#The ICONIC tangled pose

[inumbrapugnabimus-maybe]

idk

Sorta a sequel to this post

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

King the silly guys, Lupin III!

(for @dying-suffering-french-stalkers)

[yan-randomfandom]

Jinx x GN!Thief!Reader

getting chased by your victims—the people you stole from—you stumble into one of the most iconic figure in Zaun. wait, what the fuck—is that Jinx??

→ one shot, first meeting, violence, flirtatious MC 😭

🔵 ; act 3 js stabbed me btw

"Holy shit!! Move away! Move away, move away!!"

Before Jinx can even blink, she's slammed to the ground with tangling limbs. A choked groan escapes her lips as she quickly looks up to see you. Intense blue eyes deliriously captures all of your attention.

You stare back at her, eyes widening.

"...You're gorgeous," you blurt.

Her eyes narrow in a split second. Without warning, you swiftly rise to your feet and start running away. A few more thumping sounds follow, but Jinx is too fixated to watch your retreating figure.

"And I'm sooorrrrryyyyyyyy—!!" you yell, your voice growing fainter and fainter.

Jinx stands up.

A clicking sound stops her from moving. Something is pressed against her back.

"You an apprentice?" a gruff voice asks. The object—she guesses it's a gun—digs further into her top.

She sighs.

Turns around so fast they couldn't even react.

Her hand is raised. Fingers readily posed for a trigger.

...

Wait.

Where in the absolute fuck is her gun?

She drops her empty hand and taps on her pockets, feeling within. Empty. Empty. Empty.

Oh, shit. You didn't apologize for falling onto her.

The three massive men exchange confused looks. One shrugs and nudges the other. About to do a move, a long groan suddenly rings out.

Jinx pulls under her eyes in frustration. "God. You people are amateurs!"

She's already out of there. Her feet are running through the ground. Light, swift, and desperate. The polluted breeze hits her face. How the hell did you do that? Right under her fucking nose.

Granted, she can always make another handgun and earn more money—but you had the blue crystals.

It's not like she'll have a hard time finding you, anyway.

You left trails of your muddy steps.

"There she is!"

A sharp exhale.

In one lucky move, Jinx manages to knock out all of the offenders. They all come crashing down on top of each other. Thank God for that loose pole.

There. She got rid of the nuisances. Turning, she prepares her heel—

"Woah."

You whistle loudly. Jinx snaps her head toward your direction. Just sitting above the rooftop apartments. "Gotta say, you're amazin', lady."

With a tilt of her head, she stares immensely at the weapon in your grasp. You handle it poorly by holding the tip with two fingers. Almost like it's worthless junk.

" ... That's mine," says Jinx.

"Yours?" you imitate her action, cocking your head to the side. Your lips pull a teasing smile. "Lowkey sounds hot. Can I be yours, too?"

She studies your face for a moment before a smirk of her own shows up. "Sure can. But my attractiveness kills people. Just gimme back my stuff, will ya?"

You laugh, humming, taking your sweet time to study her weapons. The blue glow in particular has your half-hearted attention. "Y'know, I've never seen anythin' like this before."

"Hah," Jinx crosses her arms, her grin widening. "Course ya didn't. I made it. Consider it an honor you even got to touch it, let alone look at it."

You pause at her words. Then take another look at the gun.

"You made this?" you say incredulously, an eyebrow arching. "Huh. That sounds a lot like somethin' Jinx would do."

Slight movement next to you. You turn, freezing at the sight of the bluenette sitting beside you.

She takes the chance to casually take the gun from your hand. There's an unimpressed look on her face.

"Guess what?"

You stare back, chuckling sheepishly. How is it that you've worked for Silco himself a few times, but have never met Jinx before?

" ... At least I'll die at the hands of a beautiful woman."

Jinx slaps your head. You let out a small cry, rubbing the sore spot. "I know who you are, moron. Silco's looking for you."

"Oh," you mutter, digging into your bag. "I should, uh, probably give your wallet back too."

🩵

I WANTED THIS TO BE MORE... hang on-- also my bad if reader sounds like a creep i swear that isnt my intention 😭 lemme know tho

"I won't complain if you explode me here rn,, heh..."

"dude shut the fuck up i said im sparing you"

"I bet you're real impressed by my swiping kills tho"

"honestly? yeah sure"

[silvers-starrway]

Sonic Murder Drones AU Masterlist

AU created by me and @cherbearsz with some other inputs from our friends :]

AU Summary: MDAU follows the same basic plot points as Murder Drones just with the Sonic Cast put in for different characters. Sonic, a worker drone, yearns for freedom outside of the bunker and builds a weapon to take out the disassembly drones that have been terrorizing them for as long as he can remember. Nothing goes according to plan and Sonic ends up becoming friends with one of the disassembly drones, Serial Designation C. Having inherited a rogue piece of code called the Absolute Solver, Sonic together with C and eventually R, need to figure out a way to stop Nine from destroying the planet before the Solver completely takes over Sonic’s body.

Cast list: Sonic - Uzi C (Chaos Sonic) - N R (Rusty Rose) - V S (Shadow) - J Maria - Tessa Nine - Cyn Silver - Doll Rouge - Lizzy Knuckles - Thad Whisper - Khan Surge - Alice Kit - Beau Tangle - Nori Blaze - Yeva

Character Lineups by @cherbearsz - R, Sonic, C, S and Maria - 'Maria', Silver, Rouge, Knuckles, Whisper and Nine

Ep 1 - 'Literally so insanely suspicious' (by @snowiwyvern)

Ep 4 - Friendship lore - Solver Sonic

Ep 7 - Church confrontation - Sonic and C fight (by @dacieng) - Possessed Sonic

Ep 8 - S and R confrontation - Sonic: I can do this now!!

Post Show - Rouge helps S - What's in a name

Other - Episode 8 trailer reaction - Good bots - Respite - Silver's cool pose - Whisper, Rouge and R - Chaonic rarepair request - Artfight icons - Nine's freak behaviour - MDAU art dump (by @transzsonix) - Dangandopa blood S (by @pastelspindash) - Silver, S and Nine - Sonic and S - Song swap with Wonder - Chaonic ship bingo - Holy shit two cakes! - Sonic AU Collision image - Nine fanart (by @wispcandle)

Doodle Dumps - Dump 1 - Dump 2 - Magma doodles 1 - Magma doodles 2 - Dump 3 - Dump 4

Artfight Attacks - C and Sonic (by Snowiwyvern) - Nine (by m3tr0n0m33) - Sonic AU mass attack (by toonagi)

[zahri-melitor]

Spirit World #3: this is a fascinating reinterpretation of Cass’ death.

Now, I can tell that the team for Spirit World have read Batgirl 2000, and read it closely. But even as they’ve recanonised Cass’s deaths, what they’ve put in the issue is not actually how Cass died.

First of all, while Shiva has killed and resurrected Cass, this was in Batgirl #25, when Shiva stopped Cass’ heart with the Leopard Blow punch to the heart. In the scene they’re replicating above, Cass’ second death, Shiva did not kill Cass. Mad Dog did, in Batgirl #72 when he stabbed her in the heart with a knife. It was a blade, not a bullet.

Here’s the closest anyone gets to shooting Cass during the fight scenes around this death.You’ll note Shiva’s already taking Cass to the Pit, and the knife is still in place.

Shiva wouldn’t bother trying to shoot Cass. Not only does she prefer to kill via sparring, but she knows Cass can dodge bullets. While she does shoot at Cass after the Pit, it’s with a tangle gun to trap Cass while she recovers from a very temporary bout of pit madness. Which resolves in a couple of panels.

I’ll also note here that in the process of simplification, they’ve put Shiva into the outfit that she wears in Batgirl #73 for the whole spread. This isn’t what she wore to Cass’ death. This is what Shiva wore when she died. (I think it’s interesting they picked this outfit, as it’s not only the more iconic one, but in a situation where we are discussing the Spirit World, the fact they remember this by what both Cass and Shiva wore at the moments of their OWN deaths is interesting)

The other thing about the introduction of a gun to the mythology of Cass’ death is that it ties her more tightly to another classic Bat death scene: Thomas and Martha Wayne. The gun, and Martha’s pearls lying in spilled blood. This is really interesting, as guns are actually pretty rare in the various family death scenes.

Now why would they choose to do this? Well, Cass already has her mother’s pearls.

She took them in Batgirl #8 after the first fight she won against Shiva.

So giving Shiva and Cass’ relationship the gun to go with the pearls? It’s striking to me.

Lastly:

Here’s Cass thinking about her family in Batgirl #70.

Here’s Cass thinking about her family in Spirit World #3.

Look at the echoed positions for Bruce and Babs. Look at the changes.

I know the reasoning for why the blocking is the way it is here, but I do quietly wish for this one moment they’d put Steph in her original Spoiler costume. Because her pose (hood back, cape flare, even the stance somewhat) is pretty clearly supposed to echo the most iconic Steph and Cass panel of all time from Batgirl #72:

I know why they didn’t. But it would’ve been satisfying.

[chillfaerie]

Tangled fandom, I need help!

I'm working on a Varian drawing but I'm stumped on the pose. I thought I would reference something from the series, so if you have any suggestions for iconic, full-body poses of Varian from the show, please send them! If I end up using your idea, I'll credit you for the help :D

[thecursedprince]

Disney Collector Radiance Collection Belle Doll 🥀

Price: $75.00

August 18, 2023

Disney’s Belle is the first of the Disney Princess characters to feature a newly reimagined look. Adorned in her iconic yellow gown, this sparkling doll captures the bold and bright heroine of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Her stunning jacquard and sheer pleated gown is decorated with elegant charmeuse rosettes, while tear-shaped gems evoke the petals of the enchanted rose from the beloved movie.

Disney Collector Radiance Collection™ Belle Doll

Shimmering style inspired by an iconic gown from the beloved film

Nine points of articulation for a variety of posing and display options

Premium gem-cut packaging design reflects the color of Belle’s gown

Package dimensions: 10” W x 3” D x 15” H

Disney’s Jasmine and Aurora will follow Belle in this series later this year

Includes Certificate of Authenticity

Doll cannot stand alone. Doll stand included.

©Disney.

SKU#: HLX64

——————————————————————————————-#mattel #elsa #sleepingbeauty #aurora #mulan #anna #disney #beautyandthebeast #aladdin #disneystore #disneyprincess #princess #cinderella #tangled #jasmine #instadoll #instamood #disneydolls #tiana #rapunzel #disney100 #belle #snowwhite #ariel #pocahontas #moana #ultimateprincesscelebration #dollcollector #dollcollection

[ogradyfilm]

Andor: The Terrible Mundanity of Evil

[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

How does a totalitarian regime solidify its reign? Through fear and intimidation? Although the Star Wars saga’s nefarious Empire is no stranger to flashy shock and awe tactics (as evidenced by their propensity for planet-obliterating super weapons like the Death Star), Andor—the franchise’s most recent Disney+ series—reexamines this brute force strategy. Tyranny, writer Tony Gilroy argues, is at its most insidious when it subtly permeates all aspects of everyday life, desensitizing the populace to its presence; the machinery of subjugation becomes normal, mundane, inevitable. Indeed, the inherent inefficiency of the bloated, underfunded bureaucracy—the false promises, the inconsequential concessions, the tangled web of red tape—becomes so utterly boring that it’s almost a comfort.

The show’s prison arc—which finds our protagonist incarcerated (without trial) on a remote penal island—explores this theme in miniature. The facility’s security staff is surprisingly minimal; instead of being locked behind iron bars and beaten with truncheons, inmates are forced to perform monotonous menial labor on an assembly line—twelve-hour shifts every day until their sentences expire. The work is as competitive as it is repetitive: the most productive teams are granted insubstantial “rewards” (food that tastes marginally better than their usual flavorless nutrient paste), while those that “neglect their duties” are severely punished (remote electroshock torture). Additionally, certain trusties—such as Andy Serkis’ Kino Loy—wield a modicum of authority, acting as overseers and enforcing the guards’ stringent quotas. These methods serve to dehumanize and isolate the victims, reducing them to individual cogs in a much vaster mechanism: by exhausting them with tedious tasks, making them resent one another, and convincing them that they pose no significant threat, their jailers ensure that they become too resigned to the abusive treatment to deviate from the routine, much less rebel.

Fortunately, the Imperials fail to account for one crucial factor: compassion. Despite his stern exterior, Kino legitimately cares about the men under his supervision, encouraging them to endure their fatigue and despair because he genuinely believes that silent, submissive obedience will guarantee their survival. Thus, when he discovers that their toil is for naught—that the calendar counting down to their scheduled release date is a total fabrication, and they will merely be transferred from factory to factory for the remainder of their natural lifespans—he immediately joins Cassian’s uprising, using the skills that he’s acquired as a foreman to inspire cooperation and unity among his former subordinates:

There is one way out. Right now, the building is ours. You need to run, climb, kill! You need to help each other. You see someone who is confused, someone who is lost, you get them moving and you keep them moving until we put this place behind us. There are 5,000 of us. If we can fight half as hard as we've been working, we will be home in no time. One way out! One way out! One way out!

Once they finally breach the exterior doors, however, Kino reveals that he can go no further: the final stretch of their escape requires them to paddle across turbulent waters, and he never learned to swim. He knew from the beginning that he wouldn’t be able to reach freedom, participating in the revolt solely for the benefit of his comrades—a sacrifice that perfectly mirrors the iconic monologue delivered by Rebel spymaster Luthen Rael during the episode's conclusion:

I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude.

When confronted with such altruism, despotism wilts and decays—as all systems of oppression should.

[manmetaphysical]

1: Song to the Stranger in Strange Lands

You quickly realise from Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) what all the controversy was about. The topics in its pages skip casually from free love, polyamory, water sharing rituals, telepathy, OBEs,  cannibalism, the intertwining of corrupt politics and religions and journalism and the messiah complex. That’s quite a lot to pack into one story. The extended version published in 1991 contained the extra 60,000 words that the publishers had thought too controversial to publish back in 1961. 

While not a main character there is an astrologer called Becky Vesant who gives advice to the leader of the one world government that has taken over the world. Major Douglas relies on this resident astrologer Becky Vesant, for predictions on how to proceed in life. This is uncanny as, written in 1961,  it foresees the role that  Joan Quigley played as secret astrologer to the Reagans during their time in the 1980s at the Whitehouse. 

Quigley influenced world events that heralded the Perestroika period. It was Nancy who had Ronald’s ear and persuaded him to follow astrological advice, even warning him about the day of the attempted assassination. Vesant does the same for Major Douglas and his wife Alice, only 20 years in advance of it happening. In a similar scenario Becky Vesant’s astro-analysis is vital to Alice Douglas who then advises her husband Major Douglas what should be done about the man from Mars so Jubal Harshaw can intercede in his favour.  Astrology has its uses even for top policy makers and Heinlein suggests a future where use of astrology is normalised and no longer needs to be hidden. 

The novel is a rich stew of visionary ideas mostly ahead of their time and it propelled Robert Heinlein to the list of top writers of the 20th century. Its original title was ‘The Heretic’ and the words ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ is a quote from the King James Bible, from Exodus 22.2. But ironically, in spite of its iconoclasm, it has achieved iconic popular status. It was given the Hugo award, and even was associated with the liberation movements of the 1960s and even became tangled up in the cult of Charles Manson and his followers who borrowed its ideas of living in communes and sharing lovers.

Putting aside the debate about whether Heinlein is still fashionable or not, there is still something important to learn from Heinlein’s book and that is to pose the question: where do the ideas on Earth originate? Who among us feels just like the man from Mars, like strangers here on Earth who see things differently from other humans? Do we really belong here or do we sometimes feel we are from somewhere else? Or to ask if we have been given a special mission to fulfil and if that should be our sole task? And to ask if it is true that,while we are in this world, we are not of it -as the famous Sufi mystical doctrine goes- then who are we really?

What occurs on Earth can appear insane, absurd, twisted, profane, evil, massively infested by parasitic energies, and what we witness during one lifetime is shocking travesty of the true potential of what it means to be an evolved ‘human’. You could be forgiven for thinking that Earth is the battleground for wars on the physical, emotional and metaphysical levels.

And who feels most alienated among social groups who might feel this existential anxiety about others? Chiron in Aquarius, especially if that is in the 7th house. Heinlein's Chiron was in Aquarius which is how he can teach us about what happens to individuals in groups, as they either feel rejected as aliens or they descend into an orgy of groupthink. Someone has to be the sin eater and soak up all the ugly projections. People with this placement are the introverts and loners, people who don't 'fit in'. They have a troubled sense of belonging.  Chiron has been in and out of Aquarius at various times, but retrogrades a lot, so double check where your Chiron placement is here. Chiron is in Aries at the moment chipping away at the existential angst people feel. Heinlein points to ideologies that sincerely intend to be for the good of all but that develop into dystopias- another quirky quality of Aquarius. is the imposition of their ideas on the rest of the world- always for the greater good.

While Stranger in a Strange Land may not be the greatest of literary achievements, it is regarded as one of the best Science Fiction novels ever written and the best Heinlein ever wrote. That all makes for a racy novel full of questions about why society on Earth is the way it is. It is written in satirical vein, so it is quite comical in parts, almost picaresque. It is about a man Valentine Michael Smith, born in Mars, who is a hybrid half human. He has special powers of telepathy, going out of body, able to teleport thigs, people, clothes, and have deep emotional understanding. He lands on Earth and has to learn its history and psychology all from scratch so his viewpoint is innocent and objective- at least at first.

But he learns quickly and becomes the messiah of his own religion of free love. He is compared to a Prometheus stealer of fire- so that’s a stand- in for Uranus and the genius that bestows. They way he looks at the humans he meets is without judgement like a tabula rasa- until he ‘groks’ them and begins to understand. This word ‘grok’ originated in  Heinlein’s book yet has multiple and profound meanings: to get, to dig, to asborb, to drink, to know fully, to understand, to consume, to eat, to identify with and so on. 

The novel reveals such a lot about our time in the 21st century and the issue of how religions create the chains on the human mind and where they are mingled with politics and sex i.e. where political movements act like substitutes for religion and where sex is repressed and/or sublimated unconsciously. This is especially true for people who are lost and vacuous, without any inner spiritual compass, or who have strayed away from the religious tradition they were born into. State policies and laws take on the guise of evangelical and theological dictats to be blindly obeyed, and the appeal to what is the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to think is put down to which knee-jerk emotions are triggered and not to any facts or to any enlightened reasoning process.  In another lesser known novel ‘Orphans in the Sky (1964) there is a massive spaceship and all  humans aboard truly believe that it is the living extent of the entire universe as they have never actually been to the edges of the ship. 

Extract 1 from 'Song to the Strangers in a Strange Land' on ProteusAstrology.co.uk

[kintatsujo]

the real doomed yuri is they're doing the iconic magnet pose with the butterfly headphones and their microphones get tangled up

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 83 - hair dying session

Georgie's smelling there is more to this compulsive statement recording behavior. And is actually questioning where these statements come from and why it's super weird that Jon doesn't know

JON "I mean, I’m not, I’m not on drugs or anything." [GEORGIE LAUGHS DISBELIEVINGLY] "What? … I could be on drugs!" - Sure xD Iconic moment! Also… if Jon is addicted to statements… doesn't this mean he actually is on drugs? xDDD

So after the two wrap-up/follow-up episodes to the S2 finale we're jumping right in to introduce this season's big bag. "So when I came in one day to find that the ringmistress mannequin had been replaced, I knew instantly. It was wearing the same clothes, certainly, and was posed the same way, but I could see the difference." - Is it Nikola who's now posing for the department store?

"The raincoat mannequin had, it seemed, been… disassembled, then rebuilt into a tangled bunch of limbs and joints. The torso was upside down and the two arms jutted out from the front and back of the pelvis, bending up to hold the mannequin’s head aloft." - Who else is thinking of Silent Hill here?

"Its steps were jerky and stiff, arms snapping out and back as it moved towards me step by step." - Interesting. Something like this in visual media would always get me. Here my imagination fails me for once. I don't know, I feel like uncanny profits highly from visuals.

"have located a few stories about the death of Lana Billings, found… strangled and partially skinned in the storage of Fanton’s department store" - So is this where Nikola got some of their parts from?

"I cannot help but notice, parked just at the edge, is an off-white delivery van." - Oh wow, I totally forgot about Breekon & Hope being in this episode! So they picked up Nikola. Or maybe even delivered her in the first place?

"Hiding won’t bring any answers, and it won’t stop whatever’s going on." - I love TMA's canon reason to carry on despite the characters knowing that their lives are on the line. There is just no escape… (well, that they know of at this point)

I've seen a bunch of meta talking about his statement reading and speculating whether it's addiction to something he doesn't need or actual sustenance like food. An interesting question to be sure

[smashlawlai]

Here’s a Super Smash Bros. Lawl moveset for the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus:

Reveal Trailer:

The trailer begins in a spooky, moonlit forest. Characters like Mario, Link, and Kirby are seen exploring a creepy, abandoned house. Suddenly, eerie laughter echoes, and the Sanderson Sisters—Winnie, Sarah, and Mary—appear, floating in on broomsticks. Winnie cackles and says, "We’re back, and this time, we’re here to win!" The screen flashes: "The Sanderson Sisters Bewitch the Battlefield!"

Moveset:

The Sanderson Sisters’ moveset combines their witchy powers, spells, and iconic elements from the Hocus Pocus film. Each sister has unique abilities, making them a dynamic and unpredictable team.

Neutral B (Witch's Brew):

Description: Each sister takes a turn casting a different spell. Winnie casts a green fireball that travels straight, Sarah creates a swirling, charming mist that confuses opponents, and Mary conjures a swarm of magical insects that cause damage over time.

Inspiration: In Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson Sisters use various spells and potions to attack and enchant their enemies.

Side B (Broomstick Dash):

Description: The sisters fly forward on their broomsticks, dealing damage to anyone they touch. The broomsticks can be angled up or down, and the attack can be used to pass through the stage and return from the opposite side.

Inspiration: The Sanderson Sisters are frequently seen flying on broomsticks in the film, using them for both travel and combat.

Down B (Spellbook Summon):

Description: Winnie opens the Book of Spells and releases a powerful spell that causes a magical explosion around her, dealing area-of-effect damage and briefly stunning opponents.

Inspiration: The Book of Spells is a central item in Hocus Pocus, and its use by Winnie to cast powerful spells is a key element of her character.

Up B (Potion Flight):

Description: The sisters each throw a potion into the air, creating a magical burst that propels them upward. They can briefly hover and attack with the potions, which cause explosive damage when they land.

Inspiration: The Sanderson Sisters’ potions are a recurring theme in Hocus Pocus, often used for various magical effects.

Final Smash (Sisters’ Revenge):

Description: The screen darkens as the Sanderson Sisters gather in the center of the stage, chanting an incantation. A huge, swirling vortex of green magic erupts, pulling opponents in and dealing massive damage. As the vortex subsides, the sisters appear in the center, triumphant and glowing with dark energy.

Inspiration: This Final Smash embodies the Sanderson Sisters’ ultimate power, combining their spells into a devastating attack, similar to the climactic moments of the film.

Taunts:

Up Taunt: Winnie raises her hands and cackles maniacally, saying, "I’ll put a spell on you!"

Side Taunt: Sarah sings a short, haunting melody from her song, "Come Little Children," while floating and twirling.

Down Taunt: Mary scowls and mutters, "You can’t escape the darkness," as she stirs an imaginary cauldron.

Victory Poses:

1. Victory Pose 1: The sisters stand together, arms linked, and chant a spell while glowing with dark magic. Winnie says, "We’re the most fabulous witches!"

2. Victory Pose 2: Sarah and Mary float around Winnie, who’s holding the Book of Spells triumphantly, while Sarah sings and Mary laughs.

3. Victory Pose 3: The sisters are seen in their iconic costumes, with Mary holding a broomstick and Winnie casting a spell into the air as they look down menacingly.

Defeat Pose:

Defeat Pose: The sisters are seen in a tangled heap, with their broomsticks and spellbook scattered around them. Winnie shakes her fist in frustration and says, "You haven’t heard the last of us!"

[iviarellereads]

The Eye of the World, Chapter 12 - Across the Taren

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Flame icon) In which several things are awfully suspicious.

They make their way to the ferry crossing and wait, hardly even talking among themselves. Moiraine tells Lan he has to handle the crossing, because if she stands out in the ferrymen's thoughts, the group will be that much easier to track down.(2) Rand finds himself a little jealous of Egwene, who's in the flush of finding a sought-out adventure, while he's had adventure thrust upon him and he just feels damp, cold, and sore from the night's hard ride.

Lan moves Perrin's cloak to expose his war axe, and Rand moves his own cloak to show his sword, and tries to mimic Lan's confident pose with his hand on it. The ferry haulers get in position and they start the crossing.

Quietly, Lan and Rand discuss how the ferryman is untrustworthy. Lan says those who would harm a stranger are often the quickest to accuse a stranger of wanting to harm them, since the ferryman noted loudly that the gold he was already given is in a safe place, he can't be robbed. Rand is just surprised the people of Taren Ferry are every bit as strange as he always heard.

Once they're across, the ferryman and the haulers follow them down onto the bank to get the rest of their pay. Moiraine looks out over the river. Rand shivers and pulls his cloak closer around him, and suddenly the ferry gets caught up in a whirlpool, though the ferryman notes that this river never gets whirlpools.(3)

The ferrymen go off to deal with getting back across the river, and Lan leads the group to a cave hidden in a tangle of fallen trees, well defended against curious eyes. Moiraine takes Egwene aside while the men take care of the horses and set up camp. Perrin remarks that the horses don't look tired at all, but Lan says they just don't feel it, they'd run themselves to death if you let them. It was a necessary risk, for Moiraine to do that.

When they're done with the horses outside, they go in the cave, where Moiraine is giving Egwene a lesson.

“The One Power,” Moiraine was saying, “comes from the True Source, the driving force of Creation, the force the Creator made to turn the Wheel of Time.” She put her hands together in front of her and pushed them against each other. “Saidin, the male half of the True Source, and saidar, the female half, work against each other and at the same time together to provide that force.(4) Saidin”—she lifted one hand, then let it drop—“is fouled by the touch of the Dark One, like water with a thin slick of rancid oil floating on top. The water is still pure, but it cannot be touched without touching the foulness. Only saidar is still safe to be used.” Egwene's back was to Rand. He could not see her face, but she was leaning forward eagerly.

Rand misses some of the conversation, but hears Egwene ask if Moiraine thinks she can really learn to use saidar, to be an Aes Sedai. Moiraine says she has no need to learn to use it, but without training, she may not survive the process of using it.(5) When she mentions that men who can channel are gentled by the Red Ajah, Thom growls next to Rand, and even Perrin and Mat look uncomfortable.(6) Rand doesn't know much about the other Ajahs, but he does know the Red take as their mission the prevention of another Breaking, and work to do that by gentling or killing every potential male channeler they learn of.

Moiraine guides Egwene through channelling in a focused way, and when Egg makes a stone light up, Moiraine says most who go to Tar Valon study for months before they can do what she just did by instinct. Egwene has a natural talent, might even be strong enough to become the Amyrlin Seat herself someday. The chapter ends with Egg's delight at her new future.

=====

(1) Funny how, if you put this up against the Dragon's Fang, it would look like the symbol Lews Therin wore and drew attention to. It's once again going to be hard to tag this without giving it away, so, this is the Flame of Tar Valon, henceforth just the flame, a symbol of Tar Valon, the modern Aes Sedai, and female magic, saidar. Which adds some dimensions to the complementary Dragon's Fang piece, doesn't it? (2) So, does something have some sort of telepathy, or do they assume they'll just be interrogated? (3) Definitely Moiraine's intervention. I guess she had enough left in the tank for that, even with the fog. (4) I know that's an awful lot of Capital Word Jumble. And, if we're being honest? This is 2024, so it's been almost 15 whole years I've been in this fandom, and I still mix up the words for saidar and saidin at least 30% of the time. (5) So, some people will channel, probably under some sort of stressful circumstances, and many of them die because they're not prepared. We already know it's possible to channel more than a body can hold, maybe that's an extra danger when you're not prepared for it. Since official training would, as we see in this chapter, involve starting very small, that seems likely. (6) Thom's reaction definitely seems like something personal, and close. He doesn't seem in any way gentled, so what happened?

[tayarthur]

Important Images Over Summer Break 23'

“Hollywood’s Finest” by Christina House This image was taken by Christina House of the Los Angeles Times. I don’t believe this image was taken this year, but it was published along with a final piece that was. The project ended up earning House the Pulitzer for feature photography. The story of this image centers around a young adult named Makenzie who is homeless and living on the streets of Los Angeles. At such a young age, she found herself pregnant and forced to battle addiction, navigate governmental systems for basic services, the dangers of living on the street and learning to become a mother all on her own. I think this project and this image was especially both powerful and important because it reflects the state of so many Angelenos and beyond. Housing and the unattainability of it for so many hardworking folks is one of the major leading causes of homelessness. For young people, stagnant wages, student loans, and the temptation of drugs and alcohol pose real threats to our prosperity in society. This image grabs people because it shows the innocence of youth tangled with the harshness of real challenges that frequently are a hairline away from disaster. This image also focuses on motherhood in such a tender and loving way. This quality of the image is why I think it makes such an impact on the viewer. I think this image speaks to my generation as frustration grows around the lack of financial opportunity and social services that would make the “American Dream” possible. It may be the case that we will not be able to attain better lives than our parents. Lahaina Fires by Max Whittaker This news image by Max Whittaker, for the New York Times, is a more recent addition to what some may call “Iconic” images of our lifetime. Whittaker, among other photojournalists, have been covering the devastation of the fires in Hawaii. This particular image shows part of the Maui coastline with an overview of the sheer wreck the fire created of the town of Lahaina. One small structure remains, almost by a miracle. The impact of this image visually takes your breath away as it chronicles just another chapter of climate change and the battle over safe, sustainable power for an ever growing population and warming planet. The heinous nature of the fire might be flanked by the reality that on an island there are limited resources for shelter and safety resources such as fire departments etc… that could aid in curbing damages. Furthermore, as an island community, the prospect of rebuilding becomes further out of reach with extensive environmental damage, shark-like corporations that are lying in wait to gobble up locally owned real-estate and inflated costs for new materials. This image also shows the stark contrast between a once green, beautiful flourishing island community and parallel  histories of erasure of past indigenous culture and island life. I think it’s important to look at these images and recognize the true danger of a warming planet and let it force us to take action. Because, the consequences in my mind would seem to mirror Whittaker’s photo. 

[brokebark]

heyyy so i’ve been alone all day so my self care is eating reese’s and going through your blog💕 also if you’re ever having artist‘s block (is that a thing??) you should consider drawing steddie in the titanic pose or like some other iconic movie poster of your choice! if you ever do it, pls tag me!!

how abt… steddie tangled au

request a sketch

[bettertasting]

So back in June I forced suggested that my dear friend and cosplay soulmate @not-so-dead-fandoms read the incredible Gundam Wing isekai 1x2 fic I Reincarnated As A Minor Villainess and I Survived Past My Death Scene (link below) by the amazing @thaiteaaddict . (Now THERE’S a mouthful) this soon led to the following messages:

Bronwen: A proposal. We have the wigs. I can make the rings and probably the choker

Cindy: OMG

Bronwen: do we want to try for a duchess photo shoot

Cindy: I’m 1000% in

My current obsessions (cosplay, this fic, gundam wing in general??) all colliding?

It was ON.

It started out innocent enough, like she said above, we HAD the wigs from our regular cannon gw cosplays, but as they always do with us, things quickly got out of hand.

I somehow found myself attempting (and failing) to learn how to solder to set a black diamond on a twisted wedding band for Duo’s ring. (Bronwen’s husband eventually took over after my sad attempt and did a beautiful job) Meanwhile, Bronwen was working with an embroidery artist to design and create the Yuy coat of arms based on the description in the novel.

I sourced a square crystal accessory and together we tracked down some black freshwater pearls for the iconic (and spooky as hell) choker, which Bronwen lovingly assembled—as I quickly lost my privileges with the wire cutters.

I could go on about our construction process, and I might in another post, but for now here’s what we’ve picked from our photographer’s samples.

📸 @djmarasaki on ig

I wanted to go with a kimono style jacket to be reminiscent of the homecoming, though we took a few liberties, like adding black as an accent. Bronwen kind of went ham on the whole warrior duke concept and made a set of leather scale armour in 2 days 😅

When I saw the couple photos, I HAD to include the 4th wall break, what with Duo being aware that he’s living in the plot of the novel.

It’s hard to tell here but our photographer had us honestly tangle ourselves in each other, it was the most awkward pose ever, but I mean…she was right?

The timeline on these is definitely murky, but they are intended to be set hovering just before, during and after chapter 19. I’ve only followed a couple of WIP fics in my time and this was an almost therapeutic way of channeling all of our anticipation from following the story. I’ve hit my image limit on tumblr so I’ll wrap it up with an effusive thanks to @thaiteaaddict for inspiring us with this unbelievable work of art.