#art imitates life or whatever the fuck

[jacks-sm1rk1ng-revenge]

regained a recent obsession with sims 4 and besties, I let a long-haired emo man turn her into a vampire </4

[idiotarsonist]

I love so much the way that for jcs judas is ur blorbo and jesus is mine…. Maybe we should kiss in a garden over it…. Clearly that can only end well

I have thought about this before too lmao. I love that we’re both insane for this play but in slightly different ways. Very iconic of us I think.

[shalpilot]

.

[lizzybeeee]

The most effective anti-lyrium PSA in existence

if you ever think you look bad for your age, just remember that this guy is supposed to be 18

[t1ts-4-donaldson]

Alien!Art Donaldson Headcanons + Thoughts:

This is beyond odd but I just rewatched a few episodes of star crossed the alien show and the brain worms won't leave me alone. (Some of his body modifications are inspired by the show).

Very quiet prefers to listen to you speak than talk himself. When you first meet he prefers to write out his thoughts more than voicing them. He has the tendency to stare, it's a little unsettling at first his eyes open wide locked in on whatever he’s fixated on especially when he's in public and around strangers. You usually apologize for his actions through a forced smile and distract him with something else giving him fidget toys he insisted you’d buy

His curiosity tends to get him into trouble, walking around your home picking up fragile items and letting them slip out of his grasp as his attention is caught elsewhere. But he's very nifty with technology, you'll find him on your computer or phone making adjustments he see's fit that actually work out in your favor

Night owl he'll try to be quiet but you'll hear him snacking on chips while sifting through books, he's hyper fixated on the tennis section of sports illustrated magazine though

the most empathetic being you've ever met, he sits with you watching all your favorite films and shows. He'll hunker through thrillers, action even horror while cowering behind blankets his body basically meshing into yours in fear. But his personal favorites are romances shedding tears for the ones with tragic endings. Poor thing is weeping by the end of them. "Why would they end that way?" He blubbers eyes fixated on the screen as tears run down his face lighting up his birth marks a mix of intergalactic hues staining his cheeks. You can't help but reach out and wrap him in your arms "life doesn't always have happy endings Art.." you mumble rocking him back and forth consoling the weeping man.

Very sensitive to human touch at first it unnerved him your he would naturally stiffen up the minute you'd try lay a hand on him. You had learned to be gentle using hand signals to try to guide him to do things. On his home planet it wasn't really necessary unless it was for reproducing or being cordial between each other but he craves it the minute he realizes how nice it feels, initiating contact himself attempting to hold your hand in his, walking up and wrapping his arms around you randomly through out the day although the awkwardly/wonky the act slowly becoming his love language towards you.

Is a quick learner, his eyes are always observing you so he copies your actions, he picks up some of your own quirks as well, the way you scratch your nose or stand a certain way. You also see him copying other people around him or online, the funniest ones are of him imitating dances on tiktok.

He also wants to teach you some of what he knows, is eager to show anything that piques your interest, sitting you down outside at night pointing at the stars explaining you some of what he knows. It's endearing when he get's so excited talking about home and his family is adorable. (he starts shaking with joy)

Thinks astrology is silly but entertains the idea for you anyways

Becomes interested in you and your body after learning about sex and human intimacy, he first had seen it on the titanic admiring how soft it was then flipped through the channels euphoria happened to be playing intrigued and unsettled by how aggressive sex could be trying to ignore how flustered it made him not understanding why something like that made him so horny. The last time he see's it before you find out is when he’s snooping through your computer opening up your history clicking on a link eyes wide when he sees the most recent video from an adult website 'woman getting fucked until creampied.' His eyes are open like saucers, his mouth agape watching the entire clip he's tugging his growing boner without realizing it.

That’s when you notice him staring a bit more ogling you whenever you’re wearing low tops revealing your chest or while your walking in and out of your bathroom in a robe as you get ready for the day he get’s shy after you mention it "is something wrong?” You frown a bit concerned. He vehemently shakes his head no but you can see right through it the minute your gaze shifts down to his pants and the tent in them. He's flushing red when he's caught, tinges of pale pink glowing through his birth marks betraying his true emotions.

He shows you some of his powers. Occasionally moving objects with his mind, toying with your emotions to make you feel better when you've had a bad day and showing you how his birth marks work, how water triggers the blue and purple galactic colors to arise, he secretly hopes you find him cool living for your praise.

Alien Art is very endearing once he begins developing feelings for you. Picking up picture frames around your home and tracing your face in them admiring how happy you look a tiny smile forming on his face. He'll sit at your vanity and spray your signature perfume on himself because it calms him down. Will steal your clothes and sleep in them whenever he can (you'll sift through your closet trying to find your favorite hoodie and shirts you find it all in a pile on his bed under the covers <3)

Strangest thing he does is mouth at cutlery and cups you've used. He'd be walking around your place sucking the rim of coffee mugs left out on the table or spoons you used to drink soup with (oral fixation goes crazy). He likes the idea of having your lips on his but he's too scared to actually try and make a move.

just loves you from a distance (for now).

I can go all day talking about Alien!Art <3 might self indulge in more

[wildemaven]

first anniversary | dieter x poppy

A Sweet Creature

Ava Greene sits down with actor and friend, Dieter Bravo. Hollywood’s new leading man gets candid about life in front of and behind the camera. He talks about his latest movie, his commitment to his sobriety and his newest role— husband?!

Ava Greene: You're approaching three years sober now, how are you feeling?

Dieter Bravo: Probably the best I’ve felt in a long time. Sobriety is a day to day progression that I take very seriously, and I try to not lose sight of that even when I’m having bad days. Though, I’m grateful bad days have been few and far between at this point in my sobriety. I can attribute that to the support system I have built for myself through friends, family, my sponsor that I still work with and most importantly my wife who keeps me grounded daily. They all continue to keep me in check and remind me how awesome my life is, especially right now. Staying clean is a full time commitment, and it’s really a beautiful thing.

AG: You followed in your famous parents footsteps by going into acting and your career and struggles with sobriety have been well documented but your parents have rarely commented publicly, are they supportive of your work and your journey?

DB: For me, I don’t need them to make a show of it by commenting or sharing their thoughts publicly to know they support me. There was a point in time where they did all they could do for me, but ultimately it had to be my choice to make the decision to get clean. Thankfully, we’ve been rebuilding our relationship over the last few years. And being in the public eye for most of our lives, the last thing we want is for outsiders thinking they have a say in our lives. In short, yes I have very supportive parents in all aspects of my life and I’m so happy for that.

AG: This is your second project since rehab, are you viewing this as a comeback or a fresh start?

DB: Comeback? I didn’t know I left… Kidding! Sure, some might say it’s a comeback. A fresh start. Whatever analogy best fits the narrative is fine by me— and I don’t mean that negatively in any sense. I mean, you’ve known me long enough to know I just try not to focus on any of that stuff, messes with my fucking brain waves. I just see it as me doing what I love with a new perspective and a different approach to choosing what projects I’m going to give my time to than I have in the past.

AG: What can you tell us about this project and the character you're playing?

DB: I had the best f*ckin’ time while shooting this film— sorry, but the emphasis was needed. I was really drawn to the vibrancy that this script evoked, even with the serious nature of the storyline and characters. I couldn’t stop thinking or talking about for weeks afterwards. I’d sit with my wife at breakfast and we’d discuss the script and my character for what felt like hours. I knew after I heard her feedback that I needed to be apart of this film— she might have said I’d be stupid to say no to it, in her own loving way.

The film is really about the process of rediscovering yourself. Navigating the challenges that come along with being at your lowest point and leaning on the ones who have been there for you. It’s about finding love in its purest form when you never thought you were deserving of it.

I found bits of myself in this character as we were filming, it was very much a cathartic experience for me. I guess you could say it was art imitating life in a weird way.

AG: There's already been some buzz about this year's award season, do you think this is finally your year?

DB: Ooooh! Is it too presumptuous for me to say yes?! I’ve started dusting the spot where I plan for it to go. I sound like some sort of pompous idiot! Now no one is going to go see it!*

I take it back!

In all seriousness, ‘cause I’m sure Poppy and my agent will be rolling their eyes when they read this. If all I get is a couple nominations, that alone feels like winning. A shiny statue would be nice though— just saying.

AG: You've talked often about your love of art and you recently purchased a gallery. Are you planning to publicly pursue other creative endeavors?

DB: I won’t be joining American Idol anytime soon if that’s what you’re asking. Oh, you weren’t referring to my ability to hold a note during our many karaoke nights— noted!

How did you put it? Other creative endeavors? I’ve got a few art pieces in the works right now that I’m itching to dive back into when I get home. I’ve got a major gallery in LA lined up later in the year for an artist spotlight exhibit, they’ll be housing some of my work through the next year. Shoutout to my wife for getting that all lined up while I was away shooting this film.

AG: What's next for Dieter Bravo? Any other projects lined up you can tell us about?

DB: I’m looking forward to some downtime I have coming up. Poppy has the summer off, so we’ll get to finally live that newlywed life. Settle into the role of doting husband while she does her thing at the gallery.

AG: Off the record, if you got married and didn't tell anyone I will kick yours and Poppy’s ass!

DB: We’re celebrating our one year this month actually. We eloped quietly last year right after we got engaged— wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while. Which reminds me, you and Bryony should hop on a call with Poppy after this. Seeing as I let the cat out of the bag and this is our announcement— surprise!

Huge shoutout out to @gnpwdrnwhiskey for allowing me to borrow her Ava from Conversations with a Movie Star for this. Ava was so gracious and even wrote the questions herself. I’m so grateful for Lellen and all her support and advice she had given me throughout the writing process of Sweet Creature!

Sweet Creature Celebration

[jazzyblusnowflake]

OMG hi…I really like your art and was wondering if you wanna be mutuals??????????? Also tell me about your MD ships :3c

honey we are dating- .....okay yknow what- HI PRETTY & TALENTED LADY- yess i will absolutely love toooo 🙈💕💕💕💕💕

also lets see uhhh okay this is an excuse for me to just... expload-

keep in mind not every ship is meant for all of you so dont badger me about stuff that ISNT CANON or YOU DONT SHIP. contrary to whatever you believe, when somone posts about THEIR ships, nobody wants to hear about you NOT shipping it on THAT EXACT post.

hang in there, this gon be a long one >:p

First off we are starting strong with Nuzi- Biscuitbites obviously thats a given- these two just have too much to be said about why and how they make eachother the best version of eachother, whether they ever became canon or not- they fit like puzzle pieces- they lessen eachothers negative traits by being their for eachother.

next is Vuzi- Violentviolet, they are my favorite kind of enemies to lovers 😔 but its also tragic smh. kinda pissed off at how V always does something good in Uzis favor only when she is LITERALLY PASSED OUT- either in the camp ep on the bus or in Alices lab. like damn ofFUCKINGcourse Uzi wouldnt know she cares about her 😭😭😭

envuzi- Violentbitingbiscuits, i love these goobers with all my heart- they deserve the best 😔💕💕💕💕

envy - [does this poor ship just NOT have an exclusive FINDABLE tag name??? im calling them GoldenMemories...], i like to think that if they were in the manor still, and nothing bad had ever happened, these two would be comforting eachother in the healthiest way possible. V needs someone like N and N is just adorable like that uwu

Next we have JxTessa/Jessa- [calling them Fancyblades cuz why not-] J deserves some closure for the shit shes gone through smhhh 😔, its a tragic yuri of J loving and wanting something she probably already accepted she couldnt have, and even then she gotta deal with Ns ass being the favorite one regardless of how hard she tries to be perfect... sighhh i wanna imagine them in a future where Tessa was spared as the only human and J could save her 😭😭😭😭 Tessa might have loved doing mechanical stuff or wore black to hide grease/oil stains on her clothes from her parents and wore gloves to hide her oily stained hands- i want her to have a scene of wiring drones back to life and saving them and saying something like "hey there, you made it! dont worry, ill take care of you, youre my friend now :3" or something //dies//, also before anyone says it- even if Tessa was a teen in the flashbacks- romance is not exclusive to ADULTS, teens can love eachother without having sexual stuff involved. no she was not their MOTHER figure, she was their FRIEND who liked to fix robots for herself to not be alone in a house where her own parents literally chain her up as punishment. i dont even know why im arguing about this, people headcanon or make aus about characters NOT being dead all the time and if Tessa was alive for as long as J thought she was, Tessa would have been a perfectly fine adult either way. so counting this, yes shes canonically considered an adult when Cyn tries to imitate an adult humans body 🙄 makes as much sense as everything else i guess-

next ones i got is NorixYeva/Neva- Solverlilies- i just think theyre neat 😭😭😭 and once again, like everything else in this franchise- they are tragic yuris 😔 damn liam im finding a pattern over here 🤨 anyway, i like to think they either got closer in the lab experimentations or were already close when they were working as WDs in the campsite area for the humans. obviously canonically they were probably straight or just not into eachother romantically- [Nori either u have the worst taste men or Khan just fucking lost it after you died-] but also on the other handddd.... they have 2 hands and they are robots, i want them to kiss like two barbie dolls and im gonna make them do just that-

DollxLizzy/Dizzy- Bloodypink, wost fucking ship names ever, i cant find shit on them with these tags and it makes me angry >:/ at this point 2/3s of my ships are just tragic yuris smh, Doll did not deserve any of the things handed to her, even if she went about doing some things the wrong way i wish Lizzy didnt just abandon her- but then again, Doll did kinda abuse Lizzys trust and Lizzy got scared of being close to a serial murderer so.... morality calls this a draw? 😭 im crying... i wish someone was there to help Doll... sigh... i like to think Lizzy would have waited for Doll to just come back at some point... oh well, thats why AUs exist :"3 //sobs in the corner//

DollxUzi/Dollzi- Bloodybats, this ship is so underrated to me... they could have been... so much more. but why weren't they? did Yeva abandon ever getting close to Uzi when she was a kid after Nori died? did Uzi and Doll just never play around together as kids when their mothers were so close? were they ever close and something went wrong as they grew older? at worst they could have been like sisters together, and at best maybe more than friends. i just dont know what happened here, like Yeva could have tried to keep an eye on Uzi, maybe Uzi could have found Dolls powers so cool before having them too- i dont know theres literally tons of possibilities- but if Doll deserved to be saved or cared for by anyone, at least one of them should have been Uzi... sigh.

ThadxV- Killingblonde, yall this is... the cutest shit... ever???? like from here on out we kinda go into the more or less crackship territory but these two are adorable- Dumbass yet wholesome jock boy that just wants to keep his queen happy 😔👌👌👌 He and Uzi would have so much to talk about on "crushing on literal murder bots that stabbed and almost ate us" its literally love at first stab smhhh 😫💕

ThadxSam- Smokyjock ???? for some fucking reason??? i dont know what my brain did here man- i just like the trope of someone getting under Thads skin- like pair up the healthy sports loving gym boy with the lazy but wholesome dumbass that does drugs or is always just sleep deprived and Thad is always trying to just... take care of his ass and make him take care of himself but he just WONT SMHHH-

okay some more or less crack ships down here:

ThadxN: it speaks for itself. its too adorable and youll go blind from the light of wholesomeness-

ThadxNxUzi: Uzi will die here from the overwhelming wholesomeness... oh bonus if its just a 4s polycule of ThadxNxUzixV i mean i know im pushing my luck but.... random crackships go brr- V and Uzi will complain but love their dumbass golden puppy partners-

ThadxUzi: i think they could have been close and Thad caring about her as a childhood friend turned crush sounds just too cute for me 😔

LizzyxUzi: another random ass rivals to lovers or some shit idk what this is, Lizzy would pay Uzi to kiss the fuck out of her i dont make the rules-

ThadxLizzy: in some cases where they are NOT headcanoned as siblings or cousins, i think they have a good energy of wholesome jock bf and girly queen cheerleader lol, Thad is just a good bf eitherway-

DollxUzixLizzy: the gals would not leave a single second of silence for the small gremlin i swear to God- [Uzi is gay as FUCK for her gfs, absolute girloser unit with her gorgeous but crazy gfs]

okay for the end i have some characters that arent ships but i wish they could have become closer as friends or work out their issues...

J and N- too much abuse and toxicity here, i wish they could talk together more and see they have a lot of things in common- maybe a full line of dialogue from J without threatning N in every sense of the manner would be nice for a change =_=

Doll and V- again, a bit morally ambiguous to ship a character with the murderer of your family, esp when said murderer hasnt expressed regret lmao, but i wish they could at least be friends... Dolls disdain for the murder drones pushed her to end up the way she did. maybe if she didnt do it alone she would have been alive by now. so i like to think what would have happened if she and V could have made up- not necessarily Doll forgiving her- but at least having the space to grow and understand why they did they things that happened.

Cyn and literally ANYONE- i want the solver to be SEPARATE from Cyn- i wish Cyn would have still existed somewhere down there and was savable- i wish this poor child AI had a happy ending to her by connecting with the others as ACTUAL siblings... goddamnit 😔

aaaand thats it for this fine ass day 🫡 yall are welcome to ask about any of these- boy the tags are gonna be.... a lot.

[tornadeoqueen]

Really have been in such a bad funk lately so fuck it, here is a list of things about Twisters that I love in no particular order:

that scene where Tyler and Kate are explaining how a tornado forms and the scene cuts between the two of them so it’s like a seamless line of dialogue/they are so in sync each other. Taking about weather with the same reverence that’s soulmatism.

“Ohkay uniform. Wrinkle free shirt. Crisp hat!”

That the wranglers and storm par crew cross paths so often they know each others names enough to rib at each other (and wranglers having the time of their lives competing against them)

When that one storm par guy yells “chase it!” because he’s secretly a Tyler Owen’s fan

Tyler’s truck driving across a field towards the first tornado looking like a cross between Mater from Cars and a horse galloping like yeehaw “it’s like the Wild West out here!” They saw the opportunity and they took it

That his truck is red!!!! And I know people are tempted to be like “he inherited Bill’s truck” but let’s not forget Bill’s truck got eaten by an EF5 and I don’t think it made it out like Tyler’s did

KATE’S BARRELS (never not over KATES’S BARRELS)

I wanna know more about Dani and Dexter’s friendship. Dexter being all “there’s a name for that there’s a name for that” and Dani’s like “just enjoy it, man!” I just know they balance each other out

“We’re driving into a tornado for gods sakes”

The way Tyler is immediately smitten and recognises how smart Kate is and like that’s why he likes her so much?? Like yeah she’s pretty but she’s pretty BRILLIANT You can tell he’s just like “wow I have met my match”

Kate giving it back to him and not falling for his charm so easily - there’s a fire/cheekiness in there

When Tyler’s heart of gold/the real Tyler starts to show away from the cameras and it’s just Kate and Tyler testing Kate’s theories but Tyler is still 100% himself like his persona is not all bravado he still wants to send things up in rockets and drive into tornadoes like that’s just who he is and when it’s away from the cameras it’s kind of dorky dude

Frankenstein playing in the cinema in El Reno and Doctor Frankenstein yelling “it’s alive!” Right before the wall of the cinema is ripped off

Also while I’m on that, that the wall that gets ripped away is the wall with the screen, making the storm outside in some sense the movie wow I just thought about that. Art imitating life or whatever the ultimate 4D experience (reminds me of sound and light shows ok I’m digressing)

“She’s your story, Ben.”

Hanging out and sitting on the truck having lunch and staring at clouds I need 1000x fics about this

When they rustle the team together to get Kate’s theories in motion with the whole team and everyone is immediately on board and defers to Kate as to why they need a trailer ect

Addy: “you’re no fun since you got hit by lightning” I WANT THE STORY

The Tornado Wrangler belt buckle 😭

Ok this list is getting long but anyway the movie isn’t perfect but it’s fun and I’m glad it makes me happy in this way

[chameleonspell]

HTDC commentary - 24: lies

[Looking back at HTDC after nearly ten years: comments on lore, character notes, influences, art, whatever. May contain spoilers for later chapters.]

chapter text: 24: lies

TV Guide-style episode summary: After a spat with Tsiya, Iriel seeks out Sottilde for advice, but her drug dealer recommendation might be more than he seems.

I kind of love writing TV-guide-style chapter summaries. The format is such fun: one sentence long (maybe two if there's a B-character plotline), no spoilers, and as many cliches as you can cram in. If at all possible, end it with: "Hilarity ensues."

“Fool!” Tsiya hissed. “Vorar Helas was Tsiya’s connection! With that one dead, there will be even less sugar coming into Balmora! What was Iriel thinking?”

I hadn't thought of this direct consequence until I got to writing this scene, but it made immediate sense. And we need to inject some real conflict to get Ire out of this stagnant living arrangement.

Tsiya cannot care for all the thousands of slaves in Vvardenfell! Slaves die every day! Tsiya has enough to do caring for Tsiya, and making sure SHE doesn’t die, because nobody else will!” “You’re horrible,” said Iriel. “You’re a horrible person.

Iriel is perfectly familiar with Tsiya's viewpoint, having held variations on it himself. He understands survival. He has no interest in extending sympathy to Tsiya on this point, just as he has no interest in extending sympathy to himself on it. His words may be cruel, but they're technically not hypocritical.

But Iriel is so sure he’s superior to Tsiya, even though he’s the one leeching off her hospitality, wasting her sugar, using up her skooma, telling lies about her to Habasi.”

It comes off as hypocrisy, of course, complete with a sneering veneer of Altmer superiority. Is it Ire's fault, that his culture's reputation precedes him? No, but he's also leaning into it, as a defensive reaction. He's heard that tone, seen that expression. He can imitate it well enough, when he wants to. And it's not entirely a pose - he does think he's superior to Tsiya, or at least... that he ought to be. So it's worse, if he isn't. But we'll pick up on this mental thread, later.

“Lies? I told her the truth!

Given the chapter title is "lies", and accusations are flying, I should mention that nobody has told any actual lies, yet. It might be better if they had, since the truth is so much harsher.

He was too angry to tell how much of his own self-hatred was bleeding into his hatred of Tsiya. His inability to tell the difference only drove him deeper into fury.

Spelling it right out, here. Ire's habit of taking his self-hatred out on other people, looking for valid targets. Notice that he also, even in the heat of the moment, knows he's doing this, thus ensuring an ongoing supply of fuel for the self-hatred engine.

“GET OUT.” Tsiya’s claws twitched convulsively, and there were tears in her eyes. “GET OUT OF TSIYA’S HOUSE. NOW.”

I'm reminded of a passage from much later on:

Iriel sometimes felt the great turning points of his life were less about big decisions, and more about fuck-it moments. Times when his frustration would build to such excruciating levels, that it could only be relieved by acts that forced a change in his situation, even a negative, self-destructive one. Throwing himself off a cliff, because the bottom of the cliff promised to be a different place from the top.

Anyway, this moment comes under this heading: deliberately provoking Tsiya into kicking him out, because anything's better than continuing their rancid little cohabitation.

“There is no more skooma! Irrriel should give Tsiya the skooma he found in Hla Oad!” “What skooma? I didn’t find anything! Your information was as full of shit as you are.” He didn’t turn to meet her eye.

Ah, here are the lies. Iriel certainly did pick up some stray skooma bags during his Bitter Coast meanderings. And as for Tsiya...

Sure enough, three bottles of skooma were hidden inside one of the storage jars at the back, and he hesitated for less than a millisecond before putting all of them into his bag.

...of course she has a back-up stash. As Iriel knows, since it's what he would do. And he knows that, if the situation were reversed, she would steal all HIS skooma, so why (he thinks) shouldn't he take hers? They're exactly as bad as each other, so he can't feel guilty about hurting her - at least, not just yet.

Holding it high out of her reach, he forced his way through the door

Altmeri height privilege at work! Not only are Altmer the tallest race in Morrowind, (as you can see from the ingame character model height multipliers) Khajiiti women are the shortest in pure elevation reached - technically Bosmer men are shorter, and Breton women equally short, but in practice, Khajiit digitigrade leg angles knock a fair bit off the real-money height of female Khajiit. Even with her knife-hands, Tsiya doesn't have a hope.

[Sottilde] looked him up and down. "Shor’s balls! Your shirt looks like something with a whole lotta teeth ate it, an’ threw it back up.”

Tsiya definitely gave it her best shot, though.

I think I stole "Shor's balls" from @sunderlorn, but he thinks he stole it from someone else, too. Whoever created it, thank you. It is the perfect Nordic curse. Tilde didn't say it in my first version of this scene, though, because I hadn't yet realised she ought to talk like my friend [redacted]. Once I fixed that, everything fell into place.

“Ah… yes. That would be Tsiya’s claws, and then before that there was the boat, the silt strider, the blood, the swamp… Mara’s arse, when did I last change clothes?

I think "Mara's arse" is one of mine, though? Anyway, this line is me the author speaking through Iriel, as I realised how many consecutive scenes I had dragged him through with no chance to clean up or get changed.

Sottilde watched, grinning, as he pulled his shirt off and started rummaging through his bag for another. “That’s just rude an’ uncalled for,” she said, “taunting me with that view when you’re off-limits to the ladies.”

She's not fully formed as a character yet, but Sottilde's already making blatantly horny remarks, and generally being adorably dreadful. Which is why Iriel immediately fell in love with her, because what's a best friend, if not someone who cheerfully offers themselves up as a target for all your bitchiest jabs? As we know, Iriel likes having a target, and because Tilde's making herself one on purpose, he doesn't even have to feel guilty about it. Even better, he doesn't have to self-filter, with Tilde (evidenced by the fact he's already out to her), since she's always being filthier and more inappropriate then him.

Sottilde's just so laid back and non-threatening, she can get away with anything. She's so frank and open with her lascivious comments that it converts into a weird sort of innocence - there's no shame to her at all. I assume she opened their acquaintance proper by hitting on Iriel on general principle, but upon realising that was a non-starter, she swiftly and enthusiastically shifted gears into friendship, with zero awkwardness or damage to her ego. Iriel likes that she still makes a point of telling him he's hot, now and again - not because she's creeping on him, but because she thinks her friends ought to know that they're hot. He appreciates the effort, even if her specific tastes mean he's not sure it's a compliment.

“Oh, I like skinny, me. This one time, I saw a picture of a really hot guy on the town news-board, but when I got closer to see if I could get his name, it was a can-you-identify-this-corpse drawing of some poor sap they’d found dead of starvation in a cave-in.”

This is a true story, that I stole from a different friend, and slightly adapted for Tamriel. The original was something like: "I knew I had a thing for skinny men when I saw  a photo of a hot guy in the paper, and he turned out to be a prisoner on hunger strike, taken three days before he died." Which is way funnier, but Tamriel doesn't have photos, and also I didn't want to steal the anecdote too precisely.

Ire almost choked on his wine. “You’re terrible! What kind of Nord are you? Is that why you’re not in Skyrim any more, they threw you out for disrespecting brawn?”

See, he gets to feel all prim and pearl-clutching when he's with Tilde, which is great fun, since other people usually make him feel like the weird, perverted one.

“Yeah, that, and the whole stealing military secrets, traitor to my homeland thing.”

Everyone who meets Tilde gets to listen to this whole silly, self-deprecating bit, where she pretends to claim she's a superspy revolutionary and political dissident, then admits that what actually happened was that she worked as a clerk in an outpost near the Skyrim/Morrowind border, had military secrets flirted out of her by a cute Dunmer agent who got her drunk, and then had to flee the country in a panic when her boss found out.

She smirked. “Who says I wanna sleep? Why’d you think I came here?” She leaned forward, conspiratorially. “Seen any… elves?”

Because sometimes people tell me they read the fic without ever playing Morrowind, I feel I have to explain things like this: Nord NPCs in Morrowind often greet you with: "Seen any elves?" Then they laugh, because it's a Nord dad joke. Because Nords and elves are ancient enemies, and used to hunt and kill each other a lot.

Sottilde, in defiance of her country's usual "sporadically shaved bear" beauty standard, hunts elves for more salacious reasons. Iriel considers this a creepy racial fetish, and he's honestly not wrong. He likes her all the more for it, though, because it gives him free target practice on her.

She paused, tapping her fingernails on the bar. “You really oughtta quit, you know.” A sigh. “I know.” “I don’t wanna lecture you. I know it’s not an easy thing, and it’s gotta be your choice, but…” “I know. Thanks.”

You can immediately see how much better Iriel is, now, at navigating a friendship, and handling the gentle suggestion that he needs to quit drugs. Compare his panicked, defensive reaction, back in Vivec, when Dro'Zaymar tried something similar. Back then, he couldn't comprehend what his life might look like, without his addiction holding it up. He's much closer to being able to do that now, and he can see Tilde's non-judgemental concern for what it is.

But he's still not quite ready to make the break.

She rolled her eyes. “I shouldn’t enable you.” “Would it help if I took my shirt off again?” “Whore.” “Please don’t insult whores by comparing them to me. It’s a skilled profession, and I’m merely an enthusiastic amateur.”

I really don't know how Ire and Tilde became so close so quickly, it just happened. Right from the start, they glommed onto each other, and before I could blink, they were best friends ten bizarrre in-jokes deep, and I couldn't stop writing her into scenes. Obviously, this only continued to escalate. I am not kidding at all when I say that this is the most important and significant relationship, not just of the fic, but perhaps of Ire's entire life. The growth of their love is less messy and dramatic than Ire's romantic entanglements, and it takes up less of the word count as a result, but it's no less deep. That's part of why the ending is the way it is. Blame Tilde, basically.

There’s a friend of Bacola’s who comes in sometimes. I dunno much about him, but he’s a sugartooth. No clue where he gets his supply from, but he never seems to run out. In return for his name and address, though, you gotta tell me more about this Kaye guy.

Much later, Iriel says of Sottilde:

Do you know, she… she was the first person I ever met in my life who thought my gayness was a positive thing about me. Aside from Reu, perhaps, but everything he said had an ulterior motive. Tilde had no reason to pretend, she was open as a summer sky, and she thought it was wonderful. Encouraged me! She could be nosy and overly, um… imaginative, but… she’ll never know what her unconditional acceptance meant to me, at the time.

Iriel views Tilde's borderline-fujoshi streak with bemused toleration, because in his world, it's such a novelty. He tells her off when she goes too far, but on the whole, Iriel likes Sottilde for her faults, not despite them. She makes him feel normal.

Anyway. Ire's off to find the Spymaster.

It's nice when you can set up these little plot dominoes. To push a character towards something that most readers will know is inevitable, but you don't it want to feel inevitable, in a brutal, author-forced way. No weird coincidences, or out-of-character decisions. You want it to seem natural that this would lead to that happening. Iriel needs skooma, and Caius Cosades is well-known as a skooma addict, at the South Wall. Ire would never voluntarily attract Cosades' attention, if he realised who he was, but how likely is it that he recalls a name he was told once, back in Seyda Neen, when he was deep in a dissociative haze?

Let's see how fast he remembers.

Art pick: Iriel by @bigger-rat. Beautiful lighting. Immaculate resting-bitch-face. Absolutely perfect nose, in particular - the slight upturn and irregularity in the bridge that, if you're Altmer, marks him on sight as insufficiently highblood. That, and the moles, of course. Imperfection literally on display.

next: 25: expecting previous: 23: fix

[kaelidascope]

director's commentary for the parallel hangouts merging together in Reach in MM (and WHAT WERE BLAKE AND WEISS DISCUSSING IN THAT CHILI'S)

**cracks my knuckles**

OKAY

Both Reach and Resist go hand in hand and achieve a handful of things all in one go. They read like a large time skip montage, showcase the growing tension between the bees, memorialize a handful of personal favorite memories of mine, and cover all these mod-podge collection of scenes I wanted for MM bees but ran out of space to properly expand on LOL

Blake teaching Yang how to pole-dance;

The stuffed bee comes from Pugoata's Etsy shop and I have one on my desk NGJFGFKGF

Yang not realizing the pole spins was also my first reaction touching a dancing pole for the first time LOL before I got into dancing, my roommate had me install her pole into the ceiling of our apartment and I went to touch it and almost fell off. Life imitates art or whatever

Around this time, as we later see in Resist, Blake is obviously going back and forth with her personal feelings and beliefs. Sawrin words it well in his breakdowns, but she is wanting to give into temptation by the obvious signs Yang is throwing at her. But then she remembers her life and situation and goes down a spiral of assumed futures and 'what ifs' and then just shuts down and runs off. Despite her willingly putting them BOTH in a situation where they could flirt and kiss. She's giving into natural temptation when she shows off to Yang more than she should, getting in her personal space. It's an easy mask to hide behind when she can play off her advances as 'teaching Yang how to be sexy'

She totally did intend on kissing her she just wussed out LMAO and what Yang doesn't see if she is downing that water in literal gulps because she is blushing profoundly and her hearts beating a mile a minute. This is roughly around the time Blake starts getting Ideas.TM about Yang and none of them are in the bible

Yang comes over for Guys Night at Pyrrha's;

I designed their neighborhood after the historic yuppity district close to where I lived for a brief time. More specifically, it's modeled after a fucked up cobblestone route I used to have to drive when I delivered pizzas in that area

Weiss may have been cut off from her family but she still had savings. She invested a fuck ton into that property specifically cus there's no HOA

The vibe I was going for with the fire pit and the projection outside on a cold November night was modeled after 2 experiences of mine. I remember being super fucking cozy around a fire pit at my ex's family house once and it was one of those rare nights where it was freezing. But with the scent of the firewood burning and being bundled up near loved ones, it was a rare moment of peace for me in my early twenties. Second, we used to have these family friends who had a sheet tacked up on their back porch and would watch football on it. I blended the two vibes together for this one

I can't get a lime to float to the bottom of a bottle of Corona so neither can Yang

I used to destroy the plate of pigs in a blanket at cookouts so that's why they ate those

Pyrrha's gambling addiction was born on the spot in this scene! It started with her just placing a bet but then after that, I saw opportunities present themselves and it was just too good not to pass up. The club-wide bet also did not exist until this chapter either LOL I wrote it into the story after the fact and it is not mentioned until The Hangover Chapter. But chronologically, she established it the second she saw Yang take Blake home after work.

The Chili's Girls Night is real and I used to do it often. The photo of them leaning over the table filled with empty margarita glasses also exists

And yes. We were very hungover after (there are more photos that exist, but for the sake of pre-transition face reveal, I'll send them to you Spork in DMs after if you wanna see them LOL)

So on this particular night, Weiss spent a good chunk of it complaining about her usual gripes. After three drinks, she asks Blake about Yang. What Yang DOESN'T see is how supportive Weiss actually is of their relationship, and she's the one who told her to text Yang and send them some pictures of their night out. Blake has been dragging heels FOREVER about dating and Weiss is just glad she's not being a fucking shut in who only focuses on working and nothing else. She was very much a recluse even when they lived together, so she's glad to see Blake spending time with someone other than Weiss's mandated outings. She had thought something might've gone somewhere with Ilia, but Ilia couldn't end up handling it. They then collectively nod and drink on her behalf (poor thing). They talk about some things in their past memories. Blake asks how she and Pyrrha are doing. They talk about some social drama going on in the club. Jaune is their waiter at this particular Chili's (yes there is lore here) and they make drunk small talk/tease with him. After drink 5 or 6 Blake starts getting loose about her attraction and shyness towards Yang and Weiss asks Pyrrha to bring Yang to come get them since Blake's too embarrassed to do anything.

Blake actually being receptive towards Yang here is literally cus her insecurities and self-imposed rules are barred out cus of how drunk she is. Yang acknowledges this, much to her dismay, and misses another opportunity to kickstart their relationship because if they are gonna start, it should be proper LOL and not something that could be seen as taking advantage of Blake. Both of them are old kind of beyond the sloppy juvenile mistakes

Blake "sleeping" on Yang is a memory from when I had a really rough emotional night during my grieving period and my boyfriend at the time just held me on the couch while I half-slept. Same vibes. We eventually had to move but I did not want to.

In the anthology series Midnight Forever, we will see a lot more Blake/Weiss interactions both from the past and off-screen throughout the original fic. Including the night Weiss made her stay and their first Margarita Night SKKSKSS Weiss and Blake's dynamic is modeled after mine and my now oldest standing friendship :) the very same girl who I danced with! Unlike Blake and Weiss though, our dancer personas were completely different and incompatible LOL we did not have a matching act

[likhopinetree]

so i was reading fanfic, as one do and it contained a scene that made me do this post. it was omega thinking the worst about kenobi for not joining rebel efforts, not pulling through the dangers and trauma like the rest of them, even tho due to new canon he was very well aware about it and even left tatooine for a bit. and while i agree it would be very interesting to see and might make sense for characters to feel angry about him not doing it, i think we as readers and authors alike need to understand few things that cumulate into this.

1. star wars canon was not made in chronological order. while it's not too hard to retcon some things (like mauls death) because they were made as later addition, we don't have the same space to do it when it comes to kenobi. new hope established him as character on the end of the journey with on screen death that can't be retconed without fucking up everything about later added character lore (let's not touch whatever ezra bridger has going on rn). we have clearly established hermit and his end of the journey.

2. kenobi's reasons for staying isolated might feel nonsensical but it makes sense for his characterization. he feels guilty and responsible for skywalker's failures and feels need to repent. true, he could do that trying to fix what's going on with rebellion and that could be powerful point, but as mentioned in point 1 - we have established character and his death.

3. we can't expect everyone to react to guilt and trauma the same way, even fictional characters. while i bemoan the waste of opportunities (i love him) i actually think it makes the story more realistic and complex. some people will power through their issues, focusing on the rebellion, trying to fight. others tho? will withdraw and wallow and make other decisions. nothing in word is cookie cut. the idea of high general loosing all will to fight and drowning in guilt and whatifs makes very good plot point that could be explored to contrast the attempts of rebellion to fight and win. does it make him bad person? does it make his decisions bad? plenty of space to elaborate.

4. while fanfiction is well, work of fan fiction, based on original sources but not required to adhere to the rules of the original - in my opinion it's way better made when the rules of the original piece are understood and broken deliberately to explore the possibilities not provided by canon. by setting up the very black and white understanding of character reasoning we limit ourselves and the work appears with less depth to the story. nothing is truly black and white in life and art imitates life. if you can't get ahold of the idea of grey areas think about yin yang.

5. actually you know what, scratch everything. have fun with your fanfic. what i said is my opinion based on my understanding so it's alright if you disagree. tho i feel like the discussion is important to have around it. fiction is a safe way to explore certain topics

i just have too many deep thoughts about silly time travel fix it fic.

[again-please]

Kim, I absolutely cannot compliment your writing enough! My reading world has suddenly come to revolve around your updates to the Neve/Astarion epic! I rest at your feet, alongside many others, awaiting whatever morsel of their story you elect to provide which would nourish us!! (Or starve us for more, as it were! Haha!) Quickly, I wanted to tell you - and also ask - something. I will shorten what I wrote on AO3 to the following (so see more accolades there! lol) :

I didn't want the BG3 story to end, which is how I found AO3 and then created an account BECAUSE of your DWMD! (*AND NOW TUMBLR!) Thank you for this work of art!

During my playthrough of BG3, and in sampling a few AO3 works, I happened upon a song that felt like an Astarion anthem, specifically to Tav, and I listen to it frequently. Ironically, the band is called Ashes Remain. The song is "Change My Life."

I figured I would share since "Window" from your playlist is now a favorite, LOL.

Honestly, I would love to know some of your favorite romance authors/books, if they write anything close to the way that you do - and it doesn't matter how explicit or tame. Would you share? Please?! I really would like to get some recommendations from you since your work evokes such great feelings of longing and passion.

thank you so much for all your kind words and the song rec!! sorry to have lured you to tumblr lmao. to be honest, i haven't read a ton of published romance (like, explicitly in the genre). i know a cross-fandom rec is probably going to be a hard sell, but my biggest influence in that respect is definitely diasterisms aka Thea Guanzon (her sword of the jedi series in particular), a very prolific reylo star wars fic writer who has also now published her own hurricane wars series adapted from one of her fics, and who i have JUST learned is also penning a tusk love novel for critical role which is just fucking incredible news to me. she straight up is the reason i got back into writing in a big way after being pretty burnt out after college and i think anyone who reads her will understand i've just been trying to imitate her this whole time lmao.

more generally, a couple of my other favorite works are everything is illuminated by jonathan safran foer, autobiography of red by anne carson, and uprooted by naomi novik

[jovenshires]

hi katie jovenshires im a big fan. if ur ok with sharing, what ships are in the botb au and what are the vibes for each 👀

thank you so much!! <3<3<3

hmm i've been thinking about this and i think i'm only deadset on spommy, ianthony, kolivia, and amangela as far as like. my canon goes. not sure what if any other ships im gonna include... ive gone back and forth with shaymien and shaynse too but not sure!!

but, i will say, for the most part the edits are mostly left up to interpretation so you can all decide whatever ships you want really!! (or if you don't want any ships at all that's cool too <3) like i've said to me the botbau is a little collaborative barbie world that we can all make whatever we want out of. like i told someone the other day - if you wanna write a fic or make an edit or something for this and it doesn't exactly line up with what i might write or think ab the au... PLEASE go for it. it is out there, public domain now, do with it what you will. and i will love and eat it up no matter what!!

as for the vibes in MY head, i will throw them under the cut so this post doesn't get too long KFNLKNKFNF

spommy: i've covered this a little before here so if you want the full version check that out but BASICALLY spommy is kind of rivals-to-friends-to-lovers except tommy has an Extremely one-sided beef and spencer just thinks he's cool and wants to be buds. eventually spencer wins him over and then... uh oh! love! once again skimmin some details that, if i ever Write A Fic for it, will be spoilers. but that’s the idea you know

ianthony: taking this directly from my dms to lilac but basically. ianthony botbau my beloveds....... to relearn how to co-pilot something with someone that should come so second-hand to you but you're both different people now but your feelings carry through anyway for who they were and are and will be........ yeah theyre everything to me. in a way it's a mirror to life/what actually happened to them with smosh (art imitates life) but the divorce era was even MORE famous because they're like a household name so it was a lot more pressure. idk yet if they were together beforehand and then broke up and now they're getting BACK together or if they had unresolved feelings they never dealt with and now they're struggling to reconcile them with their renewed friendship AND reunited band/the fame that comes from that... but either way they are Messy. im obsessed.

kolivia: kolivia in this au fascinates me because in my head keith is kind of known for being a player and fucking around but i think he stopped that Ages ago because. these two are basically dating. like they don't put a label on it and it's not public and i don't even know if THEY know how in love they are. but they live together. they sleep together "just to blow off steam" (come on now). they don't date other people. everyone can see it but them type beat. olivia's like "he's not my boyfriend" and then picks up the phone and is like "hi baby do you want chinese for dinner" NDLFKNANKSFLN like they are exclusive and they have deep feelings for each other but they are both so deeply in denial that they swear they're not dating. they have realistically been in a relationship for like five years.

amangela: RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAINNNN i have talked about this one a Lot with baflegacy bc like. they are my roman empire. at least these two have met on multiple occasions and actually fought with each other - they keep meeting at gigs/in bars and bickering. angela "clearly abba is the best band ever" giarratana and amanda "WHAT about fleetwood mac you DUMB ASS" lehan-canto. like they meet a bunch and EVERY time they end up bickering. meanwhile angela keeps seeing thirst traps of amanda on tiktok and being like "why are all the lesbians obsessed with her she SUCKS" and chanse and arasha, who have heard this three million times, are like "yeah okay buddy whatever helps you sleep at night." meanwhile amanda is living her bliss <3 and then they realize they're both in battle of the bands and uh oh! things come to a head!

[hostilemuppet]

Art (tdau) imitates life (whatever the fuck's going on presently)

Tdau subplot where Floyd gets #cancelled for not hating mpreg

[mlybrnte]

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Book Review)

What no one tells you about reading Lolita is that there is an initial visceral shock to encountering a very fucked up story. And then years later, you read it again in full attention and skill without realizing that so much tears have run out of you. 

Me at 15: “this is horrific.”

Me at 22: “sad, sad, sad.”

I found myself weeping the moment I woke up from a nap induced by the memory of Nabokov’s novel. Lolita is told from the perspective of the pedophile himself, Humbert Humbert. What I respect so much from Nabokov is that no matter how, in minute subtle ways, we get a glimpse of victim Dolores Haze’s mind, a triumphant reader is able to grasp the whole spectrum of her childhood. How her rebellious streak is a scream of help, her calculating participation in Humbert’s crime is an attempt to get away from him, that she, even in her young age, is able to discern and choose a miserable life as opposed to being with him. And contrary to popular opinion, Humbert was less manipulative. Dolores hated his guts, and had seen through his actions and words. And Nabokov presents Humbert only as a manipulator of a story rather than his own life. He is a terrible, pathetic, egoistic white man who believes he is not like other pedophiles by associating the beauty of his victim akin to Botticelli’s Venus. Lolita wasn’t groomed because Humbert was easily a charming man, she was groomed because she had nowhere else to go. And of course, who would dehumanize a 12-year old for not having enough agency to get away? 

What is so incredibly impressive in Nabokov’s approach that I believe some authors should imitate is depicting a crime without making it pornographic. For a book that is basically a pedophile’s account, the scenes were not explicit or sensual. But since he aimed to write from the point of view of a man who finds this as aesthetically pleasing, the narrative is obscured in flowery language and metaphor.  At one point, I could not gather whether he had already done it because of his attempts to pacify the reader with impressive writing. Even sickening was arguing that there was nothing wrong after all since Lolita was no longer a virgin.

At the very core, Lolita is a horror story. I am quite appalled at the common general belief that it is a love story; that at some point, Humbert did love his little girl. ‘The tragedy lies in their unrequited romance.’ Nabokov would’ve risen from the grave. I would argue that, yes, while the rape scenes were subtext, and the author did not attempt to exhaust anatomical details,  (actually, no matter how embellished a rape scene is with highbrow vocabulary and figures of speech, it’s an issue of skill for not arriving at the conclusion that he raped her, or perhaps a denial of one’s own true mental compass.) one paragraph from the novel struck me as a very obvious admission of guilt:

“Alas, I was unable to transcend the simple human fact that whatever spiritual solace I might find, whatever lithophanic eternities might be provided for me, nothing could make my Lolita forget the foul lust I had inflicted upon her. Unless it can be proven to me — to me as I am now, today, with my heart and by beard, and my putrefaction — that in the infinite run it does not matter a jot that a North American girl-child named Dolores Haze had been deprived of her childhood by a maniac, unless this can be proven (and if it can, then life is a joke), I see nothing for the treatment of my misery but the melancholy and very local palliative of articulate art.”

Humbert himself acknowledges that to otherwise admit he had ruined Lolita’s life is a joke. He would go to hell in any religion because of the foul lust he had inflicted upon her. And no being could prove to him that he did not deprive her of a childhood. No subtext needed. No desire for hints. So many paragraphs are evidence alone. Nabokov never painted Humbert in a color different from a monster. Many times he was clearly written like a pathetic loser who died as miserable as he was living. I believe Humbert’s account to have someone sympathize with him is in earnest, a hypocritical and narcissistic attempt to not hold himself fully accountable. And to point a finger at the author for being a ‘creep’ because of his depiction of abuse is quite ridiculous. Reading the book carefully would equip you with a crystal clear conclusion that depiction is not always endorsement. So to arrive at romanticizing the story, Nabokov does a good job of holding up a mirror to show confirmation that abuse can be in the form of romantic prose, that we lack the ability to set apart roses from blood. 

This is perhaps one of the saddest books I have ever read. I hope all Dolores Hazes in the world find peace and happiness. 

[krytus]

in hindsight kinda fucking hilarious to write a whole ass character where i just did. what i would do/think/feel kinda self insert not really. and end up giving him the arc of being self sacrificial to the point of self destruction. and THEN have his part of the story be about ✨️ Accepting Help ✨️ with zero self awareness that. well. The Fucking Problem I Have Now. sigh. life imitates art or whatever