle, and the more I think about that particular AU the less I want there to be any sort of positive feelings between the two. The more I think about that AU the less appeal romance has in it for me, and that's how I feel about a lot of AUs I see on here.

That being said, freak4freak power couple who are horrible people to everyone but each other is really fun lmao-

That's a big reason why I started God in a Godless Land in the first place if I'm honest. I wanted to explore a Narinder whose healing journey did not revolved around the Lamb or them being his caretaker, where when they meet again they're on as equal footing as a god and a semi-mortal can be. Spoiler alert, but Narinder and Lamb will have a conversation about this later.

And yeah I find it really boring when people throw nuance out the window. I don't like lumping all the blame on one character. I mean, Narinder was bad, yes, but at the end of the day the red crown was his and the Lamb did betray him, but most people shift it all onto Narinder. Also mostly unrelated but I think a lot of people forget/ignore that he did not want to be spared. He protests when the Lamb spares him and laughs when the Lamb kills him, so when I see an AU where they have him cowering in fear and begging for his life it's just like. I'm sorry what. That cat is not afraid to die. If anything he's probably afraid to live. (Side note, I also take issue with Unholy Alliance pushing almost all of the blame onto Shamura)

But yeah, in a lot of AUs I just. I want Narinder to either leave or find someone in the cult, at least, who will help him detangle his identity from the red crown and death itself. I would love to see more people exploring his healing arc separate from the Lamb. Obviously I tend to focus on his relationship with the Bishops, but it's also nice when people let him strike out on his own.

Narinder spent a thousand years trying to get out of chains, there's no doubt in my mind that he wouldn't let the Lamb even metaphorically chain him down. That's another thing about Godless Land that hasn't really been touched on yet; when Narinder chooses to settle down in Riverwood, it's his own choice. No one is making him stay and he's not subservient to anyone. There is no master, no one to be bowed down to and no one bowing, and he chooses to stay. When Wren confesses his feelings, Narinder can say no. There's no power or status difference between them in the godless lands. He can say no. He chooses Wren purely because he wants to; he isn't bound to obedience or subservience. It's his choice, and it is also so so easy to make these things his choice with the Lamb and cult as well, but all too often it's not. And, in that conversation between them I mentioned earlier, Narinder even acknowledges this; had he stayed in the cult and the Lamb shared with him their feelings, he probably would have accepted because that's how cults work. You don't reject the leader and you don't reject the god. He would have felt like he had no choice.

(Also this is just a personal me thing but I am very bored of the "Narinder tries to get the crown back" angle lmao I mean, go off y'all, write what y'all want and have fun with it. I'm more partial to "Narinder either chills out immediately because sunlight and berries and sleep for the first time in a milennia" or "Narinder goes into retirement mode and just shrugs his shoulders any time anything happens- your cult not mine")

hhhhh thank you so muchhh I really do love the stories/worlds I create. And I understand on some level CotL is like... a story about cults and killing and things are inherently unhealthy, all things considered, but I really really wanted to focus on the idea of Lamb (and the Bishops, once they've chilled the fuck out and basically became cleansed lol) wanting to change the world (even if they end up repeating patterns before figuring it out) and Narinder learning to live again without the weight of the life he once lived on his shoulders. But the shift for the gods from being worshiped deities who command and don't give their followers a second glance to worshiped deities who protect and love their followers...... they really do want to change things hhhgjg

I would have more to say myself but I have 5 minutes before class starts so imma leave the response here kjgfjk but thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying my stories!! I'm having a blast writing them so I'm happy to hear someone out there is enjoying them <3

[jesncin]

I would love to see a full comic book run of your Superman. Yours feels intimate on a level I have never felt before. It’s really touching. You do so well with writing him and Lois. I cannot emphasize how much I love this. I want to devour and merge with it.

Thank you!! This means the world to me that people are recognizing the intimate side of my version of Superman and Lois. When we were given a class assignment to remix the Justice League long ago, my prof said our comic was great but that he wasn't sure if DC would pick up our stories because we wrote the characters being "sensitive" and "touchy feel-y". I'm glad that I can just write and draw whatever I want here and just let the fans enjoy something so personal on their own terms.

[insanelyadd]

Let Papyrus Say Fuck Day Year 3!

In one week (next Friday, June 16th) it is the third annual #LetPapyrusSayFuck Day! This is the official announcement post, feel free to reblog it and send it to all your fellow Papyrus enjoyers, spread the word so everyone who may be interested can hear about it and get plenty of time to prepare. :>

Prompts:

Papyrus swearing for whatever reason (yelling at people babying him, electrocuted himself, humorously trying to tell Sans to shut the fuck up)

Papyrus commits arson

Anything that portrays Papyrus as a cool dude (using his blasters, building cool puzzles, being ambassador of monsters)

Anything that emphasizes that Papyrus is an adult/doesn't baby him

Bonus!

Include another character, from UT or anything else, that you want to be saying fuck with Papyrus (Inspired by the @let-them-say-fuck-tournament ) If you do include another character from Undertale or another fandom, I encourage you to make a #Let(character)SayFuck tag (no spaces so it's the same on twitter and tumblr)

Papyrus is encouraging others who deserve to say fuck for whatever reason to join him on the wonderful #LetPapyrusSayFuck Day! I already have an idea for what to do with this prompt, in addition to a completely normal standalone of Papyrus.

Rules:

Tag your posts with #swearing (if that applies) #LetPapyrusSayFuck (regardless of whether he is or not) as well as #Papyrus #undertale and any other fandom or character tags that may apply.

You don't need to go all out and paint a masterpiece, you can draw a shitpost-y doodle, write a fic, knit a sweater?? Whatever you want! Just have fun. <3

If you aren't able to get your piece done for the actual day that's completely fine! Papyrus can swear any day of the year, and no matter what I'll be reblogging as many posts as I can to @letpapyrussayfuckofficial (which you are free to tag in your post!)

Don't forget to join the festivities by reblogging and liking other participants art, fics, whatever they've made! This is a fun communal event and I want it to be uplifting and supportive! :>

Have Fun!

[myargalargan]

A Classical Polinalysis: Ep. 4

Hello friends, Polin lovers, and people who may be vaguely interested in classical music!

I have yet another installment of deeply overanalyzing the use of Classical music in Bridgerton season 3, picking up from my last post about episode 3. :D

Here is the list of pieces used in this episode, in the order they appear:

String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3, No. 5, Hob.III:17, “Serenade”: I. Presto

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 53 in D Major, Op. 64, “Tost”, No. 5, Hob.III:63, “The Lark”: III. Menuet. Allegretto

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 64 in D Major, Op. 76, “Erdödy”, No. 5, Hob.III:79, “Largo”/“Friedhofsquartett”: I. Allegretto. Allegro

Now, when I first started writing this, I jokingly thought about introducing it by saying, “Look, we know this episode is all about the Pitbull, but I wanted to try to make the Classical analysis work anyway.” But upon further reflection, I think that this might actually be my take on this episode…

See, I think this episode stands out in its relative dearth of Classical music. In fact, when I initially began noting the Classical music tracks that I thought were significant to Polin, episode 4 was the only episode of this season for which I had written none down, and it wasn’t until I discovered this list of tracks from Netflix that I realized what I’d overlooked. And that’s because it’s the only episode where not a single piece of Classical music plays in the background while either Colin or Penelope are on screen, let alone while they’re on screen together. So when I sat down to overthink the musical choices this episode, I struggled to tie the three pieces that are used in the episode to Polin’s story.

Now, I do have some thoughts on the Classical pieces themselves, which I’ll get to towards the end, but I’m gonna take a slightly different angle with this episode’s analysis, because now I’m thinking that the lack of music can actually speak volumes…

Colin and Penelope spend much of the episode apart. And not even in the way they are “apart” in episode 3, where Colin is staring longingly at Penelope from the other side of a room. No, in episode 4, they’re barely even in the same room. They only have one scene where they share the same space but do not interact—in that stuffy old guy’s library—until Colin interrupts Penelope and Debling’s dance at the Queen’s ball and the rest is history.

And I know their lack of screentime together got a lot of criticism this season, but narratively, it works—we’re supposed to feel the pain of their separateness so that we long for them to be together. And the choice of music in this episode does two things: it makes us feel Colin and Penelope’s separation viscerally, and it allows for a cathartic build towards the euphoria of them coming together. Which is where the Pitbull comes in.

I want to back up a little bit to talk about the basic elements of the Bridgerton soundtrack. There’s the original score by Kris Bowers, there's the Classical pieces that are typically used as background music at balls, and there's the string covers of pop songs. On the scale of “we used this piece of music to emphasize narrative importance,” the string covers are always at the top—they stand out in the musical texture, viewers recognize them easily, the song titles and lyrics can be pretty on-the-nose in terms of significance to the plot (hello “Jealous”)... They’re an immediate attention-getter and thus a clear signal that whatever’s happening on screen is meaningful and worth notice. The Classical tracks are way more subtle and—despite my lengthy analyses where I seem to be convincing myself otherwise—way less likely to have been chosen for narrative significance over the fact that they match whatever dancing is happening on screen (with some pretty clear exceptions for when there isn’t any dancing on screen). The original score falls somewhere in the middle, helping to shape the mood of a scene without necessarily trying to draw attention to the music.

Why do I bring this up?

Because each episode up to now (and, unless I prove myself wrong later, each episode following) has made ubiquitous use of all three of these musical elements throughout the development of Colin and Penelope’s relationship, and now, in episode 4, as we are deprived of Polin even being in the same room together, we are also being deprived of the musical components of their story.

Not only is there no Classical accompaniment to any Colin or Penelope scenes this episode, but the original score further emphasizes their separateness through its treatment of Polin's theme (for more about the musical motif used to represent Colin and Penelope this season, you can read my post here!). Up until this episode, Polin's theme has been woven throughout the soundtrack in moments where Colin and Penelope are on screen together, usually in a mood that is either soaring and romantic or jaunty and flirtatious. In episode 4, however, the two times we hear Polin's theme are Colin scenes, and they are moments when Colin is acutely aware of the lack of Penelope's presence. Not only that, but the musical mood of both occurrences is…almost foreboding.

The first time we hear the theme this episode is during Colin's attempted "revelry" at the brothel, before he realizes he can't actually go through with it. An intense variation of Polin's theme plays in the background here—the melody is heard in the minor mode, accompanied by agitated descending triplets. The next time we hear Polin's theme, it's after Violet reveals to Colin that Penelope is expecting a proposal at the Queen's ball. Violet gives Colin her pointed "I do hope you feel better," turns, leaves Colin alone on the stairs, and then Colin stands there looking distressed while the first five notes of his and Penelope's theme floats, lilting and melancholy and unsettlingly unresolved, to the forefront of the musical texture.

So, we have no Classical music accompanying Colin or Penelope this episode. And we have only dark representations of Polin's theme, underscoring moments of Colin's deep loneliness. Through the soundtrack, we are made to yearn for what we had in previous episodes. Until, at last, we have the carriage scene.

Now, this scene actually exists in turns on opposite sides of the "music used to emphasize narrative importance" spectrum. First, there is a continued use of lack of music to tell the story of Colin and Penelope's separateness. The moment Colin pulls Penelope's carriage door open and cries out her name, the soundtrack goes silent. Colin questions Penelope about Debling's proposal and insists Debling isn't right for her with only the sounds of the carriage ride in the background. And his gorgeous confession of feelings is unaccompanied by any music. This serves to highlight the dialogue, like an actor giving a soliloquy on stage lit by one stark, bright spotlight. And it drives intensity, that one stark spotlight creating deep contrast between the brightly-lit actor and the darkness of the rest of the stage.

Then Colin finishes his confession. He admits that he would rather exist in a state of torturous longing for Penelope than give up his feelings for her. As soon as he stops speaking, we get that first hit of strings from the cover of "Give Me Everything." We remain suspended for a few more moments, through Penelope's disbelief, through Colin's confused despair, through repeated staccato hits of the strings in the background music, like a beating heart or a ticking clock. And then the tension finally breaks, Colin and Penelope's separation finally resolved, when they kiss at long last, and the song takes off in earnest.

And now, musically, narratively, we are satisfied. In this moment, the Pitbull cover is like a long, refreshing drink of water after an episode-long journey through a Polin musical desert.

So, my initial point was that the lack of any Classical music accompanying any of Colin or Penelope's scenes both emphasizes their separateness in this episode and makes the use of music in the final carriage scene that much more impactful. But on top of that, I feel like the Classical music that is used in this episode even further illustrates a theme of subverting expectations (a theme which, in a circular self-referential meta sort of way, is demonstrated by the relative lack of Classical music…).

Pretty much everyone throughout this entire episode has their expectations turned upside-down at some point:

Violet expects Lord Samadani to be the first caller of the day but then Lord Kilmartin walks in

Colin expects to be able to distract himself with some "revelry" but he can't even bring himself to be a passive observer

Lord Anderson is surprised to learn that his sister is a molder of society

Francesca thinks Lord Kilmartin is being cold towards her but then he unexpectedly presents her with a courting gift

The Queen expects Francesca to go for Lord Samadani, but Francesca does not drink his lemonade

Debling expects his proposal to be a sure thing, until he realizes that Bridgerton house is directly across the street from the Featheringtons

And Penelope, of course, is completely taken by surprise at Colin's confession

And the Classical tracks used during this episode all have a bit of subversion going on themselves.

First we have movement I of the String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5, which plays during the Queen's ball while Francesca is dancing with Lord Samadani, and Lord Anderson and Violet talk about love matches. The unexpected thing about this piece is that we have another instance (as with a different piece in a previous episode) of mistaken attribution. For nearly 200 years, this string quartet was thought to be one of Haydn's, until the 1960s when a couple musicologists proposed that Haydn's name was used as a ploy to increase sales of a work that was actually written by a lesser-known composer named Roman Hoffstetter. However, in the 80s, another musicologist performed a study of the work that shed doubt on even the Hoffstetter attribution.

Something I find particularly fun about the usage of this piece is that, immediately after its conclusion in the show, we have the scene where Lady Danbury and the Queen discuss how even Lady Whistledown couldn't possibly argue with the brilliance of the Queen's match between Francesca and Lord Samadani. Lady Danbury postulates that this may have opened the door to "a friendlier alliance" between the Queen and Lady Whistledown, to which the Queen agrees. Of course, we the audience know that there is still much more conflict to be had where Lady Whistledown is concerned, so we have a bit of foreshadowing here. Just like the misattribution of the string quartet to Haydn, not all is as it seems for the Queen and the expectations she has for the remainder of the season.

Then we have the third movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 53 (yes, this one is actually by Haydn this time), which plays while Mrs. Mondrich and Lady Danbury talk about Will not giving up the bar, Benedict and Tilley talk to Lord and Lady Fuller about the half-naked ballet dancer, and Cressida and Eloise discuss Cressida's father being a bloody fool. This piece is what's known as a minuet and trio, a popular dance form that's basically two pieces in one—a lively minuet, a contrasting trio, and then the minuet repeated again. In and of themselves, minuet and trio movements already have a bit of the unexpected built in: the trio part in the middle is sometimes quite different from the minuet, and is usually written in a different key and sometimes even a different time signature and tempo.

The trio of this particular Haydn piece doesn't stray far from the minuet (the minuet is in the key of D Major and the trio is in D minor), but it is highly chromatic, making frequent use of notes that don't occur naturally in the key. The minuet, for its part, uses grace notes about as often as the trio uses chromaticisms, which sometimes plays with your sense of the rhythm, suddenly shifting from the typical waltz-like three count to more of a skipping, syncopated "1-2" duple feel. These elements create delightful little surprises throughout the piece, which I think makes an interesting backdrop to some of the accompanying conversations, especially Eloise and Cressida. What a delightful surprise, and how unexpected it is, to see Cressida renouncing her father ("besides, he is a fool"), declaring her agency ("no, my father will have to endure it"), and taking an interest in Eloise's alternative ideas about society ("how do you see things exactly?").

Finally, we have the first movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 64, which I almost hesitate to bring up because it's barely in the episode!—we only hear the last 7 seconds or so of the movement as Francesca finishes a dance with Lord Samadani, just before he goes to get her lemonade and Lord Kilmartin approaches. However, the piece does fit nicely into the theme of subverting expectations. If you listen to the full movement, not just those last few seconds, you'll notice it has a pretty moderate pace, like a leisurely stroll around a garden. This slow feel is unusual for the first movement of a string quartet, which typically will have a fast first movement and a slow second movement. The structure of the movement is unusual, as well—at the time, it was common practice for the first movement of a string quartet to be in what's called "sonata" or "sonata allegro" form. Without getting too much into what that form looks and sounds like, this movement is not that. The sonata form is made up of three main sections: an A part that introduces and then plays with a bunch of thematic material, a B part that goes on a bit of a tonal journey as it modulates through a bunch of different keys, and then a modified A part that comes back at the end. The first movement of this quartet, on the other hand, does not do any of that—it's more of a free-form theme and variations, where a motif is introduced and then repeated several times, with each repetition modifying the motif in some way.

We don't actually get to hear any of this in the show, but I still think it's a neat idea to reference this movement—which very much goes against what one would expect to hear in this sort of a piece—during a moment in the show where we the audience, along with some of the characters, are about to have some expectations turned around.

In the previous episode, we see Colin losing out on his desires because he's still letting societal expectations get the better of him. In this episode, we see him throw expectations and decorum out the window in order to follow his heart (after all, as Lady Whistledown says about the heart vs head conflict that is central to the episode, "when one chooses the heart over the head, often, all reason goes out the window"). It seems fitting for this to happen against a backdrop of a soundtrack that, in several different ways, flouts our own expectations of what the soundtrack should be.

❤️

Whoo, thanks for sticking with me! Here's some of the research I used for this post!

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartets,Op._3(attributed_to_Haydn)

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Hoffstetter

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://www.jstor.org/stable/898314?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Haydn-String-Quartet-in-D-major-Op-64-No-5-HobIII_63-Lark/

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://www.parlancechamberconcerts.org/individual-program-notes/joseph-haydn-(1732-1809)/string-quartet-in-d-major%2C-hob.-iii%2F63%2C-op.-64%2C-no.-5%2C-%E2%80%9Cthe-lark%E2%80%9D

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://djbartel.com/franz-joseph-haydn-string-quartet-lark/

Haydn's String Quartet No. 64: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartets,Op._76(Haydn)

Haydn's String Quartet No. 64: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Haydn-String-Quartet-in-D-major-Op-76-No-5-HobIII_79-Largo/

[antianakin]

hiii, it's me again, someone who keeps popping in to say things nobody asked for lol. i was wondering if people who've been in the fandom longer (like you) agree with my impression that the novelizations are reallyyy important context for fanon interpretations? i didn't realize this until a discussion i had today iwth someone who helpfully summarized some of the popular prequel novels, which seem to match up really well with headcanons & fanon personalities. apparently stover emphasized obi-wan's devotion to anakin and how he's a ride or die for him. and apparently another popular novel wrote an adult obi-wan "as if a teenager in emotional maturity" which also would, you know- explain a lot.

the novels i've actually read are the jedi apprentice series, which i don't have much issues with, even though they certainly spin the trauma wheel lol. maybe it's been qui-gon and obi-wan both feel as if they are trying their best and their misunderstandings due to mutual action, rather than pure passivity? or maybe that even though the books have very dramatic conflicts that certainly put obi-wan in woobifiable situations, they more often than not help draw out distinct characteristics and strengths of his through those situations?

Just for clarity, I have NOT been in this fandom all that long by my own standards. I obviously did watch Star Wars as a kid and read some Star Wars fanfics when I was really young, but in terms of "participating in fandom" as such, that's really only been happening since like... 2021 maybe? It was basically a COVID byproduct, I had the time to consume some Star Wars stuff I'd never managed to get around to before and things devolved from there. And I honestly have read hardly any of the novels or comics myself, including the official film novelizations. Like you, the only books I've actually read are the Jedi Apprentice middle grade books, and that's really it.

So while I can speak to some of the experiences I've had in this fandom since I got into it a few years ago, I cannot speak to what fandom has been like since those novelizations were released almost 20 years ago now.

Matthew Stover's ROTS novelization seems to be pretty popular and considered one of the better novelizations. I've had people tell me that there's SOME evidence Lucas had something to do with the book and so it's often considered a fairly high level of canon as a result.

But the passage you're referencing where Stover emphasizes how Obi-Wan is "ride or die" for Anakin is genuinely one of the reasons I've never bothered to read it, no matter how pretty people say his prose is. If you want to actually see it yourself, I'll copy it below.

The line in question comes from an extended version of the scene in ROTS where Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu are discussing Anakin's reaction to being asked to spy on Palpatine as Yoda heads off to Kashyyyk.

“I think," Obi-Wan said carefully, "that abstractions like peace don't mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him." Mace and Yoda gazed at him steadily, and Obi-Wan had to lower his head. "Because," he admitted reluctantly, "he knows I would do the same for him.”

Interpret the scene how you will, I guess. The Anakin characterization meshes with how I tend to understand the character, but the Obi-Wan characterization could not be farther away from how I see him in canon.

I don't know anything about whatever novel wrote Obi-Wan as though he had the emotional maturity of a teenager. That doesn't ring any bells for me. It wouldn't surprise me at all if there are authors who've written Star Wars books that just simply don't like Obi-Wan all that much and so if he shows up in their work, he could come across as having the emotional maturity of a teenager because that's how that author chose to write him. It would seem odd for it to show up in an official film novelization, I would expect it more in some of the Legends content, but I suppose it's not impossible.

Legends content in general DOES have an impact on fanon and fan interpretations of Star Wars because, for a long while, it was the only way to GET more Star Wars content beyond the films themselves. For a lot of people, they were canon because there was nothing to refute them. And even once there was, people sometimes were still so attached to those stories that they preferred them to the story told in the films.

So, yeah, it can have a major impact on people's understanding of things. Often if you get into discussions about, say, the Jedi or the Force, people will bring up Legends content to prove their arguments. You shouldn't feel like this means you personally have to consume any Legends content you don't want to consume. I tend to avoid it most of the time. It is perfectly for you to just stick with the films or the shows or whatever books you find most interesting. And even within that, what you consider canon doesn't have to include literally everything you've chosen to consume. I've read the Jedi Apprentice books and enjoyed them, but it ISN'T real canon and I don't necessarily take any of it into account in my own interpretations of the characters. Legends content and Disney EU content is, in many ways, just officially licensed fanfiction. If you don't consider every fanfic you read to be canon, you do not have to consider every Legends book or comic you choose to read to be canon, either. Sometimes it's fun to just see other people's takes on Star Wars even if there's no way to fit into the canon story of Star Wars (as a side note, this is why I love Star Wars: Visions so much as a show).

I don't know if this really answered your question. As someone who doesn't consume a lot of Legends content and hasn't read a single one of the official film novelizations, I may not be the right person to ask about this.

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC Pick a Palette: One Small Thing That Will Help You Grow ☕🌞💴

Welcome back to my pick a card readings! This time we're looking at the time between our New Moon sowing and our Full Moon flowering. At this stage of the magic making process, work has gone underway to build upon the seed that was germinated and growth happens. Soon it will reveal the peak of its work through the flower, but before then the stem and leaves also deserve attention. They're the ones helping to power the whole thing!

It's important, then, to look at what you're using and where you are in the process. Not everything is meant to grow at the same rate, but sometimes the right ingredients like plant food or pruning clippers can do an incredible job at providing a needed boost.

Pick one of these three color palette swatches to find out what you can add or remedy to assist the growth of your own magic!

(Forgive me if the spread out looks a bit funky this time, it's all about finding the part of the house with the best natural lighting!)

Pile 1: Coffee Beans

Draw: Four of Wands; Queen of Pentacles, Page of Wands, Death 18 - Communication, Aries Rising - Act, Heartsease - Compassion "Tread a little more tenderly."

You need more space to grow whatever it is you're creating. A bird can try to lay an egg without a nest, but it's never going to be easy. Building a sturdy nest increases the young's chance of survival. You should try considering the space in which you're using to create your project or desire: are you writing a novel in a cluttered room, or cooking a meal when you can't find half of your measuring cups and saucepans? Are you meditating in a place where it's difficult to tune out the background noise?

Four of Wands talks about creating the space for you to thrive like the corn in Queen of Pentacles. The Queen is able to cultivate her garden in peace and certainty that abundance is hers. You are meant to take what it is you're doing and allow it to grow, so the Queen is being quite literal here. But she wants you to do it from a place of joy and enthusiasm instead of dread.

The Page is fired up from drinking coffee and is ready to go. But you must be in a place of ease with yourself to do this. Your message is to act upon your growth, but do it from a gentle place and at a gentle pace. Do not try to over exert yourself when you do have the space to practice or create. Do not try, for example, to squeeze 45 minutes of exercise into 5 minutes, thinking that it's all the time you're allowed, so why not go overboard, amiright? This is the fast lane to killing what you're growing and your joy for it, pile 1, and what you're growing is still in a very delicate stage. You have time to work out the details, so don't rush this. Heartease was the first card to pop out and the only card to jump, so it's really emphasizing the need to be careful with how you spend your time and energy.

The Communication card is the only one that really stands out to me. Perhaps what you're developing has to do with communications. Writing a book, preparing a speech, blogging, interview, etc. but it could also have to do with growing your connections with other people through how you communicate. You could be rekindling an old friendship from school or meeting someone for coffee? In any case, Compassion is the keyword here. Be gentle and ready to listen more to feedback, while creating a safe space for your friend or colleague to communicate clearly with you. This is a meetup you'll want to act upon, but do so from a place of kindness.

Also for some reason, maybe it's because I heard the song recently while out, but Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" is in my head while typing your reading and only your reading. Argh, such an earworm! If this person you're meeting up with hurt your heart in some way way back in the past… yeah it's cool to be on the defensive, assert your boundaries. Heartease, however, still asks that you treat this situation with diplomacy.

Pile 2: Radiance

Draw: Eight of Wands; Queen of Pentacles, King of Swords, Knight of Pentacles 19 - Healing Grief, Pisces Rising - Dream, Wisteria - Longevity "Plan for and take the dedicated path."

You have some similarities to pile 1, so if you were interested in that pile I recommend checking it out for messages. For starters, you have Queen of Pentacles in the exact same space on your spread, so that tells me there's a lot of collective push for undertaking rapid growth at this time. The Queen does it from an appearance of near effortlessness, but it's not without considerable effort on her part. She's able to handle a lot with grace and consistency.

It seems like in your cards, pile 2, you're pretty solid when it comes to growing towards your goals. You've become used to trucking along without must reprieve, as if it's from one thing to another as smoothly as the train cars pass the railroad crossing. You're being asked to remember about the power of momentum, and about the little things that add up. Think of how a bird takes off. When it starts flapping, it flaps hard. Once it's high in the sky, it spreads out and soars with ease. It requires a lot of steady pushing, one flap at a time, but eventually when it takes off it gains more speed than ever.

Again like with pile 1, you have all the time you need to make your dreams grow and flourish. Just don't be surprised if this takes a rather long time to accomplish. The Queen of Pentacles is less interested in quantity or time efficiency as she is in quality. It's not that she isn't punctual, far from it, but she and the Knight know that the best fruits are ones that ripen when they're ready to. You're being encouraged to plan for the long term, with wise judgement as the King of Swords suggests, and to open yourself up to envisioning more brilliant avenues to fly through. Imagine what would make your heart soar, and grow that instead of something that you merely feel "obligated" to do. Great things can take time, but it'll be completely worth the wait.

Also, my sun catcher reflected a rainbow perfectly on the osprey in this Eight of Wands card, it's nice. There is a radiance that comes from taking time to grow something to how you want it to be, like the bird with its fish catching talents (it can pluck them right out of the water and fly around boasting its catch). Your skills will shine here, just be sure to care for yourself in the meantime.

Pile 3: Perfect Penny

Draw: Nine of Wands; II High Priestess, XIV Temperance, Seven of Wands 25 - Truth, Taurus Moon - Relax, Belladonna - Silence "Listen more and quiet be."

So this was an interesting spread because at first I couldn't tell if the message was to hold on or let go. Maybe that's your current dilemma when it comes to growth. And it's a valid one, cause it's a lot like the pruning stage. You have to decide which leaves are valuable to your health, and which leaves are dead and must be clipped away.

The penny is like… saving a wishing penny for a rainy day. You're on the defense with Nine of Wands. Do I use this penny now to accomplish this, you ask, or I should I save it for later when I might use it for something else? Nine of Wands is a lot of energy being deliberately held back for a reason, like an arrow ready to fire. It could be that you're maybe putting a little too much perfectionism into the idea. What you're growing has not yet been grounded into the material world, it's still a passion idea or a fire in your heart but you're holding it back. But Nine of Wands is also a Sagittarius card, doubly so since Sagittarius is the 9th sign. The requirement here for growth is pushing forward with optimism that your wish will not go to waste. There's an energy of perfectionism here especially as it took me exactly nine photos before I settled for this one. I finally decided it didn't have to be perfect, it just had to feel ok enough!

My first reaction was to say "trust your gut and you'll learn to balance the give and take," then High Priestess and Temperance came out together! Somewhere inside you already know what it is you would like to do with "the penny" of an idea you're casting into the wishing well. You don't have to overthink this. It's a matter of coming from a heart-centered place of Truth. Belladonna is showing you how to tap into your intuition: "listen more, silent be." Listen closely to what your heart is wishing to do. Balance this out with how others may perceive your goals or growth. There may be people who say something like, "you're going to use what you got on 'that'?" or "are you really sure that's what you want to do?"

It takes practice to choose from a place of intuitive open mindedness, but it will reward you in this case. You're being reminded to stay relaxed and steady about this. Making the next move doesn't have to come from a place of high pressure or unneeded stress, even if it's time sensitive. But by learning to listen to your intuition more, the part that tells you how to proceed from a place of optimism within reason, you'll be able to more quickly expand and grow upon what it is you're creating. With penny's copper corresponding to Venus as well as Taurus moon, it's suggested here that you could receive monetary or financial growth through this, as well.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

[sombra-conlangs]

I just had a thought I want to share: I don't think the conlang community is great at helping beginners to get into conlanging, and while the art form is kind of esoteric and requires lots of knowledge I also think there's probably better approaches for tackling the huge task of learning how to create an entire language.

I can't figure out a way to say it concisely, I'll just spew out all my thoughts on this so hopefully others can see where I'm coming from and share their thoughts, I'm curious to hear what y'all have to say.

First let's look at something that I've noticed is pretty common in other artistic hobbies and communities:

When people decide to learn a new skill there can be a lot of excitement that builds up initially, they may have never touched an instrument in their life but they have this burning desire to jump right into writing and recording an awesome guitar solo, just like the ones they hear in their favorite songs, or they may not have any drawing and writing experience at all but the first thing they wanna do is start working on an entire webcomic series drawn in a highly detailed art style because they came up with an idea for a story that would be amazing. Whatever the skill is, it happens often that someone sees a work of art that is so inspiring that they want to make something just like it themselves.

Of course, when people try a new art form for the first time the results don't tend to be very good, when you've never done a thing before it's unrealistic to expect yourself to be able to replicate the stuff that people with a few years of experience and practice can make.

And that can be a pretty frustrating experience because if someone tries their hardest to create that dream project of theirs with no experience it'll inevitably end up taking a huge amount of effort (due to the person not knowing how to do things in a more efficient way) and then it won't even be as good as they envisioned anyway, and some can walk away from these experiences with the impression that music is simply too hard or they're just not made to be artists or writers or game designers or whatever the craft is.

I think this is why when you take a class on the subject or you hear advice online people often try to get you to lower the scope of your first projects, they emphasize the importance of practicing your fundamentals first, because you may be super excited to jump right into painting hyper-realistic portraits, but if you don't build any familiarity with your tools and you don't train those basic skills you're never going to be able to turn the awesome idea in your head into a reality, and your expectations are going to be too high for you to enjoy the process because you just won't be able to meet those expectations.

Starting with a scope that is far too big ends up just being a frustrating experience that doesn't actually teach you a whole lot, you gotta work on a bunch of smaller, simpler stuff first before you move on to making more advanced things. In other words, you gotta build up to the higher levels, you don't start at level 100, you start at level 1 and then you slowly go up from there.

You may see where I'm going with this: we don't tend to do that in the conlang community.

People who become interested in making languages may be familiar with the concept of conlangs from hearing about Klingon, High Valyrian, Sindarin or similar works, and so they get excited to jump right into making a naturalistic artlang as their first conlang, or they may not even know what the term "naturalistic artlang" even means but they try to make a detailed, fully speakable language for a fictional setting, which is kind of the same thing, or at least it's in the same spirit.

I think tons of conlangers start that way (myself included), it's super common, but I had the realization earlier that starting with a naturalistic artlang is actually kind of crazy, that's a project with a huge scope, it requires you to have so much knowledge beforehand that I'd argue it's the equivalent of trying to play a Paganini piece live in front of an audience on your first time playing the violin ever, of course it's gonna be seen as an impossibly difficult or complex hobby, you're jumping into level 100 right off the bat, no wonder lots of conlangers end up hating their first conlang.

I legit had a moment earlier today when I was thinking "conlanging is not that hard, you just gotta learn the basics of IPA, then learn about syllable structure and phonotactics, then become acquainted with the different mechanisms of how sounds can change over time, then learn what a romanization is and how to make one based on your phonology, then learn how words get grammaticalized.. then learn about all the different types of writing systems... then... huh wait a minute..."

I had this realization that the amount of knowledge you're expected to learn on your first conlang project is kind of ridiculous, it's easy to lose track of how advanced the stuff you're doing is when you've grown so used to it, it's like that xkcd comic.

Yeah this one. Like, the diachronic method of conlanging might not seem that complicated if you're using it for the 47th time, but for a newcomer there are a ton of things they need to learn first in order to even start using the diachronic method.

And even if you don't evolve your conlang from a proto-language there's still a ton of details and moving parts in a naturalistic language: the syntax, the morphology, the phonology, the different levels of formality and social aspects, writing systems, etc.

I feel like trying to capture all of the different nuances of a natural language on your first attempt at a conlang is just too big of a scope in the same way that making your first videogame an open-world RPG with multiple endings tends to result in people quitting game development because they get overwhelmed with the amount of new information that they need to learn and so they lose all their motivation.

All of this came to my mind because I was having a conversation with someone who doesn't have a background in linguistics and I was trying to help them figure out how to make their first conlang, and as the conversation went on I realized that even the posts aimed at beginners I write on my wordpress site are actually way too detailed and complex, like, my post that teaches you to read IPA- let me stop right there, the fact that I have a single post where I expect people to be able to learn IPA just so that they can start conlanging says it all.

And ok, you may be thinking that's just a me issue, but honestly I started to re-watch various youtube videos on how to conlang aimed at beginners and I feel like if I had zero knowledge of linguistics I'd struggle to follow along with the majority of them, in each video there's usually multiple new concepts being introduced at a very rapid pace and a number of things that you're already assumed to be familiar with.

No shade at people like biblaridion and artifexian, I personally find their content helpful, my point is that most learning resources for beginner conlangers (including the stuff I make on my website) do this thing where they infodump a ton of technical information and introduce a lot of new jargon fairly quickly and while that can work for some people I'm starting to think that that's not the best way to go about things.

This may seem kind of random, but I remember this very old video by extra credits where they explained how a good tutorial in a videogame doesn't front-load all of the information you'll ever need, they segment it into smaller chunks so you only learn the few bits of information that are immediately relevant, you get to immediately apply that knowledge, familiarize yourself with the concept at your own pace, and then once you've had some time to play with it you are introduced to a new small bit of information. I know learning an artistic skill is not identical to learning how to play a game, but I find that I learn better this way in general, the knowledge just sticks more, I think that introducing concepts in more bite-size, applicable chunks would probably go a long way to make this hobby more accessible to more people.

Maybe we should be recommending newcomers to practice with naming langs, minimal conlangs, personal conlangs, relexes, ciphers, codes, or idk something else to let people become acquainted with the dozens of concepts that show up in languages in a way that doesn't immediately become overwhelming.

Like, maybe this is a hot take, but I feel like in order to make your first conlang you probably shouldn't even worry about what a place or manner of articulation is, you probably don't need to evolve it or add any irregularity or allophones or any of the stuff we're so used to including as conlangers, you can slowly learn those later.

Think about it, in order to learn how to draw realism you practice the most basic fundamentals first; drawing circles and cubes in perspective over and over again, trying to break down complex images into simple abstract shapes, etc. I think we could do the same in conlanging and teach the necessary skills with projects of a smaller scope.

I just remembered about quothalinguist's choose your own adventure type book for teaching beginner conlangers and I think that's awesome, I haven't read it but I definitely will, we should probably get more introductory material like that, stuff that's more manageable and doesn't require a huge time investment in order to teach you a lot, I think that's a really good approach.

And for that matter I've been curious about the conlang year thing, maybe that'd also be a more manageable way to introduce someone to conlanging.

Just spitballing a few ideas here but imagine teaching about basic morphology by encouraging people to make a sketchlang where they only use sounds present in their native language. Without needing them to know any IPA or anything about phonology you can get them started on experimenting with certain things, like putting words together, compounding, affixing, etc. Remember that the results don't have to be naturalistic, that's not the point, the point is to avoid the situation where people need to learn a thousand concepts before they can even set pen to paper, they get to start experimenting and playing with different concepts in a more manageable way.

Maybe as a way to slowly introduce people to the idea of phonological evolution someone could make a small set of proto-words using a very basic inventory like /p t k m n s j w a i u/ and then you give people a set of pre-designed sound changes to pick from, and they can mix and match which changes to apply and in what order, so this could be an exercise to get acquainted with the way that sound changes work and the way the order in which they happen matters.

Y'all can let me know if I'm not making any sense or if my ideas sound weird or bad, the main point that I want to make is that the way we approach teaching beginner conlangers seems to require a lot of front-loading of information, which is not great.

I honestly forgot how long it took me to learn everything that I currently know about conlanging, I only stuck with it because I had actually consumed a lot of pop-linguistics content before getting into conlanging, so I already had a lot of the knowledge you're expected to learn as a beginner, meaning that the infodumps weren't as much of a brickwall for me as they can be for other people.

I feel like with the way things currently are there's probably a subset of people who have tried to get into conlanging at some point but then gave up and left with the impression that it's simply too complicated and nerdy for them when that may not be the case, I don't think making a naturalistic conlang is that much harder than learning how to draw realistic portraits of people; sure it's hard and time-consuming but it's definitely doable if you practice all the fundamentals first.

In the art community there's people who try to keep their sketchbooks all pristine and perfect looking, but that's not actually super helpful for learning, sketchbooks are meant to be where you practice and get to experiment, it's ok if it's messy or ugly or disorganized, it's not meant to be where your masterpieces come from, it's generally understood within the art community that in order to make drawings that are very well made you have to go through a loooot of crappy, low quality drawings first.

I think that essentially what I'm saying is that there should be a way to encourage beginner conlangers to do the same, make the equivalent of little sketches and practice basic doodles instead of jumping into a highly detailed complex naturalistic artlang right off the bat, that could demystify the wonderful art that is language creation for newcomers.

[occasionallyprosie]

So, apparently there's some fandom discourse, and I just want to throw my two cents into the pile.

I get wanting things to lean more into canon, I do, but to shame or hate or talk down to others for not making things what you view as canon characterization is not okay.

This goes especially for fanfiction and fanart, because first of all, everyone's view of every character, every scene, every minuet detail, is different. Secondly, fanfics and fanart are 1) freely made, 2) freely given, and 3) the creator's work. They can do whatever they want because it's theirs, and you know what you as a reader/viewer/consumer can do?

You can read the fanfic. You can analyze the art. You can tell the creator what you enjoyed, and heck, if the creator has said they're okay with it, you can offer constructive criticism (I cannot emphasize the constructive part, or the part where they've said they're okay with it, enough).

However, you can not take this work that came from someone's heart, something they tore out of themselves and gave to you to view, and throw it on the ground. If you don’t like it, you "give it back," you walk away; you leave.

You. Do. Not. Tear. Them. Down.

You do not send hate, you do not demand change, you do not tell them they're wrong, what you do is walk away. Don't like, don’t read.

I do understand wanting to see your characters, that one comfort character, portrayed "correctly," but that Does Not Mean you can scream and yell at people who don’t fall into your category of correct.

If you’re that desperate, draw/write it yourself.

But no matter what: be nice, be kind, and if you don’t like a fic or you don’t like an artwork, there's this lovely feature called a back button, or the scroll feature. Tumblr also lets you block things, AO3 lets you filter stuff out. If you don’t like it that much, make it go away. Don’t make it someone's else's problem, especially not the creator's.

[salarta]

Comic Book Fandom and "Got Mine Fuck You"

There's a recurring situation I see way too often with X-Men comic book fandom. As I write this, I know what I'm saying doesn't apply to everyone, or to every fandom, or to every platform. It applies to what I've seen. And what I've seen is abysmal.

Back when the 2020 run of X-Factor happened, I saw a LOT of apologism for the way Polaris/Lorna Dane was treated on that book. Paired with trying to spin her being on the book as good for her.

"Oh hey yeah, the X of Swords issue didn't acknowledge Lorna surviving the Genoshan genocide because... uhh... it was all implied! They didn't just didn't say it explicitly."

Then when the Genoshan genocide took center stage in another comic's story arc a couple years later, with Kitty Pryde as the focus, Lorna acting like she has no history with it and just complaining about a lack of coffee gets painted as "Oh but there's only so much panel space! And they already told Lorna's story with Genosha anyway, this time they're focused on Kitty's story with it!"

Let's also not forget that during the X-Men vote, we had so, so many X-Factor fans arguing for her to lose the vote, and not get to be a mainstay on the flagship book, because "X-Factor is her book and she's getting good use there anyway." As if it would've been impossible for her to be on two books at once. Some of those fans were at least more honest about it, where they admitted the real reason they wanted her to lose is cause they thought the book would die without Lorna to exploit for other characters like Rachel.

And now, we have the current X-Factor. Where fans of Havok, Pyro, the name X-Factor, nostalgia for the 90s, etc have all insisted that forcing Lorna back into "Havok's girlfriend who acts stupid so he can be a big strong man about it" is fine actually. Perfectly cool. The sexism is satire so it's fine, everything's fine, shitty treatment of her is fine. Anything to promote Havok, or Pyro, or X-Factor, or whatever else.

Only for those same people to start crying the instant Havok and Pyro look stupid too. Because you see, they can excuse the sexism and making a woman look stupid and completely destroying her character and development to make her fit a sexist mold for their cis straight Aryan male self-insert.

But they draw the line at their woobie self-inserts looking just as dumb. Stupid and character assassination is for the womenfolk you see, not for men.

What I'm getting at is, I keep running into a brick wall called "Got Mine Fuck You" that's pervasive with too many comic book fans. And while I'm emphasizing this behavior on Lorna, it's not just her. They've also done shit like attack and badmouth another writer for daring to suggest their great golden god Writer Of The Moment could have plagiarized their work. Harassing her, changing her Wikipedia page. Because they care more about salvaging the reputation of their favorite things than about what's right.

It annoys the fuck out of me. Because in spite of all the fanfare about comics being progressive (when it's financially convenient), this is one of the big gaping dark sides.

I try not to be that guy. I can't say I don't fail, but I try to be better than these chucklefucks.

When season 1 of Gifted killed Dreamer off, I had no problem calling out how asinine and insulting their handling of her death was. I COULD have been That Asshole that tries to act like it was a genius decision, all because Polaris was being treated amazingly in season 1 and Dreamer's death could've been leveraged for Pain Points for Lorna. I didn't do that.

Secret Wars House of M also gave Quicksilver and to a lesser extent Magneto a raw deal in characterization. Even as AU characters, it hit very wrong for Pietro to be depicted as a mustache twirling traitor type when there were ways to keep him closer to his core without taking that route. Now I will admit, I had a moment of weakness with this because I loved what it was doing with Lorna. But in the end, I still recognized it was a problem.

Even with the X of Swords issue of X-Factor. There were many problems with Lorna's treatment there, but there were problems all around. Rockslide fans were very upset with it, for good reason. And Rockslide had actual people around who knew him and had closer relationships with him. Why did they get shafted, with Lorna used instead?

Fandom should really strive for better. For all characters. Not just their pet favorites. Fandom should not be eager to throw other characters, other fandoms, everything that means so much to them and resonates with them, under the bus just so their own faves can get a little benefit out of it.

Fans should not be eager to make excuses for shitty treatment just cause that shitty treatment makes their fave look good. Fans should not want to see another character's potential undermined and thrown away just cause keeping that character down allows a book they like to prosper. Fans should not be trying to make sexism out to be nothing but satire just cause they think a female character "deserves terrible characterization."

These fans try to say their fandom is great. But then they act in ways that tell the world it's not.

It would be nice if they had some fucking principles for once.

[uselessheretic]

Izzy Hands and His No Good Very Tragic Love Story

Season two came out recently (if you haven't noticed!) and within the first 3 episodes we've gotten to see a side of Izzy showing a great amount of depth and sympathy towards him. This is especially around his declaration of having love for Edward, confirming a long held fandom opinion by some that the lil guy is just cranky because he has a crush.

For most of the last year and a half, it seems that the main fandom interpretation of Izzy Hands and whatever the fuck is wrong with him was that Izzy was homophobic. For a while, it was actually controversial to suggest that Izzy was in love with Edward at all!

For some, Izzy's confession debunks their previously held understanding of Izzy as a homophobe. For others, they might just go with the "he's gay and homophobic, duh" reasoning. I'd really encourage anyone who's seeing a new side of Izzy to go back and rewatch season 1, but try it through a lens of assuming that Izzy's in love, not bigoted, and see which narrative is stronger.

But no matter your interpretation, I think we can confidently say that the creators' goal with writing Izzy has never been to make him homophobic. There's examples from the show I can use to draw out an analysis of why homophobic Izzy doesn't hold up under scrutiny, but right now I just wanna give y'all some background onto what has already been confirmed by word of god.

David Jenkins had already confirmed at the end of season 1 that Ed and Izzy are a romance. A dark and toxic one, but a romance nonetheless. He has also reiterated the same in recent interviews as well.

The writing of the show has a focus on not relying on queer trauma to create conflict. Ed and Stede getting together isn't ever blocked by homophobic forces, jim's story isn't defined by transphobia, and nobody's past is scarred by homophobic (or racist) bigotry. The writers have said that this focus on queer trauma was something they wanted to avoid.

Taika has said a few times that nobody is ever against a queer couple because they're gay, they're just upset that jealous. The context makes it pretty clear that the only characters he could be referring to is Ed, Stede, and Izzy. He also emphasized that being gay is just the pirate way.

Con o'Neill has also specifically said at a panel in June that Izzy isn't homophobic, he's just heartbroken.

There's also been con goers who've spoken with Con about queer narratives where Con had added on that yeah, gay people can be homophobic, but Izzy isn't. He just hates Stede's guts.

If the creator's and actors' intentions are undeniably that the character isn't homophobic, then maybe it's time for us to revisit the source material, and try to see what they were actually trying to say.

[honeyconez]

chat I do NOT mean to spam likes MYYY bad I keep forgetting to like my moots posts and then I like them but I don’t wanna spam!!!!!!!!

ALSO life update I am not going to be super active for the next 2 or so months idk because for WHATEVER REASON I decided to make TWO 15 MINUTE ANIMATIONS about world war 1 and one of them might be stop motion

guys I’ve animated thrice before and it looked like shit and I didn’t put a lot of effort into it (except that solly one I posted a day or two ago)

I have 49 seconds so far and most of it is still frames and this ones about how people died in wwi but I’m doing it with pp cheese and I get to animate a bunch of weird deformed creechurs dying IM SO DONEE

AND I have to write the script for the parts I’m going to talk verbally about

chat I do not think I can keep a straight face while talking about why rocket launchers were awesome sauce

and I’m wondering if I should do an animation about the weapons they used or the strategies I’m gonna list tje pros and cons because I need a little break

pros for the weapons : I get to learn how to draw a ton of guns and I can animate the whole rocket launcher part and maybe sneak soldier in there!!! Yippie! Awesome sauce

cons: because I am INEVITABLY going to sneak soldier in there I WILL get exposed because this one annoying kid whos ALWAYS eavesdropping on my conversations with my friends HEARD THAT I HAVE 1,088+ PHOTOS OF SOLDIER ON MY PHONE AND LITERALLY EXPOSED ME TO THE WHOLE CLASS BECAUSE HE SAID REALLY LOUDLY “why do you have 1088 photos of soldier from team fortress 2 on your phone?” UMMM IDK MAYBE MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS??? HE EMPHASIZED THE TEAM FORTRESS 2 TOO!!!!! Other than that there aren’t any cons ig everyone probably already knows I have an obsession with tf 💔💔💔💔 I snuck pyro into an different “animation” (it was like a google slide basically) and one kid recognized the oyro and asked is that tf2 (this other kid… asked if that was a genshin impact reference… what has this world come to…) so at least 3 people know what team fortress is!!!! Not including my friends OKAY WAIT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CONS LIST CHAT ALRIGHT ANYWAYS

I don’t want to do the list anymore OH ALSO IVE ALRWADY SPENT 17 HOURS ON THESE 49 SECONDS (6 SECONDS ARE ACTUALLY ANIMATED) ok bye bye

[thefloatingstone]

Hey guys.

Would any mutuals be willing to let me show their art of characters they like to ship in the next video?

I need it for a section where I am criticizing the way the romance in the show is written, but want to emphasize that if you're someone who makes fanart and fanfics that ONLY focus on romance tropes you are valid and nobody should dictate how you should draw or write things that make you happy (but this show is a tv product in which the audience expects a certain level of professionalism in the writing).

I want to make it clear fanwork can do whatever it wants to make the artists happy and make it clear I am not shaming or criticisng people who only want to ship things. And would like to use other people's art that isn't my own to make a point.

Any mutuals willing? (Full credit will obviously be given. This isn't paid tho so please don't draw anything new specifically for this. I don't want to pay you with exposure 😭 Just any ship art you're willing to share)

[adampage]

HANGMAN PAGE BIRTHDAY WEEK

-> starts Friday, July 21st, 2023 and ends Thursday, July 27th, 2023

Hello, everyone! It's me, Emi adampage here, coming to you fresh from the post-Double or Nothing high, to announce that HANGMAN PAGE BIRTHDAY WEEK will be happening again this year! I am going to make this considerably hard on myself, as I will be out of the country during the week of, but I will do my very best to reblog any creations you make!

That being said, here's what I have in mind for this year :)

OBJECTIVE

To create wonderful works [edits, gifs, writing, art, videos, etc] in the name and in the honor of our lovely cowboy, Hangman Adam Page, during the week of July 21st, 2023, to July 27th, 2023.

RULES

There are prompts/themes for each day, sometimes even two. You may choose to do either or both! You may also do multiple of each, if it strikes your heart to do so.

Do not take the prompts at face value. You may interpret them in any way you would like! (If you cannot choose one of something for a theme, feel free to talk/write/create about more than one. Multiple loves and multiple favorites are implied!)

You can use any form of post available to you through tumblr. Video, photo, gif, text, audio, etc etc. It’s ALL up to YOU! (Fics can be linked from ao3 if it’s easier for you)

If you only want to do certain days, no worries!! Do everything in any way you would like. And if you’re a bit late on some prompts than others, that’s completely fine (just don’t be early lol)! the hangman gang will want to see them either way <3

If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please don't hesitate to DM me or send me an ask!

THEMES

Day 1 - July 21st - FRIDAY: Hangman + LOVE

Day 2 - July 22nd - SATURDAY: Hangman + HATE

Day 3 - July 23rd - SUNDAY: Hangman + BLOOD (or, if that's not your style, SILLY/GOOFY)

Day 4 - July 24th - MONDAY: Hangman + PLAYLIST

Day 5 - July 25th - TUESDAY: Hangman + FOIL* (or other literary device, such as 'parallel')

Day 6 - July 26th - WEDNESDAY: Hangman + FANTASY/DREAM

Day 7 - July 27th - THURSDAY: HANGMAN'S BIRTHDAY! Hangman + FREE CHOICE

*it was brought to my attention that this one can seem confusing. The definition of "foil" is as follows (from literarydevices.net): Foil is a literary device designed to illustrate or reveal information, traits, values, or motivations of one character through the comparison and contrast of another character. A literary foil character serves the purpose of drawing attention to the qualities of another character, frequently the protagonist. This is effective as a means of developing a deeper understanding of a character by emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, a literary foil allows writers to create a counterpart for the protagonist that puts their actions and choices in context. (You can use this definition, or you can get inspiration from it. Or, you can use a different literary device, if you so choose. You can also liken the word 'foil' to, I dunno, tinfoil. What I love about word prompts is that you can take a word and create something completely different than someone else. Go crazy!)

As always, thank you to @mistress-omega-majesty, @jonmoxleys, @sheslikealostflower, and @cowboyshit for the feedback on the prompts!

LAST BIT OF RULES

Please remember to mention the THEME in your post, as well as to TAG YOUR POST with the following: #HANGMANPAGEBIRTHDAYWEEK within the first five tags, and to tag ME (main @adampage​), in a reply comment under your post, or in the body of your post, whatever is easier. I will be posting my edits to @bloodycowboyclub, and likely will post any text posts/writing from my main.

PLEASE REBLOG TO SPREAD THE WORD! Even if you only plan to enjoy the creations!! I want as many people as possible to participate and it’s only possible if this ends up on their dashes! Thank you (:

Don’t forget to have fun!!

[who-is-page]

just wanted to say that I really loved the centaurus festival. it was the push I think I needed to actually start like making stuff about my alterhumanity. bc before it I had a Massive imposter syndrome, I thought that my experiences didn't matter at all, like I'm just a grain of salt compared to like beings like you who are older and more experienced and are more like 'relevant' to the community. but seeing you guys making jokes, interacting with us like we are (gasp) equals, and being giant nerds (aff) was. so important to me. like. you are just some guys.

anyways I'm not really good with words and especially not in English (as you can probably tell), so I was thinking that I could contribute with art. after all, pictures speak more than words sometimes! I wanna draw. I wanna make comics. I wanna make Stuff, ya know? so thank you, for making me feel like I can. that's all.

This was such a wonderful ask to receive that I had to sit on it for a day before posting. 💚🤍💜 Aaaaaa!!! It's really amazing to hear that you're feeling comfortable making stuff about your alterhumanity and feel encouraged to do so. Making stuff is cool as hell!!! I look forward to whatever stuff you make!!!!! (Please send it to me when you're done I would totally love to see it and archive it!!! ‼️👀‼️#FeedYourArchivists con movement)

And yeah, we truly are Just Some Nerds, the same as everyone else. Our experiences and writings/art/etc aren't inherently any more valuable than someone else's, no matter how much we might make or how old we might be. I'm really glad that that was a major take away for you and for some of the other folks I've talked to, because all community creations are important and I really can't emphasize that enough. No one can write or draw or sing about your experiences the same way you can! You're a wholly unique person and all your autobiographical work will ALSO be wholly unique and isn't that cool as fuck?

Aaaaaaaaa thank you so much for this ask, anon!!!!!! I'm still reeling in recovery mode from running the con, but this was really really awesome to see. It's been amazing to see some of the works people have been making from being inspired by the con. It's so wild to feel like I've helped folks and made a difference. And it's been SO COOL to read what people have been sending me. I can't thank you and everyone else enough for joining us and making this weekend absolutely magical. 💚🤍💜

[chaos0pikachu]

i am a curious person at heart and i wanna know so fucking bad what that one piece headcanon is that people say is canon—if it is too spoilery (i'm on ep431 (impel down)) i would love a warning, though, because i already spoiled myself for something big accidentally and the friend i am watching the anime with might kill me if i that happens a second time, akhdjdjdj

Sup OP-Anon, no worries it's nothing spoiler-y at all.

The headcanon people say or treat as canon is Luffy being ace - alongside either all the Strawhats being queer coded canonically, or Zoro being gay and Sanji being gay/bi - but Luffy being ace canonically is the one I see most in fandom.

I want to emphasize something first and foremost, I do not have any issue with Luffy being headcanon as ace, I get it, I see it, I've read a lot of great fic that has this headcanon. But it's not canon.

Which typically would be chill, if people didn't actively try to harass others who don't share this headcanon as being bigots for shipping Luffy - typically with Zoro, I do not see the same fervor for LawLu which includes some of the smuttiest one piece fic I've personally ever seen (which is gucci live btw) - alongside giving Oda credit for something he just...he didn't do.

I'm all for death of the author, I've read some really great meta about ace!Luffy, I think it's an overall dope headcanon but it's not canon. And telling people it is is just straight up lying to them and giving Oda credit he does not deserve. This isn't the savior of queer media for shounen y'all. This is not the work of a man who's subtly implying any of his main chars aren't straight.

[Also why does Luffy only get the ace headcanon? why not nami? zoro? franky? robin? none of them have shown any interest romantic or otherwise in people?]

And I love Bon, Invankov, and another char that shows up in Wano. They are fan favorites, people are so freaking HYPED to see Bon in OPLA his casting is up there for folks excited to see Ace.

Since you're at Impel Down you probably haven't made it to Sanji on Kamabakka Kingdom or 'Okama Island'. It's rough, it's mean and it's cruel and a lot of fans tell new fans to skip or skim it entirely. It's Sanji at his worst - only topped perhaps by Sanji on Fishmen Island - and its all part of One Piece's legacy as a story.

Don't give Oda credit for making Luffy asexual in canon when he didn't. Luffy has more in common with Goku and Monkey King from Journey to the West - Oda has credited Akira Toriyama with being basically a driving force behind the creation of One Piece. Another big inspiration was the series Anpanman, which is a children's superhero that's one of the most popular anime series with children in Japan. Oda has described Luffy as his "ideal child" (source)

Oda also says in this same interview that he "wants to draw things that young boys will find cool and interesting. For example, Sanji’s not only suave, he’s perverted as well. That’s what makes him beloved and trusted by other men."

Like sorry this is not the dude who's writing queer coding into his work. He'll write queer characters, but coding? No, this is not that story - which is why I live on One Piece fanfiction! - it's great headcanon, I'm all for it please fix some of One Piece biggest flaws, the Sanji gag is fucking old and tired and beat. But it is canon.

And once you have more cultural context for Luffy as a character you can see Oda isn't actively and purposely, canonically, writing Luffy as ace. So please stop harassing ppl or posting hate in the tags that shipping Luffy with Zoro is actually evil or whatever.

[Japanese fans already actively ship Luffy - Luffy/Nami is a really well liked ship with Japanese fans for example - and also like, why can't we ship ace characters?? When did that become fandom doctrine??]

Anyway that's the fandom headcanon treated as canon and used often in fandom discourse or (ugh) ship wars. Luckily most of the time fandom is super chill in my experience ships just make ppl get in their feels to damn much.

Enjoy your One Piece journey Anon! Hit me up with your favorite arcs, the manga is doing WILD things right now for the worldbuilding and lore. I'm really hyped and staying hopeful Oda can finish the series soon (he's 50 and I worry).

[spacesully]

Something has been on my mind recently.

If the souls in the Hazbin universe are people who’ve died, how is it even possible for these souls to experience death again? A soul can be defined as an immortal spiritual manifestation of oneself. The whole idea of the extermination makes little sense. Given that souls are immortal, it raises the question of why angels would bother to kill souls in Hell. If Pentious managed to find redemption, what fate befell the other sinners who had also been killed? Does that imply that the other souls are transported to another location? Certainly not Earth, because their physical forms are no longer living. Do they go to Heaven? If that were true, then Charlie's work would have no purpose. Since they weren't redeemed, did they simply disappear into thin air? There is a chance that it could be possible. As far as I can tell, the show doesn't explicitly align itself with any religious beliefs; instead, it draws inspiration from different religious concepts. However, it defeats the entire purpose of souls. The show emphasizes the significance of souls, but introducing extermination completely undermines its core purpose.

I noticed this while rewatching the show to analyze it for a fan fic I've been writing. It's honestly super intriguing to witness because we don't get an explanation. The storyline of Hazbin Hotel is exceptional, complemented by its distinct characters. However, a more detailed explanation of this concept would provide a better understanding. Give us the answer to why and where do these souls go when they've died? It's the same with the Helluva Boss series. It's implied that souls in Hell could meet their demise, but how is it possible if a soul is believed to be immortal? Is it not immortal in this universe? If so, then why do humans die in this universe?

That's the beauty of fiction! It's all made up and you can do whatever you please! No hate to the show at all! I'm a big fan of it! I love to analyze and ask questions. It helps me grow as a writer. It's just a few observations I've made.

Edit: I did forget to include that only angelic weapons could kill souls. Which I'm assuming that souls can be killed in this universe. However, it still defeats the entire purpose of a soul. Here's a definition of a soul: "the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal." In most religions, they believe that a soul is immortal. In the Hazbin universe this is not the case, meaning, they have their own definition of a soul. I want to know what that is. This is what I find interesting. I'm not saying I dislike it. What I am saying is that in my opinion it doesn't make sense that souls can be killed and wish there was a better explanation to this rather than just "oh they can be killed by these angelic weapons." I want to know what is the point of death when souls in Hell or Heaven can suddenly drop dead to angelic weapons? If Heaven and Hell are eternal realms meant to accommodate souls for eternity, why do these souls need to experience death? Why do mortals have to experience death initially if this were the case? Of course, Hazbin Hotel doesn't have to follow any religion, but some more context to souls would be helpful—an explanation.

Again, this is a work of fiction, so no hate at all! That's the beauty of creativity! I love Hazbin Hotel! This is just my opinion and my observations/thoughts! :) Don't mind my rambles :,)) I do overanalyze things, so, I see there can be flaws in these. Feel free to point them out !!