#i love creating a character that is a direct mirror of another person because it forces them to confront their own shitty behaviors hehehe

[frankcastlescumslut]

I have been actively abusing google docs with the Matt Murdock x childhood best friend!OC series/novel I’m writing and my only goal for 2023 is to complete it.

It [the plot] is so good (to me!) and will put me on the radar as an established writer (me manifesting) and I will not feel ashamed or embarrassed about my work (my affirmation to myself).

thank you for coming to my tedtalk

[heliza24]

So I think we should talk about the Holocaust imagery in the trial

Because it was really powerful, and part of what made the episode so impactful. It’s no accident that the writers set this part of the story in a city still scarred by WWII. The vampire trial is a twisted funhouse mirror of the actual atrocities of the war, and thinking of it that way helps illuminate its cruelty. It also helps name the specific undercurrents of that cruelty– the ableism, the racism, and the way in which the coven vampires view themselves as superior.

The whole idea of the trial as a play, where Claudia, Madeleine, and Louis are merely props, made me think of the plays that were put on at the Buchenwald concentration camp. The prisoners there were forced to produce theatre as a way to convince the outside world that the Nazis were treating people “humanely”. This farce of course gave the Nazis cover to continue committing horrible acts. The coven is forcing Claudia, Madeleine, and Louis to put on their play, and they’re doing it in a way that will allow the human audience to excuse the prisoners’ suffering as fake. And that gives the coven the freedom to enact as much cruelty on their prisoners as they would like. And of course being forced to perform, being embarrassed, is also a part of the punishment.

The way that Louis, Claudia and Madeleine were snatched out of what they believed to be a happy and peaceful life and transported straight into a nightmare also makes me think about Kristallnacht in some ways. I am half Jewish, and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. My grandmother was arrested during Kristallnacht. So I have a lot of personal family history that colors the way that I view this part of the show.

I’m also disabled, and I’ve already written a bit about how this show approaches eugenics. I was actually really happy to see the eugenics undertones made explicit during the trial, as it left no room for doubt about the connection between the great vampire laws and Nazi eugenics rhetoric. “The Dark gifts must never be given to the crippled, the maimed, or to children” was displayed prominently as part of the projections. Claudia has always been coded as disabled because her body is “wrong” and “weak” (written about so well in this meta by @once-delight) but her status as a disabled person was stated plainly as part of the text in this episode, both when Lestat says he “told Louis. Fourteen forever. She’ll be a cripple” and when Santiago says that “Claudia’s defect caught up with her” when she started committing her killing spree in New Orleans. It cannot be understated how much Claudia’s status as disabled person influences the coven’s desire to murder her. The fact that she is happy, strong, and loved despite being turned so young is a direct violation of the coven’s world view, and is therefore a challenge that needs to be put down. Around 250,000 disabled people were killed during the Holocaust, and that’s not to mention the forced sterilization done to disabled people and the cruel experiments that were done in concentration camps to prisoners without their consent. Crucially, the idea of eliminating disabled people and perfecting a humanity without “defects” was an essential part of the Nazi philosophy. And I think you can see that echoing through the vampire trial as well.

Obviously another way that the Nazis were trying to create a perfect humanity was through the elimination of anyone who was not the correct race. We don’t have any canon Jewish characters in IwtV, so we don’t have a one to one comparison to history in that way. But race absolutely plays a huge role in the trial. It does not feel accidental that two of the three prisoners are Black, and that the “star witness” (however coerced Lestat may be, the adoration that the coven shows him is real) is blond and blue eyed. The way Santiago describes Lestat, as having “ancient blood in his veins” and a “godlike strength” calls to mind the Nazi belief in perfecting bloodlines and creating an Übermensch- the perfect Aryan man. And although Madeleine is still executed, she is treated more gently by the coven, kept in a fog of hypnosis and given the opportunity to escape death. I can’t help but think that she was given those privileges at least in part because she is white. This also puts Armand in an interesting position, and maybe helps explain at least some of his motivation in collaborating with the coven. He’s not Black, but he is a person of color, and that may add some legitimacy to his fears that the coven may turn on him. (There’s also the interesting fact that earlier on in the show, Nicki calls him a slur used against Romani people. Armand is not Romani, he left India long after the Romani people migrated to Europe. But it’s interesting that in seeking to place his brownness, native Europeans default to describing him as Romani, since the Romani were also one of the main targets of the Nazis). Obviously there is a lot of hidden calculus going into Armand’s decisions here. But I do think it’s interesting to add race to that equation. I do hope fans of color will write more about the racial dynamics of the trial, since I am white and would love to learn more about this aspect of the story from them.

I’m still mulling over what I think about the part of the episode where Lestat embarrasses the homophobic heckler in the crowd, but it did serve to remind us of how marginalized all of the main relationships would have been at the time (queer people: another target of the Nazis) and how fresh the horrors of WWII are on everyone’s minds.

The absolute highlight of the episode for me was Madeleine’s decision to choose dying with Claudia over living without her. This is such an incredible conclusion for a character who began her arc as something of a Nazi collaborator. I know some fans were troubled by this aspect of Madeleine’s character, but it never bothered me, even with my own personal connection to the Holocaust. Madeleine’s will to survive, her outcast status, and her willingness to cling on to love, even if it isn’t morally pure, made her the perfect match for Claudia. And this episode showed us the payoff of that setup. Here she is given the chance to collaborate again, to move towards the acceptance and love of horrible people that will allow her to survive. But now that she’s tasted real love with Claudia, she can’t go back to that way of living. She can’t throw her lot in with the Nazis again. So she puts Claudia first, the first and only person to ever do that. Everytime I think about it I start crying again.

Ultimately it was the last image of the episode that really hammered home the Holocaust parallels for me. Claudia, reduced to ash. Claudia, reduced to her yellow dress. Just like the incinerated victims of the Holocaust. Just like the piles of shoes and other personal effects at the Holocaust museum. We don’t get Claudia’s final words to Madeleine, or the final words of thousands of real life victims. We just get the dress, we just get the shoes. We have Anne Frank’s diaries, just like we have Claudia’s. Two girls that will forever be trapped in teenagerhood. But those diaries end before the camps, just like Claudia’s end before the trial. 

I’m not sure if either of the writers of this episode are Jewish, but from the behind the scenes clips I know that Hannah Moskovitch was on set as they were filming this episode in a producer role. She talks a lot about giving Claudia a chance to be defiant and angry, and as @bluedalahorse pointed out to me, that’s a very Jewish way to respond to oppression and tragedy (Hannah is half Jewish just like me). Claudia does not go gently into that good night, and I’m really grateful for that. As we go forward I’m going to try to remember her fight, and not the final image of the ash and the dress, as I think about her.

[ripplestitchskein]

To be a bit clearer about my issue with the tweet that I talked about in this post as I was posting in the car on the way home (I was not driving but had to do it fast because I get super motion sick) and have had some time to expand a bit:

If we’re talking about the general concept “Stolas set the parameters of the initial sexual transaction thus rooting their relationship in sex from the start and because Blitz is too self loathing and willfully blind to see the desired parameters have changed it is Stolas who made their relationship all about sex in large part because Blitz was never going to be in a healthy enough space to be the one to change it” then yes I agree with the sentiment.

Stolas could have simply said “I’ll let you use the grimoire in exchange for a date” instead of jumping straight to sexual relationship and they could have gotten to know each other first, maybe one date for each Full Moon*. So yes, he did make it this way, he set the terms. At the start of the show.

(*Side note: This would be a super cute fanfic premise tbh and if the show did something like that, where they need to exchange something and say “Hey, how about we make a deal to go on a date on the Full Moon” it would be a really fucking adorable way to reconcile them *starry eyes*. Just think about how much that would slap. The narrative circle of that would be *chef’s kiss*. )

My problem with the framing of “Stolas started it that way in Murder Family, was super over the top horny for a few episodes, now he must suffer the consequences despite the fact that he has been trying to change their dynamic since Blitz expressed how he felt in Ozzie’s” is that, the events of The Circus completely recontextualize the deal we see made and Stolas’s behavior.

We, the audience, didn’t know in S1 that Blitz initiated the whole thing and that Stolas was just mirroring that energy, so I am extremely understanding of this perception pre-S2. Even up until Western Energy, but by Oops we have enough evidence to show Stolas has been trying, Blitz is just refusing. So Stolas didn’t “make it this way” for where the characters are NOW. Not in a “It is Blitz’s fault” taking sides in the divorce way, but in a “This is about character growth or the deliberate lack of it within the story” way.

My big issue with the tweet now, and didn’t learn until I read the tags of a lovely person is that is apparently from an individual who actually works on the show. And that is….kinda concerning to me. A bit.

The idea that Stolas’s efforts count for nothing because he set the initial deal and behaved badly at the start, that we the audience should still see the current dynamic as “Stolas making everything sexual” is a problem 8 episodes into the 2nd season. We have many examples of him not doing that any longer, he has changed, we the audience have been shown that change. Why is it still being framed this way by the actual creative team?

I don’t know how animation production works, so I’m not sure if the people who work as animators are given the whole picture or not. I don’t even know they are fans necessarily, or if they get their individual parts to work on and that’s it. I have zero background info on how these meetings are conducted. I am not coming from a position of authority in this regard.

Setting aside the dismissal of Stolas’s character growth this season. framing it this way undermines the journey Blitz is on too. At this point in the story he is refusing to acknowledge Stolas’s earnest attempts, his willful ignorance is not a funny gag but a reflection of his character and state of mind. It is implied his own trauma and self loathing make him unable to believe what has being explicitly told to him. This confrontation is the tipping point for further development in one direction or another. His choice now is to continue to ignore it and lose Stolas entirely or to try and work through it in some way. By implying Stolas is the one who created thier current situation way back in S1 implies Blitz’s ignorance of Stolas’s feelings is not because of character’s motivations and his own choices to ignore it but simply because it was that way at the start and it is immutable. Stolas said “sex for book please” and “jelly sandwiches” and Blitz was just “I’m just doing what he said he wanted, now he’s coming out of nowhere with this feelings stuff” when a huge part of showing the audience that it is Blitz’s self loathing driving the conflicts in his life is that he refuses to believe the truth of the situation which is it wasn’t Stolas making it all about sex at all. That Stolas has been trying and Blitz keeps shutting it down because of his issues.

That just seems like a crucial part of what we’re doing here? Yes Stolas creates the situation in S1 but he went out of his way to do the opposite in S2.

Obviously this individual’s qualifications for interpretation, being an actual employee, trump my “I’ve watched it a bunch and obsess over it constantly” credentials by a long shot. But my concern is to have a meeting of people responsible for creating the show reflect this sentiment after what we’ve seen in S2 so far is just a little baffling to me?

Either those attempts by Stolas portrayed on screen and the change in his behavior towards Blitz after he realizes his feelings are meaningless in the face of first impressions being everything to both Blitz and the audience. If that is the case I’m not sure why they would be included if the end result interpretation is still “Stolas horny. Made it all about sex. The end.”

Or, I am misreading something, either the tweet itself or the canon text. This is very possible, tweets being an imperfect communication tool and myself being an imperfect person. But as I stated in the original post, if we’re accounting for what is shown on screen as being how we should interpret the characters, Stolas has been trying for months to shift gears and Blitz is the one who continues to frame it as “just sex”. So I just find the tweet completely out of touch with the narrative we’re consuming.

[writingwithcolor]

Jewish dryad character: non-human Jewish characters

writingthrowaway asked:

Is it ever acceptable to write a non human Jewish character as a goyim? I am writing an urban fantasy story with a mostly non human cast, and there Is going to be a discussion of religion at one point and one of the characters (a part human, part dryad) is explaining that being non human and having magic doesn’t give any answers, just different questions. His character feels very Jewish to me, but I am wary of creating a non human Jewish character due to the history of anti semitic portrayals of Jewish people as non human. I would avoid things like horns, green skin, etc, but am still worried.

At risk of being redundant, a grammatical note: “-im” is a plural ending in Hebrew and Yiddish. Seraphim, Nephilim, lechayim, and yes, goyim, are all plural. The singular is goy. It’s also not necessary or particularly more respectful to express that you’re not Jewish by saying “I’m a goy” than by saying “I’m not Jewish.” It’s not disrespectful, it’s just not necessary. If something feels meaningful to you about saying “I’m a goy,” “I’m a gaijin,” “I’m a gringo,” etc, you do you, and now you’re able to do it less incorrectly. 

As to your actual question, I think it’s lovely to show non-human, non-villainous characters practicing Judaism. Although we don’t proselytize, we do accept converts, and there’s a lot to play with in questions about how someone with different biological and potentially social needs would practice Judaism, although that would require a significant amount of research to write from the outside. Having that person be linked with trees is especially interesting, since Judaism has a lot to say about trees in a lot of contexts. If the character is half human and half dryad, that might open the door for you to learn more about the experiences of multiracial and mixed Jews, as their experiences might mirror those. I might point you to Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, who has written publicly about her experience as a mixed-race Jewish child and public figure, as a possible inspiration. 

You listed a few tropes of non-human character attributes to avoid, and you’re right about them. I encourage you to consider also the negative tropes attached to Jewish human characters. In a previous ask I listed some negative stereotypes of Jewish masculinity, and noted that many of them are only negative if the context is set up to frame them that way. You could choose either to avoid giving your Jewish, half-human man any of those attributes, or to include some of those attributes but frame them as positive or endearing, particularly the ones about  a character’s looks or intellect, but for instance I would avoid demonstrating his Jewishness through tropes like having poor boundaries with his mother or being unusually cowardly. I don’t think you’re headed in that direction but it was worth saying. 

Honestly I love the idea of non-human Jewish characters, it sounds like you’re conscious of the tropes involved, and I think you’re on the right track for creating this character sensitively and well.

-Meir

Since we have an actual Jewish tree holiday and your character is part tree creature I'd love to watch a character like that celebrate Tu Bishvat 💚

I agree with Meir that yes non human Jewish characters! But I disagree about gentiles/outsiders/etc. using “goyim” for themselves just because it’s a word in another language that you don’t actually need. It means “nations” and to me it has an “everyone else” connotation. But I’m just one person so feel free to listen to either one of us on this. I think the reason it strikes me as off is the use of a random word in a language you aren't using for anything else but that specific word, when there is a word in your language. Like it has the same vibe to me as saying you want the atmosphere in your reading nook in your apartment to evoke "shalom" rather than just saying you wanted it to evoke peace, if you're an English speaker. But yeah my response is mostly the "everyone else around us" connotation I'm used to associating with the word. Again, please don't take either me or Meir as law, we're just demonstrating the two Jews three opinions phenomenon. 

—Shira

[carniferous]

Me and the bad bitch I pulled by framing his brother of murder .. so fucking real pls continue

absolutely let's get into it....

'me and the bad bitch i pulled by framing his brother for murder' specifically comes from my idea of like. if regulus survived the cave and the war ended as per canon and then he went on to hunt for the remaining horcruxes whilst peter is also looking for a horcrux to bring voldemort back with. they could meet. and they could have the most fucked up philosophically twisted situationship everrrr bound by this fragment of voldemort's soul that both of them Need for opposite reasons. both of them feeling that cruel twist of irony that once again they are bound by voldemort, a man they cannot help but respect and fear even while viewing him as a little beneath them. both of them having a vague disgust for the other that can Only manifest in psychosexual torture.

more broadly i like regulus and peter in the sense that they are diametrically opposed to each other. they are incapable of liking each other because they represent to each other the Worst Possible Choice either of them could have made (from their perspective -- regulus cannot imagine loneliness like peter has willingly chosen, and peter cannot imagine powerlessness like regulus has willingly chosen). and for that exact reason, they cannot ignore or forget each other! they're fascinated with each other the way ppl are fascinated with gruesome suicide. the way ppl are fascinated with how their lives could've played out if they had approached the crossroads of their life and chosen the Other path.

and unlike pairings with sev, i like how both regulus and peter's personal angst is not wrapped up in how they existed on the Outside of adoration and respect and admiration. they are not characters who stewed in personal loathing, both of their arcs hinge on action and choices and the desire to assert themselves upon the world. in my opinion, although reg was lonely and peter was resentful, they both were fairly comfortable with who they were -- there's a degree of arrogance in that, and they both recognize that in each other, and they perversely enjoy recognizing it.

i think they fuck a few times in a sort of high-handed hand-jobby (laugh reel) way. they're playing gay chicken but it's "you lose if you acknowledge the unspeakable tragedy that exists between us without which we would have nothing to say to one another" it's fun for them to pretend that the only thing they have to argue about is their Philosophical World View. they think they're recreating the dialogues of plato as they give each other uncomfortably dry hand jobs but it always falls a little short because of the Thing. The Thing They Don't Talk About. and then voldy's soul is just sitting there like a freaky little homunculus

here are some images:

bonus: if you have read tgcf you will already know this but the main antagonist of tgcf has this weird 800-year-long obsession and carefully cultivated power dynamic with the main character that stems from the fact that their characters are Direct mirrors of each other. and the dynamic involves the antagonist meticulously creating scenarios that he hopes will destroy the protag's faith in humanity and love and compassion and the novel ends with a confrontation of those ideals in which the protag says their similar pasts have Nothing to do with the way the antagonist turned out. and that him losing faith in humanity was a choice he made and not inevitable at all. and the protag proves this by refusing to choose anything except love. this too is regpeter

[bolognamayhem117]

Title: "Looking at Something?"

Length: 2500 words

Pairing: Astarion/M!Tav, elf/elf, paladin/rogue

POV: Tav(Rorik)

Themes: Aggressive flirting, praise kink (if you turn your head and squint), safe for work, mild angst, retconned Canon Dialog.

Warnings: trauma, manipulation, anger, neck wounds, alludes to distant past and recent abuse.

Author's Notes: First and foremost a disclaimer, I created this character on my first playthrough after Robert and I bought the game a year ago. I picked up the controller with zero knowledge of the game's contents after being told you could play as a vampire. I said "That's bold of the developer, fuck it, I'll make Rorik's dumb ass and smeagol my way through the forgotten realms or whatever..." Turns out the person who told me that was referencing the Astarion Origin playthrough. I said "Screw It I'm Doing It Anyway! With the power of IMAGINATION." To my delight and surprise it really wasn't all that hard to use paladin spells, items, scroll hoarding, and armor to very closely model the homebrew build of Rorik the Degenerate Dhampir Sun Worshipping Paladin. He has his own issues which this ficlet hints at. He's cringe, be gentle.

Fic Summary: Astarion is looking for reassurance or praise or... Something, and then the writer remembered they used the intelligence as a dump stat to boost their Tav's charisma and rolled with it. Mentions a friend's character. I only barely proofread so consider this your warning.

Tagged at request: @ghostkingart

“Looking at something?” Astarion addressed Rorik when the paladin passed behind him and paused.

Rorik was tired, he'd stopped on his way back from a piss because something wasn't right. He’d been too beaten by the beasts of the underdark to process the scene before him for its absurdity. The vampire spawn was holding a hand mirror, scowling into it as if scorn might make his reflection appear in its smooth glitter.

The high elf angled the mirror in such a way that Rorik could see himself. Did he always look so serious? Yet disinterested? Rorik seldom sought his reflection, it wasn't a countenance he wanted to face.

“Just looking. What are you doing?”

“I'm looking too, but not seeing very much” Astarion told Rorik almost softly, sadly. “Another quirk of my affliction.” he spat the last word as if it tasted rancid, eyes dark and lips cutting a sour pout.

Rorik had heard these sorrow-songs many times in his homeland and beyond. He was no stranger to this agony, but it never got easier to hear it, even from a spawn he hardly knew, harboring a strain of the cursed malady he was not so familiar with. It seemedthat no matter the variant, it affects one's reflection in glass treated with a paper thin veneer of silver.

Rorik played the fool, wrong as it felt to pretend he needed to ask questions in order to guess how Astarion might feel about not having seen himself in centuries.

“Do you miss it? Seeing your own face?”

“Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity?!” He bordered on sounding offended, but his expression shifted with the same flippancy as his whims. Sometimes Rorik wondered if Astarion was making himself hard to read on purpose. Now, with a short but heavy pause, he went on with a longing about the droop of his shoulders and the way he looked at the other man, perhaps with jealousy. “Of course I do…”

He continued.

“I've never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and its eyes turned red.” And then, those scarlet eyes plunged back into darkness with his last syllables. His seething glare burned as hot as the Sun's love burned his vampiric skin in the day, before the illithid worm at least.

Rorik tried a question he'd heard many times before, sometimes even directed at himself. It might keep him talking. “What color were they before?”

“I... I don't know. I can't remember.” His glare softened with something that half revealed him, but the outraged anguish returned to him, as it tends to do. “My face is just some dark shape in my past. Another thing I've lost.”

Astarion threw down the mirror as he finished, it cracked as it struck the packed earth beneath them. If they were standing in a proper room of wooden or brick floor then the mirror would have shattered in a spectacular fashion.

Spiteing the fact that Astarion needn't air to live, he drew pants of heavy breath as he bared his teeth in his anger. He had every right to be angered, all spawn do.

Patience, Rorik reminded himself. As much as it went against his instincts to stick around within range of teeth while their owner bobbed between drowning in their own righteous fury and the oblivion of sorrow, there was always something about Astarion which lured him in. Rorik could still look at himself in a mirror, most of the time, and he thought maybe the reason he hadn't yet walked away from Astarion while he tantrumed about his past, present or Casador might just be because: he could see his reflection in Astarian, too. His pain felt all too familiar.

“What?” Astarian broke him from his thoughts.

Rorik corrected quickly, unsure what his own expression had revealed. He straightened a head that had tilted toward his left shoulder, fixed his eyes which he guessed had softened upon Astarian’s anger on base instinct. Too close. He'd almost fallen victim to his old habits, but Astarian was no flailing racer stallion who required the softness of a coddling stable pony to calm him. And Rorik was nobody's pony anymore.

“I'll be your mirror. What do you want to know?” It was a cheap distraction, yes, but he found in it genuine empathy. Astarian couldn't see himself, hadn't seen himself in two-hundred years, he deserved the next best thing.

“I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see.” Astarian replied with another reflection, this time of Rorik’s own sincerity.

The deferring tipping of Astarian's head told it all. A wound had been bared for Rorik to examine, one he could grind salt into and Astarian knew that. It was the scattered moments of vulnerability that helped Rorik stay, too.

He feigned a smile just in time, before his silence convinced Astarion that something was wrong. The others' brows were already creased as he braced to be hurt.

“Well, the shmutz of bullette viscera smeared on your left cheek has my attention right now.” Rorik jabbed casually.

Astarion scrubbed his wrist over his face with an irritable grimace, following Rorik's gesture to find the supposed smear of gore, only to find nothing because Rorik was having a little fun at his expense. Astarion was fastidious in his grooming. He’d missed nothing when he'd washed.

Rorik was rewarded with a glare, so he laughed, “If I didn't like you, I wouldn't jest… I'm not a poet, I'm not romantic by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't do flattery. So brace yourself.”

“Oh.. Kay…?” Astarion murmured.

Rorik straightened his posture to look Astarion from the toe of each tidy elvish crafted loafer up to the top most curl of his head of white silver. Consciously taking him in only topically.

“If I were unbiased and this were my first impression: Your face is long but not overly narrow. Your nose is very straight, cutting a tidy profile. I imagine you've never had it broken. The fairness of your skin hints at a noble upbringing; a childhood spent indoors rather than under the gaze of the noon sun. Your hands are clean and unmarred, so for certain you're not a laborer. You are clearly particular about how your hair is done every morning… Your jaw is angled sharply toward your chin but is neither too strong nor too weak. It suits you well. Your lips are full which reinforces an air of youth about you, and your upper lip is just a bit thicker than the lower without being distracting… About five foot and eleven inches, shoulders broad enough to mandate care toward them when having garments tailored… In all, The world sees a young elf.”

Rorik bit the end of his tongue as he finished, holding back the last and decidedly biased thought: that he saw all these things too but accompanied by eyes which looked as tired as he often felt himself.

Astarion's expression was empty yet soft, gaze drifting into the middle distance until the very end when his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted as if something had curdled in it.

“Eugh! Must you always make everything sound so clinical!? You told Edmund this morning the cactus where your heart should be has beautiful flowers and that was backhanded!” Astarion mocked Rorik's northerner accent, badly, “I know you can do better than that. Ugh, for shits’ sake, why do you find me attractive? Why does anyone find me attractive, Rorik?”

That took Rorik off guard. This wasn't just about forgetting one's own appearance, was it? It was about Astarion understanding how the world was affected by his body being in it. Rorik shifted in discomfort, now put on the spot to summarize the things he personally found alluring. He felt almost dirty saying it.

“I- suppose people can't help themselves but to admire? You're striking. Perfectly styled snow hair, you're well formed… Em, lovely skin? like opal? White opal. Were you true symmetrical I would've drawn my sword, having mistook you for a stone wit-”

“I- I'm not symmetric?? Where is my face uneven!? Tell me this instant!” The high elf squawked, hands smoothing up the planes and dips of his visage in search.

Rorik snorted. Astarion seemed like the type to become offended at the mention of a slightly uneven cupid’s bow. Best not add to his self image anxieties too much. A true lie would have to do.

“You have a freckle or two, perhaps from your recent love affair with the sun.”

“Freckles?!”

“Oh, relax. Not near as many as me.” Rorik reassured.

“Hmph. That was… Better-ish, I suppose. You're onto something, keep going.”

Rorik's expression pinched with realization. “Is that all you're after? Shallow praise?”

“Hardly! I'm also after gold, sex, revenge. Quite the list, really, and failing any of those I will always settle for: shallow praise.”

“Fuck that noise. I can do better than patting your ass with a couple cheap compliments.”

“Care to expand on that? I can't tell if I'm being derided or offered an upgrade from your awkward small talk.” Astarion harrumphed and began picking under his fingernails, apparently checking out of the conversation in a display of boredom.

Rorik stepped closer to recapture his attention, spurred forward by a volatile cocktail of embarrassment, ego, and vindictiveness that had spilled in close proximity to the competitive streak within him.

“I used to be good at this. I swear. You'll just have to be patient while I call it back to me.” Rorik leveled in a low rumble, and it was no bluff. Idle worship of a bloated ego had saved his skin in his youth more times than he could count. This bordered too close to an exhumation of the corpse of his past, but if the occasion calls for it in the name of harmless fun: then let old habits lumber about like a fucking zombie.

Astarion's eyes lit themselves with dark amusement, leaning in too with a smug sneer, “Call louder. I think it ran straight past you.”

Rorik wasted no breath on the others' taunting. He delivered. “Your eyes are extraordinary, they burn through people like a branding iron. I'd rather face a devil I’d sleighted.”

Astarion let loose the bark and giggle of laughter which used to grate on Rorik's nerves, “Oh, not bad… and you said you don't do flattery! Do go on.”

That's one point to Rorik. He wanted more than that. He wanted to win whatever this was. “They have their moments of immeasurably inviting softness, too. Eyes like yours tend to get their way with me, if I'm being honest… And don't let that go to your head.”

“Ha! Hard not to. That's a dangerous admission.” Astarion swayed his shoulders and hummed with an odd, rich texture in his voice. His expression was guarded, however.

“Awareness of one's weaknesses is healthy, I'm told..” Rorik commented rather pointlessly. Choosing pretty analogies for the features of a face he found attractive felt more risky than it should. Rorik's jaw and throat felt hot for no particular reason. “Moving on. Your smile is deadly. Like a bear trap lined with sweet meats and candied fruit. A pout, a grin, a laugh, they all draw me closer…”

Closer. Astarion must've taken the utterance of the word as an invitation. He brandished that smile like a blade now and brought them near nose to nose. “Yes, yes. You're right. But we know better, don't we, Rorik?”

Not fair. Rorik’s naked skull felt like it was on fire, and the feeling was not limited to neck and up.

“We do. You can't lure bats with candy in pretty wrappers.” he tilted his head with his words, ever so minutely, exposing the angry punctures in his throat.

“If it isn't the sweet taste that draws you in, then what is it? Tell me Acolyte.”

Rorik shook his head. “You know I'm a masochist. You know the answer to that.”

“Aw, Little Treat longs to be trapped? How delightfully demented.”

“Mm,” Rorik offered a solemn nod. It was another admission of those dirty weaknesses. “Last thing for now-”

“For now?” Astarion crooned, grinning wickedly as he underlined Rorik's implication that he may have more to say on this particular topic at a later date.

“For now,” Rorik confirmed but teased… Teasing? He'd never teased like this, in this context, before. Best end on a note of humor, “Speaking of teeth, you've the most polite little feedin’ fangs.”

“...What?” Astarion straightened then and leaned away.

Rorik must've thrown him off his rhythm with that one. Right. Astarion was from a small coven, and apparently not one which enjoyed the bleak humors of the condition.

Rorik leaned minutely closer and bared his razors in a grimace with a finger directing attention to them. “I'm saying, your teeth look almost normal. At least compared to these lawn shears I was saddled with. Your smile is still sharp, but passable. Many with the condition aren't so lucky.”

“Good to know I'm not a complete freak.” Astarion harrumphed.

“Maybe I crossed the line. I forget, not everyone reconciles it all so easily.” Rorik admitted, but refused to backpedal that last opinion.

“I suppose I can give you a pass on it, given that you were born with… All of that.” Astarion gave a waving finger gesturing to all of Rorik as he half-accepted the half-apology.

Rorik couldn't help but chuckle and look away, the imagery brought to mind was too heinous and ridiculous all at once. “Well, I was indistinguishable from the living until I consumed blood at fifteen-ish but, sure. I wasn't bottle fed monk blood as a tot. Couldn't imagine that horror.”

"Normal children are horrible enough… Now, why don't you just tell me I'm beautiful and we'll call it an evening.” Astarion shifted the topic smartly, but looked away for a moment too.

The dance was strange. Rorik wasn't sure what they were doing, but he sort of liked it.

“You're alright, Gale is more my type.” Rorik lied, blatantly.

“How dare you!” Astarion's tone was playful, rather than offended, although it's always hard to tell with Astarion, “I thought we had something special… Still, you're nice too. I’d better get some beauty sleep. It seems I need it if I'm to catch up with the competition.”

Rorik could only shake his head. Everyone has a type. Astarion's was apparently fractured faces and a malignant glare. Rainar's glare. Rorik quickly tossed aside the errant thought and the accompanying cruel memory. He dipped his head before deciding to attend his own sleep.

“Sure sure, but do tread with caution. The pursuit of perfection is perilous, and you're already knocking on the door.” Rorik offered with a smirk. This game was… fun.

“Hhmf! Says he's not romantic,” Astarion mocked talking to himself, shooting a dark glance and that dangerous smile over his shoulder as Rorik retreated to his bedroll by the fire.

[swallowtailed]

palisade 47! finalisade part 2!

truly three incredible scenes. also this is not going to be a short finalisade lmfao. probably minimum five more episodes (for a total of seven) but the sky's the limit. if they keep going at this rate of scenes, and presuming interludes/epilogue are each one scene long, that'd already be a nine episode finalisade. very exciting

brnine's scene: so glad we finally got to come back around to their attempt to recruit lattice/refrain. it's a good opener for the finale, too, for brnine to be able to make a more successful argument in favor of fighting with mbreak now that they're in the mirage. also obviously it's excellent to have a nobel ghost literally fully just haunting the blue channel now

refrain flickering between faces was really fun. friends at the table has some excellent genderfluidities. speaking of, my first thought re tm comparisons was polyphony--another town created by a shapeshifter (although changing personality rather than face) who wanted folks to come in and stay. was really interesting to me that refrain accepted the compromise of taking only the willing, which is sort of coming at polyphony's strategy from the opposite direction. refrain as archive was also really compelling to me. i like when an archive is covetous and hungry and persuasive, and constructs morality around/within itself, and is animated by preservation and interment. (chanting: WORST! PARTS! OF! MUSEUMS!)

lastly, the question of "what happens when the war's over" has been a quieter throughline in palisade (highly entangled with the whole blue channel self-sacrifice situation, cf phrygian) and it was interesting that brnine raised it to refrain. i'm curious whether that's going to come to the forefront in p3--really depends on what's going on at the end of the perfect millennium, i think.

august's scene: ahhh what a mess. delicious. really good visuals here as well--steeple catterick, clem on her big dramatic dragon, cori's new mech in action (skeleton covered in blooming flowers!), giant ink ferrets devouring the bilat front line and then vanishing and leaving only bloodstains and echoes behind... love to see it

always fun when fatt discovers an animal on air. i do think we should give the giant prehistoric otters serious consideration and also as many other giant prehistoric creatures as can fit (yes i'm still thinking abt the flash nautilus). it's thematically relevant

what did catch my attention about the ultimate result of the scene, re the iconoclasts turning indiscriminately on anyone military (thus neatly equating the bilats and the cause), is that it immediately shoves august's storyline farther in the direction of "compromised and implicated simply through the use of violence". i do wonder where august's gonna end up by the end of palisade--he's on a similar path, i think, to a couple other characters who have struggled to see beyond the war, but he's in much more of a position to be found guilty for it. does seem like he's set up to fail

cori's scene: YAAAAAAAAAY GO CORI :D what a win, what a legend. finally kissed a girl. good for her. the crumbling ballroom filled with the map of the galaxy was reminiscent of brnine and dahlia in a very fun way. "i didn't want to scare you off with my power" / "you know it's an invitation" / [blushing, stammering] "....for what"

my favorite thing about the scene was cori using perennial magic to show elle a potential future for the two of them, because it's such a perfect mirror to future's visions. like, cori can create that herself, using perennial's magic, when elle asks ("build me another dream, then" was such a tasty line), rather than the aura of future dragging it out of her. and can share it (and shape it, and rewrite it) rather than just envisioning it privately. a really interesting contrast between the two divines and their respective views on possibility

can see a one-way ticket out of the mirage being a really pivotal thing to have on the table in a few episodes. cannot wait :):):)

[thislilstangirl]

In an interview Tenoch himself said “Approaching this kind of character, trying to find the humanity is marvellous, but it only works if you have people like Letitia and Ryan there making the journey easier and you can find all the pieces and put it together to create this beautiful relationship— because if they don’t have a good relationship (gestures to him and Letitia) you can’t understand the humanity of each one. It’s not easy to complete the journey but the journey is complete because you create this relationship.” likeee doesn’t that just prove even the subtle moments between Namor and Shuri was intentional??

i would love to know what interview this is from. so i can understand the context of these words a bit better.

but i think we don’t have to look to interviews to know if any moments between shuri and namor are intentional. the text of the film is pretty clear on the intent. these two individuals are intrinsically tied to each through a shared grief, pain, and rage. and they are able to see that in one another.

you were suppose to come out of the theatre, understanding that they have a genuine connection, they are equals, and that they understood each other deeply. that’s the only way the last scene between the two of them works. they have to be a mirror image and know that.

when you see the humanity of another person as clear and deeply as you see yourself, your halfway there to romance. add the very telling lyrics of the song that plays during the scene of the two of them on talokan, the gift of a family heirloom, a proposal to burn the world together, and the reverence namor has towards shuri…it’s hard not to jump to a romantic connection. or at least the crew knew it was a direction the relationship could (can?) take.

[makingspiritualityreal]

Hi, could you share your thoughts on why and how some people do not get any consequences for their actions? I know some people who possibly have personality disorders. These people are compulsive liars, manipulators, control minds of others, love authority, power and status, are extremely selfish, badmouth others but are hyperconfient and oversmart because they think that they are too intellectual and religious so they are always right. Not to forget that while some of them get instant karma (passing away of spouse and parent, mental breakdown, legal disputes, family problems, divorce of kids, fatal disease) but others do not get any karma, they and their kids continue to prosper and succeed in life and reach newer heights, which is so conflicting because we often assume that karma serves things right.

Nevertheless, even the people who do get instant karma learn nothing from it. They still think that they are right and pure while it is only their fate that is dealing them with bad hand. Why do some people get karma in the same lifetime but others do not?

How does Karma Work

Excellent question, one I am in fact still kind of debating myself.

First, a few facts to go by, that I am sure of.

Every action has a reaction, and thus a consequence. It's physics. Every time we exert strength in a direction it comes back to us with the same strength.

Karma is not punishment, it is a mirror, based on the previous law, existing to teach us about the results of our behaviour.

The scope of this action-reaction scheme differs in time and stretches across several incarnations if necessary, for a soul to learn about itself. Just because your human self causes itself suffering and is resistant in this timeline, doesn't mean the soul ultimately won't understand...only to choose the next incarnation to make absolutely sure you understand lol.

When someone hurts us, we get attached to the concept of instant retribution. But ultimately, they are another person with their own path, and their mistakes are a mirror for us to learn about ourselves.

Going by this, addressing what you said. These people who appear "hyperconfident" aka are high on the narcissistic spectrum are in fact not confident at all. They're very afraid and using inflated egos and material success to gain control and reassurance...because inside they feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Ego is necessary to an extent, but when overblown, it's a tool used for self protection, when a person feels unsafe. If someone can't admit to making a mistake by hurting people, they are afraid, very afraid.

Sometimes, I noticed a funny thing, the Universe lets people make a mistake just so they can fall flat on their face with a bigger bang. That takes time, waiting for the perfect moment.

People get the kind of "karma" they can understand. Think of it like creating a game character. There is only so much you can do...until you have to create a new one to redo certain things. But if someone is not square with themselves, they won't know happiness. They will never enjoy a cent of what they have. Their money and success won't make them happy. The worth of this life lies in appreciation, not hoarding things we don't value.

[filmrelicsworld]

Imtiaz Ali and Tamasha

I recall seeing Jab We Met for the first time when I was in school, and I was captivated by the madness of an unstable and crazy love tale. Opposites attract, and I have long believed in this concept. Imtiaz Ali's films typically weave this notion in a widely acceptable manner. The irony of this is that I've always despised love stories, particularly those from Bollywood. They revolve around stories you cannot even begin to relate to or pictures occurring in the real world. They are dramatic, fantastical, frustrating, stupid, and thought up.

However, Imtiaz Ali has always portrayed stories through his films about characters you would see in real life; some of these characters are a little too ripe, but given the extravagantly exaggerated tales Bollywood has always created, it may be forgiven.

I'll openly admit that I've seen the movie Rockstar on my laptop many times and five times in theatres. I'm not sure there is a word that adequately captures the depth of love that was conveyed in the film. I could watch it a million times without any thought or care, adding it to the small number of Bollywood films that I have found appealing thus far. The reason for this is that it was not an easy task to direct and carry out a story so impulsive and compelling within a "controlled insanity." I was engrossed in a dreamy affair for a while after that, asking myself repeatedly, "What is love if not madness," until reality grounded me in the most unexpected way.

Ever since a friend first showed me the trailer for Tamasha, I had been anticipating its arrival. Every Imtiaz Ali film features prominent themes such as the absurdity of love, the desire for happiness and tranquillity, arrogant ways of telling a straightforward tale, and, in the end, a person meeting a female in the most unusual and unexpected way and enriching each other's lives.

Tamasha is nothing distinctive from it either, but what elevates this beautiful tale even further is that it is fundamentally about two soulmates, their loneliness in familiarity and their connection as strangers. It is the story of a man's battle with his inner self and how lady love helps him accept who he is and what he truly wants to be. Though they do make me feel good, it's not enough because the story is about more than simply love. I was excited to watch how the male protagonist begins to receive the answers he had been wondering about throughout.

It's more about love giving each other's lives additional significance, about realising the complexity of human nature and about two lost souls travelling in the direction of one another and finding solace in each other's company for all time. It's a complicated tale about humans and how frequently they require other people to complete them and give them new life.

There is more to Tamasha than merely finding your true partner these days. It centres on a character who is searching for meaning in his life. He struggles between the person he is and the person he should be, and a series of unfortunate circumstances force him to acknowledge the "tamasha" he has created for himself and his life.

They resemble windows that spring open to reveal other windows, providing opportunities to live a more fulfilling life and experience more spiritual richness. The notion that the film followed the path of a storyteller surprised me. How captivatingly art may capture the imagination of people!

The movie also follows a woman who makes an investment in a partnership, one who communicates her emotions and looks for guidance in a romantic partnership. She also serves as the catalyst, the mirror through which the male lead will ultimately be able to see his true reflection. The one who will help him realise that he is far more than what he believes himself to be and that he is neither average or mediocre. The plot is more authentic and less of a Bollywood tell-tale because the film doesn't attempt to celebrate love in ostentatious ways when it is present or to simulate paranoia when it isn't.

My preference for Imtiaz Ali films is undeniable, and I have complete faith that I will always like seeing them, but this one has felt a bit more like a fantasy. I shall be engrossed in Tamasha's plot and characters for a considerable amount of time, until, inevitably, unanticipated circumstances force me to return to reality.

Akansha

[tpquill]

Identifying an internet Troll 🧌…

I posted this on another thread, it’s a photo I had saved from years being in several fandoms (I study human behaviour, it’s like an addiction)

Anyhoo…since I don’t use Tumblr that often; only in times when adding a few musings here and there. So I’ve decided to do a drive by and drop this little nugget.

Internet trolls 😈 yes they live in the dark recess of every fandom and by fandom I mean;

Canon Lovers 👓 - devoted book 📕 enthusiasts who are completely 💯 on board for the book adaptation that they lovingly hold dear to their chest and when a mere mention of their beloved series being brought to life, expect no substitute, expect the writers to be gentle, truthful to the characters, the cast to be authentic and the directors to “do not fuck it up!” (all hail Ru Paul) these fans pour over their beloved book canon characters because of their dedication. Will openly send their angry script edits to the writers especially if it doesn’t follow the root path of the character or story direction.

Female lead only 💃 - these fans are the devoted woman only. They are either the hardened followers of a particular actress so will literally skip and hop from one show or movie after the other. Possibly only have seen their female heroine in 1 particular show/movie but will enthusiastically watch everything including their earlier work. Dismiss any make attention (their female is too good for any of those faceless, nameless clowns out there) more inclined to have their female, single, lots of cats, a book reader or an introvert who doesn’t go out much, doesn’t like public speaking…essentially a mirror image of themselves. Young or older. Strong independent woman like strong independent actresses who are environmentally vocal, politically sound and don’t need men in their lives to enrich them.

Male lead only 🧍‍♂️- these fans follow the root 1 & 2 of the female only, with 1 exception the make lead is very sexually driven. Yes he is the sexual drive to their fantasies - the fan base is hormonal driven, whereas the female fanbase is more independent thinking, more intellectually inclined - the male is more “see Jane, want Jane, conquer Jane” hypothesis. The lead becomes the object of their sexual fantasy; he’s always single, never with anyone unless it’s a one night stand, sexual hook up. There is the softer side, must love animals and children because that drives their parental instinct. Above all has to tick all their boxes either very shy and introverted or very outspoken, virile and versatile - likes to keep fit, of course muscles and tattoos add to their fantasy appeal. They want someone who doesn’t look like the man they married but someone they can get off on while trolling the internet looking for NSFW fan fiction.

Trolls 🧌- these hate filled, orange tainted, combination of all 3 (too much junk food) are what happens when you leave the light on, feed them after midnight and get them wet (with water that is) they dislike the male or female lead because they don’t just simply stick to the canon, just remain the characters and nothing else. They don’t want the female to appear attractive or sexual, raising eyebrows with revealing red carpet outfits. They most certainly do not want their male fantasy to have his eyes popped out by his female lead. They don’t want interaction between the two, instead they’ll ship (in their heads) any other actor in the movie or series except the attractive lead. They don’t want cutesy or giggly interaction, fan events, red carpet moments - they just want him or her attainable for their fantasies. They will scour the fandoms looking for blogs/comments relating to “moments” they deem inappropriate and will lay waste to receipts.instead through doxing & mining will create their own narrative. Elaborate story telling while playing the innocent fan (multi personality trolls have always been among fandoms) they will create connections ‘in the know’ pretend to be a protector of the two leads while feeding an underlying gossip world of misdirection & hate. Multiple accounts are created to entrap those willing to listen to their ‘dedication’ the troll likes to play both sides Angel 😇 & Devil 👿 because they absolutely love chaos.

Chaos in fandoms is their thrill. They need the fighting the bullying, the hatred because that makes them superior, the narcissism in all stokes the fires of division when they’re not bullying fans of the male or female with “they will never be together”

In my time being in various fandoms mainly due to the canon characters; JAG, Greys Anatomy, BTVS, Angel, Harry Potter, Bones, Twilight, Outlander… (yeah I’ve been around a very loooong time 😂 I have seen a lot. By comparison the latest fandom of twilight & outlander I’ve seen the distinct pattern of a few of the trolls move from one fandom to the other with the same troll like belief system and just attach it to the next male crush.

Human behaviour is instinctual

Internet troll behaviour habitual

[justin-peudeau]

WHY MADOVICH IS ANOTHER FORESHADOW OF TSERRIESNICH'S ANCIENT PERSONALITY

Everyone notice in this last chapter that Madovich just had the apparence of a buff Tserriednich.

BUT.

We really need to unstack each information contained in this page to better understand this. Togashi isn't just presenting a wish version of the main antagonist in this arc just for the joke (even if I laugh hard when I first saw him...like... buff Tserrie 🤣😂🤣😂)

Anyways, we will see in one hand how Madovich's presentation stands out from others before further analysis. Of course, all the descriptions are important for the scenario, but the more we discover bonuses on the Madovich one, the more we will be certain that this particular character is essential in the plot of the story and what important role will he plays in it.

As you can see each bodyguards describes themselves with 2 bubbles. One with their name and their affiliation with Tyson. One with a quick synopsis of their character roleplay.

Those 4 peoples don't have the exact same case space (Himanse's case>Hyuga's>Planet Muni Prince's>Enzel's) but their are all next to each other by pair.

Their character are all none violent one in the fisrt aspect.

Now Madovich part (🔥□🔥)

Madovich is the first one introduced. He have the 2 bubbles speach but doesn't talk in the naming part because Tyson do it.

Madovich's case side with nobody's, just the prince's chamber number. Plus, his case is waaaay larger than the others. He seems to have an aura around him while the others don't have any trace.

Finally, the character he plays is a violent one since he can only wield a gun. His background illustration (the only white on black one) even shows trace of blood.

.................................

So he is special...ok...but why in the living freak does Madovich means !??!?!

In my opinion, Madovich is really supposed to mirror how Tyson views his big brother : a very brutal but lost soul.

Madovich's character implies that he doesn't feel worthy enough to be useful to someone again. He don't even know why he forget his past all of a sudden and why the only remanant memory just have a destructive use. In the end, it's like if he is forgiven for his past and present sins because a force that he can't control prevents him to be himself. (And don't get me started over the gun wielding which is a direct parralel with Tserrie's past accident bc I this element alone just give so much information in the Tyson-Tserrie relashionship 🤯).

In conclusion, I am 99% sure that Tyson knows atleast about Tserrie incident. And I am 100% sure that before this Tserrie and Tyson actually bond pretty well in the past. Because, why does she want to forgive her brother's cruelty while she doesn't forgives her mother's one ? Why does she persuade herself that current Tserrie is a good guy who just forgot about himself and not the psycho everyone sees. Madovich character defenetively exposes her will to reunites with her brother again no matter what he did, because the love she have toward the 4th prince is stronger than her natural hatred against violence.

And THAT means something about Tserriednich's ancient personality, a mindset that created bonds so strong that even after drastically changing, the people (with whom you cut off) who loved you for who you were before still loves you for who you are now.

.

.

.

Tserrie have so many enemies but also so many friends that care for him Harkenburg, Tubeppa, the 5 bodyguards in the 3th level, Volksen and now Tyson. I love how the main antagonist have the most fanclub members in canon and he isn't even aware of it 😂🤣.

Anyways I know that I don't express myself correctly sometimes so don't hesitate to ask questions if you don't understand a point. And it will be an honor for me if you analyse something that I didn't mention 🤩.

Ok ok I stop talking for now on bye guys 👋

[bookshelfdreams]

I posted 2,492 times in 2022

That's 419 more posts than 2021!

422 posts created (17%)

2,070 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@swords-n-spindles

@mikimeiko

@bookshelfdreams

@snake-snack-stede

@knowlesian

I tagged 2,449 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#our flag means death - 1,010 posts

#esc - 340 posts

#message - 101 posts

#crafts - 101 posts

#thoughts - 74 posts

#ofmd reader - 68 posts

#german stuff - 51 posts

#!!!! - 47 posts

#anonymaus - 41 posts

#fic - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#baby. theres spinning wheels for over 1000€ what makes you think you're gonna be met with thousands of ppl starved for things they can buy

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

random ofmd thought: I love that Stede is so cringe.

He's just. Awkward. Ridiculous. Unapologetically weird at all times and he never gets any cooler. Every episode has at least one Stede moment that causes me physical pain and I love that.

Because usually, if a character is this embarrassing, their arc is about learning to be less so, to be like anyone else, to be more normal, and Stede never does. He learns to be more confident, yes, but he never stops unapologetically being his awkward self, and that's so good to see? He's fine the way he is? He doesn't have to become less himself, he just has to learn how to own it better and that's so healing to see

2,133 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

#4

ofmd reader

aka Holy Shit Everyone In This Fandom Is The Smartest Person On Earth

aka a collection of my favourite meta, feel free to add your own faves!

(note that most of these don't actually have titles, I just tried my best to sum up the contents)

✬ On masculinity in ofmd by @edwardsilkheart

✬ The different genres various characters are in, and how they clash and synthesize by @fuckyeahisawthat (THIS is required reading and the reason this show works so well, all these different & contrasting flavours combined into something truly delicious. If you read nothing else on this list, read this)

✬ yk that Stede didn't actually have an evil plan to leave Ed all along right by @polyamoryprincess (on what really happened in Stede's head that night)

✬ these two posts by @mikimeiko about Ed and the mortifying ordeal of being known

✬ How does Ed like his eggs? by @forpiratereasons (on mirroring, learning how to be yourself and self-acceptance as the path to true love)

✬ Listen, I know everyone and their mother disliked Ed without the beard but I actually loved it. by @ruletogether

✬ Izzy Hands and the tenderness of violence, directed at him but not perpetuated by him by @ellicler with additional tags from @knowlesian

✬ Another one about Izzy, internalized homophobia, and subtextual queerness by @knowlesian

✬ The thing that ACTUALLY made Stede run away by @quillyfied

✬ Ed and the language of face-touching by @amuseoffyre

✬ anachronistinc costume design as a sotrytelling device by @ambassadorquark

✬ The Bathtub Scene (analyzing Ed's body language) by @orangechickenpillow plus this follow-up. I also recommend their post on clothes sharing

✬ beard media by @all-chickens-are-trans

4,851 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

#3

Crocheted Important Blue Internet Checkmark. Because why the fuck not.

(Pattern under the cut)

See the full post

4,982 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

#2

A brief conversation I had with @mikimeiko on their lovely meta about the motive of loss and abandonment made me think about miscommunication some more, and how horrible Calico Jack was to Stede.

When Stede meets Calico Jack for the first time this is what he says to him:

Who's the big gal?

Off to a terrible start, and it only goes downhill from there.

As others have pointed out, this is a very mean thing to say in general and absolutely unacceptable to say to a queer man in particular, and Ed knows that. He's trying to do damage control

See the full post

7,364 notes - Posted April 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

oh but I adore how everyone in this stupid pirate show is just a guy

I haven't seen ppl talk about it much but. the absolute lack of shredded abs. people show tummy and cleavage and there's not the barest hint of muscle definition anywhere

obviously some of them are very fit but it never leaves "works a physically demanding job and happens to be naturally thin" territory

and guys are fat! guys have bellies and rounded shoulders and chubby cheeks and imperfect teeth and thinning hair and are styled weirdly (that's a whole different post but the crew especially look so unprofessional styled it's great)

and they are still all hot! they are hot and desirable and find each other hot and desirable and I love that

I love to see it! nobody in this show looks like they had a personal trainer. and not just the side characters, not just a token fat guy - obv Taika Waititi is the most beautiful man you've ever seen and that little bit of tummy pudge spilling out of his crop top made us all lose our collective minds. but it's everyone else too; and it's not the extend of it either. no other show would have let black pete within 10 feet of a romance arc, much less been this sweet and sincere about it

this show is so comfortable with the human body in all it's glorious imperfection and I am in love with it

29,716 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[xxpeppermintxx109]

Dearest Mint,

Haven't been on tumblr since it deleted my account a while back (rest in peace anonymousgothic) but I simply had to get back on here to commend you on your work. You've done it, once again. Another hit. This 3rd gen book has punctured one of my organs and rotted my brain -- that is how deeply it managed to nestle its way into me. Like I genuinely have to break bones to make room for it.

First, we must discuss Laena. There are no words in the English dictionary that can describe how satisfying it is that a Targaryen/Lannister baby has been born and bred within the walls of the red keep -- with Tywin and Robert and Cersei none the wiser. I wish so badly for her to know her true identity and understand her worth; I want so much good for her. I find it so thrilling that you chose for her to be based in King's Landing (for now) -- and do not think I didn't pick up on the fact that she's mapping out Shaemond's tunnels and yearning for the sea! I miss nothing!

I also cannot wait for her to know and love Jaime, but I am nothing if not a patient woman when it comes to you and your perfectionist pacing, Mint. I see a Daemon x Shaera dynamic in their future (and a very angsty journey à la Jaime-held-captive-while-Laena-sleeps-with-a-wolf-king!) and that hope alone will keep me sustained for now.

Second, Brynden. If I had a nickel for every time a bastard believed himself to be the son of Ashara Dayne, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice! Am I worried that Dany will take this betrayl even worse than she took Jorah's? Yes. Am I hoping the power of love overcomes? Also, Yes. Cannot wait for him to meet his aunt (who I know you will do right by) and his uncle (truly the most beautiful Targaryen, if only his personality matched). His history with Jorah and honesty just his background in general intrigues me, Arya would worship the ground he walks on, I already know. Also, whilst I see much of Rhaenyra in Laena's demure and yet childishly wild persona, I see so much of Arthur in Brynden. All of that honor -- um, career choice aside!

Third, the TRUE heir to the iron throne. Rhaegar's emo boy complexity is strong in this one. Quite possibly the most original storyline to ever be given to a Game of Thrones original character. And by far one of the most enticing. He's so morally grey and to see that clash with Jon's annoyingly fierce sense of honor will be...delicious. The fact that he wields Dark Sister honestly put me in a coma, and I only awoke to type out this novel-length review (Do not attempt to contact me once you finish reading this for I will be falling back into my state of prolonged loss of consciousness).

Also do I have a major soft spot for him because he is eldest daughter coded? Do I love him because of how much he mirror Viserys -- the older siblings who remembers everything and has been left with nothing on the outskirts of the kingdom he was due to inherit? Answer is maybe.

In short; wow. Truly, Mint. You created a multiverse that puts Marvel to shame. I cherish each and every one of your characters, and can do nothing but thank you and remind you of how powerful you truly are. I still have people emailing me about your work -- and it takes all the power in the world to simply point them in your direction and not go on a 10 page rant about how much they're gonna love it.

All my love, your biggest fan,

Anonymousgothic

excuse me while I go scream cry and throw up, I love you for this so so so much, I can’t even articulate it (and I’m so sorry I can’t put it into such beautiful words how grateful I am for this cause I am deceased by how big my heart is for you, and for this). Thank you for picking out the smaller details and thank you for the love and support. Pls know u are adored (by me hehe)

- mint

[diagonal-queen]

Can I request Chuuya and Dazai reacting to their s/o, who’s usually very sweet and tame answer the “what’s your type?” question with smth like “Men with slutty waists :3”. They say it so casually too 💀

"Men with Slutty Waists!"

♡ pairing: Dazai Osamu, Chuuya Nakahara x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: They ask you what your type is and you reply with 'men with slutty waists'. How do they feel about that? (hint: reactions are mixed)

♡ cw: Swearing, lots of talk about grabbable little man waists, dirty talk and NSFW implications (no explicit smut but it almost gets close)

note: Ohhh my god finally another piece T-T yay! This req made me laugh so hard when I first read it lmaoo slightly inappropriate crack is such a fun genre to write! Please send more reqs like this people I need to hear all your silly ideas <3 and as always apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

Dazai:

He is so fucking shook

Dazai asked you that question as a way to tease you. He fully did not expect you to fire back with a statement like that, especially with your more mild personality. You didn't even bother looking up at him when you answered or anything 💀

He just stands there silently, contemplating what you said. You want to laugh so bad because you can practically see waves of surprise and confusion radiating off of him but you maintain your nonchalance to see what happens

Soon enough he comes to his senses and he just...smirks at you. Uh oh.

He'll then lean down and say 'Is that so? What else do you like in a partner, 'donna?' With the most devious and cheeky smile on his face

You are determined to win whatever weird competition he's just began so you turn around and say some shit like 'I like men who whimper.' Your face does not change at all.

Again, he's so surprised because he didn't actually expect you to answer him, and thought you'd get flustered and shy. His cheeks might even turn red, which is the exact opposite of what he'd intended to happen (and also the cutest sight ever)

But then he regains his composure and hits you with another leading question again

This goes back and forth for a while, and basically just turns into dirty foreplay. You guys do the deed (or just make out for a while if you prefer), it's inevitable, and for those curious, he does in fact whimper for you.

In the end he's just really thankful that you like all these little random things about him. He thinks it's really sweet <3

And he encourages you to never be afraid to say things like that to him from now on, no matter when or where you are

Chuuya:

He just genuinely wanted to know T-T why did you do this to him

His inital reaction is basically just 'What the fuck?! My waist isn't slutty 😡😡'

You can't help but laugh at his chagrin, because c'mon Chuuya. Have you looked in a mirror?

You have to tell him that it wasn't an insult, but actually a compliment. He does not see it that way.

It definitely takes a little bit of convincing on your end for him to realise that slutty waists are a good thing

After he calms down, he suddenly gets super embarrassed, because oh my god, my usually very demure partner just told me to my face that I have a slutty man waist??

He asks what possibly inspired you to answer his very innocent question the way you did, and you just shrug and say that it's not a dishonest answer (lmao). He still thinks it's weird of you though because it's just so out of character

He then asks what constitutes a 'slutty waist'. You basically just explain that it's a waist that's slim/easily grabbable and stuff, and he's all like 'are you calling me small'

Goddamnit Chuuya it was a JOKE

You tell him that you said it because you like his waist, and you love his body and love him the way he is, and then he gets flustered because let's be real, he's not the best with receiving compliments

That being said, he might decide to amp up the flirty atmosphere you've created and...take the night in a different direction. Just to see who the slutty one actually is~ (it's probably still him)

After all is said and done, he lowkey kinda likes it when you say things like that 👀 Not in public, but he sure doesn't mind being surprised with a sudden inappropriate compliment every now and then.

He wouldn't usually admit it though and would probably just try to out-fluster you. Will you let him win?

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl, @kokoenjiandco

[sindri42]

I love overanalyzing the Slaughterhouse Nine recruiting candidates because they all have so many layers to them. They're pretty much all simultaneously the best and the worst match for whoever was making the picks.

Some are obvious. Like how Oni Lee starts out looking like a perfect mirror for Jack, both untouchable, both ruthless killers, both able to reach out and kill anybody at any time with virtually no reliable defenses, both terrifying boogeyman figures for years despite, ultimately, just being a guy with a knife... but then turns out to be totally empty inside, devoid of ambition or creativity and essentially just used as a disposable tool for anybody willing to wield him.

Armsmaster is a really funny one to me, because it starts out looking like Mannequin is just picking Colin to fuck with him. He does the whole 'you are not so different you and I' bullshit monologue (silently of course), but it's super obvious that really he just wants to kill another tinker for having the audacity to try to make the world a better place, or failing that force them to sacrifice everything they know and love in the name of pure survival like he did. But then Colin turns around and fucking triples down on that, replacing like 97% of his biomass with tech in order to turn himself into an implacable war machine devoted utterly to destroying the Nine, essentially stealing Mannequin's entire schtick but surpassing him at it in every way.

Bonesaw's selection of Panacea is like... a high five as they sprint past each other in opposite directions. They've got almost the same powers, and everybody knows that the two of them genuinely working together would either usher in a new age of peace and prosperity or horrors that make the likes of Gold Morning look mild and forgettable, but the moment one's alignment starts to shift toward the other's they fucking trade sides. Bonesaw is an innocent girl forced to wear the mask of a monster by the people around her, and her character arc is all about figuring out how to leave behind all the things she was conditioned to do and be and just go back to being Riley. And Amy is a monster struggling to keep wearing the mask of an innocent little girl, before ultimately giving up on her code and morality and human connections to become the Red Queen. And that's before we even get started on the cruel irony of Bonesaw picking Panacea because she craves a family, or wants to be like a sister to Amy.

Crawler probably just picked Noelle because she was the most likely person in the city to be able to either kill him or give him a new power, but he probably really thought they had a lot in common with the whole 'pathetic human slowly turning into an endbringer-tier kaiju' thing. And the twist is pretty obvious too, he's spent his whole life searching for ways to become less human and more monstrous, and she's spent her whole time in this dimension searching for a way to stay human. But the most casual and flippant of the selections would definitely have had the most world-shaking results if it had actually succeeded... because either the Nine would go, like, double S-class? Or she would make twisted copies of them with opposing goals and clone!Bonesaw would truly fix Noelle while clone!Jack eliminated the rest of the Nine and created the greatest superhero team in history or something. No matter what, it would have been a completely different story, but instead we get a single scene of growling on the other side of a door and then don't hear much from either of them until like two arcs later.

Cherish nominated her brother to fuck with him, in much the same way as Mannequin... and it backfired in a completely different way because while she was trying her hand at being a master manipulator and setting up to take over the Nine, he spent their years apart making actual friends, with the result that she just put herself in the crosshairs of a group much more manipulative than herself and nearly as dangerous as the people she was trying to control.

Really the only matchups that don't have at least three kinds of irony going on if you stop to think about them a little deeper are Burnscar/Labyrinth (one kind of irony, pretty clearly spelled out in the text), and Shatterbird/Hookwolf (the official "winner" but also the most boring and safest option).

Thinkin’ about The Siberian

I was sitting on a draft that said something to the effect of “Worm AU where Manton pulls an NBC Hannibal and moonlights as The Siberian on top of being a globally respected parahuman studies researcher. Is this anything.”

Then I thought about this a little more and realized that this might not be far off from what actually happened. There’s a throughline in Manton’s interests, in his trajectory through life, where he’s trying to figure out what you can use powers to get away with doing to people- about identifying constraints and overcoming them. 

He’s the guy who somehow credibly catalogued, and got his name associated with, the fact that powers generally can’t be used to pop people like balloons, and he did so reasonably early in the timeline, in the nineties at the latest. That’s…. an interesting direction to take your research! When people are just coming to terms with the fact that parahumans are real he’s out there taking careful note of whether they can manifest their powers inside people to instantly kill them. How did he test that? What capes did he collaborate with to test that? What did those conversations look like? Did the IRB at a minimum issue any revise-and-resubmits?

And then, of course, he gets picked up by Cauldron (also known as the infinite untraceable victim depot) to work on improving the vials- gaining a sufficiently in-depth understanding of what they are, how they’re made, and what they can do to people that when Cauldron told Legend that Manton had gone rogue and was the one creating C53s, he found this plausible. You’ve got the guy who’d later become the backbone of the Slaughterhouse 9 basically systemically cataloging every conceivable way a power could violate someone’s physiology- first from without, and then, at Cauldron, from within.

Then, when he pulls the trigger and gives himself powers, the resultant ability is essentially a distilled refutation of the Manton Effect- a minion that can obliterate anything, eat anything, delete any material from existence, viscerally dismember people in a unity of conventional and esoteric, power-enabled violence. And he’s insulated from the consequences of his actions on two levels- in terms of Siberian’s invulnerability, but also in the discrepancy between his form and that of his minion. He mixed the vial that gave him that power himself.

Essentially- I don’t think Siberian is something that just happened after a psychological break following a messy divorce. I think Manton basically pre-committed to becoming something like The Siberian, spent most of his career working towards some form of transcendence through superpowers, and the messy divorce was downstream of the cracks starting to show as he got closer and closer to what he’d been chasing.

Now to segue into a complication that’s more directly supported in the text- it’s Worm, it’s always complicated- Master powers spring from loneliness. My theory is that while Manton wanted apotheosis, and while he’d probably been gearing up for a rampage for a while, he genuinely didn’t want to do it alone; he wanted a sidekick. Hence why he bothered pursuing a family in the first place, hence why he fed his daughter a vial, hence why his own projection ended up looking like his daughter after he accidently made her explode or whatever with the bad vial- a monkey’s paw restoration, giving him back a facsimile of the person he wanted to take along for the ride, and making his capacity for violence inseparable from her presence.

This is why he joined up with the Nine rather than remaining a solo act; it’s why he engages in a bad imitation of the Parent/Child relationship with Bonesaw; and it’s why he seeks out Bitch as a candidate. His interest in her candidacy parses to me as genuine- Even moreso than Bonesaw, even moreso than Jack, Bitch has arrived at a no-frills fuck-you-I-do-what-I-want outlook that’s very appealing to Manton. He wants to have a murderer-daughter relationship!

But Rachel got where she is the hard way, by having a life that sucked a lot, by getting near-constantly kicked around! She has a clear reason to be so angry! Even if all my postulations about Manton having a long game are complete bullshit, there are several stages at which Manton had to actively opt in to the same lifestyle and reputation that Bitch was forced to adopt as a basic survival tactic. He didn’t have to start eating people! He’s a tourist! His ��freedom” is inseparable from his distance, his disguise. Rachel’s “freedom” is just the freedom of having nothing left to lose.

All of this to say- In an interlude in which Bitch has an extended internal monologue about how people with families have the opportunities to be assholes and monsters to a captive audience, it is absolutely not a coincidence that she’s scouted by a would-be parental figure who proceeds to be an asshole and a monster in front of a captive audience, before trying to buy her affection with a puppy. In rejecting Manton, Rachel dodged an esoterically-packaged but ultimately very familiar bullet.