#character based storytelling :)

[hinamie]

congrats on your recovery n all yuuji but unfortunately for you I thought the scars were cool >:/

[a-storytellers-wish]

Zahra and Noor 🌹✨

I'll try to post their reference sheets soon! (and maybe info about them too, who knows)

[ciderjacks]

Wip

[theweeklydiscourse]

Zuko really is the most complex redemption arc tumblr can handle before they start getting scared.

[therentyoupay]

im completely feral over all your jelsa stories!!!!!! do you ever write established relationship jelsa or have any headcanons about what they would be like together in a serious relationship or marriage????

THANK YOU SO MUCH. 😭😭😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕🙏 thank you thank you nonny for this super sweet ask and this really lovely question and all of your love and support!! 💕💕💕💕💕

i have... never actually written established!relationship (in any fandom), now that i'm thinking about it? that said, i guess i can come up with a quick list of some headcanons, maybe? 😂 i will have to think about this more, but for now, here's a quick drop:

elsa is an early riser; elsa helps jack create more sustainable sleeping patterns and habit formations 😂

when jack gets Impetuous Urges to Do Something Rash and Impractically Spontaneous, elsa will ground jack, reminding him to think before acting. (he occasionally Still Does It, anyway.) elsa knows what she signed up for, lol.

jack loves to play Harmless(!) Pranks, just to watch elsa’s reaction. (he is no longer allowed to sneak up on her after The Incident).

they also quibble over the definition of "harmless" and the specific logistical implications of that; for a while, jack was banned from further pranking, but then he got more creative at showing elsa that pranks could be wholesome and genuine, in which they could both be in on the joke. however, due to elsa's deeply-rooted Need to Excel and her (Not-so)Secret Competitive AF Streak, her retaliation in escalating the Cleverness Prank War quickly resulted in jack's prompt implementation of the Prank-Free Zones and Time Periods. (no, he was not scared.)

elsa, usually reserved, has learned to let her playful side show more often with jack. she might still pretend to be exasperated by his antics, but sometimes it's part of the game (or habit).

elsa sill struggles with opening up emotionally sometimes, but she progressively feels safe enough to share her innermost thoughts and fears. with time, she confides in him more about her worries. she still never likes the idea that jack sees her Imperfect Parts, but at least she can tolerate the discomfort (and, yes, take comfort in it) now

(jack loves elsa's Imperfect Parts, and jack admits that he is Weirdly Proud and Competitively Honored to be one of the only people, even including anna, who gets to see them. he also is strangely Comforted and Validated that elsa is, in fact, not perfect because for a while there, he was pretty freaked out and intimidated by how fancy she is.)

until he realized that no one ever let her actually be a Weirdo before, and once he realizes the Truth of Elsa Also Being a Secret (albeit perhaps more Subdued) Weirdo, the Universe Aligns.

jack listens to elsa's Big Conversations intently, activating varying levels of Serious Mode.

jack is getting better at recognizing the moments when elsa needs him to play and needs him to listen or Give His Opinion or any combination of those things.

jack learns that it's not always about Saying the Right Thing (which he is not very good at, anyway, or so our Serially Unreliable Narrator thinks), but rather being able to read elsa's mood and anticipate what she might need (even if she is not aware of it herself yet).

elsa is meticulous about planning and preparing for special occasions.

elsa likes traditions! jack likes tradition only because elsa likes them, lol, and hey, okay, these are more fun than he thought?? (who knew fun could be organized??!!?)

so he really wants to show (off to) her by pulling off Incredible Planning Feats in her honor, too (they do not go as smoothly, lol).

jack will often go out of his way to spontaneously create something meaningful, a moment or a gift or a gesture, that reminds elsa that he cares. he is big on words of affirmation, gift giving (but like, souvenirs that he collects on adventures like, "i saw this rock and it reminded me of your cousin olaf, we should put it on the window after we paint his face on it"), and acts of service, as well as physical touch and quality time. HE WANTS LOVE. he wants TO BE LOVED. he wants to prove that he is worthy of being loved.

(and elsa has to get him to Chill Out sometimes, remind him that he doesn't have to Do Things For Her/Anyone in order to be deserving of care; he is more than what he provides for other people.)

(jack gets its, and appreciates it, but also, the Urge to Provide and Protect is still strong, even after so much time, and sometimes Old Habits Die Hard.)

i get the sense that he'd be the type to he wake elsa up in the middle of the night to take her on a surprise adventure, or convince her to Do a Fun Thing without any preparation (/warning).

and she would Be Alarmed at the Lack of Plan (especially if/when jack Did Not Think This Through), but he also took precautions to ward off Concerns by pacifying her with tea, or reassurances that yes, he did call ahead to make sure the restaurant was open before they left the house, of course he did, he would never just leave home without double-checking beforehand (and frantically googles it two minutes later when he thinks she's not looking; she is, naturally, and even occasionally pretends not to be).

elsa approaches conflict with a desire to resolve things Calmly and Logically. she tries to understand jack’s perspective, even when she disagrees, and she’s careful with her words, not wanting to escalate the situation.

however, she can sometimes withdraw emotionally, fearing that she might say something hurtful if she’s too overwhelmed.

jack was initially (and, honestly, still is, even though he understands more now) hurt by her tendency to shut down when she Feels Too Much, and understands (although it's still hard) that elsa needs time to process her feelings and organize her thoughts.

jack also helps elsa actually Feel her Feelings, instead of just trying to intellectualize and analyze them. (she hates it, BUT sees the value. jack lives for these moments in which he realizes that he's actually contributing positively to her life and helping her in some way, rather than just being a burden or a nuisance, as was/is his fear.)

his initial reaction might be to push for a resolution quickly, but he’s also deeply afraid of Creating Distance between them, so after the first few fights, he really makes an effort to find the right balance between Pushing Hard Enough and Not Pushing Too hard, so that he doesn't drive a wedge between them as they work things out.

jack FEELS intensely, and can be so stubborn. he does not always have the most precise vocabulary or tools to describe his thoughts and feelings, or identify the root causes of what is actually going on inside him; sometimes elsa asks a lot of insightful and guiding questions that help jack come to the conclusions himself, and other times, she Puts Into Words the very thing that he had been thinking or feeling, but could not name, and it is very reassuring to have someone who understands him well enough to be able to do that.

after conflicts or arguments, they take time to Decompress and reassure one another (especially if at least one of them, if not both, was Overthinking again).

when they argue (and healthy couples do, remember!), it’s a dance of patience and understanding: elsa might need a moment to Collect Herself, and jack learns to give her that Space while also making it clear that he’s ready to talk whenever she is, and that he is going to try very hard to be Rational and Patient About It.

in the end, they both prioritize their relationship over any disagreement, always finding a way back to each other.

[jessamine-rose]

*lovingly tackles Aine*

Read my Yandere! Pierro longfics first ♪( ´▽｀)

Last week, my beloved mutual @ainescribe surprised me with Savior! Darling fan art and AHAI9232@2-!/! CRYING SCREAMING I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS ART AND WORSHIP YOUR VERSION OF SAVIOR THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BLESSING ME WITH YOUR ART—

*clears throat* Anyway, now that I finally have the time to properly sit down and comment on the fan art, I’ll do just that. Feedback will be in the tags and it will be unhinged. Once again, thank you so much to Aine for drawing this <3

[vibe-stash]

All the President's Men (1976)

Director: Alan J. Pakula DOP: Gordon Willis Production Design: George Jenkins Set Decoration: George Gaines

[thebramblewood]

Read an exclusive excerpt of "Chapter 5: The Mysterious Cal and Lily" from Tangled Vines: A Complete Investigation of the Vatore Disappearances, the bestselling phenomenon sweeping Sim Nation!

The advent of the Roaring '20s put a new city on the map. Prohibition was in full swing across the nation (though often loosely and selectively enforced), but citizens were more eager than ever to revel in excess. Producers of alcoholic beverages (including the Vatore family itself, having swiftly resumed business operations despite the loss of its future inheritors) transitioned to an outward emphasis on medical spirits while moving recreational production underground. Equally clandestine speakeasys began cropping up by the dozens, but one city's winding sidewalks, grimy storefronts, and labyrinthine system of underground tunnels made it particularly well-suited to hosting these secret locales. Soon enough, San Myshuno was the pinnacle of glitz, glamor, and elegant debauchery. All who attended a party wanted to be seen. Curiously, though, two of the names most often uncovered in tabloid archives, Cal and Lily, seemed to fully avoid the increasingly ubiquitous flash of the camera. While other frequenters of the speakeasy circuit often found their grainy black and white faces in print, providing endless fodder for the burgeoning gossip rag industry, this pair remained elusive, which of course sold even more papers. Fellow partygoers pitched first-hand accounts to the highest bidders, and readers clung onto every salacious word. Lily and Cal were always observed to arrive together, but she would soon make a beeline for the gramophone while he settled in at the bar. Nearly every report calls Lily an exquisite beauty with an almost supernatural ability for drawing men into her orbit. In some instances, partygoers describe a herd of suitors nearly erupting into fisticuffs as they competed for her attention. It is impossible to say how many of these accounts are exaggerated or even fabricated. Nevertheless, it is clear she was quite the force. At the end of the night, she would leave with her chosen companion, stupefied by his stroke of good luck, on her arm. Meanwhile, Cal would watch listlessly from a distance, nursing a glass of whiskey he was never observed to actually drink. The relationship between the two was unclear, as was his reason for accompanying her, as he seemed to have little interest in the raucousness surrounding him. He rarely engaged with other guests or even Lily herself, though there is at least one report of an argument in which he seemed with little success to be dissuading her from leaving with yet another man. One cannot help but draw parallels to a certain set of siblings with suspiciously similar names. Despite being younger, Caleb Vatore was always said to be protective over his sister Lilith's interests, even if she rarely heeded his advice. Digging into the newspaper archives at Myshuno Meadows Library unearths several more disturbing accounts. Increasingly, there were whispers that the men Lily seduced completely vanished from San Myshuno society after coming into contact with her. While there was a small spike in unsolved murder cases at the time, a concrete connection between the victims and the mysterious Lily cannot be made. In one story, which admittedly reads like a hallucinatory drug trip, Lily is described as a succubus with glowing red eyes and sharp blood-stained teeth. This account was clearly dismissed, for its revelations were never entertained further. All at once, the champagne and glitter dissolved into a more sober era, and these socialites vanished from public life just as swiftly. In isolation, similarities between Cal and Lily and the disappeared Vatore siblings may seem like mere coincidences. In truth, it cannot even be proven that they existed. No official records matching either individual have been discovered. One could argue that they were works of fiction concocted to boost sales or composites drawn from several individuals. However, considered alongside the evidence to be presented in later chapters, the theory that this duo and the Vatores are one and the same becomes too tantalizingly probable to dismiss.

[bonefall]

I love Mistystar so much. In a world filled with representation of Stereotypical Conservative Grandparent, Mistystar represents all those grandparents who are like. So close. They tell you all these stories of the Horrors they lived through and how that spurred their incredible political activism, and there's so much that the two of you agree on. They're a breath of fresh air at family gatherings because you know that if things turn to Politics, you won't be out here alone against all your conservative kin. But. She just can never take that extra step! She's Meemaw Fascist Murderer, but things like criticizing capitalism are off limits! And you just wish you could shake her and be like come on! You're constantly on the edge of this huge political epiphany, Meemaw! Come with me! And then. Some days. She comes home and is like "You know, my friend said something about [insert insane conservative talking point], and I think she might have a point" and you just want to scream! Meemaw NO! (G-d I hope this is a relatable experience)

It ABSOLUTELY is relatable lmaooo, I've been there in the trenches with you, Nonnie. It is such a unique kind of stress when you have an older family member like that just teeter-tottering on the edge of ONE extra step foward and they DONT TAKE IT

You can file the worst members of your family under "Objective: SURVIVE" and it gives you so much more of a shield against them. You expect dumb shit from Uncle Fungleblock, the Republican Elf, never to the point where it stops hurting, but to the point that you're prepared for the fight.

But nothing prepares you for Meemaw suddenly not having your back when you needed her, because she's genuinely considering that talking point from her friend.

So now you're using the Measured Meemaw Tone, trying to legitimately address her argument the way that sometimes soothing the horse can make it drink, while Fungleblock is casting Racism Fireball at you and you can FEEL his Slur Cooldown ticking away.

You think back to everything she's been through, how gutwrenching her stories are, the things she's experienced, violence and bigotry she's WITNESSED changing over the course of her own life... but on some level, it's as if she's stuck believing that progress is just about fighting The Bad People, or making an argument convincing enough that the good guys win fair and square, and she's gotten as old as she is because she has a support network that your allies may not.

So she never really will truly protect you from Fungleblock himself as long as he behaves just enough. She helps but she isn't your hero. And she'll still keep falling into bigoted traps, because she never will crack that nut and realize the difference between racist stereotypes and material conditions.

Love, pride, and disappointment. How do you hold them all at once? You just let them swirl as they please.

In my experience, at least, lmao. But hey, my own personal Fungleblock threw himself out of Thanksgiving with a tantrum so. Life is good B)

[lem-argentum]

it's funny to me when people say "this ship is stupid because one or both of them would obviously hate the other".... *puts my hand gently on your shoulder* let me tell u about the wonderful world of exploring the stories that can be born from characters who are not perfectly compatible

[puhpandas]

thinking abt the ggy easter eggs rn

[booasaur]

Gotham Knights - 1x13

[acourtofquestions]

Has Sarah J. Maas ever listed her inspirations for the realm? (Like Leigh Bardugo always mentions Prussia especially when it comes to language and fashion)… and I’m just curious what SJM’s were???

[thirdtimed]

unfortunately if i ever developed the lifeseries orv au in my head in earnest i would in no capacity whatsoever manage to be normal about it at all and like. i mean it

[bluelead35]

the wind, the mountains, and the sea (zhongli.)

zhongli x gn!reader who is part of the liyue qixing and has an anemo vision. 

fluff, sfw, and domestic sweetness. (also posted on a03)

words: 1k

synposis: history is all too easily forgotten, and it is up to storytellers to tell the youth of liyue, but also sometimes, retired archons need reminders. 

“As the night takes its final bow, listen to the wind and how it sings to the sea.” A voice spoke softly, as their hands were placed carefully and comfortably in their lap, as they sat with their knees together and legs folded. Bright young eyes stared at them, as they watched their every move. They spoke with a soft voice, and gently smiled at the children gathered around the harbor. Their parents had let them run off for the night in harbor, knowing that they’d entrusted the Qixing, and their commander. The commander was a storyteller just as they were concerned with the matters of the milieth. 

The softness of the wind swirling through the crowds, as the commander told the youth of Liyue past stories of legends that their parents had already known. Their eyes sparkled just like the stars within the night, as they began their last story of the night. 

“The sea of blue flowers would always giggle and dance to the wind’s song. The wind would arrive everyday at sunrise and sunset to entertain these flowers. But of course, the mountains grew jealous of the wind. You see the mountains could not sing like the wind, and the mountains weren’t as carefree, but the mountains had deeply fallen in love with the flowers.” 

“But the wind represents bards, right? How could the mountains compete with it??” A young child shouted out, as the commander raised her hand to mouth before laughing softly. They smiled at the children, and adjusted their sitting position to continue. 

“Well you see the wind was always carefree. The wind did not have a place to call home, as it would always wander everywhere, but stuck in the same cycle. The wind wanted to win the flowers’ admiration to grant a blessing of freedom, something both the mountains and the wind wanted.” They explained, as the child widened their eyes and exclaimed. 

Just as the child was about to speak once more, a figure stepped behind the storyteller, and pressed a finger to his lips. His golden eyes reminded the children of a tale the storyteller told earlier that night about how the archon of liyue still lives with us and as one of us. His long brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and his suit was neutral tones, with blacks and browns, complimenting the commander’s choice of attire. His hands were concealed with black gloves and rings adorning his thumbs. 

The commander pretended not to sense a new presence with the crowd, they continued with their story, this time, getting into the storyteller role. 

“You see children, the mountains were constant. The wind blew only when happiness and peace was at its peak and longed to be free to blow anytime and the flowers were able to grant that wish, and through song those flowers would bloom blessings, but the mountains did something, that no one would have expected. Not even the heavens.” “Or Lady Ningguang??” “Even her Tiansheng.” 

“As the mountains gathered up its friends, the adepti, our little friends I’ve told you about before, the mountains began to practice singing. The adepti were shocked at this, as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper flapped their wings in shock. Moon Carver stomped his hooves in absolute astonment, and because of this beautiful sound that was produced. Even so that the wind was taken aback. You see the wind tell the mountains, “My, trying to steal my spot are you? Listen, I want the sea of flowers to grant me the blessing of freedom.” The wind exclaimed, as the mountains roared, “Well I’d like freedom too, but most importantly, I want them to release in my presence.”’ 

“To this, the flowers  interrupted, ‘Why do you fight? You two can produce a wonderful song together, then I will see if I will grant you the wishes.’ and so the two quickly stopped their fighting and began to sing.” The commander began to sing a tune that almost brought tears to his eyes, and the children to sleep. They took notice of their growing tired selfs as the parents came to collect them. 

“And so with this tune, the flowers granted the wind to blow whenever it wanted, and the mountains their love. The end.” 

The parents chuckled at their children smiling and waving bye sleepily. The commander waved bye to them, as they got to up greet the figure. They folded their arms, an anemo vision dangling at their hip. They raised their eyebrows, and tapped their fingers on their forearm. 

“Well you are quite the storyteller.” He chuckled, offering them his coat, as they smiled, and wrapped it around their shoulders. The seabreeze danced in between them, as the two began to stroll around Liyue. Despite it being late at night, lights were still on, but people had retired for the night. They sighed, listening to the wind softly, as they met eye contact. 

“I try to be, Mr. Zhongli. All too easily  history will be forgotten, and these children won’t have anything to pass down to theirs.” They explained, “And besides, you need reminders once in a while, don’t you?” They teased, bumping their shoulder into his. 

“Well yes, but I don’t technically recall my friend Barbatos caring too much about Guizhong.”  Zhongli explained, as the commander sighed. 

“It’s to keep the children engaged and to teach them about how glaze lilies respond to song.” They chuckled, their hands finding each other all too naturally. Zhongli stopped in his tracks to look at the commander who caught off guard. 

“But  you do tell a good story. I’m sure Guizhong would be glad to know, I finally settled for the wind after her passing. She always told me how the mountains and the wind were perfect together.” Zhongli explained, as he began to lean in. 

They laughed, throwing their arms around his neck, as a golden hue began to rise above the city, their faces shining like gold, “It’s because you two that her favorite song was born, so I wouldn’t blame her.” They closed the distance. 

[velvetjune]

judging people who played alan wake 2 solely on if they loved the musical sequence or not