#Monty life snippets

[hiraethminds]

It’s so fun communicating from farm country to suburb

[heckling-hydrena]

when it comes to trans dragons I literally don't know where to start because I just assign genders to these things based on vibes alone and like half of them end up nonbinary, but I present you with these 6 Beasts because their strong transgender power stood out to me as I scoured through my lair.

names + little lore snippets under the cut! content warning for internalized ableism (in regards to a fantasy illness) in the second to last one.

first we have Magdalene! she was a dream dragon for a long time and I was so happy when I finally got her. she was my avatar dragon for a good while. again I decided she was trans based on vibes alone but also the name of her skin is a SOPHIE reference (rest in peace legend ���️) so like I couldn't not make her trans. she's a minor goddess of life in the most traditional sense. spring and flowers, that type of deal.

then there's Luci(fer) (yes she named herself that. people who hear her full name get confused when they find out that she's not associated with the deviltown demons.) she's a member of the blastpowder bandits and Monty's right hand. she's perceived as the Normalest of the group but that's mostly her inexpressive fae nature working in her favor for once. she loves bombs and explosions just as much as the rest of them, she just prefers making the bombs and then watching other people use them from the sidelines. she enjoys planning and organizing and just generally writing shit down. the type to always walk around with a notebook and pen in her hands like a little nerd.

Odessa... doesn't have much going for her lore-wise right now but she's in a shitty band with Bremen and Sandwaste called "Vengeful Desert Spirits Calling Your Name in the Night" (the like. 3 people who actually enjoy their music simply refer to them as Desert Spirits.) Odessa here plays the drums! in her enthusiasim she has accidentally launched multiple drumsticks at people (mostly Sandwaste.)

Omen is the world's Wettest Most-Depressedest private investigator. jazz noir music inexplicably starts playing when he's around. he has the ability to spontaneously manifest a glass of whiskey in his hand even though he doesn't drink. utterly incapable of solving any case that isn't some convoluted unsolvable 30 year old triple murder cold-case. weird charged energy with every suspect he talks to. permanent face of disinterest and a fucked right knee. a romantic at heart.

Cessair... is a very unhappy dragon. his mother is a very powerful combat mage who wanted a mini-me and someone to pass her knowledge down to. but Cessair couldn't be her daughter, and they couldn't be her successor. around when they were 15 they started showing the first sings of an illness that would end up rendering any attempts to externalize their magic very, very dangerous. he refuses to give up on magic, though. he thinks doing so would cement him as a failure and a disappointment to his family. they see their limitations as a personal failing and a weakness to be overcome, no matter the means or the cost, and leave their home at 19 in search of said means. he deeply craves community and companionship but his self-loathing and general dissatisfaction with his life make him snappy and standoffish. they will, eventually, find their happy ending, and learn not to push themself so far over their limits. but the road to get there will not be easy.

moving on from that downer, our final dragon(??) is:

One. well the guy this thing killed and stole the body of was trans and the shade doesn't really have gender so. diversity win!

[theicarusconstellation]

chapter 42 of into the dark is finally here!!

link

snippet:

His father’s curse started in his hand. The black, spider-like spot that marred his skin spread from that point to his vital organs, and now, his thread of life has been severed. By now, his body might look entirely withered, like the mummies of Egypt, barely alive and begging for death. That witch and wizard, Cereus and Benjy, had managed to slow the progression of the curse, but in retrospect, that may have made things much, much worse. Instead of a quick death, Monty got a drawn-out one, one filled with pain and gradual loss of motor ability, then senses. James’ mother hasn’t let him see his father since Christmas break last year, a mere few weeks after the curse had set in, but James has had his father’s decay in his mind’s eye regardless.

[guardianspirits13]

1, 4, 16, 19 for the dbd ask game :)))

1. Who is your favorite character?

Charles my SON.

4. Something you want to see in season 2?

Ok I know everyone wants a flashback episode showing the agency's founding and snippets from the following 30 or so years, but I want to go back further and see more of them when they were alive.

What were Edwin's parents like? Did he have any friends at St. Hilarion's? What was it like for him growing up during WW1? Were he and Simon ever acquaintances? I have a feeling he might have been a bit of a teacher's pet. I wonder how often and by how many people he got teased for being "prissy". I mean even seeing him kind-of sort-of becoming aware of his sexuality for the first time and burying it deep down inside to be locked away forever.

I want to see Charles and his mom. Charles playing cricket. Him hanging out with his "friends" who toss microaggressions his way that he has to pretend don't bother him. How did he find a reprieve from his dad at home? What's the deal with his basement room?

Also just to see them as kids and for actors to be their younger counterparts and all that entails :,)

16. A Rarepair you like?

Ooh. So my personal far-fetched rarepair is Asha the shopkeeper and Tragic Mick. They just seem to fit.

A more 'common' rarepair that I like is Charles and Monty, they're just sunshine boys with daddy and mommy issues respectively. That one fanart by @alexxuun that's been floating around planted a seed in my mind and it will not let go.

19. Favourite actor from the show?

I answered this here but the short answer is that Jayden's energy is contagious and I owe him my life for his portrayal of Charles

[thecourtjester12]

About, asks, au's and relevant nonsense!

About me!

Heeeeeello, hello, hello! I'm Jester! I use They/ey (Themselves and Ey/em/eir/emself or eirself either works! May use I/me and we/us interchangeably. Either is fine.)

I'm Atertiary, Aroace and an Autistic adult! :3

I'm aplflux (plato indifferent/favorable) I'm ok with being called a friend and the /p tag used towards me! But I do not use it myself usually.

I use the term familiar to address people and may call them 'friend' more as a general endearment (only if they want to be called friend/are comfy with it much like the term dear or dove or familiar in this case! ^-^)

About the blog

I namely post Smoon (aka the daycare attendent, Sun and Moon FNAF) and Au's, be it drawings, writing, random thoughts and sneak peaks! And of course fanart (be it canon fnaf (or my takes on charas) orrrrr fanart for other lovely creators daycare Au's!)

I reblog stuff a lot, I just LOVE sharing peoples awesome stuff!! So expect to see a lot of that, buttttttt generally that will be set on queue throughout the week (unless its something more time dependent!)

Please read the FAQ page before sending asks!

FAQ page!

Asks are through Ask the Jester! Ask status: OPEN

My Au's (I'll have things sorted eventually so y'all can click and see all of a specific au's stuff at once)

JDCAU Masterpost (Jester's DayCare AU...its a terrible name I know) All info and posts on this au! (Masterpost is mostly done...needs to be spruced up a bit!)

My take on Fnaf SB if the fire never happened and the plex was taken under better management, stuff for the Au will be tagged as #jdcau

J-TOL Masterlist(Jester's The Other Location, its very sparce atm...needs to be spruced up)

Same universe as JDCAU, there are two locations the second location never had the virus at all here, also under the same management now and have their own struggles! Stuff for the Au will be tagged as #j-tol

LOTC (Legend of the Celestials)

Siren/leviathan Smoon au, very mythology/folklore based, reworking this au atm...stuff for this Au will be tagged as #lotc or #LOTC

Currently under rework/work in progress so not much for it rn

REDACTED

Currently unavailable, please try again soon!

Under construction and not currently available to the public! (...Also just...have no clue on a name for it...I don't want redacted to stick...but it might :' D) Currently tagged as #REDACTED au (Reaalllllly need to name it >_<)

MIW (Monty In Wonderland)

Currently unavailable, please try again soon!

Under construction and not currently available to the public!

Any snippets that may appear will be tagged #miw or #MIW

LSAU (Lonely Star Au)

An AU where Sun Polaris is sentient but Moondrop is not and his frequent struggles. Lots of angst and making the boi miserable. This Au is also inspired by a prompt from my friend @sketchtxt ! :3 (...and both are a frequent object of friend wanting to smooch...you know who you are.)

Masterpost to be made! Anything for this Au will be tagged #lsau

NBC au (Nightmare Before Christmas Au)

Currently unavailable please try again soon!!! Currently this au is in early stages of brainstorming, what it is may be announced soon! :3 Currently tagged #NBC au

ESS au (Eclipse's Solar System au)

A human SB au that mainly focuses on Eclipse and their twins Nova and Callisto and all their friends! A very fluffy slice of life type au with silly shenanigans and bits of angst! I have an ask blog for ESS au found here! And anything will be tagged as #ess au

PDC au (Playdate Collector au)

An au where me and my friends @sketchtxt and @sir-qwillian-ferne are SMods and put a bunch of our Au's together because we want our various Smoon's+ to interact and made lore for it! We all have a blog for it that can be found here! Anything for it will be tagged #pdc au

CTAMK au (....you'll find out soon)

An in progress AU with my friend @sir-qwillian-ferne to make a wholesome rarepair ship work! Currently not available to the public, please try again later! Anything that IS available will be tagged #ctamk au :3

Tags listing

List of the types of main tags and what they're used for outside au tags

#jesterposts

any and all post asides re blogs from other amazing creators

#jesterdoodles

any and all drawings, sketches, all art stuff

#jesterwrites

any and all writing posts, be it wips, sneak peaks and finished works for A03 on here (generally DCA related, anything else will be on my side blog!)

#jester rambles

just random rants and tangents and whatnot that are just me rambling on whatever

#jesteranswers

for when answering asks!

#canon #not canon Anything not canon to an au will be tagged #notcanon.

A03 and Other Stuff

Most AU based stuff will be linked with their specific Au master lists (eventually...) Any misc stuff outside that will be listed here!

My A03

My artfight!

My side blog where I post non Smoon content! (AKA my pseudo main I'm more active on! Link has been updated! ^-^)

[leafkingofbirds]

Next chapter Preview: Eclipse Edition!

In honor of the total solar eclipse today, have this snippet I just finished writing! 😄

**this is still a first draft and you may find typos. But I am open to feedback & suggestions! 🥰

***

Somehow, Kieran winds up at the base of Sir Monty’s favorite tree. On his knees, his heart pounding, staring blankly at the dirt but seeing nothing. Too lost in his own mind and the troubles of his soul.

Give me peace, he begs whatever unseen force rules over life and death. Give me clarity. I must be everything Ella needs me to be.

But there is no divine intervention. Only himself, alone. As it has always been, since the death of his mother.

He would have sought his mother's grave, but the royal mausoleum is buried beneath the rubble of the destroyed Full Moon Chamber. 

Instead he has come to Sir Monty’s. The last parental figure he would ever have.

His oldest friend is gone to the tyrant’s side. Whether Oleander has betrayed Kieran or has some plan up their sleeve doesn’t matter. Oleander isn’t here to give any of their sage advice.

Dear Longclaw has her own heavy grief. Even her big heart is weighed down with the loss of not only the last of her beloved family – as abhorrent as Radiance was – but the loss of her own sense of self. It wouldn’t be fair to ask for her help, even if she was currently capable of giving it.

Ella would try to be there for him. But to go to her would be worse than dealing with it alone. Her heartless state is but more evidence of his failure and his guilt. 

“Mother,” Kieran gasps aloud without meaning to. A deep-set plea to a woman he had not set eyes upon since he was almost too young to remember and who will never answer his cries again. 

The word only opens the wound inside him, digging deeper, ripping open old wounds until they bled anew. His mother is the reason for all of this. Jack is the reason.

As if called by Kieran's very thoughts, he hears soft footsteps in the grass cautiously approach behind him. 

“So this is where you ran off to,” Jack muses. His voice is subdued. A hush has fallen over the entire place in the wake of the battle, an aura of death and defeat.

“Leave me,” Kieran growls without turning around.

Instead, the footsteps only come closer. To Kieran's shock and irritation, Jack kneels before the small square of stone at the base of the old, broken oak.

A stone marker had been installed at the base of the tree. Oleander had quietly decided upon the wordering and installed it themselves, after Kieran had irritably snapped at them “I don’t give a damn; do it yourself!” 

It was not enough to describe all that Sir Montgomery was in life, but then, no headstone would ever be able to capture the entirety of a man’s soul.

Here Rests the Most Honorable

Sir Montgomery Snow

Who Gave His Mortal Life

In Service to the Moon Court

For a long moment, Jack gazes at the headstone in silence, his expression intense and unreadable. He looks almost angry. 

Kieran braces himself to hear Jack say something vicious, and knows he won't be able to hold himself back this time if Jack speaks disrespectfully about Sir Monty before his very grave.

Then, Jack sighs deeply, hands on his thighs, and hangs his head. Kieran peers at him curiously.

“We have both suffered the loss of the most important people in our lives,” Jack says finally. He glances up at Kieran ruefully, his expression for once vulnerable and sincere. “Haven't we?”

Kieran can only glare at him. 

Jack looks back toward Monty’s headstone. “I want to say I regret what I've taken from you. But the truth is, if I had not killed Monty, he would have killed me. And I can't apologize for not allowing that to happen. Not honestly. Because I was not just fighting this battle for myself, and I owed it to those people in there that I would let nothing and no one stand in my way. No matter how noble.” 

There's a silence where Kieran considers leaping at him at closing his hands over Jack’s throat. But there isn't enough energy in him now. What would be the point? 

“But I regret the pain I have caused,” Jack says, in a way that makes Kieran think he's never apologized before in his life and it's physically painful for him. “I know that's foolish. I can't wish the past undone and know I would have changed nothing, all at the same time.”

“You wish it hadn't come to this,” Kieran manages to say, surprised at how rough his voice sounds, how close to tears. He can't even look at Jack.

“Yes.”

Kieran scoffs. “So do I.”

Not that it mattered what any of them wished. Wishes are futile things, even for Fae.

“Nothing I can say will undo the damage I've done. Believe me, I'm well aware,” Jack says bitterly. “But I want to say this anyway: I was wrong about you. I was wrong about so many things that it makes my blood boil to look back on it. About Sir Montgomery and Eisa. About the right way to fight for equality in this realm.”

“You were wrong about Ella,” Kieran reminds him snappishly.

Jack has the gall to look surprised. Then embarrassed.  “I…yes.” 

Kieran raises his brow expectantly, demanding a better answer than that. 

Jack sighs explosively and runs a hand through his hair. “I thought her addled at best, foolishly naive at worst. I thought you were like every other Fae I had ever had the misfortune of meeting, who had dazzled and enthralled an unwitting human into doing your bidding. But…you truly love her, don’t you?”

“With all that I am.” Kieran feels his hands clench into fists. “Ella has the most pure and genuine heart for others I’ve ever known a mortal to have. And a stubborn, inner strength that has never ceased to impress me. She is braver than any Fae I have ever met. That you misjudged her angers me even more than being misjudged. And that she is in my palace right now, heartless, where she should have been safe, angers me more than anything else.”

“You feel like you failed her.” It’s a statement, not a question. Jack gazes at him evenly.

“I did fail her,” Kieran snaps. “She felt she had no choice but to use the Immortality Curse, because this realm is so dangerous for mortals. I didn’t do enough to ensure she felt safe among Fae. I wasn’t able to break her curse, despite my promise that my love would be strong enough to save her. And yes, I ignored the threat of your Eclipse and the suffering you endured, as generations of Moon Court heirs have done before me. I own that mistake as wholly mine. But, Jack - it was your arrogance and prejudice didn’t want to believe Fae lives were in any way worth sparing. You came to kill us without knowing us. Without giving us even a chance.”

Jack’s brow wrinkles. “To be fair, that is exactly how mortals have been treated by Fae for the entirety of history.”

“Doesn’t make it right.”

Jack looks contrite. “No. It doesn’t.”

“I'm glad we can agree on something,” Kieran mutters. 

“Perhaps that's why I was too late to save my father,” Jack muses quietly, as if to himself. “His innocent life, spent in payment for my sins. I live now only because you demand it, Kieran - else I would fall on that damned sword as penance. And I will do what I can to help fix this. But some things I can't fix. And for that…I truly am sorry.”

Kieran's eyes fill with tears, hot and angry. He can feel Jack’s gaze on him, and doesn't meet it.  His emotions war in such a furious swirling tempest he can't keep track of any of them - he doesn't even try to name them.

What strikes him, though, is how much of Jack's words mirror Kieran's own internal guilt. 

An innocent life paid the price of my arrogance.

I would fall on my sword for my failure.

Some things I can't fix.

Kieran senses himself at a fork in the road. He can do what his old self would have done - the bitter, broken, cold version that used viciousness to isolate himself and wallowed in his own misery - and rebuff Jack’s attempt to repent. Jack would live, but they would be forever strangers. Forever estranged.

Or he can be the man Ella always believed him to be. The man Kieran strives to live up to.

Kieran lets out a long sigh. “I can’t forgive you, Jack. Not yet. But I accept your apology. I believe it’s sincerely offered.”

“If nothing else, know that I am a man who means what he says.” Jack’s level gaze doesn’t waver. He shows no sign of discomfort from kneeling so long in the dirt, even though the gashes Kieran had delt to his flank are barely scabbed over. Up close, Kieran can see the disciplined way Jack holds himself. The quiet confidence of a true warrior. This has been his life's sole purpose, and Kieran realizes, just now, how broken Jack must also feel.

“We are two of a kind that way,” Kieran answers quietly.

Jack huffs a short laugh, then grows serious again. “Kieran…for what it’s worth? I’m sorry for what happened to Ella. I hope, one day, she will be restored. And on that day, I will ask her forgiveness as well.” Jack climbs to his feet and idly brushes off his knees. “I think my chances will be better if I wait until then.”

The harsh bark of a laugh that escapes Kieran's throat just then doesn't slow Jack's steps, and soon Kieran is alone again beneath this silent, doomed tree.

His laugh turns into a sob.

His hands claw the grass and hard-packed earth as if he could tear it away. Rip open the grave beneath his feet and demand it all to be different, for fate to change according to his will, for the chance to go back in time and undo his mistakes, to unravel all the terrible things that have happened.

But he’s powerless now, and his hands can no more open a hole to bury himself than they could bring back the dead. 

Kieran puts his forehead to the earth in defeat, and lets himself weep like he has not done in a hundred years.

[musicoftheheart]

oh my gosh okay so I wanna ask about all ur wips honestly but that kind of defeats the purpose soooooooo

4,7,8,14

4 because it sounds really ominous, 7 because the title makes me think someone (probably james) freaks out every time someone else (probably regulus) speaks french and a third person (probably sirius) thinks hes having an allergic reaction, 8 because this sounds like a sequel to hold me tight (and never let me go)??? and I have been loving that fic so far and cant wait for you to finish it (but no pressure, take ur time of course), and 14 because thats funny as shit

also, I remember you saying a while ago you might write a snooker au? is that happening? (again no pressure, I just wondered if u forgot to list it since you mentioned having brain fog recently (which is a cool name for it btw and I will be using it in future))

hi!! thanks for asking! <33

so ive covered a couple of these in another ask, so ill only sum them up here (you still get rambled at though dw <3)

4. dont walk too close

so! as i said in another ask, this is a fic following sirius (and regulus, later) starting hogwarts as walburga’s obedient heir, only to end up in gryffindor and learning that life isnt quite the way he’d been taught. his revelations and his sorting end up causing tension at home in the yule holidays, and a series of events end up with regulus in gryffindor too. im sure we can all imagine how that one goes. i posted a snippet in the other ask here

7. french epi fic

HA okay i love your guess, but— well, actually, youre closer to the truth than you might’ve thought. sort of.

regulus has just escaped his parents’ clutches and moves across from france to the one place he hoped he might be welcome: sirius’ home in england. its set in yorkshire, because thats where i grew up before i had to move away, and i miss it :( regulus’ english is poor as it is, but meeting sirius’ ridiculously attractive housemate, james potter, muddles his brain enough where the few basic greetings he knew were gone

james has epilepsy (thats where the ‘epi’ in the title comes from), remus gets them all free donuts, and sirius refuses to flirt on behalf of either james or regulus with the other. its chaos, its fun, and im enjoying it so far despite only being a few thousand words in. here’s a snippet:

Regulus slowly set his eyes back on the house. “It’s so big.”

Seeming to finally catch up on Regulus’ surprise, Sirius explained, “Effie and Monty helped us get on our feet, but with what Alphard left…”

”Mon dieu,” he breathed. But this time, it wasn’t at the house. It was at the man stepping out of it.

Stood at the front door, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun that had emerged from behind the rain clouds, was the most beautiful man Regulus had ever laid his gaze upon. His dark brown hair was tussled in a mess of curls on his head, but almost like it was purposefully messy rather than just uncontrollable. Round golden glasses sat upon his bronze skin, framing his chocolatey eyes perfectly, and a wide grin pulled at his mouth and revealed a little dimple on his left cheek.

When Regulus was eventually able to tear his eyes from the man’s face, his breath caught again at the sight of the rest of him. He clearly worked out, if the muscles making his t-shit stretch were anything to go by, but he wasn’t tall — perhaps only a couple of inches larger than Regulus himself, and he reached only a measly 5’7. Something shining in the sun caught Regulus’ eye, and he saw a thin metal bracelet on one of the man’s wrists.

”Hey, James!” Sirius called, climbing out of the car and snapping Regulus out of his trance. He’d made it to the boot to pull Regulus’ suitcase out before Regulus had even managed to open the passenger door.

”Padfoot!” James called with just as much enthusiasm — that was, far too much considering they lived together and had presumably seen each other just a few hours ago before Sirius had left to pick Regulus up. “And mini Pads!” he added, spotting Regulus finally getting out of the car.

Regulus shot him a swift glare for that nickname. He may be cute, but looks could only get him so far.

8. the warmth of your arms rivals the sun (its burning out)

this is another ive covered in another ask but i love it so im still gonna talk about it. youre exactly right, by the way — it is a hmt sequel! i guess the naming conventions were similar enough ahaha. its very james-centric with background storylines, and focuses on much heavier themes than those in hmt. i wont go into what they are, but anyone who was around during chapter… four? five? i dont remember, but it was early on. i added some tags, then took them away once i decided id split it into two parts. if anyone remembers those tags, that’s what twoya will cover :))

14. sirius is actually helpful for once wtf

this is planned to be a shorter fic, but still multi chapter. its pretty much just sirius shipping jegulus and doing everything he can to get his two favourite people together :) not written yet, but ive got a fair bit planned so far

bonus: snooker au

okay so, i would love to say i’ve worked on this some more since then but… i haven’t :( i really want to, but i want to do it well, which i know will take a lot of time. but, the details i have so far:

its the snooker world championships. regulus black’s first, but james potter’s third. sirius black — former world champion — is the estranged brother of the newbie regulus black, and the mentor and best friend of james potter, who was second place two years ago, but couldnt compete last year due to an unrelated injury, though healed up now. james, of course, is head over heels for regulus. regulus, of course, pretends hes not pining madly for the boy who stole his brother. sirius, of course, pretends hes not offended or hurt that regulus wont even try to fix their relationship. he also just happens to be stealing glances at remus lupin, who came fourth last year and seemed rather close to regulus. theyre all hopeless, and determined to win.

thanks for your ask! <33

[flygefisk]

🍓🍑🥭🍋🍈?

🍓 biggest dragon in your lair (based on in-game sizes) and biggest dragon in your lair (based on lore sizes):

going purely off of length bc i do not have the energy for anything else, the largest by game size turns out to be valencia at 30.47m long! she's on the lighter side, but his wingspan is also pretty wide at 22.89m. malachite is a close second at 29.94m long- his 22.71m wingspan is only a tiny bit smaller too.

lore-wise, the current largest 'dragon' is kalypso, the sea monster that lives in the crystal caves at the water's edge. she's similar in size to the massive merchant ship bluebird captains. ipswich's original form is much, much larger, but at the moment, they're regular dragon size. (in my lore, game size has little bearing on the character's size- imps tend to be tall, faes tend to be short, but it's a difference of a couple feet rather than a dozen.)

🍑 show off an expensive regening project:

i'm sure i have more expensive ones, but sunburst is the one that comes to mind as i breed changed him into a coatl.

🥭 share a snippet (3-5 sentences / 1 paragraph) of lore you wrote and give us the author's notes/director's commentary!

"a wild something, indescribable even to the god of such things, coiled around the body that was once its own. it stared up at the god, its teeth bared.

the something howled too, until its song became a scream, letting loose all the sorrow and love and rage of a life that would never have been enough."

howl used to be a girl, pretty and kind, and all the men wanted her. if she'd had the language, she'd be a gay/ace trans man, and was not interested in said men, no matter how insistent. one man, though, knew she liked foraging, and followed her into the woods. whatever he intended, she fought him, and she ended up with a knife to the gut. the wild something is the spirit that all trans people share, the will to exist as themselves. as howl never had the chance to be howl when he was alive, the wild something he became/left behind made a deal with some minor god or another for another chance. and yeah, maybe he was reborn a little monstrous, but he can be himself now. i like the "died and came back wrong" trope but the "died and came back so true to themselves that they seem like they came back wrong" idea is more fun lol

🍋 a dragon you regret exalting:

mmm now that i have my random progen back the only one i can think of is one of my very first dragons? can't remember super well but he was a bluish snapper named monty. maybe i should try to remake him…

🍈 a dragon you hate (/pos) based on personality/lore:

doctor. they're an antivaxxer and still try to treat colds with bloodletting and mercury

[paldean-ranger-brandy]

Trainer card maker

Hometown: Fortree City

Ranger Rank: Field Operative Ranger Rank 6

Partners: Michael the Mightyena, Medusa "Slayer" the mightyena, Macaroon the Poochyena

Pronouns, sexuality: She/they, bisexual

Current station: Tagtree Thicket, area supervisor for this area

Previous stations: Fall City (Fiore), Fortree (Hoenn), Violet City (Johto)

Age: 28

Brandy is rude by nature. This is IC. Shhhh ur okay

(Ooc and lore links under the cut)

@corkycare

@elite-amarys

Mun is 18+, and while I won't be engaging in explicit NSFW I do occasionally make suggestive jokes. These will be tagged with #suggestive tw or #sexual cw if it's slightly more of a lewd joke. Do not engage with these posts if you are a minor.

I do have a LOT of headcanons about the Ranger Union in general and specifically in Paldea, see ranger lore links below.

Sapient pokemon are allowed. Legendaries are allowed, but Brandy will assume it's some human having a laugh. No magic anons, Pelipper mail is a go.

I've also been slowly establishing some canon around how the union and paradox pokemon work. If your blog or ask conflicts with this I may not interact. That being said, if you're unsure about interacting you can just reach out and ask. I'll be chill, I promise.

No terfs, aphobes, or exclusionists of any kind. Racist, bigoted, or plain cruel comments will be blocked on sight.

Links

Because tumblr’s search function is trash and even I was starting to get annoyed trying to find some of my previous posts, I’ve started keeping track of some relevant links. If you want to go through these you are more than welcome, but this is for my reference more than anything lol.

Ranger Lore (canon regarding how the Ranger Union is operated as far as this blog is concerned. Tag: #ranger lore)

Types of Rangers

Types of Rangers II (this is freerangeranger’s post, but our canons align almost perfectly so I’m including it)

Capture Stylers 

Internal Investigations Policy

Ranger School

Becoming a Ranger

Brandy’s Opinions on various regions (based on my canon, but filtered through Brandy’s eyes)

Rangers' Day-to-day

Brandy Lore (information about Brandy’s life or backstory. Tag: #brandy lore)

Past Injuries

Phone Conversation with Dad

Text Conversation with Joel

Snippet of Childhood

Brandy’s LGBT Journey

Tree Talk (this is just infodumps about trees. Some are real genuine Tree Facts, some are pure fiction, and some are a blend. Tag: #tree talk)

Monty Pines - (note that at one point Brandy says their branches make good firewood - I meant specifically kindling/fire starter)

Tagtree Thicket Profile

[beardedmrbean]

Oh sorry the writers thing, but here the thing, you need empathy to do a different pov

Like my Yasuke thing, I point out the guilt he have for not saving the odas and how in the what if continuation that red will do

Also sorry this in my mind

Yasuke chasing Akechi across a battlefield: GET BACK HERE EASTERN JUDAS!

Akechi: WHO THE FUCK IS JUDAS?!

Also it very like the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to be an endgame item…but if it have new game plus

😈

Also another thing, hmm I think the majority of blacks boys don’t think we need some bland af black character to understand we can be good people

Also modern activitism heavily started in fandoms, dear lord I just give a snippet

Certain Star Wars fans on tumblr: If you like this villain, you’re a Nazi/Abuse apologist!

Me an abuse survivor: Strange how this villain lead me to meet someone that guide me through Hindu stories and now I own a copy of the Ramayana!

Also this

https://x.com/actually_tina/status/1779247708659949775?s=46

Back in the day, people say that fandoms will change for people like me to have conforms and compassion

But I never felt so isolated and suicidal being in big fandoms like Star Wars or kids media, and superhero media

Also I’m not taking about the og fans like you

I mean the feminists, communists, and “representation matters!” Fans

True about empathy and all that good stuff, be very difficult to write stories about life as a "dark ages" peasant if you had to have the lived experience so imagination is key.

Also sorry this in my mind Yasuke chasing Akechi across a battlefield: GET BACK HERE EASTERN JUDAS! Akechi: WHO THE FUCK IS JUDAS?!

Don't apologize that's funny as hell.

Also another thing, hmm I think the majority of blacks boys don’t think we need some bland af black character to understand we can be good people

I really wish things hadn't gone the way they did with Cosby, I'm terrified of what they might do to Good Times, also if both JJ's will show up, JJ Walker and Miss Janet Jackson.

Oh looks like people are being honest, unlike how they were with the scooby doo thing, well there's that hope out the window.

NEXT

Also modern activitism heavily started in fandoms, dear lord I just give a snippet Certain Star Wars fans on tumblr: If you like this villain, you’re a Nazi/Abuse apologist!

It's why I stay on the periphery of fandoms, I can see what's going on and collect information and not have to deal with that nonsense.

Me an abuse survivor: Strange how this villain lead me to meet someone that guide me through Hindu stories and now I own a copy of the Ramayana!

That's that video game with the rabbits right?

I haven't gone through many of the Hindu texts like that, I like reading the different cultural epics if I can find the time.

Also this

How dare people say Aang pisses on the poor, red door dilemma, sometimes the author really just likes that colour.

Back in the day, people say that fandoms will change for people like me to have conforms and compassion But I never felt so isolated and suicidal being in big fandoms like Star Wars or kids media, and superhero media

Also I’m not taking about the og fans like you I mean the feminists, communists, and “representation matters!” Fans

Fandom should be fun, we should get together and nerd out while quoting our fav lines from whatever it is and tossing in occasional Monty Python Holy Grail jokes.

Got a question you ask someone, they don't know but well they do know someone who may know and they'll get you the answer.

It's supposed to be fun, white guy wants to dress up as T'challa because that's their fav character nobody cares, there will be a significant number of jokes made though

It's supposed to be fun though

[ooihcnoiwlerh]

Watching Glass Onion

My thoughts below as I watch (I was spoilered in advance and knew what would happen.  Still enjoyed it.)

-Lionel, the smartest of the Disruptors who stabbed Andi in the back, seems to think Miles is a genius when he’s clearly not from early on.  Also, Miles definitely faxes snippets he hears from other conversations and none of them are original.  Or they’re just weird brain farts that succeed only because Lionel’s able to make something salvageable out of them.

-I bet Kate Hudson had a lot of fun playing Birdie.  Her character/dynamic with Peg is like something straight out of BoJack Horseman.  (”No, they’re all in my pod, it’s fine.” and her being so deliberately obtuse/ignorant/immature.)

- Dave Bautista playing an Andrew Tate type is kind of funny in a meta sense because as far as I’ve seen, he (thankfully) doesn’t hold any of those views in real life and is just the opposite.

- Claire’s an ultimately unlikable/irredeemable character but I do like seeing Kathryn Hahn getting snarky.  Cute surprise Yo Yo Ma cameo.  I worked with a guy who cooked for him at a restaurant in DC who said that he’s really nice.

- Love the hard cut from the Disruptors getting really excited for “Miles’s” puzzles and working to solve them together to Helen looking at the puzzle, deciding “Nope.  This man and this puzzle are not worth my time and I’m not going to give him the satisfaction” and proceeding to smash the shit out of it with a hammer.

-I haven’t seen Knives Out yet (although I definitely will after this, and it had been on my list for a while) so Benoit Blanc’s accent is new and hilarious to me.  It’s the Southern equivalent to the French accents from Monty Python and the Holy Grail; ridiculous and over-the-top and funny.  More cameos

-”You’re not in the bath again, are you?” “....No.”

- The movie says so much with the different characters by how they approach wearing masks.  Blanc correctly wears a cloth mask that coordinates with his outfit.  Lionel the scientist wears a medical grade mask, also correctly.  Claire the politician wears a mask out of courtesy/image but not correctly.  Peg’s masked up and doesn’t want to hug anyone but also doesn’t say anything about how her boss Birdie is wearing a useless decorative mesh mask.  Duke and Whiskey don’t bother wearing masks at all and both they and Birdie refuse to respect social distancing.  “Andi” is holding a mask as she gets out of the cab, implying she wore it during the ride, but takes the mask off so that the other Disruptors can truly see her full image and whoever the potential murderer is doesn’t get any doubt as to who this is and, let’s be honest, other than perhaps Helen, Blanc, Peg, and Lionel, they don’t seem concerned with the pandemic.

- Either Miles Bron has and is hoarding some kind of covid cure that can be used as a throat spray or the more likely answer: it’s a placebo because he wants to get away with being careless during lockdown even more than he and the Disruptors already are and is just trying to appear like he cares about other people’s health.  It’s interesting that Blanc questions the spray and its effectiveness more than the literal scientist.  Also, another fun cameo.

-It’s subtle enough that it won’t be distracting for the audience but will amuse people who do notice that Blanc clearly doesn’t have a gag reflex, and in fairness it did make me chuckle.

- “Is that a Banksy?”  “Piece of shit.”

- That’s either not Paul McCartney’s guitar because it’s a right-handed guitar and Miles is lying about it to sound impressive or he had it re-stringed just so he could brag about owning the guitar on which Paul McCartney recorded Blackbird.  And then he unceremoniously drops it like it’s worthless after making a point to gloat about how priceless it is to Birdie.  Amazing character intro, I hate him already.

- Of course it’s the MRA meathead guy who looks the other way in regards to his girlfriend very obviously cheating on him with Miles/pimps her out to Miles so she can secure better job opportunities for him.

- Knowing the ending already I love how Ed Norton played Miles’s shock and horror and complete incomprehension at seeing “Andi.”  You see him having absolutely no idea how to process what’s going on and how despite the fact that he and Andi had known each other for ten years and he had to have known Andi had a twin sister, he clearly doesn’t think that could have anything to do with it and just thinks, “I guess I didn’t kill Andi hard enough and need to do it again?”  

- Janelle Monae looks so regal and beautiful in that dress with that “dressed to kill” poise Helen’s trying so hard to keep up despite how scared and uncomfortable she is.

-Peg and I have the same reaction to hearing Miles say “inbreathiate”

- Blanc being bewildered that everyone’s just leaving their luggage on the beach until he realizes the Disruptors just take it for granted that “the help” will do everything for them.  Not sure if that’s part of the act but still a nice touch.

- Miles Bron, barefoot, calling his fifty-person staff-estate a “commune for creativity” as a robot butler collects everyone’s luggage is probably a hard reality but it’s hilarious; also him giving people rooms “based on chakras” and Birdie being into that

-Am a little fascinated with Miles telling “Andi” that he’s glad she’s there and her reacting coldly.  Is he trying to act contrite for her “attempted” murder or trying to seem like he’s innocent and realizes that Andi isn’t falling for it?  Like, I want to know the conversation Ed Norton and Janelle Monae had before filming that interaction and ask what they felt their respective characters are thinking in that moment.

- I like how Benoit Blanc is a renowned detective but the moment he starts playing “dumb” and pretending to be naïve, Miles, who knows that Blanc’s a renowned detective, immediately falls for it.  

-For such a closely-knit friend-group, these people really don’t like each other.  The only Disruptors who seem like they’re still actually friends are Claire and Lionel.  

-HOLY SHITBALLS BLANC’S SWIM OUTFIT.  A FUCKING FULL-BODY STRIPED SWIMSUIT WITH AN ASCOT?  FUCKING FASHION ICON.  Oh, and him just standing chest-deep in the pool while holding a drink?  What an icon.  Love this guy.

-I can’t wait until Miles’s condescending speech gets used against him, especially since he throws Andi under the bus as he makes his redpill speech.  I will relish it.  

- Birdie, how many times do you need to get the hint that Blanc’s not interested and you’re making him uncomfortable?  (And he’s canonically gay but he doesn’t owe her that explanation.)

- Peg looks at “Andi” with open admiration/potentially lust and honestly, same.  Also enjoy Peg’s reaction shots.  She clearly loathes these people, including Birdie.  Really wish she’d cut her losses and quit.   

- Birdie, Blanc isn’t calling you dangerous.  He’s calling you shallow, insensitive, and careless.

- This movie, while it has some dark/dramatic moments, really is funny.  The asscheek statue, the hourly dong, Blanc panicking and throwing his cigar into the water.  

- The movie does say a lot without getting too much into it the contempt everyone has for anyone considered working class or “the help.”  Peg’s been Birdie’s loyal assistant for about a decade, has been to these get-togethers, and knows Miles and yet not only does she not even get to drink out of a glass (even if it’s not a personalized glass) he makes her drink out of a plastic cup like she’s at a frat party instead of a multi-billionaire’s estate, and has never bothered to learn her name.  And Birdie sees this, is aware of this, and doesn’t see the problem or treat Peg as a human being, either.  After a decade of putting out all of her many fires and baby-sitting her.  Lionel and Claire both have a brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment earlier in the movie in which they acknowledge/are nice to her but see how badly Birdie and Miles treat Peg and don’t challenge it.

-Maybe it’s because I watched Mrs. Fletcher, in which Kathryn Hahn’s character’s alcoholic beverage of choice is white wine with ice and maybe it’s because I wait on/bartend a fair amount of reasonably affluent/wealthy women who have specific instructions on how they like their white wine, but was a little amused at how Claire specifically likes “room temperature Pinot Grigio.”

- Just realized Miles probably poisoned “Andi’s” drink and it’s only because Helen is a teetotaler and also wants to keep a clear head for the evening that she survives.

-While Miles is not a mirror of every nepotism baby who has no true friends and no original ideas, it has to mean that he comes from money in that his mother took him the Louvre at the age of six when he’s an American?  I’m an American myself born in ‘93 and both of my parents worked full time but there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that they could’ve afforded a family vacation to any location in Europe let alone Paris. Miles was likely born in the late 60s, early 70s and still would’ve had to have to have been born to fairly well-off parents.  Two of my best friends who are former roommates and international military brats were both born in ‘69 lived, briefly in Europe, and never saw the Louvre.  Also the audacity to override the Louvre’s security measures so he “doesn’t have to look at the Mona Lisa behind glass.”

- Lionel and Claire are horrified by Klear but still sign off on it for money because they’re too deep in and they keep acting like they’re the voice of reason but they  still agreed to this and even though I know the ending I keeping hoping they’ll be better than their greed.

-I could feed off of Miles’s pouting resentment and sulking both times so far Blanc has “accidentally” insulted his intellect first by calling the first-scene puzzle  “a child’s game” and for solving Miles’s murder mystery within two minutes of hearing about it and with no clues whatsoever.  It’s especially funny since everyone’s praising Miles’s intellect when it’s made explicitly clear that he didn’t design the puzzle nor did he write out the murder mystery and yet still is so entitled he acts as though his intellect, which is nonexistent and he didn’t lend to either of these things, has been undermined.  And that Blanc, still playing the naïve and socially inept goof, is well aware of the fact that his comments and intellect bruise Miles’s narcissistic and yet fragile ego and is probably having a lot of fun doing it.

- Janelle Monae having a couple of moments where you hear a little bit of Helen’s natural Southern accent when she’s really upset as she’s masquerading as Andi is *chef’s kiss* and Andi probably also had a little bit of a hidden Southern accent that probably came out in small doses during emotional or vulnerable moments so it’s not surprising that it wouldn’t be a tell.

- “I want the truth!”

-Miles did in fact hand Duke the drink that killed him.  Also, a bit fitting that a man with a deathly food allergy to a common food item insists on keeping a gun on him even when swimming but never bothers to carry at least one epi pen.

-Miles literally murdered a man and is shocked that a detective thinks to call the cops this is incredible.

- I appreciate how, except for his girlfriend who didn’t even like him very much, all of Duke’s friends are more concerned for how it will look for their reputations to be associated with his death even as an innocent standby than the fact that he died.  And once again, the moment anything doesn’t go exactly his way, Miles panics and goes on impulse instead of thinking anything through and only kind of stumbles onto something afterwards.  Also, him scampering off the moment anyone other than Benoit approaches Duke’s corpse.  He’s so bad at hiding anything!  It’s incredible he gets away with so much

- I was prepared for this but it really is delightful that Blanc has a posh English husband played by Hugh Grant who spends quarantine making sourdough starter.  Also a cute little costuming detail that Blanc gets fully dressed, complete with a necktie to meet with Helen, but still wears a bathrobe over his clothes.

- Janelle Monae’s consistent, realistic Southern accent as Helen that does sound like it’s from one specific region from the South vs Daniel Craig’s hilarious, all-over-the-place Foghorn Leghorn Southern accent.  Let’s discuss.

- “Heavens.  The dog ate the caviar again.”

- Helen is so goddamn brave and I love her. 

- The fact that Miles is such an inept and clueless murderer who only gets by on privilege and luck that Blanc doesn’t suspect Miles as Andi’s killer because it would be too inept and dumb of a murder, though

- It does kind of make me wonder--did Lionel and Claire want to be a positive force in the world once?  Were they better people before easy money from Miles made them take ethical shortcuts or were they always weak and corruptible people who just wanted a meal ticket?  They’re clearly more conflicted about Miles’s actions than Duke and Birdie and feel more guilty about betraying Andi, but they still chose money and convenience over ethics.  I mean, that’s a big message of this movie; these morally questionable/bankrupt people at times wanted to do the right thing, but chose greed and corruption over their conscience.  But I guess I liked Leslie Odom  Jr’s and Kathryn Hahn’s performances so much that I was curious as to their approaches to the roles and how they took their respective characters’ corruption.

- Helen being  terrified because of the high risks as well as getting seasick as well as accidentally getting tipsy because she didn’t realize the kombucha she was drinking had alcohol in it and still managing to mostly confuse everyone is amazing and shows not just her intellect and quick thinking but the love and commitment she has for her twin no matter how uncomfortable the situation gets.  Blanc says himself that she has a natural talent for sleuthing.

- “That is hahd kamboocha!  That is Jared Letos’ hahd kamboocha!”

- Oh heavens, the foreshadowing.

- the detail that Serena Williams is one of the world’s greatest living athletes and Miles still hires her to do nothing except do personal training if someone is there did get a chuckle out of me

- “If I ever meet Jared Leto, I’m gonna whoop his kombucha-brewing ass”-Helen realizing she accidentally got tipsy off of his kombucha and also I would watch Helen beat the living shit out of Jared Leto

- I know the only redeemable characters in this movie, realistically, are Helen, Andi, and Blanc but I do feel bad for Peg.

-”Birdie...please tell me you did not think sweatshops are where they make...sweatpants.”  *Annoyed, unapologetic shrug.*  “Oh my Go-o-od.”

- Andi’s notebook indirectly saving Helen is apparently a parallel to Knives Out, in which a prop shows the heroine surviving killing odds because of someone who loved them.  Again, I need to watch Knives Out.

- “Miles Bron is an idiot.” “No one tried to kill you, you vainglorious buffoon.” 

- A bit depressing that Peg and Whiskey, who didn’t actively stab Andi in the back, are still imbued enough with the Disruptors that they also ignore any kind of conscience they have for greater opportunities, but not surprising.

- Miles looking at Helen, again, undoubtedly knowing that Andi had a twin sister, and clearly thinking, “What the fuck, is Andi a terminator?  How many times do I have to kill her??”

- Miles is so reckless, egotistical, and fucking dumb.  He specifically asked for people’s food allergies and killed Duke in front of their friends with  his own food allergy and only succeeded because Duke was too proud to carry a couple of epi pens in case of an emergency.  This is on top of the fact that he murdered his high-profile former friend and business partner all because he just assumed it would be covered up because he’s a multi-billionaire and he thinks everyone is as much of an idiot as he is.  “No!  It’s just dumb!” indeed.  It doesn’t even occur to him that it’s Helen who’s alive in front of him until Blanc spells it out and you can tell from his reactions.

- Speaking of which, Ed Norton eats in this movie.  He’s amazing as a sleazy, smug, greedy, narcissistic scumbag.  I love to hate him every moment he’s on screen and he’s always great as a villain but especially in this.

- “Heavens to...you dimwitted, brainless jackass!  Your one murder with any panache at all, and you stole the whole idea from me!”  

-  Miles doesn’t even get the idea to burn the napkin on his own.  Lionel, completely and justifiably mystified, goes, “You didn’t just...burn it?”

- Oh, but how cowardly the Disruptors are when they think Miles will win everything even though they know he’s a monster and are horrified by what he did.

-”Totally circumspective evidence”--Benoit rolling his eyes.  Same.  Also, apparently Miles Bron is not based on Elon Musk and their similarities are coincidental but Elon Musk stans saw this dumb fucking loser and went, “This talentless, unoriginal, evil person is definitely my precious boy” and that is amazing.

-Oh, but how incredible it is, that moment in Helen’s eyes that go from heartbreak and grief and anger, knowing she’ll never get proper justice for Andi to that moment of, “But fuck it.  Revenge is also a viable solution.”  I could live in it.  That switch in which she’s like, “He’ll never be held accountable for literal murder.  Time to burn it all down” and in fact does.  

-Also turns out I was wrong about the poisoned whiskey soda theory--she drinks it and then raises hell.  Miles is just so dumb, impulsive, and reckless I didn’t put it past him.

-I also like that Blanc realizes that proper legal justice is futile but also that Miles deserves every negative thing coming his way and knows when to let Helen take the reigns.

- “You would lie for a lie but you wouldn’t lie for the truth?”

- No, Whiskey.  You don’t get to try to kill Helen and screw her over and act like you’re friends and comrades.  Same goes for the rest of you shitheads.  And yet the fact that these people never truly liked Miles shines through makes them all feel empowered up to a certain point until they realize that their cowardice and greed and association with him will cost them personally and then they become cowards again.

- Self-fulfilling prophecy, Miles, you motherfucker.  Also the transition from him being completely unfazed (both by Helen breaking the ugly glass sculptures and the fact that everyone joins in at first and that none of his friends actually like him) to horror is deeply satisfying to watch. Everyone goes, “But you went too far” as if Miles didn’t literally murder Helen’s sister after stealing credit for her life’s work.  No, actually.  She’s the only real disruptor here

-She fucking blows up the Glass Onion!  (also Blanc just handing Klear to her like, “I won’t, but you should.”)

- Is Daryl meant to be a metaphor for Covid?  He enters the picture with a case of Coronas going, “I’m not here” and is there when Helen blows up the Glass Onion because no way is the throat coat actually going to protect any of these people from, Covid and chances are Birdie (and Peg, by association) Duke, Whiskey or Miles (or maybe Claire) infected everyone.

- His one-of-a-kind car that follows him everywhere is ruined too.  Good.

-I can’t tell you how hard I laughed when Miles realizes that he rented the Mona Lisa and it’s on fire so now he’ll forever be known as the man who destroyed one of Europe’s greatest paintings.  Also I know there’s discourse on whether or not it’s the actual Mona Lisa.  For the sake of this movie I’ll say it is; the Louvre was that impressed with Miles’s money and that the catharsis is that, in the Knives Out universe, that Miles ruined his own image by ruining the Mona Lisa.

-I know it’s a movie but Helen running on broken glass while wearing sandals freaked me out for a moment, even though it is pretty urgent.

“You’ll forever be remembered in the same breath as the Mona Lisa.”

- Oh wait Helen had to point out to him that he’ll forever be known as the guy who destroyed the Mona Lisa.  Amazing.

-This has been pointed out before but I did see what you did there: Cassandra predicted the fall of Troy despite no one believing her and Helen precipitated it.

- They’ll all burn him to save themselves now that he’s not their sugar daddy, which is obvious.  I’m kind of curious to see how they’d try to salvage their careers after this, but I’m pretty sure we won’t find out.  Benoit Blanc movies so far work like Mad Max movies, and he’ll be the ally/helper to another working class woman who exposes a corrupt and greedy wealthy group of people and any Helen/Marta fanfics will be strictly on AO3.  And here.  Also I’m here for it.

-Miles Bron you fucking idiot.  You piece of shit.  Hell’s bells you really actively planned to murder your former business partner/best friend as you sent her a puzzle invitation to celebrate a murder mystery-themed party.  I...incredible.  Not in a good way.  In a “bought the Mona Lisa on a whim and let it burn to the ground” kind of way.

- Okay, I know the look on Helen’s face is meant to be a million things, because it evokes the Mona Lisa but still.  As far as she knows, since she wasn’t there to hear that the Disruptors have agreed to burn Miles in court, she didn’t really get to clear her sister’s name and that’s probably the biggest source of pain for her.  That  said she did get to obstruct a deeply dangerous fuel source by the incompetent piece of shit that murdered her sister and ruin his public image.  It’s probably a mix of catharsis and a lack of it.  Either way, I enjoyed the movie and will watch it again as well as Knives Out.

[mywifeleftme]

300: Four Horsemen // Live in the West

Live in the West Four Horsemen 1977, Starborne

The Four Horsemen were Canada’s great contribution to international sound poetry, a genre that has traditionally involved the authors of the most abstruse literary theory ever written doing the verbal equivalent of Monty Python’s Department of Silly Walks for small audiences that regret their own open-mindedness. (Look, the Splash Zone was clearly labelled.) The Horsemen became genuine counter-culture favourites because they understood that absolute freedom is as absurd as it is sublime. As a result, their second LP Live in the West is probably the most fun thing that’d come out of the whole sound poetry movement to that point. The poets presented themselves as something between a band, an avant-garde theatre troupe, and a sketch group, and their compositions flit between high- and lowbrow signifiers in a way that feels prescient of today’s culture.

Side One is dedicated to shorter compositions, classical sound poetry conceits like dismantling a single loaded word into discrete phonemes (the word “Assassin” dissolved into startled AHHs and hissing esses) and deftly syncopated sequences of non-verbal glottal noises and grunts. On “From Beast/Matthew’s Line,” Paul Dutton (I think) opens with a snippet of an Irish-sounding folk song; he breaks off, allowing Rafael Barreto-Rivera and bpNichol to exchange repeated non-sequiturs in Spanish and English while Dutton keens in the background; Steve McCaffery begins speaking over them, intoning John Clare’s nineteenth century poem “I Am!”; as McCaffery nears the climax of the poem, the others gradually transition into raga-style vocalizations. The effect is quadrophonic, not unlike Glenn Gould’s “contrapuntal radio” piece The Idea of North (1967), which layered recordings of spoken monologues to see how their meanings and sounds complimented and “splashed off” one another. It also anticipates the sampling era to come, but the analogue physicality and precision required to pull the piece of without the aid of electronics gives it a spark all its own.

The elaborate collaging of “Matthew’s Line” previews the two longer pieces on Side Two, “Mischievous Eve” and “Goodbye Stagelost.” On these quasi-theatrical pieces, the Horsemen lean into the characters their voices suggest: the plummy British accent of the Sheffield-born McCaffery makes him a natural for playing the role of a fusty square, though he is never far from descending into gibbering imbecility; Barreto-Rivera’s Latin-accented good cheer provides an earthy counterpoint, even as he often lapses into Spanish passages that deepen the complexity of following their ratatat chemistry; Nichol has a measured, precise cadence, leading his colleagues like a conductor even as he often dives the furthest into abstraction; little Paul Dutton’s boyish, wiseacre Ontario deadpan sounds like one of the Kids in the Hall, making him the perfect foil when things need deflating. These longer selections resemble a slapstick update of the overlapping dialogues in the second part of Eliot’s The Waste Land, found writing and original material and classical literature swirled together to capture life in the charnel house of modern culture, but with more jokes (a special tip of the cap to Dutton’s passing allusion to Nichol’s “dick-washing habits”).

Fifty years down the line, sound and concrete poetry have little presence in the Canadian scene (or internationally, for that matter) outside of a few holdouts of the old guard. Almost nothing on the shelves or the stage feels as genuinely creative or lively as this old record does. I haven’t the space or energy here to litigate the institutionalization of the genre, but I know in my bones that the world could use a little more nastiness like this.

300/365

[shibaraki]

monty, can i ask how you’ve written so much? i wanna find the time and put in effort to finish all my wips but gooood, is it exhausting :c how do you do it!

hi love. you're right!!! it is very exhausting and writing is much harder than people give credit for. honesty I started being able to write more as soon as I stopped pressuring myself. when I first started out here again I could barely hit a 1k wc, so more than anything I'd say u need motivation and stamina, which can take time to build up, just like any other skill.

I am quite a mess, unorganised with the order I write my fics and I do not stick to deadlines at all. I also view myself as a slow writer and I lose steam pretty easily. so to stay on track I usually share snippets here or I talk about my fics with mutuals or friends, that way you and the readers get excited, and that excitement gives you a good boost. I like using the sprint bot on discord — basically write as much as you can in 10 - 20 minutes and it'll time you (you can do this w/o discord ofc) — to get over any mental blocks or when I'm in a bit of a rut. I do try to sprint for 15 minutes in the morning before I eat, same if I have food cooking at lunch or tea I'll sprint for 10 mins or so. I outline my fics as soon as an idea hits me because if I don't I will very likely forget it lol but I'm not the type to make playlists or moodboards, usually that ends up distracting me. other than that I... really do not do much ^^;

everyone is different. having a proper structure could work, writing in a linear fashion, or even having strict deadlines might help you in a way that doesn’t help me. don't forget that people, including yourself, have a life away from the internet!! so don't feel bad if you don't have time or energy. hell, don't feel bad if you're not enjying a wip the way you did in the beginning. it's okay to drop projects — they're yours. I know my friends sometimes put their wips into a generator and have that choose which to work on for them, if you think that'll make it less overwhelming!! I wish I had more solid advice for you, but write what you can when you can, and write it in a way that you enjoy. wishing you the best!!!!

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Happy STS, Anna!

What would you say are the happiest or saddest moments for couples or characters in your wips so far?

Happy STS!

MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- You want me?!?! The Angst Queen?!?! to pick the saddest moment for couples and characters in my wips so far? Excellent >:333. We'll go by my favorite/most developed character duos- Tris and Kaye, Snow and Lan, Cass and Erica, Max and Monty, Elliot and Hestia, Raven and Sapphire, and Asher and Damian. All are from my Fractured Stars Falling WIP except for Asher and Damian- they are from my The City is Ours WIP.

SPOILERY STUFF and TALK OF DEATH AND FAMILIAL ABUSE AHEAD!

Tris and Kaye

Definitely when at the end of Book 1: General Cinderella, they thought they'd won and were gonna get to court for a while before thinking of marriage- but then Tris goes back to her house to kick her stepfamily out and ends up locked in the basement where she dies of suffication. King Kaye searches for her for months before they finally bust down the stepfamily's door and they find her body :)))) how horrible :))))

Snow and Lan

When Snow finally challenges her stepmother to a duel, and isn't able to muster up the courage to beat her stepmom while Queen Reigna is manipulating and verbally abusing Snow as usual. And then Queen Reigna throws a poisoned knife that misses Snow and hits her best friend/QPR partner Lan :))) and they die in seconds in Snow's arms :))) and Snow is filled with so much rage for the first time in her life she beats her stepmom and almost kills her (but killing isn't allowed in these duels, so the knights have to pull her off) :333

Cassandra and Erica

Other than when Erica took a hit for Cassandra and died in her arms at the end of The Little Pirate? Probably every time Cass pushed Erica away out of fear of being rejected and abandoned again and Erica has so much love to give and doesn't like watching Cass destroy herself but respects her boundaries :)

Max and Monty

When Max sacrificed himself to save Monty and was killed. The worst part is Monty was asleep when it happened (and that's when Max gives him a real kiss, not just a "we need a distraction" kiss), so he wakes up to find Max dead and Max wakes up in the Under :)))

Elliot and Hestia

Uh, pretty much all of their book Handsome and the Beast, but the most angsty snippet I wrote a while back about when Elliot had to go back and help his sick father and they said very tearful goodbyes and Hestia held it together until Elliot was gone and then she fell apart :)

Raven and Sapphire

OHOHO WHERE DO I BEGIN. The most angstiest moment is either the whole time Sapphire was under the sleeping curse and all Raven could do was watch her and hope she'd wake up OR a few months after Sapphire escaped/was rescued from the Under and she starts getting nasty night terrors about her experiences down there and it breaks Raven's poor heart that he can fight and protect in the physical world but he can't protect her from the monsters in her head

Asher and Damian

HEHE >:))). You'd think the angstiest moment would be when the team captured Blood Debt and after a little light torutre Asher takes off Blood Debts' mask to find his boyfriend Damian BUT the angstiest moment comes after when Damian decides to be a spy for the heroes on the Snow Queen- only to get caught and tortured on a live feed back to the heroes :DDD

And that's all I got for now, thank you >:))))

Thanks @perasperaadastrawriting !

[masha-nikita]

I saw this post, and I couldn't help but agree with it. Not that I'm an expert in writing smut... I only have a few ideas.

Sex and death are the powerfully transformative forces of human psyche, symbolized by Pluto in astrology. When observing the synastry chart of 2 people, it is Pluto rather than Venus that is the significator of sexual tensions-- sex acts like primitive catalyst of power dynamics between a couple. Venus being the ruler of both Libra and Taurus, almost never brings any tension or discomfort to a situation- Libra is the diplomatic side of Venus, whereas Taurus the laid-back enjoyments.

Whether or not it is BL/YAOI smut, I'd interpret the penetrating party as Mars in action--controlled aggression, and the receiving party the channel for Pluto. There's got to be some sort of clash of personality, the dissolution of waking consciousness, digging out traumas and self contradictions, and finally, the small death and eventual transformation/sublimation.

The healing process happens after the sex.

I really dig myself too deep into WWII fandom ngl.

Monty x Rommel works so well for me personally. Rommel sees Montgomery as sworn enemy, surrendering to him is not only betrayal, but also akin to losing his whole identity. Monty adores his enemy. In this lonely British general's eyes, the Fox seems closer to him than his American allies precisely because they are enemies. Both men are forced into this war situation, both are ill adapted in civilian life-- a life riddled with battles is the only life they know of, it renders them perpetual outsiders. The Fox occupies Monty's whole mind, and he knows it is the same for Rommel. Rommel knows the commander of 8th army understands him well. He hates this fact, because it makes him feel weak; yet he loves it secretly, because he is able to feel weak.

Their positions are so irreconcilable, so different yet so similar, so much is impossible to put into words. The sex, the touch, smell, even the language barrier itself, are the only viable language left for them. Such intimacy is not supposed to be, each thrust is fatal, each kiss feels like the last. I'd say these themes are truly Plutonian.

Another pairing that I think of from time to time but never wrote anything, is Konstantin Rokossovsky x Fedor von Bock. See this post if you wonder what it is. My little crazy friend quite likes this pair, but the dynamic is even more intense, borderline offensive, I don't know how to deal with these two. Here's a snippet to show you how bad it can be; here goes nothing-

///

"Dying on the battlefield is the greatest pursuit of all Reich's soldiers"-- this adage is not mere war time propaganda for von Bock; he practices what he preaches since WWI, long before the Nazi party ever took power. He wholeheartedly welcomes his death when the young Red Army general Rokossovsky captures him in the middle of Barbarossa. Bock nonchalantly ponders to himself: "the Soviets would hand me to NKVD. Stalin would have me tortured and hanged. Very well."

But Konstantin decides otherwise: he wants to keep him for himself. A Nazi deserves something much worse than death.

The young Red Army warrior makes it very obvious and humiliating to the older Generalfeldmarschall that he is being r*ped as a worthless Nazi... yes, this slender beauty is a Nazi, he totally deserves what is done to him. Despite always maintain strict self control, when the boundaries between sex and death blur, Fedi couldn't handle this burning desire for the enemy above him.

When Konstantin later learns that not all Wehrmacht generals subscribe to Nazi ideology-- it is rather their moral incompetence that gives in to Hitler-- he becomes disgusted with his behavior. Von Bock gives him a smile of contempt: "You are so naive, marshal Rokossovsky, that you allow room in your heart for guilt. Stalin should've seen through you and purged you."

///

yes, you see, offensive cold-blooded hot sex, makes me shudder. At least it is never boring.

There have been a couple of posts going around about how smut writers have the challenge of keeping a sex scene interesting when there's only a few different actions and a few different body parts to talk about

And yes, funny jokes about writing, but when I see posts like these I want to scream

If you feel like the sex scene you're writing is repetitive, no number of synonyms for "thrust" will help you. Synonyms for "cock" or "cunt" will REALLY not help you.

Sex scenes are character studies as much as they are action scenes. What are the characters' frameworks for what they're doing? Emotions, thoughts, specific physical sensations. If there are metaphors, do the metaphors make sense with the characters' experiences/the story's theme's/the setting? Is the sex scene completing a character arc, even a small one? Is there a character arc within the sex scene itself, even a small one?

A really good sex scene is specific and grounded to the physicality, emotions, and thoughts of the characters involved. Even if it's a PWP!

It's been said that the largest sex organ is the brain, and this is not a joke, especially when we're talking about the medium of the written word!

[4thestars-sun-n-moon]

Bc of your comment about dumb Monty on my post, you’ve earned another reader. Even if I only get a snippet of him amongst the lovely adoration I’m sure reader (Star? I love it) will have for the clown duo

JAGJSVSK

He gets a boyfriend!

Nathan ❤️ absolute man loser. Has never processed an emotion in his life.

You get to see him every once in a while. He gets some character development along with Nathan since their a duo.

Monty is kinda Nathan's giant lap dog. He's just laying on top of him in the middle of work forcing him to take a nap.