#holt's character is just. so relatable to me.

[nixotinix]

Ok guys. A lot of y'all follow me on here for my Jackson and Holt content. Which I love!! But now I gotta know, and everybody is actually legally required to participate in this poll. I know we shouldn't pit two people who are technically the same person against each other, but I have to know everyone's personal decision:

Do feel free to defend and explain your pick in replies or reblogs. Get your votes in, people, so we can once and for all decide which one comes out on top.

[starry-eve]

Reading: The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins

Ugggh. p. 130…

I hate when a book is humming along fine and then I begin to realize that there’s a HUGE plot hole. It just takes me totally out of the story.

One of the main characters is completely unbelievable. Her motives make absolutely no sense, even for Victorian times.

We’re supposed to believe that a woman is willing to acquiesce to a marriage she doesn’t want SIMPLY because of a totally random (as yet) unexplained long ago deathbed promise to her father???!!!

The entire PLOT hinges on us suspending disbelief of this. And I literally cannot.

It’s obvious to everyone that the man is most likely wanting to marry her for money, and even worse…he is also very likely looking to do her harm for that money.

And she just passively goes along. 🙄

Even for a Victorian woman, this is too difficult to believe.

It’s totally ruining the story for me.

I thought maybe it was just me…but even AI agrees with me!!

“Laura's emotional responses are often muted, even when facing significant challenges, which can make her seem less relatable and more like a plot device than a fully developed character”—AI

Thank you AI.

DNF??? Or keep on reading??

Am I being too hard on this author? Should I continue to read?

Idk. Jeez.

This happens every time I try to read a classic.

It’s so difficult to suspend disbelief about these plots and characters as a modern person.

AI, please help me out…

Thank you, AI.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON I FOLLOW ON GOODREADS GAVE THIS BOOK 4 OR 5 STARS!!!!!!!!

So I’m thinking…maybe it’s me. 🤔😩

I’ll keep going I guess. Maybe it will grow on me.

I think the problem is that I was looking for a serious classic, and this is a goofball farce.

Plus…it’s soooooooo predictable. The baron and Mrs. Fosco will most certainly be in cahoots.

It’s fine. But it’s way too long and drawn out for melodrama.

Maybe it’s because I just finished a Koontz book.

I was actually in the mood for serious literature and beautiful language.

If I wanted this content I would just read Victoria Holt. 😕

I think I’m going to “soft dnf” for now. I’ll pick it up again when I’m more in the mood for a gothic potboiler.

[bengiyo]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

10 Favorite Characters

You asked a broad question, so I hope you’re okay with answers outside of my daily posting. I post a lot about BL on here, but this list is a mild reminder that I am Black. As I’m putting this list together, I’m recognizing a common thread of ruthlessness in these characters that I will have to unpack at some point.

Omar Little (The Wire)

Omar is one of my favorite characters of all time because he was the first sympathetic gay character I ever watched on TV with my dad. As I got older, my dad decided I was old enough and wanted me to watch what he considered to be one of the greatest shows ever made (NOTE: He is correct). I was obsessed with Omar because of his strict code and how gentle and loving he was with his boyfriends. It was amazing to me that we had this powerful gay character in the middle of a modern Greek tragedy and he is one of the most compelling characters ever created in American television.  

Ender Wiggin (Ender’s Game)

One of the sad thing about growing up queer is the people who wrote a lot of your formative works hate queer people. Orson Scott Card was my first major disappointment in this regard. In the 7th grade, I discovered this book in our school library and ended up reading it and the related books multiple times throughout my adolescence.  I was a weird kid who was too smart for my own good. In middle school I struggled with feeling out of place because I was relatively new compared to most of these kids, and my family had me on a specific life track that meant that I had to perform at a high level constantly. I connected with Ender’s isolation and his brilliance. I also connected to his ruthlessness.

Marco (Animorphs)

Animorphs is a pretty dark series for a bunch of elementary school kids to read, but that was K. A. Applegate’s point. War is horrible, and should be avoided. Reading this series is a reading the perspective of child soldiers. There was something about the way Marco always masked with jokes, but was quietly the most ruthless member of their group that means he’s always the one I remember first. There were also the ways he commented on Ax and Jake that just didn’t read straight, and I’ve been relieved that Applegate and the ghost writers have acknowledged the fan read on Marco’s bisexuality. I just love how from appearances at the end of the series Marco is actually okay after all the war, but he absolutely is not.

Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

He was our first Black captain in Star Trek and I will love him forever. He’s also from New Orleans and cooks our food. He’s a devoted father, which was something Avery Brooks requested for the role to make sure we had a positive depiction of Black fatherhood on TV in the 90s. He has an understated spirituality to him. He has grit from facing the ugly side of maintaining a utopia and has an incredible temper that he holds most of the time. He’s a nerd about baseball. He cares about his people and holds firm as their commander. This isn’t a committee for him. He can be so brutal. I love him.

Ghost Dog (Ghost Dog)

Ghost Dog (1999) is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I’ve always loved the version of masculinity Forest Whitaker put into this character. He has a sense of style and flair, and also follows a strict code of conduct. His adherence to his way earned him the respect of everyone in his community, and gangsters in his neighborhood show him admiration and respect. I loved his friendship with Raymond, in which neither knows what the other is saying and yet they are actually on the same page constantly.

Raymond Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Yes, this show is copaganda, but I love Raymond Holt so much. I love that Andre Braugher played the Straight Man role in a comedy as a politically out gay man who has such a serious exterior. Holt was so gay in so many ways and I am obsessed with him. He is so deep into his niche interests (like me) and yet he was actually such a great mentor figure to everyone under him. I loved that he and his husband were so devoted to each other but were never depicted as the perfect couple. I love that he has a petty beef with another colleague. He’s just an incredible character.

Kiram Kir-zaki (Lord of the White Hell)

Kiram is the first time I ever realized how deep the programming in speculative fiction to read the protagonist as a white man with brown hair and brown eyes. Kiram is a dark-skinned Haldiim youth with curly gold hair and light eyes. It took me three readings of this book to perceive Kiram properly, and it’s something that has shaken me for a long time. Kiram is brilliant, snarky, and too gay for his own good. He’s also not stupid. I love reading a smart gay character who generally cannot hide who he is doing the work to blend in to a homophobic setting. Ginn Hale also writes gay sex better than some gay male authors.

Kakei Shiro (What Did You Eat Yesterday?)

Honestly, when am I ever not thinking about this man? I love how, even if he can’t immediately give Kenji everything he might want, he gives Kenji all that he can. He couldn’t say he loved Kenji for a long time, but you could feel the love in his cooking. I’m so happy to have this man and his partner back on my screen again. It is just so hard to be gay. I am so relieved that many of the folks reading my posts didn’t suffer The Knowing, because I know that Shiro and I will never be able to get away from what it did to us.

Chiron (Moonlight)

The terrible intersection of poverty, race, and sexuality has never been better exemplified for me than in this film that has no white people in it. There are just so many fewer choices for us, especially if you can’t hide who you are. I love Chiron so much because we see so much of what he was forced to be pushed onto him. There’s something heartbreaking and beautiful that as an adult he resembles Juan, and that he never got over Kevin.  I find it hard to explain why Chiron means so much to me, but I’m black and gay so I don’t always feel like I have to.

Max (Black Sails)

I love Max because she consistently chose to not be cruel when so many others would have. She is not accumulating power for her own ego or to punish those who wronged her. She holds power as a facilitator. History doesn’t remember the facilitators who keep the lights on and make sure the bread gets made every day, but you notice their absence within two days when they’re gone. Max is also funny to me because she and Flint almost never encounter each other, but have caused the other so much grief.

Thank you for the ask!

[grizzlyofthesea]

I just finished reading Once Bitten, Twice Dead. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I also wouldn't call it high art or anything. Kind of a mixed bag. I'd recommend checking out a PDF first before actually buying a copy.

If you want my detailed thoughts about the book, continue reading.

What I liked:

Lagoona and Ghoulia being important to the plot

Poe. He was a little bland, but sweet.

Deuce being included with the main group again. He's part of the Fright Song, for crying out loud. He deserves at least this much respect.

Draculaura dealing with grief and loss in different ways as the story progresses

The environmentalist aspect of Lagoona's character being brought back

Frankie being a nervous wreck and trying to comfort everyone at once. I am the "anxious, fix-everything" friend, so I relate to her in that aspect.

Minor characters like Elissabat and the werecat twins being mentioned. After all, why create characters if you aren't going to use them?

The school being depicted as a sort of living thing. It's been that way since Friday Night Frights, possibly earlier, so it's nice to see that acknowledged and built upon.

The references to prior media, notably Freaky Fusion and 2015 Collector Draculaura's diary

What I disliked:

"Snakestone." No, Author, I do not want to know about the "obelisk" in a minor's pants.

The detailed description of Draculaura and Poe making out. I don't know what the allosexuals and non-repulsed aces in the crowd thought of it, but it was just too much for me.

Lagoona/Gil and Draculaura/Clawd being broken up without any explanation or elaboration. The latter isn't even a favorite ship of mine; I just want answers.

Gil being sent to a different school for freshwater monsters. He isn't that bad. He doesn't deserve to be exiled like that--and it means that his parents won. :(

The lack of Jackson and Holt. I feel like they should have a more prominent role in a story about monster-normie relations.

The overuse of monster puns. Don't get me wrong. I love myself some monster puns. But some of them don't even sound good, or they're inconsistent with previous terminology (e-maul vs. eek-mail).

[plumdonutsv]

hi!! i saw ur post abt fom :]

i hope u dont mind if i structure this like a point by point answer to questions u put in ur tags <3

i feel like im playing the game right. unlike stardew, fields of mistria doesnt make me feel bad for not using every second of the day. i think fom has a nice balance between easy and not too easy

i kinda feel like im going slow and fast at the same time? time during the day passes in a blink of an eye but when i look at the calendar im like still halfway through the season. idk how to feel abt it yet

my time management is so bad 😭😭 im terribly forgetful so i'd like set a goal for the day and a second later i'd be like "wait what" but i dont usually mind cuz i dont feel rushed by the game at all which i really appreciate. i think that mistria places a huge emphasis of getting to know the people and i love that

i like a LOT about the game: the soundtrack (especially the mines music), the aesthetics, character sprites art, environment art, the art in general, i LOVE the characters so much, it feels like everyone has their own thing but you can't tell all of the stuff they're about immediately i think? like i didn't realize Holt made toys until i saw his station in his house, i love environmental storytelling <33 honestly i love that most of them are so kind to you, it's the kind of game i personally needed. i love that the combat is not a clicker and that u gotta watch how the monsters act to figure out the best way to defeat them, i love the set up, i love that the earthquake has lingering consequences on the town and the community. it's a lot of fun <33 ofc i have some criticizms too and stuff to improve but im too tired rnfjsndbd

OH AND THE LORE!!! i need to know more about mistria's lore. especially the magic and all that stuff thats goin on in the mines

i love all of the characters fr, my fav love interesrs are Ryis and Adeline. Ryis is just so sweet and kind and gorgeous, he loves birds, he's from a family of bakers, he has family with a lot of sisters in the capital that send him care packages with cookies, HE LOVES BIRDS (<- it was the thing that had me like "you're the one"bfjsnhdsnbd) just a disney princess type of guy

Adeline just got me in her palms and i'm not even sure why or how exactly yet but all i know is that i walk around her like a puppyfjsnbd she's such a nerd and i adore her, she loves doing paperwork and calls it a "party", she is the heir to the land and she loves taking care of it and its people but forgets to take care of herself and im just like *biggest wettest eyes at her* also pink hair. oh mh god

and like i think all of the other townies are so cool. I love the kids, theyre the cutest and i love seeing them around town doing their thing. i love that we have different models of families like. man i'm so excited for more stuff in this game

i'd love to chat mistria with u if you'd like to <33 and i'd love to know what u think :D

have a good dayyyy

omg thanks for your response!! i feel like i relate to many things you said. i haven't played a farming sim before bc i didn't think i would like it. since i would prefer games w some kind of story or lore, i didn't think this game would be for me. really, i had no idea what to expect in the game

i feel like i'm also going slow and fast while playing! the day goes by so so quickly but i also feel like maybe i'm not doing enough. sometimes i'm thinking "why are my crops growing so slowly please grow faster!!!" but then i'm surprised w how quickly they grow. i get up and see my tomatoes and corn ready to be harvested. but for the most part, i feel like i'm going at it too slow. i'm almost done w summer but i just got magic

i relate to what you said about time management. there are some items on a task that i just couldn't find so i do another task. then i just entirely forget to search for that item (like i cannot find seaweed still). then literally TODAY i was in the mines for too long and had to rush home. the next in-game day i went to the mines earlier in the day to not make the same mistake.

the music in the game is amazing! i find myself humming along while playing or humming when i'm doing something else. i'm surprised that i even remember how the music goes. i've played totk for a bit but i can't remember a single song. i love how everyone has different seasonal outfits. i really like how celine has a different outfit in the early morning. (idk if other characters have a different outfit at that time i can't remember). i'm glad i could play the game bc i'm gonna be moving back to school soon and this would be a nice way to take a break from coursework.

i also like how most of the characters are nice to your farmer. i just cannot pick one favorite character. it's too hard for me to bc they are all so lovely 😭. i agree that the kids are cute! i try to give luc a bug each time i see him.

one of the things that i don't like so much is that there is only one place to save. i can't remember if there are other places to save

[magnificentwolfface]

What If KinnPorsche Characters Were in Brooklyn Nine-Nine?

Okay, hear me out—what if we took the wild, chaotic, and heartfelt vibes of KinnPorsche: The Series La Forte and mashed them up with the comedy genius of Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Like, imagine the characters of KinnPorsche in the roles of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Here’s what I came up with:

■Porsche as Jake Peralta

Let’s be real, Porsche is Jake. He’s chaotic, impulsive, and endlessly resourceful. He’d definitely annoy everyone with his antics but also come through as the most loyal friend and partner. Plus, Porsche would totally make ridiculous bets with Kinn like Jake does with Holt.

■Big as Amy Santiago

Big gives off that perfectionist, rules-are-meant-to-be-followed vibe, but underneath it all, he's deeply caring and just wants things to run smoothly. Like Amy, Big is always trying to keep the chaos in check and often ends up being Porsche’s voice of reason.

■Pete as Charles Boyle

Pete = bestie goals. He’d 100% be the Charles to Porsche’s Jake, always hyping him up and low-key making everyone laugh with his overly dramatic loyalty and love for his friend. Also, Pete being the soft, food-loving emotional one? Yeah, that’s Boyle energy.

■Kim as Rosa Diaz

The mysterious, brooding, doesn’t-take-any-bs energy? That’s 100% Kim. Rosa vibes all the way. Kim would scare everyone but secretly care a lot about the people in his life.

■Chay as Terry Jeffords

Chay might not have Terry’s physical size, but he definitely has Terry’s big-heart energy. He’d be the one keeping everyone grounded, emotionally supporting the team, and quietly freaking out about the chaos around him.

■Vegas as Gina Linetti

Look, Vegas as Gina just makes sense. He’s eccentric, unpredictable, and absolutely steals every scene he’s in. Plus, the snarky, self-assured attitude? That’s pure Gina energy.

■Tankhun as Scully and Hitchcock

Is it cheating to combine them? Probably. But Tankhun embodies their chaotic, offbeat, how-do-they-even-still-have-jobs vibe. He’s hilariously unbothered yet somehow always there when things hit the fan.

Just add ones that I DESPERATELY NEED:

Tall and muscular Chay

Mpreg? (I know some people don't like it, but I do so if someone does write it in the future, please stay 🙏)

Sky (from Love in the Air) is related to Big

I'll add more in the future, or if I remember something 😉

ALSO I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP WITH THIS IDEA IN MY HEAD 🥲🤗🤭🫢🙂‍↕️😈

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

I just got a poll about bi himbos on my feed and the first option, who is winning in a landslide, is Jake Peralta. and like I get it. believe me I get it. but y'all seem to forget he is a cop. that is literally like his whole thing.

I almost kept scrolling, but I also recently saw fanart of the 99 at a pride parade and a babygirl edit of Terry. so I think it's time for a reminder.

ACAB includes fictional tools of copaganda.

even when

they are fun

they are likeable

they are narratively interesting

they are nuanced

they are looking to fix the system

they are kind people

they are relatable

they are flawed

the writers know they are a bastard

this is because they are still cogs in a bastardized system. all cops are bastards because they are traitors to their class, to their communities, and when they are any kind of minority they are traitors to their identities. by working as a cop they perpetuate systematic cycles of violence and oppression. even if they have reasons like "I want to fix the system from inside" or "I was helped by a cop once and want to do that" or "I genuinely want to help people who are struggling" there are other, better ways to accomplish all of those that do not involve being a cop. even that middle one. there are many forms of community resource positions you can take.

I want to reiterate. I get the thing with Jake Peralta. putting the copaganda aside for a moment, he is a goofball. he is very effectively coded both as bi and as having adhd. he definitely does fit into the chaos bi himbo archetype that is popular for good reason. he is a nuanced character who is always looking for ways to do the right thing. his mistakes are shown and he (usually) is able to recognise them and apologise. he is relatable to many people and charismatic to even more.

but he is still a cop. everyone on that show is either a cop or actively supporting cops, unless they are an antagonist. including Doug Judy, a career criminal who is self described best friends with jake.

and I cannot shame anyone for their enjoyment of Brooklyn 99. the comedy is well written, the characters all have interesting arcs, and it is unique in its genre for a few reasons. I myself watched most of the early seasons when I was in high school and enjoyed the well structured queer coding and the way it discussed the diversity in the precinct instead of shying away from it (put a pin in that for a second) For full disclosure, I have also watched and found enjoyment in the full run of Criminal Minds. and Bones. one of my alltime favorite shows is Eureka which is not only full of copaganda (as its premise) but it has a multi season arc for an autistic character that is important to the plot where his mother (a main character) is desperately trying to cure him a la Autism Speaks. there is not shame in having consumed or enjoyed media with harmful things. but you have to do so with nuance. and you cannot let yourself forget.

returning to the diversity and representation in b99. it is genuinely insidious to normalize members of the communities most historically effected by police brutality and targeted by discriminatory policy as "good cops." yes the writing around these characters is good. and I would argue that in other aspects there is good representation in that show. while the black and POC representation and discussion is also an important related issue, and arguably the more disturbing aspect of this, it is not my place to comment on so I will stick to the queer rep.

Rosa is written in a way that is respectful and is relatable to many bi people. Holt has a nuanced backstory that is not shied away from and his relationship and identity are always respected. Jake is very effectively coded as bi but hasn't realized or accepted yet. and as an autistic person with ADHD, Jake, Holt, Amy, Charles, and Rosa are all well coded and respectfully written neurodiverse characters. and it is difficult to find queer or neurodiverse representation like that. I fully understand that.

but they are cops. queer people (and neurodiverse people) have historically been major targets for cops. we are more likely to die at the hands of a cop than our cishet peers. we are more likely to be hospitalized by them. we are more likely to be arrested on no charge. we are more likely to be set up for things we didn't do. we are more likely to have the book thrown at us when we are innocent and minding our own business. normalizing that cops we deal with can be members of our community our community is legitimately dangerous. LGBT cops are not part of the queer community. they are traitors to their community.

drawing the b99 or any cop real or fictional at pride is horrifying. cops have no place at pride. even off duty. pride is not a party. it is a protest. against cops. it isn't a march for general rights. it is a protest against physical and legal brutality against queer people. it is a memorial to the Stonewall Riot, a response to an act of police brutality against trans women in a queer space. that is why it happens in June. so we do not forget.

b99 is written to make us sympathetic to the emotional nuance and physical danger of being a cop. and for some of y'all that is working. even if you don't think it is. because you are willing to babygirl Terry. you coddle Jakes constant corruption. you will go on at length about the trials holt has faced forgetting that they are because he chose to become part of the system that oppresses him.

there is psychological nuance as to why members of oppressed minorities become cops. of course there is. but there should not be social nuance. all cops are bastards. even fictional cops. even your uncle. because they are participating in and perpetuating a violent bastardized system.

yes, this includes Jake and the rest of the b99. it includes Spencer Reid from criminal minds. it includes Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan from bones. it includes Sheriff Jack Carter from eureka. Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durand from gravity falls. Olivia Benson from Law and Order. James Gordon from the DC universe. Ranger Walker from Walker Texas Ranger. RoboCop. Rick Grimes from the Walking Dead. chief wiggam from the Simpsons. Joe Swanson from family guy. Inspector Lastraude from every iteration of Sherlock Holmes. arguably Sherlock himself for how often he cooperates with the police. Inspector Gadget. David tennant's broadchurch roll. and every other fictional cop you can think of.

all of them. even the kind ones. even the black ones. and the queer ones. and the disabled ones. even the ones where the media knows they are a bastard. even when they are there to be the butt of the joke. they are all bastards.

and you can watch them. you can read about them. you can even write about them. you can enjoy their media. but you cannot let yourself forget that they are a cop. and that all cops are bastards. because of you forget about one cop being a bastard, that leaves room to sympathize with other cops. and as we all know, even a cop with personal empathy for you is still a cop who will act with violence and corruption without a second thought. and if you forget that in the wrong moment in real life, you or someone else can and will get hurt. physically hurt. mentally hurt. legally hurt. all of the above. sympathy for cops gets minorities killed.

never let yourself forget that.

all cops are bastards.

[gracebethartacc]

FINALLY.... UPDATED JJHH REDESIGNS..!!!!!!!

Ermmmm design notes/hcs bc I don’t remember ever going into detail the first time soooo:

-more pleasing/more coherent color palette/color coding (orange for Jackson blue for Holt) bc god the og colors are way too all over the place

-sun/moon, yin/yang, half n half etc motif (the necklace, pants, sweater, earrings etc etc)

-holt isn’t straight up blue because.... brother look at his og design.... -_-

-slightly darker skin tone than canon just bc I think darker skinned Jackson designs are cool, tho I’m not 100% certain on his ethnicity just yet? Still up in the air like I said it was mostly just bc it looks cool to me lol

-more punk/emo type clothes for holt (patches on his jacket, nail polish, platform boots etc (tho technically I like the idea Jackson was the one who bought the platforms just bc I think he really likes emo fashion but doesn’t want to outright wear it))

-also keeping the clothes the same/consistent bc i find the logic of them magically having entire different wardrobes when they switch kinda strange lol ?

-hybrid features (you can’t see it here but Jackson also has fangs not just holt, and the “dyed” part of his bangs i like to imagine is actually side effect of being part fire elemental and his hair might slightly flare up if he’s mad methinks) (holt is the same too like his hair fading from Jacksons brown to the orange instead of being just full on fire, also his skintone being a bit human leaning and not like multicolor) I’ve not designed Heath but if I did then holts human aspects would be a lot more apparent to have a full fire elemental for comparison

-holts patches on the jacket are all just lots of dad rock bands I grew up listening to that I think he’d like (if you’re curious considering a few of them are just logos/not got the name, in order: Queen, the cramps, the white stripes, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, twisted sister, nirvana, journey (I saw them at concert actually!!), Pink Floyd, and cheap trick!^^)

-if it’s not also obvious from holts jacket but: duality boys got the transmasc/bi swag, alsoooo some autism/adhd too (tho not sure which one it would be specifically ?)

-hc that instead of music it’s overstimulation/stress that causes the switch, for holt tho I’d say it’s the reverse so like it would be understimulation? (This idea isn’t very new tho I’ve seen a lot of ppl do it but it just makes a bit more sense to me tbh, also plays into the duality aspect more) I’d say things go more by DID rules (tho canon does that too kinda? But also not really??), so fronting isn’t strictly stress related and can be controlled/at will, and I hc they have a kind of head space type thing but I’ve yet to get it down on paper just yet

-OH I FORGOT TO MENTION:

Based the cardigan on the one komos has in the movie bc it’s one of my favorite outfits that they used :D

Um I think there might have been more stuff I wanted to say but can’t think of anything else, sorry if this was rambly/I said stuff I’ve already talked abt it’s just bc I’ve not done MH stuff for a hot second so wanted to do a little hc recap, plus had fun going over the character design stuff !! ^^

ALSO: holts patches in full quality bc they where fun to edit/draw for a few of em:

[idleglowingpixels]

Trapped By The Rain

It's Friday, October 13th, and a birthday bash for the ages is going on at the local maul. Any ghoul that is any ghoul will be there. It's too bad Frankie and Holt both forgot to bring umbrellas today.

Note: This fanfic is based on my own Monster High AU. Because I haven't posted too much about the lore and stuff on here yet, any differences in characters or lore from canon should be considered retcons or personal changes. I'm more than happy to answer any questions, send them over to my ask box!

You can read it here on AO3! --- Real quick, I just want to thank everyone in the Monster High community over here on Tumblr for the overwhelming support once again, not just for my AU but for my blog in general! I truly truly appreciate it!

Tagging @raissatajra because they asked me to for when the fic dropped, thanks for your interest! If anyone would like me to tag them for future fanfictions related to my AU, please let me know! I'd be happy to do so. :D

Have a good day/night everyone! And Happy (albeit very late in the day) Friday the 13th!

[how-the-feathers-have-fallen]

hiiii just popping in to ask if u have a favorite Rangers Apprentice character ^_^

So far? (im like 2 chaps. from finishing. i think) Fucking love Halt he’s funky and Gaelic in some flavour and shaping up to be dad shaped for Will (Question/Theory: Is Holt Will’s Dad? wait don’t answer that. Did Holt Know Wills Dad? wait don’t answer that either). (love the thread of him will trying to get him to smile, it’s very in character or him and really made me smile in the end. heh. also wills curiosity feels so real and relatable to me he’s the kinda you know is an adventure in his heart and soul) anyway back to Halt-

He has the air of a person who’s been around a while and has aged with the world but doesn’t know everything to the point of cliche. He’s also really funny. the book in general was funny which i was not expecting to such an extent.

JENNY. she’s so sweet and i love her. she’s main character to me. she’s fat and round and loud and lovable and not only is she okay with that. she takes pride it in. it’s a STRENGTH TO HER. i remember the scene where she’s making her case to apprentice under the castle cook and she says “im the right shape for it” and everybody agrees wholeheartedly with her in an admiring tone and i just brimmed with joy as a plus sized person.

ngl Horace’s arc shortish and simple as it was is quite dear to me i didn’t expect to like him so much but spending time in his head felt so right to me. and i just love the whole “mortal enemies now closest and loyalest of friends with a deep mutual respect” trope. i just. i love it. its giving arthur and merlin/arthur and lancelot in a way i just find delicious. i love horace growing in this space where’s he’s the biggest fish in the pond cause he’s big and strong but being taken out of that habit and being, transplanted, almost into battle school and suddenly realising just how “small” he is and that he’s not that much. of anything.

also gil is fun. he’s giving rodrick in the older brother ish figure that’s cool and everybody kinda simps for. also kinda jealous he gets a sword on top of his already pretty sweet ranger gear. also i love the ranger gear its so cool and get so practical and well designed. can’t wait to see more of him. and the ponies. i love the ponies so much. them and bill from lotr should form a club of best beasts of labour in fantasy lit. ever.

I LOOKED UP A CHARACTERs NAME CAUSE I FORGOT THEM AND GOT LIKE THREE SPOILERS IM FONNA KMSSSSS

Anyway. George you funky lil nerd i can’t wait to see more of you.

I’d also love to touch on the world building. idk if it’s cause i’ve been listening to a podcast about it recently and religiously (world building for masochists highly rec) but it’s so rich just in this first book. the detail about the major wars being sprinkled in just enough, the though and logic that goes into the ranger weaponry and training, the simple yet very logical workings of battle school, how are characters are easily spilt up by the narrative in a way that’s realistic to real life. also i’m loving the celtic mythology in this, intentionally or not cause the names, the focus on weapons like the bows. even the kalkara called to mind the bears of celtic mythology and lore. the fear of fire and the impenetrable armour and everything felt straight out of scotland.

also as a history nerd and a historical lit/fantasy nerd the boar scene delighted me sm because i feel it does shades and shadows more justice to the ferocity and danger that went to boar hunting. like those beasts are HUGE. pigs in general are ginormous. so many people now a days are so urban they no longer see meat before it’s been slaughtered and sanitised so they have this slight dissociation with their food. it’s not really meat but a pink blob. and that affects how we interact with hunting and omivorism in general. but this felt so REAL AND CONNECTED GOSH I LOVE IT.

also the towns people feel. real. not overly important as to break you from the story but their not idiots. will knows them well enough and shares in with them and their beliefs and so do his friends so they don’t feel distinctly npc-like to the point where it puts you off cause will and co feel like they’re being written above the rest.

anyway those are some of my rambling first impressions sorry for the spelling mistakes it’s like 1 am here.

[twink-between-worlds]

giving the snippet/ficlet/whatever it is u posted the ao3 treatment because HOLT SHITT

anyway. I’m completely normal about this

4 the sake of not taking up space here is the relatable legend counter: 6

every time I read a moment that’s relatable i’ll add a number. okay now i’ll start

I fear i’ve already added a number

the evil prince guy!! wasn’t he from adventures of link? or something? idk but that’s such a good addition. more angst. >:)

I love how u give him so much depth. this feels like an actual guy going thru some shit instead of Character from the Shows

ledge that was a compliment don’t overthink it

ledge that was an attempt to make u feel better don’t overthink it

ledge u need a proper vacation whether u like it or not. also therapy. lots of therapy. fable get your brother therapy (and also possibly some citalopram)

the heroes need 2 stop being rude abt the stutter. (is it right 2 assume that this is abt ledge/wild/sky being bullied in the fandom? + projecting that attitude onto the other links 2 show how it affects the three? or am I overthinking?)

either way this was a great read if our printer actually worked this would be printed. framed. or possibly made into the worlds tiniest pocketbook. idk but I would happily show it off <3

-Hannah

legend is so complicated. to me. i do not buy everyone's shallow interpretation of him. hes complicated in every sense of the word and i don't know how im the only one who sees this...

i like to make legend spiral when minor things happen. because i like to think he's had to do Important Work since he was, like, 9. and he would spiral over something as small as breaking a mug.

chronic overthinker over here!! (someone needs to tell him he's fine basically every day or he will spiral. he does not get reassurance often.)

the twins both need therapy so bad but they're terrible and decided theyre just going to cancel each other's concerning traits out with their own. like. fable cancels legends concerning traits out w her own concerning traits, n legend does the same for her. but good lord do they need it.

legend gets to have our speech issues. as a treat. hes basically just experiencing what we usually experience LOL. (and yes!! it is absolutely showcasing how they treat (in this case) legend in the form of the other links!! maybe itll click this way (< it unfortunately probably wont))

[loki-who-remains]

The soundtrack for season 2 is unbelievable. I thought nothing could beat season 1 music, but Natalie Holt did it again. I’m in awe. I can't wait for Vol.2.

I’m not a musician, I don’t really distinguish different instruments apart from general terms, but for myself I summarised that strings mainly belong to Loki and Sylvie, the theremin to TVA and Mobius, chorus/voices to HWR and Victor Timely. And again, it comes in three.

Burden of Wisdom

This is the first track for season 2 and it actually starts with the same whispery voices that can be heard in He Who Remains, which is the last track for season 1! I recommend listening to both in chronological order. The contrast between them, the character and gravity they convey. Ugh!

Theremin, chorus and strings are intertwined in a heartbeat-like sound. In this track you can actually hear a bit of the TVA theme but performed on Loki’s strings, as if he's accepted his fate paved for him and Sylvie by HWR. It does sound like a burden.

One Shot

It’s complex music with a lot of drama, hope and despair but also a happy ending. And it is a complicated sequence when Loki time slips to the future, is pruned and gets back to the present. The harp and chorus sound almost asgardian. It’s very stringy, and there are Sylvie’s strings this time too, and an epic, heroic build-up and Loki’s iconic fanfares when he is pulled from the time and soft lands on Mobius. To me personally this is very Sylkius somehow

Temporal Loom

It is the hard of the TVA, so the music sounds like a heartbeat, slightly irregular, quickening by the end. The whispers, and then the epic chorus. You can clearly see a small fragile man on the gangway against this monstrous merciless machine.

Zaniac

This is a banger. 70s disco beat, something from a James Bond movie. But if you listen closely, you can hear strings from Loki Green Theme in the background. They sound ominous but not loud enough for Brad to take it seriously just like he underestimates his opponents just a moment later. Loki’s strings and TVA’s theremin make pretty damn good combo, I love it I love it I love it so much.

Delivery

Such hopeful, pensive music. You know the history was altered that very moment and can’t be undone, this boy will change everything for better or for worse. In the end, the ultimate power in the universe are books in right (or wrong) hands. Chorus is there and is very prominent, not a whisper but almost angelic choir.

Time to Go

I looooove how this one starts so non-HWRy! Very playful, funny and slightly chaotic which suits Victor’s luminary persona that he puts on to hide his vulnerable soft self. It also has Loki’s iconic fanfares, performed by a woodwind this time. It doesn’t match with Loki’s appearance like in One Shot, but still is a really nice touch. And then it’s calm, pensive and somehow lonely. And that’s how Victor is, really.

O. B.

OB’s theme sounds like something from the future. His main notes are simple, optimistic tones arranged with electronic background. It stands out from all other TVA personnel related music. Just like him: a genius unstoppable engineer, alone in his department who won’t hold a grudge for this, always busy, always happy to see his colleagues and work in a team

Your Girl

Hauntingly beautiful and tragically romantic, but with undertones of static, Jaws and a villain theme from a horror movie.

I don’t wanna stop but I will because I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself and don’t have enough words to describe music. No, no, okay, one more

Tricks

The thrill of the chase. Brad's personality aside, it's terrifying to be chased by someone you can neither outrun nor outtrick. Makes you think what would happen if Loki suddenly changed his mind and turned into a full mode villain. Q&A has a similar vibe but with far more dark undertone.

okay I really need to stop here

All I wanna say is, Natalie Holt knows how to convey the essence of a character through music

[bosstoaster]

Characters: Matt Holt or MGS Ocelot (or both)

I have more to say bout Matt so we'll go with that! (But this is very kind of you lol)

Sexuality headcanon Pansexual. He canon dated a robot, I think this is pretty well supported

OTP I love him and Shiro still ;_;

BroTP Him and Pidge, obviously, but I also love Hunk in there. Just geeky things

NoTP Probably him and Lance, if anything? Just boring to me, and also b/c, ah, fandom

Headcanon I will die on the 'Matt is a sarcastic lil shit' hill. He's quick witted and not nearly smart enough to stay out of trouble. Gotta put being the commander's kid to use, right?

Favorite Line ...I'm going to be real I do not remember any of Matt's canon lines, lol.

Way I relat NEEEEEERD

Second hand embarrassment Flirting with Allura

Cinnamon roll or problematic fave? Cinnamon roll

[stillhavetodothat]

Replaying Nancy Drew without Cheating - Part 8: Danger on Deception Island

I’m going to go ahead and argue that this game, this charming, riveting, addictive game, is the start of a series of 3-5 games that are universally beloved by the Nancy Drew community. I don’t know many people who don’t genuinely have a nostaglic love for this game, me included. In fact, I would have considered this my second favorite for many many years, right after Treasure in a Royal Tower, which can never be replaced in my heart.

I’m also going to go ahead and tell you: this was the first game that I didn’t feel like I needed to cheat even once. The only thing I slightly struggled with was the anagram puzzle from Hilda (BTW, I have a bone to pick with Nancy’s “handy dandy Anagram Buster.” How is this thing handy dandy? I can do what it does using a sheet of paper. It doesn’t bust anagrams at all. Who would have made such a useless piece of software?) Overall though, I don’t think the puzzles are particularly hard, and there’s always something to do next, so there is very little aimless meandering about in confusion. I’ve also played this a fair number of times, so there’s that too.

This is a classic and will always be one of my absolute favorites. It has some of the coolest, most unique elements out of any game, not to mention a top notch soundtrack, and I can guarantee that I will be replaying this game for many years to come.

Some of my thoughts:

1. I think one thing I like about this game is that it is a lot of looking around/snooping/figuring things out by yourself; the game does not rely on having a bunch of conversations with the suspects. In fact, in this play-through, I was surprised at how little Nancy actually does chat with other characters. There were times I was CRAVING some human interaction, but all I could say to people was “It was nice talking to you,” despite the fact that I hadn’t been TALKING to anyone at all.

2. Weird that the first thing Nancy does in this game is get obsessed with a random piece of driftwood that she finds in the water. Who even is she. I relate less and less to Nancy with each passing game.

3. Once again, fuck Nancy’s anagram buster. I hate anagrams, and I hate false advertising.

4. Katie Firestone will never not be a knock-off, more boring Joanna Riggs to me. She is so whiny and boring that giving her food poisoning actually gives me a goddamn dopamine rush (also, WHY does she have some much expired shit in her fridge anyway? The woman JUST went grocery shopping). Despite the fact that you never actually see her do anything wrong, I don’t blame the town for disliking her. I’d love nothing more than to grab my torch and pitchfork and run her out of Snake Horse Harbor alongside clam chowder queen Jenna Deblin and dungeness crab daddy Holt Scotto.

5. Speaking of Holt Scotto, someone go and check that man’s cholesterol levels. He must be slowly eating every male dungeness crab within 10 miles of Snake Horse Harbor, based on how he takes all the crabs visitors bring him and cryptically says that he’ll “take care of that crab” for you. 

6. The whole storyline of the tunnels under the town and the history of shanghaiing was the best part of this game. Wandering around underground, actually figuring out on your own (without having to be explicitely told) that the burglars had to have been using the tunnels to rob all the local businesses, finding your way into the sea caves - all very fun gameplay.

7. As cool as finding the orca in the sea caves is, I can’t imagine how scared shitless I would be in real life.

8. Why is Dr. Predoviciu casually the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen? Girl, TELL ME YOUR HAIR CARE ROUTINE!!

9. After winning a whale watching tour with Andy Jason and taking a bunch of photos, Nancy thanks Andy for letting her use his camera. Uh, is she getting these pictures at any point? Is he going to send her a USB flash drive or some shit? Why didn’t Nancy have her own camera (as a supposedly semi-famous and always prepared amateur detective)?? This makes absolutely no sense to me.

10. Why do we then basically have to force Andy to give us a keychain after the tour, when the keychain probably costs about 50 cents? The sign says the keychain is free to “everyone who takes our whale watching tour,” NOT to “everyone who PAYS for our whale watching tour.” What a crock of bullshit. For some reason, I had a crush on Andy Jason as a kid (that curly hair! that weirdly buff body!) but this playthrough made me realize that I actually loathe him to my very core.

11. Therefore, there is nothing more satisfying than this moment (not even making Katie Firestone throw up over the side of her boat):

12. Speaking of the ending, this game may have the best (or at least one of the best) ending sequences of any game. The fact that Nancy goes up to a RANDOM ASS FREIGHT BOAT, in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, CLIMBS ABOARD, has to STEALTHILY HIDE ON DECK TO NOT GET CAUGHT BY POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SMUGGLERS, and then FIND KATIE TIED UP BELOW DECK??? Fucking genius. Amazing. It might be the stupidest thing Nancy ever does (the only person she tells her plan to is ANDY FUCKING JASON, after all, so there is no one who would know where to look should she go missing), but it leads to a high-stakes, adrenaline-pumping last several minutes.

13. Hilda. Hilda MF Swenson. The fact that she calls Nancy the millisecond that Nancy finds whatever she was looking for is absolutely hilarious. Hilda is literally spending her life just watching Nancy’s every move through her binoculars, and giving her convoluted, long-winded puzzles to solve for absolutely no reason. Hilda is a more entertaining character than all the others put together.

Ugh, what a fantastic game. The only thing that is keeping me going after finishing is the knowledge that the next few games are equally as brilliant, so I know that I have much to look forward to. On my way to get screamed at by Shorty for picking a slightly underripe green bean. <3

[jackoshadows]

Here goes a theory I stumbled upon and couldnt believe existed: so aparently George has said in some interview somewhere that "the magic side of asoiaf is the least important and what matters is the real relations between the people of the story" and.... this led to the person concluding that all magic people/people who perform any supernatural power will come to die until the end of the books and that will mean peace will finally reign in westeros. Also, the person considered the way Jon would stay alive despite having some magic of rhollor in himself.

Im still trying to process this theory. Thoughts?

George has said in some interview somewhere that "the magic side of asoiaf is the least important and what matters is the real relations between the people of the story"

Really? I have never come across fantasy writer George RR Martin saying that the magic is the least important part of his story. Can someone send me this interview.

I have read this one though:

And it is important that the individual books refer to the civil wars, but the series title reminds us constantly that the real issue lies in the North beyond the Wall. Stannis becomes one of the few characters fully to understand that, which is why in spite of everything he is a righteous man, and not just a version of Henry VII, Tiberius or Louis XI. 

And this one:

Tommy’s me … but no more than all the others. Robb is me in “Song for Lya,” as Dirk is me in Dying of the Light … though Arkin Ruark and Jaan Antony in that one are both me as well. Abner Marsh is me, as his proud sidewheeler Fevre Dream is the excursion boat to Far Rockaway, only the passengers drink blood instead of Kool-Aid. Sandy Blair is J-school me, Peter Norten is chess club me, Kenny Dorchester is me trying to lose weight. Holt in “The Stone City,” he’s the kid lying in the grass, staring up at distant stars. Trager is me on a dark night of the soul, bleeding poison from three wounds named Josie, Laurel, Rita. Jon Snow has me in him, and Sam Tarly. The women too, Lyanna and Shaara, and the girls, Arya and Adara … Daenerys Stormborn, searching for that house with the red door. And Tyrion Lannister? Oh, yes. The Imp is me in spades, the horny little bastard.” 

And this one:

The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real … for a moment at least … that long magic moment before we wake.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to middle Earth.

[docolives]

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND… OLIVIA ANN HARTMAN

we used to laugh / flora cash 🎧

blood & muscle / lissie 🎧

keep climbing / delta goodrem 🎧

livvy is … the quintessential horse girl, red-bottomed shoes, crisp white linens on body and beds, family dinners, a soft heart, a determination to move mountains, a glass of wine in a manicured hand, that single tear in the corner of a blue eye, ocean sunrises, a best friend and sister all in one.

There's something to be said about the siren call of horses. Of all of the things that Livvy and I might have in common, our love of those is the biggest, most tying thing. A lot of people who know me online probably don't know that I was the owner of a (retired) thoroughbred racehorse, which was a literal dream come true of mine. I grew up like a lot of kids, fantasizing about having my own horse. I read the Thoroughbred series religiously, wishing that I could be Ashleigh Griffen, I knew movies like Black Beauty and The Last Unicorn by heart, watched Spirit over and over again... and that's the biggest thing that Livvy has taken from me. My horse girl days heavily inspired Livvy and her personality. We also share a love of soft pinks and the sounds of the ocean. It's just that it's our love of horses that fuels is: me to play Livvy, and Livvy to make them her life.

In relation to my other characters, I would say that Livvy is my princess. She grew up in an old money type family that has been in Merrock for years and years. I took a lot of inspiration from that sort of aesthetic: a character who wears high end fashion with Louboutin heels, never goes out without diamonds in her ears, paints her nails, has a lip gloss in every nook or cranny she can find... but has that quiet intensity to her that can burn if you get a little too close. Where Nari is a woman who is loud and outspoken and laughs at everything she sees and radiates sunshine and rainbows, Livvy is the kind of woman who is one step ahead of you mentally and has already figured out the question before it's been asked... but with a smile on her face and a polite word for everyone she comes up against.

My friends also inspired Livvy! I so badly wanted to play a character that would have strong connections to my friends, since she was coming in later down the line -- she was the wife of a dear friend's character, and the sister of Erin's Mandy; because Emily and Claire were born to play siblings! Because of Livvy's connection with Mandy, family became a strong, grounding point of who Livvy was, because of her connection with Nathan, love became something she desperately sough out, but always seemed to be struggling to find. The face claim of Claire Holt did inspire some things in Livvy, too -- her sense of wit and humor, her love of fashion (Livvy very secretly did modeling gigs years ago as a gentle nod to Claire always joking about being a model).

Career-wife, I was torn between a pediatrician and a physical therapist or a veterinarian when creating Livvy; I knew that I wanted her to be someone who helped and healed others, and had original settled on pediatrician when I realized it would be easier to build connections with others in the same field... but instead wrote it into her (somewhat tragic) backstory of having a lover who lost a child when she was still a very young woman, herself. Ironically, I had chosen physical therapist around the time that I broke my foot and uh, had to consider doing that. It felt right! I actually don't like anything medical-related, which is why I'm slowly transitioning her away from working in offices, to working with horses. My desire to play a healer who makes lives good again is so much more achievable around the smell of leather and hay.

There was a sort of 'second round of inspiration' for Livvy that kicked in once she was once again a single woman figuring life out, which is when Livvy 2.0 was born. Girl boss Livvy. High standards Livvy. Love yourself Livvy. Her personality did change a little bit, in which she was no longer afraid to go after what she wanted and be who she wanted to be, instead of the princessy girl most people were intimidated to get to know and talk to. That inspiration, I took from who we all wish that we could be. Strong, independent women as beautiful inside as they are outside.

Livvy's personal life is, mostly, personal. Originally, she was supposed to fix her marriage and go on to have babies and live a happy life -- things don't always work out, and instead, she ended up filing for divorce. But the original inspiration was two people who had broken in every conceivable way, but were mending and fixing things day by day. These days, my inspiration for her love life is a girl who thinks she just wants to have fun and not care about relationships or connections, but deep down, is lonely at night. Not me, necessarily, but people of that age bracket who tell themselves they're fine, when really, they want more out of their lives. Friendship-wise, Livvy was inspired by those girls in high school who were popular with everyone: the cheerleaders, the math nerds, the choir girls, the witchy types... simply because she was kind to them, maybe a little quiet. That translated well into adulthood. And, of course, she's a cat person. I'm a cat person. If you guys haven't figured this out yet, you pretty much will in time.

Oh, and listening to a lot of music by women -- Livvy's playlist is one of those playlists that's like, 90% songs by women. It's hard not to be inspired by songs by women about heart break or standing tall, or figuring things out as they go.