#and i think if u don’t personally like an adaptation just don’t engage w/ it

[teen-heart-throb-mr-hyde]

oh you hate tgs book inaccurate adaptations? do you want an award? should we throw a party? should we invite robert louis stevenson?

[melrosing]

What are yours “NO” in jb fanfics? Like u see it in the text in the story plot and immediately understand it’s not for you

I actually have too many and some of these aren’t even the writers’ fault they’re just me and my dumb tastes so no one should listen to me really but

AUs where Jaime hasn’t really done anything wrong/they don’t have that enemies to lovers shit going on. for me that stuff’s crucial to the foundations of jb

also AUs where Jaime and Cersei aren’t twins lol like I do make rare exceptions on this but most of the time I prefer fic that just fucking goes for it w the JC relationship

kid fics where they have like a gazillion children. also family comedy fics generally

show fics

and as a combination of the above, fics where jb are like honorary parents for the stark children like my god. are we forgetting Jaime has literally tried to kill three of them

i don’t really like office/corporate aus. for me it just feels the wrong setting for JB but again personal taste

how the fics manage Cersei as a whole is kind of important for me like if it’s a TWOW onwards fic and they avoid mentioning her entirely it feels a really conspicuous absence to me. I also don’t like fics that just feature her as a dragon to be slayed before jb can get on w their happily ever after. basically I’m interested in fics that engage w the twins’ relationship as part of JB’s story and do so without simplifying Cers herself BUT respect that not everyone wants to bother w that

soulmate AUs

also magical realism etc idk why I just can’t get into it. this is the same for literature generally I groan every time it comes up

high school AUs I can’t get invested in teen romances I couldn’t even get invested in these when I WAS a teen

Jaime’s either A) too snarky or B) too soft. like I think this is at least partly a ‘just me’ thing bc there’s nothing wrong w exaggerating certain characteristics in a fic if that’s working for the writer but I prefer Jaimes to have a bit of bite and also not be dropping a quip literally every other line. like ok yes there are some scenes where he does do that in canon lol but I find it draining when he’s literally incapable of sincerity

and this is really really just me but I can’t stand Declarations of Love Monologues that go on too long or read too rehearsed or when characters talk in language that’s just a bit too flowery and metaphorical. I way prefer sparing dialogue where most things go unsaid - especially w JB who aren’t the kind of characters to over explain themselves

fics where Brienne is a bit of an ‘everywoman’ like I think Brienne is a really interesting character by herself but sometimes ends up getting way less characterisation than Jaime does in fic

also I think a symptom of this is characterisations of Brienne where she’s like. at the club having copious one night stands bc she’s just being adapted as a Modern Woman

and Jaime getting adapted similarly as some kind of playboy type lmao

Quiet Isle fics where Jaime marries Brienne whilst she’s unconscious….. nah

oh yeah and fics where JB live London or Paris or whatever it’s like there’s a whole canon universe to fuck around with here why are they in NEW YORK

and probably lots more but really no one should listen to me bc i can’t even please myself. be free

[totopopopo]

oh i did read the poem, it's just that, for me, in my head, arthurian caracters are more like archetypes and the tales are more a concept than a history in themselves, so i'm not really concerned with accuracy or even if different retellings discuss the same thing or have the same meaning. it's like. it's more framing than content itself? and thus anyone who takes upon them the task of retelling those stories tells their own stories and i don't mind if they are conscious of it and decide to rewire the whole thing.

also, i thought the way it went in the opposite direction of where the poem goes is fun. i read someone else a lot more knowledgeable abou this say that it's like movie gawain lives in the shadow of poem dawain - the one the kids know about and all - and can never quite live up to it and then ends up straight up not living.

i was starting to write a whole essay here on what i personally took from it but deleted because it really was a whole essay and i don't think you'd like to hear that much abt a movie you didn't like akdhakdhalud

and don't feel sorry for bashing a movie i liked! it was, again, entertaining as hell and i get why you didn't like it,

Oh I’d actually be super interested in that AJSGSSJGK like. I study this shit for school like Arthurian lit isn’t my specialty but I’ve done quite a bit with it both from a literary perspective and a religion perspective so like. Please write an essay I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Personally accuracy is usually not something I’m HUGELY concerned about especially w like arthuria and big ol stuff like that. Like just to take an example, the mechs, which if u follow me you may or may not be into?? But anyways I think their HNOC (and tbh all their albums’ interactions w the main sources) is a really really excellent example of something that isn’t all that accurate or that makes big changes but at the same time feels like it still really UNDERSTANDS the source and is like. Very intentionally engaging with the source while not being a retelling by ANY means. In fact I really really love that kind of thing and think that “accuracy” is the least important thing abt adaptations of things like mythologies and big big.. ya know… Arthurian Legend Is.

HOWEVER this movie is like. Very specifically supposed to be based around a very specific poem, and I feel like the director or whoever just had no fundamental understanding of that poem in any way shape or form. You can engage with and alter text but there should be something there that still makes it about that text and I just thought that was absolutely not true in this case???? It wasn’t just inaccurate, it threw away archetypes and themes and questions and the fundamental core of the text. Don’t pretend it was something it’s not don’t dress it as that story when it. Just. Isn’t even engaging with it. Was how I felt.

ANYWAYS if u feel like u do wanna write that essay please do I’m 👀👀 but if you’re done with my gawainposting then feel free to ignore akshssjsgsjk

[quidfree]

Different anon but can you please te us more about how you feel about LOTR? Like fav characters, fav moments, what the book in general makes you feel, do you like the movies? Tell me everything

ahhhhh let's see i have so many lotr opinions....feel free to hit me w more specific qs and hot takes after this because i love discussing this series

anyways just in response to your individual qs

quidfree's literary opinions hour: lotr edition

fav characters: see every damn character in this series is iconic but i’m trying to exercise self-restraint so let’s say my top 3 since childhood: the man the myth the legend samwise gamgee, Murder Wife eowyn, and my fav whos just vibing on a roadtrip, legolas. again this is hard for me because gandalf, aragorn and merry+pippin are also very strong contenders for various reasons but let’s stick w those. eowyn is the OG warrior girl & i love her initial bitterness & enduring steadfastness & relationship w her brother & her and faramir’s supremely complementary personalities. legolas is so iconic & entertaining throughout bc he’s just kicking it w his friends and is like barely out of his teens so his energy never matches anyone else’s unless he’s being all Wistful Elf + he and aragorn and gimli are The trio. SAM deserves all his flowers he’s the best character in the series hands-down i don’t feel like this needs explaining he’s just that girl. love u sam.

fav moments: very very hard to pin down. helm’s deep is always iconic. i love meeting strider, and the fellowship’s first meeting. i love ‘i am no man’. gimli and legolas’s discussion about the caves/forests as they follow aragorn into the mountain slaps. oliphaunts!! meeting the riders of rohan etc. the ents destroying isengard. also this is a rogue choice but i personally really enjoy the ending segment where saruman has taken over the shire because 1) symbolism evil can touch even the untouchable etc 2) i love the hobbits being just like... ‘we have seen too much shit to be fazed by this let’s kick ass’. + just a lot of convos across the books.

fav book is.. probably 2 towers? which is a fairly normal opinion i feel like. it has a lot going on but not so much of the grim trek through mordor. i love all the various POVs incidentally i think tolkien does that shit really really well- his pacing of the story and the switching between storylines is so good people don’t even pay attention to it.

what the books in general make me feel: ah,, steeped in the universe? lotr is v much the definitive fantasy series and for all its failings you can’t fault it on the immersion front. pretty much what you’d expect from a guy whose annexes are several hundreds of pages long and include genealogies and a whole language he invented. you really get the sense that this is an entire world w its own complex history and this is just one of many chapters in it and i love that. the end of an era.

do i like the movies: DO I EVER. lotr movies >>>> any other adaptation. truly The most immaculate choices made. casting 10/10. soundtrack of the gods. they made all the right choices about what to cut and what to add. yes the books do some things better but honestly the movie arguably does too. it really manages to feel as engaging as the books do and i love that it’s kind of universally beloved by the mainstream too. on the other hand do not talk to me about the hobbit movies.

honestly the music in the movies is so good. pippin’s song outsold.

anyways that’s the two cents but i will gladly talk about this more bc i love this series. dread the amazon reboot

[alun-ura]

🌻🌻🌻

Send me a 🌻 and I’ll just tell you whatever the fuck I want

We have only one braincell and it can’t stop howling about Automata so I’ll take thREE OF YOUR THINGIes to just ramble about how the song Weight of the World destroys my soul and why I can’t stop crying about sad androids but it also heavy spoilers for Nier: Automata so idk man

First time you hear it is when you finish the first route / 2B’s route, and the song feels a lot like it’s from 2B’s perspective and gross sob as you learn more about her, that she is actually called 2E.

The official designation...is 2E. Number 2, Type E.

This is a specific model for Executioner,  it is shown in some side quest that there was another types among these and iirc the one you meet kills herself for nor being able to bear with the guilt of having to meet people / make friends and eventually having to kill them at some point. 2B's role though was to be sure that 9S wouldn’t find out about the truth behind the YoRHa, so she’d have to kill him every time he ended up finding out about it because of the natural curiosity programmed on his model/type.  

Tell me God, are you punishing me? Is this the price I'm paying for my past mistakes?

Even though she knew the truth about YoRHa simply for her model, and having to deal with 9S finding out about it - where there are times where he even learns the truth about her.

(9S speaks while struggling painfully.) 9S: Damn ...! 2B, why?! Why did you ...! Pod 153 (narration): A wide, white sword penetrates 9S's stomach. Pod 153 (narration): As delicate, red blood drips down him. (2B hides her pained feelings.) 2B: You attempted to access highly confidential information ... therefore ... 9S: B-But ... 2B ... T-Trust ... me ... Pod 153 (narration): 9S's vital signs begin to fade. Pod 153 (narration): Heart rate decreasing, body temperature declining, motor functions failing, pupils dilating. Pod 153 (narration): As every one of his parameters breaks down, he chokes out his final words. 9S: I-It hurts ... It ... h-hurt ... s ... (His heart stops, and there is the sound effect of a flatline beep.)

So 2B was bound to ALWAYS be partners with 9S, and ALWAYS have to kill him *muffled crying* thinking back that they are Androids so god knows how many times she had to do it.

2B: Kh ... ngh ... (Unable to bear it, 2B begins to cry.) Pod 153: Pod 153 to 2E. Pod 153: Proposal: Delete 9S's personal data and reinstall default personal data. 2B: This is ... too much ...

And :D

2B: No ... Enough already ... Pod 153: Proposal: Unit 2B should carry out her assignment. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) 2B: I don't want to kill him anymore ...

But also :D

Pod 153: The Commander has already denied the mission cancellation request submitted 64 hours ago. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) 2B: Why ... do I have to ... Pod 153: Unit 2B was chosen due to her ability to adapt to harsh environments as well as her combat capabilities. 2B: I'm not suited for this mission at all ... Pod 153: Negative. 2B: Someone ... help me ...

When the first route starts, you get to eliminate a target which ends up requiring 9S’s help, they are very formal / military-ish while talking then, but as it goes, 9S gets more :D with her as in.

9S: You know, ma’am. I’m glad you are here. 2B: Why? 9S: Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting enemy lines and all that? I don’t usually get a partner. It’s kind of fun! 2B: ...Emotions are prohibited.

This is something that I ended up wondering the first time I played it, because 9S at first is very friendly and excited to have a companion in a mission, and in general just very warm towards 2B while 2B is big ol’ “Emotions are prohibited” and tries to brush him off / don’t really care about his attempts on trying to be more intimate? with her.

9S: Hey, 2B? 2B: Yes? 9S: People that know me well usually call me Nines, so... 2B: ... Oh. 9S: So... What do you think? 2B: Of? 9S: I mean, if you wanna call me Nines, it’s totally okay. 2B: ... I’m good. 9S: Oh, um... Alright...

gently I’m not crying you are crying So because of the nature of their relationship, and because 2B knew the truth, and knew that she’d have to kill him again sooner or later.

9S: Watch out for hostile enemies, 2B. 2B: Roger that, Nine...ze. 9S: Huh!? Wait, what did you just say!? 2B: Roger that, 9S. 9S: Wait, no! That’s not what you said! You said “Nines”! Or at least something close to — 2B: Cut the chatter, and engage the enemy.

So her acting like this was a way to try and shield herself and not get attached once more and get hurt again when she has to kill him, but thinking through the game after you learn the truth about 2E, you look back on all the way she acts and how thorn she was through all of it and just pain.

2B: From the moment 9S gains illegal access within the Bunker, it becomes my duty to carry out his execution. 2B: It's a duty that I must repeat ... over, and over ... without end. 9S: I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something special towards 2B. 9S: But that sort of thing isn't allowed for us YoRHa troops. (2B, with a hint of pain in her voice.) 2B: Over and over ... I continue to kill 9S with my own hands. 2B: And every time, it feels like a void within me deepens. 2B: I wonder ... if it's okay for me to hope ... 9S: For the day ... 2B: For the day ... 2B and 9S: When my sins can be forgiven.

And with things like this, how Weight of the World applies to it like,

I feel like I'm losing hope. In my body and my soul And the sky, it looks so ominous. And as time comes to a halt. Silence starts to overflow My cries are inconspicuous

2B was going through this for many, many years. iirc she, along with 9S. were the first androids to be properly made - where during her first time as 2B she already had to kill 9S for killing their creator. 2B was always at the price of either killing 9S, or letting all that she knew - all of YoRHa - fall. All the Androids, and possibly even the war against the machines before they knew that there was no proper war going on anymore.

Cause we're going to shout it loud Even if our words seem meaningless It's like I'm carrying the weight of the world

So by killing 9S, 2B was avoiding the truth and end of YoRHa every time - while fighting machines that mostly wanted to wipe Androids too. She was fighting against both sides, while often being confronted with the fact that some Machines felt things too and didn’t even want to fight or were harmful at all, but she was still a soldier.

I wish that someway, somehow That I can save every one of us But the truth is that I'm only one girl

This wasn’t just about her and 9S, cause not killing him would lowkey just be treason, but saving all the YoRHa androids of this fate and lies behind it, and all the other common androids from also YoRHa’s fall and machines, /and/ the machine lifeforms that weren’t connected to their network and had a mind of their own. Because she knew the truth behind all of it and still couldn’t do a thing to even save herself or the most important person to her.

Maybe if I keep believing my dreams will come to life

I’m not even gonna get too much into the philosofical side Automata and how we see both androids and machine question things like their existence, reason and God™️

This is my redemption song I need you more than ever right now Can you hear me now?

But overall I think every one in this game suffers a whole fucking lot but I think none of them had it as hard as 2B, and by the end of the last route, when she finally dies due to a contamination spreading through all of YoRHa units. She meets A2 by the end, and offers her own sword to A2 - so she can keep 2B’s memories, and also end her before she goes corrupt by the contamination.

2B: Guess... This is it... (2B stabs the ground with her sword, offering it to A2.) 2B: These are... my memories. 2B: Take care of everyone for me... 2B: Take care... of the future... A2...

So yeah, 2B just wanted everyone to be good and nice and safe, and she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t save them, nor herself after trying to repair herself from the virus that was destroying her mind. She puts it on A2, the renegade YoRHa android and someone who knew all the shit behind YoRHa, that wouldn’t end up falling back on the cycle that was between those two. She honors what 2B asked of her, and proceeds to end her before she gets fully corrupted - while 9S is running to try and find 2B.

(A2 takes 2B’s sword, and proceeds to stab her with it.) 9S: 2B! 2B! 9S: 2B! Are you— (A wide, white sword penetrates 2B's stomach. As delicate, red blood drips down her.) 2B: Oh... Nines... 9S: This can’t... 2B... No... 9S: —A2! I’ll kill you!

:^) I’m not crying you are crying. This proceeds to 9S getting full blinded by rage and spending the rest of this route trying to kill A2 even though A2 is just trying to keep her promise with 2B, and try to save everyone, including 9S. This got into a biG RAMBLE SO I’m stopping here but *waggles hands* this and like, when you hear the chorus version of Weight of the World as if it’s all YoRHa singing, or when I got to hear the XIV version of it in the raid?? just watch how hARD I CAN CRY. Cause if this wasn’t painful enough, I’ll just leave this final bit here, when 9S finds a recording of 2B after she died.

2B: This is YoRHa unit 2B... 2B: If anyone’s listening to this, there’s something I need you to do. 2B: If you ever meet up with YoRHa unit 9S... 2B: I want him... I mean... 2B: I’m sorry. Please, just give him the following message: 2B: 9S... the time I was able to spend with you... It was like memories of pure light... Thank you... Nine...s.

[edwardsvirginity]

And now... I introduce my best friend to Eclipse! 

--0000000--

[riley’s first appearance]

Friend: who's that

mike?

(the rest of the commentary for the movie is under the readmore!)

--0000000--

[bella reciting the opening monologue: some say the world will end in fire…]

Friend: wow…drama queen

--0000000--

[Edward and bella in the meadow]

Friend: is this real or is this more of her crazy headspace

--0000000--

Edward: marry me

Bella: I have an English final

Friend: wow……. Rude

--0000000--

[Charlie grounding bella]

Friend: charlie…. is the only sane character tbh lmfao

he knows an abusive relationship when he sees one

--0000000--

[Edward sabatoges bella’s truck]

Friend:  Y I K E S

A B U S I V E

this is not romantic lol

--0000000--

Renee: I just want to make sure ur making the right choices for you

Friend: she's NOT

--0000000--

[renee gives bella the quilt from all their trips]

Friend: awwww

except she's selling out her fam for bloodsuckers

--0000000--

[all the cullens wait for Victoria in the forest]

Friend: is it whatshername

the redheaded bitch

--0000000--

Friend: i'm just gonna say….alice and carlisle are the only valid vampires

Me: whyso?

Friend: idk anything about jasper and emmett, edward is weird, who else even is there

--0000000--

Me: [pauses movie because a spider has appeared by my head and I’m freaking out]

[it lands on my laptop and I scream and close it]

Ok… we can resume

Friend: what happened?

Me: [explains]

Him: ? ? ? why didn't you kill it?!

Me: killing it requires getting close enough to touch it, and that's Too Close

i don't kill spiders

anyway

Him: what?!? lmfao

you don't kill spiders

Me: killing them is too scary

Him: i'd rather kill it and know it's dead than wonder where it is

wow

me: i just scream until someone else comes to do it for me

him: that's a lot to take in

--0000000--

[jake confronting Edward about being on their territory]

Edward: I was trying to protect u by not telling u abt Victoria

Friend: mmmm yikes

bella just needs to move tf back to florida

this is….Too Much

--0000000--

[bella goes to lapush]

Friend: tbh i like his pack

--0000000--

Leah: if ur here to torture jake some more u can leave

Friend: oooooh

burn

--0000000--

[movie introduces imprinting]

Friend: tbh i think that whole concept is insane™ and i dont get it

bc it like absolves you of your own…actions

& removes the other person's choice

it's really fucking creepy

--0000000--

Friend: also it would be soooo weird to be able to read people's thoughts

Me: i know it would freak me out

i would hate being able to hear everything my packmates thought

Friend: i don't need anyone else to know how horny i am

--0000000--

[Jacob arguing with bella about the cullens]

Jacob: theyre not even alive

Friend: "they're not even alive" y i k e s

--0000000--

[riley creeping in bella’s house]

Friend: man i'd be sleepin with a shotgun lmfao

& like 12 dogs

--0000000--

[Edward yelling at bella abt bella disappearing with jake]

Me: he’s so overprotective

Friend: she needs it tho

Me: because she's such a danger magnet?

Friend: um….yeah

& she is a fucking damsel in distress

she has no power of her own :((

--0000000--

Friend: he's so…ugly

me: Edward?

Friend: yeah ……….

--0000000--

[Jake appears shirtless]

Edward: doesn’t he own a shirt

Friend: “doesn't he own a shirt"

LMFAO edward voicing my thoughts

--0000000--

[Edward kissing bella before passing her off to jake, who immediately hugs her]

Friend: the way they …. fight with each other by using her body :|

--0000000--

Friend: what do native americans think of this?

Me: [explains]

Friend: so what is the redeeming quality of these movies exactly lmfao

Me: they’re… fun?

Friend: i guess

like indiana jones

racist trash, but fun(?)

--0000000--

Me: I hate his sideburns in this movie

Friend: don't think they're that bad

his whole face tho is not great

especially pale af

--0000000--

[nonconsensual kiss scene]

Jake: ill fight until ur heart stops beating

Bella: u wont have to wait for long

Friend: YIKES

--0000000--

[Edward and Jake fighting post-punch]

Jake: she’s not sure what she wants

Friend: Y I K E S

--0000000--

[Carlisle bandaging bella]

Friend: carlisle is so hot

i wanna marry dr. carlisle

the way he medicines everyone up…

wow

 [..]

edward is useless

seduce Carlisle

 [..]

edward's been alive 100 years and hasn't become a doctor??? c'mon

--0000000--

[Rosalie killing her rapists]

Friend: LM FAO

love that

W O W

that's a more interesting story than bella's LMFAO

--0000000--

[Rosalie trying to convince bella to stay human]

Rose: there’s one thing you’ll want more than Edward… one thing you’ll kill for… blood

Friend: ohhh….

SHE REAL

--0000000--

Friend: & also bella's assumption that Edward is That Great

she's 18….. she hasn't even TRIED college boys

 [..]

has she even had sex with anyone, ever?

--0000000--

Friend: Evil Dakota Fanning is ….. scary af

--0000000--

Friend: i'll say what i want about stephanie meyer being a fucked up mormon…. but her music taste is p good

Me: she didn’t do the soundtracks

Friend: ummm…i remember stephanie meyer specifically thanking Muse in her books

in the "acknolwedgements" section

 or did you, the twilight princess, not read that part

--0000000--

[graduation party]

Friend: I feel like there should be a twilight spoof..

where a high school girl has to choose between dating a furry and a goth

bc that's what this feels like to me

--0000000--

Friend: he freaks me out

the beefy one

--0000000--

[training scene]

Friend: jasper's kinda sexy too

well, everyone looks good next to robert :|

--0000000--

[jasper’s backstory]

Friend: jasper was a confederate soldier?!?!??!

what?? lmfao

confederate vampires? thanks i hate it

--0000000--

Friend: didn't he have like a life and morals before becoming a vampire or

i mean i guess he's a confederate so maybe not but

--0000000--

[jasper’s backstory]

Friend: he just listens to her lmfao

his Evil Mexican Bruja

--0000000--

[about Victoria]

Friend: she should just make someone sexy a vampire and fuck them tho

she has the power here

--0000000--

[about Jacob]

Friend: is there a REASON he never wears a shirt?

--0000000--

[Jake trying to convince bella she has feelings for him]

Jake: you can love more than one person… like sam, Emily, and leah

Friend: thruple!

that's the only resolution here

jacob & edward need to fuck each other and get over it

there's too much tension between them

--0000000--

Alice: you and Edward will have the house to yourself tonight

Friend: oooooo

Alice: you’re welcome

Friend: LMFAO

alice is a bro

--0000000--

Bella [immediately after the scene with Alice]: hey dad, I was wondering

Friend: hey dad… i was wondering. do you have any condoms

--0000000--

Bella: dad I’m a virgin

Friend: not for long….

--0000000--

Friend: but like honestly it's all so deeply unclear to me

he has like no blood, right?

HOW does he get hard

Me: he’s always hard

Friend: i don't think that's how that works

--0000000--

[Edward and bella in edward’s room]

Bella: I wanna ask u something

Friend: "can we fuck"

--0000000--

Friend: i feel like "becoming a vampire" is just a metaphor for "losing virginity"

--0000000--

[Bella tried to jump Edward]

Edward: bella…no

Friend: ???????????

they already kiss and stuff?????????

Me: yeah

i think he's worried he'd like. fuck her to death

idk… her vulva is delicate i guess

 Friend: they could do some Other Stuff

Me: yeah i know

edward is just…. too old school to understand anything but piv

Friend: fuck her to death…with his flaccid vampire dick

 [..]

this is so………Weird

?????????? sex is not a sin

--0000000--

[Edward talking abt how he would have courted bella in 1918]

Friend: ???????????? i dont believe that at all

people fucked in the 1800s

edward is a fucking weirdo

[Edward starts his grand speech]

Friend: Ew

this is…. a Lot

tbh it's Not Sexy that he can't adapt to a more feminist era

[Edward proposes]

Friend: this is…… a Lot

he Keeps Asking

[bella accepts]

Friend: she's only saying yes because she's horny!!!!

--0000000--

Friend: also….tbh it's sad that these vampires have to deny their instincts and have no control over themselves

like ….maybe they should just be euthanized

 Me: :O

Friend: is it fair to deny them their nature???

we don't force tigers to be vegetarians

what is the difference

Me: because… they're sentient and intellectual and can decide for themselves not to eat humans

Friend: i'm not sure i buy that

Me: you think they're not smart enough to make their own decision not to eat humans?

Friend: it seems like they have to be rehabilitated to deny a very natural instinct that they have no control over

are the cullens themselves a metaphor for mormonism?

 Me: yeah but carlisle CHOSE a vegetarial lifestyle… no one forced it on him

Friend: i guess

but at what cost

lmao

--0000000--

[tent scene]

Jacob: I am hotter than u

Friend: LMFAO

--0000000--

Friend: why didn't they bring more blankets?????

how fucking cold is it

Dumbasses

--0000000--

[Edward and jake arguing over bella]

Friend: idk bella….

i'd rather fuck a hot wolf than a freezing rock hard PussyDestroying Vampire

those wolves are HUGE…. huge dicks im sure

--0000000--

[Edward talking about how he doesn’t want bella to be a vamp to jake]

 Friend: i feel like they're Bonding

over their inability to control this woman lmfao

--0000000--

[jake and Edward fighting over bella]

Friend: bella is not that interesting? ? ? ?

--0000000--

Edward: if you weren’t trying to steal bella I might actually like u

Friend: wow

THIS is where they should fuck

t h r u p l e

look deep into each other's eyes

--0000000--

Friend: she'd warm up if they were having sex

--0000000--

[post tent scene]

Friend: she's not even wearing a hat rn

bella…what the fuck

--0000000--

[Edward and bella talking about being engaged, jake overhears]

Bella: it’s the 21st century

Friend: yeah, it is the 21st century…. marry them both

--0000000--

[bella asks jake to kiss her]

Friend: what the FUCK is happening

--0000000--

[bella and jake making out]

Friend: she's not even wearing anything warm

--0000000--

[battle]

Friend: carlisle…. kung fu master

Me: renaissance man

Friend: only breaks the hippocratic oath when absolutely necessary

--0000000--

[confrontation with riley and Victoria, Edward trying to convince riley to turn on Victoria]

Edward: think about it riley.. .you’re from forks… you know the area

Friend: "you're from forks… who would want that"

--0000000--

[Carlisle healing jake]

Friend: god…..my sexy, classy dad

… so smart….. so kind

--0000000--

Bella: I’m not normal

Friend: bella….you are SO normal

the reason every middle school girl read these books and thought they were like bella is bc you are just THAT normal

--0000000--

Edward: I guess we should start planning the wedding

Bella: no… something more difficult first… more dangerous

Friend: is she still talking about her virginity

[omophagias]

What makes the 14th century alliterative revival interesting to you? If I can ask?

(i’m going to do the best i can to answer this while every piece of premodern lit i own is taped up in a box somewhere. this post is also going to be very long because it’s my blog and i do what i want.)

first of all i just like alliteration in any form of poetry—i think it makes it more fun to read out loud and helps to accentuate and drive along the meter. it’s also the primary ornamental device in old english poetry—i think the ruin provides a pretty good ongoing example although the translation they’re using on wikipedia is a bit lackluster imo. the ruin is also interesting in itself for a variety of reasons but i’m personally a fan of the way the alliteration seems to ebb and flow in intensity throughout the poem as the poet moves between the city as it once was and the ruins that it is now. it’s also got a bit of internal rhyme near the start with the repetition of -orene words—gehrorene, scorene, gedrorene, forweorone, geleorene (undereotone if you squint)—that i love. this is largely beside the point. anyway it looks like this—

glædmod ond goldbeorht  ||  gleoma gefrætwed, wlonc ond wingal  ||  wighyrstum scan; seah on sinc, on sylfor,  ||  on searogimmas, on ead, on æht,  ||  on eorcanstan, on þas beorhtan burg  ||  bradan rices. (the ruin, lines 33-37) 

broadly, the rule is: four stresses per line, at least three of which alliterate (wlonc ond wingal  ||  wighyrstum scan; or, more widely known and a bit looser, hwæt! we gar-dena  ||  in gear-dagum...)

anyway post-conquest a lot of things change; partially because english isn’t the prestige language for a couple-three centuries afterwards so prestige poetry is in latin or norman french (or anglo-norman), partially because english itself is obviously changing through absorbing a lot of norman & otherwise-french influence, partially it is the nature of poetic form to adapt. i’ve seen some arguments that end-rhyme was introduced into french-etc. poetry through diffusion of arabic poetry out of al-andalus; i’m not qualified to comment but it sounds plausible. either way, at and after the time of conquest, french verse was generally octosyllabic, and rhyming or at least assonant—

Bels fut li vespres e li soleilz fut clers. Les dis mulez fait Carles establer. El’ grant vergier fait li reis tendre un tref; Les dis messages ad fait enz hosteler; Duze serjant les unt bien cunreez. (la chanson de roland, att. turold, c. 1040–1115, lines 157-161; assonant)

Quant des lais faire m’entremet, ne vueil ubliër Bisclavret. Bisclavret a nun en Bretan, Garulf l’apelent li Norman. (bisclavret, marie de france, c. 1160–1215, lines 1-4; aabb rhyming)

alliterative verse didn’t entirely disappear, probably, but we don’t have evidence for it after the composition of layamon’s brut in 1190. the verse compositions in identifiable english that we have, like of arthour and of merlin or richard coer de lyon, tend to take after anglo-norman and french antecedents—

Merlin seyd to þe king “Al y knowe þi glosing, Y wot þou louest par amour Ygerne þat swete flour. What wiltow ȝeue me, ar tomorwe Y schal þe lese out of þi sorwe?” (of arthour and of merlin, c. 1250–1300, lines 2477-2482)

He answeryd wiþ herte ffree, “Þeron j moot avyse me. Ȝe weten weel, it is no lawe, A kynge to hange and to drawe…” (richard coer de lyon, c. 1300, lines 997-1000)

the above two are fairly representative of earlier (like, pre-chaucerian) middle english poetic literature. speaking broadly: short, metrical rhymed couplets. i should also mention, probably, that people at the time were fairly inconsistent about the scribal difference between u and v or y/i/j, that þ goes “th”, and that ȝ makes a variety of “g” or “g”-“y” cusp or “gh” or “ch” sounds and can also stand in scribally for a z or hard s.

anyway, the 14th century alliterative revival is what it sounds like: around 1350, primarily in the north and west of england, a lot of alliterative verse began to be written down. it’s…very different from the examples given above:

And þat þe myriest in his muckel þat myȝt ride; For of bak and of brest al were his bodi sturne, Both his wombe and his wast were worthily smale, And alle his fetures folȝande, in forme þat he hade, ful clene;      For wonder of his hwe men hade,      Set in his semblaunt sene;      He ferde as freke were fade,      And oueral enker-grene. (sir gawain and the green knight, “gawain poet”, c. 1370–1390, lines 142-150)

middle english alliterative verse by and large rejects end-rhyming (however, the exceptions to that rule are absolutely my favorites—more later), and brings back the four-stress line (both his wombe and his wast  ||  were worthily smale) although in a longer and looser form than was common in old english, probably because of linguistic shifts and because of evolution of the medium. it is so fun to read out loud. sir gawain and the alliterative morte arthure are probably your most accessible examples—they’re both available in facing-page translation by simon armitage, who isn’t my favorite translator of sir gawain but does a good job of retaining the stresses. piers plowman is also representative, but reading it, to me, is a little like being trapped in the donut shop my grandpa hangs out at with a bunch of other old guys, except without donuts—it’s very old-man-yells-at-cloud. but really my interest with them is less with translation than with the way that the language sits in my mouth, and the way that i think alliterative verse sort of pulls the lines forward in a way that end-rhyme doesn’t necessarily—it feels more propulsive, more churning. it’s like a water-wheel, if that makes sense? it plays off the natural stresses of the english language in a really engaging way, and differently from iambic pentameter, which tends to get most of the spotlight when it comes to naturalistic rhythm in english poetry. and there’s a playfulness to a lot of it (especially the rhymed poems), or at least a sense of the ability to play with language, that i love and that i think a lot of people don’t really realize existed in medieval literature (or think only chaucer was capable of it.)

however! the works from the alliterative revival that combine alliteration and end-rhyme are some of my favorite poems in the english language (for a permissive definition of “english”), because they tend to develop these incredible complex, elaborate structures of rhyme and meter. so there are two poems in this category that i’m going to talk about, and i can go for…a long time on the second one. i’m not really going to bring up sir gawain on its own much more because, no room, but it’s really one of my favorite arthurian works, in part because of the alliterative verse, in part because i just love the figure of the green knight and the awful castle hautdesert threesome setup; it’s also one of the more accessible examples of the core of the genre (at least to me—i bounced really hard off of malory, the mabinogion is fun but deeply weird in a way that might put off beginners, and i think chrétien de troyes really depends on how you’re introduced—english translations of french arthuriana tend to be prose translations, which is a whole different post but suffice it to say i don’t think they work.)

first is the three dead kings, which is an expansion on the “as you are so i once was / as i am so shall you be” type of memento mori motif that was pretty common at the time; three kings on a boar hunt run into three corpses who identify themselves as their ancestors and tell them to stop fucking around and take death seriously. so, thematically—i think memento mori art and literature is a lot of fun, in general; the combination of the focus on life’s transience with macabre and often enthusiastically ghoulish imagery—

Lo, here the wormus in my wome — thai wallon and wyndon! Lo, here the wrase of the wede || that I was in wondon! (the three dead kings, att. john audelay, c. 1426, lines 98–99)

—and the vision of life still continuing after death and among the dead, not necessarily solely in the sense of the resurrection but in a community of the dead on earth who speak to and concern themselves with the living, it’s just very fun. (afterlives by nancy mandeville caciola is an absolute blast on that front, by the way.) the three dead kings is also structurally complex in a really enjoyable way: it’s not bob-and-wheel (which you see very famously in sir gawain, the little two-word bob and four-line abab wheel at the end of each verse), but the five-line cdccd bit that i’d call a sort of wheel; and then the main body of each stanza has this very fun abababab scheme where the a- and b-words still half-rhyme with each other. from the stanza i quoted above, you get “fynden — fondon — lynden — Londen — byndon — bondon — wyndon — wondon”. i think it plays very well with the meter.

aside from that, i love the imagery of it; it ranges from, like i said, almost comically grotesque—the dead king whose legs are like leeks wrapped in linen, the worms wallowing and winding in the womb (interesting word choice, also)—to this very sere, wintry atmosphere; the last stanza has a half-line about the “red rowys of the day,” the red daylight, that i just love. and i’m a big fan of the way that, kind of like sir gawain in miniature, the three dead kings opens with this celebration of chivalric performance that’s suddenly pulled askew by the intrusion of supernatural—or, like, really, the most natural; what’s more normal than death, or than cyclical renewal?—forces.

the second poem is pearl. (the linked translation is not my favorite; simon armitage has a facing-page one that’s pretty good, but my favorite overall is marie borroff’s (rip), who also did my favorite sir gawain.) i’m going to do my best not to just go on and on about pearl for ages, because this post is already very long, but it’s also, i think, one of my favorite poems, period. its structure is very hard to talk about briefly, because the way that it’s built is integral to its subject. in brief: 101 stanzas, each of 12 lines in abababab-bcbc rhyme, divided into 20 cantos (the 14th canto has 6 stanzas, the rest 5), for a total of 1212 lines. within each canto, the first and last line of each stanza repeat these linking words and phrases (except the first line of each canto, which does so to the final line of the canto preceding, and the final line of the poem, which paraphrases the opening line.) this is all because pearl is in part about heavenly geometry, the square/cube of the heavenly city (12 furlongs on a side, filled with 144,000 maidens) and the circle/sphere of the pearl, and the way that those two shapes are interposed on each other—there’s a lot of structural/behind-the-scenes numerology and geometry to talk about, but like…i won’t right now. it’s also, in the poem itself, something that can’t fully be talked about—

An-under mone so great merwayle No fleschly hert ne myȝt endeure, As quen I blusched upon þat bayle, So ferly þerof watȝ þe fasure. I stod as stylle as dased quayle For ferly of þat frelich fygure, Þat felde I nawþer reste ne trauayle, So watȝ I rauyste wyth glymme pure. For I dar say wyth conciens sure, Hade bodyly burne abiden þat bone, Þaȝ alle clerkeȝ hym hade in cure, His lyf were loste an-under mone. (pearl, “gawain poet,” c. 1370–1390, lines 1081–1092)

briefly—the narrator sees the heavenly city and nearly dies on the spot, only protected by the fact that this is all taking place in a dream-vision. borroff translates a bit of that as:

As a quail that couches, dumb and dazed, I stared on that great symmetry Nor rest nor travail my soul could taste, Pure radiance so had ravished me.

like…i love that. so much of pearl is about mortal and divine perception, about the unknowability of death and the depth of grief and the final breakdown of the consolatio as a literary-philosophical genre, and about the way that the dead who have transcended death and come out the other side are residing because of that transcendence in a fundamentally alien sphere of cognition, marked out by the impossible-to-withstand radiance of the heavenly city.

but what pearl is about-about, it’s generally agreed, is the death of the narrator’s young daughter. she is the pearl who he lost; grieving her, he falls asleep in a garden and has a dream. in this dream, he wakes up in a fantastical garden or forest, divided by a river, and on the other side of that river is a beautiful young woman who identifies herself, and who the narrator identifies, as the “pearl”. the rest of the poem is a back-and-forth between the narrator and the pearl-maiden, which is largely him asking questions and her explaining biblical parables to him. but describing the conversation as that really does it an incalculable disservice, because what it is is, on the one hand, a grieving parent asking these very human, tender questions of his lost child—are you really her? why did you have to go? where are you? are you happy where you are?—while the child offers only these very stern, cold rebukes—þou most abyde þat He schal deme—and abstruse explanations of the parable of the vineyard; and on the other hand, someone who has been made greedy and grasping and willfully uncomprehending in his grief, refusing to understand that the child he lost is happier where she is now, and that she can be happier there, and that he cannot join her before his decreed time. and he’s not at fault for being that way, but he’s thinking in ways that are fundamentally limited by the mortal realm that he can’t yet exit and she’s thinking in ways that are incomprehensible to people who haven’t also undergone the same apocalyptic, in the word’s sense of “unveiling” (but also, i mean, she’s in the heavenly city), reorientation of thought and being. it’s a very tender poem that i think also manages to prefigure some of the staples of eldritch horror.

and i love how the structure plays into that; the alliteration is looser than the three dead kings—there’s basically no caesura (the || that shows up sometimes in three dead kings and is more or less mandatory in old english verse), and sometimes there’s only 2 alliterations to a line, because the lines are shorter, or none at all—but it’s still got these wonderful repetitions of sound across the stanzas, tied into the repetition of the key words at the beginning and end. the whole thing builds up and up and then collapses back onto the beginning, as the narrator gradually believes he’s understanding more and more and then, in his attempt to ford the river before his time, is thrown back into the mortal world; the poem’s like an impossible staircase. it’s this massive crystalline structure enclosing a deeply human core. there is, to my knowledge, nothing else like it. it—and the other works, including sir gawain, attributed to the “gawain poet” on the basis of stylistic similarities—survives in a single manuscript, cotton nero a.x, which fortunately survived the ashburnham house fire in 1731.

to close off on the alliterative revival at large, it fell out of fashion over the 1400s; in england, the chaucerian tradition—end-rhymed iambic pentameter—dominated, and while alliterative-meter poetry still had some currency in the scottish court that ended with james vi/i stuart’s ascent to the english throne and transfer of his court to london. in modern usage, alliteration as its own technique does crop up in poetry—and i’m always happy to see it—but alliterative meter (as in, four-stress lines, or even the looser form of sir gawain or the three dead kings) is much less common and most people encounter it either through translations of beowulf or through some of the poetry in the lord of the rings (from dark dunharrow  ||  in the dim of morning…)

[angeldrcps-blog]

           ✧.° ░  come on girls...get on the floor...we just wanna have some fun !! hello !! it’s me, diana ( or di if u like ), ur resident girl group stan AKLSDHSDH i go by she/her pronouns & reside in the est timezone. i’m sooo sorry this is so late...pls plot with me anyway <3 now onto the intro !! tw: drugs, alcohol, & death mention ( nothing in like graphic detail or anything tho )

background

angelina was a product of her father’s second marriage

he was married for around 10 years to a publicist, but they split after he had an affair. they had a boy together, aka angelina’s half brother ( who is like 7 years older than her )

her father remarried to her mother in 1998, who was 22 at the time. there is a significant age gap between her parents, her father being around 35 at the time of their marriage

her mother was a huge model in the 90s, think like kate moss vibes. her father was a lawyer at a law firm famous for dealing with celebrity scandals and worked exclusively for the upper class. eventually, he would come to own this firm

their relationship was not strange to the media. it was common to see older men pictured with beautiful younger women

her mother fell in love, while her father didn’t feel the same way. he had done the whole ‘love’ thing with his first marriage. his second marriage was solely for his own selfish gain ( what i’m trying 2 say is her father was a gross guy ) 

her mother got pregnant with angelina shortly after the marriage, so she took a break from her career to have a child. most people said it was career suicide to have a baby while in the peak of her career, but her mother wanted to do the right thing. plus, she was in love. she did dream of starting a family with the man she loved one day, she just hadn’t planned it to happen while she was so young

her father wasn’t ecstatic about having another child, but there was nothing he could do. he could barely be a father to his son, unfortunately

angelina was born in february in the midst of a snow storm

her father was not there to witness her birth. he was promoted to head of his law firm and claimed there was some work thing he simply couldn’t get out of. or maybe it was another affair. at just 7 years old, even angelina’s half brother begged to come when her own father wouldn’t

due to the storm, they were snowed in for the day. even after she was born, her mother and half brother stayed in the hospital watching movies. her half brother had a great affinity to his step mother.

now that i’ve rambled on about her parents i’ll get into the important stuff. angelina can’t complain much about her childhood. it had many downs, but most of her memories were days spent with her half brother, or watching backstage as her mother walked the runway

her brother began teaching her guitar when she was just 6 years old. she fell in love instantly with music and transitioned into playing bass shortly after

her parents were not too happy about her getting into music, but they didn’t have much to say as long as it just remained a hobby

the media was obsessed with angelina and her mother. they were always pictured together wearing matching outfits. angelina was a princess and an heiress. but ultimately, her mother was more like a best friend than a mother. angelina never blamed her. she felt bad that she lost her youth because of her untimely birth

as expected, her father was rarely present. in angelina’s eyes, he was a hollow shell of a person. he never cared about her half brother the same way he didn’t care about her. he had no idea who his children were, and didn’t care enough to find out

that’s why when word of her father’s death reached her, she didn’t shed a single tear. he was found dead in his office, his cause of death being a drug overdose. no one in the family had any ideas he was a drug user. her mother was impacted heavily by his sudden death. despite the way he treated his family, she was in love with him

angelina’s mom found it hard to cope with the loss and was able to be there for angelina even less than before. all angelina had left was her brother, and it was them against the world

her brother was there for angelina as much as he could be. he never wanted to leave her on her own, but he needed to finish school and take care of business. when her father died, he was the heir to the firm

during her teen years, angelina was free to do what she wanted. with no one there to watch her, she knew she could get away with anything, as long as she could manage to stay out of the public’s eye

her passion for music grew, and she found herself doing all sorts of things with all sorts of people. she was introduced to a world of parties, drugs and alcohol, but for her that was just the beginning. she wanted more from life

eventually she began engaging in past times that put her at risk, but she had no regard for the consequences. her father’s death served as a constant reminder of how short life is, so she would do anything to make the most of it

angelina would try anything at least once. to her, experience was everything

at 17, she found her way back to her mother and told her she wanted to pursue music. her mother objected at first. she always had this dream that angelina would follow in her footsteps and pursue modeling. she had the look and the connections, it would’ve been hers for the taking

but music was her dream and her passion. her mother finally agreed, but only if angelina agreed to pursue a pop, mainstream sound. she didn’t want angelina to be associated with the image that came with some musicians, so she did everything she could to maintain angelina’s pristine image

angelina agreed, only because it was better than not pursuing music at all. she started playing shows at small venues with only a handful of fans, but eventually, the world fell in love with her as a bubblegum pop princess. she maintained the sound for a few years before deciding she could not lie to herself and her fans for any longer

she left her record label, leaving her mother and fans disappointed. the only people who expressed their support were her brother and her friends

this is where she is at now career wise, about to comeback with her new look and sound. she has no idea how the public will take it, but when the article about the brat pack dropped, her image was hurt even more. most people and critics think her comeback will kill her career, but a select few look forward to her new music

personality

angelina tends to go with the flow. she doesn’t have a very assertive personality and tends to adapt to fit a group of people, or a location. she doesn’t have a sense of self

while she values her alone time and tends to be more guarded with her emotions, she loves to be around people. she spent most of her childhood alone, so now that she has a good group of friends, she appreciates any time spent with them

she is extremelyyyy reckless. she’s never faced any consequences for her actions, so it’s thrilling to her. even if she were to get caught, she wouldn’t really care. she’s always seeking the next thrill and tries to convince other people to do stupid shit with her as well

she is an aquarius sun gemini moon. having two air placements as some of her most dominant placements has left her flighty and non-committal in most relationships. it’s not that she’s closed off to the idea of falling in love, she just needs someone to keep her on her toes. she gets bored easily

it takes a lot to make her actually angry because she gets over things fairly quickly, but there is a few fire placements somewhere in her chart that can make her a bit feisty if she gets really upset. it’s pretty rare tho

not rly personality but she’s bisexual !!!

wanted connections

party buddies - this is pretty basic and self explanatory, but someone angel can go out and have fun with. their friendship is might be more surface level, or prob started that way, but it’s possible they’re closer friends (maybe angelina opened up one day when under the influence of something

ex-fling/gf/bf - angelina is more the non-committal type so it’s more likely for her to have an ex fling than an actual ex bf or gf, but it could still have been a serious un-labeled relationship, actual bf or gf, or just an ex fling. they could be on bad terms, good terms, still have feelings, not have feelings, u name it

unrequited crush -  ur character could have feelings for angel, but maybe she doesn’t feel them back or is unaware that they like her. this could develop into her eventually having feelings for ur muse or not, whatever we want! OR she could have a crush on someone who does not like her back. maybe they’re even more non-committal than she is, or they simply do not like her back. we could plot this out however

current fling/friends w benefits - someone she is currently seeing/sleeping with. could be no strings attached, or there could b some feelings there. maybe they don’t want to make it anything serious, or maybe they’re ready to take it to the next level. maybe one person is ready to go further, and the other isn’t.

enemies w benefits - imagine the tension!!! they started out hating each other, but ended up hooking up. maybe it was a one time thing, or maybe they can’t stop going back to each other. i think it would b cool if they kept it a secret, they don’t want anyone else to know. this could develop however we want

ex-friends - someone she used to consider a close friend, but they had a falling out for whatever reason n maybe they hate each other now. maybe they want to re-kindle their friendship but don’t know how

sibling-like friendship - someone she sees like a sibling. they’re there for each other and look out for one another, always have each other’s backs

dynamic duo - could be her current best friend. this person is prob one of the closest people to her and has actually managed to break down some of her walls

confidant - someone who confides in her or someone she confides in, or they confide in each other. they don’t necessarily have to be the closest friends ever, but they get along, trust each other, and maybe they talk more in private

rivals - they hate each other for whatever reason. maybe it’s jealousy or their personalities just clash, but for whatever reason they do not get along. i love a good enemies plot. they can just b nasty to each other!!! maybe they bring out a really bad side to angelina that most ppl dont see

safe haven - *mini drug tw*  i did not know how to label this so i apologize for the name. but i think it would b cool if someone helped her out during a bad night. she typically saves herself from situations that aren’t looking too hot, and one day she couldn’t but luckily ur muse was there to help. maybe she drank too much or did too many drugs or mixed the two and ended up rly bad. either way, i would love for someone to have helped her during a rough. she would probably feel really confused and guilty and like she owes them, and also extremely grateful. maybe ur muse can manipulate her bc of it and make her do things bc she owes them, or maybe they genuinely had good intentions. i would also b down for a plot about her helping someone else out of a sticky situation!!

bad influence - i would loveeee for her to be a bad influence on someone. someone she can corrupt in a way, or just lead down a bad path akshkjhd and get them to try new, and not-so-good, things

good influence - someone to be a good influence on her. someone who brings out the best in her and tries to steer her down a better path

partner in crime - someone who does crazy, illegal shit w her. someone who is always down for the next adventure n they have crazy memories together

childhood friends - someone who knew her when she grew up. they grew up together in the media, or maybe their friendship was set up by their parents. maybe they were just friends out of their own free will, but grew apart when they grew older. the possibilities are endless!!!

[atlantisking]

so last time i was a complete idjit and misread the question so i’m just gonna go ahead and respond with the correct one

FAVOURITE AQUA.MAN ARCS

#01 - THE DROWNING

A mind-blowing start from Dan Abnett, taking over from Jeff Parker who wrote the last stories in the New52 (more on him later), Abnett starts Rebirth with a bang for Aqua.man. If you read this story and you don’t feel the maddening need afterwards to punch out anyone who says anything bad about Arthur then... you need to read it again. Dealing with a secret organisation who is trying to fuel a war between Atlantis and the Surface, Arthur is racing against the clock to try and prevent it while he seems guilty in the eyes of the whole world as well. Trying to prove his and Atlantis’ innocence while also having to deal with all his hurt due to his public image and his relationship to the rest of the Justice League. It’s a story of Arthur & Mera’s race against time and against the world. 

Every time I think of that story, I just become an even bigger fan of Arthur.

#02 - THE ATLANTIS CHRONICLES

You won’t see Arthur or any of the usual Aqua Crew in this, however this brilliant arc pulls together an intriguing history of the preboot canon of Atlantis, set up as ancient documents that have been found and now were turned into comics by DC. The storytelling is incredibly smart, every single issue written from a different point of view in different points in time in Atlantis’ history, a beautiful and truthful representation how there are no absolute truths in history and how the observer’s own point of view and beliefs can change the narrative. It’s a fascinating story starting from when Atlantis was still a thriving kingdom on the surface to the point when Atlanna realises she is pregnant. As I said this is preboot, specifically 80′s/90′s canon when Arthur was from Atlantis through and through, however the history of Atlantis is so fleshed out, something reboot has never done, I do take many points from it myself.

Also, watch out for strong and at times potentially triggering themes, this is not necessarily for the weak of heart.

#03 - THRONE OF ATLANTIS

The absolutely epic arc that birthed the cartoon of the same title (never seen it but heard it changes the story in many regards so boo) and also inspired some of the events of the DCEU film adaptation. In my opinion, if DCEU just went ahead and adapted this for the most part, it would’ve been a much more compelling story with a lot less cliché but Hollywood, eh? Anyway, this is the event that forces the reluctant heir to finally accept his legacy and become King of Atlantis. I love this story because you actually see a very reasonable Orm, who is a very good king and is a loving brother, supporting Arthur from the moment he turned up in Atlantis and realised he has a brother. Orm offers Arthur the throne because it’s rightfully his as the eldest son and Arthur is the one who initially refuses. These two brother don’t actually want to fight one another, however circumstances pit them against each other until they have no choice but to engage in battle.

It’s an epic story with loads of heart, it starts in Aqua.man #14 to #16 then concludes in Justice League #15 to #17 (also for some background info it’s good to read Aqua.man #0 of New52). It concludes in an epic battle and it tugs at your heart strings and there’s a very good twist there as well. I can’t recommend this story enough.

#04 - MAELSTROM

This story incorporates classic Aqua.man elements which are the underwater adventures, discovering ancient secrets in a Indiana Jones-esque way, written by Jeff Parker and how brilliantly! (I said I'll mention him later) Suspicions arise and Arthur starts to investigate into the past of Atlantis, specifically a part that is most painful to him; the death of his mother, Atlanna. Arthur & Mera go on an epic journey to uncover the truth and the conclusion is equally heartbreaking and yet heartwarming. I know I probably have screamed about this story many many times, again, parts of it have been adapted by the DCEU, but massively changed it, so in case you don’t know which story this is, I won’t tell you what happens but there were tears for me.

#05 - THE TRENCH

Just to show you how much DCEU Aqua.man has basically just done a megamix of the comic arcs, have this as well. It is a great story, the twist would be bigger if you didn’t know the DCEU story, it’s proper scary as well at times, it’s also the very first story in the New52, Geoff Johns open with this, and I know so many of you don’t like him for certain reasons, that’s fair enough, but you can’t tell me not to like him, sorry. He has brought back Arthur to basics and really handled it perfectly. This is a great start and also a fairly important read BEFORE you start on Throne of Atlantis. 

in conclusion...  i know that for the majority of people new52 was a step back, but if you look anywhere for best ranked aqua.man arcs, you’ll find most of new52 up there because it gave arthur a chance for a much needed restart. a lot of people know aqua.man for his asshole attitude and hook hand, but that wasn’t the case for most of his history, that was actually a deviation from his original personality (again, i’m not saying people can’t like that, i’m just saying that historically, that era tried to change a lot of things about arthur and his mythology). so new52 came in and said ‘no, we’re going back to basics, because arthur doesn’t need to be an angry asshole, he doesn’t need a hook hand to be cool. he is cool as he is’ and honestly, if you’ve ever read an aqua.man comic, you’ll know this very well, he has never not been cool, pop culture only relies on his image in super friends.

and that’s why i’m annoyed about the current arc, once again trying to make arthur edgier, but he doesn’t need that. his image was perfectly fine and ksd’s stories will never rank anywhere near the top in the history of aqua.man, they just miss that massive amount of heart, genuine love and emotion that was poured into the new52 stories and some of rebirth.

[fairycosmos]

Urgent! I’m the one with the Denmark cousins, I just feel insecure and a bit jealous, they literally almost have it all, they basically lived my dreams lol. I hate comparing myself to anybody but people around me always do anyways. They’re adored by all my relatives, eyes are always on them. It’s like they’re the most important nieces in the family. They’re fucking beautiful and I hate that they’re nice people bc then how do u hate them then it’s wrong & I feel like shit

hey man. it's okay to feel a certain type of way about things, and trying to push those emotions away/ignore them won't solve anything. trouble is, intense jealousy is often linked to deeply rooted issues w your own self worth which is something that needs to be consicously worked on over time or with a counselor/therapist, otherwise it will keep cropping up. you have to look at who you are and what you have and let it be enough. however i also think you need to give yourself a moment to breathe, adapt, accept and let go of what you can't change. the jealousy may always be there to an extent, and while it's painful, it's not smth you need to feel guilty about because it's not like you chose this and it's not like you're actively being an asshole to your cousins about it. that speaks volumes about your character way more than what you're like 'compared' to them does. i'd encourage you to examine why you think they're so untouchable and cool - bc they're pretty? by what standards, and why are those standards imposed, do they even make sense? what does any of that that really change about you? isn't it possible that their light doesn't take away any of your own, even if the self conscious part of your mind wants to trick you into believing otherwise? maybe you could use this to begin to dismantle the lies you've been told about beauty and what makes a person worthwhile. look, when we're envious, we often fall into these black and white all or nothing mine sets, making generalisations and assumptions about the situation because we already feel so bad about ourselves. it happens to everyone at some point. but actively focusing on trying to look at your circumstances from an objective, realistic and fair point of view is crucial. ground yourself in the actuality, in your own strengths as a person. it may not work every time, but attempting is good enough at the start. take a step back and stop putting yourself beneath them right off the bat. they are truly no better or worse than anyone else in the world. consider that you're only seeing a snapshot of who they are considering they live so far away, and so making any sort of strong judgement on your own life in comparison to theirs is just counterproductive. maybe your family are just extra involved with them bc they rarely visit? i know it's hard, i know it feels shitty. and maybe it has to for a while before you brain fully comprehends it all. but comparison really is as pointless as trying to learn how to fly. i've engaged in it for a good portion of my life (as i think a lot of girls are taught to) and it's so fucking exhausting for no gain. maybe it's a natural thought process in your mind but you have to know that your biased against yourself and not every thing you believe about yourself and about your cousins is true. anyway. i'm sorry you're feeling so down about something as fundamental and multi faceted as who you are. and i'm sorry the people around you aren't seeing it. you deserve better and you will get it eventually. please keep in mind that you don't exist in relation to your cousins, that you are so much more than an arbitrary insecurity like this. as i said before, it's really alright to feel what you need to feel, to process it at your own pace and to give yourself some time for your perspective and self esteem to grow. i highly doubt that it'll always be this upsetting and intense, and there is always comfort in the temporary nature of this sort of issue. all the wonderful traits you have do not disappear in the presence of your cousins, or bc you can't see them, and that's the bottom line love. i hope you're okay and that you don't crucify yourself too much over this. a bit of self compassion goes a long way even if you have to force yourself to practice it!! i'll be here if you need a friend or if you want to talk more about about it. hmu whenever bro 💖

[amondraca]

Prompt 01: Questionnaire

( content warning for: death mention )

01. Tell us about your character’s name. Was it given to them or chosen? Does it hold any special meaning? If your character has aliases or nicknames, how did they get them and what do they mean?

listen. listen, amon’s parents were theater geeks. that’s all there is to it-- I MEAN they were geeks in like every conceivable way, but still. yes, they named amon after the titular character from the grand romance of amon daak. amon had to piece it together after he grew up, because he only vaguely remembered that he’d been named for a character from a romance play, so he looked it up one day 

he doesn’t have any aliases because if he’s staying off the radar he just... doesn’t give his name out... he’s not that subtle 

and he has a few nicknames that i’ll have to get back to you on cause i don’t know them yet... 

02. What is your character’s relationship to their homeworld? Do they hold fond memories of it, or do they hate it? Are they still here, and if not, do they miss it?

the fond memories are mixed thoroughly with the horrid, at this point-- he’ll always have a fondness for heat and sand just because nostalgia, but a childhood friend of his made sure that even if amon went back to tatooine he wouldn’t truly be going home. 

it’s a bittersweet thing, because he wants to love it for all of the joy it once held, but everything is stained with blood now 

03. Describe your character’s relationship with those who raised them. Was it positive? Negative? Neutral? What sorts of ideologies were they raised with, and do they still stand by them now?

though usually hostile to outsiders, the sand people of tatooine viewed amon as one of their own, and raised him accordingly. he still doesn’t know the details of the relationship between his birth parents and the tribe that took him in, but he got the impression that it was one of the very, very few positive ones that they ever held with humans. 

amon himself loved the people he was raised by very much-- though he often felt that they didn’t quite understand him, and he had some trouble adapting to a few of their traditions. he was taken from them before becoming an official adult, and before he would have been expected to fight for them. 

throughout his childhood, he had confusing visions of the deaths of the sand people that raised him, which wouldn’t come true until many years after he left. none of them remain alive today. 

after leaving them, he was largely raised by jedi master krynda draay, and several of the other older seers she’d gathered as part of the covenant. their care was always far more focused on his abilities than his identity, however, and once it was discovered that his visions grew in clarity and relevance after he’d been through a period of isolation, he spent most of his teens (and very early twenties) having limited contact with the outside world. 

he hasn’t heard from krynda or many of the other covenant members since the massacre on taris, and does his best not to think of them. 

04. What is your character’s relationship with the Force? Is your character Force-sensitive? Whether or not they are, do they believe in it? Do they lean more towards the dark or the light or are they somewhere in between?

there is almost no part of amon’s experience of the world that isn’t colored by his relationship with the force, and his force sensitivity

being half-miraluka, his eyes never developed quite right and he only has partial (and very blurry) vision through physical methods, however he also naturally developed the force sight that’s the hallmark of his mother’s species, and that’s mostly how he navigates through the world. 

outside of his natural force sight, he also has force visions of events out of different times, usually forward but also rarely from the past-- this is his main skill, as it’s the one that was trained most thoroughly. now that he’s trying to focus on other things, however, he’s also picked up some minor skills in things like revitalizing friends, providing short term force shields, very slight force empathy, and summoning light 

for him, the force was never a matter of belief, only of finding the right words for what he was already so familiar with

that being said, he wasn’t introduced to the concepts of light and dark until his teens, and he still isn’t sure whether he agrees with the binary. as he’s lived his life, he’s seen a thousand different expressions of the force, and there are so many different varieties of light, dark, in between, and outside, that in his own private opinions he doesn’t find the proposed dichotomy a useful way of looking at things. 

he does lean very naturally towards the light, however. he has since before he was trained, and he probably always will-- even in moments of great grief and pain, he finds the most comfort and solace in breathing, centering himself, taking time to let himself process and address the feelings and events, and moving on after he’s able to find gratitude within himself again 

05. What three word would you use to describe your character? What three words would your character use to describe themself? What three words would someone close to them use?

me: soft, affectionate, idiot 

amon: just a man 

mohandai: small, incessant and in my business when he has no right to be.

nox: optimistic, naïve, a Fool

he’s baby: best friend forever 

06. Describe your character’s aesthetic. Do they tend towards fashion or function? Do they like to accessorize? How does this extend into their own personal spaces, such as their home or their workspace?

though it’s been years since he left the sand people, amon still has some difficulty getting himself to wear anything that displays any flesh. good thing for him the jedi like layers almost as much as the sand people do

he tends towards browns, tans, and creams, pretty stereotypical for a jedi, and he’s usually wearing at Least three layers at any given time-- additionally he likes to wear goggles and masks, both to obscure his eyes (they have occasionally disturbed people with their odd appearance) and just because it’s more comfortable-- ALSO i mean, to try and be under the radar now that jedi are being hunted. not that it helps much 

it could definitely be said that the jedi/sandy aesthetic expands into any space he occupies, as well-- he tends towards neutral colors in most things, but very much likes to gather things like rocks and plants (and books) so that any space he inhabits for more than a few days ends up feeling more natural (and dusty) 

07. What are your character’s vices? Guilty pleasures? Bad habits? Weak spots?

if he has an appointment he has to set multiple alarms, because tho he’s fine at getting somewhere on time when he knows what time it is, his force abilities frequently kind of uproot him from his sense of time, so w/out reminders he never knows what time it is

also like.................... he’s a firm believer in second chances, and third chances, and 28th chances-- u can play him as many times as you want, he’s unlikely to ever really put his foot down (tho the slight force empathy does help him Somewhat in sensing intentions, he still ignores it when he shouldn’t, thank god he has friends)

08. Tell us about your character’s relationship with food. What are their favorites? Do they enjoy cooking? Are they adventurous? Will they eat absolutely anything or are they hard to please?

listen................. he was raised on hubba gourds and Not Much Else. variety is a gift, plentiful food is a miracle, he will eat almost anything and enjoy it.... most of his favorite foods are Juicy Plants (think watermelon, cucumber, etc just..... star wars) 

but he does not cook, because he cannot keep track of time to save his life and he Will burn just about anything he puts on heat 

he makes a mean salad tho

he’s not strictly a vegetarian but when left to his own devices he tends naturally in that direction partially because he still thinks of meat as for Special Occasions Only 

09. How does your character feel about engaging in relationships—romantic and / or sexual—with others? What is their history like? Do they fall in love easily? Are they constantly in and out of relationships?

he will be the first to encourage it in others and the last to see it coming for himself

genuinely, he’s the most oblivious in the world-- not that he has anything against it, he loves the concept of love, and he’s not opposed to sex as long as everyone involved is fully consenting (and capable of it) but he has Zero experience in the area. any flirting can and will go right over his head, so good luck 

bonus: on the rare occasions it doesn’t go right over his head he is very easily flustered 

also he’s gay

10. What is your character’s pain tolerance like? Can they hold their own in a fight, despite injury? If someone hurts them with the aim of gaining information, how much can they take before they cave?

it’s kind of-- he’s not got the highest pain tolerance in the world, he likes to avoid it when he can, but a combination of his childhood on tatooine meaning he’s extremely used to being uncomfortable, and the fact that he can dissociate at the drop of a hat like nobody’s business, means that it’s still not a very good way to get information out of him 

11. What is your character’s weapon of choice? Are they more skilled as a melee fighter or do they have more skill with ranged weapons? What’s their fighting style like? What sort of training do they have behind them?

his first training was with a gaffi stick, so when it came time to choose his lightsaber he got as close as he could to something that would use the same fighting style, and landed on a green-bladed lightsaber pike

that being said, fighting was always a last resort for him, and he never quite took to it-- he’s much better at using the force to defend himself if necessary, and defusing situations if he can 

as for current weapons-- his lightsaber was actually destroyed in the last couple of years, so he salvaged the kyber crystal and kept it out of sentimentality, but is now travelling largely weaponless 

also he has Zero skill with ranged weapons he has no experience and terrible aim 

12. Does your character have any words or catchphrases that they say frequently? Tell us about how they picked them up.

not so much specific catchphrases (although he does frequently end up saying things like “i believe in you” and “there’s always a choice”), but he does have kind of a particular way of speaking, in that in almost all situations his voice is very measured/even in tone and his words very well considered 

13. Tell us about a negative experience your character has had with either the Jedi or the Sith, and how this has affected their standing. Whether currently aligned or unaligned with either faction, if forced to choose, how would they side?

where to start............... 

i mean a sith killed the tribe that raised him, but also he loves her and believes she can make better decisions in the future 

and the jedi-- at least, the small sect of jedi he was part of initially-- isolated him for years and then killed a number of innocent kids

but also they disbanded and he’s seen many jedi perform acts of good

so overall he doesn’t generally like to judge based on order but rather on individual 

and still, if forced to choose, he’d go jedi every time 

14. How would your character react to seeing a relative or friend on the opposing side of a battle or mission?

we already have a whole thread dedicated to this 

all he did was throw optimism and love at her i don’t know what else you were expecting 

even without someone he loves on the other side he’ll try to stop most fights like........

15. Describe a memory that your character finds embarrassing.

when he first joined the covenant and they tried to replace his clothes with ones that weren’t covered in blood and dust and he threw a Whole fit, yelled, cried, tried to run away 

he still cringes every time he thinks about it 

16. What goals does your character hold for themself and what steps have they taken towards achieving them? How far are they willing to go to reach them? What is their be-all and end-all?

galactic peace :)

joking (kind of), but really at the moment the goal is just survival, and to preserve as much life and goodness as he can along the way. eventually he’d like to help the order get back on its feet, and get his travelling companion somewhere safe to land, but for now all of his goals are short term and wrapped up in helping people as much as possible 

he’s willing to do just about anything to help someone as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else (other than himself) in the process 

17. What is the one thing your character would change about their life if they were given the chance? What other lives could they have lived as a result?

oh, no, no, amon doesn’t play those games 

he spent a whole decade immersed in examining the entire galaxy and tapestry of history through the gaze of other possibilities and alternate endings, so no

he refuses to think about things like that with regards to his own life 

where he is is where he is, and that’s all there is to it 

18. Living in such a high-conflict time, how does your character feel about doing what they must to survive? Will they hurt or kill others—either directly or indirectly—to protect themself and / or those close to them? If so, do they regret it when all is said and done?

he will Not. do such a thing. to protect himself. if really pressed, he might do it to protect someone else, but he’s more likely to throw up a shield of some kind than actively fight. 

amon is a pacifist to his bones 

he has too many regrets already 

19. What is the biggest problem your character is currently dealing with?

jedi purge..... stuck on random backwater planets..... why........ he’s supposed to be low key but he Sucks at it, so they’re forced to relocate every other week or risk being hunted down 

20. Give us 3+ headcanons of any length or subject matter.

1. eyes - since one half of his genetics evolved out of them, but one half of his genetics still largely relies on them, amon ended up with something in the middle, eyes that didn’t form quite right. he keeps them covered frequently, because the flashes of hazy physical sight can confuse his force sight, but also because sometimes people find them disturbing to look at-- his pupils and irises are largely misshapen due to poor development, creating an odd ‘fractured’ look when combined with his minor cataracts 

2. droid - to pick up where his force sight leaves off (mainly with reading things on digital displays), amon has a small droid named bang that has accompanied him since he left the covenant. bang’s been through several rounds of repairs and upgrades, and at one point amon even had an engineer add a small terrarium to him so that he could keep some plants with him as they traveled. in build, bang is similar to a cam droid, and likes to hover around making pleased beeping noises when his services aren’t required. he is capable of social interaction when engaged, however, and know basic as well as a few other common galactic languages 

3. bag of friendship - part of the reason for amon’s isolation in the covenant is that his visions can very easily be influenced/directed by touching objects of significance. it’s not quite psychometry, as the visions don’t happen immediately and aren’t necessarily tied directly to the object, but it’s more like if amon has come into contact with anything that the force feels like telling him about, then he’ll get a related vision when he next sufficiently clears his mind. like how you’re more likely to dream about something if it was already on your mind. as a way of making use of this, amon keeps a small bag of trinkets on him at all times, each one holding significance to one of his friends, and he reminds himself of them every night before sleeping so that if the force has anything to say about what any of his friends are up to it will be sure to let him know 

bonus. Give us a list of any length telling us why our “fave is problematic.”

could have directly prevented the deaths of four padawans and didn’t 

could have prevented far more destruction and death throughout the galaxy but also didn’t 

burns food

has way too many random rocks in his bag 

creates a mess wherever he lands 

will believe in you and your inherent goodness even (especially) when you don’t want him to 

smile too precious 

got his droid altered to have a really deep radio announcer style voice when speaking non-droid languages, cause he thinks it’s hilarious 

would rather let a villain go in the hopes that they’ll turn their lives around than kill them to prevent further suffering at their hands 

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

ALRIGHT. DUDE. THIS CHAPTER DESTROYED ME. I DONT KNOW HOW TO CARRY ON LIVING ANYMORE. so many things are clear now. that's why nari feels so keen in taking care of jimin. but the cycle is repeating, jimin wants to give up his life and nari is willing to die for him AGAIN. the FEELS dude. also yoongi!!! i love him w my entire heart i hate seeing him cry :(( but there's something i dont understand though? the files said jimin only lived to his 23, but now we know nari gave him 60 years.+

+so it doesnt make sense. did something go wrong or are the files wrong? something tells me hoseok will still have an important role in all this since he apparently also is a shaman. we still dont know why that dude wants to kill jimin, and i also think it is also connected w his past life?? i dunno. and it looks like the fic is nearing its end???? :((( i can feel a lot of angsty shit coming. ALSO! im very interested in knowing if you got inspired to write zero in a real person?+

+because you describe him as having clear eyes and i suddenly imagine him as a western guy and not asian. but ye, the parting is definitely the angstiest thing you've posted so far and im a slave for mystical/supernatural stuff so it is probably my favorite work?? even if you just kill everyone in the end i'll love it kkjkpleasedontdothiskkkjkj you know i still love u right? im sorry for not being around so lately but im always following u and loving everything u do mum 💜

Ahahaa I’m so glad you noticed that ;) That will be answered in the next chapter. Also ooh! Hoseok! He’s such a fun character, and I wish I could have given him more time in the story. Same with Seokjin. And it is nearing the end! This week is the last chapter! I’m really excited to finally tie everything together. It’s been a long time for you guys to go without the big answers, and without knowing how the story will end. 

Oh! And that’s a great question! I actually wasn’t inspired by anyone when writing Zero. He was an original character from the first iteration of this story (before I adapted it into a fanfiction) so it makes sense that you didn’t read him as being of Asian descent. In the original, which is still on my computer, he was kind of nondescript racially. Kind of a mix of many things, since he was meant to be an ambivalent entity in the story. 

Hahaha I’m also a slave for the angst! I love it. And it makes me happy that you enjoyed this story! Seriously, it’s been such a fun ride. I love supernatural stuff, and it’s been really engaging for me to write in this genre. And of course! I love u too! Please don’t apologize. There’s no need! I’m happy when you’re around, and there’s no expectation that you’ll always be active. That’s totally fine!

ily2, my child

[toonazcoolforyou]

What We Do In Bram Stoker’s Dracula

alright so i rambled on about this in the Discord buuuut this is a slightly more shiny and cleaner version! :D *enthusiastic single party blower goes off* okay so tbh it’s kiiinnd of gunna be the same thing but just, idk, with a little more information lol. while there’s a few details a bit more ‘set in stone’ plenty is open and i’m seriously flexible with ideas so don’t hesitate throw any suggestions at me~ you can DM me on Discord (it’s Nazcool#8991 if u happen to come across this train wreck and don’t know wtf i’m talking about) if you’re interested and/or have any questions (and if there’s enough of y’all that wanna coordinate maybe we can get a channel up/a group chat or somethin’ & go from there <3)

**if u see that there’s no info for w/e character it just means i literally have no ideas for ‘em so go wild & have fun~**

EDIT 1: I FORGOT THE BRIDES OF DRACULA AAAAHH + other details lol

btw this is a two part ad so bear with me as i try to keep things organized:

Part I.

alright alright alright so like i said think Dracula but with 75% less charm & wit & competence. the characters for the ad will have vibes of satire of something resembling being srs but at the same time they’re just ridiculous & dramatic & just, idk, too much™ at times (maybe even more so than Dracula Dead and Loving It lololol). i’m gunna be playing The Dracula role (he doesn’t have a name yet ssssshhhh but at least i have Luke Evans as his face??? :D :D :| okay cheesy as hell i know i know pls forgive me) but everyone else is open! i’m going with the main few folks for rn but in all honesty if you wanna play another character from Dracula that i don’t have listed pls be my guest?? as for ideas themselves i’m still figuring my guy out so what might be listed for him may change -but i’ll update things so dw about that- & tbh besides a few main details for The Mina Harker character i’m super flexible on everything so just holler at me if ur interested :D

also just ‘cause this might be more silly doesn’t mean there can’t be drama~ & sadness~ & murder~ pls pls gimme all the tragic stuff!!

BTW u can race/gender bend any of the characters in the list tbh lol (i’m doing a gender bend for The Mina Harker + The Jonathan Harker so yeh go for it babes <3 <3 <3)

A L S O, u don’t have to be that well-versed with the book/characters u just need a basic grasp so that the character can be barely influenced by the original one. If u need help with any of this just lemme know i am more than glad to aid u <3

roles:

The Dracula- taken. so hey i’ll be playing The Dracula! I’m still working out how old he is but he’s probably gunna be old old to keep with the #aesthetic of the character (also i wanna have it so that he’s still oblivious to some more 80s day things & he’s that weirdo who dresses in old clothing when not in public). Think between 1800 and 2000 y/o old xD;;; anyway so backstory is still obv. In Progress but really he was probably stupid and got himself turned into a vampire ‘cause he was a gullible fuck & now has to suffer with the consequences -this includes adapting to having pointy sharp teeth, feeding on the living in order to survive, and outliving everyone that u have ever loved :’D he’s totes fine w/ this guys it’s fine. he pretty much struggled for ages & while he likes to exaggerate/romanticize what happened to him it was pretty terrible™ & he has plenty of a fuck up under his belt. over time he got to know other folks + vampires & he adapted but not enough? like he’ll quote you some fancy-ass poem to be elegant~ and he has a pity party every 5 seconds & gets pissy when no one pays attention to him he’s just needlessly #dramatic

somehow, he pissed off a family of vampire hunters who have been going after him ever since??? i haven’t plotted out when this began so it’s open as of rn lololol & it’s The Abraham Van Helsing who is now in charge of hunting him down~ (more info, or rather just ideas, in The Abraham Van Helsing character section)

& now here comes the more complicated section tbh: so i haven’t planned out when this happened yet -i’m torn between sometime just before/after he was turned into a vampire or during WWI big range i know- but he fell in love w/ a man & that man died tragically so he decided to try to be w/ the guy’s kid only for them to die too at some point but not before they had a kid (might be bad luck? might be a curse? who knows *shrug.gif*) so yeah fast forward MANY YEARS & now he’s trying to be with The Mina Harker who is the last(?) possible descendant of his first love. rn they’ve been best friends for 6 yrs w/o The Mina Harker knowing A. that The Dracula is in fact a vampire, B. that he is the descendant of the first man The Dracula loved, & C. that The Dracula is, in fact, in love with him -he just thinks he’s a rad and weird best friend who does weird stuff at weird times of the day. SO YEH that’s his awkward life he’s just trying to be w/ the love of his life piss off other vampires/hunters/supernatural creatures/world pls & ty

he’s also super weird ‘cause he doesn’t wanna turn any of the descendants into vampires??? which makes each death more painful ‘cause he has a code or w/e & it’s becoming more & more tempting w/ each descendant so yaaay for drama~

also! he has a few roommates & there might be a documentary being made about them which is detailed in Part II. of this ad~

The Mina Harker- open. as listed in The Dracula section The Mina Harker is the descendant of the first man The Dracula loved & The Dracula has been pinning for him for the past 6-ish yrs. rn they’re the best of friends & The Mina Harker thinks The Dracula is a totally good guy -he’s a mostly™ good guy *cough*- & super cool but also super odd but he likes him a lot anyway as a best friend lololol. as for the descendants of the first guy honestly that’s pretty open (like The Dracula pretty much loved every guy after that BUT if there was only a female descendant at the time he loved them too even if they weren’t his technical preference ‘cause love > all) but they pretty much died in bad ways??? like it could be mundane bad ways like illness or war or it could be off-the-walls weird like being crushed by an elephant or getting struck by lightning five times idk idk whether it’s just Bad Luck on The Dracula’s part or a curse is open so yeh lmao.

ANYWAY so for personality i was thinking that this descendant is more on the quiet/introverted side??? like he’s super nice to ppl and wants to help but confrontation??? big groups??? talking to ppl a lot??? not his forte he is an awkward bby. while The Dracula & he aren’t exactly the same personality-wise they get along absolutely great which probably is even more tough for The Dracula ‘cause??? he loves him??? & has to protect him from all of the other vampires who probably wanna eat him??? like pls no he wants this guy to live leave him alone *sobs*

there’ll probably be ppl to try to stop The Dracula from pursuing his dreams maybe because they’re dicks but actually probably because The Dracula is a dick & he has a few skeletons in his closet (he dresses them up in costumes for Halloween & nobody's the wiser, except for his roommates ofc) but it’ll just be random and confusing to The Mina Harker ‘cause, yeh, who would hate his bestie???

besides being best friends w/ The Dracula for about 6 yrs, being engaged to The Jonathan Harker (for w/e reason is up to u tho it could be funny that he wanted to fulfill some wish/will that a dying relative had aka them trying to fuck over The Dracula), not knowing that The Dracula is a vampire despite possible signs + ppl maybe hinting/telling him, & woops having no kids of his own & he’s what thirty or forty-something that’s a nail-biter for The Dracula for sure everything about the character’s past is open!

okay so final lame part but i’d absolutely LOVE it if you used Michael Fassbender as the fc ‘cause I <3 him a million times BUT if you really don’t want 2 you don’t have 2 i won’t force u into that decision if you like the idea but wanna use someone else~

The Jonathan Harker- open. an idea i had for this one is that, for whatever reason, she’s engaged to The Mina Harker character & they’re pretty much complete opposites. she’s a nice girl but she just… is too active. a pure extrovert by nature, she’s always going to parties and socializing and dragging The Mina Harker along with her. she loves him with all of her heart it seems though it appears as if she really doesn’t listen to her fiance & enjoys the concept of him rather than who he is actually. The Dracula is pissed off about this and has contemplated her death approximately fifty five times now. probably calls her vapid or w/e while he’s on his pity party couch (yes that’s a thing don’t judge) rofl

The Abraham Van Helsing- open. the idea i have for him is that he is the descendant of the family who have vowed to hunt down The Dracula. kind of awkward because The Dracula just wants to be left the fuck alone (and okay maybe he wants to kill a few peasants in peace but he can’t seem to get what he wants, can he?) but overall the tone is that this guy hates The Dracula. however, times have changed a bit and nowadays he just confronts The Dracula, declares his hatred for the man, and then pretty much just resumes his day. maybe puts garlic in the doorway to a place in order to disrupt The Dracula, switches out regular spoons for silver ones, etc. etc. etc. (honestly, on occasion, he more brings up the fact that The Dracula is in love with a man rather than being a blood-sucking vampire which makes The Dracula go :/. ALSO PLOT POINT if u wanna go this direction but mb actually the reason The Abraham Van Helsing keeps going on about this is because he's trying to push The Dracula away and has feelings for The Mina Harker??? idk idk late-night ideas flooding in here lmao). overall, he just acts like a prick to The Dracula tho The Dracula probably deserves it lololol. it doesn’t help that they live in the same building, which typically causes The Abraham Van Helsing to be locked out on stormy evenings while The Dracula bemoans whatever fate he thinks up at the time on the couch near the entrance.

the fc i have in mind is Jonny Lee Miller ‘cause i really like his appearance in Elementary but tbh if you have anyone else in mind go right ahead!

The Brides of Dracula- (shhhh ignore the fact that i forgot this section initially) so that this is pretty open since there'll probably be at least a few folks The Dracula has turned like the dumbfuck he is lololol. more than likely they have their own lives but they may??? still have contact w/ him??? & while he pretends to not give a fuck about them they're like his kids???? like pester him for money and he'll be all ‘Why??? I just gave you some!!’ but if anyone hates them he'll be all ‘Don't talk to me or my 100 children ever again’ & be defensive. overall he'll still be an asshole to them lololol

i have two vague af ideas just in case u guys are interested:

the first one is that this progeny has an actually good relationship with The Dracula & is always visiting (or mb lives in the same building idk) & is always bringing him presents and nice stuff & mb looks out for The Mina Harker when The Dracula can't (probably helps cover up a lot of crap ‘cause The Dracula is a mess tbh *shrug emoji*).

the second is a progeny obsessed w/ The Dracula & wants to be w/ him forever & doesn't wanna share him w/ any1 else. which a major problem cause??? The Dracula is in love with The Mina Harker??? so mb this progeny wants to sabotage the relationship anyway they can??? & wants The Mina Harker dead???

they can be any ethnicity/gender ‘cause The Dracula doesn't discriminate LOL

Brides:

any #

The Renfield- open.

The Lucy Westenra- open.

The John Seward- open.

The Quincey Morris- open.

The Arthur Holmwood- open.

Part. II

soooo for this part the concept is fairly simple: i wanna have a What We Do In The Shadows sort of plot where my character has a few roommates (preferably 3-5 though the number isn’t in stone yet) and they’re all weird af. not only that but potentially??? they have a documentary being made about them -w/ 80s London aesthetics + technology- due to vampires revealing themselves 2 years prior. it’s still in production which means there’s at least one cameraman around at all times. my character is dreading the time when it’ll be showed on TV because he has been trying to hide the fact that he is a vampire (alright really only to his love interest & best friend he dgaf if anyone else knows). like, think: he enters one of the rooms, minding his own business, & while the camera is technically focused on something else you still see him as he tries to walk backwards as inconspicuous as possible. he can’t deny that he loves the attention, though, so there are points/gunna be points where he’s more featured and may “subtly” try to push aside whichever roommate is around in order to be noticed.

he may or may not threaten the others with death and doom on a daily basis as well over the smallest of things -at this point his roommates know he’s full of shit, tho the crew might not woopsie

ALSO, there's (1) amulet to walk in the sun among all of them (probably his but idk lol) so everyone is always fighting over it rofl he is not happy that he can't be normalish all the time. they probably try to be all fancy but really they're doing rock-paper-scissors or tossing a coin. plans are ruined all the time, ppl are pissed off, good times.

there won’t be any technical ‘inspirations’ for any of the spots from the movie but honestly if ya wanna base your character on one of the wacky vampires go right ahead! everything about the roommates are open & while i prefer them to be vampires due to the aforementioned info but if you have an idea for another species (besides human) lemme know!

**also if u wanna make inspirations for the other characters from the movie besides the roommates 2 be involved w/ them too go right ahead~**

roles:

The Roommates:

(3-5 individuals)

The Crew:

(any # of individuals, at least one-two cameramen)

[ouchrvby]

creative cycle

 c h a l l e n g i n g  a n d  i n s p i r i n g

how do you respond to a given brief?

my starting point is always starting off with a quick google search of any particular words that catch my eye or that i deem important from the get go. this is so i can gather a basic understanding of what it means, the origin and whether there are different meanings for different contexts. this all begins to build the conceptual foundation of my project in which i can decide whether to go down a more literal avenue or something more abstract

i m a g i n i n g  a n d  g e n e r a t i n g

how do you begin to figure out the direction?

as someone who’s comfort is sketching, i start to sketch, figure out what is fitting well in my opinion with the brief. sketches with annotations really help me ditch ideas and elaborate on the promising ones. it’s more a process of elimination in the beginning, what Don’t i want to include, what do i see as not fitting well with the given brief etc. colour is super important as well. i begin here to play with colour palettes and what i associate with the words i’ve focused on and what different societal groups associate with them etc. 

p l a n n i n g  a n d  f o c u s i n g 

what do you want to develop and how?

what am i trying to Say with this project? who am i trying to speak to? is it political? social? engaging? interactive visually and or physically? these questions are really important for any piece of course but especially at this point, i want to be creating a piece that is making a point. pulling inspiration from issues that are real and are current really drives alot of my work and so i try and always include that within pieces. whether i take it from my own life or other peoples or societies as a group population

e x p l o r i n g  a n d  e x p e r i m e n t i n g

how do you understand the potential of the materials you are working with and how will you use them with you brief?

experimenting experimenting experimenting. every brief is different so i cannot predict what i would use for every brief i encounter. but my method of trial and error, trying different surfaces, techniques, ways of doing something, merging techniques together,, i would say this stage of the project would be the longest as it’s where i really connect with what im creating and can have strong evidence of what is working and what isnt. trying something new is always a good start and i tend to then retreat to old comfort such as painting and sketching but there is always an attempt to come back to new methods and techniques i havent tried and put them with a method im confident in

p r o d u c i n g  p r e l i m i n a r y  w o r k

how do you pull your ideas together and select them and which ones to develop?

if possible getting all the ideas in front of me, whether that be rough sketches pinned up on a wall for me to be able to go over with a different coloured pen and really See what i have to hand. i really benefit from doing this because it helps me see possibilities of combining two irrelevant ideas and placing them together and making them relevant, or reworking an idea i had in the beginning because i’ve learnt something else. i’m very very visual in the sense of developing, so i need to see all of them together. eliminate the crap ideas, work into the promising ones and combine the ones that just have something missing from them

r e v i s i n g  a n d  r e f i n i n g

how do you improve work you have produced?

ask! people for their! opinion! getting an insight from someone who isnt staring at my work 24/7 and picking at every imperfection helps me to see the bigger picture. to me this is the only real method i can work from because i am heavily negative towards my own work. so asking a peer stops me from being so harsh, but also allows me to Hear their feedback

p r e s e n t i n g  a n d  p e r f o r m i n g 

how do you choose the best way to present your work?

really depends on what i’ve produced but i always ask myself, do i want the viewer to be eye level with it? below it? above it? what position do i want the viewer to be at? do i want them to walk Around it? interact with it? do i decorate the space around the project? or is it loud enough on it’s own? or does it need that silence for it to be seen and heard?

a n a l y s i n g  a n d  e v a l u a t i n g 

how do you evaluate and what do you do with the information?

i am someone who likes and benefits from regular evaluations and feedback so i can keep improving and adapting my project to be the best it can be. so i try, when self evaluating, to focus on the elements that i really like and think have gone well with the brief and the concept that i have personally brought to it. this doesnt mean i am blind to the aspects of a project that can always be improved, but i will critique in such a way which helps with the Next project and doesnt cause me to get hung up on the current one. i use a similar technique when receiving feedback from peers. their praise will build my confidence and the areas of improvement will be something i will take with me to the next project

[iwan-out]

okay guys,

I was tagged by @pranktron (thanks mate) to do some tags so here the fluff we go!

Get to Know Your Follower Tag

Name: Agnieszka (hahahha call me Aga tho)

Height: 160 cm  

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor (because im a brave basic bitch)

Go to ssbb character: ???? I was a Sonic fan as a child

Fictional character I’d date: *iwa-chan’s voice* That asshole Oikawa i guess... oh also Allura and I are offically engaged!

Favorite band or artist: JACK WHITE

When did I make this blog: long time ago in the galaxy far far away (jk idk october 2015?)

How many blogs do I follow: too lazy to check, too sad to care (around 1k)

Do I get asks on a regular basis: *judding you right now* 

ASK ME THINGS! I LOVE ASKS!!1!

Aesthetic: black clothes, sad memes and my math teacher being mad at me

Get to know me tag!

Name: A g n i e s z k a

Nicknames: Aga, Comrade, Dad, Disappointment™

Gender: female

Star sign: l i b r a

Height: Levi Ackerman

Sexual orientation: angry

Favorite color: BLACK BLACK BLACK B L a cK BLA CK   BLA C  K

Favorite animal: love me some Dugong

Average hours of sleep: 5 

Cat or dog person: Cats cause they’re like walking salt machines

Favorite fictional characters: oh boi...the whole VOLTRON TEAM (i refuse to choose one) aph England, aph Romano, Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou (with Kenma and Akaashi aka the ultimate squad), i like Sherlock Holmes can’t choose the adaptation tho, SIRIUS BLACK, JAMES POTTER AND REMUS LUPIN combo, Yurio Plisetsky my angry child, Hanji from SnK aaand Percy Jackson i think.... I MEAN THERE’S MORE-

Number of blankets I sleep with: one to cuddle, one to stay warm and that one which i don’t use but somehow still have in my bed...

Favorite singer/band: J A C K   W H I T E everyone (he has my soul)

Dream trip: All of the 50 states and then straight to Russia ha

Dream job: That guy that knows perfectly US history and culture so he writes books, mades documentaries, travels and teaches on the university hahahha (i just kinda like США and their history don’t fight me)

When was the blog created: around the time i completly lost my life

Current number of followers: 425

What made you decide to make a tumblr: fandoms. they have dragged me here and they don’t want to let me l e a v e

5 things i like about myself -tag

1. I think (like usually too much but... yeah)

2. I don’t have problems with talking to people and making them listen to me.... that’s a blessing guys

3.  I learn languages quickly (english, russian, spanish, french)  

4. I am the chill     the chill is me       we are one

5. i like to think about myself as a funny person... a little bit? em

Okay, that was... something. I tag @ultra-fangirl-girl @starlitfandoms and @guanghong-jii (u can pick one or do all of them, doesn’t matter... have fun, children)

[cathrynstreich]

Thoughts on Leadership: Leading From A to Z

This week my travels found me in my usual locale—at home.

As I participated in virtual meetings and conferences, I thought about the basics and how these past few months have created opportunities for leaders to focus on the true fundamentals of excellent leadership. In fact, you could take the entire alphabet and use it as a guide to the tenets of this “back to basics” leadership approach:

A – Accountability. This is the backbone of effective leadership. Holding people accountable is key to creating a system of execution that simply works every time.

B – Bravery. To lead, you must be brave. Leadership requires making tough decisions and the unending courage to fight for your success.

C – Celebration. When you celebrate the small wins, you place mental mile markers on your journey toward the achievement of your goals. The euphoric feeling of celebration will motivate you and your team to win yet again.

D – Diet. The third component to daily “M.E.D.S.” (Meditation, Exercise, Diet and Sleep). It’s important to keep your body strong and your diet healthy so you have the physical strength and energy required to lead.

E – Execution. Put in place a system of execution and define the battles you will execute on. Just remember the rule: The battles you choose must win the war.

F – Focus. What you focus on expands, so make sure you’re focusing on the right initiatives and plans to create the small and large wins that will lead to sustainable success.

G – Gratitude. Adding gratitude to your life can change your attitude! I currently have nine gratitude partners I check in with every day. Identifying what you’re grateful for will help you create a positive mindset.

H – Habits. Small changes compound over time; Each positive habit you create or negative habit you break brings you closer to the person—and leader—you want to become. I always love the saying, “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits and your habits become your destiny.”

I – Integrity. Berkshire Hathaway’s core values—trust, integrity, stability and longevity—are the fundamentals the brand was built on and they’re essential for every leader to embrace. Integrity is critical when building a team. As Brian Tracy once said, “Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.”

J – Joy. As I say, I love what I do largely because of who I get to do it with. Always hold onto the joy in your job—it’s what turns it from a profession into a calling.

K – Kindness. Exercising kindness toward others, no matter how small the act, is always good business. As you go about your day, think about ways you can enhance someone else’s existence through a small act of kindness. The “helper’s high” you’ll receive by doing something nice for another person will help you build a positive mindset.

L – Loyalty. American computer programmer Grace Murray Hopper once said: “Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew.”

M – Mindset. Maintaining a positive mindset is one of the best ways you can productively lead. Positive energy is infectious, even if it’s transmitted through a screen during a virtual meeting.

N – Nimbleness. Organizational bureaucracy exists to the detriment of individual initiative, productivity and creativity. In a survey by Harvard Business Review, nearly two-thirds of respondents said their respective companies had become more bureaucratic in the last few years. Rather than being bogged down in processes, protocols and predefined procedures, a business is at its best when it’s nimble.

O – Over-Communication. Especially during challenging times, over-communication will help your team feel connected and add clarity to a difficult situation. The missing link between uncertainty and decisiveness, between a lack of connection and unity, is leadership. Through clear and consistent communication, you can impact the ability of our team members to navigate complex situations.

P – Personal Improvement. Remember, the best investment you can make is in yourself! Listen to or read new books, discover new podcasts and commit to being a perpetual student of life.

Q – Quality. The greatest competitive advantage you can offer is incredible quality service, convenience and value. It will set you apart from the competition and help you create clients for life.

R – Recharge. We cannot go full force all the time and if we do, we’ll surely wind up burning out or not being fully committed to those particular actions and initiatives (the lead measures) that help us achieve our Wildly Important Goals. We have to take time to recharge.

S – Schedule. Staying on your schedule is one of the most important things you can do. Your only job is to follow your schedule.

T – Time Management. The idea of living a balanced life is directly tied to the mastering of one important leadership aspect: time management. Control your time, don’t let time control you.

U – Uncertainty. Sometimes, uncertainty can create incredible and positive transformational changes. As we’ve experienced these past few months, the real estate industry has been masterful at transforming current challenges into opportunities to collectively learn, grow and evolve.

V – Vigilance. As Martin Luther King Jr. once eloquently said, “Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenges of change.”

W – WIGs (Wildly Important Goals). Goals are both complex and simple. Simple because they’re binary: Did you accomplish your WIG or did you not accomplish your WIG? Yet complex because there are often a multitude of key drivers and activities that go into making sure goals are brought to completion. The formula for a WIG is from X to Y by when. When creating your WIGs, ask yourself and your team: What is the one thing that if everything else remained the same would have the greatest impact? Put a system in place, set your goals, hold team members accountable to these goals and most importantly, execute. Remember, Discipline No. 3 in the Four Disciplines of Execution: Keep a compelling scoreboard. People and teams simply play differently when they’re keeping score. When you set up the right kind of scoreboard, you’ll motivate your players to stay engaged and win.

X – X-Factor. As bestselling author Jim Collins once said, “The x-factor of great leadership is not personality, it’s humility.” Surround yourself with humble team members and leaders and practice humility yourself because smugness comes before arrogance and arrogance is the precursor to disaster. Once you think you know it all, your slide to mediocrity has already begun.

Y – Young at Heart. It really doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 80, leadership does not discriminate by age. Instead, it’s a mindset formed from having a positive routine and following the keys to success in order to accomplish your goals. Anyone at any age can do it but not everyone has the commitment and focus to get it done.

Z – Zen. I’ve always embraced the concept of living a Zen existence. It’s why I feel connected to legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson. One of Jackson’s nicknames was “Zen Master” because his leadership was influenced by Eastern philosophy and Zen beliefs. In a sport like basketball where selfishness could run rampant, he encouraged grace, love and freedom as guiding ideals.

So, what’s the message? Leadership isn’t quite as straightforward as a list from A to Z, but it’s all about mastering these fundamentals that will bring you one step closer to accomplishing any—and every—goal.

This article is adapted from Blefari’s weekly, company-wide “Thoughts on Leadership” column from HomeServices of America.

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