#for both modern & fantasy verses i think!!

[maidmyth]

✍️

headcanons for our muses, @2wanlake.

i. i feel like odette & remi would go ice-skating quite a bit! she's... admittedly not too good at it but odette could teach her or learn with her??

ii. remi loooooves to sit & braid odette's hair; will put little blossoms & ribbons into the strands ♡ lil pearl accessories too!

iii. odette strikes me as the type who will give advice bluntly & honestly, so she's definitely one of the first people remi goes to when upset, stressed, & not knowing what to do with a decision or issue :(

[thedeadthree]

multiples of five for viktor and an oc of your choice please! 💕

ROSIIEEE hii! i hope your doing well dear! <3 THATS MY DEAR BOY. ive had him for EONS he means the world to me AHH. hmm and for the second one in honor of tlou releasing today on hbo! i'll introduce alaia! <3

OC ASK GAME

5. WHAT WAS AN OCS FIRST SLOW DANCE SONG?

i would say MODUS by joji would be a cute first slow dance song for him! i would say first slow dance parter would go to the lucky dear ness (or nessie as he likes to call her <3 shes aj @jendoe's girlie!)! for a goood chunk of his life slow dances wigged him out u know? it's what his parents did at galas, and furthermore, its what people in committed relationships do u know? so it would take a "love of their life" sort to sway prince skittish of long term relationships <3

10. WHICH OC IS THE BIGGEST ROMANTIC?

to be honest i think until nessie he didn't think himself as much of a romantic? and after they become an item (nessie will likely have to go "LISTENN BUB I THINK UR NEAT" or something like that jksankjn bc for all of his banter and etc etc dear boy was like UHH when it came to the art of courting ahjsabjx). but he'll try his best! its like watching a baby dear learn how to walk which is precious but also PRIME opportunity for teasing (affectionate). wanted to be in love but didn't think it was for him u know?

15. WHICH OC HAS THE MOST FRIENDS?

he's a social butterfly my dear boy sure is! of course soap and willa and Garrick and ghost begrudgingly are the besties and price and isi are like parental figures to him <3. radolfo and alejandro (dad wars between him and price kajnsj their time together in that cell was all the convincing ale needed that vik was to be his son jjhsjh) became instant besties of his <3. he has a number of close friends and fringe acquaintances as well! though the one who will hold the candle as his friend of all friends for him would be his late brother aldric <3

20. WHICH OC GETS CRUSHES THE EASIEST?

vik gets crushes like his dogs track mud in his house... ALL THE TIME. the essence of the "falls in love with a new person everyday." hehe <3 he took the cake for that until he met *COUGH*!

25. WHICH OC IS THE MOST PRACTICAL?

hES TrYinG hIS BeST his upbringing he's a nepo baby and his tendency towards the dramatic (stubs his toe? shakespearean tragedy.) he makes an effort for practicality but like his mannerisms in the romantic department its like watching a deer learn how to walk <3 viktor "how much does a banana cost? $50?" mason <3

30. WHICH OC DRESSES THE BEST? THE WORST?

no greater slight he could make to his mother if he didn't put thought into his sense of style bjsbjd and thank the heavens for aldric and his IMMACULATE TASTE bc i am confident dear boy would have considered joggers and a t-shirt as a suitable formal wear jankxdk. he learned all he knows from him! <3

35. WHICH OC PRONOUNCES IT MEH-MEH INSTEAD OF MEME?

his grandma on his moms side in france pronounced it as meh-meh and as a like seven he used to say it that way until aldric told him its MEME not meh-meh habjsbj (after waiting EONS until vik was fifteen to tell him DARN OLDER SIBLINGS). now, its just around graves to get on his nerves <3. he's a twerp!

40. IF ALL YOUR OCS WERE TO GET INTO A GIANT, MCU STYLE FIGHT WHO WOULD WIN?

he survives only bc select clowns would find his "hot mess with a heart of gold" nature endearing <3 he's beelining for roman, ayrenn, vindamea and enya the moment he sees them! strong badass ladies who can break his neck like a twig? AND upon them knowing him for five minutes if anyone touched a hair on his head they'd zero everyone on the scene hehe <3 he's drinking mead with baelor afterwards and running for the HILLS shrieking and tears in his eyes seeing una on the back of the cannibal <3 its fun!

5. WHAT WAS AN OCS FIRST SLOW DANCE SONG?

i think maybe not a first slow dance song but something for a first emotional moment where the bleakness of the post apocalyptic landscape of the world (which members of her family may or may not have been responsible for the outbreak) and its really getting to her.. i think of DEAL ME by MeLoveMeAlot ft KÅIKÅI? the "you can't kill me I'm alive / you gotta deal me i'm alive ... we all know no paradise." i think would be lovely for her in that moment u know? like a hold her while she sways a bit sort of post panic attack moment?

10. WHICH OC IS THE BIGGEST ROMANTIC?

she was the child of seattle socialites and so the notion of romantics came from her admirers verses from her u know? but! she is for sure with the love language of gifting as that was the way she saw her parents expressing their affections and what people around her would do for her. so sort of a romantic but? not really?

15. WHICH OC HAS THE MOST FRIENDS?

i think between her and viktor she would have more friends but none of them she would consider close, acquaintances at best u know? a lot of her friendships in seattle were superficial. a lot of them were more so to have a connection to her name? to say they knew the family? she was little when the outbreak hit the friends she had and their parents it was like that? she needs friends i am PLEADING. these days its easier for her to have dalliances and acquaintances <3

20. WHICH OC GETS CRUSHES THE EASIEST?

crushes? in the year of our lord 2023 post outbreak? not on her life <3 she does have more than a few admirers though in higher circles and in leaving the comforts of home traversing the landscape <3.

25. WHICH OC IS THE MOST PRACTICAL?

alaia actually would have that over dear boy vik! i am still working things out (im doing lore diving as im watching the show rn <3) her step father before the outbreak was a neurosurgeon and he was looking into understanding the outbreak. on her defying her dads wishes and finding survivors outside of FEDRA the things she learned from him and the people around her she took to things rather well!

30. WHICH OC DRESSES THE BEST? THE WORST?

the outbreak broke out in 2003 i believe right? y2k in the post apocalyptic pnw/us fashion icon besties! luxury clothing from the 2000s and 90s inherited from her family! it may be the end times but that didn't mean she had to stop dressing cute!

35. WHICH OC PRONOUNCES IT MEH-MEH INSTEAD OF MEME?

sending memes? in the year of our lord 2023 in a post apocalyptic era? shes asking "huh?" habjwbdjbj in a no-outbreak au, dear girl was pronounces it as memes! <3 or nuisances <3 (rich people u know?)

40. IF ALL YOUR OCS WERE TO GET INTO A GIANT, MCU STYLE FIGHT WHO WOULD WIN?

oh shes not fighting jkanknw <3 fighting? in these chanel boots? she wouldn't dare! she and narcissa and sybille are sipping champagne as the fighting rages!! she would likely if she must use ye olde charm and request damiano to protect her (AND HE OBLIGES *cough* clown <3 but also love that for her! and he's valid for it!) and that's how she walks out of the conflict without a scratch <3

[stormlit]

❝ hello, anne. ❞ it is late in the afternoon, the sun beginning to dip in the sky, and the counter shows it, with many of her wares sold out. layla is glad that she will be closing, soon, glad that she'll be able to get ready for tomorrow and then go home. this job may be everything she could have dreamed of, only a few years ago, but that doesn't change that it is tiring, too. perhaps she'll have to ask marsaili if she can start working the counter an extra half day. if nothing else, layla would like to be able to spend a little more time with her daughter. and rest. the rest is important.

but now she smiles, leaning her elbows on the low counter. ❝ it's good to see you. what can i get you? what do you need help with today? ❞

@clevererthan (anne) liked for a starter

[prokopetz]

Do you happen to know the origin of the fantasy trope in which a deity's power directly corresponds to the number of their believers / the strength of their believers' faith?

I only know it from places like Discworld and DnD that I'm fairly confident are referencing some earlier source, but outside of Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, I can't think of of any specific work it might've come from, 20th-c fantasy really not being my wheelhouse.

Thank you!

That's an interesting question. In terms of immediate sources, I suspect, but cannot prove, that the trope's early appearances in both Dungeons & Dragons and Discworld are most immediately influenced by the oeuvre of Harlan Ellison – his best-known work on the topic, the short story collection Deathbird Stories, was published in 1975, which places it very slightly into the post-D&D era, though most of the stories it contains were published individually earlier – but Ellison certainly isn't the trope's originator. L Sprague de Camp and Fritz Leiber also play with the idea in various forms, as does Roger Zelazny, though only Zelazny's earliest work is properly pre-D&D.

Hm. Off the top of my head, the earliest piece of fantasy fiction I can think of that makes substantial use of the trope in its recognisably modern form is A E van Vogt's The Book of Ptath; it was first serialised in 1943, though no collected edition was published until 1947. I'm confident that someone who's more versed in early 20th Century speculative fiction than I am could push it back even earlier, though. Maybe one of this blog's better-read followers will chime in!

(Non-experts are welcome to offer examples as well, of course, but please double-check the publication date and make sure the work you have in mind was actually published prior to 1974.)

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  Sidekick_Hero! @sidekick-hero has 82 works on AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 80 of them are in the Steddie tag!

@steddieas-shegoes recommends the following works by Sidekick_Hero:

I wore his jacket for the longest time

Suitcase of Memories

to the rhythm of eternity

Will you cleanse me with pleasure?

Sandy is an incredible writer and always manages to paint beautiful scenes regardless of rating or situation. She was one of the first authors I found in the fandom who really captured so many things about Steve and Eddie that I love. She continues to inspire me constantly! -- @steddieas-shegoes

Below the cut, @sidekick-hero answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Great question! I'd been out of fandom and on a writing hiatus since 2016, the spark had just left me. Until early 2023, when I wanted to give Tumblr and fandom another try, but nothing really clicked until late summer when this wild-haired, bambi-eyed guy started popping up on my dash more and more. I fell in love with Eddie first, looked him up, and found that people were shipping him with this Steve character. I've never seen Stranger Things. I went to AO3 looking for some fic and the rest, as they say, is history. I fell in love with this ship the way you fall asleep, slowly, imperceptibly, and then all at once. I think what drew me in is these two characters who are so different from each other on the outside that you'd never think they'd work, but the closer you look, the more you can see how well they would fit, how good they could be for each other, bringing out the best in each other.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Wow, so many. I actually love the range of tropes this fandom offers. I'm a big fan of modern aus, especially ones where one or both are famous. If it's canon-based, I'm a sucker for Kas!Eddie. In general, I love it when one or both are creatures of any kind. I also love friends with benefits fics because they are idiots. Enemies to Lovers and Fake Dating are also high on my list. Last but not least: Porn with feelings and hurt/comfort.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

That's tough. I enjoy writing all kinds of smutty tropes as one-shots. When there's more plot going on, I really enjoy the "exes to friends to lovers" trope, just because as someone in their 30s, I look back on past relationships and hookups and realize what went wrong and how it could be different today, and I think that's something I can relate to a lot when I'm writing it for Steddie. I also love writing about second chances in general.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

It’s impossible to pick just one, sorry. I give you three with the disclaimer that there are so many more I could - and probably would - have picked on a different day. But I wanted to share some older ones in the spirit of what this blog is all about. the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you by greatunironic Keep it Steady, Eddie by outofmygourd Love blooms, love hurts, love prevails by corrodedbisexual (mishabawlins)

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Yes! I definitely want to explore some fantasy/creature fics (more outside of a pwp I wrote with Lake Creature Eddie), I already have the idea for Werewolf!Steve, and I really want to try my hand at Vampire!Eddie. I'm also super excited to finally get to work on a fake-dating trope fic for the summer exchange, I've been dying to do that. Last but not least, I really want to try writing an omega!verse at some point, I just don't have an idea yet.

What is your writing process like?

Pretty straightforward, I guess? It never really feels like a process, to be honest. I have an idea and I let it grow in my head (daydreaming, my beloved) until it has grown enough to become an actual fic, and then I sit down and write it out chronologically. Before I start writing, I need to know a few things about the story. I don't usually work with outlines or anything like that, but in my head I know where it starts, what the emotional beats and major plot points are, and how I want it to end. The rest I let unfold as I write. That's why I'm not the fastest writer (plus the whole not-native-English thing). Often the story tells me where it wants to go, so as long as I have the cornerstones, I let it flow.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Not sure if these are quirks, but my sentences tend to be very wordy. My dear friend @yournowheregirl used to comment on my fics when she beta-read them, "Another Sandy sentence. Make it multiple sentences." Also, I only write in present tense, even though I know most people prefer past tense, but it's too hard for me. Other than that, I can't have too many WIPs, I have to finish one story before I can start another.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Post when I'm done writing, for sure. I hate waiting, I have the patience of a toddler.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I wore his jacket for the longest time, no question.  It's still so precious to me, especially because I got to write it with my platonic writing soulmate @legitcookie, but also because I got to really explore these characters and their growth in this story. It has so much of me in it and I'm really proud of how it turned out.

How did you get the idea for I wore his jacket for the longest time?

Actually, it wasn't all me. I just had this idea of them being kind of friends with benefits, but Eddie wants more than Steve is willing to give him, so they hook up one last time before Eddie sends Steve away for good. That was the original idea that inspired the prequel "we pass the ghosts that haunt us later". The idea for that actually came from a song, "we can never be friends" by mgk. Jen (legitcookie) would not accept the ambiguous (sad) ending, so she demanded that we fix it. So we decided to find a way to let them both grow as people apart and then rebuild their friendship, because only then would they have a real foundation for their second chance.

When writing I wore his jacket for the longest time, what was something you didn’t expect?

How much fun it would be to develop those OC side-characters, especially Mrs. Horowitz but also fucking Tom or even Fritz. It was also the very first time I collaborated with someone on a fic and I was a bit apprehensive if this would work out so I was surprised when I discovered how much I love writing with someone else.

What inspired to the rhythm of eternity?

My love for London, really. I am madly in love with this city and have explored it a lot, so I wanted to use my experiences in a fic. And when @tboygareth asked for a long distance relationship fic for our server holiday exchange, I knew this was my chance. Their meeting as well as the ending is heavily based on my own experiences.

What was your favorite part to write from Suitcase of Memories?

The dreams! They were so much fun to explore because there's a certain mood I wanted to set with them, that dreamy feeling mixed with events from another time period. Their first date and especially their first kiss is a close second, though, because the swing set scene is something I've been thinking about since I saw 13 going on 30 as a teenager.

How do/did you feel writing Suitcase of Memories?

To be totally honest, a bit stressed 😀 It was my first big bang and I was so glad to have Jen by my side, but then real life happened and I realized it's hard to write on deadline. BUT I still love this fic. Especially the theme of love as a choice, even if some cosmic interference gives you a second chance, you still have to WANT it, you still have to work for it and choose it, over and over again. I feel like we nailed that pretty well and I'm proud of us and this story.

What was the most difficult part of writing Will you cleanse me with pleasure??

The emotional setup, because it was a gift for Ger (@steves-strapcollection) and he wanted them to be disgustingly in love, but I also needed Eddie's condition to be something he kept from Steve at first for fear of losing him. Besides that, the logistics, really. So many tentacles, man. So many.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

Okay, some very, very self-indulgent scenes I wrote are for my Runner!Steve verse. I am a passionate runner, and it was so much fun to write that love for Steve and to geek out about it in my writing. Another scene I'm very fond of is from my very first ST fic, "I'm tired of asking to settle the debt," and it's a scene where they're both kids and meeting for the first time, it's winter, and Eddie is doing an impression of a dragon with his breath.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Well, by the time this comes out, I will have posted my reverse big bang fic "Emotional Motion Sickness" with art by the amazing @arimakes. There's also the summer exchange, in which I was lucky enough to claim my dear friend @starryeyedjanai's prompt, and the steddie big bang 2024. I'm also finishing the last chapter of "hold me close (I'm shaking apart)" and hope to post it soon. 

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Yes, I want to thank everyone for making this project possible! This fandom has grown so much and there is so much amazing fic that easily gets buried under all the content, so having this project to give the writers of this fandom some visibility and love is precious to me. Thank you, really 💜🙏 Also, all my love to every single writer out there - you make my life and the lives of so many better by sharing your gift with us.

Thank you to our author,  Sidekick_Hero, and our nominator,  @steddieas-shegoes on tumblr! See more of Sidekick_Hero's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[kiteblue42]

Is Eric Kripke America’s Tolkien?

So I started Supernatural for the first time around 6 months ago for which I blame Tumblr entirely (where do I claim compensation?). In fact it’s very good and fun and I can’t believe I missed it when it was live.

Ok so bear with me I’ve been sick for a few days a combination of high temperature plus rings of power trailer drop may be making me delusional, but I got to thinking … why did this show have such a hold not just on this site, but also on so many fan artists and fan fic writers. (I mean it has a strangle hold on Ao3)?

Then the RoP trailer dropped and I got to thinking is it because it world builds from a US stand point like Tolkien world built from a European standpoint?

Then because I am sick and can’t sleep I am sharing my stream of consciousness o: Kripke as Tolkien, Sam as Sam, John Winchester as Gandalf, Castiel as Beleg and Dean as Turin Turambar - and maybe now I’ve got this out of my head I’ll feel better….:

I attempted to put this under a cut so hope it worked!

:readmore:

Source material

Most modern fantasy stands on the shoulders of JRR Tolkien who basically ingested a ton of European myths and languages (with focus on Northern Europe) and spat out the middle earth legendarium.

Eric Kripke (plus writing team) seems to have ingested a ton of US urban myths and US pop culture and spat out “Supernatural-verse”. Because it is *US myth making* it is distinct from a lot of other US writing that builds off Tolkien and / or European myth arcs (I’m looking at you Star Wars, Westeros etc).

And the themes and sensibilities therefore pulled out by Kripke are *not* the same as Tolkien’s themes and sensibilities. This makes it different to a lot of modern genre fiction (in whatever form) that either builds on or seeks to subvert the themes in Tolkien’s work.

(There’s also a lot of genre fiction that is satire or allegory for the real world, but that is another category to me and not really world building in the same way - incidentally the Boys fits into that category along with Good Omens).

Both ofc back end off the Bible but this is English literature based story telling and no one escapes the Bible or the bard.

Structure

We usually think of Tolkien in terms of:

(1) Hobbit - entry level nicely structured “there and back again” story for children, darker than expected. Main hero arc -Bilbo.

(2) Lord of the Rings - the pretty perfect fantasy master piece - very accessible clear meaningful themes and tidy /satisfactory ending. A number of hero arcs, but clearest drawn are Frodo / Sam.

(3) Silmarillion (&etc) - this is where the legendarium really gets built. It’s not neat, it’s not accessible, some of it is *not* a good read but the ideas here build the world. We have a creation myth. The “good” “wise” guys turn out to be more complex and flawed than we thought. The evil guys are extremely toxic but entertaining and bring the drama. There are epic doomed romances between immortal beings and mortal beings. Everyone messes up and makes catastrophic world destroying errors on the regular. People get cursed and can’t escape their doom. I can’t think of any real traditional hero arcs (maybe Beren or Luthien??). Note Tolkien didn’t finish this and it’s put together by someone else.

Now let’s do Supernatural

(1) seasons 1-3 - Horror procedural-

Entry level solid procedural hunting / horror story. Sam W is here in the traditional hero role. Dean is like your Thorin initiating the adventure. John Winchester is in the Gandalf role (he knows what’s going on and holds the secrets but is not available to the adventurers at all times). Maybe there something deeper and darker going on? This is your Hobbit equivalent very accessible but not particularly unique.

(2) season 4-5 - myth arc - lots of fans will say this is the perfect part of the story and a masterpiece of genre writing. It’s neat with clear meaningful themes and a tidy satisfactory ending. A number of hero arcs though Sam’s remains the most clearly drawn. Dean is more like your Aragorn or Faramir at the end of 5, Bobby in the mold of a Theoden and a Castiel in sort of Gandalf type position. Baby ofc is Shadowfax. This is your LoTR equivalent

(3) seasons 6 - 15 - the Legendarium- this gets a lot of criticism but it’s where the legendarium really gets built. It’s not neat, it’s not that accessible, some of it is not great to watch, but the ideas here build the world out. We have a creation myth (hello Chuck & Amara). We have hero doomed by the narrative (most notably Dean Winchester, though also Castiel). We have epic love stories between mortals and immortals. Yes I am comparing Dean & Cas to Beren & Luthien (!) though Turin & Beleg would perhaps be more appropriate (there’s a good case for Dean = Turin in this universe). The good guys turn out to be more complex or darker than we thought. The evil guys are extremely toxic but entertaining and bring the drama.

There aren’t really any straightforward hero arcs which is one of the reasons Sam fades out a bit and Dean comes forwards as a character. The stories are messy and tragic.

Landscape

Middle Earth - if you read the books or watch the movies or show it’s clear that Tolkien’s (sub)creation is a love letter to the mountains, lakes and woods of England and Europe. It’s also a cry of anguish for their destruction. Both the beauty and destruction are heightened (Europe doesn’t really look like this and really never did - as for the movies they were shot in anew Zealand and then digitally enhanced…) This is as important as the characters and plot - and stands out in particular in the Hobbit and LoTR where there are long descriptions of landscapes (or long shots of the same in movies / shows).

“Middle Americana” - it’s clear that as much importance was put into the look of the landscapes in Supernatural as to the characters or story. In this verse the look is long open roads, beautiful mountains and big skies that are a declaration of love for America, and the run down small towns seem to present wistful sadness. But again it’s not real it’s heightened. The cinematography in first few seasons is particularly thoughtful (and perhaps Kim Manners is to be thanked for that). The show is shot in Canada and the motels / gas stations in middle of no where needed to be built because they didn’t exist in reality. Again the landscape - the open road, the small towns, the big sky, the motels / dinners / gas stations in the middle of nowhere are as much a character as anything else.

I could go on but I suppose if anyone read this far you get the point (and more importantly it’s now out of my head and I can think about something else!).

Ultimately it will take some time to see if this could be right - in terms of genre fiction Tolkien is everywhere and you can’t escape it (even if you never read or watched any Tolkien!). Time will tell if the Kripke verse has the same impact on creatives and audiences, but I just look at the A03 archive and notice how many people know what happened on Supernatural without ever watching it (!) and think hmmm these are the readers and writers of tomorrow after all.

[sky-scribbles]

Playlist for my Aeor longfic

I failed to figure out how to do a fancy spotify embed like the kids do but uh. Here's the playlist for Gravity!

I listened to this while planning and writing, and there are even a few shout-outs to the songs in the fic... Songs are arranged chronologically, so you should be able to hear the story happening, hopefully :'D

Further yelling about song choices under the cut!

A Matter of Time - This one is... sort of the fic's opening titles in my head? I wanted to start out with an instrumental, to capture the vibes of the months before the fic opens - Essek and Caleb apart, thinking about the T-Dock, and each other. Wondering. Waiting.

Horse to Water - Essek in Chapter 1, knowing his life as the Shadowhand is ending, waiting for Caleb to come and take him away to whatever comes next. (I'm normally very picky about not putting songs that reference modern day stuff on fantasy playlists but this one's vibes were too perfect)

Dear Fellow Traveller - Two wizards heading into Aeor together.

Conquest of Spaces - A song for Aeor. A dark, beautiful city, the remains of a people who lived by greed and power. (And two wizards in the ruins, trying to draw closer to each other.)

Neptune - This is mostly for Essek's breakdown in chapter 5, as he worries he'll never break out of his Shadowhand manipulation, wanting to be closer to Caleb and not knowing what that would even look like. And it's a little for Caleb in chapter 6, too, grappling with his feelings for Essek and his fears that they'll ultimately be bad for each other.

Please Don't Say You Love Me - ... and as they move past those fears, this song is for them tentatively acknowledging what they might be to each other. Not yet. But maybe soon.

Woodwork - This is for the chapters 6-9 span, as they learn more about Brashaar's plan. The pressure of a crisis has an odd way of making them realise just how deep their trust and care for each other runs.

Two Evils - Since we're at the point where Brashaar shows up, she gets a song now! This is pretty much her internal monologue during her confrontation with the wizards (though she really should have paid attention to 'if you're not careful, you will lose her' in reference to Quaera...)

Winter - Travelling northward, and yearning. Wishing they had more time.

Mind - A song for a young Quaera, slowly forming a personality, wondering about who she is and how her identity forms...

The Tower - ... and having their own breakdown.

What Could Have Been - I love me a good villainous breakdown, and this is a song for Brashaar's. This is how I imagine she feels during the final confrontation, raging against the gods, against Caleb and Essek, against Quaera after they turn from her. Not quite able to let go of what she thinks Aeor could have been. What, in her eyes, the world is meant to be. (As a bonus, I think the second verse sounds a bit like a retort to her from Quaera...)

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - This is such a fun cinematic cover, and I can't tell you how many times I've imagined a mental AMV of the final battle with Brashaar set to it :'D

Ori, Embracing the Light - I wanted an instrumental here too, because... Essek is dead, Caleb is in shutdown, and Essek and Quaera are communing with the Luxon, a being that doesn't really speak with words. Also, 'embracing the light' is exactly what Quaera does at this point.

Would That I - I know we all use this as Caleb's 'learning to live and love again' song... and I am no exception. This is for him after the T-Dock, finally fully acknowledging his grief, and his love for Essek.

First Day of my Life - Just two wizards realising that they have a future, and agreeing to slowly work at what's between them.

Ready to Call This Love - This one speaks for itself, honestly.

Five - Both of the wizards in the final chapter, but especially Essek realising how isolated he's been from the world, and letting it all in so he can feel it. (Also, studying the universe is a love language - )

Gravity - Gravity is a metaphor for love!!!!

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: I may have activated my own trap card

Spoilers for a movie that's two months old and also out on home release.

So, Miles, Gwen, Pavitr (Spider-India), and Hobie (Spider-Punk) all seem to have modern left-wing politics, though Gwen's got edited out. Hobie's introduction specifically says he hates "fascists", which carries over from the original comics.

By the time Hobie came around, I assumed he was just another poser, cooler than the hero rival character, expressing generic leftie politics, and his punk ethos wasn't sincere.

Which is exactly what the writers wanted me to think.

Not only is Hobie perfectly sincere about being anti-authoritarian, but he's been helping Miles since before they even met. He's been blatantly stealing junk from the Spider Society to build his own universe-jumping watch, and disguising it as petty vandalism.

He even tries to talk Miles out of trying to join the Spider-Society before the reveal that Miles himself is an anomaly, and the SS (geddit?) tries to detain Miles.

When Hobie says he's against authoritarianism, he really means it.

Speaking of the left-wing politics, Miles has a "#BLM" pin on his bag. It's very visible while he sits next to his dad.

Who's a cop.

(TANGENT: A few years ago, someone drew a stupid, very bad comic where Spider-Man (Peter Parker) was a) black, b) hated cops, and c) assaulted and subdued riot cops when they asked him for help.

That the comic didn't even show the riot cops were wrong. We were just supposed to assume they deserve to be left to the mercy of an angry mob.

Also, in this comic, Uncle Ben was killed by a cop, not a random thug who Spidey could've stopped but chose not to. Which makes me wonder how that would shake out.

It's kind of weird for someone to look at a character who's about personal responsibility to an unhealthy degree, and use him to express their collectivist anti-cop terrorism fantasies. That, or they didn't think through their fantasies.)

During Spider-India's opening, Miles says "I love Chai Tea!" And Pavitr goes on a rant about how "Chai" means "tea". Later on, The Spot says he's been on a "journey of self-discovery", and Pavitr basically says he's racist.

Which is a tad ironic, because Spot is literally white. And also because Pavitr is the one making the racist assumptions.

And I personally go to a church - in England - that has a lot of non-white non-British people. Mostly Africans. And me, of course. I wonder if any Asians ever went on a journey of self discovery to South London.

And I don't just mean as a cab driver.

"Wait, SYABM, didn't you move to the UK for self-discovery?"

W-well, yes, partially.

Aside: I made the mistake of watching a Youtube video with the Chai Tea joke, and then I looked at the comments.

One guy said "tfw when Twitter users write a movie". An idiot (with much more upvotes) said "bro out here wanting blatant racism in movies".

...When the whole point of the joke is that the racism is not blatant.

It's only "blatant" if you're insufferably Twitterized. There are loads of redundant phrasings in English, like "ATM machine", and words often shift when they're adopted from other languages.

Also, "I dislike this joke" is not the same as "I want racism in this movie", when the "racism" in the movie is only there so it could be mocked.

One of the issues with putting real world movements in worlds that are drastically different - it's one of the main selling points of the franchise - is that it may seem odd that those movements exist in very similar form to the IRL version.

For example, Miles supports BLM in both his video game, and this. Which makes me think "did Trayvon Martin get shot in Florida? How about Mike Brown? Wouldn't the existence of supervillains throw things into a new perspective?"

Did I mention the giant George Floyd-style "REST IN POWER" mural to Miles' dead uncle? I cringed at that in the Wakanda Forever trailer, and I rolled my eyes at it here.

Floyd wasn't a saintly martyr, he was an unlucky violent thug.

Also, Aaron was a supervillain killed by another bad guy who nearly destroyed the city, not a cop.

Also, this is at a party to celebrate how Miles' dad is about to be promoted. Assuming Floyd died and the 2020 protests/riots also happened in Miles' universe, then it seems a tad tasteless to have a mural inspired by an anti-cop movement overlooking it, even if the party is not full of cops.

Spider-India lives in "Mumbattan".

The people who settled the Manhattan area were originally Indian. But the other type of Indian. The Indians we're not supposed to call Indians anymore.

The name "Manhattan" is even Native American.

The first permanent settlement was Dutch. Then the English got it. I guess the English could've shipped Indians to the other side of the world and eventually ceded the area to them, or maybe in this world India was a world-conquering superpower and Mumbattan is the result of...importing Native Americans?

Which would make Pavitr's complaint that "the British stole all of our stuff and put it in their museums" seem a tad hypocritical.

Of course, since I wrote all that, someone reminded me that Pavitr explicitly says the joint is in India.

"SYABM," you say, "you're overthinking this."

Yes, I am. Because the filmmakers didn't think it through. If you want to use ha-ha-funny to make a serious point, you invite examination of that point.

Miles (as Spidey) now works with his dad, though he disguises his voice. At one point, Miles tells his father that men bottle up mental health issues.

This is true (and ironic, considering Miles is hiding who he is from Jeff), but it's not the first time I've seen some progressive work try to address men's issues in an very awkward way. At least here, it's played for comedy.

Also, seems a tad hypocritical coming from a guy who wears a "#BLM" pin in the presence of his cop father.

Also, if you work the timeline, that would mean Miles was about 7 or 6 when BLM started. Which means he's gone most of his life knowing nothing else.

There was a controversy over a "protect trans kids" trans flag in Gwen's room, which was apparently edited out.

IMO, it seems a tad strange for a girl who feels estranged from everyone in her world to join a social movement, but what do I know? Maybe it was there before then.

Some people came to the extremely logical conclusion that Gwen herself is trans. Even though she's distinctly physically feminine and possibly too young for puberty blockers depending on Earth 65′s laws.

Like the "oh great, it's Liv" shippers, people are reaching really hard to see what they want to see.

Some people have said that Gwen's issues with her dad and herself seem awfully similar to the issues LGBTQIA2S+ kids go through.

Gee, it's not like, y'know, feeling estranged from one's family is a common theme in fiction about teenagers and superhero, and the whole "superpowers = minority" thing has been done to death for most of the past century.

Perhaps most notably - and clumsily - in X-Men.

I'm not saying this wasn't the intended subtext. I'm saying if it was, it would just be really, really cliche.

There's this recurring theme of people telling miles "how [his] story is supposed to go".

When he's at a meeting with his parents and his guidance counselor, the lady says his story of being a black-Latino son of an immigrant would sound great in the college application letters. His mom is a tad miffed, given that they're a) solidly middle class, and b) as a Puerto Rican, she considers herself American.

Miguel (Spider-Man 2099) doesn't want Miles in the multiversal council of Spiders, because Miles was bitten by the radioactive spider from a different universe. Which is why his local Spider-Man died, and the spider's home dimension has no Spider-Man.

Also, Miguel is fixated on "canon events". The idea that there are certain things, especially tragedies, that have to happen to Spiders, or their entire universe falls apart.

And he knows this, because he tried to take over for a version of him that got shot dead by a thug. Tried to raise his daughter.

And he watched as the universe collapsed in front of him.

So he's projecting his own guilt onto Miles, a tad.

According to TVtropes and other sources, this was actually about the people who didn't accept Miles as a replacement Spidey, possibly out of racism.

Yeah, that's real hard-hitting topical meta-commentary about a character who debuted 12 years ago. 8 years when the first movie came out.

I'd also like to point out that despite stereotypes of comic book fans, certain minority successors to banner superheros have been fairly well-received. Like Jaime Reyes, or Cassandra Cain.

(Note: I wrote that before the Blue Beetle movie came out. And flopped.)

And, of course, loads of people like Miles specifically because he's a minority Spidey, which is also racist, just from the other direction. In fact, a lot of his fans seem to forget the "Latino" part of "Afro-Latino". From what little I've seen of Miles early comics, they did actually put strong emphasis on his race.

I also suspect the filmmakers may be misinterpreting the usual successor knee-jerk reactions

as racism. If you're using an established brand name for your new hero, you're creating some expectations.

Also, you know the most popular meme about regular Spidey that I see? That Marvel's writers just keep making him suffer and don't want him to actually develop. Which would kinda make Marvel closer to Team Miguel than Team Miles.

Miles also gripes that Miguel is letting "some algorithm" tell him what to do. While I agree with the sentiment, I'd like to point out that, again, Miles supports BLM.

A movement popularized by an algorithm.

A movement made up of narratives and assumptions.

A movement which has never proven a single incident was because of racism.

During the big chase scene, we see a Spider girl in a wheelchair, aka Sun-Spider. She's from the comics. Same initiative that gave us "Web-Weaver".

Who is, of course, an extremely effete gay fashion designer Spidey. I kinda like his outfit, though the Spider-eyes with eyelashes is a little too far.

And Sun-Spider seems exactly like a character a stereotypical 90s executive and focus group would come up with. Down to the backward baseball cap.

(Turns out she's Dayn Broder's actual Spider-Sona.)

Also, while I was looking up that one black and white Spider who said "nowhere to run" (Metro-Spider, played by record producer Metro Boomin [/sic]), I found out that Aunt May's full name is "Maybelle", not just "May". TIL.

There's a bit of a double standard with this version of Spider-Woman, who's black and pregnant. -People in the movie - including Peter B - regularly point out how Peter B endangering his infant daughter Mayday by taking her along with him. But for some reason, nobody says a word about Jessica, who's an active-duty stunt-biking superhero.

Even regular motorbiking can be dangerous for pregnant women.

In fact, the movie portrays this as heroic and impressive. When Gwen sees  Jess is preggos, she asks if Jess can adopt her.

Not to mention the whole "afro and hoop earrings" thing, which seem like a bad idea for a type of hero who often gets into melee combat, even with Spider-Sense.

Yes, I'm aware that female heroes, including the Spider-Ladies, often have exposed hair. It's a genre convention. Incidentally, it was nice to see Batwoman wore a detachable decoy wig in the comics. Some bad guy tries to grab it in a fight? It comes right off.

Also, Jess doesn't have much actual character.

Being pregnant is not a character trait. In fact, her only real traits are basically "cool but stern sassy mentor", to contrast with Peter B. -Incidentally, someone on TVtropes pointed out the double standard. And when I saw the page again, a page-camper had deleted it, with no explanation.

Guess they couldn't stand someone pointing out the flaws of their waifu.

(One) Spider-UK in this movie is Muslim. I know she's Muslim because she wears a Spider-themed headdress. Note that regular Marvel 616 has a muslim lady Spider-UK, but her name is Zarina Zahari and she doesn't wear a hijabi.

(Also, she could be mistaken for Ms. Marvel.)

ms marvel.jpg

You might be thinking "wait, isn't a headdress impractical in a melee fight? Doesn't it give your enemy something to grab?" Yes, it is.

But so are Jess's earrings, afro, and being pregnant, so clearly there's a lot of artistic license going on.

Maybe it's partially tearaway, like Batman's cape.

I gotta wonder about the religious rules of wearing a head covering over a mask that *already* covers your entire head. Did she go see her imam and go "Okay, I have a really weird question..."

Come to think, Spidey is usually slim, but a lot of lady Spideys in this movie seemed to have wide hips. Including muscular ladies. Kris Anka's concept art goes really hard on wide hips. I don't know why. Stronger, faster character reads during the big chase?

I guess Spiders could be expected to have strong legs.

BOTTOM LINE:

I liked the movie overall, though the progressive bits made me roll my eyes a little. I...want to see the third one, with reservations.

[utilitycaster]

you got me. i binged all of midst in two days and it was great, but now i dont have a lot of other podcasts to listen to. do you have other good fiction podcasts you like?

DO I. I am not the Most Podcast Person I know but I definitely follow a lot because I drive a lot and walk a lot and put them on in the background while I do chores. Also, I'm sticking to scripted/plotted fiction here and not actual play but I can provide some actual play podcast recs too, though none are terribly obscure.

Wolf 359 is a completed podcast but a great binge. It also is science fiction and deals with capitalism and corruption and complicated characters and weird space stuff; it regularly makes the "great fiction podcasts" to check out and I think is closest to Midst in that it's also a tightly plotted work that goes to a natural end point.

I frequently talk about and recommend the Silt Verses and the thematic nature is remarkably close to Midst, but the vibe is very different. It has a lot of folk and body horror elements (audio-only, but they are absolutely present). Also covers the "man what if capitalism and religion were working explicitly in tandem" element of Midst with the added dimension of "what if there were many many gods and and they all demanded literal, physical sacrifices". Sister Carpenter is cut from a similar cloth as Lark and I love her dearly. To draw other comparisons would be to spoil it. It's on season 3, which will be its last. It is extremely intense in that when I fell behind I found it tough to binge without taking breaks, but it's really fucking good. (I also recommend this to people who like Candela Obscura, though that's more for eldritch horror vibes).

The Penumbra Podcast is great because it has two separate storylines (it was originally intended to be an anthology, but people fell in love with Juno Steel specifically). I like both, but Juno Steel is the more popular one - it's set in the future, in our solar system but in space, and follows Juno Steel, a private eye. It's extremely weird neo-noir. There is a homme fatale and a fantastic cast of characters, and it's also an interesting ongoing plot. The Second Citadel is more fantasy rather than sf though it's also kind of in that general New Weird bucket and is even harder to describe but I think it's underrated. It's also on its final season but it's been going on a while so it will take a bit for you to catch up.

Within the Wires is also a podcast I've recommended in the past. It's by the people who do Welcome to Nightvale which isn't listed here both because I assume you are aware of it, and because that's an ongoing slice of life sort of thing; there are plots but there's sort of that sitcom-esque "nothing really changes the status quo" element though the earlier era had some more structured stuff. Anyway, Within the Wires is found audio, so each season is different - the first is relaxation cassette tapes, the second museum audio guides, the third voice memos, etc. There are callbacks/connections between seasons at times, and I would recommend listening to at least the first two seasons in full (which are very strong) to get a sense of the world before hopping around later. The reason I recommend it here is because the worldbuilding is spectacularly done in a way that reminds me of the elegance of the worldbuilding in Midst, and because it's found audio, while it's one narrator per season you will get those weird asides and interesting tonal choices.

Tentative rec for Camlann, a roughly modern day post-apocalyptic take on Arthurian legends and the folklore of the British Isles only because it just started and has 3 episodes. I like it, but I don't know what plot it's building to (nor how long it will be; they have funding for one season but aren't sure about future ones.)

[scarlet--wiccan]

Hello! For a hypothetical Into The Scarlet-Witchverse which generations (classic,90s,etc) or versions (Earth 'insert here' or Cartoon Shows) would you want in your line up? Are there any fun or interesting interactions you would want to see between them?

It's shame that Wanda doesn't have more fun multiverse storylines under her belt, because she's uniquely well-suited to them. One of the main things we learned about Wanda's Nexus powers in Scarlet Witch (1995) is that Wanda has an innate connection to other Nexus beings throughout the multiverse, several of which are alternate versions of herself, like Lore. So, it should, theoretically, be pretty easy to get a bunch of Wandas in a room together.

I've said it before, but I think that understanding Wanda's Nexus powers is the key to understanding how her reality-altering abilities are supposed to work and properly contextualizing everything that happened with both her babies and the Decimation. I've written at length about it here and here. So I really want to refresh this subject for modern readers, and I think that throwing Wanda into something like The Variants or the roadtrip arc from Young Avengers (2013) would be a great way to do it.

I wouldn't want to do a multiversal-hub/peacekeeping-corps situation like Spider-Verse or Captain Britain-- for Wanda, the stakes of using her Nexus powers are usually more personal and close to home. It's more about how opening herself up to the expansiveness of her abilities makes her powerful, but also vulnerable, and the stories which relate to this usually involve Wanda being taken advantage of and having to reclaim her agency. In the past, most of those stories have been... problematic, to put it lightly. Revisiting it with fresh eyes and her contemporary treatment could be really rewarding.

This might literally be where Scarlet Witch (2024) is heading-- in this year's Women of Marvel, there was foreshadowing that Wanda would be "exploring the possibilities she holds," and her featured story was actually about Wanda getting support from one of her variants. We also know that Wanda will be encountering the Queen of Nevers and coming face-to-face with Lore again. Wanda's new enemy, the Griever, is a universal abstract that represents the final end of the multiverse-- maybe exploring her multiversal potential is how Wanda will defeat her.

What versions of Wanda would I want to see? Well, as I mentioned, she doesn't have that many interesting canon variants, but part of the charm of Spider-Verse is that it always generates a bunch of new, eclectic Spideys. Momiji and Weapon Hex are both great, and I think Wanda Strange from the Variants and Imperious Hex from Tarot could both be developed into fun What If characters. I really liked my Bride of Doom and Witch of Wundagore concepts from this post. I'm extremely fond of the Elizabethan fantasy world that Gillen invented for the Secret Wars version of 1602, and it would be cool to see Romani characters in that setting that are, like, authentic and not racist. I feel like you could do something inspired by The Tempest...

Also, Wanda's powers are very broad, so I think the key would be to give each Wanda a specific focus point or gimmick based on her universe. The Wolverine, Namor, and Strange fusions are obvious, and Momiji could focus on illusions and mental manipulation. The others, I'm less sure.

I don't personally care for any of Wanda's movie or TV versions-- I think most of them are very poor adaptations of the character. Obviously the M C U is the worst, but even the cartoons usually whitewash her. But if you change up the visual designs a little and give them a better backstory, some of them have potential--

United They Stand Wanda as Agatha's successor in a story that focuses more on historical covens, New Salem, etc.; drawing inspiration for her powers from the psuedo-pagan treatment she got in the 80s.

Iron Man Wanda in the Force Works costume as the version who's most focused on her probability powers, maybe play her as more of a tech specialist than the other Wandas.

WatXM Wanda as the main representation of Wanda-as-Magneto's-daughter, being the princess and heir of a mutant nation experiment (better than HoM, that's for sure!)

Evolution Wanda as a rebellious punk kid-- maybe with a new, matching design for Pietro? Just based on how the design was inspired by The Craft, it might be cool to play like a character who just stepped out of a horror movie.

[no-shxme]

my eyes hurt too much to look at google docs so instead i made a maybe controversial tier list of talon skins using @lcathia 's list.

extra opinions below, just cause:

high noon and enduring blade are so smooth to use in game (enduring especially, even if the model's a bit crusty) but most of all i love how thematically it gives talon so much room to breathe. like the amount of kicking off points and extra headcanons both these skins spawn for me is soooo good and there's so much story potential. i like high noon a little more (cowboy bias) but enduring screams autism to me so i love them both. (also enduring sword talon can be mashed together with obsidian dragon sett so)

withered rose talon is a smooth skin but his splash looks way too much like kayn for me. and his thematic is a little shallow. in game he's cute though and he's got that one chroma with the collar. dragonblade talon is underrated and (most) of his chinese chroma splashes are sooo cute.

talon blackwood is cute in and out of game but i don't like fantasy/dnd much. (scream)

ssw talon is just a stand-in until talon gets an actual modern verse skinline.

i dont even know what this next skin is called i always call him homeless talon. he's ugly but if im jungling then its the one i use. ugly ass.

i think this is controversial but i dont like blood moon. snow moon is cooler and i think talon would be there instead if he didnt already have one, but i dont like bm much as a thematic. and i think this skin is ugly, he looks like a frog. (??? how? i dont know.) something about prestige high noon's pose fucks with me, though the quality of the splash is insane. i dont like his head and i miss when he had the undershirt. prestige icon is cute tho. and then crimson guard.... crimson elite(??) talon... idk, what is there even to say.

dude the primal ambush icon is soooo cute to me and i looove the idea that he gets to be in the catboy spotlight but man this was such a miss for me. thematically SO shallow, and the splashart looks a lil funky imo. his hair being the same color as the fluff on his cape implies that he used his own hair to make it and his hair is so fucked the way it sticks up like that. armblade design was cool i guess but i dont like the colors of the whole thing and it was such a letdown for me. idc im a hater, if you liked it then im happy for you.

oh and i know this isn't a Real skin or anything but..

THIS SKIN IS SO CUTE and i would LOVE IT IN SR IM NOT IMMUNE. it would be wrong to put it in top tier due to it not being a real skin/having a bio but the amount of hc/words this has spawned already deserves it tbh. please i beg you

thanks if you read this. feel free to disagree, s just my opinion.

[all-seeing-ifer]

Hey what's the silt verses? Should I watch/read it? It looks really cool and I could ask Google but you seem very excited about it and I wanted to give you an opportunity to talk about it if you wanna!

aaaaa ok ok ok!!!! i am SO glad you decided to come ask me about it - the silt verses is like. probably one of my favourite pieces of media ever and I am always excited to have a chance to just Scream about it! and since I'm currently on 48 hour tsv lockdown with the first episode of season 3 dropping it's the perfect time for me to get this ask.

so the silt verses is a horror audio drama podcast set in a fantasy world where everything is controlled by different gods. so there's gods of industry, gods of agriculture, gods of natural phenomena, even down to incredibly specific gods like the call centre god we meet in one episode. some are seemingly harmless or benign, some are seemingly malicious, but all of them are capable of acting in the world through miracles or the creation of saints (ordinary people who are transformed into.... something else by the gods' power) and most of them have their own religions following them and offering sacrifices to feed their power.

the twist in all of this is that in the world of the silt verses the gods have become completely controlled by the government and corporations, who decide which religions and gods are legitimate and should be condoned and which should be banned. the two main characters (at least in the first season, the main cast expands a fair bit in season two) are sister carpenter and brother faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed river god on a sacred pilgrimage searching for revelations from their deity. along the way they encounter other religions and gods of the region, witness miracles that test their faith, and try to stay on the run from law enforcement.

tsv has SO much going for it and i do think anyone with even a passing interest in horror as a genre should check it out! fair warning it can get really disturbing (seriously season 1 episode 4 has some of the freakiest body horror i've ever heard in an audio drama, and that's just the tip of the iceberg) but if you check out the content warnings and think you can handle it, then please PLEASE do!!! the characters are so complex and rich and compelling, the relationships between them are also really compelling and evolve in unexpected ways, the voice cast are all incredible, the worldbuilding is super interesting and well thought out, it has that amazing balance of both serialised narrative and some really amazing out there "monster of the week" style episodes that i think a lot of people miss from modern tv, the soundscaping.... well, it does start off a bit wonky, but by the time you get up to the most recent episode it sounds honestly gorgeous, it has this really wonderful poetic-at-times writing style that feels both fitting with its eerie surreal tone and will also just hit you with some of the most incredible lines ever written that will get stuck in your brain and not leave for months!! it's about religious trauma and capitalism and living and dying in a broken system and burning that system to the ground and devotion and sacrifice and monstrousness and getting to choose the thing that eats you. with one season left to go it's perhaps slightly too early to call it a masterpiece, but.... yeah TO ME it's a masterpiece <3

so yeah this got a lot longer than i meant it to but tl;dr if you're into horror or even if you just don't mind horror please please listen to the silt verses. it's weird and gross and freaky and funny and rough around the edges at first and it's worth every second of your time

[asitrita]

For whatever reason I felt like sharing some of my thoughts about spuk today.

I kind of have this hc that Arthur's a really good story teller (probably because i've grown up with tlotr, hp and arthurian legends, plus, you know, the chronicles of narnia, alice in wonderland, peter pan and a lot of fantasy literature for kids and teens), and I like to imagine that, perhaps, back in the day and before all the drama, during the Middle Ages and first decades of the Modern Era, when Spain (and the different Spanish kingdoms) and England had a rather good relationship, when visiting England for whatever diplomatic mission, Antonio would ask Arthur to tell him some stories before bedtime, or during "nap time" after lunch, while laying on a meadow under the shadow of a tree, maybe a oak or old chestnut (so romantic u.u) It is kind of canon, I believe, that Antonio was a huge fan of chivalric themes and medieval heroic epics, like most of Europe at the time, and Spain fed a lot on the chivalric poetry and romance, not only during Medieval times, but also later on. It may seem out of topic, but Spanish conquerors and explorers (which would led to the begining of the Spanish empire), for better or for worse, were greatly inspired by both, classic epic, but also chivalric novels (maybe it is not a coincidence that the literary work that universally mocked the chivalric genre ended up being a Spanish production, Don Quixote). Medieval romance poetry is also a big deal in Spanish literature and folk culture, so it is only fitting he would enjoy fantasy tales and chivalric epic, as well as romance and poetry. The two would complement each other. Arthur would enjoy making up stories, and telling old chivalric romances, adding a little bit of magical and fantastic elements to it (like the magic cauldron tell, or magical swords,and whatnot), that Antonio would very much enjoy, while Antonio would passionately deliver passages from classic works, like The Aeneid, and recite poetry, also around the themes of chivalry and romance, while playing the lute, sometimes singing, rather than merely reciting the verses.

I also have this hc about Arthur being an exceptionally good archer and timidly trying to show off so Antonio notices him. On the other hand, I think Antonio would be skilled in the art of poetry, and be good at languages in general, making him a good rhapsodist. He would also be a pretty skilful musician, and play the lute, the vihuela and be surprisingly good at playing the clavichord (not at all referencing Antonio de Cabezón here). I even imagine during the times of Catalina de Aragon as queen of England he would try to teach Arthur how to improve his fingering and playing technic.

Just a few of my silly hc.

[rpdepartment]

Hope it's not too complicated an ask, but do you have any pointers or advice n how to make a promo post? Like, what stuff i should put in the description and such?

hmm, nice question actually! mostly because i think promos are very personal from one person to another personally, i think that the promo must be concise, explain exactly what the blog is about, give a name to both mun and muse and have a few links uvu generally, i'm way more open to blogs that have this in their promo:

if they have the name of the muse and from what series/movie/game theyre from and the mun • if they're fandomless, I give a short explaination of what kind of settings i generally play them as ( modern fantasy / toon-inspired / sci-fi... ), or if they have specific verses ( generally writing three-four of them and then adding a fancy AND MORE, especially if you likely plan to add more in the future ) • if you have a multimuse, try to write as many fandoms included as possible!

if it's a sideblog, add somewhere the name of the main blog you're following with

i highly suggest to add your selectivity too; what i do is usually say that my blogs are 18+ only ( both bc i write stuff not suited for minors and because im way closer to my 30s than my 20s and i personally feel a little awkward playing with anyone under 18 ), that i'm open for OCs and crossovers and that i'm generally open with playing with non-mutuals; if you're mutuals-only and highly selective, let everyone know!!

also highly suggest having links to the rules and the about/muses page! i tend to also add the links to the credits page if i use others' art for icons or if i used a promo template for the graphics and a link to the tag dumps

i'd suggest to leave any long description or special rules to a separate, unrebloggable pinned post!!

[bells-of-black-sunday]

while it wasn't a thing at the time tarhos does seem like he practices the romanticized version of chivalry with his wife. would he subscribe to that philosophy if it was available during his time? would he practice courtly love an does he have an idea of what it is in his og timeline

Quick definitions out of the way for people that don't know what courtly love is: Courtly love is a high society version of courting that started appearing in poetry in the high medieval period. It was how knights should court noble women, primarily married noblewomen, it was usually seen as a fling of passion that'd die out and they'd both go their separate ways. Marriage at the time among nobility was usually for business or political affairs and these poems were often a way for nobles to escape into fantasy and while there were quite a few people happy in their marriages at the time, I'm sure it was nice for those that weren't. We also all know how even in modern times people will read poetry and use it in their dating life and I can certainly imagine that happening with some people back then even if I have never read about it.

I do also want to give a tiny bit more context to medieval romance in general, it wasn't uncommon to be courting multiple people at once especially if it's for political gain or you're nobility. Nobility were infamous for skirting adultery laws to have multiple partners besides their own wives/husbands, much like modern day it's fine if you're rich, but awful if you're poor. The romanticized version of chivalry did make it's appearance at this time as well, again through poetry, it was very desirable and noble to go and fight for your lord/country/god which made knights hot to a lot of men and women that and being a knight is a sign of nobility. I can promise everyone, chivalry isn't that romantic and genuinely the code depended on who you worked for and same goes for it actually being enforced.

A lot of the code of chivalry was used for was keeping the local church's wealth and political power by hopefully getting them spared during raids on the serfs they lorded over.

Context aside back to Tarhos:

would he subscribe to that philosophy if it was available during his time? would he practice courtly love an does he have an idea of what it is in his og timeline

I don't think so. Tarhos does hate codes and laws that restrict him in what he wants to do, him also not being born into nobility he probably wouldn't have heard much about it. Though I do think a lot of how he actually courts Haru speaks a lot to this ideal version of romance from this time. Someone being extremely devoted to their lover and boldly passionate about it, they worshiped their lovers femininity and would happily commit adultery in their name. There's stages to courtly love, but I don't think he's all too similar to them.

For one: if Haru rejects him, he's not going to keep pushing it. He will respect his decision unless he can clearly tell he's not being serious about it. In their base verse to put it bluntly, Haru is viewed as a woman unfit for marriage. He's older, he's not pious, he's not modest, he's not submissive, etc. etc. Tarhos of course doesn't care about any of that, he views him as a person and not an object he's buying from someone with his dowry, but courtly love doesn't apply to women unfit for marriage. Tarhos also isn't a jealous person, he only really cares when those advances are making Haru uncomfortable then he gets involved.

That being said, you can argue he does fit the mold for courtly love in itself. He would move mountains just to see Haru smile at him. He is on his knees drinking in his touch like it were communion, he is praying at the altar that is his being every night. His worship isn't metaphorical. It's very much literal. He sees the divine in the embrace of his lover and his sweet voice on a cold morning holding his hand while they watch the sunrise. He has every intention in the world in marrying him and living quietly on whatever land he got out of Vittorio's contract, he only wants to see him happy and find peace in the silence he has yet to find.

So while he definitely wouldn't practice it literally, he does definitely fit the definition of extreme devotion to the point of worship of his lover.

[more-than-a-princess]

Code Realize for the fandom talk thing?

SEND ME A FRANCHISE OR SERIES AND I WILL TALK ABOUT IT - Accepting!

The way I feel about Code: Realize is the way I feel like a lot of people who like romantic fantasy/romantasy genre view Sarah J. Maas stories (Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City): a lot of time spent on worldbuilding and developing the characters, little in the way of actual romance (and smut, in the books' cases), but Strong Badass Heroines.

To that end: both Code: Realize and SJM's works are kind of...outliers in the genre of otome and romantasy, respectively? I feel where otome is concerned, many fans look for quicker (not instant, but quicker!) romance with all of the LIs than what Code: Realize offers and in turn, get frustrated with the game.

This, IMO, is a mistake: because Code: Realize may not be the best example of an otome game, but it is an excellent story!

Code: Realize, usually, is the otome game I suggest for people to try who don't like romance games. They don't like romance novels or romantic dramas and think lovey-dovey fictional romance where a heroine has the chance to romance a harem of men played out on the page and screen is stupid and boring and they will definitely not like it.

Spoiler: If they play Code: Realize, they usually end up liking it.

So, all of that is to say: this franchise gets such a bad rap in the otome fandom because otome players are playing it expecting certain tropes to be met without evaluating it on the story and character development as a whole.

Yes, it sets up a lot of backstory and worldbuilding. And yes, not every route will be everyone's favorite, but I think it's a disservice to dismiss this game whether you're a big fan of otome or you think the genre isn't for you.

Now that said, my personal takes:

Cardia is one of the best/favorite heroines I've ever had the pleasure to meet in otome games. To be fair, I've backed off playing these for a bit in favor of romantic fantasy and contemporary romantic fiction: a lot of the common themes or tropes that grate on me about otome (wilting flowers/helpless heroines, controlling LIs bordering on sexual assault, everything about Yang from Piofiore and Toma from Amnesia) can be avoided much more easily in novels if you read the trope/trigger warnings. But Cardia doesn't have the wilting flower problem: yes, she has poison in her skin as a weapon but she's also just really cool? While other players rolled their eyes at the extensive training scenes in the main story, I really liked that she learned from all of the love interests before choosing a route. She gained useful skills! This also reminds me of Feyre training with members of the Night Court in ACOTAR.

I fully embrace Steampunk Code: Realize London is not adhering to any historical accuracy, and yet I'm still digging it. I'm also weak for classic literature references (Sonia and I share this trait, to no one's surprise), so it's fun pointing out "OH IT'S A NOD TO THIS!" during the games.

I'm not a fan of fandisc sequels for otome games as the side stories are usually paper thin and pretty dull in comparison to the main one (though I may bite the bullet and buy the CupiPara FD that just came out), but Code: Realize did this mostly pretty well. I like the first fandisc/second game better than the second fandisc/third game as far as extra story content goes. I am also biased because we finally got the Van Helsing kiss CG in the second game (the only kiss CG left out of the original game? Really, developers? Why must you do my fictional BF so dirty like this?).

My aversion to Impey Barbicane is entirely because he is the unholy combination of Kazuichi Soda from Danganronpa and Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing, two characters who are just Not Sexy to me. Sonia's aversion to Impey in a modern Code: Realize verse is entirely due to the fact that he reminds her of Kazuichi.

My least favorite route in the original game was St. Germain's. I don't like him, he gives me the ick. My favorite routes besides the final one are Abraham van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein. Van Helsing for the backstory, Victor for his character development. Victor is also so underrated. If I had to choose any of them for a husband, I'm picking Victor Frankenstein any day of the week.

But because this is a roleplay blog...

I ship Sonia with Van Helsing, Lupin, and Victor, in that order. Only one of these is actually in development, with @scarlxtleaves' Arsene Lupin in a modern Code: Realize verse. He's saved her life and she still thinks he's sus due to the over-the-top flirtation (and yes, she has taken into consideration that he is French and therefore it is in his nature to do so). Her struggle, besides staying alive and safe from terrorists who wish to kill her, is figuring out that Lupin's affection towards her is genuine interest and care with real feelings behind it and not just flirting with her for fun and/or friends with benefits.

I believe in her, even though she's not exactly the brightest bulb when figuring out that someone really is in love with her.

Finally: the Code: Realize anime, just like the Umineko anime, is complete garbage and you should forget it even exists. Just play the games instead.