#i hope this makes a lick of sense

[blankeststateofmonsters]

“Red is the sun, Blue is the moon” “Blue is the sun and Red is the moon-“

OKAY, but what if Red and Blue are the moon and the sea??? What if the moon is seen as quiet and mysterious, while the waves can crash and sway?? What if the sea is always reaching for the moon but is never able to quite make it there?? What if the moon gets to be so high and ethereal while the sea’s insecurities keep it tethered to the ground-?? What if the moon is a lonely figure, unable to reach the Earth and Sea because they’re forced to be the moon?? What if the storms block the moon and seas from even seeing each other??? What if the moon influences the ocean to change and adapt??

What then fuckface??

[suffersinfandom]

So. Magic.

[Text of an AO3 comment, cropped to leave out the writer: "I finally got a chance to finish S2 (unspoiled!) and came directly to this document after to devour its contents. But by the very first chapter I was taken aback by the concept that anyone in the world thinks Izzy's death is permanent. Did we even watch the same show? You can ignore literally every excellent piece of analysis here if you want - the fact remains that Buttons turned into a bird, through magic, in the third(?) episode, it never got mentioned again beyond maybe one throwaway line, and then that bird returns to Izzy's grave marker in the very last scene (other than the end stinger). There is zero reason for that to happen other than foreshadowing for Izzy/Buttons/magic/resurrection stuff to occur in S3 (if it hasn't already). What, do they think that Buttons was just super sad and paying his respects? I have like less than zero media analysis skills, I noticed basically nothing of what you pointed out in this entire document on my own, and yet I STILL picked up that there's more going on here."]

The thing is.

The thing is.

IS magic real in the world of OFMD?

I believe in my heart of hearts that Buttons is a seawitch who transmogrified himself into a seagull and I believe that cunty suit was cursed as heck, but I don't think that magic is strictly, technically, literally meant to be understood as real in OFMD.

(I know there are a few posts about the show's magic, so apologies if I rehash a half-remembered idea. Feel free to leave a link if you have any of those posts handy!)

OFMD's world is full of little magic. The Caribbean is easily traversed; people can find each other with no real issues (or avoid detection when that suits the story better); time and space are all hand-wavey. The world operates on vibes and convenience. If something needs to happen for the story's sake, it just does. Don't worry about it.

The show's big magic works the same way: we can analyze and try to parse out how stuff happens, but we're not asked to. Is the suit cursed or is Frenchie just allergic to peanuts? Did Stede bring Ed back to life or was Ed in a head injury-induced coma? Did Buttons turn into a bird or did an addled Ed lose track of Buttons in the woods? It doesn't matter, don't worry about it! What matters is that Stede (kind of) learned a lesson about listening to his crew and respecting their beliefs. What matters is that Stede's presence gave Ed the push he needed to save himself. What matters is the message behind Buttons' transformation: people can change.

The show's magic has some rules. When it comes to the big magic, there's always a logical out -- a way to explain it away and keep the story more-or-less grounded in reality. OFMD isn't going to give us some big, literal, onscreen magic act. It's not going to tell us that the Gravy Basket is an actual metaphysical location that souls swing by and anyone can be called back from. It's not going to show Izzy mystically resurrected after we saw him die a bloody death right in front of us.

Let's look at Buttons' transmogrification.

It's important that Ed is the only witness to his change because Ed is explicitly set up as an unreliable POV character in S2E4. We are told, in three different ways, that we can't trust what he sees (and what we see through him).

First: Roach, the closest thing we have to a medical professional, says that Ed is half-dead and brain-scrambled. His mind isn't right.

Second: Buttons says that Ed has one foot in the Gravy Basket and isn't entirely present. (Side note, but I don't think that Buttons using the term "gravy basket" is meant to establish it as an actual place. I believe this line is just meant to set up Ed as witness to the transformation; we don't need to read too much into Buttons, the character who Knows Things when convenient, saying it. Or, if you want to ground this in reality, you can assume that Buttons has talked about the Gravy Basket before and Ed subconsciously picked up on it.)

Third: Ed refers to a rabbit as a wolf, confirming that, yeah, he's having some issues with reality. Like, we don't really think that Ed can't identify a rabbit, right? I know the guy spends his time primarily on the ocean, but he's a genius who does, sometimes, set foot on land.

So Ed's out of it, and not even he has eyes on Buttons when the transformation is meant to occur. One minute we have a chanting Buttons, the next we have a seagull flapping around his transmogrification vessel. We all know that seagull is Buttons and he's off to make sweet love to the sea, but also... do we?

What matters is that Ed believes he saw a man turn into a bird so he could better love the sea. That's it! Ed, someone who desperately needed proof that people can change -- that he and Stede can change -- has that proof and can truly start healing. It's beautiful and I love it, ten out of ten, five stars, no notes.

If we're lucky enough to get a season three with Ewen Bremner in it, I fully expect a butt-naked Buttons to show up with absolutely no explanation. Maybe we get a few little wink-wink nudge-nudge moments hinting to his time as a seagull, but straight confirmation that magic is real would break the rules the show has established.

Anyway. All of this is really just my way of saying that Izzy's dead and it'd be extremely fucking weird and world-breaking if he crawled out of his grave thanks to bird magic.

[aparticularbandit]

Glass Onion Meta

because i have too many thoughts and also i want to compare it with knives out but only very vaguely because it’s been a while since i’ve seen the first movie but some of the commentary/analysis i want to make involves comparing the two.

so!

...below the cut because this might get long (and also apologies if this is rambly because it’s just me having thoughts and wanting to get them all out...or at least some of them out).

oh, obviously this includes major spoilers for glass onion and also includes maybe minor spoilers for knives out.

EDITED TO CORRECT AN ERROR RE: WHO STEPS UP FIRST AT THE END.

i think it’s important to start with the themes/point of glass onion being very different from those in knives out.  rian got asked in an interview about making movies about rich people who do horrible things, and i think the difference between the two is this: knives out is about rich people who do horrible things, but glass onion is about rich person who does horrible things.  this is why the big heart moment in knives out is revealing that marta didn’t kill harlan because she is a good nurse, but what should be the big heart moment in glass onion is not telling someone drowning in guilt that they are, actually, good but the people who were once good now have the strength to turn against their abuser.

in essence, glass onion is the exact opposite of knives out - where the first movie is about saving a singular person done wrong by multiple rich people, the second movie is about saving multiple people being done wrong by a singular rich person.

now - past that general etc. i don’t really want to delve into knives out much, other than to point out that the majority of the cast are rich entitled people who were born into rich and have grown up rich and have their entitlement as the result of that.  the only character like that in glass onion is miles, and it’s his corrupting influence - and abuse - that is the heart of my argument, really.

SO.

We need to start with the rest of the family - and yes, I will refer to the core six (Andi, Claire, Lionel, Birdie, Miles, and Duke) as a family because I feel like they are.  I think that’s best set up in the first scene in seeing how Lionel, Claire, Birdie, and Duke play off of each other; how Birdie and Lionel have Claire’s speech on the news playing where they’re intended to be paying attention to it (Birdie’s Birdie, so she’s distracted, and Lionel appears to have intended to host a group of people sitting and seeing Claire’s discussion on tv except that he got pulled into a meeting with who I think were probably the other Alpha scientists?); and how Lionel and Claire, as soon as they get the box from Miles, are immediately on the phone with each other, expect Birdie and Duke to show up, and then all four of them are just ribbing on each other good-naturedly the entire time.  They are a family.  They are a family.  And you see that at its best with those four (and particularly, I think, with Lionel, Claire, and Birdie).  These six people know each other, and as far as they know, they all love each other (at least prior to everything with Andi and Miles’ dispute re: Alpha, but we’ll get into that).  Even more to that point, every year they basically go on a big family vacation that Miles funds, and when they go, they don’t take the rest of their family (Birdie brings Peg because Peg is all of her brain cells and Duke brings Whiskey because Whiskey can get to Miles, but Claire doesn’t bring her husband (or assumed kids) and Duke doesn’t bring his mom, even though he still lives in her basement).  This is for them.  Their family.  Not everyone else.

Anyway.

We need to start with the rest of the family, and more importantly, we need to start with Andi.  The movie itself tells us that Andi found the other four first because she saw their potential - a substitute teacher, a washed up model, a YouTuber who couldn’t get off the ground, and Claire who is apparently in her thirties and still running for student council president, maybe I heard that wrong and she was trying for school board head or something, there’s something off there (EDIT: correction re: Nonnie heard clearer than me!) a failed attempt at city council president but they’re all trying to do something with their lives and failing and Andi looks at them and says, hey, there’s something here, something good, and all of us together can get to that something good.

And to Andi’s point, she’s right.

Lionel is more than a substitute teacher; he’s a scientific mind who probably keeps Alpha afloat (after Andi leaves - which means scientifically speaking, he’s probably the closest to her level, but he’s a science guy, not a business guy, which is where Andi probably excels more).

Birdie is more than a washed up model - which sounds like a bit of a stretch until you realize that, yeah, she did create a fashion line and then created an entire sweatpants line.  (Like Lionel, she is not business savvy.  Birdie gets the raw end of the stick here because she has no brain cells, but she’s not entirely dumb.  She knows fashion.  She just doesn’t keep track of much else.)

Duke is able to influence millions of people once he finds the right crowd (Twitch and YouTube run differently; what does well on Twitch does not always do well on YouTube and vice-versa; this is one of those things that I’ve heard some of the YouTubers I follow talk about in terms of their attempts on Twitch, not something I know from experience, but Twitch is run differently.  It uses a different skill set).

Claire is actually a very skilled and capable politician provided she has the right connections and backing.

They are all very good at what they want to do; they are just missing the connections to do it.

Which is where Miles comes in.

Miles has no skills.  The movie calls him an idiot.  He steals outright from people.  But what Miles has are connections and money, which is what the fam needs.  They need a sponsor.  Miles becomes their sponsor.

And it’s worth noting that other than Andi, none of them like Miles until he sponsors them.  Miles literally buys his way into the fam.  (And I think it’s worth noting that Miles does have a certain charisma to him.  He’s full of shit.  We know he’s full of shit.  But he’s so good at redirecting and talking around and using words that are close but not quite the right word that we don’t notice he’s full of shit.  That’s how he gets through to Andi, and once he gets through to Andi, that’s how he gets through to the rest of the fam.)

Even Andi depends on Miles’s connections and money to get Alpha off the ground.  They’re partners.

And, to an extent, I’d argue they’re the fam parents.  Andi brought them all together, she created the fam, she’s their mom.  Miles gives them presents and money and introduces them to the rest of the business world; he’s their dad.

Roughly speaking.

And I think in the decade that the fam is together, they probably do think of themselves as a family.  Sometimes maybe Miles asks them to do stuff they don’t like, but he also always gets them out of trouble when they fall into something.  When Duke makes a bad call and gets banned from Twitch, Miles gets him right back up again.  When Birdie makes a bad call and decides to start her sweatpants line, Miles supports her doing it.  He helps them out, and he expects them to help him out.

I think while Miles and Andi were together, it’s quite likely that she reined him in.  They were partners.  They did things together.  (She probably would not have supported the sweatshops in Bangladesh, but she was gone by then.  She also would not have thrown Birdie under the bus for that because that was on Miles and also she would have known that Birdie wouldn’t know what that means.)

Like - the fam aren’t rich entitled jerks.  They’re normal people.  People with the potential to do good - great - things.  People who, yes, take advantage of Miles’s sponsorship to do those good things.  And build their lives around being able to do those things with the sponsorship of their admittedly very rich friend - but it’s not taking advantage because he’s always there to help them and provide for them and offer these things for them.  Initially with no strings attached.  And then maybe with some strings, but they’re very small strings, and they aren’t really bad things, it’s fine, and Andi’s okay with it, so that’s not really a string, that’s just family helping family.

And then Andi tells Miles no.

Andi, the strongest, the brightest, the best of them, the one who brought them all together, tells Miles no, and he cuts her out of the company founded on her ideas.

Andi is absolutely ruined, and they see Andi get absolutely ruined, and they come to the realization that their friend who has been nothing but a friend is actually not a friend and not only can cut them off but will completely ruin them if they get in his way.

Andi tries to go up against Miles, but by then he’s gotten to them and proven to each of them that he will absolutely destroy them if they try to side with Andi.

At this point, I think for most of them it’s not about the money.

It’s about seeing everything they have done, everything they have tried to do, all of the good they are trying to put into the world - Claire is a governor, she is trying to do so much good for her state, and she wants to do so much more good for her country; Lionel is a scientist, and maybe some of Miles’s ideas are crap, but some of them are genuinely good, and he is the one person who Miles actually sometimes listens to (except on Klear, when he wouldn’t even listen to Andi, why would he ever listen to Lionel?  especially when he put all of their money into funding it, it has to work and Miles has always been about finding ideas that work and bringing them into his fold so that he can control them); Birdie doesn’t have any brain cells, so for her this is less about putting good into the world and more about sticking with her fam (we see this at the end, she goes where Lionel and Claire go; Birdie trusts her family so much that she wouldn’t question doing what Miles asks, which is how she ends up in the sweatshop problem (I think Andi is the one who hired Peg because Peg is actually capable at what she does, and I think Miles is the one who suggested Birdie have a secret phone just for communicating with him behind Peg’s back)); and Duke...by this point is mostly a lost cause, but he’s still a mama’s boy (honestly, I think Duke took after Miles, he looked to Miles first and foremost, and he’s the most likely to actually have the influence and money to get out from under Miles if he had enough sponsorship to get there, but Miles is never going to give him that because Miles needs Duke dependent on him) - it’s about seeing all of that completely ripped to shreds and destroyed, not about the money.

They’re not entitled rich people; they are normal people who needed money and connections, who gained money and connections through one singular person, and then realized that one singular person who they thought was their friend really, really was NOT their friend.

And realizing that there was no way out from under his control without losing everything.

And then being stuck.

I think it’s quite possible that if Andi had found the napkin earlier, Lionel and Claire would have sided with her maybe because she would have had actual hard evidence she could stand on, and if Lionel and Claire sided with Andi, Birdie would have followed.  Not sure about Duke.  Duke’s murky.  But without actual physical evidence and proof, it becomes he said; she said, and when dealing with Andi who has already been devastated vs. Miles who even without Alpha has all of that money and connections and influence and could probably still destroy them if they turn on him--

Dad might be an abusive asshole, but if we pretend to like him, if we are his good little children, then maybe he won’t hurt us the way he hurt Mom.

It’s an abusive family relationship.

And once Mom is out of the way, Dad can be worse.  Especially because Miles knows that he has the control over them that he wants, especially because that control has been tested and he’s been proven the winner, especially because he has people in place now to do whatever he wants whenever he wants it, all he has to do is threaten them.

Except that Andi finds proof.

Lionel may have been giving Miles a general heads up because Andi didn’t send that email to Miles, she sent it to her family.  The people she found.  The people she still loved.  The people who might come back and join her now that she has actual proof.  But Lionel is still under Miles’s employ, and he’s still the person who is supposed to be keeping Miles in check (and failing), and without Andi, he and Claire become the new...not parents, but they’re the oldest children here, they’re the ones closest to what Miles is doing, and they depend on each other to keep each other going.

Helen asks if they’re interested in how Andi’s doing or if they’re interested in the envelope, but the thing of it is that yeah, they’re interested in the envelope because if that holds what they think it does, that gets them out.  It isn’t about let’s destroy the envelope to save Miles, it’s let’s talk about this so we can see where to go from here.

Because the additional problem here is that they are all now perjurers because they lied on the witness stand, so if they walk back their testimony, then they are now felons, and I don’t know about you, but I feel like that would at least wreck Claire’s chances at senate (or staying on as governor if she’s not in senate).  Like - that seems like it was a fairly public trial, and having to go back and redo things would be an even more public trial, and turning back now would also ruin their reputations, even if it doesn’t ruin them financially or etc.  Which is just another thing Miles now has over them.

So of course it’s a we need to talk about this, not because they don’t care about Andi, but because it affects all of them and they need to get this right if they’re going to try and go against Miles with all of his money and connections and influence.  Because yeah, Andi could use that and win, but what would be the cost?  They need to talk about it.

And all of that weight is there when Helen asks them to side with her, but now also they know that Miles has killed two of them.

Which means if there is another extended trial they also have to worry about whether or not he will try to kill them, too.

And like - now it’s not just reputation, it’s not just the life they have built for themselves, it’s their actual lives - and Duke’s already dead, so he doesn’t have to worry about his mom, but Claire’s got an entire family who Miles could go after and threaten if he wants - and, like, even if they were okay with risking reputation, you are asking them in front of a literal murderer to put their lives on the line to fight him, knowing that he has already murdered the best of them to get his way.

Helen has not dealt with Miles.  She’s doing this for Andi.  It’s like an outsider telling you how to deal with getting out of an abusive situation and there’s no safe way to do it, you can’t find a safe way to do it, and you certainly don’t agree to it in front of the fucking abuser where he will hear you.

Which is why the heart of the ending has to be when they agree to fight him.

When Claire says I saw the gun.

When Birdie says I saw the napkin.

When they all agree that enough is enough (in this case, enough happens to be turning all of the houses in America into mini Hindenburgs like they just lived through).

When Lionel says I saw Miles driving away after Andi was killed.

The movie starts with these three (and then Duke) and their reactions to getting something from Miles - and it’s most telling in Claire’s, how even though she’s zooming into a news station to talk about her campaign for senate, she’s still looking off to where the package from Miles might be, but it’s telling even in Lionel’s because he’s already trying to cover for Miles, and then there’s that present, and even with Helen, when we think she’s Andi, seeing her just destroy it - the movie starts with the power Miles has over all of them, and it has to end with them trying to break out of that power.

The catharsis isn’t just Miles gets what’s coming to him; it’s these people have finally had enough of the abuse and have decided to try and get out.

And I hope they stick with that, I hope they get out, I hope they reconvene with Helen and fight because Miles is in enough of a vulnerable spot that they can get out, finally.  I hope that they are honest about what happened on that island.

...and I hope they are able to rebuild what little family they have left and that they pull Helen into it, if they can.

[seshen]

With people watching bluey, I wonder how the kaiba bros would react. I know Seto would be calling it childish and not want to watch it at all. Mokuba would have to be the one to convince him to watch it. I feel like they would cry. Not like shed a few tears cry but like bawling and crying so hard they throw up. It doesn't even have to be one of those hard hitting episodes. Just something showing them playing and having a normal childhood. idk they just have a lot of trauma to unpack.

[the-clotpole-and-the-disgrace]

barbie is one of the best aroace characters ive seen on the big screen yet. in a world where aspecs are slowly getting more recognition, hence increasing the targeted negativity from others that comes with not confirming to societal standards, having such a well known character not only have no interest in sex or romance while others in her environment do, but showing that her lack of romantic or sexual feeling is not something that stands in the way of her being her true fulfilled self sends a powerful message against amatonormativity. in this essay i will

[clowningaroundmars]

my personal atsv hobie brown hc is that this boy can build a watch that enables the wearer to travel to any dimension they want to, made entirely out of cobbled up parts he "finds"

but anytime anyone brings up AI or algorithms or social media he pretends to be 100 years old

hobie: what's a bloody "snapchat"? fuckin 'ell those effects are nightmarish, mate

miles, exasperated: hobie, you BUILD TECH that astrophysicists in my dimension can't even replicate. how are filters on a phone trippin you up?

hobie: dunno, everyone's got their strengths n weaknesses, i 'spose... 🙄😒

[one-idea]

Marineford goes from extremely tragic to hilarious if you think of it like a DnD complain.

Ace’s player and Luffy’s player are actual brothers.

Ace started playing in late high school / freshman year of collage his first campaign was with the spade pirates but the group fell apart because the other players got job/ went to different schools / just life.

But Ace loved his character and wanted to keep playing. His friend, who played Masked Deuce, wanted to keep playing as well but wanted his character to be more combated focused. So he created the character of Marcos. (Both doctors and first mates, both friends with Ace) They got some new friends and kept playing in the same world just with a new crew

Whitebeard’s player is definitely Marco’s players actual dad. They need another player and Whitebeard loves his son and was like “I’ll play!” He either knows nothing about the game or has been playing since the 80’s and is the most knowledgeable person at the table. There is no in between.

The DM is probably Shanks or Rayleigh. I like to think it’s Shanks and his level 20 character he’s had for years just pops up occasionally to solve problem that the party needs help with.

Anyhow Luffy has heard Ace talk about DnD for years but he doesn’t have any friends to play with. So when he goes to college it’s like his number one goal.

Make friends,

make friends play DnD.

(We will talk about the Strawhats chaos later)

So everything’s going great. Ace visited Luffy and joined in on a few of their sessions. Still plays Ace, he loves this character, he’s played him for like four years now. But he gets to know Luffy’s friends and joins them for a bit in Alabasta.

He goes back to his campaign and tells the whole group about Luffy (he has been for years but now he can talk about Luffy’s complain) and everyone wants him to bring Luffy around to play with them.

But then tragedy. The whitebeards have to disband, most of them are graduating, Marco’s player is going to med school it’s just going to be a long time before they can all sit down and play again.

So they decided to go out with a bang!

The Dm has Ace get captured and they plan this elaborate jail break for the party. But it just so happens Luffy is going to be on break at the same time as their last few sessions. And wouldn’t it be great if he joined them!

So the Dm (they are Dming both games god bless them) has the strawhats split up (they are all going on break and it’s a fun story reason for why they all won’t be together) then he pulls Luffy aside and is like, how do you feel about playing with your brother’s group? Luffy’s pumped he’s never been so excited.

So Luffy does all of impel down. Ace is there cheering him on and having fun role play at the same time. His friend Jinbei had wanted to try playing for a while so they gave him a character card and him and Luffy escaped Jail together.

But then we get to the actual Marineford season. It last for hours. There’s combat. There’s roll play. What none of the players knew, was that Whitebeard had approached the Dm about his character dying in combat protecting his kids. (He wanted this to be a memorable session for his son and his friends, they all cried, they loved it)

But then Ace get caught up in it all (this was not planed) and ends up getting his character killed. The table is in shock. There is no way that just happened!

Luffy is sobbing. His brother just sacrificed the character he had played for four years to save his character. He knows how much Ace means to his brother. He’s an actual reck. He had loved Ace to.

Ace’s player is upset, he did love that character, but it’s part of the game. It happens. He’s more upset about how hard Luffy’s taking it.

After the session the two brothers are hanging out. Luffy is apologizing for getting Ace killed and his brother, who’s played for years, and wants to make his brother laugh, says no worries want to help me make a new character?

So they spend the break writing a new character and working them into Ace and Luffy’s back story.

Later when the strawhats are all back together (breaking the news to them that Ace’s character had died was wild!) they are playing and making their way to Dressrosa. A new friend, Law, has joined them. And he is being so serious about his character’s serious back story.

Then Ace’s player roles in like “can I join for a session or two?” All the Strawhats are thrilled, they had a great time playing with him during the Alabasta arc. The Dm says sure and asks about his character.

The two brother’s just smirk at each other and the player introduces his new character: Sabo

They explain the back story, this is Luffy’s OTHER big brother. The strawhats are dying. Law is over them, this is serious! The Dm is just exasperated “you don’t have the Mera Mera fruit.” He’s trying to drive home that this is a different character. Ace/Sabo’s player agrees and they start playing.

Except the Dm loves to troll and brings in the Mera Mera fruit. And everyone already knows what’s about to happen.

Sabo eats the fruit and his player yells “thank god” throws Sabo character sheet to the side. And before anyone can ask why he pulls back out Ace’s character sheet crosses off Ace’s name and writes Sabo next to it (he also raises his intelligence stat)

Character name: Ace Sabo

“I’m back baby!”

I just love that anytime he pops in him and Luffy just say the most ridiculous things about their back stories.

“Remember how Ace had a tattoo of his name spelled wrong to show that he’s not book smart. Well that was a lie. He did it to represent Ace, Sabo, Crybaby, and Edward Newgate.” Ace/Sabo’s player says with Luffy nodding aggressively besides him.

Whitebeard player find out. Finds it all hilarious and is flattered Ace/Sabo’s player brought his character into their nonsense.

Every now and then Marco and Ace/Sabo will come play at the same time and Marco always ends up calling Sabo Ace for the whole session.

[the-phantom-peach]

Hi! Hope you're doing well. I really like the way your art looks, and wanted to ask if you have any advice on how to stop the endless ctrl+Zing that happens when you're doing lineart? (Was gonna post a gif showing it but it won't let me send links in asks) -- Have a good one o/

I hope this was what you were referring to ^^’

I’m not the best person to ask about ctrl-Zing haha, but I hope this is something that can help!

[yourtamaki]

if u ever wanna yap abt ace im here to listen 🫶🏼🫶🏼

you’re the sweetest for letting me ramble

actually i’ve been thinking about ace and how bad sex is when you first get together STAY WITH ME!!

he just wants it to go well so bad. ace has so much of his self-worth tied up in what he can do for you. if there’s anything he can do to make your life easier or better, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

but all that means is that the first time you undress each other and fall into bed, all his attention is focused on you. he makes you cum on his fingers and his tongue more than you can count but every time you try to reach out and touch him, ace is pulling away. he doesn’t think he deserves it, not yet, not when he can do better.

it’d probably get to the point where you feel a little alone cause while yes, he’s touching you and making you feel good, ace is concentrated to the point of being distant and quiet.

it may take awhile for him to grasp that sex isn’t something he does to you but with you. even when he does start to be more present, it’s still an uphill battle cause he’s terrified of what you’ll see if he’s that vulnerable with you.

eventually, being that open and connected with you will be as easy as breathing and sex will be fun and fulfilling for both of you but it takes a lot of work for both of you to get there

[cowchickenbeefpork]

I'm almost done with season 2 ( on epside 6 rn) and I felt so bad for making no contribution to this fandom since this is genuinely one of the best shows I've seen so uhm. Have a lyricpost that makes no sense I think

Interview with the vampire (2022-) II Cosmia by Joanna Newsom

[cuubism]

"Nice place you have here," says Desire, sliding into the booth opposite Hob.

Hob, unfortunately, recognizes them by voice alone. Desire speaks with the melody of an arpeggio, smoothed into oblivion by the sustained press of a piano pedal. Drag without release, in comparison to Dream's resounding deep notes.

"Never seen you here before," Hob says, instead of get out of my pub. He doesn't actually need to start a fight.

"I've decided to respect my brother's play set for now," Desire says archly, as if this is a huge consideration on their part. "He's been through so much recently, after all."

"And you've been so much help with that," Hob says.

Something dangerous flashes briefly in Desire's eyes, and Hob remembers how fickle they can be. Like fire, Dream had said.

Then it subsides. "Careful, Robert," they say easily, leaning on their hand, "one might think you've chosen a side."

No thinking about it, Hob thinks. "Families shouldn't have sides."

"Oh, ours isn't supposed to," Desire agrees. "And yet."

And yet. "Is there something in particular that has you breaking your self-imposed generosity today?"

It's one day before his and Dream's usual meeting, after all. That can't be a coincidence. Technically, they meet all the time now, but they always keep June 7th for nostalgia's sake.

"I simply enjoy the atmosphere," says Desire, leaning back in their chair. They thrust out a hand, and a rainbow flag flutters off the wall into their grasp, drawn by their whims. Desire drapes it over their shoulders.

"I guess that makes sense," Hob says.

Desire raises an eyebrow.

Hob gestures at them. "Desire. Isn't that your thing?"

They give him a crafty smile, a little teeth, that suggests Hob's going to learn something he may not entirely like. "Well, it is certainly of interest to me."

"Of interest," Hob echoes. Might as well say fire was "of interest" to a pyromaniac. "Isn't that what you do? Dream makes dreams, and..." he trails off.

"I am Desire," they say. "So, in a way, I feel all desires at all times. Yes, even yours, Robert." They pat him on the cheek, and wink. "I know what you feel."

Hob's cheeks heat, but Desire doesn't linger on it, thankfully.

"But, my own desire? Hm, no, not in the way you would think."

"But you--" Hob doesn't know how to phrase the confusion in his mind.

Desire runs their tongue along their lower lip. "Are you calling me a slut, Robert?"

"Would take one to know one, I suppose," Hob says before he can even think about it, and Desire laughs, bright and loud.

"You are so cute. You would be delicious if you weren't obsessed with Dream. But, no. I can feel desired," Desire says, emphasizing the past tense. The objective nature of it. "But that, while certainly tasty, is not quite the same as feeling it oneself, now is it?"

What might it be like, Hob thinks, feeling a pang of sympathy for them despite how they've treated Dream, how he'd automatically marked them as an enemy in his mind, to be surrounded by wanting and not be able to feel it?

"I... guess not," he says. "So you don't want anything?"

Desire shrugs. "I enjoy things. But if I can't have them, it simply passes like--" they pull off the flag and let it flutter to the floor "-- a gust of wind. And I move on to something else. Otherwise, I chase others' desires. Your inn is full of them. Desires for peace, for belonging, for change and magic and-- yes, lust, too, but more of an undertone. It is..." they run their tongue over their teeth, thinking. "Aromatic."

"What does desire 'taste' like?" Hob asks.

"Why don't you tell me," Desire says.

"I'm not going to lick you," Hob says, and Desire cackles.

"Open offer," they say. "Be all metaphorical like Dream, then."

"Alright, fine." Hob decides to indulge them, because he has actually learned something interesting today. "It's like... the smell of a good meal. You don't quite... taste it, exactly? But you can imagine tasting it."

"Good answer," says Desire, and steals his drink for a sip. "I knew I could count on you to listen, Hob."

Hob's not sure if it's the tone, like something long undecided has now been settled, or if it's the use of his old nickname, but suddenly the afternoon tilts, and Hob realizes with a swoop in his stomach that they're here for a purpose, and not just poking at Dream.

The Endless almost never communicate directly, Hob knows this. Goddammit.

"I've spent a lot of time in these sorts of places, you know," Desire says, gesturing around. "They are right--" they interlace their fingers in example "--in the center of my realm."

"Depending on the year, I would have thought you and Despair together," Hob says, wary now that he's realized this is coming to some sort of point.

"A common assumption," Desire says, nodding like a teacher whose student is getting on the right track. "See, people often think my twin and I are opposites. Desire, Despair." They hold out both hands separately again, then clasp them. "But they don't have it right. Hope is the opposite of Despair. Do you know what the opposite of Desire is?" They reach across the table to tap their sharp nails against his sternum. "Shame."

"And that's... part of your domain, as well?" Hob guesses.

"Indeed. Who could know shame as well as one who desires? They both--" they lay their hand flat to his heart "--live here."

Hob supposes he himself has had plenty of desires over the years, and plenty of shame too -- though not necessarily over the same matters.

"Hence," they spread their hands wide, "my presence. The duality of Desire."

"So what do you do?" Hob asks. "When you're here because of shame, I guess."

"I am always both," says Desire. "But." They smile sweetly, and it actually does look sweet, for once. "I am merely here to hold your hand."

Hob must look at them with an expression of vague disgust, for they snort and roll their eyes.

"Not you, Robert. You!" They gesture broadly at the entire inn. "Death is always going on and on about serving humanity. I know how to do my job too, you know."

They frown at him, at the idea he might think otherwise, and it's-- it's actually kind of sweet, how much they care about this. It really is.

"That's sweet," he says, and Desire grumbles. Hob can't help but smile.

"I take the charge of those who live in the heart of Desire very seriously," they sniff. Their gaze slants over Hob's shoulder, watching something across the room. "Relatedly, if that man at the bar follows through on his desire to say something homophobic to those children on their date, I am going to shoot him."

"Ooookaaayyy," Hob says, snapping his fingers in front of their eyes until their attention turns back to him. Hob's bartender will handle any issues; he would really rather not have an Endless making a scene.

Desire smiles placidly at him. "What was I saying? Ah, yes. Desire and shame go hand in hand. Almost like dreams and nightmares, you might say."

Hob goes still again, on instinct. "Right."

"My sister and I are very close, even if we are not, actually, opposites. Dream and I were close, once." They drag their finger around the rim of Hob's glass. "Wanting. Dreaming. So similar, and yet, so different, too. It hurts, to really let yourself want what you've dreamt of. It hurts to desire, don't you think? It's sharp, like a blade."

"Yes," Hob says. "It is."

"Mmm. But shame... shame is like a heavy, warm blanket. It makes you want to just--" they mime pulling fabric over their head-- "disappear. My brother and I have a very complicated relationship. Perhaps, one day, we will be on better terms again, and he can tell me about his desires, and I can tell him about my dreams. I would love to know what it feels like."

Hob isn't sure if he's putting the pieces of this meandering conversation together correctly, but whatever he is picking up on, he doesn't like the sound of.

"Dream is always going on and on and on and on about the importance of dreams and it's so annoying but you know what? I'm starting to think he's right." They give Hob a warning glance. "Do not tell him I said that. But, yes, I'm afraid that desires without dreams hand in hand are just--" they slide their hand across the table and let it stop at the edge. "Impotent. Static. And god knows what good dreams even are without desire but Dream will never admit that."

"So you're what," Hob says, even though he knows this is not what this is about, "trying to mending fences?"

Desire smiles sunnily. "I just want him to call me. I'm bored, and he's spent far too much time in my sister's realm recently."

Then they stand in one fluid motion.

"What are you saying," Hob asks. He feels sort of faint, whiplashed.

"Oh, I've said nothing, I'm doing nothing. I merely don't want to have to fill an empty seat next June, that is all. I'll be far too busy." They wink, and then they're gone.

Hob sits still for a long time, after. He's still not sure he understood... all of that. He understands that the Endless aren't supposed to interfere in each other's affairs and that sometimes riddles result.

What he does understand is that if Desire, of all people, has decided to be helpful, then he definitely has something to be concerned about. Something he needs to do something about.

He shakily drains the rest of his glass, then stands. Hob has never gotten anywhere by being static.

Time to go try to do something about it.

[putuponpercy]

I need the episode where Edward spins a tale of a misbehaving engine that was so down right disobedient that after countless lectures and warnings fell on deaf ears its controller sent it away to have its smokebox door replaced and when it came back it had not only different personality but also a completely different face - like they're a different engine entirely and the one before that is gone.

And after Edward falls asleep the others joke and argue over whether there's any truth to it which - pah - of course there isn't right? Right?

A crash happens days later. There's damage. A lot of damage. There's whispers about needing a new smokebox door. Mass panic ensues. The railway's in shambles. Confusion from the left, delay from the right, disgruntled passengers forefront and center, and a very confused Fat Controller at the back wondering what has gotten into everybody because where are his engines?

Eventually one or several of them in panic ask the Fat Controller to try and repair the injured door rather than replace it because they don't want their friend to disappear which leaves him even more confused until Edward laughs and comes clean that he made the whole thing up and at that moment the injured engine comes back completely fine brand sparkling new smokebox door and all.

[oleander-nin]

Do you do gendered readers? Like, a male YN

uh not atm

do you want guys want me to possibly start doing gendered readers? I've gotten a couple requests asking for a gendered reader. Right now I keep everything as gender neutral as I can, but idk.

[greyroses02]

Norton and Orpheus are so indie rpg horror game visual novel coded.

[vroombeams]

amazing oscarmark fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 ive been well fed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do you have any tips on writing and getting work done? ive been in SUCH a fanfic writing burnout and i've been wanting to start with rpf writing but im SO scared to get any inaccuracies etc etc. your stuff is super inspiring and you're literally carrying oscarmark rn and ill be joining the train soon bc we need more commitment to this pairing.

hope your summer went well:) -that one oscarmark anon thats cheering you on always

AH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! so glad you've enjoyed your meal :')!!

tips-wise!! burnout fuckin stinks but it's important i think to let your brain chill when it happens. like if you're sitting there staring at a doc and no words are coming out or feeling good/right and all you feel is Miserable it's massively important to take a step back from it. it's so hard to have a healthy relationship with fandom creation. but remember we are here to have FUN this is a hobby, we're not getting paid, we're not on a time crunch and we don't have deadlines we are just simply mashing the blorbos together and GOING!

i think it's also hugely beneficial to consume as much non-fandom content as possible? watch a series or a movie play a video game read BOOKS i can not overemphasize the importance of putting words in your eyes!!

re: inaccuracies!! again this is fandom, so trying not to take it super seriously is helpful. but as far as accuracy goes, all you can do is focus on your own perception of the characters? everyone's going to have a different opinion on how each character should be handled and more often than not those opinions won't all 100% line up, so really just find what feels right to you!! watch interviews, read other fic of the characters that you want to write, figure out what bits of them feel Correct to you and incorporate it!!

on the productivity front i do want to note that like. i personally have popped out a pretty large amount of fic lately, which is an exception and not a rule. i'm not always going to be hammering out minifics, i will definitely dip in and out of inspiration and burnout myself. i want to make sure that what i've been doing isn't setting any sort of standard? everyone works at their own pace and sometimes you'll have a rocket-boost of inspo and sometimes you won't and both of those things are okay!!

tl;dr, try not to take it too seriously, remember to take breaks, eat a balanced media diet, remember to have FUN!!

i hope that some of this is at least a little bit helpful!! thank you for asking and thank you for cheering and i'm looking forward to having more little freaks in the oscarmark tag :]

[chainofclovers]

Being a human is literally like this weird combo of being okay and not okay that goes on forever except there is also death