#all the messirs actually

[justsleepyrune]

ten things the masters do instead of saving london

in light of the chaotic events of the estival, wrote this before the masters actually got around to doing their job

just a lil thing for the lil failures (affectionate)

[stillebesat]

Code: Blanket (part 2)

Sanders Sides: Logan, Remus, Virgil, Janus, Patton Fic Type: Hurt/Comfort Prompt: “If you don’t know where to go, you can always come here.” with Anxceit? (platonic is 100% good for me) Blurb: A friendship doesn’t stop just because one person decides to act like a dick. Especially when said dick is obviously in trouble. Overall Fic Warnings: Homophobia talk, Neglectful/Abusive Parents implication, Capitol Riot references, Injuries Taglist in Reblog

Part 1

“Your son is sneaking out.”

If the weight of his husband settling on top of him in the bed hadn’t been enough to fully wake Logan from sleep, the gleeful tone of Remus’s voice in his ear and the words he spoke were certainly enough to do so.

He tilted his head to the side, squinting up at his husband’s shadowy figure looming over him, ignoring how his heart had jumped into his throat, leaving an aching cavity in his chest. “If our son is sneaking out after dark, Sir Night Owl.” He said, working to sound calmer than he actually felt. “Then that’s obviously your influence at work and your problem.”

Remus gave a low chuckle, kissing his cheek. “Lion Kinging me, Messire Early Bird? Fair enough. I accept.” He shifted to roll off the bed, only to pause as Logan grabbed his hand.

“Virgil’s never snuck out before.” He whispered, flinching as he heard the front door close. Why would his son feel the need to do--sure teenagers were known to be rebellious, but he’d been clear that Virgil could talk to him about anything, anytime. To have him just suddenly leave without a word to them, without any indication that anything was wrong--

Remus squeezed his hand. “I heard him say ‘The offer still stands, D.’ as he walked by our door, sooo~ secret relationship?”

Logan pushed up onto one elbow, breath catching. “You heard him say Dee?” He demanded. “You’re certain?” He hadn’t known the two were still in communication. The end of their lifelong friendship last year had been...volatile. Virgil had been miserable for months afterwards.

“Yes?” His husband tilted his head. “You know them?”

Logan nodded, rolling over so he could grab his glasses from the night stand. “So do you. It’s Janus. Son of the Daemons.”

Remus stiffened, hissing like a broken teapot. “What offer could Virgiepoo possibly make to that horrible family of--”

“They were childhood friends.” Logan interrupted his husband before he went off on yet another long winded swearing spree about the Daemons. “Janus didn’t always approve of his parents...antics.”

Remus snorted, pulling Logan to his feet. “Antics? Those Ultra Christian Karens on Manbaby Cheeto Horse Steroids nearly cost both of us our jobs because they couldn’t stand the thought of their son knowing two gay men.”

Logan smirked, shrugging on a robe, placing his phone in the pocket just in case Virgil called. “And how did that turn out? With them facing the best lawyer in the country?”

Remus leaned in for a kiss. “Not good.” He breathed against his lips.

“Exactly.”

“Soo…” Still clad in only his boxers, Remus entwined his fingers in Logan’s, pulling him out of their bedroom towards the front door. “Son of our Enemy. Virgil sneaking out in the middle of the night to see him. What exactly is this offer that he’s offering to the Villains who aimed to destroy our happily ever after?”

An offer that Logan had believed had been firmly taken off the table over a year ago. “Simply put. Sanctuary.”

Which begged the question. What had happened in the Daemon household to convince Virgil to offer their home, after everything the two families had gone through, to their son once more?

“Sanctuary.” Remus repeated like it was a foreign word. “To one of their spawn? Are you serious?”

Knowing how much of a giving and forgiving heart his son had? Logan pulled open the front door, unsurprised to see the two teens standing frozen on the porch.

He had good timing like that.

“Boys.” Logan greeted, attention drawn immediately to Janus as he tried to hide behind his son only to be stopped by Virgil’s tight grip on his arm.

Janus swallowed, a tremor visibly going through him as met Logan’s eyes. “Mr. L.” He whispered, the porchlight throwing his face, and therefore, the stark purple bruise and cuts by his eye into sharp relief.

Sanctuary. He could now totally understand why Virgil had chosen to reach out.

The crumpled state of the boy’s clothes, the mask -an unusual accessory for the known anti-masker, anti-vaxxer family- the greasy hair, all of the obvious signs of neglect, Logan mentally catalogued as he immediately reached out, drawing the boy closer to him. “Janus.” He breathed, hating how the boy flinched at his movement, how he trembled under his touch even as he leaned into Logan’s hand as he cupped the boy’s uninjured cheek. “What happened?”

“Well, I hope what’s happening is that we’re kidnapping the demon spawn for ranso--” Remus cut off, inhaling sharply as he too caught sight of the facial disfigurement. “Lo, lemme see that.” He demanded, gently pushing him to the side so he could take the boy’s chin into his hands, tilting his head this way and that in the porch light.

Virgil relaxed, even as Janus visibly tensed, trembling under Remus’s scrutiny.

For good reason. The young Daemon had to feel like he was stepping into the Lion’s den by coming here.

“It’s okay, Dee. Remus is a surgeon. The best. You’re in safe hands.” Virgil said softly, keeping a firm grip on his friend’s arm as the boy shifted his feet like he was debating about turning tail and running.

Something he’d never thought Janus would do. The boy took after his parents in being willing to face confrontation head on, no matter the odds.

Something definitely was wrong here.

“What happened?” Logan repeated, unable to hide the concern in his voice.

Janus’s eyes flickered between him and Remus, breath hitching as he opened his mouth. “I--I--”

Remus growled, eyes flashing as he turned to Logan, gesturing wildly with his free hand. “What happened?! He’s lucky the wound isn’t infected, Lo! It’s obvious it’s been untreated. Obvious that he’s been neglected, mistreated, abused!”

Janus flinched at every word. “Yes.” The word ghosted over his lips, barely heard.

Virgil shook his head, eyes burning with quiet fury. “It’s worse.” He slipped his phone out of his pocket, tapping on the screen and flipping it so Logan could see the tweet there. “His parents locked him in their unfinished attic for FOUR months, Dad. And then they left him to go harring off to D.C. to storm the Capitol!”

They…WHAT?!

Logan saw red as Remus swore, his husband pulling Janus into a tight hug, the boy letting out a startled squeak at the action. “I changed my mind, Lo. We’re not kidnapping him, we’re adopting. Surprise, my little rebel. You’re mine now.”

Janus’s eyes went wide, shimmering with unshed tears as he stood stiffly in Remus’s grip, fingers twitching. “Y-yours?” He whispered, in such a small voice that had Logan wrapping an arm around the boy’s shoulders as well. “I--I--but I’m---I’m--”

There’d been a time he’d considered Janus almost like a second son with how often he and Virgil had hung out at their house as kids. Logan wasn’t at all opposed to rediscovering that sentimeint.

“It doesn’t matter.” He whispered in the boy’s ear. “You have a home here, Janus, for as long as you need one.”

The boy shuddered in their hold, breath hitching as he bowed his head, not quite resting it against Remus’s bare chest. “I--I tried to---I couldn’t get out! I tried everything to bre--to break free and then they just….left me. Their SON. They--” He broke off as Remus pulled him closer, a soft sob escaping as his husband carded his fingers through the boy’s hair.

“It’s okay, Janny-boy.” Remus whispered. “You did what you could with what you had.”

Janus shook his head. “I--i should have---sooner. I couldn’t--I didn’t think they’d actually!! My own parents.”

Virgil pressed in on the group hug, gently freeing the face mask from the boy’s ear. “Dee. You couldn’t have known.”

“I SHOULD have though!” He growled, twisting his head to stare at Virgil, cheeks streaked with tears. “We’ve been friends for years, Annie! I KNOW you and Mr. L. and...and…but when things,” His eyes flickered to Remus and back. “Changed. The pandemic and everything---I didn’t...I sided with them and thought they had to be RIGHT this time, but then things...stuff happened and THEY LOCKED ME UP and treated me like I was A NUT CASE when I--I--” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “They wouldn’t listen to me.”

Logan exhaled, squeezing the boy’s shoulder as he met his husband’s furious eyes. “I’m sorry, Janus.” He said, keeping his tone soft. “Your parents have had their...good...qualities at times,”

Remus snorted, but kept silent as Logan shot him another look.

“And I know...they’ve only tried to protect you from their perceived evils in the world, but Janus.” He shifted his position so he could cradle the boy’s injured cheek. “What they did to you was wrong. So very wrong.” And bound to be worse when the whole story was told. “It’s monstrous that they chose to treat their own flesh and blood in such an abhorrent and inhumane manner just because you disagreed with them and I will not stand for it. You deserve better and you will be treated much better here than you have been there. I promise you that.”

Janus abruptly twisted in Remus’s arms to cling to Logan, resting his head against Logan’s chest, fingers digging into the folds of his robe, his thin body shaking with sobs. “Don’t make me go back.” He whispered.

Logan shook his head, pressing a firm kiss against the boy’s greasy hair. “Never.”

“I won’t let him.” Remus added, a growl in his voice. “I’ve adopted you, Jan. My word is law. No take backsies.”

Janus looked between the three of them, before focusing on Remus, licking his lips. “But. You...don’t know me--”

“You don’t know me either, kiddo. But no worries. We’ll fix all that.” His husband winked as he gathered both Virgil and Janus under each arm, letting Logan take a careful step back. “But FIRST.” He pointed a finger at the boy’s eye. “I’m getting you clean and stitched up while Logie here makes a little call to his Work Wife to figure things out. With luck, and I am rather lucky, there’ll barely be a scar when I’m done.”

Janus stiffened, glancing over his shoulder to Logan. “Work Wife?!”

Virgil chuckled, twisting Janus’s mask in his fingers. “Not an actual wife, Dee. Dad has a fellow lawyer friend.”

“Rival.” Logan corrected.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Rival that he constantly works with, so Rem calls him his work wife since he’s usually either with him or us.”

That wasn’t exactly true. He did go to other places and work with other people that weren’t Patton or his family. It just so happened that Patton ended up involved in a lot of the same sort of cases as him and so collaboration made more sense than going it alone.

Logan pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. “Needless to say. I’ll take care of it, Janus. You can trust me on that.” He smiled to the teen before turning his attention to his son. “Virgil, send me a copy of that tweet as soon as you can. And Remus,” He grimaced as his husband paused, raising an eyebrow. He could see him practically vibrating with the need to stitch the kid up now. “I know you want to treat Janus ASAP, but I need photographic evidence of every single injury and sign of neglect before you do anything.” An unfortunate delay, but he needed the evidence recorded before it vanished. He hit call, placing his phone by his ear. “As soon as you’re done--”

“It’s straight to the shower, JanJan. Or a long hot bubble bath. Either way.” Remus said, ushering the teens towards the door. “We need you to get squeaky clean while Lo here does his thing, and then I can treat those wounds of yours without them getting infected. Okay?”

“I--I---uh...Okay?” Janus asked, sounding half strangled as they vanished inside.

The phone clicked. “Hello?” A sleepy voice asked over the line.

Hopefully Virgil could smooth over any further confusion for Janus until Logan could come back and reign Remus back from going full Mama Bear on the boy. “Hello, Patton.” He said, leaning against the wall, listening as the crickets began chirping again. “It’s Logan.”

“Lo?” He could hear his fellow lawyer and work rival stifling a yawn. “Wassup?”

“My apologies for calling so late, but I need your help with a case. Right now. If you’re able.”

The silence on the other hand wasn’t at all encouraging. But then again. It was late.

“...My help? With a case? Now?”

“Yes.” He’d already said that. Hopefully Patton’s brain would kick into a higher gear sooner rather than later or else this conversation would be lasting ten times longer than necessary. “You remember the Daemons?”

“Mmm….yah? Your fight with them had you fired up for ages with all their nonsense.”

“Exactly.” Logan exhaled. “Their son, Janus, just showed up at my house in an obvious state of neglect. Injured. Possibly abused. More than implied that it was his parents who put him in his current state. And I am, unfortunately, too visibly involved with the Daemons in a negative light to be considered an adequate impartial representative for him, especially if I house him in my home for the duration.”

Patton made a noise of surprise. “House him?”

“Virgil was--is a friend of his and he offered him sanctuary here when he discovered that Janus was in trouble. I’m not refusing him a safe place.”

“Safe? You just said--”

Logan closed his eyes, resting his head against the side of his house. “I know. I’m not on good terms with his parents.” They could go rot in a tar pit for all he cared about them. “But I’ve known the boy since he was six, Patton. He’s been to my house multiple times before. Been friends with my son. I won’t hold a grudge against the child for the actions of his parents.”

“Ha. I doubt his parents would appr--”

“His so-called parents Locked. Him. In. Their. Attic. For. FOUR. Months.” Logan interrupted, unable to hide the fury in his voice.

Patton sharply inhaled. “They WHAT?”

Exactly. It was good to hear his work rival taking the same tone. Patton had a soft spot for kids. “They locked him up and then abandoned him, Pat. I don’t know the exact circumstances just yet on why they felt that this was justifiable behavior, but no child should be treated like a prisoner by their family and no so-called parent’s opinion on where or who their son stays with should hold any weight if they’ve failed to provide decent care for their child in the first place!” Logan took a breath, forcing himself to relax his fingers on his phone before he cracked the screen. “Regardless, if the boy wishes to go elsewhere I won’t fight it. But he needed a safe place to go to and he chose to come here. That has to mean something considering the history between our two families.”

“It--I’d have to look into it.” Patton whispered. “This isn’t--the circumstances--”

“Are abnormal. I understand.” Logan nodded, staring off into the night. “Will you come?”

Patton huffed a laugh. “It’s not every day--ah night--you say you need me, Lo.”

That was true. They were more often rivals in the courtroom than collaborators these days. But still, he wouldn’t want any other lawyer to represent the boy if he couldn’t do it himself. “I need you, Pat.”

The sound of keys jangled in his ear. “Be right there.” Patton promised as the line went dead.

[isfjmel-phleg]

March 2022 Books

Delivery to the Lost City by P. G. Bell

The first one of this series was cute and clever, but I’m finding that the sequels lack those qualities.

The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown

Like Noel Streatfeild but with much less interesting characters and a much less interesting plot.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (reread)

Seasonal reread.

Friday’s Child; Master Bartlemy, or The Thankful Heart; and Messire and Other Stories by Frances E. Crompton

I really enjoyed Crompton’s The Children of Hermitage, but these earlier works of hers tend to lack the lively characterization and engaging plot of that one. (Friday’s Child in particular was a painful read; basically all that happens is the young title character, who has been sickly his whole life and longs to be an adventurer when he grows up, undergoes some unpleasant experiences and finally dies a saintly Victorian death. What even is the point and why would you do that to your protagonist.)

The Velvet Fox by Catherine Fisher

The second in a series with a lot of potential that never feels quite realized. The Victorian setting doesn’t feel authentic, and everything’s pretty surface-level. The Clockwork Crow is a memorable character, however.

Rubies in the Snow by Kate Hubbard

Fictional diary of Anastasia Nikolaevna, aimed at older middle-grade readers, I think? A bit too on-the-nose as these fictional diaries tend to be, but a decent introduction to the historical material.

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi

It took me a while to warm up to this book’s predecessor, Furthermore, but this one drew me in from the beginning. Well-drawn heroine, beautiful prose, quite moving.

The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden and Hanna Luechtefeld

Discussed in full here.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (reread)

Reread because I missed these characters and wanted to revisit them.

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell

Very interesting, plenty of gorgeous pictures, and now I want to visit Great Maytham Hall if I ever get back to England.

The Skylarks’ War and The Swallows’ Flight by Hilary McKay

Historical fiction that follows a family through WWI and WWII respectively. I was impressed with how well McKay captures the spirit of a book written in the Edwardian era, but there was some off-putting content (and some minor less-convincing things--it’s not especially likely, for instance, that a young English woman around WWI would have been named Vanessa), and the second book was less engaging (having a character abruptly turn out to have a different paternity than he’s always believed just so he’s no longer technically a blood relation and therefore can get together with the girl whom he grew up with as a cousin is...a questionable plot device).

The Forgotten Room by Stacie Morrell

If you’re going to self-publish your fanfiction, you had better be absolutely sure that it is darn good fanfiction. You might want to get an editor, do actual research about the era you’re writing in, and reread the book you’re following up (in this case, The Secret Garden) so your details and depictions are consistent. Morrell does not seem to have done any of these things. The plot seemed mostly pointless and depended on characterizations that didn’t make sense. I wasn’t expecting much, but this was especially lacking in quality.

Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Interesting plot and historical setting. I don’t know what it is about Nielsen’s books (I’ve read her Ascendance Trilogy) that always seems to be missing somehow? Like there’s a layer of something that would really bring them to life but it’s just...not there? And I can’t put my finger on it but that was the case with this one too.

The Secret of White Stone Gate by Julia Nobel 

Sequel to a book I read earlier. I don’t think I’ll continue the series.

The Secret Garden (book and lyrics of the musical) by Marsha Norman

Read to follow along while watching a recording of the musical.

All in Good Time by Edward Ormondroyd

Less interesting than the book to which it’s the sequel, but still amusing, especially Ormondroyd’s including a fictionalized version of himself researching the disappearance of the characters.

The Sky Is Falling by Kit Pearson

Historical fiction about British evacuees in Canada during WWII. Pearson’s book seems slight but has a lot of substance, and I will seek out the rest of the series.

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (reread)

Potter’s prose is gorgeous and the book full of atmosphere. Regrettably too short!

Folktales for Fearless Girls by Myriam Sayalero

Read for its inclusion of “Anait” (with lovely illustrations).

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy

I went in expecting a continuation of the slice-of-life incidents of The Good Master and was not expecting it to deal with the effects of WWI in Hungary! Quite a different tone than I was expecting but very interesting, especially in light of its being published in 1940 (Seredy seems to be indirectly addressing issues of her day).

Lucy Beware! by Pamela Sykes

Solid continuation of Mirror of Danger/Come Back, Lucy! with some good character development.

Into the Labyrinth and The Constellation of Sylvie by Roderick Townley

Not as clever as the first one (...too many disappointing sequels this month, alas).

The Story Seeker by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

Cute continuation of The Story Collector, set in the New York Public Library in the 1920s.

Return to the Secret Garden by Holly Webb (reread)

Sequel set during WWII that basically rehashes the plot of the original in a much less interesting and thoughtful way, requiring canon characters to be out-of-character. The adult Mary is barely present and seems strangely bubbly, she’s married to Colin (why do so many adaptations and sequels go this route? does she really need to be romantically involved with either of the boys?) who SPOILER gets killed off in the war for the sake of contrived drama and sorrow, and the adult Dickon gets cast in the role of Cranky Gardener, with “he changed after being in WWI” the excuse for his very uncharacteristic behavior.

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler

Someone recommended this picture book quite a while ago, and it is indeed lovely.

The Marvellous Land of Snergs by E. A. Wyke-Smith

Apparently a favorite of Tolkien’s and partially inspirational for The Hobbit? Had an intriguing beginning, with the premise of a society of ladies who rescue unwanted children and raise them on a island, but after setting this up, Wyke-Smith proceeds to abandon it in favor of a more generic fantasy-ish plot and a regrettably sexist approach to his female characters (including the “females are inherently manipulative” trope that I hate. so. much. I get that that’s a typical view of the time, but I’ve had to deal with this garbage so much that I have no patience for it).

[murroyilodel]

Having not read the Hugo book or other adaptations i don't know if there's ANY canonical info on Es' family? Hugo loves his details (those for no reason like a look into the Les m.is bishop background even though Hugo says "I know this doesn't impact the story at all, but I just think he's neat"). I realized I've never heard anything about her having a family or parents

The short answer is yes! There is canon on Esme’s family in Hugo’s book, but before going into that, I must qualify one thing. Book Esme and Diz Esme are very, very different characters.

Ok, the canon on Esme goes like this (disclaimer and warning: it’s a sexist and racist ride).

It starts with Esme’s mother, Paquette la Chantefleurie. She was the daughter of a respectable minstrel of the barges at Reims. He died when Paquette was still a child. Her mother taught Paquette embroidery and toy-making, but they were very poor and could not earn a decent living without Paquette’s father. By the age of 14, Paquette was such a pretty girl and caught men’s attention. One Sunday when she came to church with a gold cross about her neck, and everyone knew she had lost her virginity.

First it was the young Vicomte de Cormontreuil, who has his bell tower three leagues distant from Reims; then Messire Henri de Triancourt, equerry to the King; then less than that, Chiart de Beaulion, sergeant-at-arms; then, still descending, Guery Aubergeon, carver to the King; then, Macé de Frépus, barber to monsieur the dauphin; then, Thévenin le Moine, King’s cook; then, the men growing continually younger and less noble, she fell to Guillaume Racine, minstrel of the hurdy-gurdy and to Thierry de Mer, lamplighter. Then, poor Chantefleurie, she belonged to every one...

In 1466, on Saint Paul’s day, Paquette gave birth to a girl she called Agnes. By that time, Paquette’s mother was dead, and Paquette was scorned by society. Agnes became all she had. Agnes was a very pretty baby, and Paquette was obsessed in her love for her daughter and doted on her in every way possible.

One day, a group of Romani arrived in Reims. People went to see them out of curiosity, including Paquette. She wanted to know about herself and Agnes. The women admired Agnes’s beauty and said that she would be a queen. Paquette was so pleased. After they returned home and Agnes fell asleep, Paquette went to talk to her neighbour. But when she went back, Agnes was no longer on the bed. In place of Agnes was a “ a sort of hideous little monster, lame, one-eyed, deformed, was crawling and squalling over the floor.” Witnesses said that they had seen two Romani women enter Paquette’s home earlier.

So what Hugo actually wrote was that Agnes was kidnapped by a Romani group, leaving a hysterical mother forever grieving for her lost daughter.

Fast forward sixteen years to 1482 in which the main story is set, and we have “La Esmeralda”, who people think is Romani too, but is actually not.

There is more, but as a quick spoiler alert: Paquette and Esme reunited near the end of the book for a very brief moment. By that time, Esme was being hunted by the authorities for the wrongful charge of murdering Phoebus. Paquette died trying to save Esme, and Esme died soon afterwards anyway.

Ta-da.

So erm, I don’t use any canon elements for my portrayal of Esme, only her birthday, for reasons.

P.S. BISHOP MYRIEL is my FAVOURITE character in Les Mis! XD

[blackwoolncrown]

So the thing about Onlyfans is like...

I was around when it and its competitor were created and knew about the motive and all and at that point it was kidn of a big deal bc some of the money behind the push was all ‘sex workers creating stuff for sex workers’ (LOL nt way) but like...

idk this is going to be messir than most of my posts bc I just don’t care to translate this into civvie talk but no mainstream anything is ever going to help sex workers get agency bc IMO the entire approach is completely counter to how sex work works, what it is, and how a sex worker can best sell it.

Sex work isn’t fucking breakfast cereal. It is not best sold in bright sterile storefronts, row upon row of similar yet slightly varied faux-diversity that puts us all ‘one click away’ from the clientele.

I’ve always held this opinion that sites need to replicate the boudoir experience. If someone wants a sex worker or our content, whatever, they WILL go and find it as long as they know what channels there are. The more they push a homogenized sense of putting us all ‘out there’ lined up in the open the more it kills interest and drive and forces the performers to compete with each other for front page attention.

Any site that actually wants to give success and agency to SWs needs to replicate virtually the best IRL sex work experience. And that’s not gonna be a white and blue version of a red-light window district with us all put on display for ‘Free’ (I’m looking at every single fucking ‘free’ vidchat site here, ugh) nor is it going to be lining us up from ‘most mainstream appeal’ to least and paying us that way like we’re in some cheap brothel.

It’s going to be more like in/outcall.

While a platform has a huge audience that allows models who can crack its algorithms or meet its branding best to make bank, it doesn’t respond well to individual branding and disadvantages anyone who doesn’t meet the brand image. The issue with platforms, again, is that if you are on a platform, the more ‘platformy’ and streamlined the UI is, the more that UI takes over any possible branding the model can have.

If you’re on OF right now, you’re an OF model. That’s your brand. You can have a flavor under that but OF is your brand, OFs site layout and color scheme dominates and DICTATES how you are viewed. OF IS your brand and it owns your brand. You don’t exist outside of it unless you’re smart and eventually drag your core audience off of it and onto your own private site.

And with more and more sites leaning towards the silicon valley capitalist strealined format of hyperwhite sterile UIs, it homogenizes models down to an expectation. You are constantly competing for the users’ attention bc sites like this-- IWC is another good example, but pretty much every clip site is now using this model-- is NOT made to make YOU money it is made to make ITSELF the most money.

This is why they don’t want to give you a custom drop page, which would make a ‘space’ for you to define yourself, your brand feel, and prime your customers to YOU-- doing so would minimize the amount of browsing a user does on the site, so to fix that they not only keep you from being able to add a sense of personality to your page they advertise *other models* on the same page at the  bottom. That takes attention away from your content but do they care as long as the site makes the sale? Meanwhile it doesn’t matter what you’ve learned about site design, or branding bc you’re hardly allowed to describe or present yourself layout wise bc again, that would skew the branding to being about you and not the platform and the site would have to allow you the resources to do so. Older sites used to let you do this, either through HTML or just giving you paletttes/fonts to choose from. But none of that now bc we’re just meat lined up to make some fucker in CA rich.

This is also why, if you are a SW and haven’t already: YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN SITE. First of all p much every site will do some sheisty shit at some point and you may not want to rely on them. The site may go down. The traffic may go bust. And lastly clients WILL google your  name and guess what comes up? If you don’t have a site, it will be stolen content of you. If you DO have a site it will be your site ...and stolen content of you. Your choice. Many clients will go to your site and pay you-- but they won’t do that if the site isn’t there.

All in all I was never really happy about OF and while I’m always looking for different places to peddle my stuff the direction of these sites with these hideous impersonal UIs irks me deeply bc it’s a great example of hypercapitalistic ‘efficiency’ robbing sex work of any shred of personality and intimacy it has-- which is a good portion of its value-- and grinding it down to low dollar high sale profit machines for some rando in silicon valley while models sell their content way under value just to get audience exposure that in turn just exposes them to more and more cheapasses who wanted more T&A on their TL and expect the best quality content for the lowest fucking price.

[eyes-like-the-night]

Margarita’s hair is pretty floofy and spends quite a lot of time being randomly frizzed out in spots. Usually her curls are a mess. All the demons know she and Messire are all over each other more often than not so, they’re pretty sure that she’s just in a constant state of sex hair.

In actuality her hair being a mess is because she can’t stop pushing it out of her face or running her hands through it.

[ceescedasticity]

Fanfic Writer Ask: 15, 25, and for 31, have a rec: on Ao3, Omnibard's fic Lioness

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

I don’t think so. I may have written a few things that would probably make me cry reading them for the first time, but writing them myself I’m... idk, it doesn’t hit me that way. ...And I think I don’t usually write the kind of raw grief which most often gets me crying.

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

In general, Medieval Names Archive is a major resource for me -- not just for historical/fantasy names, either. (Most of the Nebari OCs in the Mere Anarchy series have names derived from one of the pages on medieval Italian names, because canonical Nebari names sound kinda like that and it gave names with a similar feel.) Also Behind the Name and its surname site. I try not to focus on literal meaning too much, most of the time.

Troll OC names get a little wackier and are more likely to have some sort of meta theme/meaning, because that’s just... part of the feel. Some of the explanations I can remember...

‘Skaree’ because she was first mentioned when I needed a name for a ‘scary’ trainee spooking Terezi; then the whole legislacerator/hunting thing motivated her sign being Canes Venatici which gave rise to both her lusus and ‘Cannis’.

Most of the jadebloods have goddess-derived hatchnames, one way or another. Ashtar Rothah from Ishtar/Astarte and Hathor; Perses Reshki from Persephone and Ereshkigal; Kebela Artemi from Cybele and Artemis; Hestai Fialle from Hestia and... actually I don’t remember if Fialle was from something; Maltha is from Amalthea (technically a divine goat-nurse rather than a goddess but same idea) but Tammas is to make a Thomas Malthus joke; Chidan Pythea from Echidna and the Pythea; Efessa Shamra from Ephessus (major worship center for Artemis) and... I don’t remember about the Shamra part; there was a ‘Phrodi’ mentioned which was from Aphrodite; Arvaat is from Parvati but Trisyn is a Tristan-Isolde reference.

Ananas Strigi, Cephal Mycota, Mollym Awwakk, Panthe Silber, Erithe Probos, and also Caviah Leaena and Alkaid Messir all got originally invented to be the trolls belonging to lusii based on some photomanips someone did, and their names are based on the animals (mostly animals) that went into the manips.

A couple of people caught Cappul and Taggue being a Capulet/Montague joke.

Gathay Callea is a Girl Genius reference.

Laovic got his name because he was just suddenly discovered like a ‘Law and Order’ victim-of-the-week.

Some names I actually don’t remember where I came up with them...

Anyway, troll names: go wild.

[lunechante]

Is 28 a multiple of 7?

On Tuesday, I took the younger ones to the library, for the very first monthly reading out loud (in English) workshop. As the librarian and I were reading bear hunt out loud (I read in English, she read in French), we found out all the differences. The forest going « Hou hou » in French instead of the snowstorm, which actually in only snow in French so the sound is the white, muffled one of winter. The verbs changing every time at the end of the ramble. The line that simply does not exist in English. It made me stop to word my astonishment.

The kid with no logic sounding just like Sophie Pétoncule. Her friend - telling me my eyes look nice, then after seeing my for the first time without my mask that I look pretty. Without the mask but also with it. Say, can I ask a not so nice question? Am I taller than you?

Marking assessments on Wednesday, only to find out asking kids to try and not sound French when speaking English is enough for them to feel confident and do it. Then realising that a whole class has backslides in oral understanding but that one kid, who always struggles but this time managed oh so well. Tears of pride - I guess? still suck at naming emotions. I really have not to cry when I’ll give her work back next Monday.

Reading workshop again on Thursday. The kids so eager to see me taking the mask off. Their laughs at the varying onomatopoeias during the bear hunt. Later that morning, this older kid deciding to move to the front chair in the middle of class while I was trying to punish his friend for disrupting. Found the opportunity to dwell in learning what he realised essential without having to shut his mates.

Just hanging around - dawdling in bed, driving, walking - listening to Beirut. The fall landscapes. The redding wines. Those colours! So many pictures to take. Smelling the jaigne everywhere in the village. Chatting with a colleague for hours - forgetting class - just realising we are the same on so many levels. Not being annoyed - rather amused actually - at the gravel in my mouth from the einkorn risotto at the fancy restaurant. Mum loving her birthday gift. Settling for the least worse dessert being sure I wouldn’t eat any of it - lemon curd, curry cake and chartreuse ice cream. Relishing every single part of it.

Ava, the new (for me) cake at the patisserie. A friend passing by the patisserie while I’m shopping. Friends suggesting some wine testing in our old local steam train. It’s not full yet! The laughs. My old ‘70s Canon is still loaded - battery and film. I wonder what are the first 13 shots on that film. The feral opuntia looks so good. The perspective of eating my fave dish at my fave restaurant - Messire, un Sarrazin! All those laughs again.

[dinasilvertongue]

Anyway...  All that being said, I actually suspect that Messire Vladimirovich still has a few tricks up his sleeve--he’s playing some sort of a long game here...  If anyone can weasel out of this politico-situational pretzel w/some degree of strategic grace, it’s him...  I’m not saying he will--I’m just saying I think he’s capable...  

[white-queen-lacus]

Imriel’s second meeting with Mavros

"Cousin!" A voice cleaved the crowd, light and friendly. I looked up to see one of the Shahrizai approaching. It was one I had seen before, a few years older than me. He reached out to clasp my forearm. He was smiling, filled with assurance, midnight braids framing his face with its high cheekbones. "Remember me?" he asked, winking.

"Yes," I said, remembering. "You're Mavros."

"So I am." He turned his smile on the nobleman, at once pleasant and dangerous. A kind of heat seemed to emanate from him, playful and predatory. "I suggest you be gone, Messire Bauldry." He paused. "Or... forgive me... did you wish to offend?"

"He jostled me!" Bauldry spat.

"Oh?" Mavros raised his brows, still smiling pleasantly. "As you say."

Somehow, he had turned it all around, and I was grateful to him for it. I returned his arm-clasp; glad, for the first time, to see a face that echoed my own. Both of us laughed as Messire Bauldry stomped away. "Who is he?" I asked.

"No one," Mavros said, amused. "A minor lordling with aspirations. Look, highness--”

------------------------------------------------------------------

I have already written something about the relationship between Imriel and Mavros before... for some reason, I can’t see my post even if I have correctly tagged it... ;_;  Anyway... this is one of my favorite moments. In Kushiel’s Scion, after Imriel attended the Longest Night observing the Elua’s vigil with Joscelin, he suffered from a bad cold (well, Imri here is still physically weak due to the fact that Darsanga’s trauma left him weaker than the other children around his age, as stated by Phèdre when she compared Imri’s excessive and unhealthy thinness to Alcuin, who was thin himself) and Ysandre ordered him to be cured by the royal surgeon in the royal palace.  After some time, Imriel, almost recovered, decides to go to the Hall of Games in the Palace, to get back his Montrevan retainers and come back home at Montrève. Here, he is shooked by a sound that made him remind of Darsanga and he accidentally brushes against a nobleman (Messire Bauldry) who reminds him whose son Imriel is. And well, we know what unconfortable Imriel is when it comes to his parents, but also when his persona is offended. Then Mavros arrives and he basically saves the day. With just few words, a playful and predatory smile and glance, he is able to save his cousin from a bad moment. This image basically depicts the power of the Shahrizai, who are Kushiel’s scions. Mavros is the only one of his family that Imriel is not afraid of. Well... actually he gets along with Roshana too, but Mavros is the nearest thing to a blood-related brother to him, more than Eamonn, who is his best friend.  The thing I liked here is that for the first time (at least for now, since when the Shahrizai’s youngsters went to Montrève, Imriel and Mavros literally went one against the other), Imriel refers to one of his kin as “glad, for the first time, to see a face that echoed my own”. Because Imriel hates his face (at least in Scion). His face is his mother’s face, his eyes are his mother’s eyes, and since he hates his blood mother, he hates everything that makes him remind of her, so his Shahrizai’s traits are not well tolerated by him. Actually, the blood in his veins makes him strangely attracted by his kin, but at the same time he is afraid of being like them. The Shahrizais are a powerful and dark family who use Kushiel’s lineage gift for its own advantage. All the members share this aura of danger, heat, power, cunning, seduction, all masked by a pleasant smile (wonder who make me think about...*helloPhantomhives* XD). They are totally devoted to the crown (the family head, Duc Faragon, is clear about this and he really wants Imriel to know his family members), but they protect the family businness.

Also, the Shahrizais share the gift of reading the fault-lines in mortal souls (due to their Kushieline lineage and the fact that Kushiel was originally the judge of human souls) and they can use this gift to their own advantage (actually, in KL, only Melisande and Imriel performed this, but while Melisande uses her gift without the benefit of a conscience Imriel is so scared by what he had suffered that he decided to use this gift for good... well, actually not always, but most of the time). Mavros seems able to do the same, manipulating people as he wants, but his interests are addressed at knowing and protecting his younger kinsman, who “grew up differently from us”. That is why, Mavros is the one who helps Imriel to know and understand his darkest desires, sometimes giving voice to Imri’s inner and hidden thoughts (I still laugh with him telling the ultimate truth "Oh, you do." Tilting his head, Mavros regarded me through his lashes. "Barquiel L'Envers' head on a stake, and Sidonie de la Courcel whimpering in your bed.").

Mavros also is the most supportive person in helping Imriel and Sidonie in their secret affair, just like Amarante and be doesn’t hesitate one moment to allow them sharing some moments together, even if this would mean going against the Queen’s will. Also, being a master in pleasure, it’ s thanks to his efforts that Imriel is finally able to embrace without any fear his dominating side... because yes, when Imriel lets his fears go, he is definitely his mother’s son, even in bed. The ony thing he can’ t succeed is playing Valerian to Imriel’s Mandrake. Like almost all D’Angelines, and beautifully Shahrizai being, Mavros is canonically bi and he is not against incest, believing that being cousins is not a problem. Actually Imriel has not interest in men (only few times he has shown interest: for Eamonn and Maslin, but he was just infatuated of their confidence and good heart *second and first*, for Lucius... or better, from Lucius, who kissed him, for an adept of Valerian House who gave him a bj, but he was almost drunk if I am not wrong and in Mercy when he had sex with Sunjata, but he was under the spell cast by Solon and he really thought he was Leander Maignard, and Sunjata was an eunuch), but this didn’t ever altered their relationship at all. 

Another thing I found lovely is the choice of their names: while Imriel’s name is the name of an angel, evoking light, Mavros’ name means “dark”, and Mavros is definitely one of the darknesses Imriel is not afraid of. <3

[a-random-fandom-friend]

Tag thing

@porpentinygoldstein tagged me! <3

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you want to get to know better

name: Clem

gender: fluid

star sign: [redacted]

height: 1,645m because my mom is 1,65 and she said I can’t be taller than her

age: [redacted]

favorite color: black or red i guess?

time rn: 19:08

hours of sleep:this night or like a regular night? ...fuck i have no regular night.

lucky number: don't have one, really

last thing you googled: something like “vues sur l’homosexualité en 1850″ [views on homosexuality in 1850] or “cocarde tricolore”

favorite fictional character: ...dude. Do you have a day or two? (but probably Will Graham)

blankets you sleep with: who sleeps with more than one blanket? This is an honest question, i want to know how you sleep and how you manage not to  make them fall off the bed

favorite artists: don’t really have one. can never remember he name

dream trip: why moving ><

dream job: no idea

what you’re wearing right now: a beautiful pull that gives me +30 on passing :D

follower count: 272

posts: 20 808 including this one

what do you post about: ...recently? Arsène Lupin. I literally can’t remember what i post beside Arsène Lupin.

most active followers: I dont know where to serch for that

when did your blog reach its peak: the main one... I don’t know, maybe when i help revive stuff? Maybe during the Tomitch. Cleme-s-art’s onewas definetly during Modern Kaamelott December.

why did you make this blog: because when you’re fan you always end up on tumblr.

do you get asks on a daily basis: nope

why did you choose your url: Because i felt like i was just going to enjoy other people’s fan stuff and never making my own, and not talking to people i don’t know and that kind of stuff; that i will be only a reblog on other people’s statistics. WELL TURN OUT THAT NO

countries you’ve lived in: France & Italy

favorite fandom: the french one (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN “I CAN’T PICK A LANGUAGE I HAVE TO PICK A FANDOM”) (fine probably henrisiteur)

languages you speak: french, english, and  bit of italian and deutch?

favorite film: Raiponce, Thor 2, Zootopy, Atlantide, Pride

last article you read: an article about, guess what, the views on homosexualities in 1850

last thing you bought online: dinner, with Léo, probbly

last person you dreamt of: that I can remember? uuugh... there was one recent ream with Tsamère and Waly Dia, that counts?

a recurring dream: ...dude. I must remember like 10 dreams in all my life. I have no idea what a “recurring dream” is.

phobias/fears: well recently i considered the possibility that a loved one had commited suicide and i was, let’s say, a little scared? but no real weird irrational phobia.

how would your friends describe you: depends on who you ask. Kind, adorable and not innocent?

if you had money to spend what would you buy first: food. lot of confort food. my teachers too probably.

shuffle your song library and list the first three songs that play: Original Pokemon Opening / Messire le Roi de Mauvais Aloi, de Robin des Bois (The Phony King of England,  from Gay Furry Forest) / Become the Beast, by Karliene (a song written for Hannibal.) . Wow, that actually describe me quite well. except Pokemon is not beacsue i play, is because i like to put song in the heads of my friends

I won’t tag anyone because i think i already did it, but if No, Lys, Bastien, Suz, Mel, or literally everyone wants to do that, plese feel free to say I tagged you :D