#These are very famous and distinctive fictional characters

[probablybadrpgideas]

Is your only problem with Pathfinder the fact that cthulhu is there? Cthulhu isn't even a big thing in Pathfinder.

So, as I said, this was my unreasonable annoyance, but my main issue with the lovecraftian stuff being put in it is simply that it's just lovecraftian stuff. Sure, it's not a big thing, but for a good chunk of first edition they put deep ones or great old ones or whatever in every book with zero effort to adapt it to the setting, and it instantly destroys any kind of immersion.

It would be like if Pathfinder just had random characters from the MCU in the sourcebooks, completely unchanged from the movies. Even if they're not a major part of the lore, I think I'd still go with "the fact fucking Iron Man is randomly shoehorned into the setting for no clear reason" as my first issue.

-Pencil

[avelera]

It sounds so self-obvious when you say it aloud, but the key to writing romance is that the characters need to be into each other.

I've seen so many so-called "romances" in mainstream movies and shows that somehow fail to achieve this very simple principle. Usually they're het romances but not always. I've also seen established lgbt+ couples who we're told are married but who never show any particular interest in one another to confirm this supposed love in a show-don't-tell manner.

Below the cut I want to explore how to write love (romantic or otherwise), what makes it work in fiction, and the important difference between why characters fall in love vs. why they choose to pursue or stay with the person they fell in love with, because those distinctions matter.

Let's quickly touch on failed fictional relationships before moving onto functioning ones. Because the thing is, it's important to flesh out relationships and romances if they are written into the story even if they aren't the focus of the story or they are doomed to fail as part of the plot.

I see it a lot of times in fictional relationships that are clearly plot points and so the author doesn't bother to invest in them. If a relationship is established with the protagonist just because this current partner is going to break up with them, thus launching our actual romance plot, then there's a temptation not to fully flesh out that doomed-to-fail relationship.

But to skate over the failed relationship is a missed opportunity for a writer. Relationships reveal a great deal about us, as do failed ones. Even if the relationships don't work out, we get the chance to learn what the protagonist is looking for in a relationship, what didn't work in the failed one, and we get to learn more about their love language. This also requires that we see these romantic partners are into each other, or were into each other, and how, before it went sour. Even if it's one sided and doomed to fail, we need to see what the infatuated side of the pairing was into about the other person. Even if it's just physical, that too is revealing.

Romeo was in love with Rosaline before he fell in love with Juliet. But we don't skate over what he loved about her. We learn that Romeo frequently falls in love, he's often impetuous in love (which we will see carried forward later in the famous balcony scene with Juliet). We learn that he is poetic about that love. We learn how much he loved Rosaline, and whether or not we believe he was in love or think that love is wise, it is important for establishing later, when he meets Juliet, the order of magnitude difference between his love of Rosaline and of Juliet. One left him broken-hearted when he lost her, but he quickly recovered. But Juliet? He was willing to die for love of her. The love of Rosaline set up the contrast in how Romeo loves that would be massively important to the impact of the story later.

I bring up this example because many years ago in a high school lit class, the teacher said that Shakespeare never explains why characters fall in love, and so writers don't have to explain why characters fall in love.

It didn't quite sit with me right, because I think it's only half true. The full maxim, and what writers today can learn with regards to romance is:

You don't have to explain why characters fall in love. You do have to explain why they stay together and/or pursue that love.

Actually, it's often better to not explain why a character fell in love. It's ineffable. It just happens. How often have we met or been introduced to someone who is, on paper, perfect for us with similar interests and compatible families or lifestyles, only to not feel any sort of spark? How many grand romances, in contrast, are about people who on paper are terrible for each other but just can't seem to quit one another and keep being drawn back together?

This doesn't just have to apply to romantic love, by the way. How many people are inevitably drawn back to toxic or abusive parents, even though they know this person has a negative impact on their life? How many people stick it out for friendships that damage their health and self-esteem, all out of love?

Again, you don't need to explain why someone loves, but you do need to explain why they pursue it or stick with it. The reasons can be societal, they can be because of guilt, they can be because of adrenaline, or because of long history together, or if it's a successful romance, it can be because they don't just love each other, they also really really like each other!

Now, this might seem somewhat inherently self-contradictory. I'm saying you have to show that people are into each other but that you don't have to explain why they fell in love??

But showing that people are into each other is actually about why they pursue it and stay with the person. The falling in love itself is simply the gravity between them, the magnetic bond, what draws them together. In fiction, we want that to be powerful, overwhelming, inevitable. If the story is about love, we need to see why these people can't walk away, or can't walk away for long, or are miserable when they do. They are drawn to each other, powerfully, destructively or gloriously.

But you can be drawn to someone without having a single conversation or knowing anything about them. We initially fall in love with our image of a person, what they mean to us, what we think they will be in our lives. Real love is about learning who the real person is and continuing to love and to like that person. Real long-term love is loving that person even when they change from the one you first met, and they love you too as you change. But the opposite of love is not hate, it's apathy. The love is the pull.

Why characters are into each other, or why they like each other, is the force that makes them continue to pursue that person. The love itself can be the thing they're into, by the way! "I can't get this person out of my head, I can't put it in words, but they haunt me and I'm into them for that," is a totally valid way to build a romance or character relationship without any other things that they like about each other!

But as said, it can and probably should be more than that in a successful love story. The construction of the love and like of the relationship can also be Love + Long History + Physical Attraction + Deep Understanding. Gomez and Morticia Addams love each other, they'd love each other if the other was unconscious, they'd love each other to the grave and beyond. But they're also into the fact that they're both incredibly extra romantics who love demonstrating their fascination to each other, in ways presumably no other partner could keep up with. They waltz at odd hours, engage in thrilling sword fights, raise a family together based on their shared worldview, and stare deeply into each other's eyes at every opportunity. They don't suffer one another, they adore one another's presence and quirks and foibles. They are seriously whackadoodle into each other and we see it in the joy they take in one another, how much they like each other in addition to that love.

Characters who are in love should be obsessed with something about the person. Remember, these aren't real people, I'm not giving real world relationship advice. This is fiction. You can write a tepid relationship but it will be sort of boring to read. That might be the point! The tepid relationship might be in contrast to your protagonists, for example!

But my point is that in all fictional relationships there should be something in which the characters are each other's biggest fan. In mother/daughter familial love, they might love one another's outspokenness on what is important to them, we can see their eyes shine when the mother or her daughter gives that big important speech, filled with love and pride for them, and encouraging their outspokenness at every turn, inspired by it.

If the love is between two brothers, related or otherwise, we might see that love in darker times. A brother has to pick up the other from jail. It is painful, heartbreaking, but he can't turn away, he can't not do it. That's love. But, maybe the brother he picked up cracks a joke on the ride home, makes the other laugh despite himself, and suddenly, he remembers the good side of the love too, that his brother can always make him laugh. This is important because it shows us not just that these brothers love each other, but why they continue to interact with each other despite the pain and disappointment. That might actually be tragic rather than happy. One brother might not be able to escape because of the other's ability to make him laugh. That too is love, not just the magnetic attraction of it but the reason it continues to draw them together inevitably, that ability to understand one another and make the other laugh, when he really should probably walk away for his own sake.

The reason so much slash shipping exists in fanfiction is because very often, platonic love is fleshed out in the mainstream more often between two same-sex characters with greater depth than romantic love. A mainstream show might present us with a couple who we are told are attracted to each other and from there the writers assume that is enough to explain why they got together. Nothing deeper. No spark of liking one another in addition to wanting one another.

But in a buddy cop film, the buddy cops are usually obsessed with each other. They stand up for one another when the chips are down, they save one another in moments of peril, they look into each other's eyes and discuss what is important to them in life, like solving the mystery they're working on, and in doing so find understanding with one another's worldviews. That is infinitely more satisfying as a love story than simply telling me that a beautiful Barbie and Ken of main characters have slept with each other and therefore are dating and "in love".

Obsession is key. But don't get too bogged down in how the love exists. It exists because that's love. And we are fascinated in fiction by powerful love of all sorts. We love characters who don't just suffer each other but are into each other, ludicrously, obsessively, even tragically. Turn up the love to the whackadoodle maximum and break off the knob and I guarantee, you will at the very least have characters that people will watch with interest. We love characters who are obsessed with something, or someone. Their love reveals to us what is lovable about that character or thing, it makes us love them.

And then, because love alone is not always enough, show us the joy that keeps them coming back to each other. Show us some good times mixed in with the bad, tragic as they might be for how they prevent the cutting of ties that maybe should be severed. Show us why they can't give up and walk away. Show us too why they like each other. That is what draws a good love story together.

[colorfullpaperbird]

Characters in Ace attorney that i believe are aware of fanfiction✨ ( and fandom )

Warning i haven’t played all the games yet, in fact my apollo justice trilogy is crashing every time i try to open it, so all the characters from after aa3 are based on fandom osmosis

Miles Edgeworth - writes Steel Samurai fanfiction on ao3 and has been doing it for some time now (the living embodiment of the ao3 writers curse) would rather die than anyone finding that out tho, doesn’t have a lot of free time so only posts once in like 3-4 months, fics are pretty good and distinct since he writes them with so much formality, so he is relatively popular in some fandom spaces;

Maya Fey- fanfiction reader only, runs an account on Tumblr for Steel Samurai news and fanwork, famous in the fandom and runs a discord server, one of those people that lowkey have their own fandom mostly bc of the insane revelations she drops about her own life from time to time ( “ lmao guys sorry for being absent but i got accused of murder for the 4th time and that really sucked ANYWAYS did you guys look at the leaks for the new reboot… “ ) Shes also way too open about herself on the internet;

Simon Blackquill: Sasuke fan ( derogatory ) also steel samurai fan tho, dont think he goes out the way to read fanfiction ( i think if he did he would read them in fanfiction.net ) but its pretty funny to think hes edgeworths beta reader ( AN: sorry for the delay, unfortunate circumstances came to light that my beta reader was arrested and is now on death roll ) He ran an AMV account on youtube before going to prison;

Trucy Wright: Shes 16 and her only friends are her dads coworkers, she opened wattpad AT LEAST once, probably accidentally read one of those “got sold to one direction (gavinners)” fics and immediately closed the app;

Klavier Gavin: opened wattpad to see what type of fanfiction people were writing about him, he runs a secret fan account and shares fun facts about him and his bandmates as “hcs”, also pretty popular but most people hate him bc they believe his depiction of the gavinners is “too ooc”. He is actually pretty impressed by the quality of most of the works and alludes to their existence constantly in his main on twitter, the fans go insane everytime;

Franziska Von Karma: I don’t believe Franziska is a fanfiction reader nor is she into any fandom, i do however believe she has notifications turned on for Edgeworth’s ao3 account, he doesn’t know that of course, what a foolish fool to think he could hide such a thing from his big sister, she will sometimes quote his work back to him and find amusing seeing him freeze. He thinks its a coincidence because he is too secretive about his hobbies, he’s wrong, she’s been following him online since she was 13, that’s how she knew he wasn’t dead in JFA.

Extras: Phoenix is technologically illiterate, he couldn’t read fanfiction even if he wanted to. Apollo is way too normal for that, he has the law autism not the fandom one. Athena knows of fanfiction bc she is young and in the internet but she wasn’t very interested in it. If you ask Gumshoe about fanfiction he would give you a smile and say “Of course im a Fan of Fiction Pal!”. I do believe Pearl has wattpad but only reads original works on there, so in my opinion she doesn’t count.

Im sorry for any spelling mistakes, english is not my first language

[freakbytvface]

Stolas and Valentino are the same character

Hear me out.

Warning: Long text. Also hot take?

Disclaimer: I don't hate HH or HB, or any real person involved. While I'm not shy to criticize, at the end of the day it's still a fictional world and not worth getting too mad over.

So, I'm one of the people who had never heard of the Hellaverse before HH dropped earlier this year. Never seen either pilots, never heard of Hazbin or Helluva, never seen or known anything of the characters, and thus had 0 attachment to any of it. This year I watched HH after it released in whole before knowing what a helluva boss was. Now, Valentino deserves the bullet, we all know that and most people would agree. So when I got around to HB, I was shocked to see the Valentino archetype....being adored and a fan favorite? Unironically, too?

Like... They're so similar in both how they look, act and feel towards those around them and their version of AngelDust/Blitz.

Let's compare; 1. Rich, high on the social hierarchy, with an authority that's difficult or impossible to challenge: Check.

Valentino is a rich, famous overlord pimp who uses souls and substances to control and exploit people beneath him.

Stolas, demon royalty, filthy rich and so powerful he ranks only below Charlie. Has entire legions and a palace-full of (imp) servants at his beck and call.

2. Tall, red eyed, twink with effeminate gestures, pleasant voice and distinct manner of speech. Also dark purple/grey -ish.

Like come on, check.

3. Obsessed with a low rank, underprivileged poor sack/object of desire.

Check.

4. Gone out of their way to acquire control over their object of desire.

Valentino, through means unknown so far, bought AngelDust's soul, keeping him bound to him. This leaves AngelDust unable to leave or refuse him.

Stolas had his book stolen by Blitz, but instead of reporting him or simply getting it back, waited long enough for the latter to build his business depending on the Grimoire, and only after it became essental to his job, Stolas set inappropriate demands, knowing Blitz would do anything for the book he now relies on.

5. Their objects of desire are expected to perform sexual acts whether they want/like them or not, and are bound to suffer negative consequences for not complying.

AngelDust has to do porn and prostitution work to make Valentino money and afford his addiction. He gets physically abused, belittled/insulted, and verbally/emotionally abused and manipulated for not doing so.

Blitz is expected to sexually please Stolas each full moon however the prince desires, to keep his (very difficult to make and keep for his low rank in society) business afloat, pay his employees, and financially support his adoptive daughter. Failing to keep Stolas happy means putting himself and especially his loved ones at risk or significant disadvantage.

6. On top of their transactional relationships with their OoD, romantic/romance-coded feelings or behaviours are one-sidedly involved.

AngelDust is Valentino's number one star/moneymaker, perhaps favourite employee, yet Valentino throws jealous tantrums when he's ignored/not suckered up to, and feels entitled to Angel's time, attention, availability, and texts him like a clingy boyfriend.

Stolas, not satifsfied with their arrangement, began expecting Blitz to fullfill a romantic role in his life and deliberately tries to have him perform this fantasy; by trying to get him to be his knight in shining armor, dropping everything and coming to his rescue when he's in danger that Stolas could have easily avoided/gotten out of if he didn't want to be a damsel in distress in the romcom in his head. Is shown to be upset/dissapointed when Blitz doens't want to do anything with him outside of their deal; not staying over after sex, not visiting him in the hospital, not wanting to be near him anymore than he has to. Acts wronged, petty, belittling/mocking and ghaslights/guilttrips Blitz when the latter doesn't act like a devoted boyfriend, when in reality Stolas has made him essentially an indebted prostitute.

7. They treat those they see beneath them poorly.

Valentino is sadistic and exploits, physically assaults, emotionally/verbally and psychologically abuses his contracts and coworkers. Is creepy and predatory to those who aren't bound to him yet.

Stolas, less sadistic than Valentino, yet he exploits and physically abuses his palace servants. Is entirely indifferent to seeing his staff mistreated by his wife. Outside his castle, he's classist and racist, belittling imps, feeling entitled to their services showing no gratitude, or straight up ignoring their existance. He only sexually abuses one imp, though :))

8. They treat those on the same level as them poorly or are neglectful.

Valentino is shitty to Vox and Velvette, breaking their stuff, yelling, insulting and being petulant around them. Even to Charlie, who is above him, he assaults and insults her all the same.

Stolas publicly cheated on his wife, flaunts it with no shame, has no concern or care for how this affects his daughter, who he claims is his reason for living and the only one he actually cares about. Doesn't assume any responsibility for his actions, expects everyone to accommodate to him. Carelessly leans out his daughter's inheritance and seemingly her studies, which are his responsibility, are subpar. Also forgets about his daughter constantly, stayed hours in the human world watching a shitty sitcom rather than go look for his missing daughter in a place she's never been in and, as far as he thought, was in danger. Is happy ditching/neglecting his family and princely duties to pursue his OoD with no care for the consequences and harm on others.

9. They often display sexually charged speech and actions that are inapprioriate to the people they're with or the situation.

Valentino is a creep and sexual predator off the go to pretty much anyone, specially vulnerable/gullible people or straight up people who don't want/like it.

Stolas speaks openly of his sexual desires in front of his family, reads imp erotica at the dinner table in front of his wife and teenage daughter. Speaks of Blitz sexually in public despite his protests.

I'm tired of typing at this point lol, sorry for any mispellings, but come on, genuinely asking, why are these two so differently received by the fans?

It's not even about which one is worse, because they way I see it they portray different versions of an abuser; Valentino is the more overt "textbook" type, the one everyone recognizes as abusive, and Stolas is the more covert one that everyone sees as the victim instead and paint the actual victim as the bad guy for not acting like a regular textbook victim. I get that everyone was iffy about Stolas at first, as it's reasonable, but I truly don't get how everyone grew to adore him so much?

Personally, I don't even find him neither funny or charming. At least Valentino has some funny moments/lines, but Stolas is just so whiny and annoying to me, which is a shame because I really wanted to like him and his owl design is cool. I love good villains, and I would like Stolas more if they treated him accordingly, like a villain, instead of a poor uwu sad gay babyboy who's crush doesn't call him back.

If you read this far; first of all, ur cool

I welcome any thoughts and additions as long as you're polite and respectful about it. <3

[candywife333]

Wife Is Life

PART 3 of Fish-wife or No wife

Summary: Did Jungkook have a wife? The rumor mill had been churning for years, divided on this one topic. He was a successful worldwide pop star who was always seen with a different lady on his arm, as he flitted from country to country enjoying his prolific career. The reason for the lingering suspicion was a cryptic social media post showing a picture of 2 kids who shared the same exact eyes and smile as him. So in fact, if he truly did have a wife, who was she? And why had the public never seen her? Perhaps she didn't wish to be seen.

Description : famous pop-star/idol jungkook x chubby y/n , might be two-shot or trilogy

Disclaimer: The character of Jungkook shown in this fanfic does not accurately represent Jungkook's true personality or actions. Please treat this story as fiction.

Sorry for the little to no proofreading, have a lot more works lined up to post

Will have more drabbles of this couple lined up though this is the last official part.

It was 7 PM when I was startled awake by loud snoring. Damn, the man snored like a hibernating bear. I can't believe I let him touch my body. I should not have done that. Mentally reprimanding myself for poor decision making (though I truly did have little decision in the matter), I pried myself from his hold and went to take a quick shower. After a refreshing shower consisting of washing out all the cum he had pumped into me, I walked to the kitchen to see Mrs. Jeon reading a book on the couch.

"Hello auntie, how is your book so far?", I timidly asked. She smiled real wide as she saw me, pulling my hand to sit next to her, "Going well dear. Have been wanting to read it for ages but never got around to it till now". I nodded with a small smile on my face. "Auntie, I will be going out to briefly check up on the house in this neighborhood. It is just a quick 5 minute walk. Can you just take care of the kids in case they get up in between"?

Mrs. Jeon quirked her eyebrow slightly up, quietly whispering," Do you not trust them with Jungkook?" I smiled at her in a perfunctory manner, feeling a little soulless, "I honestly am not sure. He seems to only be interested in them for the time being. I don't think I can count on him to be a true father since he has not shown up for either of them consistently. I will be getting everything ready to shift into the linden house tomorrow morning". I sighed, feeling weary all of a sudden staring into Mrs. Jeon's eyes with resignation and acceptance, "I knew this marriage was a farce from the very beginning, so I never expected anything from him. I just hoped that he would visit the kids regularly. That was honestly it. You see Mrs. Jeon, ours is not a typical marriage. We just fulfilled each of our needs at the time. He found me, to take care of Iro. And I took his help to gain financial stability and have children that I could call my own".

She pensively stared back at me, with a sadness reflected in her eyes, face frowning slightly. I smiled in a reassuring manner and pivoted to grab my phone and wallet, walking out of the house to briefly check up on how ready it was. After seeing the house in perfect condition since my brief visit last month, I did some cursory cleaning so the kids and I wouldn't suffer allergies. It was a two story house with 5 massive bedrooms, a gym room, cute well equipped kitchen, and beautiful views of trees through all the windows. Imagine a house that looked like a winter wonderland, waiting for Christmas to blanket it; enveloped by berry, maple, and fir trees.

Walking back into the Jeon's house, Mr. Jeon opened the door for me with a soft smile. And to my distinct surprise, I saw Jungkook feeding or shall I say, attempting to feed Mari and Iro some pumpkin pudding that Mrs. Jeon had made. I walked in silently, and patted him on the shoulder , "Thanks for helping feed them. Both of them sleep early, so it is truly perfect that you are feeding them right now". He stared at me as if he were deciphering the contents of my soul, even as Mari jabbed her tiny finger (honestly resembling a claw at this point) into his sturdy chest. "Of course Y/N, it really is no big deal". I ate a light dinner , a bowl of lamb and potato stew with udon noodles.

Grabbing the kids from my Jungkook, I walked back to the bedroom. The kids easily fell asleep as they usually tend to once they are fed. Brushing and getting ready for bed in some shorts and a tank top, I slipped beneath the covers ready to doze off. Before I knew it , I had drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to Jungkook's heavily muscled arm wrapped around my waist, and his legs trapped between mine. His head was laid up on my left breast and I could feel his breathing on my nipple. Arousal was starting to pool in my underwear and my left nipple stiffened with the warm air of his breath flooding it. To make matters worse, his groin was rubbing against my wet core. I gasped as the small pleasure started to build in my core.

I had to get out of his grasp no matter what. I carefully detached myself from him. He had the notion that he could seamlessly slip into my life when our arrangement never included physical love. Even if he became a proper dad to the kids, I was not letting him fuck with me. The man showed how irresponsible and inconsistent he was. Actions speak louder than words. I quickly wrapped my hair into a bun, brushed, splashed my face with water, and changed into a blue cotton sundress.

I hadn't unpacked much at all, so I shoved whatever was out back into the two suitcases I had brought. Grabbing Mari as she slept, I gently woke up Iro and cleaned his face. Thank god Iro was a quiet child. We slipped out the bedroom with the suitcases and saw Mr. and Mrs. Jeon making breakfast.

I grinned, "Good morning auntie and uncle, just going to shift over to the linden house. I will feed the kids breakfast and we will go over there. You guys should come over for lunch, I will have a whole gourmet selection ready for you ". They laughed at my demand. After getting Iro to eat something and shoveling down some oatmeal myself, I packed some food for Mari and drove over to the linden house with the luggage.

Mari got up in between and I bathed both the kids as soon as we walked in. I let out a huge breath in relief, finally I would have my own breathing space. Mr. and Mrs. Jeon were lovely, but I did not want to constantly be around Jungkook. He had taken yesterday's advances, as a way to weasel into my bed. I started working on making shrimp stew, rice, fried omelettes, tonkatsu and some curry.

I was used to cooking since I was 16. It was a therapeutic activity for me. Finishing in a record time of 2.5 hrs, I took a quick shower myself and called Mrs. Jeon over. I didn't know that a hectic hodgepodge of erratic events were happening in the Jeon house in between.

Mrs. Jeon wacked Jungkook with a broom handle, "Get UP YOU LAZY BOY!!!!! GET UP!!! GET UP!!! Go get yourself cleaned up and read for lunch. You have a wife and kids to get back". She sneered , menacingly at him as slowly got up in a confused state, doe eyes wide open, puzzled by what his mother meant. "What do you mean mom? Aren't Y/N and the kids at home. Where would they have gone?"

Mrs. Jeon shook her head in disappointment, a frown on her face, lips pinched in irritation, "Your Y/N is a very independent, reliable girl. She bought the linden house before coming here and she moved into it with the kids this morning itself. She invited your father and I over for lunch. Clearly she wants to keep family bonds, but you are a miserable father and husband. If you didn't want to be a good husband, you could've at least been a good father. But no, you chose to fail on both counts". Ceaselessly shaking her head, she walked away before yelling, "YOU BETTER GET YOUR RANK ASS SHOWERED AND READY FOR LUNCH. SHE DIDN'T INVITE YOU FYI, BUT YOU ARE GOING ANYWAY, WE ARE NOT MAKING LUNCH AT HOME"!

With those biting remarks, Mrs. Jeon left Jungkook alone with his dismal thoughts. His wife had clearly not accepted him back, even as a father to the kids. He scoffed , of course she wouldn't. He had been such a horrible dad, not seeing his kids as they were growing up. Even when he was told that Mari was born by her sister Wei, he wasn't bothered at the time. He almost wanted to sit there crying the rest of the day, remembering her cute toothless little chubby face.

He showered rapidly, running to the door as his parents planned on walking over with a basket of red bean filled pastries. Y/N opened the door in a light pastel yellow dress littered with a pattern of violets, and simple diamond studs. She was classic, a beauty , and she was the moment. Her curled hair cascaded down her backless sundress. Jungkook swore his mother slightly gasped when she first saw Y/N. As soon as Y/N saw Jungkook, her beaming smile faded into an indifferent nod. He hated that he had made her that way.

She pushed his parents toward the massive oak table with a beautiful view of the garden. The entire house was filled with paintings of forests and gardens, with a small collection of creepers winding around the staircase leading up stairs. The views were also ridiculously impressive, with trees looking close to a hundred years old shading the entire house, yet still allowing sunlight in. Jungkook could tell this property was super expensive, more so than the one he had bought just from the interiors and the 3 acre garden encompassing the entire circumference of the house.

Y/N had made bank, and she might not need him anymore. He started perspiring , beads of sweat lining his forehead as he frantically thought of how easy it would be for her to delete him from her life. She was emotionally stable, mentally strong, had his parents on her side, and financially rock solid. She could easily marry a more reliable, doting husband and leave him out of the picture.

Not able to control his panic, Jungkook was barely able to eat a spoon of the stew before he excused himself with a trembling voice, "I need to use the bathroom, one minute". He booked it to the bathroom, not even able to take his eyes from the ostentatiously furnished restroom complete with a settee and potpourri. Since when were bathrooms so big that they contained sofas and potpourri?!!

Y/N was confused at his abrupt exit from the dining table. It had been five minutes since Jungkook had stumbled away in a hurry. Y/N decided she would check on him in case he needed anything. "Give me one minute auntie and uncle, let me just check on Jungkook". They nodded , consumed in eating their food and feeding the kids. Y/N walked over to the bathroom and rapped on the door, "You ok there Jungkook? Need any help finding toiletries"?

Before she could take in another breath, the door opened with a frantic Jungkook who was shirtless, pants loose. An extremely defined arm grabbed her around her waist and whisked her inside the bathroom before she could even yell. Hitting on his tan glistening chest, Y/N sharply demanded "What the hell are you doing? Let me go. What is your damn problem? Did nobody teach you manners growing up?"

Jungkook grimaced, seating Y/N on his lap, her dress shoved up all the way to her waist, chest heaving, hair in disarray, " No Y/N nobody did. That is why I cannot resist you and am driven to utter distraction by you. Ever since I saw you at the door with Mari in your arms, I have been spellbound by you. You are an enchanting, gorgeous woman and I should've seen that earlier. I used to hate on you and shame you for your body to my Hyungs. But the minute I felt you in my arms, and saw you with my babies, I wanted to kill myself for my senseless and false words".

Even as I continued beating on his chest to release me, angered by him body shaming me in the past, he fixed me to his lap, restraining my arms making me grind on his lap, his hips guiding me into a blinding rhythm. I bit out with sheer venom, "Then why don't you divorce me and marry a model instead? I don't need your money anymore, and we can share custody of the kids. If seeing my body disgusts you, there is no point continuing this". Hearing those words broke Jungkook, how could he leave this beautiful caring woman alone for some vapid shallow model? Was she so stupid that she couldn't understand how much she meant to him?

Clearly he had never verbalized enough how much she drove him nuts. When Jungkook was in a depression after breaking up with the Spanish model and having Iro at his doorstep, Y/N had swooped in to the save day. Seeing her treat Iro as if he were her own son for two years had made him love Y/n so much. He had just never wanted to get close to her and get hurt. He knew in his soul that if anyone would break him, it would be Y/N. When he married Y/N, he never even touched a woman after that. He would have escorts who he would take to galas and work parties, the tabloids going nuts at his hired companions.

Finally having Y/N in his arms, he couldn't hold back anymore. Tears streaming down his face, he undid Y/N's dress zipper throwing it over her head. Y/N couldn't even fight back against his skilled quick movements. Making too much noise would alert his parents and her kids. He desperately shoved his face wet with tears between her breasts. His calloused hands squeezed the perfect globes of her butt, getting her to slowly grind on his cock.

Y/N couldn't hold back as the sensations overtook her. She moaned quietly as she could feel Jungkook kneading at her waist as his tongue traced her collarbones, littering tiny bits all over them. Y/N attempted refusing, putting hands on his shoulders to push him away, "No Jungkook we can't do this. I don't know how many women you have been with". Jungkook warbled back , "No Y/N, you are the only one since I have married you. I tried avoiding you, but seeing the kids and you have made that impossible. I was a horrible father and husband but I will make it up to you and the kids no matter what".

Not able to control himself, Jungkook came in his pants with Y/N heavily panting on top of his lap ,completely naked. He stared at his wife, amazed at her beauty. He would never leave her or the kids again. Y/N retorted back with a quirk of her lips, eyes shining with promise and mischief, "So is that it? That was all you had for me after so many years"?

Jungkook growled back , black eyes shining into hers, mouth smirking, grabbing her hair in his hand to bring her face closer to his, "Of course not my darling", kissing her in the mouth thrusting his tongue into hers, "This is just the beginning".

[cobwebliss]

I wish people would learn to tell the difference between YouTubers that are mostly themselves online and those who are playing characters. It used to be common for them to play characters back in the day. The Angry Video Game Nerd is one example. James Rolfe was never himself as the AVGN. He was a fictional character. It's why he's consistently referred to as "Nerd" in universe instead of James and why he doesn't know who Mike Matei is.

YouTube got lazy and people stopped creating distinct characters over time, just presenting a "public persona" of themselves, but Life of Luxury is different.

Here's the thing, the Luxury videos are fiction. They are not gaming channels or reaction channels. Nothing they show on their channels are real. Their reactions aren't real. Their personalities aren't real. Though the fact they decided to just use their real names is annoying. Still, they're far from the first guys to just leave their name as is when presenting fiction. It was common with older shows - think Lucille Ball, for example, or Bob Newhart.

How do you explain Life of Luxury Chester is a coward and Luxury Dark Chester is clueless? Or that Life of Luxury Parker is overly involved yet dedicated but Luxury Dark Parker is forever annoyed and done with it all?

Even these two versions are different characters. That's why I usually write either Life of Luxury versions of them or Luxury Dark versions of them. Sin & Sinners was a Luxury Dark fic, Claimed & Collared was a Life of Luxury fic.

When people ship Parkster, they're not necessarily shipping RPF. They might be, if they're writing about a couple of goofy YouTubers, but the vast majority I've seen treat the source material as real. They're writing the characters. If the demons are real in their fics, the characters are as fake as the demons, it's okay to write about them.

I've seen one people claim that they're queer baiting for views a few times. That's another fallacy. Are IRL Parkster boning? Well, maybe, who knows. But Life of Luxury Chester is definitely in love with Parker and that was a purposeful decision that they made. Even if nothing ever comes out of it, they're not tricking their audience or whatever, they're just playing out a fictional story that happens to include an unrequited love plotline played for laughs.

Now here's the thing: I actually am not against RPF. It's not something I actually enjoy or consume though I did in my early teen years. And to be honest, a lot of RPF is still about "characters" because most public personas for famous people are characters in their own right. But no matter the debate on the morality of RPF, I'm holding to the point that people shouldn't accuse anybody of shipping real people just because they like Parkster. There are so many layers of Parkster and very little of it is true RPF.

[brielledoesastrology]

Asteroid Makoto Shinkai (55222) in your astrology natal chart

By : Brielledoesastrology (tumblr)

“Have we...met before, somewhere else?"

asteroid "Makoto Shinkai" code number : 55222

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Makoto Shinkai is a renowned Japanese filmmaker known for his work in the field of anime and animated films.

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He gained international recognition for his visually stunning and emotionally resonant films that often explore themes of love, distance, and human connections.

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Shinkai is often praised for his attention to detail, beautifully rendered backgrounds, and ability to evoke a sense of melancholy in his storytelling.

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One of Shinkai's most famous works is the film "Your Name" (Kimi no Na wa), released in 2016. It became a massive commercial success both in Japan and worldwide, earning critical acclaim for its stunning animation, compelling story, and emotional depth. The film follows the story of two teenagers who mysteriously swap bodies and eventually develop a connection that transcends time and space.

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Some of Shinkai's other notable works include "5 Centimeters per Second" (2007), which portrays a tale of long-distance love and the passage of time, and "Weathering with You" (2019), a film about a boy who encounters a girl with the ability to control the weather.

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Shinkai's films often incorporate elements of fantasy and science fiction while exploring human relationships and the impact of time and distance on personal connections.

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Makoto Shinkai's distinct visual style and ability to tell deeply emotional stories have made him a prominent figure in the anime industry, and he is widely regarded as one of the most talented and influential anime directors of his generation.

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Makoto Shinkai's art style is characterized by its breathtaking visuals, attention to detail, and emphasis on capturing the beauty of natural landscapes.

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His films often feature meticulously drawn and painted backgrounds that showcase realistic and stunning scenery, ranging from sprawling cityscapes to serene rural landscapes. Shinkai pays great attention to atmospheric effects, such as light, shadow, and weather, which contribute to the overall mood and tone of his works.

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Shinkai's style tends to be more grounded and less exaggerated compared to some other anime styles. His characters often have a realistic appearance, with subtle facial expressions that convey complex emotions.

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Shinkai focuses on capturing the nuances of human emotions, particularly the feelings of longing, yearning, and the bittersweet nature of love and relationships.

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Color plays an essential role in Shinkai's art style. He often employs vibrant and vivid colors to create visually striking scenes, especially during key emotional moments.

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The use of contrasting colors and lighting techniques helps to evoke a sense of atmosphere and depth in his compositions.

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Shinkai's art style combines technical excellence with an ability to convey powerful emotions through visuals. His attention to detail, stunning backgrounds, and skillful use of color contribute to the distinctive and visually captivating nature of his films.

(source : chat gpt)

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In astrology the asteroid "Makoto shinkai" (55222) could represent : where you have great talent in your art works or story telling, where your art work or story telling have emotional depth, where your artwork or story has really amazing visual beauty, where your art work or story telling have reflection on transience, where your art work or story telling is very inspirational, where your art work or story telling is greatly admired or loved by a lot of people, where you prefer to make your art works or story telling more to the realistic side

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⚠️ Warning : i consider this asteroid as prominent and brings the most effect if it conjuncts ur personal planets (sun,moon,venus,mercury,mars) and if it conjuncts ur personal points (ac,dc,ic,mc), i use 0 - 2.5 orbs (for conjunctions). For sextile, trine, opposite and square aspects to asteroids i usually use 0 - 2 orbs. Yes tight conjunctions of planet / personal points to asteroids tends to give the most effect, but other aspects (sextile,trine,square,opposite, etc) still exist, even they produce effects. If it doesn't aspect any of your planets or personal points, check the house placement of the asteroid, maybe some stuff/topics relating to this asteroid could affect some topics/stuff relating to the house placement . ⚠️

[riacte]

Re: Dearly Beloved in-universe fandom, it struck me that I have somehow never mentioned in-universe superhero/villain/whatever fanart despite fanart being such a core (and more importantly visible) component of fandom. (While mentioning fanfiction, subreddits, touching on fancams and ASMR roleplays etc etc) And I guess it makes sense because this is text, I don't really know they look like, and it's hard to describe visuals given the format I've constrained myself to. But I also feel like this blind spot has to do with other fandom-related meta lol. (Self indulgent and long rambling)

1. Superheroes/villains are classified as "real people". In real life fandoms, while there's fanart of famous real people (actors in movies, singers, Kpop groups, athletes, F1 drivers, etc), there's less fanart compared to fanart of characters (anime, video games, books, etc). I assume this is because you need to have a certain level of skill to capture a real person's likeliness nicely. And real people may feel offended upon seeing "bad" fanart of themselves, whereas fictional people can't feel offended.

But superheroes/villains are masked and often wear helmets for safety. So you don't need the skill to draw their real life faces. Their suits are probably visually distinctive which makes it fun to draw (and cosplay!).

2. Superheroes/villains aren't just famous real people. There's a political connotation, in which it could be dangerous to support villains and people may not like heroes because they're like fantasy cops with powers. Especially in this context in which the government controls the heroes, there's whole system to raise heroes from children, there's censorship and conspiracies. Bringing to the third point:

3. Fanart is a very visual. (No shit, Sherlock.) Okay, in the sense people outside of the fandom are more likely to encounter fanart. It's also a publicly liked form of fandom, in comparison to fanfiction. I guess edits and cosplay are also liked and respected, but probably less common than fanart. (Insert something about my positionality as a fan of MCYT who writes fanfic, something about MCYT loving fanart and including it in their videos, commissioning artists, whereas fanfic (rightfully and thankfully imo) stays underground) So people who write hero RPF are already seen as "weirdos" and "the corner of the Internet you shouldn't see". It's not taken seriously. But if someone posted hero fanart on Twitter, normies would see this as liking / endorsement of said hero, whereas fanfiction would not get this kind of visibility. (And is shunned upon probably no matter what you write because fanfiction is generalised is "weird thing Wattpad teenage girls do when they want to bang a famous person".)

3.1. Back to the MCYT fandom thing. Heroes/villains can be compared to MCYT since they look different on and off camera (with and without their suits, like Minecraft skins and designs), they use different names for their different identities, and they put on a public persona. Similarly, I can imagine heroes finding fanart of their hero persona flattering and occasionally engaging with it on Twitter. (Whereas fanfiction stays underground.)

3.2. So I loveeee parodying the "cringe" Wattpad fics, not because I want to make fun of them, but because it's enjoyable to write without restraint. (And it's funny.) I think the general style is so unapologetically fun (and nostalgic). I have a lot of things to say about Wattpad (in defence of its users!), but it mostly boils down to young people being excited and earnest. I know a lot of people hate Wattpad, especially its RPF. I find it fascinating. Because someone (often tweens) had to be motivated to write that, someone had to have the passion to do it, and they'll do it badly (knowingly or not), because writing as a hobby is supposed to be fun! It's the essence of it! And it's the "bad" kind of fanfiction that I want to pay respect to. The kind that people look upon with disdain. The kind YouTubers make fun of. Because more often than not it's a thirteen year old being silly/stupid and it's mean to make fun of kids earnestly trying to make something.

Anyways in the universe, fanfiction sites become a place to store government censored conspiracies/theories because they fly under the radar compared to Reddit and Youtube.

4. I always felt I wanted to write the story instead of Tweetgen-ing it. Maybe it felt more "serious". And mimicing social media with text/HTML is easier than graphics. Now I feel like the utter lack of visuals in a social media fic (when social media is extremely visual, almost obnoxiously so) makes me focus on text itself— dialogue, transcripts, usernames, Tumblr tagging, YouTube comments, notices about subreddits being taken down, to-do lists, "confirm to delete" text boxes. In-universe fanfiction (both the Wattpad and Ao3 type) is taken seriously in the sense it helps with storytelling— it shows differing attitudes to events and public figures. It shows what type of perception is popular.

Anyways. I'm not sure this is interesting and I'm probably rambling inside my head. I guess I do love fanfiction as an art form. And I do admire and respect the earnest writers and readers on Wattpad. I still occasionally wake up to like 30 comments on a Wattpad fic from 4 years ago. I'm glad people still read it lmao.

[paperandsong]

Les Trois Hommes de Pierre

From Légendes rustiques, illustrated by Maurice Sand, written by George Sand, 1858

Original French at Project Gutenberg

English translation:

It is said that certain individuals of this stupid species shout to late-night passers-by: “You’d like to have arms? You’d like to have arms?” If one is foolish enough to answer “Yes,” they go on to demand: “Then give us your legs!” And since they have the power of casting spells, one must then stay there with them for just as long as they please. One clever fellow, withdrawing in fear, thought to say to them instead: “Take my legs, if you’d like; for they are dead.” -- They could not respond to this, and the man was able to escape their spell.

-       Maurice Sand.

In the Indre region, bordering the river Creuse, the very look of Nature changes; the valleys nestle downwards, the plateaus rise, the vegetation shoots upwards, the waters rush, and the steep embankments bristle with rocks. While traditions and legends are more rare in this picturesque region than they are in the plains, they are also generally sad; and, except for what pertains to Gargantua, I did not find within them that background of Berry-style humour which so often mixes irony with the terrors of the fantastical world.

As I have referenced Gargantua, I must now ask anyone knowledgeable about this matter whether, before the publication of the Book (for this is how, I believe, people referred to that singular, great, and wild literary success of Rabelais during their time), there was not also some popular legend of Gargantua in the provinces which the great satirist might have seized upon, just as Goethe did the legend of Faust and Molière the legend of the Commander’s Statue. Was the phrase the Book used by Rabelais’ contemporary admirers exclusively in order to express their great admiration? Might it not also indicate that a distinction was to be drawn between his brilliant poem and some more obscure legend? The ogres Perrault brought back into fashion are those very same giants whom the knights slaughtered in the Middle Ages. Would Gargantua not be of the same family as them, and would his name not have been noticed by the author of Pantagruel right alongside those other once-famous characters who are now long forgotten for having only existed as the late-night tales of our ancestors? 

In Berry, where no historical traditions have remained in the collective memory of the peasant except as vague myths, we were more than surprised to still encounter there a very precise sort of local recollection of Gargantua quite separate from Rabelais’ poem, although in the same vein. At Montlevic, for example, a small isolated knoll in the plain was formed by the foot of Gargantua. Whilst lost in these clay-rich lands of ours, the giant shook his hoof here, and left a hill in that spot.

And on the Creuse, in the outskirts of Berry, Gargantua was once found [9] astride that vast and magnificent ravine where the river rushes between the bell towers of Pin and Ceaulmont, planting himself in their steep cliff sides. A small boat full of monks drew up to pass between the giant’s legs. Believing it was a trout darting away, he bent down, plucked up the ship in two fingers, and swallowed it whole, finding the monks big and fat but rejecting the boat itself, complaining about the fishbone. 

Anyone who tells you such stories has certainly never read the Book, nor did their ancestors even know of its existence. The name of Rabelais is just as unknown to them as those of Pantagruel and Panurge. Brother Jean des Entomeures, so renowned for his character and for his use of speech, did not achieve widespread popularity amongst them either. These fictional personalities are the work of the poet, but I would still believe that Gargantua is the work of the people and that, like all great artists, Rabelais took his subject matter where he found it.

The superstitions within the villages and cottages of the Creuse region in lower Berry do acknowledge the giants, who, by contrast, occupy little place in the chronicles of the high country. This high country is wide-open and rolling; the low country, which is steep and ravined, is rooted in the same rock which serves as a buttress for the escarpments of the land. Its strangely-shaped stony cliffs of mica and schist might easily resemble gigantic figures, and this fact must be far from laughable to any fisherman who goes out in bad faith to lift their colleagues’ traps at night. It is not the merry Gargantua who appears to him: it is the three men of stone, whom in the daytime he would call the monk’s rocks, and whom he had seen standing motionless alongside the clear water’s edge, without fear.

One night Chauvat, coming back from the low country mill, saw them move, coming down from their huge pedestal and walking along the shore, gesticulating; oh but what horrible gestures, what a terrifying parade they made! They seemed to have neither feet nor legs, and yet they moved faster than the waters of the Creuse, and the pebbles they crushed cried out under their weight. He fled to his house and barricaded himself inside as best he could; but the men of stone had followed him, and as he was an unbeliever who didn’t think of giving himself up to God, the smallest of these colossi leaned his elbow on the gable of the house, flattening it like a pat of butter.

The terrified Chauvat then fled to his barn; but the second of the stone men put his hand on it, splitting it into four as though it were an old Huguenot in the land of Bazaiges.

Chauvat had enough time to save himself, and he sought refuge on the great lock which cuts the river diagonally from one side to the other. There, he believed himself saved; but the three men of stone took this path to return to their usual place on the other bank, and he found himself forced either to stay there or to throw himself into the river, which is very deep on either side of the lock; to run faster than the giants was out of the question.

He made himself very small, not daring to breathe, crouching down on the ground and hoping that those wicked boulders would not see him there. The first passed by; then came the second, who also passed by. Chauvat began to breathe again. Finally there came the third, who was the largest and heaviest by far, and who tried to pass by along with the others. But the road was slippery and the stone man slipped.

Fortunately, Chauvat finally remembered his baptism and made the sign of the cross, asking for the assistance of Heaven. The man of stone stumbled yet did not fall, otherwise the poor fisherman would have been crushed like an eggshell.

The returned are, in this same part of Berry, very frequent guests. Few houses here are not haunted by some soul in pain. That rushing river Creuse, which runs black and rapid in certain deep spots where it flows without any impediment, carries along the plaintive spirits of people who have met their deaths beneath its waves. At night, we hear heartbreaking cries; these are the drowned, who wail and ask for prayers. Elsewhere, it foams and rumbles against the rocks; there, one hears the imprecations of those who are unpardonably damned.

The term le retournant (the returned) carries a similar meaning to revenant. However, some old women will tell you that the souls of those lost to suicide  (those who intentionally drowned) are condemned to the eternal task of tumbling over the large stones that clutter the torrential riverbed. In the middle of a certain waterfall in the Creuse, one of these dark rocks looks so much like a capsized boat that you could easily be fooled from afar. It is an overturned stone: we assure you that it is white on its underside, and also that it was brought there from a long way away by the returned.

These legends undoubtedly hearken back to the tragic memories of disasters caused by the river’s sudden and terrible floods. In 1845, a great deluge of rain swelled the tributaries of the river such that the Creuse, which was itself already a formidable torrent in this region, rose by what is said to be more than one hundred feet, pulling an entire recently-felled forest into its shores. Upon reaching the only bridge in the countryside, this travelling forest stopped for two hours, jammed between the two steep riverbanks, and this mass was subsequently compounded by other masses of roofs, boats, barriers, and general debris of every other kind, and fearless children travelled from one riverbank to the other on dry feet atop this floating mountain above the raging waves. All of a sudden the mountain burst forwards, carrying the bridge that had held it back, and sweeping away everything in its path: houses, herds, crops, and passers-by.

Yet even the memory of this disaster was not enough to fully populate the banks and islets of the terrible river with its sorrowful souls. There is also a faint legend of a clash between salt smugglers and salt-tax collectors, during the time when titled and bourgeois men were moving mules laden with contraband salt along the steep valley paths. The official history of Berry says nothing about this battle. The old peasants heard this story told by their fathers, who got it from their grandfathers. Many people perished there, they say, and were thrown from the rocks into the Creuse. That’s why we hear, on bad nights, unfamiliar voices who cry out over and over again: Salt! Salt! At this cry, all the mules in nearby pastures will run away with their ears down and their tails between their legs, as if the Devil is after them.

In this same region, the belief in the great serpent reawakens from time to time. We don’t mind the thousands of rock-dwelling vipers, which are said to have never harmed anyone; but this serpent, which is forty feet in length and has a head like that of a man, is the one that concerns us. It is probably the same one who ate three prisoners in the Châteaubrun tower dungeon in ancient times. He has shown himself several times since then, and last year, in 1857, the whole countryside was in turmoil because a shepherdess saw him in a bush. More than fifty hunters went out on foot looking for him; but, as usual, he could not be found.

George SAND

[yamayuandadu]

In my opinion, instead of constant clamoring for Greek mythology retellings where largely or entirely villainous or monstrous female figures are reinvented as heroic, what we need is more media which acknowledges any goddesses from outside the conventional groupings of “main” Olympians (which is something variable, the version of the dodecatheon from Olympia had the personified river Alpheios and the  Charites in it , but that’s beside the point). Multiple of them actually have well defined, more or less consistent characters in myths and it’s mind-boggling that they are losing the quest for popcultural relevance with “what if Medusa was the central protagonist of Greek mythology” text posts. Off the top of my head, some good examples of such goddesses would be:

Hecate, who despite being portrayed firmly positively in her two main mythical roles, in the Homeric Hymn Demeter (where she helps Demeter look for Persephone and is later tasked with escorting her on her annual journey) and in the Theogony (where she aids Zeus and co. during the titanomachy), only ever appears as a villain in modern media, often with the point of reference being godawful new age literature or worse. The only two works of media which actually try to do something broadly accurate to her character in myths would be Theia Mania and, of all things, Touhou.

Selene, who basically doesn’t exist as a separate character in modern media because her gimmick has been reassigned to Artemis. To be fair, it’s been this way for centuries, but she actually has a plenty to offer if treated as separate. She has a very distinct iconography (lunar crescent behind the shoulders looks so cool), and at least according to Seneca a very warm relationship with her brother (in his Phaedra he fills in for her every now and then so that she can spend time with Endymion). There’s also a bonkers addition to the Labors of Heracles where she’s credited with raising Nemean Lion from the moon.

Iris, who acts as a messenger of the gods (or specifically Hera) pretty often, including during the titanomachy. She also has a unique genealogy, and an “evil twin”, Arke, who acted as the messenger for the titans and to my knowledge plays no other role anywhere otherwise. One of the only references to offerings made to Iris mentions cheesecake which one surely could turn into a personality quirk if the actual literary texts are not enough, too.

Eos, dawn, the OTHER sister of Helios, who persistently appears in myths indicating she was the one female deity sort of trying to keep up with male gods in the “romancing mortals” department. One of her lovers turned into a cicada because she forgot to ask for eternal youth when asking for eternal life for him which feels like it came out of a modern parody.

Styx, who I think basically is entirely forgotten as a personified deity in modern fiction, despite being portrayed as one of Zeus’ key allies in the Theogony, and as the mother of his various minor courtiers. You’d think a character as edgy as the personification of the arguably most famous location in the underworld would not be entirely absent from mythology adaptations but alas, she basically is. 

I would also like Thetis to not be portrayed as antagonistic in media, both of her highest profile adaptations in recent years essentially are. Thetis is the best character in the Iliad and I’d like to see an adaptation which actually keeps the scene where she brings Briareus to Olympus, but it feels like Iliad adaptations are often ashamed of having gods in there.

If you want to dig deeper, there are oddities like Malis/Maliya, a craftsmanship(?) goddess from Lydia and Lycia treated as analogous to Athena back at home, but seemingly as a river nymph in Greece (I worked on her wiki page recently).

[centrally-unplanned]

i’d be really interested in your thoughts on GRR Martin’s latest blogpost going at the HotD writers and showrunners

(Spoilers for all of the Dance of Dragons)

I went to look, not knowing it was out, and it was fucking deleted! That promises some spice, fortunately you can't escape the Internet Archive if you are a name as big as GRRM. So let's see what we got...

Ah, I see why it was deleted:

In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason.  There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen

GRRM!! You can't leak script details!! That is definitely somewhere in your contract. Very minor of course, but still, if you made me bet this line got him a call from the PR rep at HBO. Anyway, onto the meat of the post.

So to summarize he outlines two points: one is the removal of the "Sophie's choice" plot with Blood & Cheese's murder of Aegon/Helaena's child, and the other is the butterfly effect of removing their third child, Maelor, whose later death triggers Haelena's suicide and other events at King's Landing. I see where GRRM is coming from but overall I think he is a bit too beholden to the trees of his story to see the forest here?

First, Blood & Cheese: in the "book", the two assassins find Helaena and her two sons, and to fulfill their mission of "a son for a son" make her choose which one they will kill. She chooses the younger Maelor, and then they kill the older Jaehaerys instead, and mock/shame her with the knowledge that she chose to kill the surviving child. In the show this doesn't happen - Helaena's "choice" is about identifying which of her two children is the boy, which honestly is dumb. The show should have just cut the "choice" angle (watching your son be murdered is trauma enough), or make it instead some actual choice, like her giving up her son's location to spare her own life or something. GRRM is right to say the book scene is more coherent.

However! The book scene is also...just Sophie's Choice? The 1982 film starring Meryl Streep? Like it is...exactly what happens in that film, beat for beat. That is now so famous as to be its own trope? It isn't a twist or a play on the concept, it is just the concept ported in wholesale. And to be clear, in the "book" that is fine. Because the "book" isn't a book; it's a chapter in a history retelling, it is like 40 pages long, this event is maybe two paragraphs. In something like that, a little bit of a nod to a famous movie is fine, right? The scene isn't relevant or big enough to require a bespoke identity.

But in a 4 season TV adaptation of that ~40 page story, these scenes are way bigger. This moment is very "drama central" in the episode. And I don't know...I kind of think a 1-for-1 copy of the Sophie's Choice plot would be, hm, a little weak? Like I might roll my eyes a little bit watching it, now that it is front and center. I can't say Condall was thinking that - GRRM mentions things like budget & hiring child actors for the change, totally valid concerns ofc. But it would be my instinct as Condall, and I also maybe wouldn't want to say that directly to GRRM if that is what I was thinking lol. So I think Condall had the right idea to try to give the scene a unique "twist", even if he failed on the execution.

As for the butterflies, GRRM is concerned that removing Maelor will have distinct consequences down the line that can't be undone, a "butterfly effect". And to not beat around the bush, he is being stubborn here - in real life you can't control butterfly effects, but stories are fictional. You can bend the currents of destiny to your will. Helaena can have other reasons to commit suicide (her relationship with Aemond is already fuel for that), and she isn't that important of a character, you can have other reasons the townsfolk turn against Rhaenyra.

And those reasons are already going to be different, they have to be, because in the TV show Rhaenyra is the good-natured protagonist; in the books she is a cruel tyrant. The butterflies are already here to roost; you can't hold sacred to any of these plot points, the show is too different from the books. As an artist you have the power to figure that out, and while canon is very important it can't rule all, not this far down the river of changes at least. It is the same with those other changes he hints towards at the end of the essay; of course there are changes at the end, they changed the beginning!

At one point he mentions that you can't replace Maelor's death with her daughter Jaehaera dying, because:

Jaehaera can’t be killed, she has a huge role to play as Aegon’s next heir.

And, no? No she doesn't. GRRM what are you talking about, no she doesn't! She is married off to Aegon III as part of the piece deal and then kills herself a few years later out of grief over her family at the age of 10. This is a minor plot beat, this can easily be changed. You gotta kill your darlings man. If they wanted to do this swap they totally could.

All that said, I myself love the death of Maelor at Bitterbridge; it is one of the peaks of the Dance's theme of the way war makes monsters of its participants. A town of smallfolk, split between blacks and greens and fear of reprisals from both sides, spirals out of control and tears the child apart in the fight. It is a great scene in the books and I would be sad to lose it. Though with only 4 seasons of runtime, and after the way they burned sunlight wastefully in Season 2? You gotta cut some stuff, and I can't blame them for trimming side stories like these.

But I do, truly, get why GRRM is upset at these changes. It is just very hard to separate yourself from the things you create like this. I really don't expect that of him; for that reason this critique is quite a soft one.

[discluded]

The latest standard pop article refers to Chat and Khem's relationship as a bromance at this rate by the end of this leg of the press tour they will be referred to as brothers 😂

Hey, I'll coalesce these together then, if that's OK. For folks who want to, feel free to use this as a discussion post.

I've had a really long week, I've taken two different cats to the vet since Sunday so I'm not really in the mood to stir up more drama-- but... *makes grand gestures*

1.

I think the initial reaction to Pond's comment might have been overblown in the sense that it should have been something, given Pond's history of saying shit, that could be ignored. I'm perplexed by Man Suang comms account's decision to double down on this by posting the image with "Man Suang is not a bad movie; Man Suang is not a BL". Since most of the account's followers are already MileApo/Man Suang fans, I'm not sure what they were hoping to accomplish with that statement that could easily be taken the wrong way. Pond needs to say less. But I've also given up on analyzing the state of their PR/comms.

2.

It is somewhat telling to me that many people who are upset about Pond's comment and the account's statement and general straight washing of the movie are queer, though specific reactions range from actively angry on social media, quietly angry in closed fannish settings (chat, circle, servers, etc), attempt to placate other fans with empathy, or just apathetic towards the point of disengaging [read: me, due to other stress in my life]

Meanwhile, I haven't seen a single queer person go THEY NEVER PROMISED YOU A BL NEVER SAID THEY'D BE A COUPLE OR QUEER YOU'RE THE ONES WHO MADE THAT ASSUMPTION 🤪 So.

First to that--

Strawberry had shared this translation.

I realized, watching it back, this is what the autocaptioning(?)/Mint translator subbed it with:

I'm not sure if it's the lack of clarity in Thai that can be translated either way or the Mint team's translation is less specific while , but Apo also explicitly discussed that he played Khem as closeted, and it does a disservice to Apo's intentionality for the character to straight-wash the movie.

I think ultimately it depends on how one defines BL. From the classicist (ha!) perspective of the origination, BL has specific target demographic audience and definition.

Let's take these specific notes, with citations in the wikipedia entry itself:

Yaoi also known as boys' love and its abbreviation BL, is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for women and is thus distinct from bara (gay manga), a genre of homoerotic media marketed to gay men. "BL" is the common term used to describe male-male romance media marketed to women in Japan and much of Asia, though its usage in the West is inconsistent.

Given these specific definitions, I would actually agree without criticism that Pond is correct that Man Suang is not a BL in the same way it takes me out when people call CMBYN a BL because that is not its genre/target demographic. I would agree Man Suang is more arthouse film like CMBYN or Carol or Moonlight, or if we're going back farther, more popluarist like LOTR or Memoirs of a Geisha or Crouching Tiger. Of course these might be different genres, but idea of a popularist film is mean to be watched by everyone, not pushed to a specific demographic (vs. for example, Marvel which is marketed towards boys and young men, but is watched by the general public.)

Similarly, back to the origins of the BL genre, queer romances and queer main characters are not solely limited by the genre of BL. Even aside from Bara, there is Josei as a genre where notable works include Sakura Gari by Yu Watase (author of Fushigi Yugi and Ceres Celestial Legend) and The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice / The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. In Seinen, there is My Brother's Husband (the mangaka is a very famous Bara author). If you haven't heard of these, that's fine, but I'm serious about how much extensive understanding I have about the delineation about the nuances of what is "technically" BL and what isn't.

There is a disconnect in the audience's definition and what BOC is trying to communicate, and that's why friction is occurring.

That being SAID, AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, let's again recognize that the definition is about the target audience being young women, and the insistence and tone of which the marketing is pushing how it's NOT for the BL audience (young women) but to everyone is quite boldly misogynist for a company that built its foundation on female consumers. Its tone is overtly that something which is made for young women is somehow inherently "not good", the same way that romcoms are somehow less valuable as art, or boy bands or handsome young singers like Justin Bieber are less talented musicians because of its target audience.

So yes, I do have a problem with the tone they're taking and I think the biting the hand that feeds it comment is spot on.

3.

Finally, about Apo tweeting and deleting. I think he held and articulated himself well in interviews, and he's been insanely patient and tolerant these past few weeks (see: laris). I actually really relate to him in that sense because I can be calm and rational but sometimes I can't help but run my mouth. I held off on answering these because I've been so stressed and just couldn't handle whatever anger it might rile up.

Expecting someone to hold their temper 100% of the time is impossible even if they manage it 99% of the time. I've also tweeted angry things I've deleted in minutes later too. And I understand his perspective in not wanting to be limited to the genre or audience of the art he creates. So Apo's (valid and expected) reaction is understandable.

--

If it's okay, I'll probably not answer any more asks about this topic for probably a while. I have some other family stuff going on (not-cat family) and I just can't deal with people who don't have to be in my life causing this nonsense while I also have to deal with people (and cats) I can't get rid of attachments to also having stuff going on.

[gepgep2]

HB: Well, there are Yahwehs—just as I say there are seven versions at least of Jesus or Jesus Christ, or Jesus and Jesus Christ, in the Greek New Testament, there are innumerable versions of God in Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, but the one who interests me and always has and always will, is the original one, the first Straha, traditionally called J or the Yahwist, probably written as early as the reign of Solomon, 3,000 years ago, in which most certainly he is as I say a stern imp, up to a lot of mischief, something of a trickster God—human all too human: he's always walking around on the ground; he isn't flying up in the air—he's walking around on the ground in order to make personal, you know, sort of on the job inspections of how things are going. He closes the door of the ark—of Noah's ark with his own hands; he even more memorably buries Moses in an unmarked grave, with his own hands; he is very fond of picnics; thus at Mamre he sits beneath the terapim trees because he always likes to be in the shade rather than the sun, thus he walks we are told in Eden in the cool of the day, at Mamre, with two of the Elohim who are his angels he sits beneath the terapim trees, and he has a sumptuous rather full-scale luncheon prepared by Sarah—roast veal and whey and freshly baked sort-of cakes. And how is one to put it—he on Sinai, on the side of Sinai, he sits there and shares a meal with 73 elders of Israel. They stare at him and he stares at them and that's it. He doesn't say a word and they don't say a word, but there he is. And according to Kabbalistic tradition, from the Merkavah thing on, he's enormous, he is I say the King Kong of deities, he is of enormous size.

LQ: What leads you to think of this God as more than an exceptional fiction?

HB: Well, his metaphysical density, his ferocious and vivid personality, his intensely human traits—I gather you're not going to eat that so I'm going to put it back in there—

LQ: One more bite.

HB: Go ahead, go ahead. He is . . . he is a . . . the reason why I keep invoking Shakespearean characters like King Lear, who is I think Shakespeare's version of Yahweh, or Hamlet, who has a very complex relation I think to Mark's Jesus, is that Yahweh, Mark's Jesus, Hamlet, King Lear, Falstaff, Cleopatra, Iago—they are all more real than you are, whoever you are, and yes, they are fictions, but if they're fictions, what are we? Since they are livelier than we are, exceed us in energy and in dynamism, as Yahweh does also. [...] he's quite a fiction, he's very persuasive and as I keep saying in the book I wish he would go away. I don't like him. I don't feel anybody can like him. His famous definition when Moses asks him his name—his famous self-definition is ehyeh asher ehyeh, translated by William Tyndale as "I am that I am" and that's kept in the Authorized Version of the English Bible. The Hebrew "ehyeh asher ehyeh" actually means "I will be, I will be;" "I will be that I will be," or to make it into better English "I will be present wherever and whenever I choose to be present," but I say throughout the book that also means "And I will be absent wherever and whenever I choose to be absent." And he is very distinguished by his absences, it seems to me. But if he is just a literary character—well first of all I don't recognize any distinction between literary and human characters; I mean I'm notorious for that, and why not be notorious for that—it seems to me that the sacred Bloomstaff, as I call him, is at least as real as old Bloom—Sir John Falstaff, of course. But not even kidding, I mean what can you say about the Yahweh of the J writer? He is endlessly memorable, he is endlessly unreliable. [Pause.] But he gets inside you. I repeat I would like him to go away, but he doesn't seem to go away.

LQ: Why doesn't he go away?

HB: Well, because I'm pretty sure he is our equivalent—I mean, our equivalent for him now is what our Uncle Siggy Freud called "reality testing" and the Reality Principle. Freud says that reality testing means that you have to "make friends with the necessity of dying."

LQ: So he's the name of everything that opposes our will.

HB: Yeah, he is . . . [...] But since I don't think there's any distinction whatsoever between sacred and secular texts, there's only great writing and bad writing (or good writing in between I suppose or fair writing) then it's natural to speak of—in fact, remember what Blake says; he says religion is just choosing forms of worship from poetic tales, and then he adds—this is The Marriage of Heaven and Hell — "Thus men forgot that all Deities reside in the human breast." But that doesn't mean that they don't reside there.

[racefortheironthrone]

So bit of a vague question , but I’d be interested in how you feel about “the world outside your window” with marvel. Ofc it was started a lot more in line with the current happenings of the world specifically New York but these days due to a few reasons , such as the sliding timescale, to retain characters they’ve made things like the Sian Cong war, and then there’s fictional characters as presidents, street level becomes cosmic level, many events, more and more fantastical city, etc. not that it’s an issue on my end, esp since I’ve never had a connection to New York (different big city where no superheroes live :( ) so it’s always been a degree of speeratjon, but I’d be curious how you feel about it / what the heart of “outside your window” is that must be kept but other things don’t have to. Thank you!

The "World Outside Your Window" as a concept/slogan has always been a tricky thing, because it was sort of retrofitted onto the Marvel Universe from Jim Shooter's "New Universe" (an experimental brand-new comics universe which was supposed to have mirrored our universe exactly prior to the "White Event" that gave some people super-powers; the "New Universe" was also distinctive for not having a sliding timescale and being set in real time, such that the events of each comic were supposed to happen a month apart, and so forth).

The Marvel Universe had more of a complicated relationship with reality: the Fantastic Four would mention Beatlemania, but in the Marvel Universe it was the FF who was getting mobbed by young women at JFK; Sue Storm would mention Marilyn Monroe, but in the Marvel Universe it was Sue doing the famous photoshoot on a red velvet backdrop. On the other hand, there was also the original fiction that Marvel Comics existed in the Marvel Universe, with Stan and Jack making cameos that made it clear that they were working on (non-fiction) comics about America's biggest celebrities at the merry Marvel Bullpen.

It also mattered when you were talking about the Marvel Universe; the sliding timescale evolved gradually in the late 70s/early 80s and Marvel was a lot more specific about its real world references before it set in: most older men were WWII veterans, Charles Xavier fought in Korea, Tony Stark became Iron Man in a very definite Vietnam, real U.S presidents made cameos in Marvel comics and were elected (or not) in real time (people forget that the original Days of Future Past was themed around the election of Ronald Reagan; Chris Claremont pulled no punches), and characters were given definite birthdates and canon ages.

(That's right; Jean Grey is old enough to collect Social Security, although the Social Security Administration might raise a fuss about how to count missed payments when she was dead.)

But Marvel jettisoned that cultural specificity in the 80s in favor of the sliding timescale - and I think you can't have both a sliding timescale and "the world outside your window" because characters don't age and (confusingly) cultural change happens in the background without explanation. It's one of the reasons why Marvel has given Chip Zdarsky the creative freedom to do Spider-Man: Life Story (and then let Mark Russell steal the same idea for the FF).

[sharathvannapur]

Sharathvannapur.in

The History of the Novel: Where It All Began

Have you ever wondered about the history of the novel and how it all started? The novel, as we know it today, hasn’t always been around. In fact, it’s a relatively modern invention in the grand scheme of storytelling. Long before novels took center stage, stories were mainly told through epic poems, plays, and oral traditions. People would gather around to listen to tales of heroism, love, and adventure, but these stories were often delivered in verse or acted out on stage. The idea of a long, fictional prose narrative—what we now call a novel—was a pretty radical concept when it first appeared.

The first novels started popping up in the 17th century, and they were a game-changer. Suddenly, people could immerse themselves in a story that was all about the characters’ inner lives and emotions. One of the earliest and most famous novels is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1605. This book was groundbreaking because it combined humor, adventure, and a deep exploration of the human condition. It’s safe to say that without Cervantes, the history of the novel would look very different today.

The Rise of the Gothic Novel: A Spooky Chapter in History of the Novel

Fast forward a bit in the history of the novel, and you’ll find yourself in the dark, mysterious world of the Gothic novel. If you love eerie settings, haunted castles, and secrets hidden in the shadows, you have the Gothic genre to thank. This style of novel really took off in the late 18th century, with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto being credited as the first Gothic novel. Walpole’s story was filled with strange events, ominous settings, and a sense of foreboding that would go on to influence countless writers.

Gothic novels were a hit because they played on people’s fears and imaginations. They often featured innocent characters trapped in frightening situations, with mysterious villains lurking in the background. These novels weren’t just about scaring readers, though; they also explored deep themes like the struggle between good and evil, and the idea of the past haunting the present. If you’ve ever felt chills running down your spine while reading a novel, you can probably trace that feeling back to the influence of Gothic literature.

The Birth of Realism in the history of the novel: Bringing Novels Down to Earth

As we continue through the history of the novel, we arrive at the 19th century, where things start to get a bit more down-to-earth. This was the era when realism took the literary world by storm. Unlike the Gothic novels that came before, realist novels focused on everyday life and ordinary people. Writers like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen were masters of this style, creating detailed portraits of society that were relatable and true to life.

Realist novels were a breath of fresh air because they showed readers the world as it really was, warts and all. These stories dealt with real issues like poverty, class, and social injustice, which made them resonate deeply with readers. Dickens, for example, used his novels to shine a light on the harsh realities of life in Victorian England. His works like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield offered readers a glimpse into the lives of those who were often overlooked by society. Through these stories, the history of the novel took a significant turn, proving that fiction could be both entertaining and enlightening.

The Advent of the Young Adult Novel: A New Chapter

Jumping forward to the 20th century, we see another major development in the history of the novel: the rise of the Young Adult (YA) genre. Before the 1960s, there wasn’t a clear distinction between books for teens and adults. Young readers were often left to choose between children’s books and more mature, adult novels. But that all changed with the publication of books like S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders in 1967, which spoke directly to the experiences of teenagers.

The YA novel quickly became a genre in its own right, offering stories that were specifically tailored to the challenges and concerns of adolescence. These books didn’t shy away from tough topics like identity, friendship, and the struggle to find one’s place in the world. Instead, they tackled them head-on, giving young readers a space where they could see their own lives reflected in the pages. The success of the YA novel added a whole new chapter to the history of the novel, making literature more accessible and relatable to a younger audience.

The Evolution of the Novel: Blending Genres and Breaking Boundaries

Today, the history of the novel continues to evolve in exciting ways. One of the most interesting trends is the blending of genres, where elements of horror, fantasy, romance, and more come together to create something entirely new. This is especially true in the YA genre, where novels often mix horror and fantasy to deliver thrilling, otherworldly stories. Books like The Hunger Games and Twilight are perfect examples of how novels can break boundaries and appeal to readers across different genres.

This blending of genres reflects the changing tastes of readers who are looking for stories that are fresh, exciting, and unpredictable. In this way, the history of the novel is still being written, with each new book adding another layer to this rich and diverse tradition. Whether you’re reading a classic like Pride and Prejudice or the latest YA fantasy, you’re part of a long, evolving story that has captured the imaginations of readers for centuries.

So, the next time you pick up a novel, take a moment to appreciate the journey it represents. From the early days of Cervantes to the genre-bending books of today, the history of the novel is a fascinating tale in its own right—one that’s full of twists, turns, and endless possibilities.

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[moviemunchies]

Do you ever think about how amazing Kung Fu Panda is, as a movie? It was apparently good enough that China had an identity crisis trying to figure out how they didn’t make this movie first.

It’s so good! What the fudge! It’s Jack Black as a panda!

Kung Fu Panda is a sendup to martial arts movie. It stars Po, the panda, as the son of a noodle chef and a massive fan of kung fu. He never dreamed that one day he could be a kung fu warrior though–all that changes when, through a crazy set of circumstances, he’s chosen by Oogway (the tortoise inventor of kung fu) to be the Dragon Warrior, destined to protect their valley from fallen warrior Tai Lung.

Of course, Po knows nothing about actually performing kung fu, and his teacher, Master Shifu, has very little patience for a fat nerd who doesn’t have a clue. The Furious Five, Master Shifu’s star students, are also not thrilled about not having been chosen either. But Shifu has to learn to work with what he’s given, and help Po be the best he can.

One of the things that amazes me about this movie is that Po’s character development is not about changing who he fundamentally is. He starts the movie as a fat panda, and he ends the movie as a fat panda, and that’s okay! Characters make fun of Po for being fat, but it’s not presented as a deficiency on his part. In fiction fatness is generally written, or implied, to be a kind of moral deficiency. Not so here! In fact being fat saves him in the end, because Tai Lung’s nerve strikes don’t work on his body.

Po develops by becoming his best self–not by giving up the things he cares about, or by making himself a different person. He just becomes more of who he is. 

I think that’s a lovely lesson for a family film.

Kung Fu Panda is also filled with magnificent shots that look like paintings. It’s incredible, really–the makers of the movie wanted to make an animated picture that didn’t just feature Chinese martial arts and act as a sendup to those kinds of movies, but also wanted to respect the culture they came from. The result is a movie that’s not just fun, hilarious, and encouraging, but also just darn gorgeous to look at.

It’s not a perfect movie though. Whoever handled casting was dead set on hiring celebrity voice actors, and so most of the cast isn’t Asian, and it feels very weird that they sprung for getting big names for the Furious Five, when some of them barely have lines, or anything like a distinct character arc.

I’m also more than a little confused about the conclusion to the final fight of the movie. Kung Fu Panda 3 clears it up quite a lot, exactly how Po won, but this movie has Po just sort of… win, and then Tai Lung is not a problem. Uh.. okay? What did the movie’s makers want us to think about this scene?

Whatever, it’s still an amazing movie. I think when all of us saw that Dreamworks, famous for doing Shrek and Madagascar,  was doing a movie called “Kung Fu Panda” starring Jack Black, we assumed it would be a silly affair and move on with our lives. And to be fair, it IS a very silly movie. But it’s also a good one, and it helped solidify that Dreamworks was not to be underestimated.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to view Kung Fu Panda, but I enjoy it every time I see it now. If you haven’t already, you should watch it. If you have, do it again–you’ll have fun.