#also just watched secret of kells

[bugsoda]

with the amount of love for this world i hold within me i could be the worlds greatest poet. but every time i time i try to write all that comes out is a keyboard smash.

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

Ok another post mortem propaganda time, this time for Brother Aidan of Iona from The Secret of Kells.

Let me just start by saying that The Secret of Kells is one of my top 3 movies. Ever. If you have not seen it, go do it. It is a movie that's beauty is unmatched in the world of 2D animation. In just the pure visual department it is the peak of the craft. The movie's story is also great but I can't explain why too much without spoilers. So I guess I'll just focus on some things specifically about Aidan.

Aidan is an old man who just loves art. His life's work is making illustrations for illuminated texts, and there are few things that enjoys doing more then perfecting his craft (one notable exception is he loves sharing enthusiasm for art even more.)

He is also an very optimistic man. When we meet him he had just moved to the titular Kells because his old home had been raided by vikings, and yet despite being the one who knows their horror most intimately he still disagrees with the leader of the town's sentiment that all that matters is the construction of defenses for the approaching raiders. Aidan still sees value in taking time for things like art, nature, and enjoying one's self even when danger approaches.

Again, I don't want to say too much, but GO WATCH THE MOVIE YOURSELF. And then come back and tell me what you thought. In fact, tell me what you thought if you already knew this guy to begin with.

[the-lumpfish-king]

HEY! It’s me, Lumpku!

Thought I’d make one of these pined post things to introduce myself.

My name is Solanum, but you can call me Sol or Lump (or Sol Badthey if you’re epic)

I’m a 23 year old ginger, use they/it/she/anything non-male, demiromantic, exist in an asexual quantum superposition, and am bi/pan. Most importantly, I am also a fish

I have a degree in Physics with plans to go into a PhD program for research Astronomy. My area of focus is galaxy structure, formation, and evolution. I’m currently working on my first research papers, adapting my undergraduate thesis work into proper astronomy journal form. I love doing physics and take requests for calculations, stupid or serious (check “#lump’s calculations” for those I’ve done so far, these are my best posts by far).

I try to keep fully nsfw stuff off this blog, but mild nsfw is to be expected, so minors beware

Outside of research, work, and classes I can usually be found gaming, playing MTG, or putting way too much effort into my shitposts while watching something on my second monitor.

I can be found on a few other sites under the same username but am only active here, and if any mutuals want to connect on discord or steam dm me

If you take one thing away from reading this it’s GO PLAY OUTER WILDS RIGHT NOW. Do not look up anything about it, just play the game and then get your friends to play it. Then we can all talk about it. Please, I need to talk about this masterpiece with more people.

Now that you’ve learned about me I have gained access to your walls. Don’t worry, all I do is nibble a bit of drywall from time to time.

Too many fun facts below

My personal motto is: “The universe is scary and so much bigger than any of us can comprehend, so it’s our duty to fag it up as much as possible”

My plushies names: -Tofrug: Lord Squishers -Manatee: Weapon of Lettuce Destruction -Reimu Fumo: Air Fried Bastard -Hydreigon: Hans -Vaporeon: Dihydrogen Monoxide Puppy -Meowscarada: Greenfield -Reshiram: Nuclear Mommy -Gardevior: Horizon -Blåhaj: Jimbei -Gobbo Bard: Ga Bu

I love nature, and evergreen forests in particular. I enjoy hiking and mushroom and berry picking.

My most proud find is this massive cluster of morels I came across a couple years back.

Here’s an overabundance of my personal top 3′s, not necessarily the three I think are best (except Outer Wilds, that’s best thing humanity has produced). Games: Outer Wilds, FFXIV, Ori and the Will of the Wisps Manga: One Piece, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Dungeon Meshi **Books:** Red Rising, Percy Jackson, A Song of Ice and Fire Movies: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Secret of Kells, How to Train Your Dragon Shows: Mob Psycho 100, Good Omens, Ya Boy Kongming! Characters: Mr Torgue Highfive Flexington, Kronk, Nico Robin Mountains: Mt. Hood, Sierra de la Laguna, Mauna Kea **Flying Critters: Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, **Pelican, Toucan **Landbound Creatures: **Red Panda, Jumping Spider, Goliath Frog Marine Animals: Sea Lion, Lumpfish, Giant Pacific Octopus **Pokemon: **Gardevoir, Hisuian Goodra, Zekrom **Soundtracks: **FFXIV, Made in Abyss, Wildfrost Albums: Starship Velociraptor, The Cures What Ails Ya, Westwinds (The Real McKenzies) Foods: Cottage Pie, Khao Soi, my dad’s Chile Verde **Fruit: **Mexican Pitaya, Atemoya, Mango, Huckleberry Galaxy Clusters: Abell 0209, Abell 1689, macs0416

Here’s a couple of neat galaxy pictures I took using my university’s telescope:

[skye707]

Thanks to the ever-astounding @finniestoncrane, I will be sharing with y'all some of my favorite pieces of cinema in no particular order. And yes, they are cinema.

Rules: post 10 of your favorite movies and tag 10 people.

Captain Marvel (2019) - The film that made me realize why guys like to watch superhero movies so much. I've never felt more powerful.

Curious George (2006) - For the era in which it was made, this movie has some of the best animation I've ever seen. Also, Jack Johnson popped off on the album for the film.

The Batman (2022) - I feel as though I'm contractually obligated to include this one. It's my current comfort movie, and, unlike most films, I can watch it over and over.

Happy Feet (2006) - I already know I'm going to get clowned for this one, but I don't care. I don't even like musicals, but I like penguins, stories of self-discovery, and Boogie Wonderland.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) - This was the first movie I watched, not as a child, but as a partially fully sentient being all my own, and thought "that was a whole ass movie".

Lilo and Stitch (2002) - This one never gets old. Like, I could watch this movie for the rest of my life and still find joy in it. That opening song, He Mele No Lilo, it inspires something in my heart.

The Avengers (2012) - A classic. Whenever I see that it's on, I stop, smile, and think fondly on the joy that was. Interpret that as you will.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - One of my first Ghibli films, and my favorite one without a doubt. It never ceases to amaze and makes me cry when I go back and watch it.

Doctor Strange (2016) - This movie was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Also, I love wizards.

The Secret of Kells (2009) - I found this movie on accident, but I was never the same afterwards. Like I can't describe it. Something inside me changed.

@rallazarthemagnificent @eagleflightdraws @hallowsden @heartsick-honeybee @vellamare @fallingpapersnow @finzphoenix @sillysamta

As always, no pressure to participate. Just thought it would be fun 💙

[winvyre]

OC Questionnaire Tag!!!! (The Winvyre Show ep 1)

Thanks for the tag @paeliae-occasionally !!!! I'm going to have fun with this one ;)

-------

*Lights come up in a studio filled with audience members. The stage is empty aside from a couch and an armchair on either side of a small table. The background is a photo of Winvyre's face and on the table sits two hot chocolates and a plate of cookies.*

*The audience cheers as WINVYRE walks out on stage wearing a purple suit, flashcards in hand, smiling like their photo.*

WINVYRE: Welcome, bitches and benches, to the talk show portion of our program! I'm your host for this and all other segments: Winvyre!

*Audience cheers again.*

WINVYRE: Today we're breaking not one but two characters out of their canon settings to answer some of your questions! Please welcome to the stage the protagonists of my current WIPs... Connor Willard and Valerie No Surname!

*A very confused skinny teenager and a delighted white-haired girl appear sitting on the couch. The boy blinks in the light and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The girl shields her eyes to pick out faces in the audience.*

WINVYRE: Hello, Connor and Valerie. Don't worry, you're fine, you won't remember any of this when you go back to your worlds.

CONNOR: What?

VALERIE: Where are we?

WINVYRE: You're in a pocket dimension I created just for this scenario. Just like I created you.

CONNOR: You what?

*VALERIE mumbles a similar statement through a mouth full of cookies.*

CONNOR: I have several questions.

WINVYRE: So do I! So let's get started.

CONNOR: Wait-

Do you have any hobbies? If so, what ones?

VALERIE: Ooh! I like to swim and climb trees and play with my stick and hoop and watch the Watchmen spar with their swords and play games!

CONNOR: I like to draw. I also play baseball but I don't really like it.

How good is your sleep schedule?

VALERIE: I go to bed at bedtime and I wake up when the sun rises just like everybody else! Mom sometimes reads to me and Kell. Fran thinks she's too old for bedtime stories.

CONNOR: My bedtime is whenever my mother goes to sleep because waking up due to someone yelling and pounding on your door is NOT fun. Even then I'm an insomniac.

Do you have any siblings? If so, how good is your relationship?

CONNOR: I'm an only child. Not sure if that's for the better or worse.

VALERIE: I have three! We're all adopted. Maurin's the oldest, he's sixteen, Francesca's thirteen, Kell's eleven, and I'm ten! Maurin went missing not that long ago... I miss him... Fran's annoying and acts strangely but Mom says that's just because she's hit puberty. Kell and I play together a lot but sometimes he does this creepy voice and says scary things.

What was the toughest time you had to endure while growing up?

CONNOR: Oh, how do I pick?

VALERIE: When Maurin disappeared. Mom's never cried so much.

What was the worst day of your life?

CONNOR: The day we moved. It was terrible on its own and it marked the beginning of... everything.

VALERIE: [WINVYRE presses a button on their chair to bleep out the spoiler]

What's your worst nightmare?

VALERIE: The hoary. They're scary!

CONNOR: That I'll feel empty forever.

If a monster asked you your worst nightmare, what would you tell it and why?

VALERIE: The hoary can't ask questions; they're mindless killers and they'll rip you apart and devour your flesh and leave you to suffer and rot soaked in your own blood and organs while you slowly die and-

CONNOR: What kind of world do you come from?!

VALERIE: A regular one?

WINVYRE: Her setting is much more fantastical than yours. Don't worry about it.

If a monster asked you your worst nightmare, what would you tell it and why?

CONNOR: The truth. Almost nothing about me is a secret, it's just that no one asks.

What's your relationship with your family like?

CONNOR: Do I have to answer this?

WINVYRE: Yep. This show doesn't stay on the air unless the people are entertained.

CONNOR: I... love my parents. I hate them too. I hate that I can't only hate them. I feel happy when they praise me. I want to get away from them. I like it when they hug me. I hate what I may lose to them. I want to tell them everything. I hope I never forgive them.

VALERIE: Do you want a cookie?

WINVYRE: What's your answer, Valerie?

VALERIE: Uh, good. I love and get along with everyone. Do you dream often? what about?

VALERIE: Riding dragons!

CONNOR: I had a lot of vivid, creative nightmares as a kid. Now the content is more horrific but they never really feel like nightmares anymore.

What is the one thing you would not wish on your greatest adversary?

CONNOR: Any of what I've been through. It really fucks you up.

VALERIE: Nothing! I hope the hoary gets her!

WINVYRE: And that's all for today, bitches and benches! Thank you for tuning in and don't forget to vote for our next topic- (What? No budget? Fine.) Let us know if you ever want another installment of The Winvyre Show!

@sableglass @davycoquette @daily-haley

[goldensmilingbird]

Please tell us about your new blorbo Neel! What captured your attention, what kind of character is he and how is the overall show he is starring in?

Thank you for asking :)

Sorry it took a while to answer, I have lots of thoughts but they were all kinda scrambled.

Okay, so, the show.

I think I need to explain the basics of the plot first. So there's two storylines. First one is about how the Duke of Normandy died and his heir (our main character) escaped, and now he pretends to be a normal peasant boy named Hugo, while various lords and ladies are trying to get their hands on him and the throne. And Neel's mother, Dame Neel (I guess it's a family name), promised to her husband that she'll put their son on the throne by the time he's back. Keep in mind that Neel and "Hugo" are both twelve. These boys are not even in their teens yet.

The second storyline is about how there is a giant dragon Loki trapped underground, and that if Hugo doesn't learn runes and renew his ancestor's spell, he'll free himself and the world will literally end. So basically he has to fake being a normal boy with a normal life so he doesn't get kidnapped or killed, but also save the world. That's the gist of it.

I watched about half of the show so far (14 out of 26 episodes), and I really enjoy it. The beginning might feel kinda slow, but it gets better. The animation is 3D with this 2D look. The first time I saw an image from the show, I thought it looked cool, and it kinda reminded me of the Cartoon Saloon style, especially the backgrounds. And turns out the studio (Les Armateurs) did work with them on Secret of Kells, and also they were involved in some other cool stuff I watched or heard of, like Long Long Holiday, Ernest and Celestine (the movies and the show), Triplets of Belleville, etc. But I'm kinda getting off-topic. Point is, they got experience.

But back to Neel. His mom is very protective of him, but she's also strict, and he really wants to impress her, only to end up disappointing her again. He's physically weak, not good at handling weapons and overall not great viking material. His father is out of the picture, but his mother brings him up once in a "what would he think of you now?" way, and he also has abandonment issues after his father leaving him.

So far we got absent parent, strict parent, abandonment issues, low self-esteem, he's isolated from other kids his age and runs away from the castle multiple times, his mom even gets sick because of a magical artifact sapping her energy at some point... This boy is so Adrien-coded, I swear.

There is one other close person in his life though, the only one who shows him affection - and that's the head guard Ulrich, the guy who is hunting down the main character. And he is that one person Neel is afraid would leave him. Neel absolutely adores this guy. He's so happy every time he sees him, I find it adorable.

He wants to go out there and help him and fight by his side, but Ulrich's main job is to keep him safe, so he's not letting that happen. Did I mention Neel almost died one time? That was because he sneaked away to try and help Ulrich again.

And Ulrich is interesting to me because he's so loyal to this family that serving them is pretty much his only goal. And even if he might feel guilty about some of the horrible things he's done, he can still justify them to himself. At some point, looking after Neel became more than just a duty though. In his own words, he has the weakness to consider him his own son.

There are lot of familial ties in this show. Hugo loses his parents and has to live with a new family. His mentor/father figure, who Ulrich killed, parallels Ulrich himself. Even the other antagonists are a family. I just really enjoy that.

I'm hoping Neel would be more involved in the second part of the season, I feel like him and Hugo are starting to become friends, and who knows, maybe even his father will come back. And there was a plot twist in the last episode that I kinda didn't expect, so I'm interested to see where it goes.

Anyway, it's a fun show, and it has some good characters and story. And if any of you like medieval settings or Norse mythology, you might enjoy that as well. One thing that upsets me though is that this show is only available in English on a right-wing streaming service, and the money from it go to like, the worst kind of people. So here are the links where you can watch the show for free!

First ten episodes in English dub (new ones come out on Saturdays)

English subtitle files

French episodes with French subs

Thanks for coming to my Neel talk 🙏

And please, check out the show

[jtwritesstuff]

Fresh Off A Snow Day

Another monthly story! This one was a tie between the prompts of "Snow day" and "Back to school regression". ______________________________________________________________ James sighed as he walked into work that morning, fresh off a three day weekend caused by a snow day, and sure enough his room’s parapro was gonna be out for the day. He sat at his desk, turning his computer on and starting to pull up his now thrown off by a day lesson plans. He scrolled through them, getting his materials around when he noticed his email ping. He quickly clicked the tab, expecting the morning announcements, instead it was an email from the principal with the title “New student”. He groaned, he already had a class of 24, 25 was going to be a lot.

He opened the email and gave a small frown as he saw the name of the student “Aaron Sprung”. That was an issue he wasn’t expecting, the new kid having the same first name as his parapro, he’d have to bring that up to Aaron when he got back from being sick. James stood back up now, looking around his room to see where he could put another desk, frowning a bit as he’d just figured out what would be the perfect groups for these kids. He decides to move a desk from the back to a group he knows he can trust to be quiet when needed and nods a bit before checking the time and letting a small sigh out.

He made sure everything was set up before walking to his door and opening it, putting on his best “I’m not tired” smile as he heard the kids coming down the hall. A few were already lined up by the door as he opened it, likely either a co-workers kid or they ran down the hall the second the front doors were open. He gave them either a fist bump, a wave or a hug as they entered, the students themselves picking between them, and he kept a close eye out, seeing if there were any kiddos he didn’t recognize wandering the halls as if lost.

As he stood, greeting each kid as they walked by and into his room, though he wasn’t fully expecting what he saw next. He watched as a child that looked like he belonged right in James’ class walked up, though he could swear he knew this kid. He had a semi-curly mop of strawberry blonde hair, a pokemon hoodie on and matching joggers that looked brand new, along with some light up velcro shoes that also looked fairly new and had a backpack covered in dinosaurs.

Normally all of this could be chalked up to new school jitters and wanting new stuff to show off…there was just one issue though. This strawberry blonde kiddo making his way quietly down the hall was the spitting image of Aaron, his parapro that was out sick today. James couldn’t help but stare at the boy as he walked up and somewhat nervously looked up “Um…Mr. Kelling?” James blinked a bit and nodded “Y…Yeah, that’s me, you must be Aaron.”

The boy just nodded, avoiding eye contact as James did his best to put on a smile “Welcome to my class Aaron, your desk is going to be number 25, go ahead and put your bag on a free hook in the closet.” He nodded, walking in as James had to stand in the hall for a second, acting like he was checking for any other kids but in reality, his mind was racing. How was Aaron so small? What happened to him? This was like those stories he read online but…he was right here, and…unless Aaron has a secret child also named Aaron that he just found out about, this should be impossible. 

He made his way into the room again after getting his smile and focus back, looking as the kids grabbed their breakfasts and sat at their seats. He watched their newest classmate do the same, but less seeming like he was just following the herd and more like he was used to the routine. James could only frown quietly to himself, wondering how much of Aaron was in there, before getting the day started with morning announcements. 

James could only keep his eyes on Aaron as the boy worked, showing he was still fairly ahead of the curve, but struggling at points with things like math. James could only wonder how this all happened so…quickly, it’d only been three days, how does someone lose that much age in three days. He was working through it slowly and before long he noticed the time “Alright class! Time for recess, get dressed up as it’s pretty cold out.” He walked over to Aaron and gently tapped him “I’d like you to stay in bud, I wanna show you about a bit more.” 

Aaron looked nervous as the rest of the kids got ready and lined up before being led out by a recess aide. I gently shut the door behind them and then turned to Aaron, looking down at the small boy “So…what happened?” Aaron looked up at James, looking nervous but trying to put on his best confused face “Huh…? Whatcha…um…mean?” James sighed a bit, leaning on a desk and giving Aaron a look “Aaron, I know it’s you, it’s not hard to recognize those curls.”

Aaron looked taken aback for a second before looking at the floor quietly and shrugging  a bit.James sighed and just stared the boy down “Well…it’s not every day I see a previous co-worker shuffle in here and struggle with fractions…so what happened?” Aaron looked down and sighed a bit as I just waited “You…wouldn’t believe me.” I sat down now on one of the desks, looking at him seriously “Try me.”

Aaron looked up and sighed softly. “Well…I decided to try this…remote of sorts, I didn’t know it at first but it has the ability to like…reshape the world.” James sighed a bit, if the proof wasn’t standing in front of him and this was any other kid he’d be telling them to knock it off about now. “And so I just…wanted to try it and made myself younger, and…I just…I dunno, I don’t…really wanna go back…ya know?”

James looked at Aaron and nodded a bit “I mean…yeah, I honestly get that more than you’d think…” Aaron seemed to perk up a bit “You…you do?” James nodded again and sighed “I…I wish the same thing sometimes honestly.” Aaron blinked at that before quietly asking “Really…? You’re not just…saying that…?” James shook his head “For as long as I’ve been an adult…I’ve just wanted to be a kid again, take this stress and stuff away and just…relax again.” 

Aaron seemed to think quietly for a few moments before making his way quickly to where his bag was hung up. James watched as he dug through it for a second before pulling out an odd looking remote. It looked like a mix between a calculator and a universal remote, both from the early 2000s. He walked back over before looking up at James seriously “So…you wanna take that stress away?”

James blinked a bit, his heart rate picking up as he realized just what Aaron was suggesting “I…I mean yeah b…but I need this job too and…” Aaron shook his head a bit with a sigh, cutting James off “Because you gotta keep your house and whatnot…yeah yeah.” James just blinked a bit at the sudden annoyance from the little boy as Aaron continued “Look, I’m offering a free shot at what you want, if you’re a kid again you don’t have to worry about a job or bills or…anything! I mean other than what’s for lunch today.”

James nodded a bit, thinking quietly as Aaron seemed to already be prepping the remote. James looked at him “So…what would happen with my class?” Aaron just shrugged a bit “I mean…it alters reality too, someone would just…take your place in the new reality and boom, pretty much nothing happened, at least for the others.” James thought for a few seconds before suddenly frowning “Wait…if you changed reality for everyone…why do I remember you being older?” 

Aaron looked at him and shrugged, “I wanted to see how you’d react, hence why I have the remote, if you reacted bad, boom, I’m just another kid.” James just blinked a bit at that “damn…that cold huh…?” Aaron just shrugged “Hey, I’m glad it’s working out this way instead, so…how old do you wanna be? My age or…?” James thought for a second about it, wondering just how low he could go, thinking specifically about some of his more…infant themed stories he’d read as of late.

Aaron just stared at him for a bit and sighed “No please…take alllll the time ya need, not like the kids are gonna be back soon.” James blushed at that before sighing softly “How about...six…first grade or older kindergarten” Aaron hit a few buttons, nodding and smiling now “And if ya don’t like it, lemme know after school, okay?” James nodded, blushing a bit at the thought of being in school again as Aaron aimed the remote at him.

Aaron looked around it “It might feel a bit weird for a second, so.just hold onto something” James grabbed the desk but before he could respond he heard a click and felt a weird almost static feeling wash over him. It was like the feeling you have when an arm or leg falls asleep but all over and he couldn’t help but shut his eyes as it washed over his head. It was one of the worst feelings he could remember, like he was being put through a car wash without the car.

He stood there for…he didn’t even know how long at this point as this feeling washed over him, groaning softly as he felt it slowly starting to abate. He  started to open his eyes, seeing the floor first and just how close it was before slowly looking up at Aaron, who was now standing about a head taller than James. Aaron just smiled at him “Annnnd…done! Look atcha! Super cute.” James just swayed as he stood there, feeling like the room was spinning around him.

Aaron walked over, gently patting his back as he looked at James “I warned ya…it’s a rough one.” James just nodded slowly as Aaron rubbed his back and watched him “We..probably wanna get moving, because I think you’re…supposed to be in Mrs.K’s class.” James nodded a bit again as Aaron slowly led him out by the hand. As they walked he slowly felt better and better and began to take in the very similar looking halls all around him just…much bigger.

Aaron smiled down at the now much younger boy who was enraptured with his new status as a first grader “Pretty cool huh?” James just nodded more as they walked down the first grade hall and he saw all the art projects from the year hung up…including a spot with his name on it, though it was empty currently.

Aaron gently knocked on the door and Mrs.K answered, smiling down at the two of them “Welcome back James! Did Aaron give a good tour of the building for you?” James just nodded a bit, a faint memory of Aaron leading him around seemingly surfacing out of nowhere as Mrs.K looked at Aaron. “Thank you so much for helping him get his bearings hun, I know everything must be tough with him just getting to your guy’s house last night.

Aaron nodded and shrugged “It was no biggie, just doing what a big bro should.” He smiled as James looked up and he gave a wink down to the smaller boy. “Well…you should probably head back to class hun, I know your recess is almost over.” Aaron looked at the time and nodded “Alright, see ya after school James! I’ll grab ya so we can walk to dad’s car.” James just nodded again, smiling softly at Aaron before feeling his hand taken again by Mrs.K, being led into the classroom and  his first day of his new life.

[ritabuuk]

For Webcomic Day, I want to make several posts sharing some of my favorite webcomics! One webcomic that I've been steadily reading for perhaps the longest time is Thistil Mistil Kistil by Sarah Schanze (@depleti).

Set in the time of the vikings, the story follows Coal, a young warrior who has recently died and who will not be able to enter Valhalla as he deserves until he completes a quest for Odin - he must find the missing pieces of the gods' weapons that the trickster Loki has previously stolen and scattered. As Coal journeys together with Loki to find the current holders of the missing pieces, he meets Hedda, an escaped slave originally from modern-day Ireland; Ibrahim, young prince and scholar from modern-day Spain; and Arne, a boy originally from North America but who grew up as an adoptive son in modern-day Iceland.

As the journey continues, it becomes more and more clear that Loki has meddled in these children's lives for a reason, and that Coal won't be able to complete his quest simply by returning the lost trinkets, and that the machinations toward Ragnarok have started to turn.

One reason that I really enjoy reading Thistil Mistil Kistil is because it stealthily teaches me a lot about Norse mythology and the state of the world at the time of the vikings, which I previously knew essentially zero about. The story itself gently includes any details that I would need to know. I can just be here enjoying a story about how each of the characters must face the troubles of their pasts and then decide for themselves what future they would choose to forge next - and later realizing that I now know a lot more about the different mythological figures, and especially that the world of the vikings was much more interconnected than I would have previously assumed!

And I bet for folks that do already know a lot about those topics, you will enjoy spotting all the extra nods that have likely have flown over my head (at least, I see some folks in the comment seconds squeeing about that sort of stuff!)

The art style was inspired by the movie The Secret of Kells, and also features some really awesome highly symbolic and stylized white-on-black title pages for each chapter.

My favorite characters in the story are Loki and Hedda. I absolutely love Loki's design and how he's so elegant and wise, yet also so goofily expressive, and also clearly an absolute disaster waiting to happen. I trust him very much even though I know I probably shouldn't, lol.

With Hedda, I love to see how she is a devout Christian, yet she doesn't know she's on a boat next to literally Loki and also an undead Einherjar. I also really appreciate watching how she changes and grows through the story, as she needs to decide what her new-found freedom means for her.

So I recommend you check it out! It seems like there will only be a few chapters more, so if you aren't already reading it, it's a great time to read through the story so far, and continue following along for the conclusion!

[d-dormant]

Hi, d-dormant. As a writer of an unfinished dark fantasy novel, I wonder if you can give me some advice for improving the atmosphere of my story. What is your main inspiration for writing: movies, songs, fairytales, or a little of everything? I found your stories very interesting and beautifully written (my favorite is Ornithology).

Greetings from Mexico.

Hi there!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like my writing and I'm very touched by your ask! I'll try to answer as thoroughly as I can, hopefully it's not too overwhelming ahah

I'm inspired by a little of everything, but mostly by music, and making playlists helps tremendously to get both into the atmosphere and into the characters' heads.

So, as far as music goes, I can recommend various stuff, it depends on what you're into and what you're going for.

Folk music, especially with a medieval fleur. I'm probably the biggest Steeleye Span stan out there, can't recommend them enough! Also for medieval vibes — Anúna, William Lyons, TRÚ, Tannas, Méav, Мельница. And, if I may say, the "Sims Medieval" soundtrack slaps;

For that dark whimsical feeling in pop/indie — Kate Bush, Florence + the Machine, Weyes Blood, Aurora, Hozier, Bat For Lashes, Medicine Boy and many more;

Goth and etherial music is perfect for that dark spooky feeling — Faith and the Muse, Inkubus Sukkubus, classics like Joy Division and The Cure.

Literature is a great help for nice language, descriptions and mood. I usually collect phrases I liked in whatever I'm reading and use them for inspiration when I'm frustrated with my wording.

Classics like E. A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, fairytales by W. Hauff. V. Woolf has delicious language, and W. Scott's historical novels are good for trying to capture how people in the Middle Ages behaved and spoke;

Among Russian poets M. Y. Lermontov is one of my favourites in terms of language and expressions. Hard to choose one work, but here's "The Demon";

Sometimes inspiration strikes when I'm just researching stuff, and it often happens when reading "A Dictionary of Fairies" by K. M. Briggs and "The Celtic Twilight" by W. B. Yates.

I wish I watched movies more, but I'm usually too lazy for that and my taste is very shallow ahah So you might have seen most of these.

"Ophelia", "La Belle et la Bete" are as mid in plot as they are stunning in visuals;

"The Dark Crystal", "Labyrinth", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Willow", "Arthur and the Invisibles" are great for Weird Looking Guys;

"Excalibur", "A Midsummer's Night Dream" have that magical Glow to everything.

Caroon Saloon's animated films ("Wolfwalkers", "The Secret of Kells", "Song of the Sea") are gorgeous.

Can I recommend "Into the Woods", the musical?

But for descriptions I mostly rely on straight up pictures! I'm not naturally good at imagining things in my head, so sometimes a few pictures to go off of help me a lot. I have a Pinterest page with boards for the story itself and sometimes for a specific chapter as well. Just looking at a huge collage of different costumes and details, landscape photos, paintings and illustrations can get into the needed mood!

I hope this was helpful and not too much, I might've got too excited to list everything ahaha

Good luck with your writing!!! <3

[women-of-malevolent]

All references to women in Part 37 - The Farm

Arthur references Sarah Cummings to give Oscar some background information about the bestiary book. The book is about as old as the Book of Kells

This is how we get a lot of our Mr. Scratch lore. Not from Hattie, not from Mr. Scratch, not from any living woman god forbid. A new OC named Oscar reads a dead girl's book with Arthur Lester while John complains that Arthur didn't let him read the dead girl's book instead. (We get most of the rest of Mr. Scratch's lore from the diary of the impostor Edward William Allen in Part 38).

Oscar says, these creatures seem to be gods in some way. Elder Gods don't have the same rules as physically-bound creatures; they can manifest where/whenever they want. Hmm, Scratch can't do that. This lets Oscar narrow it down to some suspects. One is Hypnos, and Elder God that's Lord of Dreams and Sleep. That's promising, except that Hypnos is known to transform the dreamer's appearance, which Scratch did not do.

When Oscar saw Scratch in dreams, he took the form of Alexander, Oscar's biggest regret person. John is annoyed, says I guess I'll just watch, like I just watched you untie Hattie! Oscar says there's nothing in the book about dust, violet skin, or silver eyes... Arthur asks about time dilation, remember that? Nothing about warmed glass or mirrors...

Arthur says, maybe this is Hypnos, but not a complete piece of him. This could be an altered fragment, like John.

John describes the look of Edward William Allan's second property. Edward William Allan is the man who John and Arthur think they probably found the corpse of in Marie's building.

Arthur tells Oscar about the stone, but also lies

More shit about the stone. No offense but I find the stone thing tedious this time around. I find this season pretty tedious this time around.

More dithering about the stone

Arthur starts investigating the Edward William Allan property with the outside. John says there's a shadow, like the one around Marie's house.

Describing the Edward William Allen property, because the narrative told me the mystery of Scratch would be answered through this guy's house. It's tainted with otherworldly shit. Large frozen pustules, icy rope-like hair, strange dew, mysterious symbols and fluids, wasp-like nests with alien creatures inside. Arthur wonders if this sigil here was a test.

The plan is to summon scratch and end him

Edward William Allan tested his ritual in the barn. He was conducting experiments. Just have this be Hattie come ON. Dumbass story. fuckoff. Edward William Allan, can I call him Willy? I'm going to call him Willy. Willy used the same symbol here that was in the book in Marie's secret room. Oscar says, by the way, Scratch is probably a Forgotten One, which is a trapped entity from outside, manifestations of Great Ones. Oscar says that Scratch is a Forgotten One of some Great One that Willy or whoever tried to bring into the world and failed. Maybe Hypnos, maybe not. Arthur says, we need to find something Willy used for research, his notes, we need to know how he summoned Scratch. John says, and how to destroy him. But he's like you, John!!!

John says, why move to New York to summon Scratch? Also, why Hypnos?

Arthur will check upstairs first. If Willy is behind this, we should learn more about his family, that can help us defeat Scratch

John finds a painting of a hottie boss babe and seems taken with it

[gay-poet-gabriel]

what are some other fandoms you’re apart of or have been in, in the past? /gen

OOH RAWR!!!

hi ill probably forget like even my biggest obsessions cuz man. there's just so many

and theres a lot of things i love, like shaun the sheep. but i cant say that has a fandom so i wont include stuff like that

anyway well ahem this is long so under cut

Jojo's bizarre adventure duh

south park

the promised neverland (never watched the anime so don't ask)

tokyo ghoul (never watched the anime either, also i only read the first two volumes of re:)

in this corner of the world!!!

a silent voice

japan sinks 2020

resident evil!!! RAHH

Hades by supergiant (literally i could call my devotion and my religion a fandom but yknow)

the mandela catalogue!!

lord of the rings

call of duty

literally like all sorts of mythology (greek, hindu, egyptian, celtic, norse, etc) i just like world cultures

the godfather!! i love the godfather im rereading for my stupid summer work this summer

THE IT CROWD!!!

SPACED!!

roadhouse, point break, dirty dancing, ghost, anything with swayze in it

how i met your mother

brokeback mountain

oh brother where art thou (idt theres really a fandom but ig I'm just naming things i like now)

hadestown

the outwalkers (hear me out, i swear its not the same thing-)

ecce romani (i gotta write fics)

no longer human by osamu dazai (sorry its a good book)

les miserables

don quixote

critical role ig

brendan et le secret du kells

metalocalypse

akira

death note!!!!

monk

psych

lord of the flies!!

and idk im too tired to think rn so here's some things i like ig

[olibheare]

hello!! do you have any series, animes/mangas, movies you reccommend? i really adore your tastes in things and im curious to know where you take those impeccable tastes from!!

Doing this quickly to avoid putting every single thing I like in here for you like a crazy person, most of them will be things I ran into when I was younger and still really like- I find that those have shaped my taste a lot as I got older. There aren't that many mangas because I just wasn't in an area that was good for finding new releases + I can't remember the dumb little shoujos I read online by now. But I will say that I'm fairly picky when it comes to media in terms of having competent writing and engaging characters. Also fair warning about some of the older shows- while I would rather be shot than watch 10 more seconds of a show with a panty shot there is nothing I can do about 2000s anime brand homophobia Ghibli (meaningful look at the camera) just in general. Though my favorite things about Miyazaki's films come more from his social commentary and cosmologies rather than just how pretty the films are (but they are VERY pretty). Working class rights Literally any 2000s pokemon movie I'm not kidding about this. The Lugia one IN PARTICULAR but seriously any of them I went crazy for pokemon Inuyasha (2000 anime) Dungeon Meshi (2014 manga. When this anime comes out I'm going to explode or something) Blue Giant (2013 manga. This is also becoming an anime so I hope there's enough viscera left for me to explode a second time) The Vision of Escaflowne (1996 anime + the movie too. It's silly and weird but still feels fine to watch) Last Exile (2003 anime) Stardust (2007 live-action film) The Last Unicorn (1982 animated film) DragonHeart (1996 live-action film) Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (2007 anime) X'amd: Lost Memories (2009 anime) Fruits Basket (2001 anime, the new one is really good though) Princess Jellyfish (2014 anime) Princess Tutu (2002 anime) Origin: Spirits of the past (2006 animated film) Secret of Kells (2010 animted film) Souleater, Naruto, Ouran Highschool Host club.... + my friend got a Shonen Jump magazine in 2011 when he traveled out of state and it had like. One chapter of something called Tegami Bachi. I was obsessed with the character designs and didn't know literally anything about the story. I still don't. sorry Tegami Bachi fandom your little boy in a hat transfixed me. This is worth mentioning because I used to trace pictures of him on the windows in my room This is an intensely truncated list but lmk if you end up watching even one. These dumb things made me so happy to be a kid

[felix-cant-ski]

rules: answer + tag nine people you want to get to know better and/or catch up with!

We were tagged by @setsunatekiblast and probably aren't gonna tag nine people fkjdshfjsk If we tag you in this we're sorry in advance

favourite colour: Depends on whom you're asking! I suppose we'll have to say silver collectively just because of Our Brand and its neutrality.

last song i listened to: Big Iron by the Longest Johns

last film i watched: The Secret of Kells

currently reading: Nothing. ^^;

currently craving: Nothing, but only because we're eating right now (mac & cheese and chicken nuggets, yes we are five years old don't fuckin @ us)

currently watching: Going back through all the DC shit we've ever watched, currently in Timmverse, starting off with Batman: the Animated Series.

coffee or tea: Also depends on whom you ask! But we'll probably just say coffee going off of majority.

Uhhh let's see we don't have nine friends but here @thedragonchilde, @soundwave-and-cassettes, @mrsfullbuster500, @underscorephoenix, @neurotoxinsonline, @generalfandomsofthefreak

No pressure if you don't feel like it y'all

[theresthesnitch]

Getting to Know You Tag Game

Thanks for the tag, @puuvillaa !

Three ships: Wolfstar, Jily, and Lionking. (And wolfstarbucks, which I'm calling 3.5 ships)

First ship: Hinny

Last song: Be Alright by Dean Lewis is currently playing.

Last movie: The Prince and Me

Currently Reading: ugh, I'm in a weird reading rut. Most of what I'm reading is stuff that I've been beta reading. So, r33sespieces's @rsbigbang fic (which is a secret shhhhhh but I'm obsessed with it and I can't wait for you all to see it). Also reading stuff for the @marauders-omegaverse-fest, like @charmstwit and pigeononacloud's Stay with Me and @puuvillaa's Stuck in an Lift and @asterin-kelles A Bit of a Complex and Reese's A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love. But, honestly, doing more writing than reading.

Currently watching: Mr. Snitch and I just finished Merlin. I think we're doing The Wheel of Time next? I'm also watching Partner Track.

Last thing I wrote: the last things I finished were my entries for @hp-soulmates fest and for @marauders-omegaverse-fest

Currently writing: r/s bang, next chapters for Give Me A Sign and Chance would be a fine thing, and a few secret projects.

Tagging (with no pressure): @krethes @mppmaraudergirl @charmsandtealeaves @engie-ivy @synonomy @tracingpatternswrites

[that-imp-with-weed]

Hello! Your drawings have a wonderful style. Forgive me for my curiosity, but I'll still ask: who inspires you to use such a style in your art? cartoons, some artist, painter? super cute 💖💚❤

Heyooooo

Sorry for the pretty long delay^^

I'm planning to create a style-inspiration map/bingo now, but here I'll outline only main media which've affected me :D

I've loved excentric styles in animation since childhood, especially if the characters had absolutely different features in their appearances. I mostly watched soviet cartoons, a lot of Cartoon Network content (which wasn't appreciated by my parents :D) and some european titles.

Despite the fact that I started paying more attention to the development of my drawings at the age of 14, even then, I was striving for something simplified, colorful, gothic and a lil bit crazy. Also I knew about such creators as Seelmaru and RdR then, and this just made me more motivated :3

Here're the most important examples:

1. The Secret of Kells (and other Cartoon Saloon projects)

2. Invander Zim

3. Panty and Stocking with Gatherbelt

4. Hero 108

5. Adventure Time

6-7: The Golden Rooster and Ratibor's Childhood

I could also add Superjail, Soul Eater and Ranfren, but they will definitely be in the map yet.

Well, what's all, cheers!!!

[triplexdoublex]

I think wats messing me up about this whole thing is that my parents are going through a very similar situation where my mom was the extremely toxic one who cheated, said some extremely horrible lies about my dad and all of that stuff, then they seperated, and my dad got very suicidal and me and my sis had to watch him just spiral down hill and then like a few months later right when he was getting better, my dad let her just walk right back in like nothing happened and she never saw wat she did wrong and coudint understand why everyone was so upset, and now literally won't face any of our family and is only happy when she's spending his money. And I'm not saying this for sympathy or anything but I'm saying this from experience it doesn't matter how old the kid is when they have to sit there and watch their dad become suicidal and depressed over a women (doesn't matter if they are ur real mom, step mom, cousin, aunt, grandmother idc) but if ur kids watches u become suicidal over a women it not only breaks something inside of them but it makes them become extremely angry and not trusting to that said women. And him staying in this very openly toxic very public relationship is very damaging to Casie and I can almost garentee Casie despises Megan and is just waiting for her to leave/mess up again and I can also almost garentee she isint facing his family (the crew) anytime soon. Hell he's already trying to hide it from his other family (est) so I can only imagine how the crew feels about this

TW// domestic violence, blood, death threats, guns

I’m so sorry you had to go through that I unfortunately know exactly how you and Casie must feel. Growing up my step mother was extremely jealous, abusive and manipulative towards my dad even before they got married and it destroyed my relationship with him. She would take off her rings and have me hold them while she went and beat my dad up over the stupidest things like glancing at the Victoria Secret poster ads in the store window while walking by at the mall, she even once accused him of checking ME out that’s how crazy and jealous she was. One time he hurt his back at work and she accused him of “walking like he just had sex” and broke a small wooden baseball bat over his face , took pictures of him all bloody and then showed them to me and was basically like “this is what’s gonna happen if your dad keeps cheating on me.” My dad wasn’t allowed to attend any life events of mine birthdays, graduation, my wedding. She always had to tag along to every weekend visitation or vacation I had with my dad, and would never let my dad buy me things when we were out because he “already pays enough in child support” ( $55 a week 🙄). He worked as a janitor at my school and she made him quit because she thought he flirted with my teacher. She literally made him tell my teacher “I have to quit because I jerk off thinking about you” and she stood there and made sure he said it. At her and my dads wedding she told me “I’m your mother now and I will smack you” because I wouldn’t give two of her friends a ride home. Eventually they thankfully divorced when she cheated and decided she was done with my dad, but not before having 4 more kids and fucking them all up. Even after the divorce she continued to fuck with him and would claim all the kids on her taxes when the agreement was to split it or do every other year. So one time obviously extremely angry my dad said “I’m gonna kill you” purely out of anger and she called the police ( all of who my dad was friends with because he used to be a firefighter— another job she made him quit) and one of my dads own friends had to come to his house and confiscate all his LEGAL hunting guns and bows because “she feared he would use them to kill her” So after all the shit she put him through now he was the bad guy! I fear Megan’s gonna do the same thing to Kells and push him to a breaking point where he either says or does something violent so then she can spin the narrative and play the Amber Heard victim card and be like “see he was really the bad guy all along this is why you should always believe women, this is why I’m such a powerful feminist” 🙄 Sorry for the rant I can just see from experience how badly this can end for him and Casie’s relationship as well as his already tarnished reputation.