#also all of these are interpretation based

[stringofswineteeth]

It is disrespectful to use a tragedy as a self marketing backdrop, and he's clearly demonstrated some really appalling behavior.

However. I don't think it is appropriate to speculate about sociopathy, nor is it appropriate to equate sociopaths with evil, harmful, or uncaring, it's a brain difference that impacts how you interact wiith the world, not a sentence to being awful or a synonym for lack of consideration for others.

I also feel like the focus here on how he outwardly reacted being inappropriate isn't really great because it's hard to know what people are experiencing internally. ( I know from experience, being treated all kinds of ways based off an interpretation of my presentation that didn't match my internal world)

None of this is to defend him, at all, I just think its important that when calling people out we don't pull others down with them, or insult unrelated things, as we have the advantage of being on the side of truth, we don't need to exaggerate or pick things apart uncharitably that we might otherwise let slide.

Also though, there are absolutely innocuous things that when combined with other things that could be hand waved away as a bit odd paint a larger, much more concerning picture, and that seems to be what's happening here. So I don't disagree with the callout, I just worry a bit about the implications of the phrasing or not being extremely careful about how it's framed.

So. I don't think this is a post that shouldn't've been made. I just wanted to express some concern about being careful with phrasing ig. Not that I even know a way I'd phrase it that would be free from things that could be interpreted in bad faith, even if I could address those points individually

[lesbianherald]

Based Jayce take tbh….also I’m gonna confess this on anon but one of my most pretentious takes when it comes to fandom is that everything would be way easier to enjoy if ppl understood story structure a little more. Like Jayce’s arc is a negative arc. He sucked on purpose! If you had bad feelings about him that was intentional and okay (I do think Jayce hate was overblown but I also get why it existed. Like the audience was just picking up on the feelings the show was putting down). But he was definitely Like That for a reason! Usually in good writing, characters are tools for the narrative first you know…you don’t need to justify his actions to like Jayce because he’s fictional and he’s not a real person youre stanning. But also fandom is for fun so I know this take is pretentious but also it’s my truth. My story structure….my characters who are intentionally challenging my theme….my character arc….

NO NO BUT YOU ARE COOKING ON EVERY LEVEL !!!!

(Note: This randomly turned into a very hasty analysis of the shots used in the bridge scene? Because I got on a tangent about how we interpret visual storytelling as well and oops!)

Story structure is so overlooked. The role characters are supposed to play in an overarching narrative is overlooked. So much gets ignored in the way information is presented both in the story structure and visually that sometimes it frightens me and it makes me really bummed! And it's nobody's fault! Most of us live in a society that devalues art and literacy on purpose!

I don't think it's pretentious to wish people better understood the building blocks of the story or at least understood how to take in general arcs. And I think if they did as a whole most fandom spaces would be a lot more interesting and have a lot less bizarre takes/infighting.

I also think that - where arcane's writing can get weird and murky - the visual language will cover it. (Almost to an extreme.)

It makes me think of one of my favorite scenes in the whole show and how misinterpreted it gets and how quick people are to defend jayce here despite how much it is playing on the themes of the show and how clearly he is painted as in the wrong both by the writing and the shots ok fuck -

I think all the time about the imbalance of power represented by that insane low angle on Jayce. You know what fuck it. I'm going to go get it. Fuck. This is about to become a whole thing. Okay.

If I brought an angle like this into a classroom setting, I would be laughed at for it being too obvious. But its one of my favorites because its so visceral. In fact, I've shown this to a lot of friends - the reaction to this shot is usually an audible "Woah!" or even nervous laughter! Because clearly! He's supposed to be intimidating here. This is supposed to be like. Oh. He is not who he used to be. Oh. Oh no. Its so co clearly a representation of power and corruption you may as well stamp it on his forehead.

He's not only Jayce here, he's a representation of piltover as a whole - in its physical and political positions over Zaun. In a position of power over someone he's close with, who just verbally told someone he would "understand." Now we are seeing that he very likely wont. (He will! But right now, we are supposed to be with Viktor in this scene. We are supposed to become convinced he won't right with him!)

Note that the angle we get for Viktor is way less extreme. Way more eye level. And less centered. I could go on about this too. But oooh boy. Like! Clearly we are supposed to be more with him in terms of who we find rational. Clearly he's the voice of reason here. We are level with him. He is at a safe distance. We are seeing how he is looking up at jayce without looking down at him.

In this shot, he is someone we as an audience are level with, who is gathering information, making a decision. He is remaining more measured than I think the audience is supposed to be given the angle we're getting on jayce.

The only time we do get the "reverse" of that Jayce shot on Viktor is when he is quite literally standing out of the frame almost immediately. Whose furious with the position Jayce is putting him in. This is Right after Jayce says, "They're dangerous." He's gathered the information he needs. He sees Jayce for what he is. Somebody he cannot trust. And he refuses to be put in this lower position.

Jayce is not supposed to be the one we are rooting for here. He is the person we are supposed to be disappointed in. We are supposed to question him here. This isn't only dramatically spelled out in the narrative but also in the shot choicesss!

And then we have the apology -

That's why i always question why people are like. Okay but he apologized. When the apology is framed like this! We don't even get to see viktor's face because the damage is done!! JAYCE ISNT EVEN LOOKING AT HIM !!!! It doesn't matter. We don't even get full access to Jayce here! What's at the center of this shot is the barricade that Jayce has ordered!!! This makes the apology, and "I've had a lot on my plate" purposefully look ridiculous in the context of the Narrative here! It's not enough!

Viktor is DYING. And jayce is standing here all prim and proper, with the Talis symbol very visible in that fuckass suit, saying he's had a lot on his plate. We're very clearly not supposed to look at this and go awww! baby boy <3. If this apology was a meaningful moment for either of them that changed either of their minds - it would not be framed like thisssss. These words are empty in the context of it all. Jayce may be genuinely sorry, but he's accidentally revealed way too much about how he views Viktor's people. Even if he didn't mean to. Even if he didn't realize how deeply his biases ran.

And then we have Viktor lying. Viktor knowing he has to go about this alone. And this is the shot. This is the moment of fracture. Viktor looking back at him in disgust with Jayce's barricade in the background. HES ALONE!! JAYCE HAS FAILED HIM !!! This is so critical in understanding Viktor's entire everything moving forward, and it's so so critical for Jayce as well.

People talk a lot about that moment where jayce has his hand on Viktor's lower back because yaoi but that screencap is so hard to get because that moment is almost immediately interrupted by a protestor from zaun throwing a Molotov cocktail in their direction! And the touch, that reluctant familiarity, despite the conflict, gets broken.

Something that I think gets overlooked is Jayce's face after the (Molotov?) gets thrown by a protestor. ITS ANOTHER LOW ANGLE LIKE!!! Once again. Highlighting the power he has here.

We see Jayce in season 1 act 1 really highlighted with a lot of high angles. A lot of doe-eyed wonder. He looks young. Sweet. This is not the same jayce and it is very very clear in the way he is shot. This is the point !!!!!.

There are a lot of scenes i see misinterpreted but this is the big one. And its one of my favorite scenes. Because he's so wrong here! And he doesn't really fully grasp how much so yet.

I love jayce. I love my complex man. Because here's the thing. He needed this low to reach the character highs he does later. Jayce being as loving and determined to make things right as he is in season 2 wouldn't be nearly as compelling or tragic or exciting were he not like this in season 1. It's brutal to watch him get punished by the narrative! But it's also narratively satisfying!

Anyways anon i agree wholeheartedly sorry i made it into a whole thing.

[almostthursdayy]

Do you have any facts about L in Death Day? Or maybe stuff that's backstory-related?

I just wanna know more about your interpretation of him because you never miss + I love his DD design so very much :']

got really excited about this ask and ended up making a whole family tree + collage of memories from L’s childhood. . . whoops! ( i already know tumblr gonna chew and EAT these images so click for better quality lolol )

sphiel ( + alt arts ) about family tree 🌳 below the read more!

🌳 LAWLIET FAMILY TREE

first off, everyone’s wreath is based off their ethnicity. if someone has more than one ethnicity ( literally like 75% on the diagram ) their wreath is like some kind of mutant almagamation hybrid lovechild tree of the different kinds of trees.

>> also if they are dead, so is their wreath! and they’re also desaturated / greyed out. . . if they’re dead and crying, it means they were murdered.

>> and also each limb and each little leaf bush signifies something.

>> also i made a 4 minute long tiktok video speed explaining this you can click to see here lol

i’ll go L outwards for this, i hope you enjoy!!

🍰 LOVE ‘ L ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

KOFI, biological mother: strong connection besides death. smarts came from her, she’s an intellectual lady who everyone always told him he looked just like her when she was alive.

VINCENT, biological father: also strong connection besides death. got his conviction and radicalism from him ( also he’s completely based on canon L’s looks ). L always thought he looked more like him than his mom.

WATARI, adoptive father: very strong connection, relies on this man for literally everything. very unorthodox father-son relationship, but L would call watari his father.

M, wife: oouughhhh he’s in love with her strange ways and peculiar looks. L’s type is interesting people, unpredictable folks who can pull the rug out from under him. . . M’s just that.

NEAR, biological daughter: his little princess, isn’t she beautiful? if near has a bad day, L’s having a bad day. currently he’s having the biggest ego trip right now because near wants to be just like him. and his selfish immature side kind of loves that he created his number 1 fan.

MELLO, adoptive son: that’s his boy, his interesting little guy that he totally doesn’t study the reaction of in every interaction they have. ( frankly most interactions L has he subconsciously treats as tests on the other ) but this kid interests him, so he’s very welcome to stick around and be his son, his little prince.

ROGER, father-in-law-figure: ‘ everytime we interact, i deduce you are a little less qualified for the job watari has given you. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ watari & L’s connection line is bountiful on his side to show the benefits of he and watari’s relationship. there is a small branch at the base of the limb to resemble somebody else L had a somewhat similar relationship with once upon a time. but shes not pictured.

➡️➡️ his wreath is covered in flowers, cocoa pods, and leaves to symbolize that he should have a very long life ahead of him.

➡️➡️ the small branch shooting off L & M’s love line is to represent his effort to connect to mello.

💫 KOFI PÍÈSÍE ‘ PAPRIKA ‘ PEPRAH-LAWLIET

ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

VINCENT, husband: she loved this man to bits! oh just the absolute most! it was a storybook romance truly, too good for this earth- - no one got her quite like her do <3

L, biological son: her pretty little boy, she was gonna make sure he was safe and protected in this big scary world no matter what! couldn’t wait to see what her little smartie grew up to be.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves and her cocoa pods are rotty because she is very very dead. . . all of her branches represent family members she had, her connection to them is severed in some form or way.

🎨 VINCENT ‘ DO ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

KOFI, wife: his first muse, his eternal flame, good christ he loved her to to the point of dedicating everything to her. all his paintings revolved around her in some form of way. often by including the stars she was so fond of.

L, biological son: if vincent was the moon, kofi was the sun, L was all the little tinsy stars. his one in a billion little guy. like kofi, vincent was also steadfast in L being able to protect himself from the big scary world. he was so proud of the little man he was becoming.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves because he is very very dead. . . and not really any branches due to a complete lack of family besides wife & son.

➡️➡️ one spikey for each person he’s gravely pissed off. . . three spikes lead to kofi for those hateful individuals who also despise her just by marrying him. and two spikes lead to L for two absolutely hateful sons of bitches who loathe L aswell.

🗝️ QUILLISH ‘ WATARI ‘ WAMMY

european ( english oak )

L, adoptive son: ah yes, his little prodigy that really should get out of the house more. . . fortunately, there’s a solution to that. . . just making him go! which L doesn’t seem to whine and complain about like he did once he upon a time, years ago. seems his boy has finally grown into a man that understands, whether he likes it or not, engaging in more civilian experiences is a necessity for he and his family’s health.

➡️➡️ watari doesn’t see the care he still puts into L now as continuing his fatherly care. it’s strictly as his butler / righthand. . . watari does not take payment for this work though as he ‘ has all he could ever want already ‘.

ROGER, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: watari believes wholeheartedly roger can run the orphanage they built from the ground together. it’s too much faith and belief, really. so much that it blinds him to seeing how much roger is NOT qualified for this.

M, daughter-in-law: changed so much since the day she walked into wammy’s. . . he’s watched her grow from a much farther distance than L. he’s happy with the progress she’s made in her health from the sickly little girl who needed the orphanages help. happy to be her butler and listening ear when need be.

NEAR & MELLO, adoptive grandchildren: oh these children are much easier to please than L was at his age. . . but maybe that’s just the years of experience of handling L speaking. want a toy? got it. new puzzle? right on the way. need to be driven to soccer practice? hop in the car.

➡️➡️ since near isn’t the ultimate sweet tooth like L, and mello only really likes chocolate worth sweets, watari very much so enjoys making them treats that leave the comfort zone of L’s sugar craving.

KOFI & VINCENT, adoptive son’s biological parents: he bets they were wonderful people.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves on his wreath to signify he is old as a fart. but his longest branches have leaves to indicate that those connections are strong and he does enjoy them!

➡️➡️ each branch signifies a person not shown in watari’s life. specifically the one connected to his wreath is for family no longer here. the ones all along his line ‘ connected ‘ to roger is representative of other colleagues and friends. and the branches on his connection line to L resemble other children watari had a bond with as a caregiver. though none of them were strong, or made it as far, as his relationship with his son, L.

🥀 MASATOSHI ‘ M ‘ MIYAKE

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, biological mother: M only knows her through journal entries akumi started to write at the beginning of her pregnancy, like a baby scrapbook! M treats that thing like her bible. . . akumi was very excited to be a mother. . . such a shame she died right at the start of what should’ve been their jounrey together, huh?

KINSHU, biological father: M also never got to meet him. he died before she was born trying to protect akumi & her. his death is what caused the stress that killed akumi. so it’s all just truly unfortunate.

ROGER, father-figure: spent the most time with her during her years at wammy’s out of any other caregiver. since she was ‘ the easiest kids to deal with ‘ ( something she wore with honor back then, now doesn’t like to be reminded about ). M had once hoped one day roger would adopt her like watari did with L, now she’s glad he didn’t. as he continues to fumble his interactions with her ‘ not so easy to handle ‘ children. . .

L, husband: the weird little freak that lives in the walls of her manor. he intrigues her with his obtuse behavior and strange existence. . . but no seriously she’s head over heels for this scratchy beast. loves how much he spoils her rotten

NEAR, biological daughter: her precious girl, named near because she’s so near and dear to her heart, her little smartie pants whose just so goddamn smart. works herself happily to the bone to ensure near’s receiving the best care all around.

MELLO, adoptive son: her precious boy, her marshmallow, her little angel who always has a reasoning for his every obtuse action in her eyes. same with mello, M’s working round the clock to give him the best life a kid like him can have.

GEVANNI, little-brother-figure: sees him once a year at christmas but it’s like no time has passed every single year. first kid she connected with after becoming a caregiver at wammy’s at 18. but really was more like his stern older sister than somebody responsible for his wellbeing ( he was already a late teen when they met. . . wammy’s really wasn’t given the time to undo all the shit he went through beforehand )

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ the way i depicted the japanese cedar doesn’t really have branches or ‘ leaves ‘ like the others- - but each little flowery looking thing represents somebody from her past or another relationship she has that isn’t depicted. . .

➡️➡️ her and roger’s connection isn’t nearly as strong as L’s and watari’s, and the three flowers on her end / three leaves on his represents a ‘ three chances ‘ mentality with his behavior.

➡️➡️ her and gevanni’s connection line is weak and nontouching due to the sheer distance between them. as gevanni kicked bricks and moved to the U.S.A. basically the second after he turned 18. still, it’s there, they still care about eachother.

⌛️ AKUMI HATO

japanese ( japanese cedar )

KINSHU, lover: she had a thing for ghostly men who say cryptic shit. and that’s exactly the type of man kinshu was. her love for him ran hot. really, the world wasn’t ready for this kind of lover. and really, her entire world shattered into a million little pieces when he died. . .

M, biological daughter: oh her precious girl, she knows M was going to go on to do great things. and do very very well for herself. after all, she is her daughter, it’s practically fated she’ll take the world by storm.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ every dead flower was a family member akumi had that didn’t take M in after she died. fortunately, as akumi doesn’t like her other family anyhow!

🕊️ KINSHU MIYAKE

japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, lover: he would do anything for her, he’s kiss the dirty ground she walks on. he’d rob every bank, he’d capture two of every animal, a true yearner.

M, biological daughter: the little ruler of his life in the making. he couldn’t wait to meet her, no doubt he was never more excited for something in his life. . . shame he never got to meet her, but he wouldn’t take back what he sacrificed to keep her safe.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ like akumi, each dead flower is a relative that didn’t take M in. which he would also be glad about, as he hated his family also. . . too loud- - too stupid- - too barbaric.

🫚 ROGER RUVIE

european ( english oak )

WATARI, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: what would life be without his best bud in it? literally have been friends since roger can remember. and has basically just followed watari’s close footsteps wherever he went. ‘ you want to open an orphanage in the rubble of ww2? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want me to work there and generally help / care for the children? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to change the mission of the orphanage to give care to the most misfortunate kids in the world? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to retire and leave this place full of deeply troubled children in my care because you trust me and believe i enjoy this line of work? okay! ‘. roger knows damn well he doesn’t like kids. . . but watari doesn’t gotta know that.

M, daughter-figure: she was so easy to handle when she was younger. why is she so difficult now??? why are her children. . . the way that they are. . .? roger can’t believe the girl he once knew happily spends her days wrangling these two little goblins. . . and why are they not biting her but keep trying to bite me??

L, son-in-law-figure: ‘ oh L, watari’s pride and joy. you’re probably why your children are so weird. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, grandchildren-figure: ‘ why won’t you hug me but will hug watari? ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: ‘ hey you! i remember you! you were a real piece of work back then! haha! ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ roger still has a lot of leaves on his wreath to signify he has a lot more life to live.

➡️➡️ same rules as watari’s, the little branches of his connecting line resemble children roger has had a similar relationship than what he has with M. but none of them have gone on as well / long as with M. >> the branches off his connection line to watari represents friends in similar vein. and both connectinng lines have leaves to symbolize the strength in them.

🌥️ ‘ NEAR ‘ RIVER MIYAKE-LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

M, biological mother: oh, so this is where she got her brashness and attitude. near is glad this trait passed down, a lot less people try to tread on her when she’s got generational venom.

➡️➡️ near, whether she aware of it or not, puts a solid effort into what M says and asks of her. when often the words of others are sent into the shredder of near’s mind. this is because she loves this woman, that’s her momma, one of her only friends.

L, biological father: oh this is her idol right now! her own father has checked off every box on deserving near’s respect and admiration with flying colors! she wants to be just like him! she wants to do what he does and how he does it! she wants to be the next L!

MELLO, adoptive brother: she thinks he’s interesting, and looks up to him in her own unique way. he doesn’t know that though, and she ain’t gonna tell him.

➡️➡️ near enjoys shadowing mello’s activities, not very much so participating, but spectating. the cause and effect of what he does fascinates her.

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the toy guy, thank you for the toy. yeah your gifts put me at ease enough that we can hug for a solid three seconds. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, you say nothing of value. don’t whine about it either, it’s your fault you are the way you are. ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: she thinks he’s very much so cool as fuck. he’s literally the alternative older cousin with the kickass car and laid back attitude. who, just like her, has interests outside of what would be deemed normal for who he is. . . basically, he’s everything she wishes she could be. but won’t be, because her brain just isn’t built to compute like his.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ not much to go off of because she’s just a teensy thing. . . but under the flags is the very first flower, pointed at gevanni. meant to symbolize the importance of their relationship to her that will last years to come.

🍫 MIHAEL ‘ MELLO ‘ LAWLIET

croatian ( slovanian oak ) , european ( english oak )

M, adoptive mother: his confidant, his protector. didn’t give up on him when everyone else did. he’s too little and damaged to really express that he’s grateful for her, but one day he will. for now, his continuous reliance on her will just have to be proof enough that he trusts her.

L, adoptive father: oh this guy is cool. . . THIS GUY IS FAMOUS!! mello wants to be the next L right now, but as a better and brighter successor, he wants to be the BEST! and he’ll do whatever it takes to win L’s affection and ensure this future is his!

NEAR, adoptive sister: ‘ augh! don’t you see i’m trying to become my own person? damnit! stop following me around!!! “ “ . . . oh no wait, don’t go, watch this totally epic prank i’m about to pull you’ve love it! “

LILLIE, biological aunt: heaven has to be real because his aunt really deserves it. he misses her the absolute most. . .

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the guy that gives me chocolate even after i’ve been cut off for the day. sure i’ll let you hug me because of these positive experiences we’ve had. don’t expect a hug back though, i’m not a pansy. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ M & L said i can bite you if you try to force me into a hug again. but i’m just gonna do it right now anyways because i don’t like the look on your face. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ his wreath is growing little acorns to signify his growth since entering the family. that’s why there are so many around the knot that connects him to near, M & L.

➡️➡️ the connecting line to him and his aunt is force cut, but still there, and still strong. he already has two branches trying to grow towards her.

➡️➡️ the little branches jabbing into near’s wreath symbolizes how they don’t always get along that well. and they’re growing from mello’s side despite their spats being a two person effort because near’s very good at manipulating situations into looking like she’s just an unfortunate passerby. especially with mello who is still dealing with lots and lots of big emotions. . .

➡️➡️ two of the little acorns growing represents matt but i ain’t gonna tell you which:3c

📿 LILLIE KEEHL

croatian ( slovanian oak )

MELLO, biological nephew: oh her little buddy, it should’ve just been him and her from the very start. lillie’s every rotty little fiber is tensed not knowing if he’s safe from her horrid sister and wretched brother-in-law. . .

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ what you should expect at this point. no leaves because she’s dead, branches symbolize family not shown. her branches reach in mello’s direction always.

💰STEPHEN ‘ GEVANNI ‘ LOUD

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

M, big-sister-figure: gevanni once rejected M’s proposal of joining the family. as he didn’t want family holding him back. still, despite his efforts to stay hidden in the darkest little crevices of the world, M manages to get him an invitation for christmas dinner every year. and he RSVP’s every single time.

L, brother-in-law-figure: ‘ god you’re strange. . . i can see why M likes you. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, niece-&-nephew-figure: ‘ hey kids, wanna hear about the time i broke into this super big important museum and stole a statue bust worth millions??? oh, just near? fine by me-! ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ every family’s gotta have a guy like you around, roger, it just ain’t the full experience without the weird grandpa. ‘

WATARI, grandfather-figure: ‘ you may be responsible for leaving roger in charge of wammy’s, and that might have been a crazy decision, but god do you make a good strawberry shortcake. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ each little leafy tendril is a connection gevanni has. BUT NOT FAMILY! he doesn’t have any of that. . . he’s a lone wolf. . . an alpha male, if you will.

➡️➡️ still, the connection to M is there, and he is developing a strong connection with near, slowly.

🌳 yay, thank god, i’m done. this is so long, but i love it. and just like most asks i take every single chsnce to yap too much. . . but now you know about L’s entire family dynamics!! so yayy!!!!!

THESE are just little memories. . . L coming to wammy’s house, he and M’s first kiss, & that time he caught M crying and tried to comfort her despite being right shit at it. it’s the thought that counts, y’know <3

[itslikesearcingforsomething]

💕 it’s wednesday, which means it’s bylers love problems time! 💕

a bit of explanation: every (?) wednesday anyone can go to my asks and rant/yapp/ask about anything based on love/sexuality themes, while i’ll try to help you out or just listen! anon or not, i will never judge you.

this post is going to be under byler tag each time i do this, but only this post, just to indicate that we’re starting and i’m open for your asks. all the actual asks and my answers will be posted only under #bylers love problems tag, because i don’t wanna flood the main one, so make sure to follow it if you’re interested in getting some tea 🍵

rules: it’s better to let me know if you’re a minor or an adult, so for example if ask is ab sexuality, i would answer with appropriate language! don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable if the ask is on sex education! no derogatory terms, no slurs, but everyone can use curse words! be respectful and also let me know if i interpret anything wrong. use nicknames by the end of an ask or in the beginning, so i won’t mess up people going multiple times here or giving me updates! it can be anything, one letter or emoji, idc! so it’s keeping your privacy while also letting me not mix you guys! also, you can ask me anything, really!

yes, you can send me asks any day of the week, i just reply only by wednesday, so your ask will be answered no matter what!

every single type of minority is welcomed

and please, take it as older sister’s advice. i’m not a know it all, i’m not a therapist, but i do it because i like it, i want to provide some type of community entertainment, be here for someone who can’t talk about these things with anyone or don’t have anyone! or maybe need a peek from third party.

[chryso-poeia]

And what am i learning about the patterns that keep attracting the same experiencies events and people to me?

And what am i learning about the patterns themselves and how they are really, not apart of me? But rather a automatic self-referential program detached from me, as the soul? And not conducive to growth oriented manifestations of our highest state of love/oxytocin/gratitude?

Patterns programmed into me as a result of that which i had to protect against in the past or in childhood, sustained due to the mind’s need for congruence. In order to offload cognitive load/simplify reality.

Do i also have or not have every single explanation as to the nature of what happened?

What do i think the experience says about me?

Could it be that i am choosing the worst reason out of all possible reasons as to what happened? Because that’s what i was taught.

Can i conclude that i am thus not responding to the present, but to the past?

Could i also conclude that the ultimate source of the experience is within me, finally? Based off of my interpretation?

Because if others or external situations have that kind of power over you, you are a victim. But if it’s within, you are the victor. This is the relief, this is empowerment.

[whirligig-girl]

My interpretation of Chris Wayan's Planetocopia, a set of alien worlds that test the limits of planetary habitablity (and also, as it happens, alien furry design.)

Planetocopia can be found here.

The planetary science based design of Planetocopia has been a huge influence on my planet-scale worldbuilding style ever since I learned of it probably close to a decade ago.

These drawings were mostly done by projecting the planet maps onto an orthographic projection and then tracing the coastlines, with all other features done manually, but some of them were traced from the photos of the physical globe models, and Kakalea, Xanadu, and Serrana were done freehanded.

Cloudless version below the cut.

[brights-place]

I’m thinking Floyd x Reader for Valentine’s Day, where, Reader really likes Floyd but is obviously too scared to say anything(like a lot of ppl would be with him…) because of the obvious fear he won’t like them back due to his nature of frequently changing his interests, and his mood swings as the added bonus.

Floyd, however, is also taking a serious liking to Reader but he doesn’t realize it himself, just following his instinct that Reader is really important to him, but both Azul and Jade can tell quite well that he’s not just “normal” about Reader. Reader is oblivious to his actions cause they think it’s normal, but they both are eventually given a slight push to confess by Jade and Azul, Azul does it more so for the sake of his business, but after that, then happily ever after…BOOM

WRITE IT OR DON’T, FEEL FREE TO CHANGE OR INTERPRET ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY IF YOUD LIKE :3

(Damn I yapped too much…and you totally don’t know me or have been talking to me…and we’re totally not moots…totally, and I’m definitely not MsCherub, like I’m definitely not her, she sucks <3)

[TWST] Floyd Leech X Reader

Warnings: Floyd Leech

A/N: Ah yes this def isn't my mutual sure sure... anyways FLOYD OUT OF ALL PEOPLE YEESH your a freakazoid... (I literally love octanivelle but I will take that to my grave) also I'M SO TIRED WTF DID I EVEN WRITE I THINK I HALF ASSED IT OMG CAUSE I WANTED TO TRY SOMTHING NEW THAT WASN'T HEADCANNONS Also like I think I dropped this on its head because I dont usually write You/your in first perspective only headcannons cause its short so this made me die IM SORRY ANYWAYS HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYBODY! If your like me and have nobody or are also like me who hates couples/J then YAY we can celebrate that together. I plan to be a menace to my friends relationships and make them pay for my food when we go out cause Yes anyways enjoy this and happy valentines day or whatever you celebrate!

Summary: [MC] has a crush on Floyd but they can't talk to floyd out of obvious fear for not only who Floyd is known as but aswell as the fear he won’t like them back due to his nature of frequently changing his interests, and his mood swings as the added bonus. Floyd, however, is also taking a serious liking to MC but he doesn’t realize it himself, just following his instinct that Reader is really important to him, but both Azul and Jade can tell quite well that he’s not just “normal” about Reader. Reader is oblivious to his actions cause they think it’s normal, but they both are eventually given a slight push to confess by Jade and Azul, Azul does it more so for the sake of his business, but after that, then happily ever after…BOOM

Being interested into Floyd Leech was already a warning sign from the start. Out of everybody you could be able to like it was somebody with a bad reputation for one of the many scary things in NRC.

Not only was your crush from Octanivelle one fo the shadiest dorms even if being dubbed A dorm based on the Sea Witch's spirit of benevolence but one of the Tweels a Leech twin the one who is known to be filled with mood swings and quick to loose interests faster then the speed of light could even react to was a crush YOUR crush. A huge mistake on your part not only for falling for him but for having Grim staring at you and shouting at you hitting you with a pillow for being a baffoon for falling for Floyd. The guy was unable to read along with the fact he and the other two in octanivelle had him work in soapy dishes how could you do this to him :O When Ace and Deuce figured out that well you liked Floyd they stared at you as if you got possessed by a demon even worse is the fact you were in ramshackle overthinking plotting every outcome every change every thing that could happen for better or for worse as Ace and Deuce 'helped' more like Ace was asking if you were mentally okay and Deuce awkwardly telling you that he supports your choices but floyd was unpredictable someone who could get bored of you easily.

Which always made them all wary since Floyd was getting close to you abit too much how he was close to you looking over your shoulder clinging to your body boredly calling you out and cheering when seeing you but when floyd isn’t in the mood he’d scowl even when he goes to find you. Nobody knows why but it scares the shit out of Ace and Deuce who were still trying to convince you that it might not be a good idea due to how unpredictable he is which you already knew.

Floyd leech was a person who was unpredictable always switching up and that fear knawed at your chest. His mood swings make it hard to predict what he'll say or do next aswell so the thought of him denying your relationship hurt but the other hand is if you did start to question what if he lost interest fast what if he wouldn’t hang around you anymore because you became Boring. Yet fear still lingered as your hands gripped onto a sheet of paper in front of you one of the basic ways of confessing yet the paper in your hands was something that you put effort into.

Recently through days you would have the letter inside your blazer pockets. Walking class to class passing in the hallway to head to the cafeteria where Grim, Deuce and Ace were.

You couldn’t help but keep your attention focused on the floor weaving through people shoes clacking against the tiles below mind rambling with thoughts.

Though today a certain twin eel spotted you head down headphones in and heading towards the cafeteria "Shrimpyyyy" you couldn't help but freeze when you saw Floyd wrap an arm over your shoulder bending down to your face as you let out an awkward chuckle greeting the male who made you tense tighter with his hand placing on your waist for a moment. You smiled towards the male who grinned lazily "Open your hand" you couldn't help but blink before opening your hand out to floyd who held your hands for a moment before he closed your hand into a fist before he plopped his chin ontop of your head as you opened your closed fist to see a pearl covered in a silver and gold mixed band that wrapped around it. A sound of confusion came from you as your eyes continued to lay onto the pearl ring "Ya like it?" your eyes snapped back into focus to floyd as you blinked nodding slowly "yeah... thanks" Floyd beamed before the two of you continued to walk together many students left the hallway trying to get away from where you two were standing. Where FLOYD was standing. Most people in school avoided the eel like the plague yet here you were close to Floyd who was rambling to you "So where we goin?" "OH I just plan to eat with Ace and Deuce" Floyd couldn't help but hum before looking away to the garden grinning to see a small pond before grabbing you and yanking you towards the direction "Sounds boring let's go there!" "EH?! FLOYD!" Even with him dragging you around you couldn't help but giggle at how he was dragging you around with a huge grin rambling to you. Clinging to you. Though Riddle would now seem to bolt out of the room. You have never scene the boy run so fast in your life not even in beanfest but when it came to Floyd? and now You he was gone in a flash because wherever you were Floyd would somehow appear. This would happen even more recently now he'd cling to your body threaten to squeeze someone and would drag you around with a lazily smile eyes staring at you. Unaware of Jade and Azul watching from afar with a fussing Grim who was trying to get them to leave you alone.

When Floyd got pointed out by Jade how he seemed to be getting very close to the prefect Floyd would shake it off until jade would mock his brother with a grin with how he's been doing mer courting and eel mating rituals. Floyd scoffed at Jade "Eh? Shrimpy and I are just friends" "Indeed so but what about how you two were knotted together one time when at the library?" "They were cold" "And when you yawned showing your teeth" Floyds eye twitched towards his brother as Jade continued "Dancing with Shrimpy in the sea at school hours nuzzling against them aggressively and Creating a pearl ring for them without knowing anything about jewelry, giving them scales, a tooth, along with-" Floyd was so close to tackling his brother in annoyance scowling as Azul even agreed how Floyd has been not going to many of his shifts but he didn't know the reason why. Floyd though soon realized that he may have been doing merfolk courting rituals. Though he didn't find it any change he still like shrimpy for being shrimpy so he continued to do what he did anyway even with a pissed off Azul trying to find him when he randomly disappears.

After that he’d keep approaching you with odd and sweet gifts. He'd hand you shells, metal, shiny items, and three times with someones tooth that he got... along with a handful of scales that you paled at awkwardly taking them. Floyd has never experienced the crush stage and he doesn't want to after all that's boring but hey he enjoyed seeing your little reactions.

The sound of clanking utensils, chatter and jazz filled the room of monstro lounge along with the wafting scents of different platters of food escaping the kitchen where a certain Tweel was cooking with an annoyed look plastered onto his face.

The male infront of the pan stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to a octanivelle student beside him who flinched. Floyds right gold eye glinting with his olive brown one “Oy… take my shift” he said leaving the pan and chucking the apron onto the students face causing them to flinch and let out a noise of confusion turning to try get their upperclassman to get back to work yet was met with the kitchen doors shutting as the student frowned “Thats so not fair”

Floyd trudged through monstro lounge passing Jades post where he was cleaning the glasses the other twin staring at his brother “Floyd leaving once more?” The male leaned against the counter grinning lazily “yeah I got bored” Jade let out a loud hum of acknowledgment smiling at floyd.

“Are you off to visit the prefect?” Jade questioned as Floyd moved lazily to his brother and grinned “Yeah I’m visiting shrimpy” Jade hummed closing his eyes and giving another grin “Well then maybe give them some of the chocolates to try out for monstro lounge that Azul has made for our valentines day menu” Jade placed down the glass he was cleaning to the side. Floyd let out a tired “Sure” before snagging one of the decorated heart boxes leaving monstro lounge door closing behind him.

The moment Floyd left Azul walked over to the bar where Jade was stationed “JADE! Where is floyd he’s on his shift and I usually wouldn’t care but were dealing with rush hour right now” Azul said fixing his glasses with a strained tone “Ah… He left to visit the prefect” “Again?!” Azul replied eyebrows furrowed biting his lip in annoyance at the amount of work that Floyd has recently been avoiding “Tsk… It seems we have to have a chat with the prefect so we can discuss why floyd keeps on leaving his shifts… such a hassle” Jade handed the octopus mer a glass of water that he drank quietly “How long do you think Floyd will last?” Jade questioned Azul causing his boss to look at him confused “With?” “The prefect… You know it I know it. It’s been quite entertaining to see the Prefect relax around Floyd, and Floyd being more affectionate in a way with the prefect infact last week he went to the beach and got them a pearl he was showing it off to me after he got it asking if I knew how to make it a ring” Azul’s face paled “He WHAT?!” Jade grinned behind his hand staring at him “Oh he mustn’t have told you” “FLOYD”

Floyd started heading over to ramshackle hands playing with the weird heart shaped box filled with sweets a look of boredomn on his face before hearing quiet muttering up ahead of a famillar person. You Floyd grinned to see you hunched over muttering to yourself while holding a piece of paper an envelope in your hands "Shrimpyyyy" You couldn't help but flinch snapping your head over to floyd while you gripped onto the envelope "Floyd!" You exclaimed eyes wide and body tense as Floyd grinned "Whats this" he said taking the envelope from you handing you the chocolate box "Oh yeah Jade and Azul wanted you to try those out... I think I just snagged one" he shrugged leaning beside you on a pillar as you awkwardly thanked him but tried to snatch back the small envelope in his hand that he lifted away from you grinning as he kept a hand on your head to keep you down. Floyd eyes wandered through the letter his teasing grin pausing as he had a blank face one that he'd use when he'd find someone annoying or boring eyes focused onto the sheet of paper in his hand. He slowly turned to you as you stared at him with sheer panic and shaky pupils "I- Just let me explain! just if you don't like me back thats fine completely ignore me just don't hold this against me ignore everything I said please-" Your rambling was cut off when you felt arms grab onto you swaying you around giggling happily with closed eyes "AHH SHRIMPY~! Your so stupid" he beamed squeezing you tighter in a bone crushing hug.

Later on you'd somehow find yourself dragged back into monstro lounge by Azul with Floyd appearing every now and then grinning at you. Unaware if you were dating or not but with how affectionate he's been getting recently after that gave your answer. Azul though would now have to start paying you to come to monstro lounge so Floyd doesn't leave to go find you more as he continued to complain about financial funds but hey you finally got to date a moray eel mer... who surprisingly clings onto you when you cuddle and sleep together chewing on your shoulder lightly while drooling. Bonus OF WHAT THE FUCKERY:

Azul: BOBBY (Floyd) ! Floyd: AAAAAGHHHH Azul: I just bought this imaginary festival. Now I want you off the roof Floyd: IM ON DRUGS Azul: The only drug you're on is loneliness [MC]: Is- is this normal... Jade: Mhm

[fullmindsemptynotebooks]

My Incredibly Tired And Defensive Rant On Why I Choose To Interpret Jayvik As Queer

I literally do not use tumblr at all but I feel like I need to scream into the void about this so bear with me.

So Arcane is over, and jayvik is creeping up to be one of the most popular ships of the year already. Nice. The amount of hostility I've seen directed towards shippers, however, is not nice. So let's address it.

"They were confirmed not to be canon by the co-creator!"

A concerning pattern that I've noticed in recent years when it comes to media consumption is that we are becoming extremely reliant on post-release (twitter) statements when it comes to what's canon and what's not.

And I find this very counter-productive; a very fundamental aspect of interacting with art is having the freedom of interpretation.

While yes, I do understand that there always is an intended meaning, that intended meaning should be supported by the art itself, and the consumer should be able to find evidence of it in the art itself.

Same goes for things that are not in the show, or left ambigous -- if it isn't supported by the art itself, then making it canon or denying it's canon-possibility by a twitter statement is redundant.**

I feel like this trend of creators responding to every little thing later on somewhat ruins this ambiguity of interpretations, which ultimately leads to shutting down the possibility of having nuanced discussions on the art.

"Why can't they just be friends?"

They can be friends! They can also be more. That's that, moving on.

"Why can't we have strong male frienships in shows?"

I see this brought up very often, so I am just going to say it, interpreting two male characters as being romantically involved does not support toxic masculinity.

Strong, affectionate male friendships do not lack representation; they're the norm. And if you desire to interpret one of these ambigous friendships as more than a friendship, that is totally fine, because what actually lacks representation in mainstream media is queer relationships between men.

I'd like to remind everyone here that most of the film industry is still cishet men making content with other cishet men in mind. And the sad truth is that a big part of these men refuse to interact with media that has explicit mlm romance. (And then lesbian relationships often get fetishized, which is another can of worms for another day)

I couldn't count on one hand just how many examples I have of shows with queer subtext just subtle enough for the "anti-woke" viewers to be able to shut down the sheer possibility of it being queer subtext. But let's call a spade a spade; if a (queer) person chooses to interpret a relationship as queer subtext, then they have every right to do so.

"Jayvik shippers are just women who fetishize gay relationships"

This one especially irks me the wrong way. First of all, it is a very reductive statement. This might be dramatic on my part but generalizing the entire fanbase is queerphobic and misogynistic.

First of all, based on my observations, an incredible amount of jayvik shippers are queer, if not the majority. Specifically, trans men who relate to either of these characters, but also people who are otherwise queer or genderqueer.

The misogynistic part is going to be a bit more nuanced and possibly even controversial, so bear with me, but I feel like engaging with mlm content for many women is just a safe way to explore sexuality and romance, a way to detach from the reality of "womanhood" and whatever comes with it.

Women being criticized and ridiculed based on the way they interact with fandom/media is a tale as old as time.

It is important to acknowledge that straight women making mlm content does often lead to bad representation, but as far as my experiences with jayvik go, this isn't the norm here.

**Ace Viktor Mini Segment

This Twitter-confirmation-point is why I have a bone to pick with the ace Viktor canon as well, also later on confirmed by Christian Linke to be "the intended interpretation".

As an asexual person, I honestly feel very tired when I see creators "add" ace representation by randomly stating on Twitter that X character is asexual, even though it is never explicitly stated in the show itself.

I am also very tired of the stereotypical introverted workaholic intellect being the ace rep we are getting. Making a character that would not be very into relationships/sex/romance in the first place/was never planned to have a romance arc be your ace rep isn't ace representation. It's a cop-out.

And then also the fact that he is disabled, which adds to another harmful stereotype surrounding the fact that disabled people are often depected as being desexualized.

In conclusion

we have every right to interpret jayvik (or any other fictional characters, for that matter) with a queer viewpoint in mind. Queer people exist. Shows can have multiple queer relationships and multiple kinds of queer relationships.

And you can freely interpret any characters as being queer, even if they're not explicitly stated as such. That's literally it. This one statement could've been the entire post, lol.

There are many other issues that I could address here, but this is already way too long, so thank you, tumblr void.

[shortviking]

Speaking as someone who has severe adrenal insufficiency (base cortisol <1) and takes hydrocortisone, I would like to really emphasize the severity of low cortisol in my reblog. Not to say that high cortisol isn't life-threatening either, but a lot of people are not aware of the sheer danger the lack of the hormone truly causes.

I'd describe chronically low cortisol as sort of a full-body shut-down. You stop being able to eat, leading to wasting away (which, by the way, if you don't get the issue properly diagnosed or if the treatment doesn't increase your appetite, which are both things that happened to me, the methods used to keep you alive are cruel and scary). Trying to eat feels like torturing yourself.

Everything hurts. Your muscles. Your bones. Your head. When I was 20 I stopped walking for nearly a month due the debilitating flank pain. I'm not sure if it was only AI at play here, but this type of pain is noted to be common in lowered cortisol, and diminished significantly when I finally got settled on hydrocortisone. Your GI system is also on fire. As I said, you are fucking hungry, and throw up even if the only thing you consumed is those drinks from the pharmacy for people who have trouble eating, that are maybe 1/15 of your daily intake.

Since it's known as a "stress hormone", the layman interpretation would be that a cushing's sufferer is "stressed" and an AI sufferer is "calm". That just isn't true. In reality it's associated with many psychiatric and neurological disorders, mainly depression, but also anxiety, sleep disturbances, severe sleepiness and fatigue, and even psychosis. Before I got diagnosed I was thought of as extremely mentally ill and took almost every antidepressant on the market. When the doctors finally listened to me I got put in neurology to rule out conditions like MS or a brain tumor because at this point the fatigue, weakness, headaches, neuropathic pain, and brain sensations I couldn't even begin to describe (like fog but very very bad) were getting unbearable.

The reason we know it as the "stress hormone" is because it's heightened during situations that are stressful on the body, so while, yes, this means high cortisol is present with stress, it also means that if your body doesn't produce the hormone, it can't cope with simple colds, for example, and the AI patient is advised to updose whenever necessary. Of course, it's contentious what situations should be considered "stressful enough" to give your body extra cortisol that would have most likely been there naturally. I've heard of a myriad of stories from people suffering because their bodies were signaling low cortisol but doctors advised against updosing.

The combination of all those factors makes the condition very lethal, either from malnutrition (less common nowadays), or an adrenal crisis, which manifests in extreme pain and fever, and needs to be treated urgently with high doses of HC. There have even been cases of people going into crisis after less than a week of not taking corticosteroids.

So let's stop demonizing cortisol, please. The puffy face I got from treatment is nothing compared to how I looked, and more importantly FELT before it.

you guys know that cortisol and adrenalin arent "toxins" right. and that chronically low cortisol is as much of a problem as chronically high cortisol. I just thought I would mention it because the advertising trends RN are even stupider than usual and it's really bothering me. like all hormones the correct amount to have is "enough" and anything higher or lower than that is bad. how bad it is depends entirely on how out of gamut your levels are for your particular needs and it's not something you can just guess at based solely on how you feel. too much and too little have a lot of identical symptoms. feeling crummy doesn't automatically mean you have "too much stress hormone", and all the marketing you see about "lowering cortisol levels" is complete nonsense. if you're stressed, removing cortisol or adrenaline from your body isn't going to automatically lower your stress levels or make you feel subjectively better. in fact the opposite is often the case.

extensive research on hormone levels and chronic and acute illnesses show that cortisol being too LOW is just as likely in CPTSD and autism (for example) as it is to be too high. low dose hydrocortisone (synthetic oral cortisol medication) self-administration is one of the more promising and effective treatments that's been trialed for fibromyalgia and ME-CFS, for example.

I'm just posting this so you have some mental resistance to the snake oil ads that are constantly circulating. cortisol is a real hormone with real effects on how you feel and how your body functions, but it's not just a chemical you can remove from your body to magically feel better. it doesn't work like that. you need cortisol for basic functions, and while having too much definitely happens and can make you sick, many chronic illnesses actually result in cortisol levels that are too low. much of the time, feelings of stress and illness result from lack of cortisol, not an abundance of it.

either way this is not an issue you can take Instagram supplements about to fix anything, so don't even be tempted. those people are trying to balance your humors and it's bullshit

[singstaircase]

When the Phone Rings– CS55

Summary: The plan was simple– pretend to be your own kidnapper, pressure the cold and distant husband into either divorcing you himself or paying 'you' enough to do it yourself. What wasn't accounted for? His unexpected care and sheer stubbornness.

contains: angst, fluff, implied unhappy marriage, Carlos Sr is the villain because I needed one, reader can speak but is selectively mute, marriage of convenience or is it? Based on the few episodes I saw of the show of the same name.

Carlos and his family think the reader can't speak. The only people who are aware that she can speak is her mother and her friend, Alexandra. Alexandra is the only person the reader speaks to. Felipe and Sofia are the reader's stepfather and stepsister. Alexandra is Alexandra Saint-Mleux.

This is the seventh call. Maybe the eighth, (Name) is starting to lose the count at this point.

She places her steaming cup on the bedside table and at seven pm sharp, dials the number.

Carlos picks up after the first ring.

"Again?" He says. His voice has a hint of irritation but also something else– determination.

"You're persistent, huh?" (Name) rasps, trying to disguise her voice, though it's not needed. The burner phone came with a voice changer after all. Still, she does this every call, just to be safe.

"And you are repetitive," he shots back. The line goes quiet for some time after that, so (Name) picks up her cup and takes a small sip.

Sensing Carlos won't break the silence, (Name) decides to speak again. "You are awfully calm for a man being threatened, Mr. Sainz."

Carlos chuckles, the sound both amused and tired. "You say the same thing everytime. It's getting repetitive."

Het jaw tightens. "Then here's something new. If you don't divorce her, something will happen."

A pause. Then, "To me or her?"

(Name) blinks. She wasn't expecting this. "Why do you care?"

"You act like I don't care," his voice is steady, firm, "but I care about her, more than you realize." and full of confidence.

Her grip on the phone tightens. "Then pay me. I'll leave you both alone."

"You won't succeed in separating us," Carlos speaks so confidently that it makes her chest ache. "No matter what you try."

(Name)'s breath hitches.

Before she can respond, the line goes end.

She stares at her phone, a sinking feeling growing in her chest.

This isn't working.

1.

That evening, Carlos knocks on her door.

"Let's make dinner together," he signs. His hands moved with an ease that tells her he thought this through and practiced before asking.

(Name) hesitates.

Carlos never did this before. Never tried to involve her in his life.

But she finds herself nodding anyway.

***

What starts as a simple meal, turns into flour fights, laughter and accidental touches.

Carlos isn't the best at cooking—he sliced the onions too thick and nearly set the oil on fire—but he laughed and it was infectious.

He guides her hands as they knead dough, his warmth lingering even after he stepped back.

At one point, without thinking, Carlos reaches up to brush flour from (Name)'s cheek. His thumb lingers longer than it should have.

(Name) should have pulled away. But she doesn't.

When they finally sit down to eat, she finds it hard to look at him.

This is a dangerous game she's playing.

2.

(Name) wasn't expecting to get the job.

She applied for the job of the interpreter on impulse, wanting something of her own.

No one on the Williams team knows about her relation with Carlos. It just makes things easier, and the perfect choice.

She was also not expecting Carlos to care.

So when he finds her, that day, after training and signs, "Congratulations."

She freezes.

She didn't realize Carlos knew or cared.

That night, there's a knock on (Name)'s door.

On the other side, Carlos is holding a small velvet box. Inside is a delicate necklace with a tiny charm.

"For your new job," he signs, almost shyly.

(Name)'s breath is caught. Before she can react, Carlos steps closer and clasp it around her neck. His fingers barely touch her skin but she feels the warmth lingering.

Their eyes meet in the mirror.

(Name) swallows hard.

She is supposed to make him want to let go.

Then why does it feel like he is holding on tighter ?

3.

Live.

In front of cameras. In front of thousands of people watching.

(Name) stands beside Carlos, hands gripping her notepad tightly. The interviewer is chatting with another driver first, giving her a few extra minutes to calm herself.

Her heart, however, is anything but calm.

She has done this before. But not live. Not where any mistake will be instantly broadcasted to the world.

She feels Carlos shift beside her. Then, quietly, he leans in.

"You’re going to do amazing," he murmurs. His voice is warm, reassuring.

Slightly startled, (Name) looks up at him.

Before she can react, Carlos reaches for her hand under the table, giving it a small, firm squeeze. He lets go only when the interviewer turns to them.

***

The interview starts and (Name) forces herself to focus. She translates Carlos' answers effortlessly, her hands moving with confidence.

The longer it goes on, the more natural it feels. She barely notices Carlos watching her—how, every time she moves, he follows her gestures like she is the only person in the room.

It isn't until later, scrolling through her phone, that she sees what the world saw.

Twitter and Instagram were filled with clips of the interview. But instead of just Carlos’ words, people were fixated on something else.

“The way Carlos looks at his interpreter is so!!!!.”

“Someone tell me why he’s staring at her like she is the stars in the sky???”

“Imagine being so in love you forget you’re on live TV.”

(Name) frowns, scrolling through video clips of Carlos speaking. His gaze was always on her. Always. She didn't even noticed.

Her stomach twists.

Then, she feels a presence besides her.

"Interesting choice of content," Alexandra teases, peering over her shoulder.

(Name)'s hands tighten around her phone.

"I was just—"

"Analyzing?" Alexandra finishes, smirking.

(Name) scrolls back to a paused clip, Carlos’ expression frozen mid-sentence—his eyes warm, his lips curved in a way that looked almost… soft.

It doesn't mean anything. It can't.

Alexandra nudges her. "So… second thoughts?"

(Name) hesitates.

"I still want the divorce," she says. But the words felt unsteady.

Alexandra hums. "You think so, at least."

(Name) doesn't respond.

4.

(Name) tries to keep her distance.

She reminds herself of the plan. Reminds herself that Carlos isn't her's, not really.

And then, it rains.

Carlos was with the team all afternoon, testing at the track. And (Name) stayed late to wrap up some notes.

By the time she steps out, the sky is pitch black.

Carlos is leaning against his car. Judging by his bored expression and constant darting at his watch, (Name) can tell he is waiting for someone.

Is he waiting for me? The thought makes her heart flutter.

(Name) shakes her head. He doesn't care, at least that's what's she's been telling herself for the past few days.

But she can answer to herself, Carlos' eyes find hers.

He opens the door to the car before even speaking. "Let's go home."

(Name) shakes her head, phone ready in hand to answer.

It’s fine. I’ll call a taxi.

Carlos frowns. "In this weather?" He gestures to the rain, where the track lights makes the downpour shimmer like falling glass. "Just get in."

She hesitates, but another gust of wind sends rain splattering against her.

So she climbs in.

***

They don't speak—not out loud, at least. Instead, (Name) pulls out her phone.

You don’t have to do this.

Carlos glances at her. "Do what?"

Pretend that you care.

His grip on the wheel tightens. "I am not pretending," he says.

They stop at a red light.

Carlos reaches toward the dashboard, turning up the heater. "Are you cold?"

(Name) swallows but shakes her head.

When they arrive, he pulls up in front of the house but doesn't unlock the doors immediately.

"You think I don’t care," he says quietly. "But I do."

(Name) doesn't move. Doesn't look at him.

She opens the door and steps out without a word.

Inside, she presses her back against the door, her heart hammering.

She has to end this.

But somehow, Carlos keeps making it harder.

5.

The dinner was uncomfortable from the start.

Carlos warned (Name) about his father but nothing could have prepared her for this.

***

(Name) spent most of the evening in silence, answering questions with polite smiles and written responses on her phone when necessary.

And then, Carlos Sr turns his attention to (Name).

"This whole marriage," he starts, and points at Carlos and (Name), swirling his wine glass lazily, "was a disaster from the start. We were supposed to get Sofia. But Felipe pawned off his broken daughter and we were fools to take her."

The table falls silent.

(Name) doesn't do anything, but her fingers tightens its grip on her fork.

Shaking his head, Carlos Sr leans back in chair. "She can't even speak. Pathetic."

Carlos' jaw clenches.

"She is a disgrace," his father continues. "We give them everything and they humiliate us with–"

"Enough!"

Carlos' voice is sharp, cutting through the heavy silence like a blade.

Carlos Sr scoffs. "Excuse me?"

Everyone on the table looks around, trying to figure out a way to diffuse the situation.

And then, Carlos puts down his glass. "I said enough."

His father narrows his eyes. "I don't appreciate that tone, boy."

"And I don't appreciate you insulting my wife."

A murmur ripples through the table.

Carlos Sr scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't act like you actually care about this marriage, Carlos. You wouldn't even acknowledge her in public–"

Carlos pushes back his seat and gets up.(Name) looks up at him in alarm.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Carlos says coldly. “You think (Name) is pathetic? That she’s some kind of burden? She’s the only person in this family with any real dignity.”

Carlos Sr's expression darkens. “Watch your mouth.”

“No, you watch yours.” Carlos leans forward, resting his hands on the table. “You want to be president, right? You need Felipe’s influence to make that happen. So maybe you should start talking to my wife with the respect she deserves.”

Carlos Sr's face turns red with rage.

Carlos turns to (Name) and holds out his hand. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

(Name) hesitates.

His father stands up. "Carlos." His voice is dangerously low. “You will not walk away from this table.”

Carlos doesn't even look at him.

“I won’t stay in a place where my wife is being disrespected.”

(Name) places her hand in his and together, they walk out.

+1

(Name) needs air.

Carlos steps away to handle a call, and (Name) finds her way to the rooftop of the estate.

Her plan is falling apart.

Carlos wasn't supposed to care. Yet, he does. He wasn't supposed to defend her.

And yet he did.

She pulls out the burner phone and almost like a second nature, seeks out Carlos' number. With trembling fingers, she dials his number.

Carlos answers almost immediately. "What do you want again?"

(Name) swallows. She can't stop, not now.

She checks her surrounding and then, lowers her voice. "Why are you still with her?"

Carlos exhales sharply. "Not this again."

“She’s pathetic.” Every inch of her body screaming at her to stop, hating herself for every word. But (Name) presses on. “She can’t even speak. She is a damaged good. A replacement for her perfect sister. Why are you still holding onto her?”

There's a pause.

Then, Carlos starts speaking.

"Because she is the only good thing in my life."

(Name) steps closer to the edge of the roof and closes her eyes. The night breeze cools her skin but isn't able to reach in and calm her pounding heart.

Carlos continues in a steady pace. “Because in a world where everyone takes and demands, she asks for nothing. And still, she gives everything.”

(Name) opens her eyes and grips the phone tighter. A familiar feeling.

“She makes me feel alive,” Carlos admits, his voice starts to get quieter. “Like I can breathe normally for the first time in years.”

(Name)'s chest aches.

“She is not a replacement. She’s not some extra chapter in someone else’s story.” Carlos say. His voice is softer now but full of confidence as well. “She is a brand-new language. One I want to learn.”

(Name) steps back from the edge as tears begin to blur her vision.

"Don't ever talk about my wife like that again," Carlos finishes.

"Then why?" she whispers, the words slipping out before she can stop them, " Why did you treat her like she didn't matter?" She needs to to know. I need to know.

Silence.

"Why did you act like she was invisible?" (Name)'s voice is uneven by now. "Why were you so ashamed to tell everyone that she was your wife?"

There is no answer.

Then–

A chime.

The elevator door behind her slides open.

(Name) turns around, her heart stopping.

Carlos steps out, staring at her, his phone still pressed to his ear.

And in her hand, the burner phone.

His eyes flickers between her tear-streaked face and the device.

Realization dawns.

(Name)'s world caves in.

This literally came to me in my dreams a few weeks ago and I knew I had to write it.

[sammywolfgirl]

Okay let’s do this

The tarot card readings in the spire of deceit

According to my interpretation-

Uh disclaimer that tarot is subjective and I’ll be getting my info from a tarot app that sources from Wikipedia and my own general knowledge, I read tarot as a hobby and am still learning so this is my subjective reading bassed off the cards, my knowledge, and my vibes from the characters themselves.

That being saiiiiid let’s start with Pure Vanilla’s reading

An all reversed draw, I will say reversed cards don’t always mean it’s bad but it is a different way of reading it. Though idk how helpful that’d be in this case.

All drawings are done in the three card set which is the classic, past, present, future. So I’ll be operating under that structure for all the readings.

In the first slot we have the magician reversed- the magician represents power, channeling fights from the universe or higher power into a tangible world. But reversed it means destruction. The use of personal power for destructive purposes.

In the second slot is the fool reversed- the fool means beginnings, a new start. But reversed it means foolishness. A new beginning but not the best choice of action, uncertainty and recklessness.

The third slot is the hanged man reverse- the hanged man means sacrifice, self sacrifice and growing with the flow, it can also mean a different point of view. Reversed meaning is martyrdom, self sacrifice to an unhealthy extent. A different point of view but one that should be re-examined.

My reading-

Considering how pure vanilla is when he draws these cards (and the grain of salt of shadow milk trying to corrupt the guy) I’d read this as follows- pure vanilla has squandered his power, causing more harm than good, misusing it and harming others in the process, because of this, he is currently lost, a foolish lost sheep trying to find his way in the world, nievly holding onto grains of truth in hopes it’ll guide him, but to no avail. Now he must adapt, but all other perspectives seem foolish or lost, if he continues to cling to this truth he will be led astray, will he sacrifice his morals and abandon them or reject the new perspective?

Basically shadow milk wasn’t wrong when he said this is probably one of the worst hands he could draw. The cards are saying “oh you’re screwed buddy” though I think there can be some hope if you see this as a warning. I mean he’s not exactly in thr best place right now, and who knows how much shadow milk is ‘rigging fate’ as it were

Now onto shadow milks tarot cards

Now unfortunately these aren’t numbered (damnit shadow milk!) so I’ll have to make assumptions based off the card faces. The good news is I think these are pulling from the classic tarot card faces so it shouldn’t be too hard. Now for the reading,

Card one is the Devil upright- The devil represents obsession, indulgence in the superficial, instant gratification, obsession, addiction and materlialism. It also means being led astray, evil or negative influence, and incarceration. Being trapped by vises basically.

Card two is death upright- death represents inevitable change. Metamorphosis, difficult times, trial of the soul. And pandemic. It basically means the inevitable end of a cycle.

Card three I wasn’t sure for a bit but I have reason to believe it’s judgement upright- judgment represents awakening. An epiphany or spiritual awakening. A change in personal consciousness or important life lesion. Essentially the end of the journey and a lesion learned.

Now this is his first pull, no trickery explicitly done yet, and going off that this is my reading: this could essentially be telling how shadow milk fell and became the beast of deceit.

The font of knowledge was tempted by spreading little lies and half truths and sewing seeds of doubt and chaos across cookies, and as that obsession grew he became more and more addicted to it, cookies would believe him no matter what, so why tell the full truth? They don’t want to hear it anyways! This indulgence grew until a turning point came and he succumbed to corruption, a rebirth into the beast of deceit. Now as the beast he’s had an epiphany, truth doesn’t matter, lies and trickery are where it’s at! He understands now the power of lies and will wring chaos across all of crispia and cookie kind!

In short, lies are addictive and he has become the king of them. And he’s having a blast,

At least that’s my reading, not sure if shadow milk would enjoy that or not but hey I’m playing to the audience here. Now for his second reading where his minions modified it

Like his first pull no numbers so I have to use the card faces as clues. But I think I got it.

The first card is wheel of fortune upright- fortune means destiny, kismet, fate, synchronicity, the universe continues to turn despite the ups and downs. Control what you can and accept what you cannot, things happen for a reason. Essentially it’s the cycles of the world.

The second card is the emperor upright- the emperor represents authority, stability, laws, government and society, leadership, might, influence, and control. It can also represent a single person that hold power, wether that’s emotional or physical.

The third card is the high priestess upright- high priestess represents intuition. Opening up one’s own intuition to receive messages from the universe. Meditate, tap into your subconscious, wisdom and introspection to find answers. It can also means secrets, mystery, the future as yet unraveled.

All that said here’s his second reading, which In short I think is essentially a reading saying how he is in charge, in control, and that your better just giving in and following him then fighting.

It was destiny that made him the beast of deceit, this was always going to happen, he has the power and authority here, so open your mind and embrace the chaos of lies and disharmony! It will set you free.

Honestly I’d believe this reading is more telling pure vanilla to just listen to him already than anything reflecting shadow milk himself. His minions did rig the cards.

But hey that’s just my interpretation, if anyone has any alternative readings or got something different out of this I genuinely would love to know. Tarot is subjective and in my own experience one part reading the vibes to two parts reading the cards. This is just what reading I’d give these guys if I was dealing them.

Anyways thanks for coming to my Ted talk I think tarot is super neat

[hadleysmis]

Rebelling Against Colonialism: Utilising Les Misérables as a Political Statement

To cheerily start things off, France colonised Vietnam from 1858 until 1885. The French colonial forces imposed colonial beliefs in their political and social order, including the hierarchy of languages (that the language and culture of France was superior and that Vietnamese culture and language was inferior and in need of being eliminated) among other colonial-typical changes.

I have talked about Hồ Biểu Chánh and Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh's works before in regards to Les Misérables, but what I failed to do was address its political stance achieved by the act of translation and adaptation.

When the translation by Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh came out in 1926, the Vietnamese heavily resonated with many themes discussed in Les Misérables, such as the themes of the poor, the oppressed, and the fight for freedom and justice.

While on the surface this may look like self-subordination as they translate a French work to represent their unfortunate aftermath from colonisation, researcher Tess Do (whom most of the post would be referring to her research paper) argues that the translation was an act of post-colonial resistance which challenges the power struggle, and of which tries to flip it.

Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh (1882–1936)

One of the significant colonial tactics to make the masses 'favour' the oppressor (the French), was to implement francisation of Vietnam. This was achieved by creating pro-France indigenous elites, pro colonial reforms, pro-France education system, and changing the national language ('encouraging' transitional bilingualism).

During this period in time, most of the Vietnamese population was illiterate and their writing system was largely based off of the Hán Chinese classic texts. This act of transitional bilingualism is regarded as linguistic and cultural genocide.

With the severity of the past established, Tess Do argues that Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh's translation does not adhere to the unbalanced relationship of colonised translations due to his version of Les Misérables being written in Quốc-ngữ.

Bringing in the context discussed above, the usage of Quốc-ngữ can easily be recognised as an act of rebellion, as the French belittled Quốc-ngữ's existence by believing the script to be so lacking that it could not be used to convey abstract or scientific thoughts.

Often translations can be seen as the original holding power, while the copy is disempowered. However Tess Do argues that, by using the indigenous language, Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh was writing in rebellion, and by doing so, refused to let Quốc-ngữ be interpreted as inferior by any standard.

Furthermore, Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh was among the first scholars to use the script as a way of bridging the divide of the East and the West- translating the ideas to the indigenous language rather than enforcing the people to learn the Western languages.

He pushed Quốc-ngữ into a national script.

Not to mention, he also translated Vietnamese classics into French in order to help both sides understand the artistry of the other.

Hồ Biểu Chánh (1884–1958)

Hồ Biểu Chánh's Blades of Grass in the Wind (adapted from Les Misérables) is an adaptation made to 'imitate': a way of art which not only changes the 'reality' of the source material, but also the authorship of the text.

When we consider these types of changes outside of the context in which they were written, we could just easily conclude that these changes were made in order for the audience to understand the original material on a deeper level. However, Tess Do argues that, given the historical context of forced assimilation, these types of changes were a symbolic resistance against the French cultural aggression.

A monk being the moral voice, Jean Valjean and Fantine's counterparts being the most Confucianist out of all the significant characters; all are powerful in its message and presence as we consider the time frame of it being written in the aftermath of the French colonial policies limiting or attempting to rid of dominant religions in Vietnam.

The lessons on morality thus becomes about the five essential Confucianist virtues: humanness, righteousness, respect, understanding, and integrity.

Although there were many brave scholars who called for an uprising against the French colonial rule, Hồ Biểu Chánh stated that he explicitly did not write any suggestion of political reform, and instead focused on cultural resistance, in which Do argues could very well be the reason why this adaptation/story of Blades of Grass in the Wind is still popular today.

As a testament to the longevity of its theme and cultural resistance, references to Hugo or Les Misérables have been sieved out in subsequent adaptations, as if Hồ Biểu Chánh's adaptation was a birth of something new.

Often there may be over-focus on which translation is the 'truest' in the sense of the most accurate semantics of the words written in the original. And while this search is admirable, great, and absolutely necessarily in the studies of literature and linguistics and history and all that is beyond, sometimes I do wish works like these- effects like these- can also have its fair share of light shone on.

How remarkable is it that, by changing the original source, it brought life to many of themes discussed into a new population? Ironic, that by changing details from the original source that it made it more accurate to the representation of the themes and applicable to another set of audience, whereas a 'true translation' would've not resonated as much?

To finish off this summary, I would like to point out that Victor Hugo was indeed a colonialist-sympathiser (as he did believe France would 'civilise' countries in the act of colonialism), and so learning about how a colonised country (by France no less) would go about translating and adapting his work gave me a new sense of appreciation of both art and cultural resistance that I had never considered before.

I have long promised I would cover Vietnam on my list of observations (among many other countries in waiting, I know), but I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I had reading about this topic.

And in the case this post doesn't do well in terms of reach, I hope that in the future, people looking for specific subjects stumble onto this post- or even better: the article I'm going to reference!

I would love to talk about Vietnam once more one day, and hopefully encounter many insightful articles from scholars and researchers and from the general audiences as well. Until then, this is it so far.

Reference:

'From author to saint: the appropriations of Victor Hugo and Les Misérables in colonial Vietnam' by Tess Do (2017)

(Harvard referencing: Do, T. (2017) 'From author to saint: the appropriations of Victor Hugo and Les Misérables in colonial Vietnam', Contemporary French Civilization, 42(1), pp. 113–129)

[keen-eye]

Could Dean non-con Sam?

short answer (based on what i’m sure you’re asking about): personally i’m going to say no, except maybe in one specific situation. i’m a member of the dean hater club (true deangirls (gn)) and think he’s the worst (<3) but for all of his violations of sam’s autonomy, for all his ways of punishing sam, i don’t think he would ever actively consider it, or want to. the same goes for dubcon, however he absolutely would do that because he doesn’t have the emotional intelligence to recognize it. i’ll talk about all that and also their “non-sex” which i find more interesting.

long answer: well, it depends on how you look at it. canon sam & dean’s insane, “it’s weirder that they’re not fucking”, thing they have going on, or a canon-adjacent, “everything in the world is about sex — except sex. sex is about power”, version where they would actually cross that line. ⬇️

for the 1st one you could say that dean already has, in a way. he justifies the fucked up things he does to others (sam) by telling himself that he’s doing what’s best for them, but it’s mainly about his selfish need for control, and in the case of dean locking sam in the panic room (the most concrete example) it’s also about punishment. what sam hallucinated dean saying to him in 4x21 and in the voicemail was very cruel, but it was only a step further than what the real dean said. sam was already in disbelief that dean would go as far as he did in the actual episode, what else could post-hell dean be capable of doing to him while convincing himself that it was necessary in order to save sam? so take the act of dean forcing sam into a detox and tying him down, push it a step further, and i could absolutely see sam’s mind, in the state he was in, interpreting the metaphorical rape as literal rape and hallucinating dean doing that to him (and spn isn’t exactly known for its subtlety). and of course, with the help of victim blaming by (hallucination & real) dean, sam would think he deserved it.

for the 2nd one it’ll be about the later seasons. i already wrote what i think the most realistic version of wincest would be like, but essentially it’s power imbalanced, irregular, and non-requited with no physical attraction from either side. it’s another way for the possessive, obsessive, king of manipulation dean to exert dominance over his little brother. stockholm syndrome sam has just kind of accepted being dean’s punching bag because he knows how bad it can be for everyone else when dean doesn’t have a release. it’s dubcon because sam loves dean and wants to be useful, but he doesn’t actually want it. i don’t think dean would necessarily care if sam enjoyed it, but he would care whether sam consented to it. and luckily verbal agreement is enough for dean because it shows on sam’s face no matter how much he tries to hide it. so although dean can easily be too rough and get carried away, if sam told him to stop he would. and that includes situations of extreme dubcon like when dean’s anger is directed at sam. because he can justify a lot of shit but i still don’t think he would try to justify hurting sam in that way in a non life or death situation. but if it did venture into noncon territory during a fit of rage and dean didn’t realize sam was actively fighting him off until he stopped seeing red then i can see it unerving dean enough that they stop for a long time. which you could then have sam trying to work extra hard to show dean he still wants it because dean is getting worse. but anyway this is how i see it. some people will be tougher on dean, some more lenient, but i think this is a realistic middle ground.

[valar-did-me-wrong]

Elrond is SO much more than sunshine baby, unwilling to kiss his friend to save her life..

My guy lived & loved literal war criminals, witnessed one of the most horrible wars in the history of Arda & experienced immense grief that not many elves can understand.. all before ROP starts off!

The Elrond we meet isn't Kind as Summer in S1 because he is naive, he's sweet & kind DESPITE everything he's seen. (It's even in the show in S1 E1)

He is smart, shrewd & fierce but still chooses to not be just that all the time, doesn't mean he can't be that way when it's a necessity, like war (to love & accept war criminals there needs to be a deep understanding of the desperation that comes in times of war)

The show literally shows us in S1 E2 (as someone somewhere pointed out once) that he is a very good politician who knows how to play people.. he literally walks back into Durin's life by 50% smarts and 50% genuine raw emotions! Imo this is exactly how he manipulates the situation in Adar's tent too

Imo you cannot remove all context of the books AND the show while making a serious interpretation of a scene in the show based on the books.

That's what fanon is for & imo should remain there instead of trying to make it canon by saying "the showrunners are cowards & secretly implied like illuminat, about my ship but didn't show it or mention it ever because... haters" - that a lot of posts did for a while

As for the consent of the kiss, I personally like to believe what @hikarielizabethbloom mentioned above that if Galadriel wasn't consenting to the kiss then she'd have stopped him or pushed away or something.. not shiver twice and continue! Also the look she gives him after that is of surprise not disgust of being kissed without consent.. so no matter if you wanna see the kiss as platonic or romantic, what it isn't imo is a nonconsenting kiss 🤷🏽‍♀️

And I agree with @dandexllions .. Sauron's a great character but he isn't the only cool guy in Arda! At some point the constant need to give every other character's traits, arcs, achievements and plot points to Sauron needs to end.. because it stops being a fun theory after a while and starts to feel like a push to erase every other character and ship.. exactly how it happened with ROP Celebrimbor

"This is perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I'm getting tired of this Elrond!Sauron theory. I'm all for discussions and headcanons, but it irks me how fans are quick to demolish Elrond's personhood only to have Sauron kiss Galadriel. Elrond is as kind as summer, but summer can be scorching hot, and we saw that on the battlefield. His family always opposed Morgoth and Sauron. He has that fire in him. Also, Sauron disguising himself as Lúthien's descendant, living reminder of his past humiliating defeat? Would he really do that? I can see Sauron going to taunt Galadriel in Adar's camp as himself, not as Elrond. He was so confident during the siege that he left Celebrimbor unsupervised."

[ash-and-starlight]

humble contribution

[nidbaesenpai]

Dressing up as a different person for Halloween sounds like something that would be a big hit in the land of change!

(I love the visual of Bonnie, Siffrin, Mirabelle, Isabeau, and Odile linking arms and singing We’re Off To See The Wizard)

halloween in vaugarde... i love the idea that halloween would be just another holiday in the long list of change holidays thats all about wearing masks and facades.