#didn't cover any of the other ones since i more...dabble in them

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Does Elrelda have a government? Like as in like, nationwide level or planetary level administration? Like are Elreldians aware that the company that they make a tourist partnership with sometimes dabble in the Art of Human Trafficking?

Like is it legal to do what Arrin did? Or is Arrin just taking advantage of the fact that he is the chief and a well loved and respected one at that? Like yeah, Synthis is probably the Space Age version of Disney/Amazon but do the general population of Elrelda not know the probably illegal shit that Synthis (and their sister companies) pulls or is it just the people with the money, power, and authority (or the desire for a cute, submissive, and breedable human)?

How does it even work? Like did Arrin (and other human fuckers) just go to a random branch office and go “I want a cute human mate. Preferably soft, squishy, submissive, breedable, and T H I C C" and they were just “Aight, gotchu”. Then they just showed him a list and he just pointed at our pic and went “I want that one”? Tinder but much more hands-on with a smidge of human trafficking. Then Synthis just gave us a discount coupon when the time came for us to go to Elrelda (thank god, we didn't bring a date so we can share the expenses so that we can afford a nicer ship)

Or did Synthis just give their employees that were to be sold discount coupons to different place and have their buyers see their prospective mates for themselves? The ones not chosen getting to return to their homes not knowing they were almost going to have their lives uprooted?

Or did only Arrin just get the special treatment because of the partnership between his herd and Synthis' business?

Speaking of humans, why are humans regarded as status symbols for a chief to show power? Is it because l average humans are generally smaller and squishier than the average Elreldian, and the fact that the human they're with is healthy, safe, and happy a sign that their mate is strong and a capable provider while still skilled enough not to hurt them?

I know it's just a (really good and indulgent) smutty one shot but holy fuck, there is something to be said about the unexpectedly thought-provoking world building you did

It has been so long since I wrote that so I apologize if any of my answers conflict with the story.

Elrelda is ruled by regional chiefs who occassionally gather to make big decisions that impact more than one region and to facilitate trading arrangements.

I feel like in general the Elreldians don't care about the illegal stuff too much off their planet as long as Synthis is decent to them and they don't care that their chiefs can get humans as long as they aren't abused.

Anyone can get a human as long as they have rare resources that Synthis wants and the corporation is very good at covering it all up.

Arrin probably heard from another chief about the human "dating" program and contacted his local Synthis rep about it and picked from a list of potential mates with traits he desired.

Then, yes, that potential mate gets a free trip so they can be scouted and if they aren't chosen they return home and the next match is offered the trip.

They are seen as a status symbol because they are alien and because they are so soft and cute.

[moonliteve]

Headcanons for the early days of the deadly alliance

a second deadly alliance hc post has hit the hourglass......highly suggest u read my previous post about their past before reading this one!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

shang tsung was surprised to see that damashi had found someone else to be apart of their scheme to take over the realms

he was a bit upset at first

does that mean i have to share the fruits of my labor? he thought to himself

quan chi, who was still kind of dazed by the whole stunt damashi pulled back in the mines, doesn't say much

he nods, quietly mumbles formalities and fumbles with his hands quite a lot

damashi tells shang they must work together in order to rule

shang was a bit baffled at the notion at first- the man before him who barely spoke and was covered in dirt and grime was supposed to help them somehow?

to which damashi gets a bit angry with shang, he explains the innate magic he possesses and his potential

"you would dare question me, shang tsung?"

immediately shuts down any protesting from him. damashi is his benefactor after all. surely he knows what's best for them

so fine. he'll try and work with the newcomer

the first few months did not go well AT ALL LMAO quan chi wasn't very talkative and he always practiced magic by himself

shang was always the one trying to initiate conversations and secretly observed the other sorcerer practicing

little did he know quan chi did the same

he's. still a bit nervous about approaching shang directly. since he was the later one to join and train under damashi's guidance he felt like his magic was subpar of shang's

he did appreciate the space shang gave him tho. he just needed some time by himself since now that he was out of the mines he was able to do whatever he wanted

day and night he would bury himself in books about all sorts of things, but he took a liking to architecture, biology and different kinds of magic- especially forbidden magic but he wasn't sure if he should be dabbling in that until damashi learnt about his interest in darker magic, that's when he started fully enabling him to practice netherrealm magic

it wasn't until sometime after that did quan chi ask shang for help for the first time

shang was more than happy to help to quan chi's surprise, he didn't think the other sorcerer would be as open as he would be atm

"it would benefit us to have a good relationship, quan chi. after all, any alliance that aids us with our plans is one worth having, is it not?"

he was glad that shang seemed to like him

he thought for the longest time just from first impressions that shang still disliked him, but they seem to be getting along well now

and this made quan chi willing to open up more to shang as well

happy days :)

the three of them were stationed at an abandoned outpost in a remote area, damashi would be the one helping them gather whatever they needed since he could shapeshift and he didn't want any of them to be under the rada

it wasn't anything fancy but they had what they needed

shang had a shitty little basement where he did his experiments, also where he kept syzoth in

quan chi didn't get to see the basement until shang decided to give him a tour. he had always wondered where shang was most of the time when it was mostly damashi who went outside

sure quan chi was shocked at first seeing all of shang's creations. but he wasn't one to judge

he knew shang came from awful conditions as well, they've both been mistreated by everyone around them so why couldn't they do the same?

plus the experiments intrigued him immensely

it was after shang showed him his basement did quan chi elaborately plan on building him a proper vivisection chamber

he wanted to show his gratitude somehow. along with damashi shang has also helped him a lot with practicing his magic

around the same time they had gotten insider info from damashi that the heir to the throne has tarkat

and with how skilled shang was at persuasion and sweet talking, they easily landed a place in outworld's court in no time with the promise of a suppressor/cure for the disease

they transferred their workspace to the laboratory that was provided to him, which was WAYY nicer than what they had before, just the look of it gave others a good impression of shang: a diligent scientist who was neat and efficient

with quan chi's architectural knowledge they built the vivisection chamber underneath the laboratory. shang planned out the whole facility and what he wanted to include while quan chi mainly did the construction since he was familiar with this kind of work, shang even created new specimens for a few extra hands

[armands-cuck-chair]

"'Exceptional negro.' 'Thank you, sir.' It was the call and response of my entire life. I had let them talk to me like that so long I stopped hearing it. 'Yes sir', 'of course, sir', 'subject, verb, agreement, sir', smile, nod, 'yes, sir.' They all came from the same organ inside me, an organ unknown to science at the time, because what scientist would look for an organ found only in black men who use their weakness to rise? But I wasn't a man anymore. I was something else. I had powers now, and decades of rage to process, and it was both random and unfortunate the man picked that night to dabble in fuckery."

One of my favorite Louis quotes of all time. And it makes me so happy when I'm watching black reactors watch this scene because it's obviously so cathartic for them. I like watching black reaction content for this show in particular, because it helps me as a white person appreciate the show on a whole other level that I would be incapable of on my own. It was actually a black acter that made me interested in watching the show in the first place!

I had seen gifs on tumblr and I wanted to get a feel for the show before I bought it. I was a fan of the 1994 movie and had read some of the book, but it did always bother me that Louis in both of those versions of the story was a slave owner. And especially in the movie, which adds that whole gross slave master/enslaved black woman romance racist trope that always made me uncomfortable, even before I could articulate why. (At least the slaves get freed and then they burn down the plantation? Seriously, don't get me started on that aspect of the 1994 movie.) I was really intrigued by the fact that the show chose to make Louis a black creole man, instead of a white creole man, and also the switching of the time period. But because some aspects of the source material were...not great, I was worried that that change might not have been handled the best. Vampire media oftentimes don't treat their black characters very well. So when I decided to watch reaction content of it to get a feel for the show, I wanted to hear a black perspective on it.

So I watched ShalayaHomebody TV's reaction first (also her Sandman reactions are so good, she is so funny, you should absolutely subscribe), and I was pleasantly surprised because, you know, the bar is in Hell. I immediately bought the first season and I have been obsessed with the show and have had The Vampire Chronicles brainrot ever since.

A while ago, I watched Syntell's reactions with Mikel Claire on his channel and I was sort of blown away by him saying this about the scene when Sam takes Louis's tickets to the Theatre des Vampires show in the fake fangs and white vampire makeup: "I wonder if that's like blackface to them?" Like, as a white person, my mind just straight up didn't go there, but as soon as he said it I totally got it. It made me think of how Josephine Baker had performed in blackface as a black woman, because she could get more money performing to white audiences and that's the only way white audiences at the time would watch anything having to do with black people. It made me look at the whole Theatre des Vampires differently.

After Claudia proclaimed that the trial was a stoning, Alex of Jessa and Alex Watch said: "No, it's a lynching!" And...yeah! It basically was.

I could keep giving examples, but I'm stoned and rambling and this post is already going to be incredibly long as it is. I just have a lot to say!

The show might not handle every single thing exactly right 100% of the time in regards to race, nothing does, but I really appreciate the show taking pains to accurately cover the typical attitudes regarding race in the time periods it's set in, including the present. That's not to say that any scrutiny or criticism isn't warranted, there will always be blind spots. And like I said, the bar is in Hell, but I think it's really cool and good that they took the time to sit back and say, "okay, how does changing this character's race change their history and how they navigate the world?" Especially when there are white supremacists in the US government who think teaching about the history and the structural nature of racism not be taught because it will "make white kids grow up hating themselves". 🙄

I don't know, man. I just saw people criticizing some of the Devil's Minion fandom for their treatment of Louis when I was browsing the tag and like...I don't want to contribute to making black fans of the show feel shut out and like they don't have a space in the fandom. It's like that meme: "I got so caught up in the euphoria of shipping Devil's Minion that for a moment I forgot racism exists."

I don't say it enough, but I love this incarnation of Louis and Claudia. I love that there are so many black fans who feel seen and represented. I love that the show isn't just a sea of 99% white characters like the books are, but keeping everything that makes the books compelling and great and then elevating it by making it more inclusive.

Don't sideline the black fans in the IWTV community. Watch black reacters. Engage with them. Listen to them. You might not agree with every take they have, but I promise you that it will make you enjoy the show from a whole new perspective.

[fandom-scatteredthoughtsonpaper]

Announcing a fandom community server!

Hi, guys! This is sorta directed at my followers but also Obey Me fans (and other fandom people).

I mentioned, like, a looong time ago I wanted to do a community server, but I didn't really understand how to use Discord, but since then I've been in a zine, a few collabs, and hosted my own collabs (currently running one for Lucifer 👀). So, I have the experience and knowledge of running a server now!

My urge to create a fandom-centric server has really bloomed and after sitting on the it for a year, I feel confident enough yet still anxious to release a link of an invitation to it (found at the bottom)! It's still fresh, and bots haven't been implemented yet, but I really want to push this out.

I myself am in a lot of different fandoms, obviously Obey Me, but also Baldur's Gate, Stardew Valley, Kingdom Hearts, Persona games, What in Hell is Bad, a few obscure fandoms (like Alien Stage and Touchstarved) and older ones (Homestuck), so I have all the intentions to have this server be inclusive to webcomics, anime and manga and adjacent media, games from standard video games to phone games, graphic novels, books, otome and romance stuff, indie media like web series, cartoons, and games, and more as it grows.

I also want this server to be a hub for writers and artists to share their stuff they're too awkward or anxious to post and receive feedback, and as a place to get to know fellow-minded people in shared fandoms. AUs, theories, headcanons, crossovers, self-inserts, your MCs/OCs - all allowed!

A few things to note:

This is a fandom community server, but it might start out as Obey Me heavy because I'm trying to direct attention to that fandom since that's the one I am mostly in and participated in most things as a fan.

Adults and minors (16+) are allowed, but there are rules implemented that divide channels into SFW and NSFW categories and channels.

Writers, artists, content creators, cosplayers, fans that dabble, etc. are enthusiastically welcomed

The server can also function with channels regarding roleplays and self-publishing (commissions, Etsy shops, etc.)

I really want this server to kinda be a central spot for small fandoms or dying fandoms (like Obey Me) or old fandoms or growing fandoms and ones in-between basically non-existent and probably way too big. I want the server to be a community of different fandoms and the people that incorporate them, and I want it to be a fun place to just either relax with other fans and share works you like or works you've made or as a place to just dip in a silently lurk to look at what people are talking about or look at what is shared or as a place to lose your fucking minds when updates happen or something wild or devastating in the media occurs.

I want this to be a respectful but enjoyable place to come to and join and feel like you can invite friends or maybe even make friends!

Hard rules:

Before entering though, the server has a soft screening process for people to join.

Verifications will be done by me to make sure no one with ill intentions has a chance to cause harassment or harm to members. Fandoms can be toxic and mean in public places like here and Twitter, but this server will be, to the best of my ability, a space away from that.

Absolutely no pedophilic content is allowed. Like, none. It'll be one of the fastest things to get you kicked and banned and blacklisted.

There are rules and specific channels for certain ships and certain explicit content that can be talked about in the server if there are any questions.

This server is for fandom communities and politics and religious hot takes are not applicable here. This is a designated relief zone and none of that is really welcome.

I think that mostly covers the sales pitch and important stuff, lol.

So with all that out of the way--

Link to join: https://discord.com/invite/g8VeSe4t

[jazlynriddle]

Deleted Scenes Ch 2: In light of the Estate

Summary:

A series of fill in snippets of interactions between Sebastian and Ominis in-between quests, starting with Ominis confronting Sebastian after he catches Main Character leaving the Undercroft. Ending with a longer epilogue chapter that takes place post-game.

Warnings: Spoilers

Link to AO3 can be found here (with additional tags)

Notes:

This chapter takes place between the Shadow of the Undercroft and Shadow of the Estate, tackling the question of how Sebastian learnt of the Scriptorium in the first place.

Sebastian sighed as he turned yet another page of the large tome he'd been thumbing through for the last two hours.

One would think that a book from the restricted section, titled Memoirs and Legends of Salazar Slytherin would have more descriptions of Dark Arts in it, but alas, the title seemed to be more misleading than he'd expected. Being ninety percent Legends and ten percent Memoirs.

"What have you got there?"

Sebastian jumped slightly as the silence of the Undercroft was broken but didn't bother looking up. Easily recognising Ominis' calm tones, as his best friend ducked under the gate's rising bars and crossed the expanse between them. Before carefully settling onto the bench beside him.

Sebastian took the moment to stretch, back aching from being hunched over a book for so long, releasing another sigh as he propped his head up on an arm and turned to face Ominis.

"Nothing much, just a book about Slytherin, though it's turning out to be more of a book about what people say about our house founder." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"As if it's any news that he supposedly had a chamber in Hogwarts, that supposedly had a basilisk in it." Sebastian shrugged, before tipping his head thoughtfully. "Though, I suppose it's interesting to know that he might also have had an undiscovered scriptorium here too. Not much use, since it doesn't say where that might be, of course."

Ominis couldn't prevent himself from jolting at the word 'scriptorium', trying to cover up his reaction with an awkward laugh. "A-ah yes, that doesn't sound very helpful."

The silence stretched on for a long moment and Ominis cursed internally, of course the one time Sebastian actually paid attention to him, it would be when he was trying to hide something.

"I don't suppose you might know something about this scriptorium, now would you?" Sebastian's tone was sly, dragging out his words meaningfully and Ominis shifted uncomfortably at the sound.

"I can't see why you might think so, besides, you probably shouldn't look into anything like that. Anything connected to my ancestor is bound to be full of Dark Magic." Ominis folded his arms, turning to face the other direction, away from Sebastian's voice.

"Come on Ominis, none of us will be able to avoid Dark Magic forever. So, the more we know about Salazar Slytherin and the Dark Arts, the better prepared we'll be!" Sebastian reasoned, leaning away from the table, trying to get a look at Ominis' expression.

"Well I for one, would like to at least try to avoid it forever, thank you very much." Ominis tipped his chin up, stubbornly refusing to allow Sebastian to get a glimpse of his face.

Another long moment of silence passed. Unfortunately, Ominis knew his best friend well enough. This wouldn't be enough to get him to leave this alone, and sure enough Sebastian's steely voice came not a moment later.

"You might be able to avoid it, but I can't. I won't. Have you forgotten that Anne needs a cure?" Sebastian's words were biting and Ominis felt his stomach clench at the accusation in them.

"Of course I haven't!" Ominis shot to his feet, his chest burning with the urge to flee. "How could you possibly think so!?"

"Then tell me!" Sebastian stood as well, gripping Ominis' forearm firmly to keep him there, his voice pleading. "This scriptorium could hold the answers we need!"

"You can't keep doing this! Using Anne to justify dabbling in something that's irrevocably wrong!" Ominis' voice was pitched high with distress. He knew what Sebastian wanted and he understood wanting it, but he also knew what was at stake.

"I'm not using Anne! Nothing I've said is untrue! If you cared about her, you'd do anything it takes to cure her, like me!" Sebastian shouted, pulling Ominis by his arm to face him.

Ominis was glad that he couldn’t see whatever expression Sebastian was wearing, he had a feeling it would have frightened him terribly. As it is, his voice was doing the trick well enough, but Ominis knew he had to stand firm on this. Sebastian simply didn't understand the risks involved and no matter how Sebastian had changed, he was still Sebastian and Ominis wasn't going to lose another loved one. Like he'd lost his aunt.

"I'm sorry Sebastian, but whatever is in there might do more harm than good. Ask anything else of me but I shan't help you with this." Ominis shook his head, prying Sebastian's fingers from his arm and high tailing it from the Undercroft.

"I'm not going to let this go."

Notes:

I feel so weird making these chapters so short, I usually write long chaptered stories but these are supposed to be snippets between quests, so I want to split these up scene by scene like the way they come to us as quests in game, rather than long and continuous, since I don't really see the need to rewrite scenes that are in game. I might eventually write a proper story for this game rather than a collection of snippets like this. On the upside short does mean I'll be uploading new chapters quickly xD

[royalwriteroftheuniverse]

Thanks Captain America

chapter 5

Next chapter (Chapter 6)

WARNINGS: 18+ just incase ptsd kidnapping drug overdose , drugs kidnapping psychological issues that can trigger anyone a whole lot of angst and heartbreak character death

Comments and Rebligs appreciated no publishing or reporting

Previous Chapter

Steve is upstairs working on a exfil plan for two shadows im Germany when he is called down the T.O.R.s (tactical observation rooms)

because a team clearing out a drug trafficking ring location, who have started to dabble in other Steves, found something he needs to needs to see - a phrase Steve rolled his eyes at. Steve throws down his pencil in a noise and huffy as he goes into the roof. Workers hand him an earned as he walks in.

But all he see is walls.

"This is what I'm called down for? Dirty walls?" He thinks, annoyed because there are two agents in trouble that need exfil yesterday and hes looking at walls for what? To decide what to repaint them?

In fact that's what thought. Exactly what he thought.

"He's here show us."

It takes Steve a second to figure out what they're showing him. Ok an iv connected to a body he doesn't-the face he recognizes the dirty grayed face. He swallow hard. Its been a year but It was her face, slightly skinner a malnourished faced barely clothed . Steve stopped paying attention to what they were saying but he heard "drug overdose"

"What?"

"Looks like a drug overdose sir. Probably a day or two ago. If it wasn't-"

"For the side mission I sent you on she'd be alive. If I didn't stop looking."

Steve shot up in bed covered in sweat. Panting he's had that nightmare ever since Hayden came to say you were missing. They only got worse after the restraining order when he knew he wouldn't be able to help her the way she helped him at night and he longed for nothing more than to just hold her.

Then there were others where they're too early by a day and you get put somewhere else until they're gone and he sees you as you see the quinn jett flying away above you. Cursing Steve, hating him because you think they aren't looking for you because you think Steve replaced you the one thought that Steve just has through is whole in is that he is afraid you thinknhe sees yiu like garbage, he's made you believeyou were gun bendable disposable always another peice on the side and that HE madeyou give up because his treatment. He knew it and it killed him Because he knew what you knew if he was looking for you then they would have found you. Other times Steve is walking down the street and passes a crime scene and he sees your face just before they zip up thr body bag, those the worst for him youbwere in the city the whole time. Right under his nose. A few block away and he still lost you forever. Hayden. Well Hayden could be temporary any lover or boyfriend or even husband could be divorxe was easy nowadays but death no one could come back from,, Steve only cheated it because of a technicality with ice. Bucky was cryo-perserved. But you wouldn't be. You'd-he stopped himself to look at the time the precious minutes wasting away. Barely 10 minutes have passed since the last time he looked. He couldn't have even gotten 10 minutes in but the nightmares keep coming you always you turing up somewhere or another his fault. But that's because it is. He knew it he couldn't lie about it to anyone no one could lie about it to him though no one was foolish enough to bring it up not after Steve had all but killed a High up Avenger Agent who said its been too long nd there were agents who needed his help now -she was a lost cause.

He was a lost cause too once but he had 70 years to wait you didnt have even a sliver of that.

Chapter 6

So Steve went back to the room that been a second home. No, not a second home, a room because nothing was home without you.

After a little while some.one had called for him to go down to a T.O.R. room he gulped heavily. This was how his nightmare started and he knew you wouldn't be waking him up.

Taglist

@nana1000night @sapphire-rogers @patzammit @hawkeyes-queen @sparklybarbarianninja

[tea-you-later-losers]

OKAY SO!!! pspspsp @guyandremy please meet my two Stardew farmers Georgia a.k.a George and Bee :))) i have little artistic skills atm so i instead used this stardew portrait maker

GEORGIA:

nicknamed George. Grampa George finds this funny but wont ever admit to it. Calls her Grandma Evelyn calls her the young Georgie :)))

TALL!! STRONG!! WIFE!!!! Former athlete who settled on her grandpa's farm after college because she didn't want to go professional and thought it'd be nice to keep the farm in the family (rip gramps things are well taken care of)

best friends-eventually-girlfriends with Bee who joined her a year or two after George gets the farm fully up and running again

Likes her eggs scrambled and adores her favorite chicken is a brown hen named Lucille

Much more organized than her partner, and if it wasn't for her the farm would subsist on foraging alone woman is the most competent

Enjoys fishing on the occasion but mostly its spent looking at the things Bee finds in the tide pools to show her

Friends with Alex and Shane bonding over Sports Balls on the weekend

Favorite clothes: works in an old t shirt and jeans, hangs out in a hoodie and athletic shorts her mom has told her are too old and need replaced but if its not falling off of her than whats a few holes? its still good for lounge wear, mom

adopted a german shepard and named him Rooster - he's the best farm dog a girl could ask for <333. The farm's horse is named Tornado after the beanie baby horse she had as a kid (former horse girl? yes!)

BEE:

they're so silly lmao

a gremlin for sure, a little messy, but good at detail work since they can focus on lots of small things (oddly enough the one to cover the finances of the farm while George does more of the actual labor)

They met George when they were teens and they've been best friends since, then in college they started to date and know they live together :))) life's beautiful like that sometimes

a dinosaur autistic thru and thru this totally isnt me projecting onto them ANYWAYS the little dino outfit you can make your farmer is their comfy clothes for rainy days and any other day they can get away with it

Made fast friends with Jas and Vincent while playing with them in the Forest. They sometimes help Penny with lessons and activities.

loves foraging its like a scavenger hunt with no checklist and more dirt. as above likes to join Georgia on her fishing trips so they can wade through tide pools and see what critters are hanging out

dabbles in the different artisan goods but doesnt really stick to one overall - it gets boring after a while and you can only eat so much jam (although they will never say no to a jar of blackberry jam tyvm)

in college got a cat named Skateboard and brought her with them to the farm. She loves the porch and hates the sprinklers

(they like to put Skateboard and Rooster in little hats and outfits much to the delight of the dog and distaste of the cat)

if you read this far you are 100% encouraged to ask questions and tell me more about yours

[navree]

About the Targaryens again… So George said that Rhaenys was a “flirt” (and we know it for sure because she obviously loved the company of males and it was a part of her extroverted personality) and Visenya was a “seductress”, but ASOIAF doesn’t portray her as a seductress at all, nor is it clear who she would be seducing. It doesn’t seem to have been Aegon, or she obviously didn’t succeed in seducing him, nor it seem to be anyone else at all. All we know is that she was cold, dark, serious and had a little sense of humour (like torturing a monkey for fun could count ok). What do you think about that?

"About the Targaryens again" I mean, do I ever really get questions about anything else, lol?

So, I think the "So Spake Martin" stuff tends to fall into the lines of "semi-canonical" rather than out and out canon from the official texts we have, which would be ASOIAF (which Visenya and Rhaenys aren't in due to having been dead for three hundred years) and Fire&Blood, where they're really only referred to because it's a historical text covering past events, not a contemporaneous narrative. But it does seem like the "So Spake Martin" description of Visenya ("Visenya is both stern and sensual, more voluptuous than her sister, more passionate, but with a dark and unforgiving side") is still meant to be taken in conjunction with her F&B official description ("Even those who loved her best found Visenya stern, serious, and unforgiving") since Rhaenys's "So Spake Martin" description ("Rhaenys, the younest of the three, is slender and graceful, playful, with a mischievous aspect to her personality than Visenya lacks") follows pretty closely with her F&B description ("Rhaenys, youngest of the three Targaryens, was all her sister was not, playful, curious, impulsive, given to flights of fancy"). So the idea that Visenya might have had a seductive aspect to her personality that she wielded when it suited her doesn't seem to be entirely out of bounds.

As to who she was seducing, that's more unclear. If you follow the conventional wisdom surrounding Aegon's relationships with his sister-wives, then she might have tried to be "seductive" towards him to try and sway him into being more attracted to her, as opposed to Rhaenys, and it simply didn't work. Or maybe it did at least once, we have no idea what the circumstances of Maegor's conception were beyond the fact that it happened at an opportune time for his parents. If you have my specific set of brain worms, then she might have tried to seduce Rhaenys somehow and whether or not she succeeded depends on how sad I want to make myself on any given day. And while there were never any rumors about her going after anyone while married (though she very well could have, just kept it incredibly on the down low), Visenya did spend a significant amount of time widowed. And while some might say "OK, but she was in her sixties and seventies when widowed so who was she seducing" I will respond with a) GILF rights and b) Visenya was said to dabble in dark sorceries and blood magic, she could have easily used some of that to make her look more youthful than her years, potentially even explaining why she suddenly had such a steep drop-off health and looks wise in the last year of her life (something something magic always has a cost something something). So it's entirely possible that, now that she was unencumbered by marriage, and powerful enough in her own right (even more so after Maegor became king) that no one would brook any argument against her for doing it, that she took some lovers in the last decade of her life, and probably seduced them into bed with her. There's also this quote that "To most of the world, she presented the grim face of a warrior, stern and unforgiving", which could easily mean that Visenya had a more sensual side to her that she didn't show in battle or on progresses or to much of open court, aka most of the world, but was present enough to be accounted for by other people, including whoever was in the inner sanctum of the Conquerors time as rulers.

Of course, just because she's described as a "seductress" doesn't necessarily mean she went around enticing everyone she met 24/7. It could easily be a description of her personality as much as it is about her actions. People generally contain multitudes, Visenya can absolutely be both stern and serious as well as using wiles to try and get people to do what she wanted. It's an element of her personality that we can actually see in how she took the Vale, tempting Ronnel with Vhagar and the promise of flying around on her, and using just that to get Sharra to realize that she needed to submit and surrender to the Targaryens. Visenya could have been a seductress in more ways than just sexual, and had her own purposes behind it, just like Rhaenys's flirty patronage of singers also served as masterful propaganda to prop up Aegon and their dynasty.

As for the monkey thing, I don't think there's any suggestion that she tortured the ape she took as the second Lord Monkeyface (even though we as modern Earth humans now know better than to try and dress animals up in little outfits that they don't want), just that she had a fool named Monkeyface and then replaced him with an actual monkey that she thought was funnier.

[estel-eruantien]

If you're still doing the alphabet asks

Cam/Shane

A,B,C,D,E,F,I,K,O,S,U,V,W,X,Y

GLADLY

(Also hi, I finally got this done! So sorry for the wait!)

A - Aftercare

Shane is always ready to sit with Cam after some intimate time, ready to do whatever he needs to do to help his lover. Sometimes, Cam wants to be held, to just feel Shane close to him; sometimes, he just wants to be near him and talk about things they enjoy. It's a special opportunity for them to just relish in being alone together.

--

B - Body Part

Shane adores Cam's hands. He loves to watch his fingers flit across a keyboard, ruffle his hair, or wrap around his cock.

Cam loves Shane's back and shoulders. Cam especially loves when Shane chooses to go shirtless during training or when skating~ -- C - Cum

Shane likes the mess and will lick it off of Cam after sex. Cam, while he doesn't really enjoy being sticky, feels very attractive when Shane is riled up by it, so he gladly lets Shane cum on him and do whatever he wants with it from there.

--

D - Dirty Secret

Shane and Cam both want to fuck the other members of their team (especially when some of them can't keep their shenanigans quiet *Hunter/Dustin*) . Any of them would probably be down for an orgy if the two asked, but Shane's pretty possessive of his time with Cam, and Cam couldn't bring himself to ask such a thing of his friends.

--

E - Experience

Shane has gotten around, especially with his skater friends. He'd mostly dabbled in handjobs and blowjobs, but he wasn't a virgin when him and Cam got together.

Cam had very little experience. He had kissed exactly one girl, when they were kids, but when the feelings weren't returned, he gave up on romance to focus on his other studies.

--

F - Favorite Position

Cam likes to be on top of Shane, getting to look down at his beautiful body. Shane also enjoys this, because the view of Cam's face as he fucks into him leaves him breathless every time.

--

I - Intimacy

While not super lovey dovey, Shane and Cam have many small ways they share intimacy. Shane bring Cam some coffee or tea for his late nights, leaving small kisses on his cheek. Cam likes to leave notes for Shane, normally something sassy.

--

K - Kink

Shane likes the thrill of possibly getting caught. He'll drag Cam outside to fuck in the woods, by the waterfall, or even at the skatepark. He knows all the best places to go.

Cam is less into the exhibitionism, but he does enjoy the thrill. His favorite location is right in the ninja ops. Shane loves to suck him off when he's sitting at his desk.

--

O - Oral

Neither boy will shy away from going down on the other, but Shane loves to tease Cam. Getting to see the put-together samurai come undone by Shane's mouth is one of his favorites.

--

S - Stamina

They're both fully capable of going several rounds before passing out for the night. Shane especially likes to drag out sex time with his boyfriend for as long as possible.

--

U - Unfair

Shane is a tease! He knows exactly how to turn Cam on and how to make him suffer for it.

Cam, however, is a lot more straightforward and doesn't really tease Shane, unless it's unintentional.

--

V - Volume

Shane is so much louder than Cam, and, if he didn't find it so damn hot in the moment, Cam would probably have a talk about it. The walls are quite thin at the Ninja Ops. They already know some people's sex life, the others don't need to know theirs!

--

W - Wild Card

These two have DEFINITELY fucked on a zord before.

--

X - X-ray

Shane is fucking RIPPED due to his training and skateboarding and whatnot. Cam is a lot of lean muscle that Shane adores, even though he tends to cover up with button ups and hoodies.

--

Y - Yearning

Cam has been in love with Shane since before they were rangers. Cam kept it quiet, but enjoyed the goofy, lightheaded nature of the leader. He saw the ways that Shane cared for others, stood up for his friends. He admired Shane, despite constantly being late for training.

This definitely transferred to a sexual yearning once they became an item. Shane knew what turned Cam on and would purposefully do things that would catch Cam's attention.

[chromochaotic]

Reads of 2023 Part II (so far)

i was sad i couldn't fit all the cover pictures in my Part I post without it going off the screen, so might as well split it into 2 posts! update as of 6/11!

thoughts/reviews:

Heaven Official's Blessing: Volume 1

It's happening! My friends have been deep in this author's works/fandom for a while now, I'm pretty late to the party... Well, I guess I've dabbled in some of the animated/live action content that's out there for the different series. Anyway, this was a fun read! There's something so lush about historical dramas that definitely comes through here. When you add in the bits of humor and adventure, the whole story is really refreshing.

Even though the translation is still a tiny bit unprofessional, it's clearer than other options, haha. I was able to get a way better sense of the world and characters on this attempt (I had a good time watching the animated show! But as my friend put it, the season moved lightning fast, so it brushed over a lot of things). I don't have any other real nitpicks, other than like... the odd sexism that pops up now and then. Lmao

I am ofc in love with the main characters... They invented love... They invented devotion... I'm also delighted by the pace of things! Their relationship has managed to be both teasingly slow (like, the gradual reveal of Hua Cheng's true identity) but also very satisfyingly forward (the escorting!! the painting!! the righteous anger!!). Excited to see where things go with them, and the rest of the cast! (3.5/5—would be a 4, but the translation still kind of hampers things.)

Naomi Vandoren's Forest of Light

The second art book I bought from this artist! Same thoughts as before; for a quick browse, this was a refreshing little collection. Her style is just nice and soothing, with some fun surrealism/dreamscape vibes thrown in.

I'm not sure I'll buy any more of these, since the book didn't add quite as much insight into the works as I was hoping. Plus some of the concepts don't really resonate with me/seem that well researched...

I think one of my favorite things included was this abstract work the artist did—she wrote that she started with random watercolor mark-making, and then turned that into a piece. Those were very cool explorations! (2.5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

Done!! With the series! (Unless... It looks like there might be some followups to the main story?) I understand why the darker tone got dialed up, and other than the excursion with Nico, why the story kind of broke from the wacky-roadtrip vibe of the others. It made sense, while still keeping some of the lighthearted narration from the others, which was nice. I think what I appreciate the most about the series is the fun it has with its world. (Side note—I watched the movie based on the first book recently, and I can only assume it didn't do well! Bc omg, it completely missed the mood of the books. Instead of lingering on the whimsy, they focused on... making Grover a very cringey stereotype? Nah.) (ALSO??? THEY CUT OUT MY DAUGHTER CLARISSE????? THE AUDACITY???????)

I think my biggest gripe with the book was the very weird way the Annabeth-Percy-Rachel dynamic was handled. Like, it just got kind of tiring after a bit, especially with the way Annabeth acted so uncharacteristically catty at times. Plus, like, Percy's off falling in love with Calypso after like 5 minutes, the girl is right that he's kind of flighty. Rachel's ending also felt, just... eh.

Other than that, I was very into the last book!! There were some really moving character moments, like, Nico struggling with his place in the story, everything we learned about Luke... AND THE BIGGEST MASTERSTROKE OF ALL!!! I have been waiting to scream about the sapphic Patrochilles take??? At the end??? Clarisse has two hands and she can hold both Chris's and Silena's. She was moved to go into battle!!!! For her!!!!! She defeated one of the most terrifying foes in NO ARMOR just with a SICK ASS SPEAR and I LOVE HER. Anyway no notes, except they better do Clarisse justice in the new adaptation or I will riot. (4/5)

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands

Ooo I'm out of practice doing these reviews... Mostly from a funny cocktail of outside factors slowing me down, but also because nonfiction can be such a slog for me to get through. Tragic, because I do want to learn more ecology, I'm just... bad at it. Anyway! Bought this book on a fun West Coast road trip, I think I picked this up in the Sequoia National Park gift shop? The writing itself is great, especially how it tackles some pretty complex concepts in a way that's approachable. The book doesn't feel like Baby's First Nature Guide, but it also doesn't completely lose me when it explores why coyote populations actually rise when they're hunted or why Oak Mistletoe is a keystone species.

Even though the watercolor illustrations in the book were lovely, I sort of wish the visuals could have focused more on the tougher scientific concepts being explained. Like, instead of the illustrated "anecdote" of a quail sitting sentry, it could have been good to have a cross-section diagram of an oak gall or something. I guess it's always hard to balance interest and clarity in scientific writing, though. Overall, I think this was a pretty good eco-starter book! I'm just a square peg trying to force myself into a round hole, reading these nonfiction books. (So... 3/5?)

The Dragon's Bride

Hoo boy... Hoo boy... Listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of my friend who's very into erotica/romances. Which was an adventure, for me! To start with the good points, I really like the founding premise of this whole world/story. Deals with demons walk that perfect line for me of intricate and taboo power dynamics—and at the same time, the author satisfied my inner hopeless romantic by making all the demons (that we've met so far, at least) morally viable! So yeah, the world building and characterization is really nice, tbh.

I think my two sticking points are the smut itself, and that I didn't find these particular protags very compelling... It's interesting comparing this to, say, an above-average smut fic. On the one hand this has better prose, but on the other hand the smut veered into being a little too flowery now and then... (not to say all the sex scenes were like that. Uh. There were some choice ones.) I also personally found the frequency of the sex scenes a little ridiculous, but for most people that's probably a positive! 😂 And then, when it comes to the main characters themselves, I think they were well-rounded and the dynamic itself made sense. The personalities just aren't the kind I normally latch onto, though—they're not my blorbos, you know? So, where I'd go into a smut fic already attached (and therefore more into the smut itself), these... I could take it or leave it, haha.

That said, this installment did pique my interest for others in the series. I'm curious about the one with the succubus........ And the one with Eve..................... Those tidbits seem more up my alley. :] Also, the voice acting was pretty fun, tbh. They got separate VAs for Briar and Sol, the two POV characters, and they knocked it out of the park (even/especially in the smut scenes)! (well, except for a very funny instance where the guy VA had to voice Briar's lines in a smut scene in a Sol POV chapter. Damn, did he try.) Might pick up one of the other installments... if they come out on audiobook! (3.5/5)

Legends & Lattes

Another recommendation!! From a different friend! Apparently this book is popular on booktok but since booktok sounds like a cesspool (not really—pls don't come for me) I'm glad I didn't know that going in. As a purveyor and avid consumer of slice-of-life fluff.......... I loved this!!! First of all, the main character is My Kind of Girl, and exactly the kind of character I want to see getting a happy ending. Then, the rest of cast provided so many different kinds of delight—the warm Found Family feeling of a grumpy kind father figure and an adorable little Creature baking actual cinnamon rolls and a prim but secretly dorky girlfriend and and and—so many greats! Even the antagonists were enjoyable, in their way.

Hmmm... for the negative part of my postive-negative-positive sandwich, I think I'd just echo what I've seen in a few other reviews—I could have done with a teensy bit more of the romance. Or I guess, more of the cuteness of it? All we really got was a little bit of lead-up and then a big get-together, but I feel like the romance scenes I like most (shy flirting, a tiny bit of pining) got sort of skipped over. It's not a huge negative! Especially for this story, which seemed like it hit exactly the balance the author intended. Yeah, I might have just had the epilogue cover the main ship being cute and in love, instead of the little righteous vengeance scene that we got.

So this was a perfect little comfort listen (audiobook again! with really nice acting done by the author himself!). I saw other people calling the first chapters slow, but tbh I loved the steady, hopeful mood that came from all that straightforward hard work happening and then paying off. A great story, if you go in with the right expectations! (4.5/5) (P.S.: also this article touches on some other L&L points that I think explain why it resonates so well in post-pandemic life) (P.P.S. now I'm trying to parse out why I liked this book so much more than House in the Cerulean Sea... I think part of it is that the cast felt more respected? Like, it was more than just The Most Special-est Pretty Boy and his Plucky Boyfriend Fix Fantasy Racism)

[luffythinker]

The fact you also dabble in Naruto is a explosion on my heart, I have so many headcanons i wanna tell you about. I always see a lot of Naruto having top scars but my headcanon is Shikamaru is the one with top scars (Cause im a huge ShikaNaru) I wanna incorporate it into my writing but i don't wanna offend anyone cause i don't have a wide knowledge of the subject. So forgive me if i'm being offensive to anyone. I cannot get the idea of in Shikamaru's Genin years he didn't really care about his chest because it wasn't prominent enough to cause him any problems, he could wear his mesh net with just a jacket, no problems. After he became a Chunin he started growing up, his chest started growing too so he used the vest to cover his chest along with a binder. His parents don't mind, his mom would appreciate a girl but if Shikamaru wants to be a boy she's happy no matter what her son is, his dad is down as well, he's proud to have a son. ANYWAY Naruto one day hanging out with him see's him sitting back without his vest watching clouds together or smg, he grows curious and ask him what that is? why's he got a short undershirt thing? Shikamaru just tells him like it is, cause he's got something he doesn't like about himself, Naruto doesn't prey too much on the issue. After the timeskip Shikamaru has gotten top surgery and he's taking hormone therapy, Naruto thought he was doing drugs the first time he saw him do it. Shikamaru laughed when he said this. Later on some more when they are actually in their realationship Naruto, a alley with 0 knowledge of anything involving gender or stuff like that touches Shikamaru's bare when he's allowed to see it ask what those scars are, he's concerned somebody tried to kill him, once again making Shikamaru laugh. Im sorry to ramble on but i love them and i wanna talk about them.

OMG OMG OMG I LITERALLY LOVE SHIKANARU

transmasc shika omg im gonna collapse, i love to think that he was able to transition so peacefully because he had a great support system, his family was good to him and let him decide how he wanted to dress, and after becoming a genin Asuma just accepted when he said he was a boy, no questions asked !!!

I fully believe he had a crush on naruto since they were kids, but yk there was 'the whole village needs to hate him' thing so he never really got to act on it or interact much. Naruto has his own things going on so he is off to save sasuke and training and really doesn't have it on his mind to think about crushes or romance.

Shika gets top surgery as soon as his chest starts to bother him, he starts taking T, he trains, he's living his life, his crush never quite goes away but it's just something that it's there.

When naruto comes back and they see each other again, he notices shika is different, but like u said, he doesn't think much of it, except he feels Things now. Naruto, to me, feels like a character that does something about things, so if he starts feeling different I can't see him pining silently for years, he's just gonna talk and do something about it, so he does.

I don't think he fully realizes what his feelings are until he talks to shikamaru, shika kisses him on the lips and that's when naruto gets what this all means and what he wants.

I also fully believe Naruto is pan, I don't think he would care about gender at all, he likes people and that's about it, but like u said!!!!!! he also doesn't know a thing about gender, hormones, etc so he is very confused when he sees shika using T for the first time. I think it's very lovely that he thinks someone tried to hurt him when he saw the top scars, I can see them sleeping together and naruto just softly tracing it with his hands and telling shikamaru how handsome he is

ok so i may have gotten a bit too excited here but I'm just very passionate about them okay!! please talk to me more, I'm also open to a lot of ships in naruto

[longlivebatart]

Episode 1- Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" transcript

Welcome to Long Live Bat Art, the podcast for art lovers who don't see art as much as they want to. My name is Sydney, and thank you for taking this slow tour through an art gallery with a casual art lover. Today, I'll be talking about "The Milkmaid" painted by Johannes Vermeer. I hope you enjoy.

So Vermeer has been one of my favorite artists since I was a little kid when my aunt first exposed me to him. She actually has a drawing I did when I was probably under ten of "Girl With a Pearl Earring". Yes, I was a bit pretentious as a kid with few friends.

As you might expect from an artist in the season about Dutch Masters, Vermeer was born in the Netherlands. Delft, to be more specific. He was born Protestant but converted to Catholicism when he married his wife, Catherina Bolnes. His first paintings were Biblical scenes, but most of his surviving paintings- of which sadly there are less than forty- are of scenes with ordinary people.

Very little is known about Vermeer's artistic training and even the man himself. The mystery surrounding the man because he left little trace made Theophile Thoro-burger, an art critic that rediscovered Vermeer in the 1800s, call him 'The Sphinx of Delft,' which is a baller nickname. And Vermeer didn't think of it himself, which is a huge no-no in my eyes of having an awesome nickname. It doesn't count if you call yourself that, the sweet nickname must be bestowed upon you.

When I was researching I was surprised- and delighted- to learn that he actually registered as a master painter on my birthday, December 29th, in 1653. Just a few years before I was born. But there are some fellow painters that art historians think he knew, either through historical documentation or taking inspiration. Leonard Brahmer, who documents show was a witness at Vermeer's wedding, was a multi-faceted painter who did both Biblical and mythological-based paintings and large murals for the Prince of Orange. But it doesn't seem as though Brahmer was Vermeer's master he studied under. Maybe he was just an advocate and friend.

Carrel Fabritius was a former Rembrandt student that Vermeer knew. Modern art historians and a contemporary poet of both men, Arnold Bohn, compares Vermeer favorably to Fabritius. But again, there's no evidence that Vermeer ever studied with Fabritius. Some scholars think he may have been apprenticed under Abraham Bloemaert, who we will cover later this season.

Two other painters that Vermeer might have known or just been aware of their works were Gerard ter Boch and Pieter de Hooch. ter Boch also depicted ordinary people doing ordinary things, but in dark settings. Vermeer's paintings are often filled with light, which you'll hear when I describe the painting and then tell you my thoughts. Hooch and Vermeer shared subjects and styles, so that's why art historians believe they might have known each other.

The way Vermeer worked is also unclear. No drawings made by him in preparation for his paintings have survived. Because of this, there are some critics who claim that he used a camera to capture his subjects and help him with his work. This is a hotly debated topic, but I will throw my admittedly-inexperienced hat in the ring. Even if Vermeer did use a camera to aid him, that was only one part of his process. The simple fact is that you can't discount the man's talent in producing gorgeous works.

Those who say that using a camera is quote 'cheating' unquote aren't taking into account that a camera is just a tool. Just like a paintbrush or pencil. If the artist can't use it properly, it's no use to them.

I was astounded to learn that only about twenty colors were used by Vermeer in all of his works. He had such an eye for detail and color that to use such a limited palette is extraordinary. I dabble in art myself, and finding any kind of limited palette is generally what artists do to challenge themselves. Granted, Vermeer probably had fewer options of color to begin with, but the fact that he was able to produce such gorgeous and lifelike colors with only twenty as a base is incredible.

Unfortunately, the peak of Vermeer's career was only about ten years- from the late 1650s to the late 1660s. He was named the head of the painter's guild in 1662. There is no surviving evidence that Vermeer did any work under commission during his lifetime, but he did seem to have a small number of loyal fans. He died in 1675.

As is the sad case with most artists, he wasn't appreciated during his life but soared in popularity centuries after his death because of collections of his works being in prestigious museums. I was surprised to learn that Salvador Dalí was a fan of his and redid one of Vermeer's paintings, The Lacemaker, in his own style. There's also a painting that Dalí did that calls the Master by name- "The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can be Used as a Table".

Now that you have a bit of background knowing a little about the artist, let's move on to the painting.

The woman looks wistful as she pours the milk, like she's thinking of a lover or maybe a better life. Or maybe she's just daydreaming. Who knows? She's wearing a yellow shirt and a blue apron over a red skirt, with a white bonnet on her head and a white undershirt that shows near her throat. You can't see her hair. The colors are vibrant but soft. Even the shadows are soft.

The light is coming from a tall grated window on the left. The sunlight comes in without casting any shadows on the woman's face. The food on the table below the window is bread and what looks like croissants or another breakfast pastry. They're rendered lovingly. You can see where the bread would crackle if you touched it. There's something else on the table, something silver. A jug, maybe, or another receptacle for liquid.

The blue-green tablecloth, a touch more green than blue, is draped over the table so you can see it's smooth and the corners are straight. There's another blue cloth on top of the tablecloth, this one a napkin draping down. It was carelessly dropped on the table. The folds are highlighted. The light hits the top and the bottom is shadowed so it's hard to see where it ends because it blends into the tablecloth and drapes out of sight.

On the far side of the window, there's a basket hanging on the wall above a brass oil lamp. You can see the shine of the sunlight on the hammered metal. Above that is some cloth hanging on a peg. Maybe a dishcloth, I'm not sure. The basket and oil lamp are casting gentle shadows on the wall.

Going back to the milkmaid and her clothes. The yellow shirt is rolled above her elbows- you can see the under fabric is dark blue and the folds are slightly more green than yellow. The folds are wide and again, soft. The bodice is pulled tightly across her chest- there aren't any folds. The fasteners down the center are darker, merely suggested by a line. But you can see the seam on the side closer to the viewer of the painting. Her blue apron is gathered around her waist. You can see each pleat. The apron is folded into a triangle with its point towards the ground. It's like the other half of the apron got caught on the edge of the table and is being held on top of it. Under it, you can see her red skirt, which is pleated gently. The folds are darker red.

She's pouring milk from a jug into a handled bowl. They're both made of fired brown clay. The bowl has ridges on it- the shadows from them are thrown onto the ones below it. The milk itself is slightly darker than white and cascading down from the jug. The inside of the jug is dark, but you can still see where the mouth ends and the rest of the jug begins.

Her skin has been lovingly depicted. She's pale, the bottoms of her arms in shadow from the rest of her body blocking the light. You can see the dimpling of her left elbow as her hand steadies the jug. Her right hand is holding the handle of the jug she's pouring out of. Her touch is light. Her face, like I said before, is wistful. She's looking down at her task and her face is soft. She has a very high forehead and even this quote 'undesirable' unquote characteristic is rendered with just as much love as the rest of the piece.

Going away from the figure, there's some kind of wooden box on the floor behind her. It's like a tiny stool. The top has rows of holes, as if for ventilation, and the front has a small red door. It might be for coal, to keep the food or room warm. The box has a lip on the top and the bottom. Vermeer rendered even those small details in a box with just as much care as the rest of the piece. The wall behind the box has four square gray tiles with darker gray details at its base. They could be figures, but it's unclear. The walls are discolored and uneven, but even those are detailed.

Now for my thoughts.

As I said before, Vermeer has always been one of my favorites. The way he's able to capture color and light is incredible. The details in his paintings. One can spend hours looking at it and still see new things. I'm sure I'll describe more of his works in future seasons.

You can see the shadow of the dimpling in her elbow and the crust crackles of the bread. His work is painstaking and beautiful.

But I love him not only for his technical ability, but because of the subject matter he's known for. He depicted even the most basic and quote 'boring' or 'pedestrian' unquote of tasks in loving detail. He showed everyday life and the people and things that made up it in a light that makes people stop and examine every detail. He depicted life with such softness. I like that he depicted everyday people instead of just kings, mythical figures, or other such prestigious and memorable people that have the majority of depictions in them in art. Drawing inspiration from and memorializing everyday life is a noble pursuit.

These are people that walked the streets with Vermeer, who ate and drank and laughed and loved and made mistakes right along with him. They were human. And it's that common humanity that makes it so much more interesting that he chose them as subjects. Maybe we may never know their names, maybe they didn't even really look like that and were instead idealized by Vermeer, but their existence is preserved. Vermeer captured such beauty in everyday life, and to be reminded that beauty and new experiences are really all around us is a lovely thing. It doesn't matter what you're doing- whether you're pouring milk as this subject is, or grocery shopping, or running other errands, there is a magical quality to life that if you can just open your eyes, you can see.

Here's a challenge for you. Find something few people like, or even something you yourself don't like, and find something beautiful in it. You can pick dandelions, animals most people think are gross, or- if you're feeling ambitious- the one person that you dislike the most. Find something beautiful or interesting about it. And if you can manage to do that, life gets a lot more beautiful.

If you liked this episode of Long Live Bat Art, please consider telling a friend and reviewing to help the podcast grow. A link to the transcript of this episode is available in the show notes below. Thank you for listening to this episode, and I will see you in two weeks.

[sword-and-lance]

Class/Music Meme

Rules: 1. Take your favourite classes that you often play/RP with and take a screenshot of them in action! 2. Find a song that matches both your play-style/character style and label each class!

Dark Knight:

Umai by Shireen

And you’ll reach for the sky But in this mud you'll die And you will pray When lightning illuminates your face

Daeyona was always a rather violent fighter, prone to near-berserker furies when provoked, but such things apply even more so to her after she delved so deeply into the dark arts--so deeply that it’s debatable whether she counts as alive or dead or something not quite of either. Her darkside in particular, even now or perhaps especially now, is merciless, prideful, and prone to excessively-dramatic displays of force...and believes itself to be a vengeful god, exacting a bloody price on whoever dares to wrong it.

Sometimes, she even gives it full rein to do so, when she doesn’t have to worry about...collateral damage.

She is a vicious and bloodthirsty death to be had, when fighting without reservation, and no amount of pain or threat is capable of breaking through the fury clouding her mind when she does. She experienced so much of it even before the hellish ritual she inflicted on herself that it mostly just serves to heighten her violence instead.

Summoner:

Archangel by Two Steps From Hell

Not a class that Dae canonically plays - she’s a Dark Knight and a Dark Knight only, in that sense. But, frankly, I play this class often enough in-game on her character that I felt like including it in this meme anyway. It’s pretty much my go-to for DPSing these days. :Dc

There is something oddly satisfying to play about this class, at least once I finally “got it” and started really seeing what damage it could do (instead of cluelessly flailing around like I was for a while, lol). It’s an absolute joy in dungeons and the part of me that enjoys big kaboom just adores getting to wade into a pack of enemies and smite them all into nothing, tbh.

...Kind of a pity I usually don’t get to show off the LB3 except in a small handful of instances and whenever the other DPS just forget to do it.

Warrior:

Iron by Within Temptation

Oh damn, the war is coming! Oh damn, you feel you want it! Oh damn, just bring it on today!

Again, not a class that Dae canonically plays, but...I’ve grown a lot more fond of this class as of late, changes and all.

I will say it feels particularly amazing in dungeons, just because Inner Release lets you go so completely spam-happy on single target or AOE. Can’t help but feel like I could charge into anything headlong and smack it into submission with an axe on this class... :D

Too bad I probably need SkS melds to consistently hit the appropriate windows with my ping, but that’s another rant for another time

Tagged by: I stole it when I saw it floating around in a few places, lol

Tagging: Eh if you wanna do it go for it, just tag me in it so I can see~

[papirouge]

Are there any other conspiracies you believe in? Like the 9/11 one for example?

👀👀

💥The 9/11 was an inside job. They bombed these towers and the plane was a deep fake hologram.

💥Michelle Obama is a man, as well as Brigitte Macron. #Transapocalypse is a reach (and most people entertaining this movement are scrotes who will assume any woman who's not a perfect hourglass figure is a man) but there are definitely more gender crossing people than we assume.

💥Most world leaders and famous people (entertainers, world top companies CEO, etc.) are satan worshippers. I firmly believe that you cannot attain a certain level of fame or occupations if you're not a Freemasons/satanist. Here in France it's said that you can't climb the highest echelon at the DSD (Diplomatic Security) if you're not a Freemason.

💥These celebrities/A list people sacrifice children & homeless on the regular and gather either organs (didn't Rothschild managed to get transplanted 7 times despite being a literal corpse?), blood (for youth) or adenochrome (to achieve a drug-like high). Countess of Bathory has spiritual descendants.

💥They do child sacrifice at the Vatican underground. A whistleblower (who mysteriously disappeared) who was a former MK Ultra'ed satanist said she went to Black Mass out there were they sacrificed a child and summoned a demon. Don't they have a telescope called Lucifer? BYE

💥Flat earth is retarded but earth is round AND hollow and Hell is inside

💥Mental illnesses are demonic influence

💥Some people are not humans. Nephilim/cross breed/fallen angels are among us. I once saw a testimony on a church about a woman who was a Sirène des Eaux (Mama Wata in African folklore). Her mom made a pact with a demon to get pregnant. That girl said she would spend HOURS underwater whenever she felt sad and being underwater made her feel at peace and "at home". She suffered sexual immortality too, and asked the pastor to help her rebuke this spirit driving her to sin, but she was struggling so hard and since she wasn't fully human, casting bad spirits didn't work on her and there was no point anyway since she wasn't truly human to begin with. She was the bad spirit.

Another anecdote: my sister (who's VERY Cartesian and not into spirit or demon hunting like me lol) once went to see a friend's husband who was bedridden as the hospital. She said that the few seconds after she entered the room, he had scale-like skin. Kinda like Killer Croc

As soon as the man picked up her presence, his skin immediately became normal again. It really freaked her out.

I believe either 1)this man didn't want to be uncovered and pulled himself together once he realized someone was there 2) he didn't know he was himself half demon and his organism being weakened (he was comatose-ing/half asleep when my siste came through) made him 'lose' his spiritual cover that made him look human (kinda like when our muscle losen up when we relax) and only pulled himself together after waking up to welcome my sister

💥Related to previous statements : I firmly believe world famous artists are channeling demons for inspiration. Either consciously or not. They are worshipping demons giving them the inspiration. Hence many movies with characters with demon name, demonic symbolism etc Even when I was not Saved and dabbling with witchcraft, I started having 'inspiration' from African traditional masks with are 100% demon channeling. That's why I do not recommend watching most popular movies (Marvels, Disney, etc) bc all these producers/animator do entertain this wicked energy (I mean, Disney was a pedo and a freemason right?)

[vykodlak]

i saw a while ago you posted your ATOC crown, could you tell us a little bit about them? also have you read the update?

I’ll b honest I haven’t thought much about ATOC since my computer imploded and I lost all my saves. Cool that there’s an update, though, I'll check it out when I have free time.

But here's some crown info! (Under the cut 'cause this got a bit long)

His name's (for now, I’m bad at settling on names) Şivan.

Practical, blunt, and more than a little bit paranoid. A life of running and hiding has conditioned him to travel light, keep an eye out, and second-guess everything & everyone. He’s fried internally from the stress, but he won’t admit it (first he’d have to realize it’s happening, and he's become an expert at ignoring his discomforts).

He’s got a natural knack for strategy and political manoeuvring, but until now the most dabbling he’d done in either had been in the form of playing soldiers with his toys as a kid, daydreaming and thought experiments (when you know you're the next heir to the throne, you might as well think about what you'd do while in charge, even if hypothetically). Actually running an empire for realsies is a whole different ballgame, though. When the reality of the situation hit him he thought Well, No Thanks, Actually! Just gonna limbo expertly under all that nonsense. Except you can only go so low before you hit the ground–he knows this, and in the beginning his flight instinct almost got the better of him and he considered running off under the cover of night.

If there's one thing that's more important to him than anything, however, it's control and respect, both things he got little to none of for the majority of his life. He does not want to be immortalised as the would-be crown who bailed before he'd even been coronated. Imagine if some bard made a song about that; he'd just let the earth swallow him at that point.

He's also realising that he enjoys the newfound power (when things go his way, at least). His practicality might sometimes manifest as ruthlessness when he's got to make the tough decisions, even if he doesn't take any joy in causing harm–just as he learned to accept that he'd have to suffer some while on the run, he figures he'll have to suffer some as the crown as well.

He’s a foodie he loves trying new things and especially ‘weird’ or rare food that he hadn’t even dreamt of existing before.

Can't stand awkward situations, but can keep an excellent poker face no matter how mortified he feels inside. Again, running off is out of the question, so he tries to make the best of it and make sure he comes out looking, if not good, at least not woefully incompetent.

He’s got a stubborn streak, especially when it comes to being contrary. If someone tells him to do something he had already planned on doing he’d be like well now I don’t want to -_-. This is really just a part of his general distaste for having control wrestled from him, and he gets real mad the few times the other characters secretly concoct some setup like using him as bait.

I feel like the PC is written to sound more.. idk, young & playful, and I guess it makes sense since they’re in their 20s, I think? But my guy’s a homebody, he’s old before his time lol. He doesn’t know how to banter. Could be also because he just didn't have many friends his age as he grew up. Even his parents thought he was an overly serious little kid, though, so maybe it's just an innate thing.

[bluebellravenbooks]

It's January and winter blues is real, people! I've been trying to do more stuff that I love to keep the spirits up, and this includes studying animation. I've admired it for a long time, but mostly by just staring at concept art and reading on how really advanced stuff is made; however, after catching up on some cartoons during the lockdowns (such as Avatar, Over the Garden Wall, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe) I realized that I'm much more interested in the character animation and storyboard/storytelling part, which very nicely intersects with my other interests in writing and drawing - and I decided to study it all a bit more!

So these are my

complete beginner's notes on learning character animation that no one asked for, by someone who is definitely not qualified to talk about it

Figure drawing. This is the first thing that will hit you like a ton of bricks if you as much as glance in this direction. I'm in two minds about this: on the one hand, some practice in this area is obviously essential (duh!); on the other, this sometimes becomes a genre in itself, a specifically stylized drawing just for the sake of, well, pretty drawing. Which isn't helpful if you're doing it for practice. Also, if you thought that art of naked women in ridiculous poses is about two centuries dead... well, yeah you're wrong. (Seriously, what's up with that? There are some things in the art world that I just don't get.) As for how to learn it, there are plenty of classical books on the subject and apparently a lot of Discourse on which method is The Best; I'm trying not to get too deep into that and currently am just learning by practice and trying out different techniques.

The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams. This book was quickly pointed out to me as A Classic, and I'm having a lot of fun doing some basics with it in Pencil2D, but oh my God a good portion of this book really did not age well. It's full of reverence towards the Golden Age of animation, blatant misogyny and the ever-present incompetent "in-betweener" (animation assistant), whose problems seem to stem from the fact that he's always "plugged in" listening to music (because I'm sure that's the only reason the lowest link in the famously underpaid industry would not produce a masterpiece in every drawing). Basically, animation basics are covered really well, but there are tons of animation industry (and just life) details that are decades out of date (or at least no longer relevant for most western studios from what I know about their workflow). I didn't know that an animation handbook could be so annoying.

Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea. I picked this one up because of Rebecca Sugar's recommendation and all the interesting stuff she talks about in interviews about perspective. I can't comment on the book much yet since I've barely started it, but it looks fun, and perspective is definitely an important aspect that I hadn't been paying enough attention to; also interesting to try and tanslate some of these concepts to perspective in writing (reminds me about what Philip Pullman said about "camerawork").

Art books (featured here WolfWalkers and Steven Universe). I have a few more back at home - have always enjoyed them, and one can learn much from them as well. However they are heavy and expensive, so that's something to consider - for example if you're a student like me, who doesn't have tons of free cash and will probably have to move a lot. But hey, times are dark, so sometimes I do threat myself...

Software. I like doing doodles digitally, especially when learning - spoiling a lot of paper makes me feel bad, while digital drawing allows me to relax a bit more, since every bad drawing is just one click away from oblivion. The conventional choice for drawing is Photoshop, but there are definitely decent free alternatives out there. For animation tests I'm using Pencil2D - it's free and perfect for a beginner. However, one thing that you'll need if you want to try out digital art is a graphic tablet - I'm afraid computer drawing isn't really feasible without one, unless you're into VERY specific art styles. But in good news, there's not much difference between super advanced and very basic ones, so a simple one will serve you just fine! I'm using my old trusty Wacom, purchased many years ago for saved-up pocket money, and it's working great.

Well, there we are - no idea whether this is useful for anyone, but I hope it is. My take-home message here is that learning art is fun, and there are many different types of "art" that you can learn and do on your own - it's not just oils and pastels :) And of course it's not really feasible to get as good as actual art school students on your own - but there's still plenty of interesting stuff you can do!

If there are any actual art/animation people reading this - I apologize for my amateur dabbling, and would be interested to hear if you have any tips!