#a black hole where my culture should be

[bunnyplots]

Wow. That native language post really got me. As I said, I've been up in my feelings for my whole life. It did lead to appropriation of ky friends' Hispanic and Mexican heritage unfortunately, as they were the only people who understood me and my struggle. It was not okay, and I recognize that. Really I'm just making my own post since I'm white so I don't take over the other numerous ones made by BIPOC people.

It's a terrible place to be in, knowing an entire part of yourself has been cut out purposely, without your input, to fit in. No one deserves that, whether it's cultural or otherwise. We're beings of identity and community and the western mindset says that pure individualism and independence are the only way that's acceptable. I don't want to get into hiw this is capitalist and fascist propaganda at the moment. I'm typing this while crying when I should be sleeping. Perhaps I'll have more posts in me. Silence around the issue is another policing of culture and ethnicity after all.

Anyway, my blog is likely to be filled with this for a while, if that's not your jam I understand.

[lime-bloods]

I honestly didn't ever expect that I'd be in the position where I'd be using this blog not just to analyse what has come before in Homestuck, but to look toward the comic's future and do some real old-fashioned theorycrafting. but the time has come. so here goes; lime-bloods' Beyond Canon theories as of the July 6th 2024 update:

Vriska's Going to Hell

were all gonna help you! / whether you like it or not

a select few eagle-eyed readers already noticed that the sound used in last month's (Vriska: Figure shit out yourself.) is called "hell_tierwav". while it was easy to dismiss this as irrelevant composer shenanigans at the time, it's now become clear exactly what this was foreshadowing. whether it would be more apt to call this "Hell" or "Purrgatory" is probably up for debate - but whatever you call it, Vriska's been placed in a dimension seemingly tailored specifically for her personal torment.

while Vriska characteristically interprets the recreation of her childhood home as a symbol of how badass she was, the ghosts of her past - both literal, as the shades of the trolls she killed as Mindfang, and figurative, in the form of sprites wearing the faces of her dead friends - show us in no uncertain terms that Vriska's childhood home is the stage where traumas play out.

Erisolsprite puts it succinctly with his welcome to hell, but pay close attention to what exactly we're being welcomed to: this update ends on page 665. so as of this next update, we'll be starting on page 666.

Does Homestuck Have Hell?

the exact bubble of reality Vriska's currently found herself in seems to be an entirely new construction of the likes we've not yet seen in Homestuck - but that doesn't mean this kind of cosmic torment is without precedent. because while 666 is a number with Satanic connotations in the broader cultural context, it also has a very particular meaning of its own within the world of Homestuck. indeed, the latter half of the comic almost revolves around it, culminating in a climax in Act 6 Act 6 Act 6.

specifically, this repetition of a single digit is emblematic of recursive storytelling. to summarise what you can already read about in detail in my essay The World / The Wheel: when Caliborn is 'gifted' the Act 6 Act 6 supercartridge, which he is told is an "expansion" of Homestuck, it's a trick. there is no "expansion"; he's going to be trapped in a story that never ends because it keeps dividing into smaller and smaller versions of itself forever. the only way to truly beat the devil who trapped the heroes within a story is to trap him in his own story.

that's what Caliborn's "Hell" is, and that's also exactly what the Alternate Calliope achieved in Act 7 by creating the black hole which Vriska knocked Lord English into, ending Homestuck's story - something that Calliope even hints at in this very update, when she refers to the black hole as "containment"; not an accident, but a deliberately crafted prison. black holes are a symbol of recursion and regression; being sucked into one means being forced to live out your whole life over and over again, forever. so really, this is all we ever could have expected to happen when Vriska stepped into a black hole within a black hole! the presentation of the narrative even subtly hints at this; events in Beyond Canon that take place in the black hole are enclosed (in brackets), and now events that take place in a black hole-within-a-black-hole are contained within {curly brackets}, because you should always use a different kind of brackets to differentiate nested parenthesis from each other!

it is absolutely no coincidence that when Caliborn closes the curtains on his appearances in Homestuck, thinking he's won when really he's been condemned to a hell of his own making forever more, it's with a tribute to this exact same Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff strip.

IF YOU REMEMBER JUST ONE THING I SAY, OF SO MANY GREAT THINGS SAID BY ME, THEN PLEASE REMEMBER THIS. I WANTED TO PLAY A GAME.

So What Does That Mean?

one of Beyond Canon's central missions is expanding upon Homestuck's exploration of the relationships between author, text, and audience. as discussed above, a large part of Homestuck's thesis is the evil of forcing characters to live the same lives and the same stories over and over without the chance to grow or move on, and Beyond Canon picks up on this by placing Dirk in the position of trying to keep Homestuck going forever purely to appease its fans, while the Alternate Calliope continues to oppose this ideology. and while the alpha Calliope outwardly seems not to have taken a hard position on where she stands in this cosmic battle, the question posed by her device seems to be an entirely new one: can it actually be a good thing to regress, to return to ground that the story has already covered? can this path lead to something new, rather than merely stagnation?

it's so relevant that Vriska is being confronted with the crimes of her past, not only in the form of all the trolls she was personally responsible for killing but also in the form of the exact same punishment she condemned Lord English to with her heroism - complete with the herd of horses that are always present at Caliborn's demise! but where being condemned to an eternal cycle was fitting punishment for Caliborn, someone who refuses to break free of cycles of abuse and instead chooses to enact that same abuse on the world around him... if Vriska is someone who can break free of these cycles, who can change and become a better person despite what happened to her, will this punishment have the same effect? or, as Davepeta seems to believe, is forcing Vriska to reckon with her own past and traumas exactly what will allow her to break free of that cycle?

DAVE: [...] ill just be over here in the hyper gravity chamber training to beat lord english KARKAT: WE HAVE A HYPER GRAVITY CHAMBER???

it's hard not to be struck by the parallels in design and purpose between the Plot Point and Dragon Ball's Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and not just because of the Dragon Ball enthusiasts present on Beyond Canon's writing and art teams: albeit in typically Strider-bastardised form, the Time Chamber got a shoutout in Andrew Hussie's own Homestuck (see quote above), in a reference that was even picked up on by prolific theorist bladekindeyewear at the time. for the uninitiated: the Hyperbolic Time Chamber allowed its users to train for extended stretches of time, sometimes even spanning years, while a significantly smaller time period passed in the world outside - something that is actually true of real-life black holes! and with the Plot Point's own emphasis on time, represented by the hourglass included among its mechanisms, it seems to me that an essential part of making the 16-year-old Vriska ready for the trials ahead will be giving her the time to undergo the same growth her adult friends have experienced.

considering that Beyond Canon is already playing in the Ultimate Self space, where there are levels of power beyond merely the "god tiers", it also doesn't seem too farfetched to speculate that Vriska, forced to reckon with the fact that becoming a powerful Thief of Light isn't the be-all and end-all of personal growth, will take another leaf out of Dragon Ball's book here and ascend "beyond Super Saiyan". perhaps this is even the "hell tier" so cheekily alluded to in the Plot Point flash? certainly this kind of evolution would be the perfect way to challenge Dirk's belief that the Ultimate Self is the only logical final step for a character's development.

whatever the case, I believe we can take Davepeta at their word here. I don't think it's just a joke that by the end of this ordeal Vriska Serket is going to be fucking RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPED!

[ch6sos]

𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑ teen!nanami headcanons

love my emo king so i decided to make headcanons for him because love himso sosooo MUCH <3 I am obsessed with nanami I am sorry guys for the amount of nanami but he is my beloved and my hyperfixation wooooooooooo

lmk if i should make an emo teen nanami as ur bf headcanon ill gladly do it sweetie pies

He is much quieter as a child and rarely speaks. I believe he will be more reserved as a teenager, not because he is shy, but because he dislikes talking to strangers. He is distant, but not unfriendly.

Haibara is the only person who is allowed in his room, and I do not make the rules. 

Owned an iPod/iPod touch (even though Nanami is the Samsung king) and he would stream his little emo bands.

As a teenager, he appears to be more immature and irrational, displaying difficulty in controlling his emotions sometimes. Despite his calm exterior, he is still a teenage boy so he has regular outbursts here and there.

HATED IT when he tried one of Shoko’s cigarettes; he most likely took one puff and began to cough as though he was going to die.

Sassy king who rolls his eyes and emo hair flips at least 7 times per second, 24/7.

“Nanami, can you do that thing?”

"Do not bother me at this time, Gojo." 

“OH MY GOD YOU DID IT.”

"What did I do."

"The hair flip thing... hahaha you need to cut your bangs."

"I prefer to keep it this way so I can focus on you with one eye and spare the other from seeing more of your face."

Haibara is an extrovert who encourages him to attend events and socialize with others. 

His backpack is tidy. His books are neatly organized, and his papers are not crammed together.

 He was forced to go to karaoke rooms with Shoko, Geto, Gojo, and Haibara, where he would sit and listen to them sing loudly.

"C'mon, Nanami... sing!" 

"..."

“Please?"

"..."

It turns out he was singing all along, albeit softly and quietly, while they sang along loudly to the screen lyrics.

He spaces out a lot when people talk to him because he just wants to go home.

Haibara is subtly affectionate towards him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder like many guys do. He doesn't push him off, but the other guy freezes and maintains some distance.

He once woke up from a nap and found himself wearing eyeliner, black nail polish, and eyeshadow. He immediately ran out to scold Gojo (it wasn't just him) (but he secretly liked it).

"Gojo, what the fuck is this?"

"This is your culture!" 

"Please refrain from touching me while I am sleeping."

“Hey! Who said it was only me?”

“Jesus Christ.”

Probably got a double helix piercing (that eventually healed when he became an adult) (sorry guys).

(Though he still has his earlobe piercings as an adult, he just never really wears earrings anymore. Though you can see the various holes.)

Geto accompanied him to get piercings, and despite feeling nervous at first, he ended up loving the experience and feeling badass.

"It feels good, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I suppose," he mumbled, trying to suppress a broad smile. As he arrived at his dorm, a dorky grin spread across his face. He stood in front of the mirror for several hours, hyping himself up.

Listens to My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Van Halen, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Linkin Park, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The Strokes, and Paramore. And more. :)

He would probably like gothic characters from cartoons or shows, like Raven from Teen Titans.

If you quietly make your way into his dorm room while he's listening to music, you'll catch him singing out the lyrics to his beloved emo songs. As the music moves him, he'll start air guitaring and air drumming with fervor. However, if he catches you witnessing his private performance, you'll see a flicker of embarrassment cross his face.

Gojo once tried to dye one of his hair strands purple or blue, but he failed. Instead of turning the strand the desired color, it only lightened his hair slightly, resulting in a lighter shade of blonde that looked like gray hair.

"Gojo, you made me look like a grandfather. I should've done it myself.”

"Looks great on you, Nanami! Fits you too since you kind of act like a grandpa.”

"Oh you, son of a—"

He secretly owns a Tamagotchi named Helena after remembering it is a My Chemical Romance song.

Wept when they split up.

Has secretly attended several concerts, raves, and gatherings, enjoying the kindness and energy of the events.

Has previously used an Ouija board with Gojo, Geto, and Haibara, and the "spirit" liked him.

He goes to the Japanese equivalent of a Hot Topic to get his clothes.

He smells earthy and musky because he is emo, and he probably has a cologne fragrance bottle shaped like a skull.

He rarely posted on MySpace, and when he did, it was only about his music and book reviews.

Likely wore a fake lip piercing, a silver skull necklace, and one of those spikey emo bracelets.

Read Scott Pilgrim comics for a while. 

He was not too dry, so he used emoticons like "-_-" "-.-" "._. ".-." "^_^"

In his spare time, he enjoys reading books about horror and mystery. 

Owned a black Nintendo DS and always handed it to Haibara so he could play with it. Was not upset when Haibara accidentally dropped it in the water, but was sad that he lost his Pokemon progress.

Never had a genuine crush on someone, though when he does he becomes shy and awkward around the person he has a crush on, often finding himself avoiding them like the plague. Whenever he catches sight of them, uncertainty clouds his mind, nerves all over the place.

Despite his efforts to suppress his feelings, they only seem to intensify. This is his first experience with a serious crush, and his initial reaction is to try to shake off the emotions, but he soon realizes that he can't - he's simply head over heels in love.

Whenever he sees them, he does a cute, dorky thing - he goes to his mirror, fixes his bangs, and hypes himself up. He sprayed more cologne than usual, coughed a little, and made sure his skull necklace, helix piercings, and slight eyeshadow looked good. He gives himself several minutes for a pep talk because he still gets so nervous.

He fidgets a lot, constantly finding ways to occupy his hands even when he appears outwardly calm. It's as if he can't help but engage in some form of repetitive movement, whether it's tapping his fingers, twirling a pen, or adjusting his sleeves.

He also stammers a bit sometimes especially when talking to someone he likes.

Talks to Haibara about how he feels most of the time. Out of everyone he trusts Haibara.

He draws on himself when he is bored. He intended to get a tattoo, so he drew on himself to see how it would look.

He has a journal, emphasizing that it's not a diary, where he writes down his emotions. He finds solace in jotting down his innermost feelings as he often struggles to express them verbally.

In his journal, not a diary, he vents a lot. He is frustrated with himself because he is so bad at expressing his emotions. When he wants to, he can't, and he just pushes people away, which he despises.

"Sometimes I wonder why. Why do I have to be like this? I do want to talk to people and express my emotions to them, but I could never. It genuinely scares me, and that is something I want to fix about myself."

Owns several band shirts and wears them to bed. When he is older, they're smaller on him. I wonder why.

When he's out with Haibara and the group, he always wears his headphones and drifts off while listening to music.

“NA-NA-MIIIII!”

*pretends not to hear gojo*

In the modern world, he would be the quiet student who consistently gets top grades, sits at the back of the class, and rarely participates.

When someone shares the same interests as him he tries not to look too excited but ultimately fails.

As a teenager, he adamantly refuses to pursue a romantic relationship but secretly desires one to fulfill his need for affection.

Thus, he spends his time reading romantic novels, gaining insights into how the male protagonists treat their significant others. This newfound knowledge inspires him to learn how to treat his future significant other.

Even though he is mature for his age, he sometimes wishes he had been raised differently. He genuinely feels like he is wasting his youth by not spending more time being a teenager.

Converse + Vans are his specialty and they’re all beat up.

He sees Geto as a fashion inspiration because he is another emo king.

When he's not in uniform, he enjoys wearing oversized, tucked-in T-shirts paired with sleek black pants and a studded belt. His fingers are adorned with multiple rings, and he complements this look with a sleek black watch.

He always spends an extra dollar to buy someone something from the vending machine. Need a soda? He gotcha.

He always seems to be munching on something, whether it's the crunch of Doritos or potato chips. However, he doesn't seem to have as much of a sweet tooth.

an emo king who deserves the world

a/n: i love my goat

[a-story-with-no-end]

A few tipps for crochet beginners

Start practicing with yarn in light colours. You won't see anything if you choose to start with black or a really dark brown for example

For the very first project I am suggesting coasters. You are able to practice basic stitches and get fast results. Just use natural fibers like cotton if you're drinking hot beverages like tea otherwise the coaster might stick to your cup. Avoid time consuming projects like blankets for your very first project as well.

Always count your stitches because it's not unusal that beginners lose stitches in the beginning and don't notice it at first.

Read the label of your yarn and use the recommended hooksize

If there are small holes in your project don't worry about it. It's normal that crochet has holes

For english patterns there are different words in british english and american english for the same stitch. Make sure that you're using the correct stitch when following a pattern.

AI pictures are being used for crochet patterns which means that your finished product will not look like in the picture. Make sure that the picture is actually real. Look at backgrounds and zoom in on the stitches. If there seems to be no system in which the stitches were made it's likely fake. The lack of texture is also a big red flag. When I doubt ask other people who crochet. My DMs are open as well if you're unsure whether AI was used (of course as AI is getting better it get's more difficult to recognize it so mistakes on my side might be made).

If you use more than one skein of the same yarn for the same project make sure it's the same lot number. The lot number tells you the dying batch of that exact yarn. Yarns from different batches might vary in colour even if it's technically the same shade and it's gonna be noticible

Only buy what you need at the time. I know with haul culture and social media you might get the idea that you need all the yarn you can get your hands on but that's not true! I am not perfect either but everyone should try to refrain from overconsumption and I myself at a point where I say it's too much so I am not buying anything new for a while...so yeah make sure that you don't even reach that point :D

[olympeline]

A few more headcanons for my National Animals AU. This time let’s talk about some mainland European nation-people to go with my British Isles bros post:

Germany: dog

Germany’s national animal is a black eagle - kinda, it’s the one on their coat of arms - but ehhh, any kind of bird doesn’t fit Ludwig in my mind. A dog does, though. I can definitely see him as some kind of giant, scary looking canine like a German shepherd or a rottweiler. One that appears intimidating but is soft on the inside. These dogs were bred to be hard workers too, just like Ludwig is. As for what he was in his days as Holy Rome…IDK. Their symbol was, again, a black eagle. Maybe Holy Rome was a black eagle chick who never got to fly. What do you guys think? And yeah, I know “Germany is Holy Rome” is very canonically dubious at this point, but I don’t care. I still like it

Italy (North and South): Italian wolves

They get it from their grandpa! It’s Romulus and Remus all over again. Feli and Lovi were a pair of fluffy little wolf pups for a very long time. Grandpa Rome himself started as a wolf, but I’m on the fence if he stayed that way until he died. Or if he became an eagle - the standard of Rome - as the Empire expanded. Wolves were very feared in Europe and that fits with everyone being scared of the descendants of the infamous Roma…until they meet Feli and Lovi and realise they are a pair of Moon Moons. 😂

France: ??? → lion → horse

I’ve already talked about why Francis would be a lion that became a horse, so let’s focus on what he would have been before. When he was a babby nation pre-French unification. I’m thinking either a fox cub or a young hare. To match with Arthur’s rabbit because I love these two always being connected in some way, hehe. Red fox pups are bluish grey before they mature and blue is Francis’s colour. He became a lion and cast off his fox form before it grew big enough that he would have had to wear a red coat. Yay, Anglo-French rivalry symbolism! Francis is also sleek, cunning, and pretty like a fox. But hares are sleek and pretty too. IDK, but I can imagine a rabbit looking at a hare and having the “god i wish that were me” meme reaction, you know? Hares just seem cooler in general. Arthur looked up to Francis and was jealous of him when they were kids, even if he would never admit it. 😆 The young nations being prey animals when they were conquered by Rome is good too. Yay, more symbolism! So hmm, not sure which is better. Do you guys prefer a fox or a hare for Francy-pants? Tell me in the replies if you like. Either way, he’s one of the nation-people who’s been through the most dramatic transformations over his lifetime.

Spain: ??? → black (fighting) bull

Ey! Toro! Toro! Not much needs to be said here. The toro bravo image is so married to Spanish culture, I can just leave it as is. I don’t know if Antonio would have been something else before, or if he was always a little calf that grew up. My knowledge of Spanish history is full of holes, sadly. I know there’s a lot with Carthage and Rome and the Punic Wars and that Spain was a Roman colony. Then various invasions, religious wars, the reconquista, all leading up to eventual unification. But it’s all too surface level to make headcanons for this AU. If any of you guys have ideas about how Antonio’s history might translate to pre-bull animal form(s) - or if you think he should have any at all - please tell me below! I’m really interested.

Russia: Eurasian brown bear

Another one where not much needs to be said. Russia is a huge, historically feared country with an incredibly tough climate. So Ivan would be a huge, feared animal that could survive the ice and snow of Northern Eurasia’s winters. Also, bears are solitary and blah, blah “friendless Ivan wants companions but they don’t want him” etc. You know the story. Bears were once so feared and hated in some parts of Europe that people refused to even say their name aloud in case it summoned one. They’re also tall af on their hind legs, eat a lot and get chubby, and love sweet things. Ivan was on easy mode for this post, lol.

(This AU is addictive. I think I need an intervention at this point ffff 🫣)

[vivaladicamillo]

RYAN DUNN WITH A GOTH AND METALHEAD GN READER

heyy yalll im backkk, took a little break for a bit but IM BACK BABYYYY, ive been getting into goth culture a lot as of recent and have been changing my style to fit around it more so this is js a silly little thing to fuel my brain ☺️☺️ enjoyyy

WARNINGS: none

—————————————

GOTH

ok so really i think ryan would LOVEE a goth s/o

but it depends on the era of him

if we r talking BEGINNING of cky days i feel like he would be into it but NEVERRR let yk abt it

if we r taking 1999 ryan oh my god hed fall in love with u then and there

we all know back then he had a little thing for more hardcore women (COUGH COUGH YALL EVER SEEN GLOREN BRO, the leather jacket RYAN WE KNOW WHO U RR)

i feel like he would be curious about it

just with how intricate the style is

i feel like hed be into all the styles of goth ngl, hes js so curious on how it all works

the closet thing hes really seen of goth is bam fanboying over ville

soo not much to compare it too

i feel like he would ask so many questions

just like “where do u find clothes like that??” “how long does it take u to get ready?” js air headed questions

if u started dating him tho oh my god hes a sweetheart

anything halloween related that looks edgy in the slightest he will buy and say it reminded him of u

will help tie up corsets, clip on necklaces, and always have a spare pair of flat shoes on him just incase ur heels start to kill ur feet

obsessed with the make up, he thinks its so cool (and so hot)

oh bam is lowkey so jealous

especially if u are a fan of ville

ryan would try and color match his shirts to ur outfits

u wearing red? his shirt is gonna be red

purple? he has a purple button up somewhere

hes js so in love w u he doesnt care

will be the type of guy to run to the store last minute to get accessories for an outfit for u

also will buy u those overly expensive edgy ass heels from the store bc he know u will rock them

probably has tried on some of ur platformed shoes or heels and busted his ass

bam would probably be there dying laughing bc of it

or he would casually put on a hair piece or some necklaces and imitate you (he swears it out of love)

honestly would let u give him a gothic makeover, js dont show bam

he doesnt reallyy get whats going on but he loves it anyways bc he loves u

METALHEAD

oh he thinks ur so cool

depending on what metal genre u prefer he would listen to so many songs from it

i feel like he’d be a little intimidated at first bc mf thinks HIM and CKY is hardcore

he will buy patches for ur battle vest

love hearing u go on about the bands

WILL GO TO CONCERTS WITH U

warning tho hes gonna try and fucking stage dive into the mosh pit

hes gonna get his ass KICKED

loves ur accessories

the gauntlet cuffs, the bullet belts he thinks its so edgy and cool

hes a little scared of the corpse paint tho

hes seen bam do it but never fully going out with it

when he walks into the room and see u just with two massive black holes for eyes a white face and a frown drawn on it kinda scares him for a second

but he thinks its so cool after he realized

wants u to do it on him

literally if u do he will js be staring in the mirror of a good 20 lins is awe

will go to bar shows with u

cant fight for shit tho so if someone starts shit goodluck LMAOOO

lowkey would grow his hair out bc one of ur fav bands fav members has long hair

hes wayy more into this probably then the gothic vibe but tbh ryans such a sweetheart if he liked u, HE LOVEDDD u

—————————————-

hey yall so hope u enjoyed, ive been really into both these scenes recently and broo the goth metal style is my favvv, its hella cool. i need to start writing on here again lmk if i should do other cky/jackass members with different styles and genre loving readers!! byeeee :))

[theycallmeratt]

12, 14, 17 for fic writer asks! :)

12: trope I'm really into

I did a stupid laugh reading this question. I'm really into the "they asked for no pickles" trope. Heists, I've been trying to figure out how to write one forever and I keep getting paralyzed, but watching heist movies is my comfort. The one where you apply modern technological/programming ideas to fantasy worlds. The sunshine and storm cloud couple.

14. Where do I get inspiration?

1) Daydreaming. Whenever I do anything physical I daydream and a lot of that is "what if this character did this?" Most of them are silly but if I get a scene I like I'll write it and that might turn into something. I try to not dismiss any idea.

2) I get it a lot of inspiration from other people. Shadows of the Lost came from a post about imperialism and the Gerudos' relationship with death/zonai came from a post about lore theories. Flowers was based on a tumblr post about flower language. Arcanus Fisticuffus was from the MMMay posts, Wine, Iron and Other Damnables from a post about enchanted weapons. Stranger Flames have Burned was from a @naughtybg3confessions post. I always try to link my sources in fics!

3) Talking with people, especially joking about things. I feel like I'm always taking my jokes to absurd levels, but in Arcanus Fisticuffus the idea for Liam and Cal to be filling everyone's heads with stories about Rolan came from a bit where they were going to make sure he won (as well as the incoming cobra kai jokes). Honeypot came from a joking demand for a thirst fic. Hornoscopes from joking about horoscopes. Sometimes an individual inspires a fic and I usually gift that fic to them.

4) Going off that, writing absurd stuff and trying to make it work, like when Astarion and Minthara crash a patriar party to make sure Wyll is getting the respect he deserves in Dance, or when I explain the "fade to black" sex scenes at Sharess's Caress... and then involve shovel (Sharess's Mess).

5) Exchanges! I've written a lot for exchanges.

6) Fixing problems I have with the story or finding solutions to things that make me uncomfortable. Like, I don't want to write overly gendered language/insults. That led to my current fic-canon (which I don't remember if it made it into my published fics but if not, I'm going to fix that) where Ganondorf being male doesn't make him the leader; it's that he's Ganondorf, the same guy, reincarnated. And that led to Gerudo having a huge reincarnation culture that lined up nicely with the lore post I linked above.

17) talk about your writing and editing process

I write on my phone, in google drive. I'm not stoked about this set up but it means I can write while waiting in line or on a walk so I do it.

I make a new doc for each fic, put in the prompt or idea I have, and then let it sit until something hooks me. Rarely am I'm writing at this point, but I might be researching or brainstorming. All links, ideas, notes, etc, go into the doc. Everything stays in the doc until I'm finished.

For long fics, I have to break it out once the total work count is around 30k because drive gets wonky. For short fics I do not do all this prep haha

I often make a list of character beliefs, lore, vocab for me to reference. Examples (sorry for the photos of text):

Dialogue patterns:

And body language (or kinks, erogenous zones, etc):

I usually write a few scenes I like first, or a bunch of random lines. Those might not make it into the story, but I'm the kind of person who has to do something to figure it out? I can't think my way through it (or, at least, I haven't tried to build that skill).

I often pick a "voice" scene, which is the scene I read to remember the voice the rest of the story should be written in. If possible, I read that scene before I write new stuff.

I edit as I go, normally. I usually make notes of what I want to add at other points so I don't forget

I also make a timeline:

And I try to note any plot holes, any points where I can put hooks or foreshadowing in, etc.

Once a story is done I go back through the "to add" list and make sure it's in the story, try to patch holes, make sure it matches the timeline, make sure the characters match my notes, etc.

I also break it out into chapters that are about 3000-5000 words long (if it's not already there) and rewrite the endings of each to feel nice.

I write up my fic breakdown (for long fics) and link my resources.

Then I make my partner read it. They do it solely to amuse me/hype me up and they are amazing.

Then I post it! And the moment I post it I notice 5,000 errors.

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

I literally dropped out of paleo courses because the community and paleontologists in general are fucking insufferable which is so sad tbh lol. It's also ironic how you never see people at nasa or astro students whining and crying on tumblr about all the inaccurate space movies..almost as if...They're respected scientists that aren't crying over ""first world"" problems or giving a fuck if a space movie is over the top and false

you’ll see a few, but paleontologists are a bit of an outlier. Most scientists seeing inaccuracies of their field in media just laugh it off because it’s entertainment for the laymen, and while it may try to incorporate real science, it isn’t made with the intention of giving people an accurate understanding of how a black hole works because you can’t explain that level of physics in a 1.5 hour film. Nor should you try.

Paleontology is honestly one of the last fields that should have this sort of attitude because it’s a field where you could write an entire dissertation on how so and so dinosaur lived and some kid in Brazil finds a cool rock that ends up being a fossil that immediately debunks your entire theory. It is an incredibly fluid field because, much as they hate when I phrase it this way, it really does come down to guesswork based on rocks. The amount of changes that have been made to spinosaurus alone in my lifetime is insane. I’m not saying that paleontologists aren’t doing real science or trying to downplay their research because they have made incredible discoveries, but ultimately there really is only so much a fossil can tell us about these animals. A fossil can tell us a lot sure, but we will never have the full picture unless someone invents a time machine and people do actual field research on these animals in the wild. I don’t see that happening though, so there will always be changes to what was thought to be unarguable truth five years prior.

Because of the speed in which a discovery can be made, a theory come from that, a theory seem to be proven, and then said theory being soundly debunked, it would follow that the paleontology community shouldn’t really expect the general public to keep up with every paper and may be ignorant of how many feathers a microraptor had. There should be a culture of people who are very understanding of changes in the field and the fact that most people aren’t going to be immediately aware of them, and some people are just happiest drawing the previous theory, but the culture is closer to two grown adults wanting to strangle each other over how they interpret a femur.

It is, in my opinion based on my experiences with paleontologists, one of the most hostile parts of the STEM community. Physicists won’t come for you if you reference string theory inaccurately, but lord forbid you mess with the plumage of a dinosaur.

[heartlaboratory]

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean there's an island, it's not yet a well known touristic location but it's a tropical paradise and the native's culture is very interesting. That's why, having a degree in history and being passionate about ancient cultures, she planned there a vacation with her friends.

Sadly they seem more interested in passing the whole day chilling in the beautiful shores, doing nothing more than swimming in the ocean's warm waters and sunbathing on the white sands. At least for once It should be worth it to participate in some cultural activity so she decides to leave them for one day and do something peculiar: she will join an historical reenactment. The event will be based on a long walk from the main village up to the volcano along the ancient Holy Trail, the one used during human sacrifice rituals to honor the fire mountain. A group of locals will impersonate the priests while the tourists will be the "victims" that fortunately, in this modern times, will simply walk up to the top for a fake ritual.

Given the tropical weather a light outfit would be perfect: just a white shirt, a pair of shorts and trekking shoes... And why not, that flower garland they gave her the first day.

The small crowd of participants gathers at the town center where the procession will start. The locals as the priests are wearing their historical costumes and fortunately there are also a couple of other tourists.

The long walk starts leaving the town for the jungle where once passed the Holy Trail. The weather is hot and the humidity makes the air so thick it feels like walking through the water. The ground is muddy and the slope impervious. In one word it is exhausting.

One step and then one more... But how much time has passed? The monks singing are hypnotic and the jungle seems wrapped all around her.. "Hey, why are they carrying me holding my arms? -she thinks- Who took away my garland? Has someone draw some symbols on me?!"

She suddenly gain full consciousnes again. Her shirt is drenched in sweat and her heart is literally hammering in her chest while she feels completely worn. The monks are standing all around her and the other tourists have disappeared. A monk gets closer to her and places a hand on her chest, right over her heart that as a consequence start beating even faster. He says words in a language she doesn't know but somehow she understand: "Her heart is perfectly alligned to the Mountain's Energy" he says.

"My heart... What??" She replies. But without having even the time to get more scared her head start spinning, her vision becomes blurry.

"Am I having an heat stroke?!"

Everything goes black.

She suddenly wakes up. She's now on the top of the mountain, tied up to a woodden structure completely naked. The monks are in front of her singing and dancing. She's caught by a panic attack and faints again. When she wakes up a monk is earstething her. "Her heart is ready to be donated to the Mountain!!" He exclaims while the other monks start screaming for joy. She starts screaming too, terrorized, but she rapidly runs out of air and the lights go out again.

A sharp pain wakes her up and as she opens her eyes she sees a monk's hand that is literally passing through her left sternum border like her rib cage doesn't even exist. His hand touches her heart while the fingers are searching for a strong grip on the organ. Once vigorously held, the monk retract his hand carrying her heart outside of her chest. The organ is now beating in front of her terrified eyes, so powerful she can clearly hear the beats passing through the air. A last snap and her heart is separated from her body without even opposing resistance. Without having a pulse, life starts rapidly leaving her... She's still able to open one eye to give a last look just to see a hole in her chest and her heart still beating in the monk's hand that is now rising it towards the sky.

"How could I've been so stupid -she thinks- it was a trap... They are savages and they still sacrifice us clueless tourists... No one will ever find me here... Oh..." Everything becomes dark.

She wakes up in her hotel room, in the middle of the night, in a pool of sweet in her bed. Her heart is racing so fast she crosses her hands over it, scared it could jump out somehow... The jungle, the walk, the sacrifice... It was just a nightmare.

[azraphels]

I am back with some curiosity about my new FF Thiam and Sterek!

I can tell you for sure that the first chapter, i.e. the prologue, will be published on 15 July!

It will have the title: ❝ICanMountYourBike.org❞

(Time to finish my last university exam of the year!!!)

PS. The image above is half the cover of the story! (It will also be published in Italian on Wattpad on my account: Azraphels)

AND HERE'S TO YOU....

The Brotherhood αβω!

•The plans of the brotherhood:

✖Curiosity!✖

⸻⸻ Jackson and Ethan's room is only Jackson's but they are boyfriends, it's weirder to enter that room and not find Ethan than the opposite!

⸻⸻ When Stiles convinced Theo and Scott to rent a structure for their brotherhood and they set foot for the first time in that garden with a pool and saw the Dépendance, Theo yelled "MINE" like when you reserve the front seat in a car. Stiles said that it didn't count in this case, Theo was opting to lick the wall like when you do to appropriate food, only that Scott stopped them (he didn't want to see the scene, especially because he had seen Stiles eat the last piece of pizza many times even if he had already been bitten by Theo).

⸻⸻In the basement the gym they built is much bigger, they have a lot of equipment and especially yoga mats. While Theo, Scott and Jackson train for the football team, Lydia and Allison (even though Allison doesn't want to) do yoga. Stiles doesn't know that there is a gym or he doesn't want to believe in their existence yet.

⸻⸻ To pay the tuition for this Brotherhood, Malia convinced the Dean of the university, who is also her father, to fork over the money.

⸻⸻ All the girls share the same bathroom, do you know how long it takes to wait for them when you have to go to a party all together? The problem is not even Malia who is ready in ten minutes probably still with rabies-style toothpaste in her mouth just because she feels like a trapped coyote, no, the problem is Lydia who stops them and dissects their closet just to find the perfect combination. This is why everyone turns the party time upside down. They just want to move!

⸻⸻ In Theo's Dépendance there shouldn't be a kitchen, but only a small freezer (with beer and soft drinks always inside), on the other hand there should be a large bathroom with shower and tub and a walk-in closet! Attached to the wall of the walk-in closet there should be a large desk! The wall that you see inside the room with the sofa should be completely made of a sliding glass door, as well as the wall in the bedroom.

⸻⸻ In the Breakfast area there is only a large glass window that is open to the porch and leads to the back garden and is connected by a small wooden structure in rustic roof style to Theo's Dépendance.

⸻⸻ Lydia and Allison have the largest room, even if Stiles wanted to take it, in the end Lydia brought all her bags full of clothes there... She filled the whole room so much that Allison didn't even know where to put her backpack.

⸻⸻ Isaac used to have a roommate, only later on this roommate said that they are all just a pack of crazy nuts and that he couldn't take it anymore! Said roommate today changed universities and moved to Arizona! Boyd you are so bad!

⸻⸻ For the Garage? How many cars are in there?! Stiles' Jeep, Jackson's Porsche, Allison's Blue Mazda, and Theo's blue Toyota Tundra! Then parked in front of the garage are: Scott's Lime Green Dirt Bike and Theo's Black Cruiser Bike!

⸻⸻All the books in the Librery... They've never been read by anyone except Lydia. They're only displayed to make it look like they're intelligent and cultured people when they're the kind of people who if they make a hole in the carpet, they cover it up by moving the sofa! (If they were the characters from Scream, Lydia would definitely be the Final Girl!)

⸻⸻Mason and Liam's room is the only one with a bunk bed! Originally Stiles and Scott also had one, only Scott was upstairs and was dating Allison, in short he couldn't sleep because those two wouldn't stop having sex. After that traumatic experience, Stiles realised that they needed two separate beds.... So they transferred the bunk bed to Liam and Mason. They still don't know! But Liam and Mason have never had this problem! Well after all Liam as soon as he hears a little wobble and a 'Corey' he knows he has to put his earplugs in. He remains sleepless looking at the ceiling but at least he doesn't have to hear his best friend!

⸻⸻ To enter Theo's Dépendance you don't even need a key, you enter directly through the sliding glass doors! Of course Theo always finds himself with a drunk Stiles and an equally drunk Scott, after a party, on his sofa and on his 100% pure wool carpet, lying on it is like being on a cloud!

⸻⸻ In Theo's Dépendance, to the side with the bathroom (since theoretically there shouldn't be a kitchen and the small refrigerator is near the sofa) there is a large desk where he keeps a desktop computer. He says he uses it to study and work and yet no one has ever seen him use it. Everyone has always seen him use the mobile one... Even in the bathtub... Much to Scott's regret, who had to witness a strange scene... After this experience, when Theo was 21, Scott gave him a nice flyer for a club of anonymous nymphomaniacs near the University. Theo, in this regard, swore that he would put a lock on his Dépendance! He never did.

⸻⸻ Next to the kitchen is a pantry. Everyone thinks that this larder is always full of the things they love but they probably don't know that Maria Consuelo, their Co-worker, i.e. the one who keeps the house tidy because otherwise it ends up like the Philippine dump, fills it regularly every single week and prepares meals for them to eat. Three meals a day for six days. Of course Maria gets paid, deducted from school fees!

⸻⸻ In Theo's Dépendance between the small living room and the bedroom there is no door that separates them, they should be a single area but only with a part of the wall to divide them.

⸻⸻ Jackson wanted to have his own room with a balcony but the only ones who have it are Lydia and Allison. Lydia had also assumed that she wanted her future boyfriend to do Romeo and Juliet style scenes with her, only the only things she saw from that balcony were: Scott serenading Allison by playing songs from his playlist like "Daddy Shark" (Stiles had only put it on to get revenge for the embarrassment he made with one of the girls from the Brotherhood next door); Jackson climbing onto the small roof that connected to Theo's Dépendance just to sneak in through the little window in the roof above the bed (it was not at that time that Lydia had started to suspect that Jackson and Theo were having a romantic relationship, but that wasn't the case. She learned it after that fateful day for Stiles... They are evil... Not to mention if Isaac is also included in the group); Liam climbing onto the roof to get in from Lydia's balcony because of the umpteenth time he lost his keys and had to call the locksmith to change the lock; Mason and Corey lovingly deciding to have nighttime picnics on the roof of the house and going up to that balcony; etc. None of them have decided to use the second balcony in the GameRoom yet, probably many of them don't even know there is one there.

⸻⸻ Liam's walk-in wardrobe is mostly made up of Mason's clothes, when he wakes up in the morning confused and late, he almost always finds himself wearing Mason's clothes only they fit him small. One day he went to class wearing a shirt that looked like a tight crop top on him (it even ripped). (Only really it was one of Mason's crop tops). Still, if someone were to see that walk-in wardrobe they'd think those odd pairs of socks were Mason's but that's not the case.... Liam loves socks with ducks; socks that look like converse but are just socks; socks that have his favourite memes as prints; weird socks with moulds like owl or chicken legs; but most of all socks with weird food prints with eyes. Still no one understands why Liam loves these socks!

⸻⸻ Liam and Mason's room on one side looks like a unicorn threw up in it, on the other side like a rocker threw up in it. On Mason's side are lots of posters of famous actors he likes and posters of motivational phrases; then most of Mason's stuff is pastel-coloured and his desk looks as if Mason really does post tik tok videos of perfectly arranged desks. Instead, Liam's side is always like a battlefield: clothes everywhere; his desk always full of food and randomly thrown books; his guitar leaning against the corner of the wall and his record player together with his record catalogue there on the cabinet next to the desk.

⸻⸻What about televisions? There are three televisions in the Brotherhood. The first is in the Family room, the second is in the Cinema room in the basement and the third is in Stiles and Scott's room. Absolutely no account is taken of the television set bought entirely by Theo in his Dépendance and the television set bought by Jackson because his social battery is zero.

⸻⸻ In the Dinning room there is a large table where everyone usually gathers for lunch when possible!

⸻⸻ The design of the rooms is different for everyone. For example: in Allison and Lydia's room, colors such as red and Havana prevail and it is the only room that does not have a walk-in closet but lots of wooden closets; in Stiles and Scott's room, warm colors such as blue and gray prevail even if more than anything their room seems half an obstacle course, the other half an investigative escape room (Stiles still has his transparent board because he is investigating a case); Jackson's room, in addition to having only a double bed, only colors like black and white prevail (no consideration is given to his tiger-striped carpet or the piece of furniture next to the bed where inside there are a pair of tiger-striped handcuffs and ... More); Isaac's room, on the other hand, is characterized by soft colors like the color of coffee with milk, he keeps a typewriter in his desk and in his walk-in closet there are many scarves; Kira and Malia's room has a large double bed and there are too many colors that remind us of a summer day. Theo's Dépendance, on the other hand, is characterized by the colors black, white and dark blue. It has a minimalist theme, because Theo doesn't like to have many objects except for essential ones like beer and the TV.

For other curiosities stay connected!!!!

[justyoureverydaytwstsimp]

Twst incorrect quotes that I am to lazy to tag pt 1

Crowley: I am a responsible adult!

Yuu: *raises brow*

Crowley: I am an adult.

- - -

Deuce: I couldn't do this without you, Schoenheit-senpai.

Vil: Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course, but you could.

- - - Yuu, to floyd: Did you just call me a shrimp, you jerk?! I'm still growing, darn it!

- - - Idia, practicing his confession: Pros and cons of dating me.

Idia: Pros. You'll be the cute one.

Idia: Cons. Holy sh**, where do I begin-

- - -

Malleus: We need more help. Maybe I should call my friends (Yuu and maybe kalim and riddle).

Sebek: ... Your what?

Malleus: My friends.

Lilia: Is he saying “friends”?

Silver: I think he's being sarcastic.

Sebek: No, no, no, this is delirium, he's cracked from being awake all night. Hey, Malleus! All of your friends are in this room!

- - -

Vil: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Leona, are a f***ing cactus.

_ _ _ Ace: God has let me live another day and I'm going to make it everyone's problem. - - - Leona: I wish I was a cat, but not in a furry kind of way, more like a “I can sleep all day and hit people with no consequences” kind of way.

- - -

Ace: FIGHT ME, YOU NERD ASS B***H!

Riddle: At least try to sound slightly more sophisticated when you threaten someone.

Ace: Oh, I'm sorry. I should ask; dost thou want to engage in a duel, my good b***h?

Riddle: Somehow that's worse.

- - -

Azul at Jamil's funeral: I need a moment with him.

Everyone: Of course. *They leave*

Azul, leaning over Jamil's coffin: Okay, listen here you little sh**. I know you’re not dead.

Jamil: Yeah, no sh**.

- - -

Azul, to Idia: You are not cultured, you have a hentai collection.

- - -

Idia: Love is an empty emotion in this black hole we call "life."

Riddle: Shroud, now's not the time to recite my mom's wedding vows.

- - -

Idia: If looking good was a crime, I’d be a law abiding citizen.

- - -

Yuu: Love makes people do stupid things.

Kalim: I love everything!

Jamil: That explains a lot.

[decolonize-the-everything]

What can I do? Be an active ally

How can I help? Be an active ally

Be an active ally

Being an active ally:

Men, the patriarchy affects you too. Yeah and negatively. Toxic masculinity, having to do things you don't want to cuz "you're a man," not being able to do the things you Do want to for the same reason, having to be tough and be the socially chosen one to die checking something out at night, repressing 99% of your emotions, also the misogynistic mommy issues that a patriarchy develops is fucking wild, constantly forcing you to dehumanize yourself & feelings for the idea of what a man should be.

All that is WACK. Things shouldnt be like that. I agree. Just understand some of us are struggling just for our right to exist right now, literally. We'd love to help you, we're just...preoccupied. Imagine how much faster this would all be over with if you regularly came to support our protests and voted in solidarity with the rest of us, though. How much more we could do all together with less divided, more united focus.

Also after some lengthy discussion myself and others found white people too suffer from white supremacy. White supremacy isn't just a Black People Problem™. You know that hole where you feel like culture should be? Like everyone else has dances and community and beliefs and culture but you have what you can buy at the store or sign up for at the Y? Assimilation into whiteness. Your ancestors' culture was left behind to blend into American Society. Which is... Capitalism. That's what it feels like as a native too. Except my ancestors didn't have a choice. Be a more active ally in dismantling whiteness and white supremacy. Support the movements, goals, and voices of BIPOC. It'd benefit all of us, like on an emotional-psychological level to be rid of it. Which yeah, helps deconstruct racism as a whole.

Remember you're an ally or becoming an ally today but marginalized communities as a whole have fought against systematic injustice since Columbus started it. Big picture: allowing this to continue has cost lives, culture, and history for everyone across generations and borders. Yeah, some people are gonna be more upset than others but it's Nobody's place to regulate how ppl to react to 500+ years of systematic abuse

Be critical in your allyship & think big picture; are you really going to stop supporting people trying to save Black and queer lives, challenging the patriarchy and white supremacy, trying get get rights and protections codified...over some property damage? Property damages are victimless and easily reparable, but conditional allyship has irreparable and deadly costs.

Look into the activist and leftist groups in your area

Listen when people tell you something is not okay or divisive (like justifying cultural appropriation or useless discourse)

Look into community/mutual orgs in your area (ex: Food Not Bombs, queer groups, and food kitchens)

Join or support them if you can. Create one in some cases if you're able. Go to protests, spend a few days helping, help organize, offer what you can (usually a really loud speaker tbh)

Join a union, pleeease.

I can't stress enough to listen to marginalized communities. The marginalized of the marginalized, even. When you vote, when a bill gets passed, when we discuss protests, and talk about actions to take. ALWAYS consider the voices that will MOST and directly be impacted by it. --- Ex: increased policing/police budgets, slashed LGBT resources, no access to abortion... Listen to the people it will hurt Not just the people it will benefit.

Ignoring these voices is a privilege and one afforded to you by a white supremacist society that inherently seeks to silent and suppress marginalized voices. White supremacists are the ones who decided we shouldn't get a voice in the first place. Your comfort is bought. Be an ally by finding comfort elsewhere, uplift us instead of white comfort supremacy.

Discard your reliance on whiteness and it's privileges all together. If absolutely any of us are to get anywhere we all need to be equal and treated equal, which means you need to be okay with being treated like us.

Be there. Show up.

[tavina-writes]

In the Confucianism Book of Conduct 礼记, it talked about 3 kinds of ‘revenges’

《礼记》《曲礼上》“父之仇弗与共戴天,兄弟之仇不反兵,交游之仇不同国。”

Killing of father cannot be in existence under the sky, meaning, must take revenge for the killing of one’s father.

I was reading about chinise culture and read that. So, in mdzs, jl was supposed to kill his father's murder, based on chinise philosophy? That's why he stabbed wwx? I am curious ( and if it is like that, his forgiveness is even more important to me, at least)

Also, if it's not too much, what's your opinion about one of the last jc's scene, where jc raises his hand and then doesn't hit jl? I've read a ton of meta (breaking the circle of abuse... When we know he has never hit jl!). The scene confuses me and I was wondering if maybe I lack cultural contest.

Nonny, I'm not entirely certain where the emotional disconnect is on JL stabbing WWX except for I guess protagonist goggles. Like this isn't even a matter of philosophy, Chinese characters and people are not a giant black hole of "well they're too different for us to understand using human emotions!" nor are Chinese characters and people a monolith of "philosophy" and "cultural practices" that cannot be parsed outside of the in group.

Basically I guess what I'm asking here is "if someone tragically orphaned a child at age (1) month and that child is now a 13 year old who had a sword would you understand why this child stabbed the person who orphaned them, yes or no." I doubt Jin Ling was quoting philosophy about how he had to get revenge for his dad at that moment and more just? having an understandable human reaction? We can argue until 2300 about if it was the "correct" and "moral" reaction or not, but imo it was....an emotional reaction...much like how lots of characters in American media have human and emotional reactions.

(Also the revenge genre is not a uh, wholly Chinese concept, as far as I know lots of cultures round the world including the French which produced The Count of Monte Cristo also have stories about how you should take revenge against those who have wronged you. See Inigo Montoya's "you killed my father, prepare to die" from The Princess Bride as well.)

Lots of other people have written about JC's last scene in much more detail and much more eloquently than I will be able to manage here after grad school has started to fry my brain, if there isn't a consensus there, it just means that lots of people interpret that scene in a variety of different ways! pick the one you like best! Lit analysis is not a one size fits all correct answer generator.

[bbq-potato-chip]

HI HAI HOPE IM NOT TOO LATE FOR TH ASK GAME BUT ✨ your silly lil green guy. yknow the one. ulquiorra. please please tell me about him ive been spectating from afar and i need to know abt him so bad. as silly or as serious as you want, say anything, ijust wanna hear abt him from a certified Appreciator(tm). be free :]

Aaaaaag!!!!! SHAKING FOAMING AT THE MOUTH !!!!

At last I am enabled HE IS MY FUNNY LITTLE GREEN GUY AND I LOVE HIM I am honored to be chosen as a certified appreciatior ANYWAY SO UM let me just explain like. What he is rlly quick because there are so many different types of guys in the whole bleach world

you have humans, who live in the world of the living and souls (dead people) who also live in the world of the living and then you have hollows which are like corrupted souls that the soul reapers gotta defeat to get them to love on to the next life (which is in the soul society)(the soul reapers also live there)(the soul reapers are also dead people)(it’s like a whole reincarnation thing)

the hollows live in this other dimension called hueco mundo they look like this (the guy on the left- hollows are more “monster-y” looking whereas arrancars are more human looking but they still have the holes where their hearts should be-hence the term hollow)

So these guys called arrancars (that’s what ulquiorra is!!!) they’re hollows that have been modified to be kind of…like a cross between a soul reaper and hollows because they have swords (soul reaper thing) but are also hollows. Basically like. You have a bear and your like let me give that bear a gun. Like that. The main antagonist is responsible for all that for reasons™️ but that’s a whole other thing in it of itself. But yeah he’s like an an evil henchmen.

but onto greater, more important things

ok completely on a surface level his charcter design is like. 10/10

I don’t know much abt charcter design but since his colors are limited he really like stands out (it’s part of the reason why I think kny characters have such good designs because they stick to the two main color plus accent color)

He’s mostly black n white with accents with green which is just so striking and the green tear makeup is just *chefs kiss* PLUS the combination of the traditional Japanese hakufu pants combined with the almost (not rlly sure how to put it) like European tail coat kind of deal he’s got going on really is such an interesting combination of two different cultural fashions. Ichigo (the guy on the right) has kind of a similar deal going on with the pants and the more western looking tuxedo looking deal and they’re design are supposed to Parallel each other for thematic reasons but PERSONALLY I think ulquiorra does it way better . But idk Maybe I’m biased!!

And there’s his other powered up forms which are just so cool

He’s so edgy. I love him this slaps so hard I cannot deny he’s so creaturecore

ok so now. Plot stuff

so basically his whole deal is that he’s a nihilist. Throughout his appearance he’s always like oooh nothing matters I don’t care blah blah blah despite the fact that he has emo make up. He does NOT put the emotion in emo. (Which, at least my impression of emo is about wearing emotions on your sleeve. I don’t know much abt emo as like a whole but if anyone has any like critique on my definition please let me know I’d love to learn more) My man is emo in style but is like yeah whatever I don’t feel emotions I don’t have a heart I’m not human don’t think of me as a human I’m a logical emotionless creature yadayada.

it’s such an interesting design choice to me because it really highlights how…hypocritical his worldview is. As the story goes on you can see his whole nothing matters deal kind of crack, towards his finally battle we see him get angry and surprised and then (spoiler alert) love right before he dies.

And you really can’t talk about ulquiorra without talking about orihime.

orihime was kidnapped basically by orders of the main antagonist because she has powers that he needs for reasons™️. It’s kind of a long explanation why so I’ll just leave it at that. But the whole reason Orihime is there was because she loves her friends, and she goes over to the side of the enemy because she didn’t want her friends to get hurt (basically the “bad guys” were like come with us or we’ll kill your friends and she was like. Well I guess I have to go because I love my friends) which is like the complete opposite of ulquiorra because he’s all like whatever friendship love and bonds are all bull. But as he interacts with her he gets (upset?curious? Not sure of the wording) about what it means to have a heart (or a bond with another person really). I just love how as we move through the arc we see him gradually more humanized, partly as a result of orihime being all like. You’re wrong things DO matter but also because he IS human in a way.

specifically there’s a scene in his backstory one shot where orihime catches him sleeping and brings him food and it just shows that yeah maybe he’s not technically a regular guy but he gets sleepy and needs a little snack!!! He’s grumpy about it but I just love how it portrays him in such a different way than we usually get to see him. (He’s embarrassed he’s so funny. “Ooooh I take naps and eat snacks 🙄so embarrassing” He’s so silly)

As he talks to orihime throughout this arc he gets CLOSER to understanding as his whole nothing matters deal keeps getting shut down by her when he tries to convince her that nothing matters. But he really doesn’t GET it until right before his death when he realizes what “the heart” is. Because orihime showed him humanity and kindness he’s like oooohhhh I get it now. But at the last second which just is so…cries

anyway. He finally realizes what it means to care about something as he dies and it’s so tragic because this is the first time he’s ever felt anything and now he’s going to die reaching out to her. It’s probably THE most tragic anime scene I’ve ever watched it kills me literally Everytime I watch it screaming crying throwing up. You know the deal!!!

Then after that whole arc is finished the author published this art . And look at him. He’s so silly look at him

Anyway. *does jazz hands 👐 * that’s my guy!!!

!!!

Also!!! Fun facts(tm)

-Ulquiorras name was based off of Spanish architect and the castle that he lives in is based off of abstract Spanish architecture . Which I just think is really neat

-His birthday is on December 1!!!

-i just think he’s neat!!!

Anyway thank you so much for the ask I am so sorry this took forever to respond to I jus have SO many thoughts and typing on my phone takes FOREVER anyway I hope I did him justice!!!

[buckybarnesss]

I, of course, was orphaned after leaving the SPN fandom, and got into Teen Wolf because of the gifsets. Teen Wolf was on it's second season by then, so I had to binge season 1 to catch up.

It was so much fun!! It was really the last time I felt connected to a big fandom! We would all liveblog the episodes (RIP to my SPN followers who were annoyed with me for not tagging it), we'd argue about whether or not Allison should apologise, we'd yell about the treatment of black and brown characters, and then the Scott vs Derek war happened and we all yelled at each for MONTHS.

I think THAT is when the phrase "Defense Squad" started. I never saw it in use in the fandom before then, but we were definitely splintered off into camps at that point.

I remember the beginnings of Failwolf Friday. Pink Undies Sunday. Who first wrote the phrase "Derek lets his eyes bleed red" to indicate that Derek's eyes changed colour? I don't know but that pioneer lives on in every Sterek fic (because we all stole that phrase immediately).

Also we had knotting BEFORE omegaverse became a thing, and without any of the weird gender rules.

lol i was on ontd_spn too and followed the mass fandom migration to tumblr.

teen wolf fandom is important to the history of fandom culture on this god forsaken webbed site in large because it was a fandom that took off after the large livejournal migrations and the end of the closed fan forum. we had no where else to go to interact and twitter always has and will always suck at being a place for fandom.

i also started watching in s2. i binge watched all of s1 in a night at my then job and was right on time to join fandom right when abomination aired.

i loved supernatural but i cannot emphasize how hard it was to break into that fandom. one thing about livejournal i never cared for was how easy it was for cliques to form and if you didn't befriend the right person your meta, your fics or your discussion thoughts went into a black fucking hole.

at least on tumblr there was a higher chance of engagement. your posts would be in the main tag and if you by chance got reblogged by someone with a higher follower count you would then get more followers. meta would be passed around and developed with additions and commentary by others. it was so much fun.

gif sets were a new method of communication of ideas. we could easily do parallels, create visual au's and just generally engage in a new but fun and interesting way.

tumblr leveled the playing field in a lot of ways for smaller creators.

of course the old fandom ways of shipping wars and rivalries happened too and even now a decade later there's still division in the teen wolf fandom but sometimes i got to like the subreddit and i'm like "bro we had this discussion in 2013. this is a settled matter!"

[marta-bee]

As you might have guessed from the quotes, I’ve been reading Good Omens again. I was all prepared to be uncomfortable with this par. Crowley was about to turn paintball guns into gun-guns, and I was sure after all the mass shootings America has seen since the twelve or so years since I last read it, that part would just hit differently.

I wasn’t wrong, though I’d forgotten how funny and delightfully ‘90s-ish the corporate warfare was. Honestly I was laughing too hard at all the humor around the violence to notice. I can’t recommend it enough, if you’re old enough to remember why Dilbert was funny once upon a time, you really should give this bit a read. A sample:

The contingent from Financial Planning were lying flat on their faces in what had once been the haha, although they weren't very amused.

"I always said you couldn't trust those people from Purchasing," said the Deputy Financial Manager. "The bastards."

A shot pinged off the wall above him.

He crawled hurriedly over to the little group clustered around the fallen Wethered. "How does it look?" he said.

The assistant Head of Wages turned a haggard face toward him.

"Pretty bad," he said. "The bullet went through nearly all of them. Access, Barclaycard, Diners-the lot."

"It was only the American Express Gold that stopped it," said Wethered.

They looked in mute horror at the spectacle of a credit card wallet with a bullet hole nearly all the way through it.

"Why'd they do it?" said a wages officer.

What most struck me though was the bits woven between all the poking fun at white collar office culture and the human capacity to wish violence on each other. I’d almost call it a coincidence if it wasn’t actually relevant to everything else going on. Any of my fellow Sherlockians, you know what they say about coincidences.

Let’s start with Nigel Tompkins. Or a little before he shows up, for context. Aziraphale and Crowley are hunting for the antichrist so decide to go back to the hospital where Crowley left him. It’s been burned down, most of the sisters have left, but now Sr. Mary Loquacious (now Mary Hodges, no sister) has turned it into a rather unorthodox corporate events center. They’re doing paintball. Lots of stultified corporate types have been handed nonlethal guns and told to have at it, which has exactly the result you’d expect (humans being humans) even before Crowley miracles their dearest wishes into reality and turns their paintball guns into real guns.

This is the scene Az&Cr stumble into (the paintball version to start). Nigel Tompkins has the bad luck to shoot at them as they’re getting out of the car, and after much hemming and hawing over stained fabrics, Crowley scares him off:

Tompkins thumbed another paint pellet into the gun and muttered business mantras to himself. Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto You. Kill or Be Killed. Either Shit or Get Out of the Kitchen. Survival of the Fittest. Make My Day.

He crawled a little nearer to the figures by the statue. They didn't seem to have noticed him. When the available cover ran out, he took a deep breath and leapt to his feet.

"Okay, douchebags, grab some sk-ohnoooeeeeee . . ."

Where one of the figures had been there was something dreadful. He blacked out. Crowley restored himself to his favorite shape.

"I hate having to do that," he murmured. "I'm always afraid I'll forget how to change back. And it can ruin a good suit."

"I think the maggots were a bit over the top, myself," said Aziraphale, but without much rancor.

Then later:

Nigel Tompkins had come to with a mild headache and a vaguely empty space in his recent memory. He was not to know that the human brain, when faced with a sight too terrible to contemplate, is remarkably good at scabbing it over with forced forgetfulness, so he put it down to a pellet strike on the head.

He was vaguely aware that his gun was somewhat heavier, but in his mildly bemused state he did not realize why until some time after he'd pointed it at trainee manager Norman Wethered from Internal Audit and pulled the trigger.

It’s this “scabbed over” language that really interests me, because ti comes up again with Mary Hodges. Trying to get information out of her, Crowley puts her into a kind of trance to question her.

"Good"-Crowley glanced at his watch-"morning, ma'am," he said, in a sing-song voice. "We're just a couple of supernatural entities and we were just wondering if you might help us with the whereabouts of the notorious Son of Satan." He smiled coldly at the angel. "I'll wake her up again, shall I? And you can say it."

"Well. Since you put it like that . . ." said the angel slowly.

"Sometimes the old ways are best," said Crowley. He turned to the impassive woman. "Were you a nun here eleven years ago?" he said.

"Yes," said Mary.

"There!" said Crowley to Aziraphale. "See? I knew I wasn't wrong." "Luck of the devil," muttered the angel.

"Your name then was Sister Talkative. Or something." "Loquacious," said Mary Hodges in a hollow voice.

"And do you recall an incident involving the switching of newborn babies?" said Crowley.

Mary Hodges hesitated. When she did speak, it was as though memories that had been scabbed over were being disturbed for the first time in years.

"Yes," she said.

"Is there any possibility that the switch could have gone wrong in some way?" "I do not know."

Crowley thought for a bit. "You must have had records," he said. "There are always records.

Everyone has records these days." He glanced proudly at Aziraphale. "It was one of my better ideas." "Oh, yes," said Mary Hodges.

"And where are they?" said Aziraphale sweetly.

"There was a fire just after the birth."

Crowley groaned and threw his hands in the air. "That was Hastur, probably," he said. "It's his style. Can you believe those guys? I bet he thought he was being really clever." "Do you recall any details about the other child?" said Aziraphale. "Yes."

"Please tell me."

"He had lovely little toesie-wosies."

Neil and PTerry are not authors like me, they don’t just use the same word all helter-skelter because they cant remember what they wrote five lines earlier. They’re funny and most importantly clever people. Or at least they have good editors who will call them on it. So likening this hazy or lost memory to a scab seems intentional to me.

But it’s not that Mary was traumatized by her time with the order. She was young and a bit hemmed in, but they weren’t evil in anything more than being allied with Crowley’s side. There’s nothing about her time with them that would be particularly upsetting, certainly not so much she’d have blocked it out even from her subconscious. Crowley’s putting her under here feels vaguely akin to hypnosis, suppressing part of her mental defenses so she’ll share more information with less filtering. And even then, talking about that time brings on the same sensation Nigel had when exposed to something too scary and --more importantly-- weird to fit with how he normally saw the world.

I think it’s Crowley. Specifically, Crowley letting his human face slip a bit. With Nigel it was intentional, with the nuns, possibly because Crowley was more distressed than he normally was so was less in control of himself? He wasn’t transforming into things that go bump in the night, sure, but between being so upset about the Apocalypse happening and these being his people so he didn’t have to fight so hard to hide his essence, I wonder if he didn’t let a certain something just ... slip through? Something the human mind just isn’t equipped to deal with?

It calls to mind another scene where we talked about memory and the benefit of failing to leave an impression, from much earlier:

"Is that him?" said Sister Mary, staring at the baby. "Only I'd expected funny eyes. Red, or green. Or teensy-weensy little hoofikins. Or a widdle tail." She turned him around as she spoke. No horns either. The Devil's child looked ominously normal.

"Yes, that's him," said Crowley.

"Fancy me holding the Antichrist," said Sister Mary. "And bathing the Antichrist. And counting his little toesy-wosies . . ."

She was now addressing the child directly, lost in some world of her own. Crowley waved a hand in front of her wimple. "Hallo? Hallo? Sister Mary?"

"Sorry, sir. He is a little sweetheart, though. Does he look like his daddy? I bet he does. Does he look like his daddywaddykins . . ."

"No," said Crowley firmly. "And now I should get up to the delivery rooms, if I were you."

"Will he remember me when he grows up, do you think?" said Sister Mary wistfully, sidling slowly down the corridor.

"Pray that he doesn't," said Crowley, and fled.

I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but maybe it’s not Crowley, or just Crowley, that makes her memories of this event feel scabbed-over. “Lost in some world of her own” could just be getting a little absorbed in the new baby (lots of women particularly are conditioned to think we need to coo over infants, and I can’t imagine the type of women who become nuns-- satanic or otherwise-- are much different in that respect). But it doesn’t have to be just that, does it? Prolonged exposure to the supernatural, even the also-human antichrist in his veiled form, seems like the kind of thing that’s too weird for the human psyche to easily come to terms with.

It’s interesting, because that sort of inability to be noticed is really biting Crowley in the backside now.

"Of course, we might be able to get a human to find him," said Aziraphale thoughtfully. "What?" said Crowley, distractedly.

"Humans are good at finding other humans. They've been doing it for thousands of years. And the child is human. As well as . . . you know. He would be hidden from us, but other humans might be able to . . . oh, sense him, perhaps. Or spot things we wouldn't think of."

"It wouldn't work. He's the Antichrist! He's got this . . . sort of automatic defense, hasn't he? Even if he doesn't know it. It won't even let people suspect him. Not yet. Not till it's ready. Suspicion will slide off him like, like . . . whatever it is water slides off of," he finished lamely.

"Got any better ideas? Got one single better idea?" said Aziraphale.

"No."

I’m not saying this has to be the same sort of inability-to-be-perceived that affected Mary and Nigel above. It could be a sort of built-in defense mechanism specially for the antichrist. But it seems on theme at the very least. There seems something deeply sad to me, and probably very relevant to the queer experience of the ‘80s and ‘90s, around the time this book was written and published, to there being something about your true nature that’s just not allowed to be seen and remembered.

Now I’ve made myself a bit sad, and if you’ve read this long you deserve to end on a treat. Luckily, our favorite authors have us covered there as well.

"Ducks!" he shouted.

"What?"

"That's what water slides off!" Aziraphale took a deep breath.

"Just drive the car, please," he said wearily.

They drove back through the dawn, while the cassette player played J. S. Bach's Mass in B Minor, vocals by F. Mercury.