#epic scenes from a school library

[stormwifewrites]

The Fic List

👋 Stormie, she/her, writer of BG3 & Dragon Age brainrot. On ao3 as stormwife with the following shenanigans 💜

🪦 Passage Through the Lichgate

It was not until her eyes finally rested on his, eyes the color of sunlight seen through ice, that it hit him - the student, the elf. Johanna’s protégé. Emmrich felt a faint chiming from within, like the echoes of a fate foretold. “Vesper,” he said cautiously, tasting the name. “Vesper Ingellvar. It is a pleasure to be re-acquainted.”

[DATV] Emmrich x f!Rook (E). Slow burn, one-sided enemies-to-lovers, lore- and plot-heavy action/romance 💚 A love letter to the Grand Necropolis, Johanna Hezenkoss, and shades of gray.

🌊 A View of the Lake

"Emmrich Volkarin," says the man, extending a hand to shake. She takes it. His rings are cool against her skin, and his hair does not stir in the spring breeze that shivers the ash leaves ringing the field. “A pleasure.” Winter yields to spring along the shores of Lake Michigan. Rook takes a break from the pressures of graduate school to attend her brother’s soccer match, and finds unlikely temptation in a parent she meets on the sidelines.

[DATV] Emmrich x f!Rook (E). Soccer dad AU one-shot examining the ethical grayness of the age and career imbalance. Melancholic but hot?

💀 The Bell Tolls the Tempest

The fingers at her back slow, then stop, but she feels them pressed against her skin still, expectant as a held breath. “Ahem. Perhaps it would be best if you clarified?” Rook sighs, but with exasperated affection. Emmrich’s bashful gentility is a large part of the appeal. She’s always imagined she would have to drag him kicking and screaming - or at least gently protesting - into bed. “It’s making me wish you would touch me… everywhere.” “Ah.” Then, as if the words have just sunk in: “Ah!”

[DATV] Emmrich x f!Rook (E, series). Stupid sexy Emmrich gets sexually destroyed and emotionally adored. Featuring a chaotic horny Rook with erratic magic and a heart of gold 💖

🧵 A Tangled Weave

Gale is a divination wizard, but a mere shadow of his former glory. Aoife is an Oath of the Ancients paladin, haunted by the grief of her past. After a fateful meeting a year ago Aoife's path crosses the Wizard of Waterdeep's once more. But as they are drawn together Gale's misfortune with the orb and Aoife's long-held sorrow aren't the only dark shadows cast upon them by the past. And soon their fates become as entangled as the threads of the Weave.

[BG3] Gale x f!Tav (E, but can be read with smut avoided) 💜 A slow burn, epic, romantic action-adventure longfic.

💫 The Laws of Motion

Gale is a research librarian in a small college town, dealing with an unfulfilling job and a wretched break-up. One day his cat Tara gets stuck up a tree, and in a moment of panic he calls the local fire department. When Aoife arrives on the scene she thinks this is an absurd use of a critical resource, and that the soft intellectual should learn to keep better track of his cat - or at least learn how to climb a goddamn tree. But like two celestial bodies in orbit, Gale and Aoife find themselves indescribably drawn to one another. And when there is a fire in Gale’s library and Aoife comes to his rescue the spark of interest catches to become a brighter flame.

[BG3] Gale x f!Tav (T). Modern AU featuring astrophysics librarian Gale and firefighter Tav. Cozy, autumnal, sweet, and hopeful. Writers shouldn't have favorites, but this one's it 💖

🎻 Pride & Penance

“Gods forbid I offend Mystra.” Nyx sets the viol aside and looks up at Gale. “She might blow us all up where we stand. Oh, wait - that’s already on her divine agenda.” He sighs heavily. “I’m finding myself dangerously close to it myself after engaging in this conversation.” “Oh,” says Nyx, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward. Her lips part, and he sees a flash of hungry curiosity in her eyes. “Do you erupt so easily?” The sound of her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth, sucking and wet. “Disappointing.”

[BG3] Gale x f!Tav/Durge (E, series). Hate sex vignettes featuring my Durge bardlock Nyx and an abjurer Gale. Womens' wrongs, questionable decisions, and reluctantly hot & toxic energy.

[jesncin]

(sorry I know you don't like talking about MAWS too much, but) do you think the voice actors did a good job with what they were given? I wish so badly that they had better material to work with, especially as a fan of many of them (ps just placed the first hold for the currently-on-order-at-my-local-library Lunar Boy! Congrats on your hard work paying off as such an epic creation, I can't wait to read it! 🎉)

I don't mind talking about MAWS (in moderation hehe)! And also, thank you for ordering Lunar Boy at your local library!! YEAAH AWOOGA!! ahem.

I know the voice actors picked for MAWS are beloved by people (and I was excited for a fresh take), but none of them stuck out to me- which I found really disappointing since I adore the STAS cast so much. Some of the reads are straight up bad. I've unfortunately memorized the show from writing detailed metas about it and, in order to cope, my twin and I have many running jokes about some of the dialogue reads asdfasf. Some faves:

ep 8's "There was an ACCIDENT and Superman CAUSED IT!" a background character says this line and it's the funniest thing in the world to me

I think Alice Lee had residue Heathers energy in her Lois performance because sometimes her line reads have a mean-girl energy for no reason. Lines like ep 4's "nobody NORMAAAL believes in aliens!" and her classic xenophobe line in ep 8 "just try being NORMALL??" whenever she says "normal" is has the energy of a prep school girlie bullying you for being gay asdfaf. This isn't adult jaded mean Lois woman energy it sounds preppy and I've decided to find joy in the pain.

"Did you LIE about YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME??" hahaha man

Sorry to pick on Alice Lee but she tripped on her lines in ep 2 when she's talking with Jimmy at the park near the end of the conversation and it's so weird. Like first-take weird.

Alice Lee again sorry but her punk edgy Lois voice in the multiverse episode is actually painful to listen to!! It's clearly an uncomfortable range for her voice. It's like a prep school girlie trying to be a butch I'm sorryyy

Jack Quaid's Superman/Clark voice was grating after a while! There's so little to no difference between his Supes and Clark voice, so Supes just sounds like a whiny child for much of the show. I yearn for Tim Daly's voice,,,

Some characters are straight up miscast in my opinion! Chris Parnell brings 0 menace or presence to Deathstroke, I can not take him seriously. Mxy's voice (David Errigo Jr) doesn't match his character design and looks the most out of place. Livewire's voice actress (Zehra Fazal, who I know is competent elsewhere and I'm sure many of these actors were just done dirty by bad writing and direction) simply can not beat the charisma of Lori Petty in STAS. And Lex looks and sounds awful, like we knew they couldn't beat Clancy Brown's STAS!Lex but they didn't even try.

I thought General Lane's actor was the most decent voice (has menace and presence) but even then in ep 8 when he says "Negative. After this operation, Superman will cease to be a problem. PERMANENTLYYYYY." HAHAHA it's so bad he hisses that last part.

Mallah's French accent is awful. Maybe get an actual French actor.

Jimmy's voice acting wasn't awful but some lines really took me out of the scene. He gets chased by robots and says "ruuuuun" in a way that actually confused me as I watched it.

Sooo yeah. Not a fan of the voice acting in this show! Which surprised me, because I figured they would do better with STAS being the last show preceding it with such memorable voices.

[ettawritesnstudies]

Hi!! How do you balance writing and studying ChE?

I've been out of college for about a year now but I remember it wasn't easy lol. Most of these are more general tips that apply for any college student but especially for STEM majors!

Be gentle with yourself and manage your expectations: understand that your semesters will be busy seasons where your writing time or inspiration might dry up. Breaks might give you more time to write but you might also be dealing with burnout from the previous term or working to pay for school. NaNoWriMo overlaps with major projects and midterms. Try to know your body and your mindset as the seasons shift so you aren't forcing yourself to be productive when hibernating is a healthier activity.

Count small wins: I got a lot of out of writing short stories for my mailing list. This averaged out to 10 pages across 3 months. That's a tiny word count but these stories challenged my writing craft and I think I grew a lot from the exercise. (You could submit to competitions or your school magazine if there is one, but that's unnecessary pressure, only do that if it sounds fun). Now isn't the time to grind out a whole manuscript on a deadline. Play with some worldbuilding. Make character sheets. Outline the fun parts of an epic fantasy by commandeering the whiteboards in the library. Write fanfic. Just keep the creative spark alive even if it's something as small as jotting down a few lines of dialogue while waiting for class to start.

Make creative friends: I did this by joining the DnD club but there are tons of other clubs and organizations where you can find like minded people. Try the local county library off campus, the makerspace, an arts and crafts circle, or the fencing club (full of nerds). Attend write-ins if you can find a local group that still does NaNo stuff (even if they're not affiliated with the organization)

Schedule writing time: I kept a rigorous Google color coded calendar - yellow for classes, green for clubs and campus/department activities, red for my student research and work study at the makerspace, orange for working out, and purple for friend group get togethers or dnd. At this point most of my days were full, but if there were any empty slots of time, I'd mark a blue box for myself and guard it. That was my writing time. If anyone else wanted me to show up to an event I'd decline. It might just be an hour on a Saturday morning but it was mine. I'd try to go into these blocks of time with a plan so as not to waste them, but I also spent a lot of time sending Storyteller Saturday Asks. That was fun.

Take advantage of unexpected down time: this was an odd quirk about my campus, but the chemical engineering labs were on a separate campus that could only be reached by a one way bus loop (or driving through the frat houses and you'd get a parking ticket anyways). I did undergrad research as a work study/for credit across three semesters so I spent many hours round trip waiting for and riding the bus. I often used this time to listen to audiobooks but I also drafted on my phone in Google docs or my notes app. My research also involved a lot of waiting. Setting up the experiment and then observing for hours. I could multitask on homework or my writing while I waited. This isn't a universal solution, my advisor and the post docs were incredibly nice and chill, and I know that's rare. But if you find yourself in a similar position, don't doomscroll, use the time.

Don't be afraid of sharing your writing: pick trusted friends. You don't necessarily have to look for critique, there's no shame in going "hey I worked really hard on this scene and I love it a lot do you want to read it and geek out with me?" Positive feedback is a great motivator.

Take inspiration from your studies: chemical engineering is really cool! I hope you have a better experience than I did (1.5 semesters remote during COVID, 17 credits and a full time job, oof). You'll get to learn crazy chemical reactions and math and physics that makes you feel like a wizard. If your classes get boring, check out science YouTubers like Nile Red and Explosions and Fire. Some of my favorite worldbuilding has been scribbled in the margins of my notes. Take liberties with the laws of the universe. Lean into the dark academia aesthetic. Have fun with it even if you're suffering through thermochem. I believe in you.

[justforbooks]

In the late 1960s, Burt Young dashed off a letter to Lee Strasberg, who ran the Actors Studio in New York, hoping to be taken on as a student. “Seriously, Lee, I don’t know if acting has anything for me, or vice versa, but I’m treading water,” he wrote. “So see me.”

The letter was intended to curry favour with a woman whom Young was trying to impress, and whose dream it was to study with Strasberg. Both she and Young were invited to audition. She quit after drying up during her first acting class but Strasberg was impressed by the stubby, paunchy Young, telling him: “You have huge tension about you. I feel you’re an emotional library.”

Less than a decade later, Young, who has died aged 83, found fame playing Paulie Pennino, the gormless, rough-and-tumble butcher who is brother-in-law to the aspiring prizefighter Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in the rags-to-riches hit Rocky (1976).

“I thought the script had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read,” said Young. Among the film’s 10 Oscar nominations was one for him as best supporting actor. It won three prizes, including best picture.

In Young’s hands, Paulie was roguishly endearing as well as exasperating. The actor described him as “all burly on the outside and all quicksand inside”. Paulie’s tenderness toward Rocky is forever being complicated by his jealousy at the boxer’s success. Any initial tension or piquancy in the drama, however, was diluted by a stream of sequels in which Stallone and Young reprised their roles. One low-point was Rocky IV (1985), which begins with Paulie receiving a robot butler as a gift from Rocky, whose success has made him profligate. Paulie modifies the robot to give it a female voice.

He is last seen in the sixth instalment, Rocky Balboa (2006), where he is once again the boxer’s corner-man. The character’s death is alluded to in the spin-off Creed (2015), in which Young does not appear.

Paulie was typical of many of the roles that came Young’s way: you could hear the hair growing in their ears, smell the stink on their singlets, feel their brain cells dying. In Back to School (1986), for instance, he played a tough-guy chauffeur described by the hero, played by the comic Rodney Dangerfield, as “an animal. In his family, he’s only the second generation to stand upright.”

For Young, it was never that simple. In Robert Aldrich’s vulgar cop comedy The Choirboys (1977), his turn as a cackling sergeant was singled out by the Washington Post as “human and appealing”. Cast as the flawed, the coarse or the criminal in films such as Sergio Leone’s gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984) or Alan Alda’s whimsical Betsy’s Wedding (1989), he allowed a rumpled warmth to shine through the cracks, his actorly intelligence informing every choice.

Esteemed co-stars respected his craft. Jack Nicholson shared a scene with Young at the start of Roman Polanski’s neo-noir thriller Chinatown (1974), and was said to have greatly admired the actor and to have used him as the model for the laconic hood he played in Prizzi’s Honour (1985).

James Caan, with whom Young first worked on the shore-leave love story Cinderella Liberty (1973), wangled parts for him in The Gambler (1974), inspired by (though not adapted from) the Dostoevsky novella of the same name, and The Killer Elite (1975). The latter was the first of two films that Young made for the director Sam Peckinpah, the other being the action-comedy Convoy (1978).

“Everybody was scared of [Peckinpah],” said Young. “The studios were scared of him. The other actors. And so they would go through me, because I had no fear of nobody.”

It was Aldrich who became Young’s friend and loyal collaborator, directing him in The Choirboys, the nuclear-age thriller Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977) and …All the Marbles (1981), a salty comedy about female wrestling released outside the US as The California Dolls.

A 1978 Esquire magazine profile dwelt on the actor’s history of juvenile delinquency and general criminality, noting that his life was “lifted right out of the pages of Damon Runyon”.

He was born in Queens, New York. His birth name has been listed variously as Gerald De Louise and Richard Morea, with Burt Young the name he adopted once he became an actor. His mother, Josephine, and father, Michael, an ice-delivery man and sheet metal worker who later trained as a teacher, tried to improve his chances by sending him to Bryant high school, an establishment in a better neighbourhood, but he was soon expelled. He attended St Anne’s academy, from which he was also ejected.

At 16, he joined the Marines, served tours of duty in Japan and the Philippines, and developed an aptitude for boxing. After a dishonourable discharge, he returned to New York and boxed professionally, training under the renowned Cus D’Amato and Charley Goldman. Fighting under three different aliases, he claimed to have amassed a record of 17 wins to one loss.

He became a truck driver, managed a silk-screen printing business that went bankrupt, part-owned a bakery and a bar, and worked for his brother’s Manhattan carpet-cleaning firm, before starting an outlet of his own in Queens. He later opened his own restaurant, Burt Young’s Il Boschetto, in the Bronx.

His first acting jobs included parts in the daytime soap The Doctors (1969) and the crime comedy The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971). Over more than half a century, he accumulated around 160 movie and TV credits including The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) with Mickey Rourke, a harrowing adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr’s Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), the Hugh Grant comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), which reunited him with Caan, and Transamerica (2005), in which he was the father of a trans woman played by Felicity Huffman.

He also wrote and starred in two films: the TV movie Daddy, I Don’t Like It Like This, about a boy whose father tries to toughen him up, and the sentimental Uncle Joe Shannon (both 1978), in which he played a bereaved trumpeter. In recent times, Young devoted much of his life to painting.

One of his most wrenching performances was in a 2001 episode of the HBO series The Sopranos. He played an ageing hoodlum, dying of cancer and grateful to be given one final hit to carry out. The assignment ends unforgettably in blood and bathos.

Crime was an area he felt he might have lapsed into were it not for the approval he received from Strasberg. “I come from that life,” he said. “To this day, two of my best friends are doing 100 years.”

But he was acting well into his dotage. “Rather than flying high, I’m wide,” he said in 2002. “I still have ambition, but I’m slow. I’ll never be Tom Cruise.”

Nor would anyone have wanted him to be: there was more character in one grin or grimace from Young than in a dozen vehicles featuring sleeker, shinier stars.

He is survived by Anne, his daughter, from his marriage to Gloria, who died in 1974.

🔔 Burt Young (Gerald De Louise), actor, born 30 April 1940; died 8 October 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[grungeeuvu]

for the ask game:

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them (I already know the answer I just want pictures of the kitty <3)

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

🧃 ⇢ I used to pester my primary school lunch ladies to let me sit in the library during break and lunch so often that it got to the point where they'd see me approaching and just say, "Yeah, sure, off you go." They weren't meant to let kids do that, since we were meant to burn off energy, but they stopped caring eventually

🪐 ⇢ I recently finished my college exams :)) it's now gap year time!! I had a very nice day hanging out with my best friend today. My Skyrim character is getting close to level 50 and I'm very proud of her

🌸 ⇢ Ask for Gibbs and I shall deliver!!

here's him sleeping on my lap from ages ago, but he just looks so fluffy!!

❄️ ⇢ For any fandom, a good and proper dnd au, with loads of found family, epic fight scenes, world building, emotional backstories intertwined with a long, overarching plot.... I'd love to write it, but the adhd always says no, alas...

[ashesandbone]

Summary: Elena and Rebekah rekindle their friendship while caring for Klaus's daughter, Hope, at the Salvatore Boarding School. As they reminisce about old adventures, a deeper connection emerges.

In the quiet halls of the Salvatore Boarding School, Hope Mikaelson had grown up without the daily presence of her father, Klaus, then thanks to the every lurking threat to the hollow, and now after the demise of both klaus and elijha. Mystic Falls became her sanctuary, and the school, a place where she honed her supernatural abilities under the watchful eyes of the school's staff.

Now, In the heart of Mystic Falls, Hope Mikaelson's laughter echoed through the halls of the Salvatore Boarding School as she studied in the enchanting library. Rebekah, her devoted aunt, had come for a visit, and the school buzzed with an extra layer of warmth.

Hope, engrossed in her books, looked up to find Rebekah standing nearby. A bright smile adorned Rebekah's face as she approached, enveloping Hope in a warm embrace. "How's my favorite niece?" Rebekah teased, ruffling Hope's hair.

As Hope matured into a strong and resilient young woman, Rebekah, her aunt, maintained a distant yet loving connection. The occasional visits became more frequent, especially as Hope's magical abilities became more potent.

Hope chuckled, "you do realize that I'm your only niece right? Anyways I'm good, Aunt Bekah. It's just not the same without Dad around."

Rebekah's eyes softened with understanding. "He would be proud of the remarkable woman you've become."

Their conversation continued, weaving between fond memories and the shared bond of family. Elena Gilbert, now a guardian at the school, joined the scene, standing on the sidelines admiring the bond the aunt's niece shared and dare I say admiring the older woman too. As she continued staring, Rebekah's eyes wandered towards hers and she felt like she got caught staring.

The older woman beckons the girl over as they have recovered their old friendship in the few times Rebekah could visit hope after her brother died. Elena hesitantly joined the duo and added her fair share of memories about Hope's father and Elijah. Most people still expected her to hold a grudge against the original family (that is her ex husband) but for her it was years ago.

In the sidelines while the two conversed and were totally oblivious of their own feelings, the smart little tribrid told herself to remember to talk to her aunt because obviously what potential epic love story ever starts without a small push and push hope will give.

As Elena reluctantly excused herself, expressing the need to attend to a patient, Hope couldn't help but shoot her aunt Rebekah a mischievous look. "Both of you are so pathetic," she remarked with a playful smirk, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Rebekah raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Pathetic? And what, pray tell, is your expert opinion on the matter, darling niece?"

Hope chuckled, her tone teasing. "Oh, Aunt Bekah, don't act all clueless. It's written all over your faces – the longing looks, the lingering touches. You two are practically oozing romance." She rolled her eyes dramatically, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Rebekah, caught off guard, couldn't help but laugh at her niece's candid observation. "Well, maybe there's a bit of truth in your words. Mystic Falls does have a way of stirring up unexpected feelings."

Hope shook her head in mock disapproval. "I swear, you two are worse than any teenage lovebirds. It's like a supernatural soap opera around here."

Rebekah grinned, placing a playful arm around Hope's shoulders. "Well, darling, if you've learned anything from this 'pathetic' display, it's that love has a funny way of finding us when we least expect it."

Hope couldn't suppress a genuine smile. "Yeah, yeah, Aunt Bekah. Just promise me you won't start writing love letters or composing cheesy poetry."

Rebekah feigned offense. "I am wounded, my dear. I'll have you know that my romantic gestures are nothing short of sophisticated."

Even as a thousand-year-old vampire, Rebekah couldn't ignore certain insecurities that lingered within her – the uncertainty of whether Elena truly liked her and whether she would accept every aspect of her immortal existence. However, in a moment of reflection, Rebekah recalled someone once saying, "the first rule of truly living - do the thing you're most afraid of." With newfound determination, she resolved to confront her fears and reveal her true self to Elena, embracing the vulnerability that came with it.

As the day unfolded, Rebekah decided to extend her trip to mystic falls and she and Elena discovered a shared history that extended beyond Hope's supernatural journey. Laughter resonated through the school corridors as they reminisced about past adventures, and an unspoken connection began to deepen between the two women.

One evening, beneath the stars on the school's terrace, Rebekah and Elena found themselves lost in conversation. The air was filled with a gentle breeze, carrying with it the sweet scent of blossoming flowers. "Elena love, do you ever think about the old days?" Rebekah asked, her eyes reflecting a mixture of nostalgia and something more. Both the elder woman and Elena never realized when they fell in the routine of calling each other by nicknames.

Elena smiled, her gaze meeting Rebekah's. "All the time. The friendships we forged, the challenges we faced – they shaped who we are."

Their words lingered in the air, and Rebekah couldn't ignore the warmth blossoming within her. "There's something so special about Mystic Falls that makes everything feel more alive." she admitted.

Elena's expression softened, mirroring the sentiment. "Maybe it's the magic, or maybe it's just the people." her hands softly grazed that of Rebekah's.

In that moment, the realization of their deepening connection sparked between them. Rebekah reached out, gently cupping Elena's cheek, and their eyes locked. The world around them seemed to fade as they leaned in, sharing a tender and unexpected kiss beneath the moonlit sky.

The kiss spoke volumes – a culmination of years of friendship evolving into something beautiful. As they pulled away, smiles played on their lips, and Elena whispered, "Maybe Mystic Falls has a way of bringing out the magic in everything."

Rebekah nodded, her heart full. "It certainly does."

And in the quiet embrace of Mystic Falls, surrounded by the whispers of history and the promise of a magical future, Rebekah and Elena walked hand in hand, their connection stronger than ever, and love blossoming like the flowers in the town they called home.

One of the one shot fic I wrote for the february challenge. Hope all of you like it

[s4mcore]

MAKE A WISH — OO7 | between the lines

The library had been unusually quiet that afternoon, with only the faint sounds of pages turning and the scratch of pens on paper filling the space. Y/N was deep in concentration, her head bent over her notebook as she finished another calculus problem. Jake, on the other hand, wasn’t as focused. His eyes kept drifting toward her, his mind wandering away from derivatives and limits.

Lately, he had started to notice things—little things—about her. Like the way she absentmindedly twirled her pen between her fingers when she was thinking, or how her brow furrowed in that cute way whenever she was deep in thought. It made his heart race a little faster, and it was getting harder to concentrate.

Jake cleared his throat, trying to shake the nervousness that had been building all afternoon. “You know, we’ve been at this for hours,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I think we deserve a break.”

Y/N glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “A break?”

“Yeah,” Jake said, his voice a little too quick, the words tumbling out before he could stop himself. “How about… uh, ice cream? There’s that place right outside school. Um, my treat.”

He could feel his face heating up as he spoke, mentally kicking himself for sounding so awkward. He wasn’t usually this nervous around Y/N, but something about the idea of sharing ice cream with her made him feel like a middle schooler asking someone to the dance for the first time.

Y/N paused for a moment, her lips curling into a small, amused smile. Jake was almost never nervous, and the sight of him fumbling over his words struck her as oddly cute, though she wasn’t about to say it out loud. “Ice cream sounds nice,” she finally said, her tone casual, though the little smile still lingered on her lips. “But only if you promise not to cry about calculus the whole time.”

Jake let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Deal,” he said, standing up and grabbing his bag, trying to play it cool. But his heart was still racing as he led the way out of the library.

The late afternoon sun bathed the small ice cream shop in a soft, golden light as Jake and Y/N sat down at one of the outdoor tables. The shop was just outside the school, and though it was usually busy, today it felt quieter, more private. It was just the two of them, their ice cream cones in hand.

Jake took a bite of his ice cream, trying to think of something clever to say, but his mind was still buzzing with nerves. He glanced at Y/N, watching as she absentmindedly licked her cone, her eyes flicking up to meet his for a second before drifting away again. There was something about the moment, hanging in the air between them—that made Jake feel like everything had changed.

"Alright, serious question," Y/N began, breaking the comfortable silence between them. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Books or movies? And don’t say both, you’ve gotta pick one."

Jake chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Is this a trick question? You’re trying to set me up, aren’t you?"

Y/N grinned, her voice playful. "Maybe. But no pressure—just your entire sense of taste and judgment hanging in the balance."

He took a thoughtful bite of his ice cream, eyes narrowing in mock contemplation. "Okay, if I had to choose, I’d say... movies. Specifically, the Harry Potter ones."

Y/N gasped dramatically, nearly dropping her cone. "No way! The movies? Really? The books are so much better. You miss out on all the details, the subtle character arcs, the—"

"The mountains of extra info?" Jake interrupted with a teasing grin. "Like, do I really need to know what every single character is wearing in every scene?"

She rolled her eyes, clearly enjoying the debate. "Those 'details' are what make the story rich. The movies just can’t capture that. Plus, they leave so much out. Like Peeves! Where’s Peeves?"

Jake shrugged, fighting back a smile. "I’m sorry, but the movies gave me visuals. The Quidditch scenes? Epic. The battle at Hogwarts? Come on, you can’t tell me that wasn’t cooler than you imagined."

Y/N leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. "Cooler, sure. But more emotional? Nope. The books made everything feel deeper, more personal. The movies just rush through the story like they’re on a deadline."

He shot her a mock-serious look. "Look, the movies let me see magic happen, okay? I’m a simple guy. I see magic, I’m happy."

She laughed at that, and for a second, the banter dissolved into shared smiles. Y/N took another lick of her ice cream, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun as she turned back to Jake. "You’re impossible."

"And you’re a book purist," he shot back, grinning.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" she teased.

"No," Jake replied, still smiling. "Just a fact."

At one point, Y/N was so engrossed in their conversation that she didn’t notice a small smear of ice cream on the corner of her lips. Jake saw it immediately, his heart skipping a beat.

Without thinking too much about it, he leaned forward, his thumb gently brushing the ice cream from the corner of her mouth. His hand lingered there, just for a moment, his fingers barely grazing her skin as their eyes met.

The world seemed to slow down as they locked eyes. Jake’s breath hitched, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn’t meant for the moment to feel so intimate, but now that they were here, so close, it felt like everything else had faded away.

“You, uh… missed a spot,” Jake said softly, his voice quieter than usual.

Y/N’s heart fluttered in her chest, her cheeks warming under his gaze. The way his hand lingered near her lips, the way he looked at her—really looked at her—made her pulse quicken. She could feel the tension between them, thick and charged, but she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“Thanks,” Y/N said, her voice barely above a whisper. She offered a small smile, though the weight of the moment was impossible to ignore.

Jake pulled his hand back, chuckling awkwardly as he tried to shake off the sudden tension. “No problem. I’m just looking out for you,” he said, though his heart was still racing from the way their eyes had met.

For a few more minutes, they sat there, eating their ice cream and talking, though the conversation felt different now. There was something between them, something neither of them was quite ready to address. But the lingering touch, the stolen glance—they were enough to make Y/N’s heart race in a way she hadn’t expected.

Jake, still riding the high of the moment, hesitated before asking his next question. He knew Hyunjin would be at practice, and he didn’t want to make things awkward for Y/N, especially since now he knew about their history. But he also didn’t want to let the moment slip away without spending more time with her.

“So,” Jake said, a little hesitantly, “I’ve got baseball practice soon. You wanna… come watch? I mean, if you’re not busy.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, surprised by the invitation. “Baseball practice?”

Jake scratched the back of his neck, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, it’s not that exciting, but it could be fun. You could make fun of me when I mess up.”

He was trying to sound casual, but the truth was, he wanted her there. He wanted her to see him in his element, to share this part of his life with her. Even though the thought of Hyunjin being there made him nervous, the idea of Y/N watching him on the field felt… right.

Y/N shrugged, not giving it too much thought. “Sure, why not? It could be fun.”

Jake grinned, relieved. “Awesome. Let’s go.”

The baseball field was alive with activity by the time Jake and Y/N arrived. The players were warming up, tossing balls back and forth, stretching out under the afternoon sun. Jake jogged over to join his teammates, leaving Y/N to find a spot on the bleachers.

As she sat down, Y/N watched Jake from afar. She hadn’t realized just how much baseball meant to him until now. The way he moved, the easy camaraderie he shared with his teammates, the focused determination in his eyes—it was clear how passionate he was about the game.

Y/N found herself smiling as she watched him, her heart warming at the sight of Jake so engrossed in something he loved. There was a confidence in him here, a side of him she didn’t often see during their study sessions. She liked seeing this part of him.

For the next hour, Y/N watched the practice, occasionally laughing when Jake would make a face after a missed swing or toss. But more than that, she noticed how serious he was when it mattered—how he put everything into every play, every throw. It was the same intensity he brought to everything he cared about.

As the baseball practice wound down, Jake jogged over to Y/N, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He was still catching his breath, but there was a satisfied grin on his face.

“So,” he panted, “what’d you think? Not too embarrassing, right?”

Y/N smiled, amused by his eagerness. “Not bad, Sim. A little rusty on that catch, though.”

Jake chuckled, rolling his eyes in mock defeat. “I knew you’d bring that up.”

Y/N was about to respond when she realized how thirsty she was after sitting in the sun for so long. Her eyes flickered to the vending machine near the edge of the field.

“Actually,” she said, standing up and brushing off her jeans, “I’m going to grab something to drink real quick."

Jake nodded, his hands resting on his hips as he caught his breath. “Yeah, sure. Take your time.”

“Thanks,” Y/N said, shooting him a small smile before heading off toward the vending machine. She didn’t think much of it as she walked away, her mind still replaying moments from the game and the playful banter between her and Jake.

As Y/N walked off toward the vending machine, Jake watched her for a moment, a small smile tugging at his lips. He hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed spending time with her until now. There was something about the way she could make even the simplest moments—like sitting through baseball practice or sharing ice cream—feel different. More… meaningful.

Jake had spent time with plenty of people before, but Y/N was different. She made him feel calm, like he didn’t have to put up the usual front. He could just be himself around her, and it didn’t feel awkward or forced. He liked that about her. Maybe more than he was willing to admit.

Just as Jake turned back toward the field, he found himself surrounded by a few of his teammates, grins plastered across their faces.

“Well, would you look at that,” Heeseung teased, smirking as he crossed his arms. “Another girl at practice, Jake? You never change, do you?”

Jake rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t quite hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not like that, Heeseung.”

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow, grinning. “Oh yeah? Then why’s she sitting out here like your biggest supporter?”

“She’s just a friend,” Jake insisted, a little too quickly. “We study together.”

“Right,” Sunghoon drawled, shooting a glance at the bleachers where Y/N had been sitting earlier. “Because we all bring our ‘study buddies’ to practice.”

Jay snickered, giving Jake a playful shove. “Classic. You’ve got a pattern, Sim—bring her to practice and then act like it’s no big deal”

“Seriously, guys,” Jake replied, though he felt his face flush under their teasing. “We’re just friends.”

The guys exchanged knowing looks, clearly not buying it. Jungwon added, “Come on, man. You can’t seriously expect us to believe you’re not into her. You were practically drooling over her when you thought we weren’t looking.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, trying to play it cool. “You’re all ridiculous,” he muttered, though his heart raced at their words.

Sunghoon nudged him again, leaning in with a teasing smirk. “Just admit it, bro. You like her.”

Jake paused for a second, glancing briefly in the direction Y/N had gone before shaking his head. “It’s not like that,” he said, his voice quieter this time. “We just... study.”

The guys exchanged amused glances but didn’t push it any further. Heeseung, always the one to pick up on when to back off, gave Jake a light pat on the shoulder. “Alright, alright. Whatever you say, man.”

Y/N made her way toward the vending machine, the soft hum of the baseball field growing quieter as she stepped further away from the bleachers. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows across the field, and the gentle breeze offered some relief from the lingering heat.

As she approached the vending machine, Y/N fished some change out of her pocket, her thoughts still on the game—and on Jake. She wasn’t sure when things had started to shift between them, but she couldn’t deny that the moments they shared felt different now. More meaningful.

She inserted the coins, pressing the button for a cold soda, when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

“Y/N.”

PREVIOUS | M.LIST | NEXT

side note they're getting closer yippie !! a little longer than I expected it to be yet it feels a bit rushed >_< next chapter is gonna be crazy btw

꒰ synopsis ꒱ sim jaeyun, west shore high’s star athlete and notorious flirt, doesn’t know what possessed him to sit next to y/n, one of the school’s top students. but when jake finds himself falling hard for the first time, he’s determined to prove to y/n that even a so called f-boy can love — and love deeply.

make a wish ? TAGLIST ( open ) @dreamiestay @xeee334 @getoxo @nxzz-skz @danielleism @breadlover01 @haechsworld @tlnyjoong @simpjay

[wutbju]

Who has seen Red Runs the River? We all need to watch it again.

Film Focuses on General Who Turned to Religion

"Red Runs the River," the latest feature length production of Unusual Films, a Bob Jones University enterprise, details not only the conflict of North against South in compelling col-or, but focuses on the conflict the heart of Gen. Richard Stoddert Ewell, who found religion on the battlefield.

Starring in the film, indeed running away with the picture is Dr. Bob Jones Jr. university president, whose talents as an actor have earned him recognition both nationally and abroad. As a young man, he turned down offers from Broadway and Hollywood for his ministry in evangelism and education.

In the role of the rough, tough, blasphemous, bald-headed Gen. Ewell, who scoffs at things spiritual, Dr. Bob Jr. turns in a convincing performance from beginning to end of the 90-minute film. His maturity, his diction and his seasoned stage abilities result in an outstanding performance.

In sharp contrast to his father, is Dr. Bob Jones III as Gen. Stuart, a flamboyant and colorful character, He measures up well to the demands of the role of the daring and capable cavalry officers who still paused in the press of war to give Christian testimony. But it is Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as played by Jack Buttram, who carried the burden of evangelistic appeal. A Virginian himself, he is said to have voice, build and facial features that admirably fitted him for the role. He also had histrionic experience that rang. ed from Shakespeare to radio program production.

Historians have described Jackson as a devout Christian who considered the spiritual condition of his men as much as his responsibility as the winning of battles. He is quoted as declaring that "I always take time to bury my dead and care for my wounded," but he took time, too, to read the Bible, pray and hear testimony.

Directed by Mrs. Katherine Stenholm, "Red Runs the River" is from an original story by Miss Eva Carrier both are of the BJU faculty--and the screenplay was adapted by Charles Applegate.

Primary responsibility for the filming lay with the students in the division of cinema of the school of fine arts, but the student body and faculty were also involved in producing the epic.

Two months before filming started, students began growing beards and long before that research teams were off to Manassas, to the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress. More than 600 actors were outfitted with uniforms, muskets, bayonets, canteens, cups and haversacks. "Ordnance" crews made working models of Civil War rifles to augment real muskets and hundreds of dummy guns were made, so real "only a woodpecker could tell the difference."

Equally realistic are the scenes of Virginia's rolling hills and red soil filmed actually a few miles from the campus. Nothing was stinted -- the cavalry action, the great train wreck when Gen. Stuart dynamited a trestle, and the battle scenes with their realistic mortar and cannon explosions and musket volleys. Mention should be made, too, of the fine music track produced by Dr. Dwight L. Gustafson, who composed and directed the mood music.

The world premiere was held at Bob Jones University in the spring of 1963, two years after the original story had been conceived and a full year after the cameras had first rolled. The award-winning film is now available on rental basis through application to Unusual Films. Seeing it is a memorable experience.

[alphadursgate32023]

Diplomacy Refined: Baldur's Gate 3 and the Evolution of Interaction

Baldur's Gate is, like, this total legend from the late 90s when it comes to CRPGs, and OMG, when they dropped the news about a sequel, it was seriously mind-blowing! Yet, given Larian Studios' track record with Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2, our optimism had solid ground – those games were absolute genre-definers in the past decade. But let me tell you, Baldur's Gate 3 takes it to a whole new dimension. Classic RPGs of yore, like the ones you mentioned, often sport a bit of a serious and restrained vibe. Isometric view, graphics that seem to have resisted change since ancient times, and enough text boxes to fill a library. But here's the twist – Baldur's Gate 3, despite coming from an indie studio, rolls in with resources that put it in the league of heavyweights like The Witcher 3, Mass Effect, and Final Fantasy 7, the recent champs of the Action RPG scene. The graphics are like, totally mind-blowing, especially when they totally nail those facial expressions. I can't even, it's seriously a visual masterpiece.

Baldur's Gate 3 isn't just your regular sequel – it's this massive game that's totally shaking up the whole modern gaming universe, like whoa. It's like taking your nostalgic love for the classics and then catapulting it into the PS5 games era. Get ready to have your minds totally blown, fam! 🤯 Gamers, you're about to dive into an insane adventure that's like, next-level epic. It's not just vibing with the OG vibes, but it's also slapping on a seriously stunning layer that'll make your jaw drop.

Diplomacy Refined: A Comparison of Baldur's Gate 3 and Baldur's Gate 2

When you check out how diplomacy works in Baldur's Gate 3 versus its old version, Baldur's Gate 2, you can totally see that the new one has brought in some awesome upgrades to the system. It amps up the fun factor when you're playing and might even make you think about scouting where to buy PS5 games to really soak in all these cool changes. Baldur's Gate 3 goes all-in with a more complex diplomacy vibe, giving players a bunch more options and outcomes, kinda like when you're on the hunt for where to buy cheap PS5 games. While Baldur's Gate 2 featured diplomatic interactions, the newer game refines this aspect by providing deeper branching dialogue options that cater to various playstyles, similar to how gamers choose and explore different PS5 game options. This totally leads to, like, a way more immersive and super personalized vibe, you know? It's all about letting players really, like, mold how things go down, based on their choices. It's like when they snag those PS5 games that totally match their style, ya feel me?

In Baldur's Gate 3, diplomacy is better integrated into the overarching narrative. Conversations and choices feel more meaningful and impactful, leading to a greater sense of agency. The game's advanced AI and dialogue system create more lifelike interactions, making the world and characters feel more alive. Stealth mechanics in Baldur's Gate 3 provide a fresh perspective on diplomacy-related situations. Players can now use stealth to avoid confrontations and engage enemies on their terms. This tactical vibe brings some serious depth to those diplomacy-heavy situations, giving players the chance to work their environment and positioning to totally crush it. Baldur's Gate 3's turn-based combat is all about that refined and super strategic gameplay. This turn-based style really makes you think hard about your moves, adding an extra layer of smartness to finding diplomatic solutions. It's like finding the sweet spot between old-school vibes and what's poppin' in gaming today.

Where old-school feels meet new-school thrills

Baldur's Gate 3 is like the ultimate flex when it comes to leveling up those diplomacy mechanics. If you compare how it handles things with its older sibling, Baldur's Gate 2, you'll see that the new kid on the block is all about those intricate and immersive vibes in conversations. The game totally weaves diplomacy into the story, serves up a buffet of dialogue options, and even tosses in some sneaky stealth and turn-based combat for good measure. All of this adds up to feeling like you're calling the shots in a totally real world. Baldur's Gate 3 isn't just tipping its hat to the OG days, it's pushing the envelope by mixing in some modern flair like mind-blowing graphics and gameplay that's all about strategy. As you dive into this epic journey, you're looking at a diplomacy system that's all about making those big decisions, getting cozy with a unique experience, and bouncing off some crazy interactions. Larian Studios totally flipped the script on diplomacy in CRPGs, crafting a game that's all about keeping that classic vibe while setting a whole new standard. So, whether you're a die-hard fan of the oldies or you're just getting your feet wet in the world of CRPGs, Baldur's Gate 3 is serving up a ride that's all about showing how far diplomacy has come in the gaming scene.

[gothamxwattpad]

Thanks for the tag and sorry for the delay! @foyle-writes-things

Going to go ahead and tag @verba-writing @fr1day-incredible

Short Stories, Novels, or Poems?

I write long stories that usually never get fully finished.

What genre do you prefer reading?

I suck when it comes to labeling things by their genres so…

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I plan. I have a whole ass process that I go through and its freaking lengthy and a lot of work but worth it, even when I epically derail from it.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I usually put my music library on shuffle and hope for the best. I also put on one of those auto generated playlists that Apple Music has. I do have a playlist for my WIP Weavers that I put on time to time.

Favorite books/movies?

One of my top favorite series is the Vampire Academy series. I had every single one when I was in middle school and made the mistake of letting my English teacher borrow a few and never got them back. Bitch…

Favorite movies…. The Scribbler, Sucker Punch, To Write Love On Her Arms, The Breakfast Club and many others.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Ooooooffffffffffffffff just saying, I fucking rock leggings, short shorts, graphic tees, a beanie and boots.

Create a character description of yourself:

I’m not big on torturing myself that lmfao

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

I used to write in my besties but they all fucked off so I don’t do that anymore.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Do I enjoy killing off my characters? Just the ones who deserve it.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Water, Red Bull & adult gummy or giggle cabbage.

Slow or fast writer?

Slow, writer’s block is always in my way.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

I watch a lot of series, I get attached to characters and the actors that play them and that inspires my own characters.

Example; I really enjoyed the first couple of Disney’s Descendants and Dove Cameron inspired my first main character of GothamX, Aurora Blue.

If you were in a fantasy world, what would it be?

I think I would love to be tossed into my own fantasy world in Weavers. The Vale is so vast and unexplored. And beautiful.

Most favorite book cliche? Least favorite?

I don’t have any issues with cliches in stories. I know a lot of big writers like tell us to avoid them but honestly, I think their rules are stupid and worth breaking. I reference fate regularly in one way or another.

Favorite scene to write?

I like heart warming scenes between friends but I also love tense arguments.

Reason for writing?

My reason for writing? I have too much floating around in my head and I like getting it out.

Writeblr Interview Tag

Dearest @sableglass, again, many thanks. I appreciate you. Hope you are having a stupendous day. I hope you kick this weeks butt. The week is your bitch now.

Short stories, novels, or poems?

All. I write (very bad) poetry, and read (very good) poetry.

What genre do you prefer reading?

I lean towards fantasy tbh. I don't read much anymore- full time job means i choose- read or write. I usually choose to write.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Pft. What's a plan?

I really like stories that grow organically and move reactionary (kinda like playing a live D&D game with yourself).

So if i have a plan it's usually only some rough ideas of what happens next.

What music do you listen to while writing?

None. I write in silence.

No I'm not joking.

Yes, i'm aware its weird.

Favorite books/movies?

I don't have one really? But I guess right now I'm re-obsessed with Avatar the Last Air Bender. I am more obsessed with High Rollers D&D streams presently.

Go watch, it's better than anything on the Tellie.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be?

I'm seasonal:

late spring to end of summer:

tanktop, shorts, socks with sandals

late summer through the cold bits:

beanie, hoodie, yoga pants

Create a character description of yourself: 

Eww no.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

No? There may be pieces of people I know but i cannot say that any character reflects any one person.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

:)

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Both at the same time, also probably water and a club soda. I have 2-4 drinks with me at any given time.

Slow or fast writer?

Depends honestly. Some books go sonic fast, and some go much slower.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

The cosmic ether.

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Party healer that gets forced into supporting the protagonist and main party.

I'm combining these three because same answer who dis:

Most fav book cliche

Least favorite cliche

Favorite scene to write

The answer is that there is no answer. Most of this depends on how well the words go for me in terms of writing or reading. I'm quite happy with most cliches or scenes as long as it feels in keeping with the character.

Reason for writing?

The universe beats me on the head if i stop for too long. It's not a choice, it's a compulsion.

I be taggin (hopefully this isn't redundant, trying to revitalize the tag game economy and spread the <3 ):

@ettawritesnstudies

@simonnebethel

@dyrewrites

@leahnardo-da-veggie

@bluberimufim

@gothamxwattpad

[moonflowerdamie]

i’ve just finished vol 1 of stranger things and i’m gonna rant about my thoughts so:

⚠️SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS⚠️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

holy shit it was incredible! the vibe, the plot, the characters, all *chefs kiss* perfection. it was all amazing tbh, but i’m just gonna talk about my personal favourite things from the season.

• ep 4–‘dear billy’:

holy mother of god this episode. this fucking episode. possibly the best stranger things episode ever, if i’m honest. max’s storyline this season was brilliant, dealing with the loss of her abuser/brother, high school, a fading friend group—it was a dark twist for the character, but one that felt gritty in such a natural way. billy didn’t get a redemption arc (thank god) but max still dealt with the loss in a very real, very raw way that felt so genuine—big pat on the back for the duffer brothers there.

this episode, though. we got to see max’s true feelings; her isolation, her grief, her suicidal thoughts and feelings. it was a real exploration of her character that made me love her all the more.

and i can’t not talk about that end scene. holy. fucking. shit. the cinematography, the song choice, the way it swelled as max rose from the ground, the tension, the suspense, the goddamn flashbacks. all of it was just fucking breathtaking. i was crying and shaking the whole time. max’s determination to get back to her family, the way she collapses in lucas’s arms. absolutely the best scene in stranger things history, and one of my favourite scenes of all time in anything ever. chills. every time. and sadie sink deserves all the awards for her performance, i’ll stand by that. icon behaviour.

• the vecna/001 storyline:

this had me gripped from the start. honestly, i was so intrigued the whole time—and it was played out incredibly well.

from the first scene making us think eleven killed those kids, to the big reveal that 001 had been behind it all along, to eleven blasting him into the upside down and creating vecna. phew. was on the edge of my seat from the start.

it also makes sense in a way that’s not too perfect, but just perfect enough. it’s a reason for all previous seasons, a perfect storm. it felt like the stuff of epics, the final enemy, the final battle. mwah, i loved it.

• eddie, steve and dustin:

i loved them this season. best boys 4 life.

we got the steve and dustin best bros dynamic back, plus seeing how much they mean to each other through eddie coming between them. perfection. i love those little doofuses.

and eddie himself was great. brilliant character, comedic and interesting. good job joe quinn.

•lumax:

i’d never really hated or loved this ship before season 4. i mean, it was kinda cute, but i never got all the hype surrounding it. now, i think i do.

their angst this season was just 😤. the way you can so clearly see that they still care for each other, the way they still need each other. lucas being max’s safe haven. max being the one lucas is vulnerable around. amazing, spectacular. it’s clear they love each other, they just need to figure some stuff out first. my second fav ship of the season.

and here we go, my favourite thing from stranger things season 4 vol 1:

• RONANCE!!!!

oh. my. god. these two stole the show for me.

their dynamic was just immaculate the whole way through—from bickering strangers to grudging allies to genuine friendship. it was exactly what i imagined for them and natalia and maya played it so well. their scenes were honestly my favourite. and whilst i love them as friends, i’m a feral ronance shipper—and lemme tell you, i was FED.

firstly, robin tells steve in the video store that she rambles around the girls she likes. cut to robin talking non-stop around nancy in the library. ROBIN I KNOW UR SECRET BABE.

then, we see tammy thompson (finally), who could be a carbon copy of nancy wheeler, from the style down to the heart eyes for steve. SHIT robin, do you have a type—popular pretty girl who falls for the preppy pretty boy? just admit you like nancy already oh my god.

robin’s obsession with having nancy like her?? the fucking lesbianism of it! like, wanting this other girl so desperately to think you’re cool that you end up being so annoying she has to shut you up with mystery and monsters? the gay agenda. needing to be her friend but you don’t know why until—oh shit, that’s why.

the way they just complete each other!!! they bounce off each other so easily, coming up with all the plans and the genius ideas and basically saving the whole group together. the way they play off each other in the asylum, convincing the guy to let them see victor (and holy shit the way nancy looks at robin during her speech). they save max’s life together, and are the only reason the group can save themselves from vecna and i just think that’s neat.

finally, to address the stancy plot line. it’s clear the duffers are trying to make it seem like steve and nancy will get back together, and who knows, maybe they will. but i think (i hope) the duffers are smarter than that.

nancy and steve are the characters who have had the most development over the course of the show. they’ve both grown into themselves, become different and better people. and to have them get back together would completely defeat their respective arcs. i can see them being good friends, but i don’t think they’d realistically work as a couple again.

for one reason, it was made clear in nancy’s vecna vision that her biggest fear, the thing that haunts her most, is that she killed barb, that barb died because she slept with steve. that shit still fucks with 3 years later. and i think she’ll always associate that guilt with him, no matter what. i don’t think she’ll move past that enough to have a healthy relationship with him.

for another, steve clearly doesn’t know what he wants—and i think he needs to figure that out on his own. he’s desperate for love, that’s obvious, and he’s latched onto nancy because she’s his ex who’s showing interest. i think he needs to come into himself a little more before he thinks of trying a relationship.

finally, it’d be pretty cruel of the duffer brothers to have nancy do what she did to steve with jonathan to jonathan with steve. it’d be unoriginal and disappointing, and it wouldn’t really make sense. at least have nancy and jonathan break up officially first, you know?

so no, i don’t think steve and nancy will get back together. and i also think jonathan and nancy will break up when she realises they don’t need each other anymore. they were trauma-bonded, that’s true, but she’s doing well on her own, and they want to take separate paths in life. so that leaves nancy a single pringle.

and who’s right there with her? robin motherfucking buckley.

robin, who annoyed the shit out of her at first, who is frustratingly clever and infuriatingly funny. robin, who saved max’s life, who tried to help nancy, unselfishly, with her love life when they barely even knew each other. robin, who’s become the closest thing she has to a friend since barb.

robin, who i think is gonna save her life.

last time we saw nancy, she was under vecna’s curse. and we all know the only way to break the trance is to play that person’s favourite song. and sure, steve might know it and that’ll be that, but what if he doesn’t? what if he can’t save her?

robin will step in. we saw her routing through nancy’s draws in her room, and we saw her holding some of nancy’s tapes. i don’t think that was a coincidence. i think robin knows nancy’s favourite song and is going to save her life with it.

and boom. just like that, robin stops being the annoying new friend. robin becomes the life-saver, the ally, the rock in the middle of the hurricane. and nancy starts to fall for her.

but what do i know, eh?

anyways, those are my thoughts on season 4 volume 1!!!! i’d love to hear yours—just send me an ask, some of your ideas about what’s gonna happen in vol 2, what your thoughts about the first volume are—love you guys :)

[fiadorable]

Twenty-two questions for twenty twenty-two (fanfic edition!)

Thank you @curator for sharing the questions! This was fun to think about.

1, Fandoms you wrote for this year?

Star Trek Strange New Worlds and The Librarians

2. Favorite fic you wrote this year?

the rage that is in my heart was the fic that reignited my imagination and hurled me into writing again after a four year dry spell, so it’s very special to me.

3. Favorite fic you read this year?

Thursday Night Cooking School by igrockspock Summary: Una had always said that Captain Pike was the best captain in the fleet; she’d never mentioned that he was the friendliest captain in the fleet. Or that he’d be obsessed with food, and getting La'an to eat it.

Fantastic fic about La'an and Pike's growing friendship in the aftermath of Una's arrest. The characterization is excellent and effortless. chef's kiss

4. Favorite opening line/scene you wrote this year?

The Librarians: Eve tucked a soft kiss below Flynn’s ear for safekeeping, and left him to his bubble pipe. (a touch of forgiveness)

SNW: Time is not immutable. It bends and breaks, dilates and contracts, spins out of control and in some cases stops completely. Time is but a perception, a tool used to quantify the experience of conscious thought, an inherently neutral concept. Illyrians were taught this from a young age.

And yet, ever since Valeo Beta V, Number One felt that time had turned against her. (the hand on the clock)

5. Favorite ending line/scene you wrote this year?

She touched the door frame, gentle reverence in her fingertips, before turning and leaving everything behind her for the second time in her life, for one last walk to the ready room. (the hand on the clock)

6. A trope you wrote this year?

Third party observes your OTP

7. Pairings you wrote this year?

Eve/Flynn Eve & LITs Pike/Una and Pike & Una Uhura/Ortegas Spock & Una Una & La’an La’an & Chapel

8. A fic regret from this year?

Feeling rushed to put out content and be “relevant” instead of enjoying the moment and the resurgence of creativity

9. A song that helped you write?

Bird Song by Juniper Vale

10. Total number of fics you posted?

Nine one shots (700+ words/per) Twenty-one drabbles (100 words/per)

11. Total number of words you posted?

14,154

12. Most popular fic written this year?

revelation in the light of gray

13. Least popular fic written this year?

neon

14. Longest completed fic you posted this year?

revelation in the light of gray

15. Shortest completed fic you posted this year?

I've been doing drabbles this year!

Trekalicious Drabbles SNW drabble collection Promotion NSFW SNW drabble We are the library The Librarians drabble collection

16. Favorite character to write about this year?

Toss up between Number One and Eve Baird

17. A fic you didn’t expect to write?

One Good Reason was a plot bunny out of left field that escaped from a conversation between friends. A La'an/Sam Kirk fic that is very much an AU and very silly.

18. Most memorable comment/review?

“# bro # this fic knocked me in the windpipe and then threw me a kitkat # i love it” from @myenterpriseisparked on boreal

I love these tags, especially because this was a drabble I was very unhappy with (and still kind of am tbh) but decided to post anyway to just kind of document my writing practice. It was nice to see people connecting with it anyway, even if I felt it wasn't quite right.

19. Trends you noticed in your writing this year?

Friendships have been very important in my writing this year

20. Fics you wanted to write but didn’t?

I had an epic fic about the day before Pike's accident and then immediate aftermath that I really wanted to write (and have written a bit of and do plan to write eventually) that just ended up being too exhausting to write this year.

I also have so many ideas for The Librarians but those fics aren't flowing as easy as the Strange New Worlds fics, so they're on the back burner for now.

21. Something you want to write next year?

I wrote a lot of friendship this year. I'd like to try writing more romance next year.

22. An idea from one of your fics that you want people to think about?

Una's arrest at the end of season one is going to be so not a big deal by this time next year, so let loose and have fun with fics set in the future!

[mhevarujta]

Zoya and the Darkling [Rule of Wolves Spoilers]

It’s a pity that fandoms mostly focus on romantic/sexual relationships, because The Darkling and Zoya have one of the most epic dynamics in the Grishaverse. The way they affect each other is so complex.

Zoya did not go to the Little Palace after being tested in the usual manner of Grisha travelling across Ravka to recruit children with powers. She was a young girl, a child really, living with a bitter and broken mother, in a home where her Suli inheritance was not appreciated, in a country that would condemn her both because of the power she let her demonstrated AND because of who she would have been without it. She was basically sold as a child-bride and her mother deluded herself into thinking that her daughter would not be raped by the old man she was marrying so that she’d feel better about herself, not to mention that she poisoned Zoya with her fears and made her afraid of her own heart. At the wedding her power broke loose and her aunt took her to a hard journey to the Little Palace so that Zoya would be tested and have a chance at a better life.

Zoya was taken in and she was separated from her family, but her aunt was ALWAYS in her heart. She started training and she was stronger than most, she was also driven and resilient. She arrived at the Little Palace when she was 8-9. When she was 13, she was the youngest one to be chosen as part of a group that would travel with the Darkling to Tsibeya to find the white tigers of Ilmisk because one of them was supposed to be an amplifier. By that age, Zoya was half in love with him already and she lived for his rare appearances at the school. She was the best, she had fought to be so, and he wanted him to see it. The Grisha were focused on hunting the female tiger, but the amplifier was a male one. He tried to kill the female’s cubs and Zoya gave them the protection of her body, she got scars that she never had tailored and she almost died, and killed the tiger to defend the cubs; not for the sake of power.

It wasn’t HER turn to get the amplifier, but since she killed the tiger only she could claim it. And THIS brilliant scene happens:

Some part of me always feared that he would send me away, banish me forever from the Little Palace. I told him I was sorry.

“But the Darkling saw me clearly even then. ‘Is that really what you wish to say?’ he asked.”

Zoya pushed a dark strand of her hair behind her ear. “So I told him the truth. I put my chin up and said, ‘They can all hang. It was my blood in the snow.’”

Nikolai stifled a laugh and a smile played over Zoya’s lips. It dwindled almost instantly, replaced by a troubled frown. “That pleased him. He told me it was a job well done. And then he said … ‘Beware of power, Zoya. There is no amount of it that can make them love you.’”

The weight of the words settled over Nikolai. Is that what we’re all searching for? Was that what he’d hunted in all those library books? In his restless travels? In his endless pursuit to seize and then keep the throne? “Was it love you wanted, Zoya?”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so. I wanted … strength. Safety. I never wanted to feel helpless again.”

  “Like calls to like” fits the Darkling and Alina, but it also fits Zoya and the Darkling… in fact it fits Zoya and Aleksander even more so. Both were powerful and KNEW it. Both eventually learned to be unapologetic about it and saw it as their safety net. Both were taught that power would give them safety, survival, fulfillment in some ways, but not love. And yet, as much as they denied it and hid their hearts they DID want to be loved more than anything.

Zoya only rises thereafter. She gets her rank, she is one of the most valued Grisha in the Little Palace, she is admired for her strength and beauty, she armors herself with arrogance, and ruthlessness. But she has not friends. Both her and the Darkling are surrounded by people, they are admired, but they don’t have people close to their heart. The Darkling always cared about Baghra as much as he could still manage and Zoya cared only bout Liliyana and Lada (an orphan girl that her aunt had taken in).

The Darkling SAW her. He saw how she tried like no other, he saw her pain, her anger and he considered these to be things that he could use to control her and to push her towards the direction he desired. And despite not being appreciative of her devotion when he had it, he missed it when it was gone.

When Alina got in the picture everything changed for Zoya. Yes, Zoya had feelings for the Darkling and I DO believe that her feelings and vanity would have been hurt to some extent by the intimacy in the way he approached Alina, but the primary problem was Zoya’s sense of injustice. Zoya had tried for YEARS, had trained hard, had sacrificed to be where she is. Alina never asked for any of it, but from Zoya’s perspective Alina would have been an untrained Grisha who got all the status, power and recognition that SHE had fought for without even trying. Until then, Zoya had been praised for wanting power, but when her anger is not convenient anymore, the Darkling punishes her for it and does not have a second thought about her.

And yet she remained loyal as always.

Even more so than rank, the Darkling and Liliyana were Zoya’s safety-net. And in ONE MOMENT, by genociding Novokribirsk, Zoya’s own mentor, the one who gave her safety and who was meant to create a haven for the Grisha, a person who KNEW her and who KNEW that she had family there, showed that he had no care for her, not care for human life and she wiped out the last people that Zoya loved.

He left her broken inside. In Siege and Storm, Zoya was at her lowest. She has to plead to Alina to have a position in the second army and she has to reveal a part of her heart; not just her loss of Liliyana. Her voice BREAKS when she says that the Darkling could have warned her of his plan; her pain at the idea that he did not give a crap about taking EVERYTHING from her is raw and cutting.

But she is not a quitter. She adjusts, she pulls her pieces together fast, she is a warrior and she stays on the right side without a question.

Then the Darkling attacked the very Grisha he was supposedly fighting for and killed half the people that Zoya had EVER KNOWN. And she still keeps fighting.

 Enter Rule of Wolves. There is SUCH DEEP IRONY in this book and the way Zoya and the Darkling’s arcs interconnect is a prime example of Leigh’s amazing writing.

The Darkling had told Zoya that they would change the world and he completely stopped paying attention to her the moment the potential of Alina’s power blinded him to anything else. And yet, when he returns Zoya has gained the kind of power that could eventually rival his own. But he STILL thinks that he should be the one to rule Ravka. He still thinks that he is the best option for the country. And once more, he criminally underestimates Zoya and overestimates himself.

Who else is vengeful and afraid of his own heart, I wonder…

Aleksander considered Zoya weak for the very same things that were his own fatal flaws.

But unlike him, Zoya SAW her flaws. The Darkling shut himself off more and more in order to save himself from pain. Zoya eventually opened up her heart to grief and pain to become the person her country needed and to embrace her power. She opened the door, when the Darkling did not manage to do so. She showed more courage than he did… and he SAW it.

Aleksander hoped to become the savior during the battle, he wished to demonstrate how only HE could save Ravka. But seeing Nikolai and Zoya defending the country is the first time it registers that there are others who are up to the task and who may be better suited than he is.

And he becomes essential in Zoya being accepted as a saint and in her rise to power partly because he wants to gain her favor but also because he finally sees all her potential, all she can achieve, how a Grisha queen of such power might give the Grisha the haven they need, when he clearly can’t.

And what is left for him to do? What does he want? He wants to serve the country he loves in a way that will affirm his sense of self-importance (he wants to offer something that no one else can) and he wants to be loved. So his new objective is to stop the blight.

The blight was created because of his own power. This man who hunted down and ruined the life of a young girl (Alina) in order to force her to be his balance, so that he could freely use his power in a very imbalanced way, finally realizes that HE is responsible for his power and that HE can be the only one to balance it and himself. So there is a new path he sees ahead of him: he can sacrifice himself to stop the blight and in the process Ravka might finally see that he always wanted to protect the country… and it might love him back. He KNOWS that he has committed crimes, he does not seek redemption, but he desired for all he has done to matter. And it can’t matter if he is not at all responsible for its country’s well-being and if everyone hates him. He has lived so many lifetimes without happiness or fulfillment and they would all have been wasted.

But he can’t achieve this by himself. This man who always thought that he could do things alone, and who took away everything Zoya had fought for, NEEDS her allowance for his centuries-long life to gain a scrap of meaning. He needs her allowance to be appreciated and loved.

I can’t be the only one who sees what a beautiful twist of fate this is.

At the same time Zoya herself understands the Darkling. She understands how anger and using power as a coping mechanism can corrupt. Knowing herself and seeing how he turned out are essential in her becoming a good ruler. He is the cautionary tale of what she could but will never allow herself to become.

When he explains his plan, she KNOWS that he’ll be in eternal pain and she has does not mind that his will be his fate. But when she sees the aftermath of his sacrifice and when she feels the kind of pain he’ll be experiencing for eternity, it leaves her shaken. She feels that pain in her own heart and this is not a fate that she wishes even on him. Genya and Alina are very much willing to let him rot but Zoya, who also believed that she could forgive him, feels that she has to.The Darkling has not redeem himself. He is doing penance. But as Genya mentions, there’s a fine line when one has to do the math of how much a person has to pay and of how much pain they have to feel before their punishment stops being just and they become victims instead. Zoya, being afraid of becoming him, knows that learning to show forgiveness is the only way forward, it’s the way for her to keep her heart open and not become the avalanche.

Zoya Nazyalensky has become everything that Aleksander Morozova, the lost boy, wished to be. Poweful, eternal, with friends, with a true partner, holding the best position a Grisha could imagine without forcing her rule and finally giving their people a true chance without comprominsing them. 

The Darkling was hoping that Alina would have been his balance. We are told how she might make him a better man and she might make him a monster.

But at the end of the day it’s Zoya who allows the Darkling to become the closest thing to decent that he can be at this point.

It’s the Darkling’s life that allows Zoya to see the lines that she will not cross and how to not become a monster.

And it’s Zoya’s ability to forgive him and her willingness to save him that becomes the backbone for the next phase of the Grishaverse, whenever Leigh decides to write it.

The way their paths entangle will always be at the core of the story.

_______________________

@myfriendscallmeraba​ I’m tagging you because you asked for it. It’s very encouraging to have someone interested in my ramblings.

[maxwell-grant]

What are your thoughts on Jekyll/Hyde and his archetype of the human periodically changing into a monster ?

Jekyll & Hyde was the 2nd horror story I read following Frankenstein, I got it off the same library and it always stuck very strongly with me even before I got into horror in general. I even dressed up as Jekyll/Hyde as a kid for a school fair by shredding a lab coat on one side and asking my sister to make-up claw gashes on my exposed arm and paint half of my face, although in hindsight I think I ended up looking more like Doctor Two-Face than Jekyll/Hyde, but I was 12 and didn't have any Victorian clothing to use so I had to make do. The first film project I tried doing at film school was intended to be a modern take on Jekyll & Hyde, and I didn't get much farther than a couple of discarded scripts

Much like Frankenstein, Mr Hyde as a character and a story is something that's kind of baked into everything I do artistically. And it's not just me, as even in pop culture itself, none of us can escape Mr Hyde. I would go so far as to argue Mr Hyde may be the single most significant character created by victorian fiction, if only by the sheer impact and legacy the character's had.

(Fan-art by guilhermefranco)

Part of what makes Mr Hyde such a powerful and lasting icon of pop culture is that the very premise of the book invites a personal reading that's gonna vary from person to person. Because everyone's familiar with the basic twist of the story, that it's a conflict of duality, of the good and evil sides, but everyone has a more personal idea of what those entail. Some people make the story more about class. A lot of readings laser-focus on sex and lust as the driving force, and there's also a lot of readings of Mr Hyde that tackle it to explore a more gendered perspective, and so forth.

I don't particularly take much notice of the Jekyll & Hyde adaptations partially because the novel's premise and themes have become baked so throughly into pop culture and explored in so many different and interesting ways, that I'm not particularly starving for good Jekyll & Hyde adaptations the way I am for Dracula and Frankenstein. The Fredric March film in particular is one that orbits my head less because of the film itself (although I do recommend it), but because of one specific scene, and that's when Jekyll first transforms into Hyde on screen.

Out of all the things they could have shown him doing right that second, they instead took the time to show him enjoying the rain.

Just Hyde taking off his hat and letting it all cascade on his face with this sheer enthusiasm like he's never been to the rain before, never enjoyed it before, and now that he's free from being Jekyll, he gets to enjoy life like he never has before. It's such an oddly humanizing moment to put amidst a horror movie, in the scene where you're ostensibly introducing the monster to the audience, and it makes such a stark contrast to the rest of the film where Hyde is completely irredeemable, but I think it's that contrast that makes the film's take on Hyde work so well even with it's diverging from the source material, even if I don't particularly like in general interpretations of Hyde that are focused on a sexual aspect.

Because one, it understands that Jekyll was fundamentally a self-serving coward and not a paragon of goodness, and two, it also understands one of the things that makes Hyde scary: He wants what all of us want, to live and be happy. He's happy when he leaves the lab and dances around in the rain like a giddy child, he's happy when he goes to places Jekyll couldn't dream of showing up, he's happy as a showgirl-abusing sexual predator. Hyde is all wants, all the time, and there's not that much difference between his wants, his domineering possessiveness, and the likes exhibited by Muriel's father and Jekyll's own within the very same film, which also works to emphasize one of the other ideas of the original story, that Edward Hyde doesn't come from nowhere. That no monster is closer to humanity than Mr Hyde, because he is us. He is the thing that Jekyll refused to take responsability for until it was too late.

(Art by LorenzoMastroianni)

While many of the ideas that defined Mr Hyde had already been explored in pop culture beforehand, Hyde popularized and redefined many of them in particular by modernizing the idea. He was the werewolf, the doppelganger, The Player On The Other Side, except he came from within. He was not transformed by circumstance, he made himself that way, and the elixir merely brought out something already inside his soul. To acknowledge that he's there is to acknowledge that he is you, and to not do that is to either lose to him, or perish. Hyde was there to address both the rot settling in Victorian society as well as grappling concerns over Darwinian heritage, of the realization that man has always had the beast inside of him (it's no accident that Hyde's main method of murder is by clubbing people to death with his cane like a caveman).

I've already argued on my post about Tarzan that the Wild Man archetype, beginning with Enkidu of The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the in-between man and beast, between superhero and monster, and that Mr Hyde is an essential component of the superhero's trajectory, as the creature split in between. That stories about dual personalities, doppelgangers, the duality of the soul, the hero with a day job and an after dark career, you can pinpoint Hyde as a turning point in how all of these solidified gradually in pop culture. And I've argued otherwise that The Punisher, for all that his image and narrative points otherwise, is ultimately just as much of a superhero as the rest of them, even if no one wants to admit it, drawing a parallel between The Punisher and Mr Hyde. And he's far from the only modern character that can invite this kind of parallel.

The idea of a regular person periodically or permanently transforming into, or revealing itself to be, something extraordinary and fantastic and scary, grappling with the divide it causes in their soul, and questions whether it's a new development or merely the truest parts of themselves coming to light at last, and the effects this transformation has for good and bad alike. The idea of a potent, dangerous, unpredictable enemy who ultimately is you, or at least a facet of you and what you can do. That these are bound to destroy each other if not reconciled with or overcome.

You know what are my thoughts on the archetype of "human periodically changing into a monster" are? Look around you and you're gonna see the myriad ways The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's themes have manifested in the century and a half since the story's release. Why it shouldn't be any surprise whatsoever that Mr Hyde has become such an integral part of pop culture, in it's heroes and monsters alike. Why we can never escape Mr Hyde, just as Jekyll never could.

It is Nixon himself who represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character that almost every country in the world has learned to fear and despise. Our Barbie-doll president, with his Barbie-doll wife and his boxful of Barbie-doll children is also America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde.

He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts on nights when the moon comes too close… - Hunter S. Thompson

There is a scene in the movie Pulp Fiction that explains almost every terrible thing happening in the news today. And it's not the scene where Ving Rhames shoots that guy's dick off. It's the part where the hit man played by John Travolta is talking about how somebody vandalized his car, and says this:

"Boy, I wish I could've caught him doing it. I'd have given anything to catch that asshole doing it. It'd been worth him doing it, just so I could've caught him doing it."

That last sentence is something everyone should understand about mankind. After all, the statement is completely illogical -- revenge is supposed to be about righting a wrong. But he wants to be wronged, specifically so he'll have an excuse to get revenge. We all do.

Why else would we love a good revenge movie? We sit in a theater and watch Liam Neeson's daughter get kidnapped. We're not sad about it, because we know he's a badass and he finally has permission to be awesome. Not a single person in that theater was rooting for it to all be an innocent misunderstanding. We wanted Liam to be wronged, because we wanted to see him kick ass. It's why so many people walk around with vigilante fantasies in their heads.

Long, long ago, the people in charge figured out that the easiest and most reliable way to bind a society together was by controlling and channeling our hate addiction. That's the reason why seeing hurricane wreckage on the news makes us mumble "That's sad" and maybe donate a few bucks to the Red Cross hurricane fund, while 9/11 sends us into a decade-long trillion-dollar rage that leaves the Middle East in flames.

The former was caused by wind; the latter was caused by monsters. The former makes us kind of bummed out; the latter gets us high.

It's easy to blame the news media for pumping us full of stories of mass shootings and kidnapped children, but that's stopping one step short of the answer: The media just gives us what we want. And what we want is to think we're beset on all sides by monsters.

The really popular stories will always feature monsters that are as different from us as possible. Think about Star Wars -- what real shithead has ever referred to himself as being on "the dark side"? In Harry Potter and countless fantasy universes, you have wizards working in "black magic" and the "dark arts." Can you imagine a scientist developing some technology for chemical weapons or invasive advertising openly thinking of what he does as "dark science"? Can you imagine a real world leader naming his headquarters "The Death Star" or "Mount Doom"?

Of course not. But we need to believe that evil people know they're evil, or else that would open the door to the fact that we might be evil without knowing it. I mean, sure, maybe we've bought chocolate that was made using child slaves or driven cars that poisoned the air, but we didn't do it to be evil -- we were simply doing whatever we felt like and ignoring the consequences. Not like Hitler and the bankers who ruined the economy and those people who burned the kittens -- they wake up every day intentionally dreaming up new evils to create. It's not like Hitler actually thought he was saving the world.

So no matter how many times you vote to cut food stamps and then use the money to buy a boat, you could still be way worse. You could, after all, be one of those murdering / lazy / ignorant / greedy / oppressive monsters that you know the world is full of, and that only your awesome moral code prevents you from turning into at any moment. And those monsters are out there.

They have to be. Because otherwise, we're the monsters - 5 Reasons Humanity Desperately Wants Monsters To Be Real, by Jason Pargin

(Two-Face sequence comes from the end of Batman Annual #14: Eye of the Beholder)

For good or bad, Hyde has become omnipresent. He's a part of our superheroes, he's a part of our supervillains, he's in our monsters. He lives and prattles in our ears, sometimes we need him to survive, and sometimes we become Hyde even when we don't need to, because our survival instincts or base cruelties or desperation brings out the worst in us. Sometimes we can beat him, and sometimes he's not that bad. Sometimes we do need to appease him and listen to what he says, about us and the world around us. And sometimes we need to do so specifically to prove him wrong and beat him again.

But he never, ever goes away, as he so accurately declares in the musical

Do you really think That I would ever let you go...

Do you think I'd ever set you free?

If you do, I'm sad to say It simply isn't so

You will never get away FROM MEEEEEE

(Art by Akreon on Artstation)

[grandhotelabyss]

Here’s the ravaged, taped-up Milton Glaser cover of the Paradise Lost edition mentioned in the first paragraph of my latest essay over at the main site:

“The greatest epic poem in the English language,” proclaims the crumbling front cover of the old Mentor Classic mass-market paperback of Paradise Lost I got for a quarter from a library book sale (it was almost 40 years old when I bought it, over 20 years ago). The competition, to be fair, isn’t very stiff. Beowulf is not exactly in the English language, The Faerie Queene is more romance than epic, and most of Milton’s celebrated Romantic and Victorian successors framed their efforts in imitation of his; so unless we grant “poem” status to epic or mock-epic novels like Moby-Dick, Middlemarch, and Ulysses, then Paradise Lost it is.

I bought this book when I was in the 12th grade and, after much convincing of my English teacher than it could be done, I wrote my culminating high-school research paper on Paradise Lost. The paper is long lost, but I remember dwelling on a passage I didn’t have room to discuss in my latest piece, the scene of the newly-created Eve’s Narcissistic fixation, an instance, perhaps, of Milton’s famous misogyny, but also, I think, insightful about sexual development:

As I bent down to look, just opposite A shape within the watery gleam appeared, Bending to look on me: I started back, It started back; but pleased I soon returned, Pleased it returned as soon with answering looks Of sympathy and love: There I had fixed Mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire, Had not a voice thus warned me; “What thou seest, What there thou seest, fair Creature, is thyself; With thee it came and goes...”

In graduate school, I took a course called Milton and Revolution. The professor was an aged Hegelian and neoconservative. Too historicist for me—what was the Rump Parliament again? and who the hell was Praise-God Barebone?—but I did at least get the chance to read Milton’s major prose as well as the poems. I wrote a seminar paper on Milton’s view of reason, but that too was lost in a hard drive crash, and I don’t remember what I said.

I saw a reference in a book I flipped through but didn’t read—the provocatively titled Is Milton Better Than Shakespeare?—to Milton as “the father of American liberalism,” presumably on the theory that American liberalism is an development of Puritanism and Milton the greatest of all Puritan writers, as well as an advocate of such liberal practices as divorce, regicide, and free speech. So, if that’s not stretching things, that makes him an ideal writer to consider this Thanksgiving. 

Is Milton better than Shakespeare? No. Shakespeare created many and distinct memorable characters, whereas Milton only created one, and that one was based on Hamlet and Iago. But Milton has a talent Shakespeare largely lacks—pure sublime gigantism of imagination—and at that he’s better than almost anybody before or after as far as I’ve read. In my new essay I only quote Dr. Johnson’s insults to Milton from his Life, but its final line bears citing here: “his work is not the greatest of heroick poems, only because it is not the first.”

Why am I rereading Milton? Because I’m seeing references to William Blake everywhere I turn these days, from popular culture and its academic reception to the underworld of the extremely-online literati, and I want to read him properly, which, beyond the Norton Anthology, I haven’t done. My understanding is that you want Paradise Lost fresh in your mind for this task.

[mishinashen]

Self-Portrait by Alphonse Mucha, 1899

Alfons Maria Mucha (Czech: 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, and designs, which became among the best-known images of the period.

In the second part of his career, at the age of 43, he returned to his homeland of Bohemia-Moravia region in Austria and devoted himself to painting a series of twenty monumental canvases known as The Slav Epic, depicting the history of all the Slavic peoples of the world, which he painted between 1912 and 1926. In 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the independence of Czechoslovakia, he presented the series to the Czech nation. He considered it his most important work. It is now on display in Prague.

Alphonse Mucha was born on 24 July 1860 in the small town of Ivančice in southern Moravia, then a province of the Austrian Empire (currently a region of the Czech Republic). His family had a very modest income; his father Ondřej was a court usher, and his mother Amálie was a miller's daughter. Ondřej had six children, all with names starting with A. Alphonse was his first child with Amálie, followed by Anna and Anděla.

Alphonse showed an early talent for drawing; a local merchant impressed by his work provided him with paper for free, though it was considered a luxury. In the preschool period, he drew exclusively with his left hand. He also had a talent for music: he was an alto singer and violin player

After completing volksschule, he wanted to continue with his studies, but his family was not able to fund them, as they were already funding the studies of his three step-siblings] His music teacher sent him to Pavel Křížkovský, choirmaster of St Thomas's Abbey in Brno, to be admitted to the choir and to have his studies funded by the monastery. Křížovský was impressed by his talent, but he was not able to admit and fund him, as he had just admitted another talented young musician, Leoš Janáček.

Křížovský sent him to a choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, who admitted him as a chorister and funded his studies at the gymnasium in Brno, where he received his secondary school education. After his voice broke, he gave up his chorister position, but played as a violinist during masses.

He became devoutly religious, and wrote later, "For me, the notions of painting, going to church, and music are so closely knit that often I cannot decide whether I like church for its music, or music for its place in the mystery which it accompanies." He grew up in an environment of intense Czech nationalism in all the arts, from music to literature and painting. He designed flyers and posters for patriotic rallies.

His singing abilities allowed him to continue his musical education at the Gymnázium Brno in the Moravian capital of Brno, but his true ambition was to become an artist. He found some employment designing theatrical scenery and other decorations. In 1878 he applied without success to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, but was rejected and advised to "find a different career". In 1880, at the age of 19, he traveled to Vienna, the political and cultural capital of the Empire, and found employment as an apprentice scenery painter for a company which made sets for Vienna theaters. While in Vienna, he discovered the museums, churches, palaces and especially theaters, for which he received free tickets from his employer. He also discovered Hans Makart, a very prominent academic painter, who created murals for many of the palaces and government buildings in Vienna, and was a master of portraits and historical paintings in grand format. His style turned Mucha in that artistic direction and influenced his later work. He also began experimenting with photography, which became an important tool in his later work.

To his misfortune, a terrible fire in 1881 destroyed the Ringtheater, the major client of his firm. Later in 1881, almost without funds, he took a train as far north as his money would take him. He arrived in Mikulov in southern Moravia, and began making portraits, decorative art and lettering for tombstones. His work was appreciated, and he was commissioned by Count Eduard Khuen Belasi, a local landlord and nobleman, to paint a series of murals for his residence at Emmahof Castle, and then at his ancestral home in the Tyrol, Gandegg Castle. The paintings at Emmahof were destroyed by fire in 1948, but his early versions in small format exist (now on display at the museum in Brno). He showed his skill at mythological themes, the female form, and lush vegetal decoration. Belasi, who was also an amateur painter, took Mucha on expeditions to see art in Venice, Florence and Milan, and introduced him to many artists, including the famous Bavarian romantic painter, Wilhelm Kray, who lived in Munich.

Count Belasi decided to bring Mucha to Munich for formal training, and paid his tuition fees and living expenses at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He moved there in September 1885. It is not clear how Mucha actually studied at the Munich Academy; there is no record of his being enrolled as a student there. However, he did become friends with a number of notable Slavic artists there, including the Czechs Karel Vítězslav Mašek and Ludek Marold and the Russian Leonid Pasternak, father of the famous poet and novelist Boris Pasternak. He founded a Czech students' club, and contributed political illustrations to nationalist publications in Prague. In 1886 he received a notable commission for a painting of the Czech patron saints Cyril and Methodius, from a group of Czech emigrants, including some of his relatives, who had founded a Roman Catholic church in the town of Pisek, North Dakota. He was very happy with the artistic environment of Munich: he wrote to friends, "Here I am in my new element, painting. I cross all sorts of currents, but without effort, and even with joy. Here, for the first time, I can find the objectives to reach which used to seem inaccessible." However, he found he could not remain forever in Munich; the Bavarian authorities imposed increasing restrictions upon foreign students and residents. Count Belasi suggested that he travel either to Rome or to Paris. With Belasi's financial support, he decided in 1887 to move to Paris.

Mucha moved to Paris in 1888 where he enrolled in the Académie Julian[18] and the following year, 1889, Académie Colarossi. The two schools taught a wide variety of different styles. His first professors at the Academie Julien were Jules Lefebvre who specialized in female nudes and allegorical paintings, and Jean-Paul Laurens, whose specialties were historical and religious paintings in a realistic and dramatic style. At the end of 1889, as he approached the age of thirty, his patron, Count Belasi, decided that Mucha had received enough education and ended his subsidies.

When he arrived in Paris, Mucha found shelter with the help of the large Slavic community. He lived in a boarding house called the Crémerie at 13 rue de la Grande Chaumière, whose owner, Charlotte Caron, was famous for sheltering struggling artists; when needed she accepted paintings or drawings in place of rent. Mucha decided to follow the path of another Czech painter he knew from Munich, Ludek Marold, who had made a successful career as an illustrator for magazines. In 1890 and 1891, he began providing illustrations for the weekly magazine La Vie populaire, which published novels in weekly segments. His illustration for a novel by Guy de Maupassant, called The Useless Beauty, was on the cover of 22 May 1890 edition. He also made illustrations for Le Petit Français Illustré, which published stories for young people in both magazine and book form. For this magazine he provided dramatic scenes of battles and other historic events, including a cover illustration of a scene from the Franco-Prussian War which was on 23 January 1892 edition.

His illustrations began to give him a regular income. He was able to buy a harmonium to continue his musical interests, and his first camera, which used glass-plate negatives. He took pictures of himself and his friends, and also regularly used it to compose his drawings. He became friends with Paul Gauguin, and shared a studio with him for a time when Gauguin returned from Tahiti in the summer of 1893. In late autumn 1894 he also became friends with the playwright August Strindberg, with whom he had a common interest in philosophy and mysticism.

His magazine illustrations led to book illustration; he was commissioned to provide illustrations for Scenes and Episodes of German History by historian Charles Seignobos. Four of his illustrations, including one depicting the death of Frederic Barbarossa, were chosen for display at the 1894 Paris Salon of Artists. He received a medal of honor, his first official recognition.

Mucha added another important client in the early 1890s; the Central Library of Fine Arts, which specialized in the publication of books about art, architecture and the decorative arts. It later launched a new magazine in 1897 called Art et Decoration, which played an early and important role in publicizing the Art Nouveau style. He continued to publish illustrations for his other clients, including illustrating a children's book of poetry by Eugène Manuel, and illustrations for a magazine of the theater arts, called La Costume au théâtre.