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mdhwrites · 16 days ago

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how would you have written eda's curse and Luz's time in hexside? Eda's curse supposed to be a stand in for chronic illness but not only did they get rid of it they turned it into her 'superpower'- I know a lot of people call that a bad faith critic but it bothers me and just because hexside is cool and magic doesn't mean it's separate from the rest of the BI's laws and darwinism plus Luz is neurodivergent and has no biological magic- she would have issues with bullying and learning like she did back on her world- things wouldn't be magically fixed and might even be worse?

Why is it that The Owl House has nothing interesting to be done with powerlessness? To turn one's theorized weaknesses into strengths? Why do they just have to become strengths?

This is one of the biggest ways in which I would argue TOH is brain dead. Most other aspects of the show I can criticize but I have to admit that they tried. That there's something there... But it's entirely missing here. Which the fact that in an adventure series, the show cannot challenge the protagonist when they have a SEVERE disadvantage like this is emblematic of how the show doesn't challenge anyone on anything.

Eda's curse is like THE plot point of S1. Its finale and S2's opening, and even Affearances, all revolve around how we have gone from being worried about using magic to not being able to use magic. It's a HUGE status quote, especially because it leaves these characters so much more vuln- Oh never mind. Eda has explosive potions and glyphs that outdo all of her magic that she did before. It's not a problem. Move the fuck on.

I talked to an author after Clouds on the Horizon about how Eda gaining a coven sigil means nothing. They argued back that she'd lose her magic then. I shot back that she already lost it... And they admitted, being a fanfic author for TOH, that they FORGOT EDA DIDN'T HAVE MAGIC.

But why would you even remember that? She uses more magic with the glyphs than she did without them. The one time the curse really got in the way was with Tibbles. Then it not just became a superpower, it had EXTRA POWERS! Like what we saw in Eda's Requiem. Her magic genuinely got more interesting and more devastating AFTER losing it.

And this paralleled with Luz. Covention is the ONE time her not having magic comes up as something that puts her in danger and the answer is just to have someone else do the magic, which is always the solution in S1 early on. Need to fight Bounty Hunters? Bring in Willow. Need to escape detention? Yo Gus, use that good good illusion magic of yours. My own unique personality traits, skills and abilities instead? Why the fuck would we use that when everyone is overpowered and that's SO much easier a solution?

And once Luz does have her full arsenal, she rivals ANY other mage we've seen below Lilith's level. Fight a Selkidamus? Sure, I'm better than the entire fucking boat and will solo this bitch after they fail and I only need them for physical strength. The Conformatorium is my bitch by the end of S1 despite no training or practice. I can just walk up to Warden Wrath and render him completely at my mercy with just slips of paper. After those two back to back moments, anytime Luz loses or is challenged is just narrative contrivance because we've seen that her power is essentially limitless. It doesn't even cost her energy since her stamina seems entirely disconnected from her spells...

Which Gus reinforces because when he picks up glyphs, even when nervous with them, they are bluntly stronger than any other version we've seen of those spells. The largest fireball in the entire show is when Gus nervously casts his first glyph. It's horseshit.

And as you point out, it has cascading effects. If you want boring combat because otherwise you would need to sacrifice time from character work, that's one thing. However, the show's premise is on Luz learning magic. Learning to be the best version of herself. Because magic is not challenged though, she does not have to improve as a person to improve her magic. That's why three of her four glyphs have nothing to do with moral lessons. Arguably, all of them, and that's not getting into how the combo glyphs happen off screen and you can't argue shortening because all but one combo glyph is gotten before the shortening took effect. As such, you're not doing character work AND you're not doing interesting, entertaining combat or adventures.

I think the most damning thing here, period, is that I've mixed these subjects because it's obvious. A depowered, master of magic working with someone who wants to be that master of magic to understand the world and their abilities. It should be a bonding point for them that they don't have magic or that magic comes hard for them. But... It's not. It literally never is. The closest it EVER comes to that is when Luz teaches Eda glyphs which is like all of two minutes between two episodes and that's in SEASON TWO. It's not a reversal of dynamics because the first dynamic just straight up NEVER HAPPENED.

But it's easier to just give them powers. To just give super forms or combo glyphs or whatever else the person needs in that moment. It's easier than exploring the complicated subjects of not having something everyone else has, even though shows for TODDLERS literally have done it for decades in single episodes.

How am I supposed to agree that this is the deepest show with the most complex writing when they could not bother even once answering the question "How does someone without magic win against that win against something that does?" And for a show with two of its protagonists entirely missing magic at different points in the show, that's downright embarrassing.

TOH would have to be more than just another isekai using fantasy elements for power fantasy elements to give a shit about that though. Shame to anyone who actually cares about those genres though, this isn't the place for you. See you next tale.

======+++++======

Before anyone tries to crack back with this btw: Putting a glyph on Belos WOULD count if not for the fact that Luz has to break every version of the invisibilty spell we've ever seen for that to have worked. Her magic just did what it needed to do. She wasn't smart, the show cheated, which is essentially the whole point of this blog. And for those curious: EVERY other use of the Invisibility spell includes making the entire person vanish which makes sense since it is connected to the breath of the caster. Then out of nowhere, Luz can do it to a single object that she's wearing despite no one ever making their shirt even accidentally vanish. That's not clever, that's bullshit.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #toh #the owl house

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ashaflemythal · 11 days ago

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I haven’t seen any real critical takes on veilguard on here, so I wanted to add my 2 cents and open up a discussion bc at this moment I would say I’m beefing with BioWare lol.

Firstly, did I have fun playing veilguard? Uh, yes? I guess? Technically? I would definitely say the combat system and a lot of the gameplay itself is far better than it has been in previous games, and made me more engaged.

However, the writing issues at BioWare came to a major head here.

1) i didn’t feel like they went into the political and social implications of what was going on at all?? The elven gods coming back would bring so many other consequences beyond the destruction and blight. We didn’t see how this affected the way elves were treated, especially somewhere like Tevinter.

2) what happened to the Templar/mage conflict? The implications of the elven gods being alive and back are that then the chant and chantry are mostly wrong. There is no “magic was made to serve man and never rule over him.” This would likely make mages lash out at templars for being oppressed over what have turned out to essentially be lies. The templars then would likely split into those that leave the chant and focus on the real threats before them, and those who dig in their heels and decide that mages should still be oppressed bc of the dangers no matter what the chantry says. This would be such an interesting political shift to witness! And I’m sad we didn’t get this amount of depth

3) what happened to Solas�� followers? There was something so interesting to explore about having current elves helping him because they felt he was doing the right thing. We don’t run into any of his followers at all! And elves would definitely have more than enough reason to seek the world of the ancients and return to Arlathan given tevinter slavery and general oppression across Thedas, so what happened to that?

4) the only complex companion relationship that is allowed in-game is with rook and whoever was hardened with the treviso/minrathous choice. Otherwise, you can’t really have an antagonistic relationship with any of them. The only way to not progress a good relationship is to not engage in their content which I feel like is very weak writing. In DAI, you walk in on Cassandra and varric physically fighting and have to side with one of them. You can tell Cullen to keep taking lyrium. You can pick the wrong option in a companion quest and worsen your relationship. Where was that in this game?

5) the roleplaying, or lack there of. Sometimes I would pick the most aggressive option and it would still sound pretty nice, all things considered, where is my ability to feel differently outside of the very narrow window the game provides?

6) the STAKES of it all. The companions all seem very chill about things, all things considered. They are finding out things that would politically turn thedas on its head, and they’re having these calm discussions around a coffee table. I’m currently on my second play through, and it feels like none of these discoveries are given the weight they deserved, after three games of built up lore.

7) the gods’ allies. The motivations of the bad guys can pretty much be summed up by saying “want power” and that creates such shallow villains. Like yeah, obviously they’re bad bc they just want power and don’t care about people, but what about villains that do care about others? Villains that are complicated? I mean hell even though Alexius was mostly like “yes corypheus power” there was that grounding aspect of him wanting to save his son who was sick. I don’t feel like we had anything that tangible or real from major villains in veilguard

Ok, long post, but I do feel like BioWare has started to shy away from nuance and gray areas in a way I don’t like. It is important to show the complicated perspectives of evil people because that is the same thing we have to deal with irl. As an action-adventure game, it’s fine, but veilguard can scarcely call itself a true rpg. I don’t know, my feelings about it are complicated but all I know is that this game was quite disappointing to me especially compared to DAI, and I want to hope for better from the next game but given the way their BioWare’s last couple releases have gone I can’t say I’m expecting a lot. Anyway, how are yall feeling fr?

#dragon age #dragon age veilguard #veilguard spoilers #I’m BITTER #I used to feel like I could always count on BioWare for good character writing and nuance but this game threw that right out the window #dragon age veilguard spoilers

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cy-cyborg · 6 months ago

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Watching people get upset about the new dragon age trailer being "woke" is so funny. Up until inquisition, the templars (who are written like religious cops/a religious military power) were seen as pretty unambiguously the bad guys who overtly mistreated and abused an oppressed population (mages) they had control over, had pretty blatant messages of racism and sexism being bad, not to mention it's repeated depiction of systemic racism, especially towards indigenous people (the elves) the damage done by colonialism, criticism of the church and depictions of it abusing people, including some of its most loyal followers (the entire andrastian system), criticism of an over-reliance on tradition and isolationist policies and how it can leave the door open for corruption (the dwarves), openly lgbtq characters like Lilliana and Zevren and the entire companion list of DA2 - there were even hints that this world's equivalent of the pope was gay, and even criticism of the treatment of people with disabilities by people in power (the tranquil). They weren't always handled well, but they've always been there. All of this stuff is in the first game and has remained throughout all of the series. How did these people get this far into it and think all this is new?

Anyway, just to piss these people off even more, not only is there a black elf and a "fat" woman (apparently that's people's issue with harding?), but there's also black amputee woman in the gameplay trailer (Neve Gallus), they don't seem to have caught that one yet lol.

[ID: A gif of Neve, a black woman in extravagant white armour, surrounded by people frozen solid . Neve's right leg is a bronze prosthetic. /end ID]

#dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #datvg

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the-garbanzo-annex-jr · 3 months ago

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by William P. Barr

Reading the report issued last month by Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism, one could be forgiven for thinking that it describes the University of Heidelberg circa 1933. It contains accounts of observant Jews being harassed and assaulted, and open calls for the murder of Jews. But no, this is not Nazi Germany. This is the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 2024. There—in one of the nation’s most elite enclaves of higher learning—the oldest hatred is alive and well, gussied up in academic robes.

The admittedly “serious and pervasive” antisemitic incidents detailed by the report are disturbing. Even more troubling is the extent to which Columbia faculty and administrators were complicit in the problem. One instructor kicked off a class in the Master of Public Health program with a discussion of the Jewish “capitalists” who “laundered” their “dirty money” and “blood money” through donations to the university. Others silenced Jewish students in class discussions of the Holocaust and Israel. Still others moved class sessions and office hours to Columbia’s “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” where Jewish students were routinely threatened and physically attacked.

For their part, campus demonstrators made no attempt to conceal their hatred of Jews. In fact, they made a public spectacle of it. A video cited by the report shows demonstrators stealing an Israeli flag from a Jewish student and assaulting him as he tried to stop them from setting it on fire. It shows demonstrators repeatedly shouting “Go back to Poland” at Jewish students as they walked across campus. One leader of the encampment proudly boasted, “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists. . . I feel very comfortable calling for those people to die.” Still, the same university that offers hours of training on “microaggressions” refused to acknowledge decidedly macro-aggressive attacks on Jews.

While all this was happening, administrators either minimized or denied the problem. One member of the Office of Diversity told a student that if the antisemitic incidents she observed made her feel unsafe, she should leave campus. Another administrator told individual students that they were the “only student” who had complained about antisemitism before referring each for mental health counseling.

The gaslighting is astonishing. Moreover, the report’s key recommendation—more training on what constitutes antisemitism—misses the point.

Antisemitism isn’t borne of ignorance at Columbia. Antisemitism is taught at Columbia. Discrimination—now reconceptualized as “intersectionality”—has become the ideological touchstone of the university. It is the subject of training programs, celebrated in academic centers, studied in labs, and baked into departmental mission statements. Under this theory, the world is divided into oppressor and victim classes based on racial, ethnic, and gender identity. And in this system of power and subordination, Jews are the ultimate oppressors. As one Columbia student leader put it, “white Jewish people are today and always have been the oppressors of all brown people.”

So the problem is not, as the report suggests, an “absence of clarity” about what constitutes antisemitism. It’s that antisemitism now lies at the ideological heart of the university, smuggled in through postmodern critical theory. It has been nurtured in faculty lounges and classrooms for decades. Now it is on public display for the entire world to see.

This hatred is a danger to all members of the Columbia community, as it will not—and has not—stopped with Jews.

In April, an angry mob consisting primarily of Columbia students, alumni, and even faculty, overran the university’s historic Hamilton Hall in the name of “intifada.” Four janitors were working in the building at the time, cleaning up after students and faculty. The rioters held two of the men, one African American and the other Latino, against their will and physically assaulted them. (My law firm represents the two workers.)

All of this darkly mirrors the violent convulsions that wracked Columbia during the late 1960s, when I was an undergraduate there. Then, as I recount in my recent memoir, it was Students for a Democratic Society that was calling for a revolution. Mainly white and affluent, the demonstrators seemed to have done pretty well for themselves under the existing democratic system. But what they lacked in intellectual coherence, they more than made up for in violent zeal. They took over buildings, rioted, and provoked violent confrontations with the police, all while campus administrators, with a few notable exceptions, remained supine.

By the time the university was forced to take action against the rioters, it was too late. The message had been sent. Moderates, conservatives, and the politically undecided chose to pursue their education elsewhere. Radicals and revolutionaries were welcome on the Columbia faculty. And the very mission of the university changed from the pursuit of truth and knowledge to activism and social transformation.

The antisemitism that is convulsing Columbia is the consummation of the ideological drift and mission creep that began at the university in the 1960s. What was initially a crude cry for revolution in the riots of 1968 now finds expression in the academic jargon of intersectionality. But violence is the inevitable end of a theory that views our democratic institutions as systems of subordination. And antisemitism is the impulse that is unleashed by the intersectional taxonomy of oppressors and victims.

It will take more than a cleanup crew to remove the stain of antisemitism at Columbia. It will take principled leaders with moral courage and ramrod spines, both of which seem to be in short supply. In the absence of those leaders, the victims of discrimination will have to rely on our legal and judicial institutions to protect the civil rights that Columbia University has once again surrendered to a baying mob.

#columbia university's taskforce on antisemitism #columbia university #antisemitism #gaza solidarity encampment #gaslighting

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kalisburnerphone · 5 months ago

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Only // Choi Seungcheol

Happy Birthday Cheol!!! You deserve everything good in the world.

Summary: Just a little glimpse into the life of Seungcheol and Solana.

Word Count: Unknown because I wrote this in the notes app on my phone but probably under 5k.

Warnings: Idol!Seungcheol x OC!Solana, established relationship, a tiny bit suggestive, Seungcheol on his pouty baby agenda, curve/plus-sized, foreigner!oc fluff, mentions of period and period sex, Seungcheol’s breeding kink is mentioned, they’re just in love tbh, pregnancy mentioned, slight handjob, allusions to sex, domesticity, teasing…I think that’s all.

N.B: This is in the same idolverse as my last Seungcheol piece but none of the parts are in chronological order. This couple will appear in other universes as I'm trying out this writing style and I also don't like writing from a first person pov. If I missed anything, let me know. Constructive criticism is welcomed. This is a work of fiction and does not represent the members of Seventeen and what they are like in reality.

At the sound of the front doors keypad being unlocked she ventures from her spot on the couch to greet the person she knows is about to appear once the door opens.

“Hey you.” He grins when he spots her. “why’re you still up?”

He questions pressing a quick peck to her lips before bending to take off his shoes. He tries to hide the jolt of pain he feels but she notices anyways, she always did. Their schedule had be jam packed since the concerts last weekend and soon they’d be on a plane to Japan for the remaining shows.

“I was working on that assignment when you texted so I decided I’d stay up. I haven’t seen much of you this week outside my phone screen.” He can hear the pout in her voice before he even looks at her and it’s honestly moments like these that Seungcheol is absolutely grateful that he gets to experience with her.

“I have a few days before we leave for Japan, I’m all yours.” He presses another kiss to her lips and lets her pull him behind her.

“I ran you a bath, go strip and get in. Have you eaten yet?” She asks as she lightly pushes him in the direction of their bedroom.

“Mhmm, we had team dinner. Join me?”

“Not tonight baby, shark week has started.”

“Okay,and? Y’know that’s not an issue.”

“Baby, you’re taking a bath not a shower. It’s not happening. Now, go strip and get in before the water gets too cold. I’ll come keep you company in a bit.” She compromises knowing fully well that he wouldn’t stay long in the bath if she didn’t at least sit with him.

Seungcheol seems satisfied with her answer as he lifts his hand to signal that he’s giving her five minutes to join him.Once he disappears down the hall she’s moving towards the couch and picking up her laptop, saving her assignments before powering it off. Kkuma had been staying with her uncle this past week as both her parents were extremely busy.

After the quick clean up, she’s turning off the lights just as Seungcheol calls out for her.

“I’m coming you big baby,” she teases making her way to the bedroom. She gets the little seat she uses at the vanity and takes it into the bathroom with her. She sets it down besides the tub, Seungcheol’s eyes never leaving her figure. Both arms resting on the edge of the tub used as support for his head as he watches her move around before she sits next to him with a little basket of their skincare products on the counter in front of her.

He sits quietly as she removes the days makeup from his face before applying his cleansing oil. After a few minutes she removes the oil using a warm,damp towel. They’ll have to finish the rest of steps once he’s done but it’s the last thing on his mind at the moment.

“How is it?”

“Hmm?” He hums out, much too preoccupied with the way her fingers are massaging his scalp.

“Your leg baby. I know you like putting up that shield of yours but we’re not going to pretend like I don’t know that you’re in pain. It’s been acting up since Saturday and I didn’t say anything because I figured you knew not to push yourself too much but, you’ve barely had time to rest lately.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you Cheol, I…I’m just worried. Carats are as well, I can’t begin to count how many videos I’ve seen this week of you being in pain after stages. As much as they love that you’re back and doing what you love baby, they’re also extremely worried and protective. I’m not asking you to promise me that you’ll be more careful, I just need you to try and remember to take it easy from time to time. Take a break,put your leg up and relax. Yes, your rehab went well and you made progress quickly but you gotta remember that you’re still healing and over exerting yourself won’t help.”

Both his cheeks are cupped in her hands as she looks at him. Seungcheol isn’t sure if she can see the literal hearts in his eyes but whatever she sees must have assured her that he’d gotten her message loud and clear because she’s pressing her lips to his for what feels like the first time this week.

She pulls away too quickly for Seungcheol’s liking and he’s left chasing her lips as she goes. “One more.” The little giggle that leaves her mouth has him smiling brightly and her thumbs lightly poking his dimples as they appear.

“You’re so whipped.” she teases lightly, pressing kisses everywhere except for where she knows he wants them. The water in the tub has gone cold but Seungcheol didn’t care.

“Like you aren’t as equally whipped, princess.” He teases back before he’s taking matters into his own hands and slotting his lips against hers. Her kisses are something he can never get enough of and he only ever pulls away once he’s satisfied with leaving her breathless.

“Lemme finish up here and I’ll come rub your tummy, I know those first day cramps are horrendous.” He says softly.

“Okay. Don’t forget to finish your skincare.” She reminds him before making her way back to the bedroom with her little seat.

Seungcheol can’t help the lovesick smile on his face as he gets out of the bath and drains the water before stepping into the shower to rinse off. He contemplates washing his hair but decides he’ll just do it the following morning and proceeds to finish up his skincare and brushing his teeth before entering the bedroom.

“Baby,”

“Hmm?”

“Was that a new oil? It smelled really good.” He informs as he’s in the middle of pulling on his boxers.

“Mhmm, Josh recommended it to me the last time we met up. It’s warm vanilla and something but it’s supposed to help you relax and sleep well. Did you like it?”

Seungcheol loved the way she interacted with his family. He remembers how skeptical he’d been about introducing her to them but all those worries had been for nothing as she fit right in with them,especially Jeonghan and Joshua. Three of them together was like having mischievous triplets who fed off each other’s energy and they often gave Seungcheol a run for his money but he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“It’s nice, you should buy more.”

Once he’s got his pants on he’s joining her on their bed. Her phone is placed on her bedside table as she grabs a medium sized container and some other item he doesn’t quite notice.

“Up against the headboard, get settled.” She bosses him around as she grabs one of the extra pillows and props it up under his leg before twisting open the cover on the container.

“What’s that for?” He questions, knowing better than to protest against her doting on him. It’s not often that she’s this fussy over him openly but he guesses he owes it to her hormones being all over at the moment.

“Icy Hot,” she says showing him the front of the container. “It’ll help with pain relief in the muscles and joints around the area.”

She explains as she applies a generous amount to his leg before massaging it into the area softly. “It’ll be cold at first, once you feel it start heating up that’s how you know it’s working.”

Once that’s done she’s carefully lifting his leg from the pillow and sliding his knee band under before securing it in place as she’s done numerous times throughout his recovery. Seungcheol waits until the container is covered and placed back on the bedside table before he’s pulling her towards him.

“Wait! Lemme wash my hands first.” She laughs lightly wiggling her way out of her boyfriend’s grabby hands.

“Babyyy, hurry up. I’m cold.” Seungcheol whines out not even five minutes later and she can hear the pout that she knows is settled on his lips. She had already completed her nightly routine so once her hands are clean,she’s making her way back to bed and immediately being pulled onto her boyfriend’s lap before she can settle next to him.

“You and your manhandling tendencies.”

“Tendencies that you love, let’s not pretend now.” He teases pressing a kiss to her jaw before moving lower to her neck where he lingers a bit.

“No marks tonight, I have a shoot tomorrow and Yeji will kill me if she has to do damage control.” She informs him, one hand on his shoulder and the other tangled in the hair at the back of his head.

“Just one?” He rests his chin on her exposed cleavage, looking up at her with a pout that he knows usually gets him his way. Seungcheol knew she wouldn’t let him have her the way he wanted so he’d have something else.

“Nuh-uh. The last time you said just one Cheol, she asked if I was mauled. You get carried away and I’m not complaining because you know I love it but not when I have to shoot.”

“Fineee,” his pout is even deeper now. “but after shark week has ended, I’m having my way with you.”

“Threat or a promise?” She teases, one hand on his shoulder and the other in the hair at the the of his head. Seungcheol doesn’t give her an answer, he simply presses his lips against hers, hard.

It’s sloppy, a mess of teeth and tongue and he thinks he’s got her in a position where he can sneak a mark or two but she’s pulling away much too soon for his liking.

“Babyyy.”

“Hmm?” She smiles giving his lips a few pecks before leaning in close to his ear. “You ain’t slick Choi.” she whispers with a lick to his earlobe before slipping off his lap and into her spot in bed.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, what do you want for your birthday this year?” She asks redirecting the conversation before he could pounce on her.

Seungcheol breathes out a heavy sigh and readjusts his length in his pants before turning on his side, head propped up on one hand as the other settles on her waist.

“I don’t need anything. Just wish me happy birthday at midnight and I’ll be fine with that.”

“Cheol, c’mon. There’s gotta be something you want. Last year you said the same thing but lit up like a child on Christmas when I got you that chrome hearts collection and now you’re obsessed with the brand. I’m only asking because I really don’t know what to get you this time.”

Seungcheol finds it cute how she’s now the one pouting at him. If he was being honest, there’s something that he wanted but he wasn’t sure how she’d react if those words ever left his mouth. It wasn’t something they’d spoken in detail about given the place they were both at in their careers but Seungcheol couldn’t help the thoughts that had been occupying his mind recently.

Thoughts of her plush stomach all round with his child, breasts heavy and full as she waddled around their home. It drove him a bit insane especially whenever he’s inside her, hoping that his seed will take and she’d make him a dad. As bad as it sounds he wished that damn implant was ineffective as he pumped her full of his cum, round after round.

“So there is something that you want.” He hears the teasing lithe in her tone but feigns innocence, telling her that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about and that he’ll be happy with whatever she gave him.

“Tell me.”

“Baby, there’s not—ohh fuckkk!” his eyes immediately lock with hers as she starts stroking his length over his pants, her palm pressing into the head when she reaches the tip.

Seungcheol chuckles in disbelief at the bratty little smirk displayed on her lips. Her hand slipping past the band of his sweatpants to continue her teasing. Lips brushing against his own as she whispers against them “tell me what you want,daddy.”

In a matter of seconds Seungcheol has her flat on her back as he hovers above her, one hand loosely wrapped around her throat before their lips meet. She nips at his bottom lip before licking it over and Cheol struggles to stop the moan that slips pass his lips as she continues pumping his throbbing length.

“You’re such a fucking tease, y’know that? Y’know, I’m trying to be respectful but you just love to test me like I won’t lay some towels down and fuck you the way I haven’t been able to in the last three weeks.” His fingers squeeze a little tighter around her neck and he huffs at her audacity to still be smirking at him.

“It’s okay though because as soon as shark week is over, I’m going to remember this moment right here and I’m going to have my way with you. Fuck you just the way you like it, round after round I’ll fuck you full of my seed until it sticks and you’re all round and full with my baby.” He whispers hotly in her ear.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” comes her quick witted response and once again Seungcheol is huffing in disbelief.

“You knew?”

“Like I said baby, you’re not slick. You forget just how well I know you sometimes and I saw you looking at baby clothes that you claimed were for Kkuma.”

The tips of his eyes are red as he buries his face in the crooks of her neck.

“I’m sorry. I know we haven’t talked about it seriously and both of our careers are really hectic right now but I can’t get rid of that feeling of being ready to take that step with you.” He speaks so softly that she wouldn’t have heard him if he weren’t so close to her ear.

“Hey, look at me.” both hands cupping his cheeks as he does as she asked. “there’s no reason for you to be sorry. I’ll have your babies, you know this. As long as it’s with you I know I’ll be okay. I guess what I’m trying to say is, once our schedules clear up a bit we can go to the doctor to get the implant out and we can start trying.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She can’t help the way his smile makes her smile as well. She’d do anything for him and if a baby is what he wants then that’s what he’ll get.

“You’re going to make me a dad? Give Kkuma a sibling?”

“That’s the plan baby, but until then, lay back let me fix the problem I created.

Solana smiles as she recalls that faithful night three months ago. She had gone to the doctor without Seungcheol while he was in Japan and had the implant removed. He was still unaware to that fact but that didn’t stop the new heights his breeding kink had soared to. True to his word, he’d had her ten ways to Sunday during the week they got off after Japan. On the balcony of his hotel room before and after their speech at the UN and many more after that which has brought them to this faithful moment.

It’s August 8th and Seungcheol’s 29th birthday. She’d wished him happy birthday at exactly midnight because lord knows he’d be pouting for the rest of the month if she didn’t and he’d had his way with her once again until the sun came up and they both drifted back to sleep.

She’d planned a simple birthday dinner with the boys, Kai and Nami. They had gathered at their favorite restaurant, a private room booked as they all ate and drank while telling stories and remembering their trainee days. As the evening goes on, Jeonghan and Joshua are the first to hand Seungcheol presents. One by one they all give him their gifts and watches as he opens them until she’s the only one left.

It’s a little blue box, quite smaller than the other gifts he’s gotten so Seungcheol’s not really sure what it is. Jeonghan however is sitting in the corner with a knowing smile on his face. He wasn’t stupid, he had picked up on the little things that seemed to fly right over Seungcheol’s head but he wouldn’t ruin that element of surprise for his best friend.And surprised Seungcheol is when he opens the box and pulls away the pink wrapping paper to reveal a small photo album.They’re all pictures from over the course of their relationship. From polaroids to instant photo booth pictures, there was a memory attached to each for every month of the last five years.

Seungcheol’s eyes are immediately finding hers once he gets to the last page of the album. “This is real, right? You’re not fucking with me?”

She shakes her head and smiles at him mouthing surprise as Seungcheol drops the box and album onto the table before pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She’s the first to pull back when she feels something wet hit her cheeks.

“Yah, why’re you crying?” She laughs lightly followed by a sniffle of her own.

“I’m happy, so fucking happy. Thank you and I love you. You and the little bean growing inside of you.” He smiles sniffling a little.

“No.Fucking.Way. Jeonghan hyung wasn’t lying.”

They’re both pulled out of their little bubble by Mingyu’s surprised outburst as they all circle around the open album on the table that shows an ultrasound with the title:

Baby Choi 2025 ♥️

#choi seungcheol x oc #seventeen #seventeen scoups #scoups #svt cheol #svt x oc #svt seungcheol #seungcheol smut #choi seungcheol #seungcheol x reader #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol scenarios #seungcheol imagines #seventeen seungcheol #scoups smut #Spotify

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princesssarisa · 1 year ago

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I've decided not to write any more long posts about why some people don't like Disney's Belle. I've probably been dwelling too much in other people's negative thoughts that I disagree with. But here are the rest of the critiques of Belle's character that I've read, and my short, succinct thoughts on each one.

I still think it's very interesting that some critics think Belle is too sweet and gentle, too feminine, and not "strong" or "modern" enough, while others think she's too defiant, too "modern," and not sweet or gentle enough.

Her desires at the beginning are ill-defined: she wants "adventure" and "more," but has no specific goal. This is true, but personally, I don't mind it. Plenty of us don't know exactly what we want from life, but do know that we want more excitement and wonderment.

She does nothing but read and complain in the village; she makes no effort to achieve her dreams of adventure, and she never does any realistic peasant chores, which makes her come across even more as a spoiled rich girl. I think it's implicit that Belle and Maurice are too poor to leave the village – that's why Maurice sets out to gain fame and fortune with his invention. And I think Belle's never doing housework onscreen was part of Linda Woolverton's feminist agenda. Maybe it's not realistic, and maybe it's overly "second wave feminist," but I do think it was fair of Woolverton to want to break away from the Walt-era Princess model and not show Belle cooking or cleaning.

Her dreams of adventure are side-swept in favor of a mere love story. I think there are two ways of addressing this issue. One is to argue that her dreams of adventure do come true, just in a way she never expected. The other, supported more by the song "A Change in Me" from the musical, is that she does lose her dreams, but for the better, as she realizes her life doesn't need to be like a romantic storybook to be happy.

Her romance with the Beast isn't nearly as fleshed-out or as realistic as fans claim it is. This is subjective. Some people think it's one of the best-written romance arcs in cinema.

She affects meek politeness and plays games with Gaston instead of plainly refusing his advances. First of all, if Belle didn't care about politeness, she would be a hypocrite to criticize Gaston and the Beast for their rudeness. Secondly, Gaston is intimidating. Third, this is only the beginning of her journey – with the Beast, she arguably learns to stand up to someone who mistreats her, which lets her decisively reject Gaston and call him a monster later on.

She seems to blindly love all books without questioning their content, which could be dangerous, especially when the French Revolution arrives. Belle has no trouble thinking for herself. If she can open her heart and mind to the Beast, and loathe Gaston while the rest of the town adores him, then I'm sure she can tell good books apart from bad and dangerous books. And the fashions in the movie are such a mish-mosh that I'm not sure if it takes place before the French Revolution or after... or if the French Revolution will even happen in this fairy tale world.

She sacrifices her own needs for men. Yes she does, but it's not framed in a gendered way, and both the Beast and Maurice do the same for her.

She emasculates the Beast. Well, I'll admit that the Beast's arc isn't very empowering for him – that's the whole point, that he learns to give up some of his personal power and love unselfishly. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I'll also admit that sometimes, I feel troubled that the Beast lets the mob attack the castle and does nothing to protect his servants. Still, we probably shouldn't judge a character whose mental health is clearly suffering at this point: immobilizing, suicidal despair doesn't only exist in fiction, so we should think twice before we call it "weakness" or "emasculation."

She needs male characters to rescue her – the Beast from the wolves, Chip from the cellar. I respect the complaint that the Disney Renaissance movies still rely too much on the "boy rescues girl" trope, but there's no shame in needing to be rescued. Especially because in the forest scene, Belle is just one human facing a whole pack of wolves, and in the cellar scene, her father is rescued too.

She never uses her skills, knowledge, or passions to solve problems – the only purpose they serve is to unite her with the Beast. I think this is just a genre problem. The whole story is geared toward uniting Belle and the Beast in love, and every story beat serves that end.

She almost leaves the Beast to die in the snow and stays angry about the West Wing incident even after he saves her life. The former is only a split second, while the latter is only in self-defense when the Beast unfairly blames her for his injury. Besides, consider the context of how the Beast has behaved until this point!

She's a hypocrite for giving the Beast a second chance yet dismissing Gaston as a monster. She doesn't give the Beast a chance until he risks his life to save hers. If Gaston had done anything like that, she would have given him a second chance too, but he doesn't. Gaston is also far more cold-blooded and narcissistic than the Beast ever is.

She's to blame for the Beat's near-death at the climax because she reveals his existence to Gaston and the other villagers. Of course she is. It's explicitly framed as a terrible mistake and she openly blames herself. But it's an impulsive act of desperation to save her father, and she tries to explain that the Beast is kind and gentle. Until it's too late, it clearly doesn't cross her mind that the villagers could form a mob to kill him!

She plays a nurturing, motherly role to both the Beast and her father. I agree that heroines shouldn't need to be nurturing. But it's not inherently anti-feminist to be that way!

She's sidelined in the final battle. Yes, this is true, but her presence is still essential to the scene, and not every heroine needs to be an action girl.

Her portrayal falls short of the original Beauty's greatest virtues: her kindness, selflessness, and compassion. Belle still has those qualities, they're just combined with more "modern" ones (adventurousness, defiance toward unjust authority figures, etc.). Besides, Disney had already made several excellent movies about heroines defined by kindness and gentleness. What's wrong with giving Belle a slightly different set of virtues?

She's too traditionally feminine and ladylike. I think most of us can agree that "femininity" ≠ "anti-feminist," and anyone who thinks that way is a little misguided.

Her creators glorify her at the expense of the other Disney Princesses. I agree that it was unfair and mean-spirited of Linda Woolverton to imply that the three Walt-era Princesses are "insipid," but I do respect her insistence on making Belle a different, more "modern" heroine. And I agree that Paige O'Hara was mistaken when she described Belle as "the first Princess not looking for a man" (neither Cinderella nor Ariel dream of romance until they actually meet their princes), but I don't hold that against Belle.

She's too blatantly written as a role model – she doesn't feel like a real person, but like a living instruction manual for how a "smart," "empowered" woman should behave. This is valid. But I personally do think she seems like a real person as well as a role model, and I think she's engaging enough that I don't mind the obvious "role model" qualities.

#disney #beauty and the beast #belle #fairy tale #animated film #criticism #analysis

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utilitycaster · 1 year ago

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Sort of related to the post about people coming in for shipping but something that’s struck me, as actual play fandom has spread, is that there is a certain lack of genre awareness currently - not just surrounding Critical Role, to be honest; it’s a frustration for me for the conversation surrounding Dimension 20 and Worlds Beyond Number for a while as well.

Take fate, for example. The idea of fate, whether it’s as specific as an ancient prophecy, or as broad as the general concept of destiny, is absolutely at the core of so many classic fantasy series that to be vehemently opposed to it within Critical Role is to display profound ignorance of the genre of fantasy. It’s akin to showing up to a sporting event and getting mad that people are running around in athletic gear; it’s like going to an Italian restaurant in the US and screaming in the face of the waiter when they give you bread and olive oil. There is not, per se, a required reading list. You do not need to read nor watch all of Lord of the Rings let alone consider it a formative work; Sam Riegel and Aabria Iyengar sure haven’t. But if you are not familiar with the genre at all, at the very least you do need to come with a certain awareness that you are not familiar with the genre and be open to its conventions. And to be clear: it’s valid to hate the theme of things being fated. But again, that’s like hating they serve bread and olive oil at the Italian restaurant; you should probably simply not go to Italian restaurants.

Another example that is my personal source of irritation is the obsession with radiation as a factor in Burrow’s End. Setting aside my original irritation at just good old-fashioned lack of reading comprehension with the conflation of the poison and the Blue/the Light, the idea that the intelligence was induced by radiation is really…not genre aware. Like, I recognize I’m coming at this with rather more knowledge than average (from a scientific rather than genre-aware perspective no less) but to get back to genre, I take no issue with, say, radiation in comic books. I know the premise of Spider-Man or of Doctor Manhattan’s origins is absolutely ridiculous; but that’s the genre. Radiation in comic books exists to be an easy origin story so we can get to the point of “here’s a guy with powers”. However, in a show that derives its narrative language from Watership Down and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, the idea that the magic and the lightning and the source of intelligence are radiation makes little sense. Another example is the weird response to Skip in Starstruck; the idea of an alien brain parasite like that is so genre-typical to space opera it feels like, again, someone going to an Italian restaurant, pointing at the bread, and saying “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? HOW DARE YOU!”

I think my particular frustration with both of the above (and when I talk about Worlds Beyond Number) is that those people ignorant of genre and not letting it wash over them a la Sam will often fall back to the real world (although, unfortunately, not when it comes to radiation) when trying to make sense of the narrative without the signposts, language, and tropes of the genres to which they belong. To understand the subversions or deconstructions that are likely to occur in, for example, the upcoming exploration of the Citadel in Worlds Beyond Number, you need to be open to the idea that it is a complicated place and not simply The Evil Empire That Suvi Will Definitely Leave; if you’re utterly suspicious of everyone and refuse to try to understand why this is a place people enjoy let alone will die for, you can’t actually experience the story. We are going into the Citadel arc; these wizards will be humanized, and if you have closed off your mind to them already you have set yourself up to be miserable. I do think it’s great that actual play has found an increasingly large audience, but the medium of actual play also carries a certain lexicon and ignorance of it will skew one’s interpretations. My personal bugbear here is of course interpreting bog-standard tanking strategies as either romantic or self-sacrificial in intent, but in general, any resistance to the mere concept of gaining power, the existence of concrete deities, combat, and the placement of plot above romance in D&D are all signs of this ignorance. And again: ignorance is fine! But with all of the above there also often comes this entitlement to a story that is familiar, in blatant disregard for those parameters of genre and medium, and I have to wonder, again, why people mad that a fantasy story is leaning heavily on fantasy story norms, or why D&D has combat, are still showing up to the fantasy D&D story. To return to the Italian restaurant, which is getting a lot of terrible patrons in this metaphor, it feels like a lot of people are showing up to this restaurant because they heard it was good, but then becoming furious it won’t serve them peanut butter and jelly. People who are not familiar should still be welcome, but that lack of familiarity needs to be accompanied by an openness and desire to learn, rather than the entitlement that is so often present.

#cr tag #wbn tag #d20 tag #on fandom

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piglet26 · 1 year ago

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Jason Fry Interview about Reylo

There's a really great interview with Jason Fry, who wrote the novelization.

Comments on Kylo Ren

I think Ben is disappointed by all his father figures, which is a part of what fuels his rage. He sees Han as a scruffy criminal, Luke as a jealous rival and Snoke as an uncaring manipulator. He rejects all these father figures as wanting and can’t fill the void that’s left -- until he reaches that pivotal moment on Kef Bir.

Do you feel by the end of TLJ that Kylo was turning back to the light or solidifying his stance in the dark side?

Neither. He’s won a battle but lost his personal war, and is adrift. The Resistance has escaped, his chance at vengeance has been lost (complete with the great “no dice” joke when they disappear in his hand), and Rey has severed the connection between them.

What do you think Kylo was suggesting to Rey in the throne room? Do you see it as a strictly force partnership or did see his words as meaning more than just that and an actual relationship?

It wasn’t clear to me, because at that moment I don’t think it’s clear to Kylo. He sees Rey as a partner in the Force, absolutely, and there’s obviously this incredibly powerful connection between the two of them. But Kylo’s still working through his own issues there, including what that connection means to him.

He tries to use Rey, which is why she’s so disappointed in him – she thought she could bring him back to the light, and the first thing he does after she thinks she’s succeeded is to try and make her a partner in his ambitions.....that connection goes back to The Force Awakens, when Kylo tries to pry open Rey’s mind and instead lets her into his own. That’s pivotal for both of them – it unlocks Rey’s nascent power, because she sees how Kylo can do what he does, but it also leaves Kylo’s deepest fears and insecurities open to her.

I think this is additional wonderful insight into criticism around Finn's storyline in the The Last Jedi.

Along the same lines, I think the world of John Boyega, who’s a wonderfully dynamic actor and someone whose voice Hollywood needs to listen to. But I also think his criticism of Finn’s storyline in TLJ is misplaced. I think TLJ did a good job with Finn, and what fans who dislike his storyline are missing is that it’s a middle chapter – all complications and reversals and missteps, particularly for Finn. Finn is a remarkable character whom I’ve called the conscience of the sequel trilogy, a child soldier with a moral compass strong enough that he shakes off his programming and refuses to kill for the First Order. But he’s also in search of an identity after making that decision. In TFA he devotes himself to Rey, and that’s where he still is in TLJ. His new friends expect him to dedicate himself to the Resistance, but that’s the last thing he wants – he just stopped being a soldier for a cause, and he’s not signing up to do that again......... Finn’s one of my favorite characters, but I think he got shortchanged in ROS, not TLJ.

#reylo #jason fry #rey skywalker #rey star wars #finnrey #kylo x rey #kylo ren #star wars #ben solo #ben solo x rey #ben solo deserved better #rey nobody #rey palpatine

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notwiselybuttoowell · 22 days ago

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The meeting was always going to be difficult given that it requires reaching decisions by consensus among nearly 200 governments, a process described by energy secretary Ed Miliband as playing “198-dimensional chess”. And in focusing on this issue of finance, the first Cop to do so, it was addressing the thorniest issue of all.

But this was made worse by incompetent leadership from fossil-fuel-rich Azerbaijan, which opened proceedings by calling oil and gas a “gift of God”. And it was bedevilled by obstructionist tactics from Saudi Arabia and weakening political will in industrialised countries, even as evidence builds that the climate crisis could be escalating out of control.

Records for soaring air and ocean temperatures, and for vanishing sea ice at both poles, are being broken by enormous margins. Last month a group of the world’s most respected climate scientists concluded that the world is “stepping into a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis”, putting it “on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster”.

It is hurtling towards permanently exceeding the internationally agreed 1.5C guardrail against catastrophe. Five tipping points that threaten to plunge the world into a more hostile climate will be triggered at that point, said the scientists – and 11 more lie beyond it.

Yet emissions continue to increase while government engagement withers. Even before Trump’s victory, EU countries had been scaling back environmental action. And Germany, France, Australia and Canada may soon elect more climate-sceptic governments too.

Britain, increasingly a climate leader, is an exception, announcing a pioneering new emissions target at Cop29, where both Miliband and Keir Starmer made a big impact. But longstanding political consensus is fracturing, with Kemi Badenoch calling herself a “net zero sceptic” even though more than three-quarters of Tory voters support a net zero target.

At Baku, as in countries around the world, the politics largely trumped the science. Take climate finance. It is authoritatively estimated that developing countries will need some $2.4tn (£1.84tn) a year. They are expected to meet nearly half of that themselves, leaving $1.3tn to come from the rich world. Most of that is expected to flow from business and “innovative sources” such as taxes on aviation and shipping, leaving a core to be provided by more prosperous country governments.

There is more disappointment over failure to endorse a landmark agreement at last year’s Cop to “transition away from fossil fuels”. After a determined Saudi bid to kill it, the final text only refers to it in a roundabout way, and the issue has effectively been shelved for a year. But Baku did agree on long-controversial rules for carbon trading that finally complete the implementation of the Paris agreement.

As in previous Cops, the most constructive developments occurred outside the formal negotiations. Britain announced £239m of new funding to help countries preserve forests. Mexico U-turned on its position as the last holdout against net zero in the G20. And Indonesia, the world’s eighth biggest CO2 polluter, unexpectedly pledged to phase out fossil-fuel power generation.

More significantly still, a coalition of more than 30 nations – including the UK and the EU – jointly promised to adopt tougher measures consistent with meeting the 1.5C target. They were inspired by a new report by the international Rhodium Group which concluded that such steps could reduce the temperature rise from the expected 2.7C to 1.4C by 2100.

This is important as, under the Paris agreement, all countries must make new commitments next year, when the coalition hopes others will follow its lead. The US was expected to join them but ducked out after Trump’s election – a sign of things to come.

The US president-elect will not shut down climate negotiations despite his intentions to leave the Paris agreement. Nor might he make much difference to US decarbonisation. Most of the Biden adminstration’s clean energy investments are in Republican-voting areas, which don’t want to lose them. And despite Trump’s pledge to “drill, baby, drill”, fossil fuel companies already have excess capacity and don’t plan to increase it. But his stance will make it harder to accelerate action that is needed to avoid disaster.

Everything depends on how the rest of the world responds, both at next year’s Cop in Brazil and in pursuing other ways of combatting climate crisis, the most effective of which would be to agree a mandatory treaty to slash emissions of methane, now seen as the fastest way to reduce global warming. If political will continues to wane, we will regret it bitterly – not just for our children, but for ourselves.

#excerpts #cop29 #climate change #international politics

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slxsherwriter · 1 year ago

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Blood Magic

Fandom: Halloween 2007

Pairings: None

Warnings: Blood, self harm (not true but tagging for those that would have an issue)

Word Count: 1439

A/N: Things were kept fairly purposely vague here. Let me know if you want any more! No beta.

The moon was high in the night sky, the only light in the empty forest clearing. A terrifying setting to some but to her, it was nothing but comforting. Out among the trees and the nocturnal life, there was no judgement. No harsh gazes, no whispered words behind her back. Simply her and the natural world. So much power to draw from, a place to commune and reconnect with the universe. The perfect spot to be able to perform the ritual. Letting out a small sigh, she settled down onto the ground, making herself comfortable. A smile was worn and her eyes briefly closed. Soaking in the moment and appreciating the quiet, She was able to find a center, which was just what she needed to concentrate. She could sense the few owls in the area and mice moving underfoot. There weren't any large predators in this forest. Just another reason that it was the spot for her.

Opening her bag, the young woman remained silent, not wanting to break the peace that was blanketing the clearing. She would have to disturb it soon enough but for now, set up could be done silently. Candles, a knife, and a small bowl were removed from the bag. The candles were laid out in a carefully planned pattern in front of her before the bowl was placed in the center. A critical eye was given to the setup, the woman leaning back to get a bitter view of the setup. Satisfied with the result, she nodded to herself. Each candle was lit in the same slow and methodical way that they had been setup.

Knife in hand, she closed her eyes, missing the crunch of leaves that came from behind her. Or the looming presence that drew steadily closer.

"With this offering, I give myself unto the earth and ask for the spirit in return." The knife was brought to her palm, a steadying breath taken, before it sliced deep into the flesh. Blood instantly pooled around the silver blade before dripping into the bowl in front of her.

It was just as she had closed her hand into a fist that the heavy boot hitting the ground behind her caught her attention. Whipping around, she was greeted with none other than the Boogeyman of Haddonfield himself, Michael Myers. Part of her had thought the man a myth, a legend to keep others behaving in the small town. Urban myths were gaining popularity these days after all. She should have known that there was some level of truth there. Proof of the fact was standing right before her now, looming with a menace and a threat of harm. The energy she felt radiating off of him was like nothing she had experienced before, sending a shiver down her spine.

In her haste of movement, she had knocked over two of the candles and the bowl was sent wobbling. Instinctually, she raised a hand to block the blow that was coming. His knife entered into her already cut hand, though this time the blade pierced straight through flesh and bone, embedded into the palm of her hand and appearing on the other side, nicking her cheek in the process.

The movements happened so fast, she couldn't recognize what was occurring. He had interrupted the ritual and the spell.

Her mouth dropped open to let out a pained scream but nothing came out. The pain in her hand faded, only to be replaced with a blinding, body numbing pain that ran from the top of her head to the tip of her toes, coupled with this overwhelming sensation that was suffocating at best. Her entire body locked, muscles spasming painfully, leaving her unable to do anything else against the next onslaught that came. Except nothing ever did.

Her vision was hazy, unfocused, but she could make out the shape of the man hanging above her, arm raised. But he wasn't attacking. Her brain moved as sluggish as the rest of her body felt in that moment, meaning she didn't comprehend what was happening, what had happened, or why he wasn't attacking. Sprawled in the middle of the small ritual setup, she was nothing more than easy prey for the man. Eyes opened wider when the thud of the knife hitting the dirt beside her head registered. It hadn't entered her chest, her throat, or her head. That suffocating feeling was still present and she still couldn't place it. It was not like anything she had experienced in her life before. Another thud and yet, no more pain. The only source was radiating from her hand. Again and again, the knife was plunged into the ground beside her head. Never once did it hit her, never was there any additional blood drawn.

Slowly, the constriction in her throat eased and the pounding in the back of her skull began to fade. Her vision cleared along with it. The towering mass of a man that stood over her, chest heaving and hands clenched at his sides, came more into focus. Little by little, with minimal movements, she slowly pushed herself up into a more seated position. There wasn't any move made to get away from him, at least not yet. The new found situation was delicate. She hadn't expected to find herself alive after all, not once that blade of his that had already caused so much death and destruction had been dug into her own flesh. Never had she felt more acutely aware of her own body; the thrum of her heart, the expansion of her chest, or the bite of fire a little too close to her skin. Michael cocked his head to the side just slightly, but he remained a statue, not moving another muscle. A wave of confusion washed over her. Ever so carefully, she inched forward to get away from the fire even when it put her closer to him.

Her movement didn't not bring any ounce of movement from him. She had no idea what to make of it. Cradling her injured hand close to her body, the pulsing, throbbing pain a reminder of the injury that needed to be treated, her eyes remained locked on the figure before her. There was no telling what his next action would be.

Again, it occurred so suddenly that she was caught off guard entirely. One second she was on the ground, the next she was in the air, in his arms. No excess pain, no difficulty breathing. He was not making an attempt to squeeze her to death. There was enough power in his frame to manage such a feat. No, he was simply holding her off of the ground. Not cradled against his body exactly but also not held out like a rag doll. Blood stained them both as the seconds continued to tick by, nothing being said or done. It took her several more seconds to be able to gather enough courage to speak.

"I need to wrap my hand…" The most pressing thing? Probably not. But it was the safe thing to be able to focus on. Otherwise, she might have lost all sense of composure. Did she really expect any sort of response from the masked killer? No. No she really hadn't. If anything, perhaps the simple act of speaking would be what was needed to kickstart the process of her death.

Instead, what it did was make the man turn and start walking, with her still in his arms. With nothing else to focus on, she finally was able to give thought to what she had felt before and the lingering sense of something else that was still present in her mind. While the ritual had not been completed, something had been exchanged. She closed her eyes, trying to sort it all out in her mind. What else was she supposed to do anyway? It wasn't like she was escaping the ironclad grip of Michael Myers. There was nottelling where she was going or what the man planned to do with her. He wasn't one to play with his victims. That was a well known fact.

Blood as an offering. But spilled with malicious intent, from a blade that wasn't her own. A blade that wasn't cleansed. The candle pattern disrupted.A jolt of realization went through her. Had she just performed soul magic by accident thanks to his attack? When she had asked for the spirit, she had meant the Earth. Could it be possible that some of his spirit had been transferred instead? The thought made her stomach churn for a moment. Oh, shit.

#halloween #michael myers #rz michael myers #slasher writing #horror writing #slasher x reader #michael myers x reader #michael myers x ofc #michael myers fanfic

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sophieinwonderland · 1 year ago

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Me again (Plush/Sword anon - I'm coining myself as Seed Anon)!

I've learned a lot about plurality over the last few weeks. I've learned it's generally a good idea to listen when someone is talking to you - and it isn't like I dislike having Sword around. She was dangerous because she didn't care about anything but her job: keeping me safe. It wasn't really her fault that she wasn't built to know the difference between "thing that makes Seed uncomfortable" and "yet another person turning on Seed to make him feel bad", y'know?

I've been leaving the door open, so to speak, for her to come say hi or whatever while I work with Plush. I reason that if she was strong enough to just...materialize herself out of nothingness last night, she'll be powerful enough to say "Hey, give me attention" in whatever way she can as long as I'm not actively trying to shut her out, right?

It seems like she might be...lonely? So at some point I wanna really focus on making her her own room so that she doesn't have to keep going out of her way (and potentially her comfort zone) to see me. I just have visualization issues and right now I don't have a very good place to sit and focus - too much external noise. If you have tips for that kinda thing I'd be interesting in hearing them

(Seed anon)

That sounds like a good policy. Welcome her when she comes and don't push her away. But you're right that you probably don't need to actively seek her out either. (Though she might appreciate it if you did.)

And making her a room sounds great too! You may want to design it with her to keep her part of the process so she can really personalize it.

She was dangerous because she didn't care about anything but her job: keeping me safe. It wasn't really her fault that she wasn't built to know the difference between "thing that makes Seed uncomfortable" and "yet another person turning on Seed to make him feel bad", y'know?

I'm going to say something in the interest of other people who may be in situations similar to this. I want to note that this isn't meant as a criticism of you and your actions.

But if some people are in situations like this, I think it would be worth it to try to teach the headmate instead of pushing them away. I believe anyone can learn, and even if this is all she knew, you could teach her.

This isn't something that's your fault, of course. If you were a teen at the time, a child yourself, it's too much to expect you to play parent to your headmate. But it is something I want people to think about if they're going through similar experiences.

As for visualizing the inner world, there are some guides here that can help with building inner world visualization skills:

Also, for this, specifically...

too much external noise.

You might want to look into buying yourself some earplugs.

#plural #plurality #endogenic #multiplicity #systems #system #plural system #endogenic system #pro endo #pro endogenic #sysblr #system stuff

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sylvaridreams · 1 year ago

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IM SO GLAD U REBOGGED THAT can i get 7 for whichever of them has the wildest answer

OH BOY a special ask just for me! :3

Commander love interest asks

7. What kind of dumb rumors pop up/would pop up about the relationship?

I'll go with Trammander for this, mostly because it's the only relationship Alba has ever had that he's been open about; everyone else is kept discrete and secret for safety and privacy, to the point that he doesn't even tell his friends or Dragon's Watch that he's dating Canach.

He and Trahearne stopped shyly flirting and tiptoeing around the issue after the cleansing of Orr, and were generally openly affectionate after that. They didn't let their relationship get in the way of work or vice versa, but it was usually clear to onlookers that they were a couple. Whenever problems arose within the Pact, and when people were dissatisfied with some choice Alba had made, there'd usually be someone there to point out that CLEARLY Alba was only made Commander in the first place because he was banging Trahearne; the ol' excuse of "you only got into a position of power via favoritism, not the merits of your work." At some point it expanded outside of the Pact; Tyrian tabloids for a while recycled stories like this, exclusive exposés via anonymous source revealing the "truth" of it all. Especially right after Trahearne’s death* there was a lot of this, a lot of panic and public questioning if Alba was fit to lead or if he would be Allowed to keep his job with his boyfriend dead-- a few groups were basically lobbying Almorra betwen HoT and Lws3 to get both a new Marshall and a different Commander enstated; she rejected all of this obviously and offered Alba the promotion. He had more reasons for leaving the Pact than just not wanting a hands-off desk job.

During the height of the post-Maguuma favoritism/unfit to lead panic, Alba spent the majority of his time mourning in the egg chamber. There was some silent agreement between his companions that nobody mentioned to him what kind of gossip was brewing in Tyrian society, even if he asked, because it was clear to the people closest to him that he wasn't in any condition to handle hearing what was being said about him and Trahearne.

*of course there was also a lot of criticism of how Trahearne had led the Pact in to fight the dragon, nevermind that he had no way of knowing what was going to happen. There was at least a bit of a respectful grace period after his death where no one really dared publish anything openly criticizing him for it, but within a year some publications started to crop up asking why Trahearne was allowed to lead such a charge, and of course it was soooo obvious that it would end up this way, etc. To this day I don't think Alba looks at stuff like that, newsprint or leaflets or anything, just out of habit now. If something important is happening in the world, someone will probably contact him outright.

#alba #loreposting #asks answered

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bouquet-full-of-wildflowers · 1 year ago

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What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell Review

《 ☆☆☆ 》

tl;dr: it was fun to read, but almost none of the characters felt like the same characters as the ones in the movie. i honestly think this book could've been better if they removed any connections to tangled the movie. it would've been a great standalone!

spoilers below!!

i will say, as a huge fan of tangled, and because of my love for the movie and the characters, i really didn't enjoy this book as an extension of the movie. that being said, this review is admittedly very biased.

it was well written, but it felt very out of character for most of the characters and read almost like fanfiction. to be fair, i haven't read any of the other twisted tales, so i don't it quite know how these stories are generally set up. it was fun to read, given an air of suspension knowing that liz braswell was not in the writer's room for the movie. it also felt very unnecessary that the book was a story told by a boy to his sister going through chemo in a hospital. i'm still not quite sure why that had to be in the book without it just being a story about rapunzel with the powers of a different flower.

my biggest issue with this book is that the sense of time was not there. the first part of the book was nearly identical to the movie, and rapunzel had sent mother gothel on the two day journey to get her the white seashell paint to be able to escape the tower to see the laterns. in the next couple of pages, it was revealed that she had taken a shortcut so it wasn't as long of a trip, but in rapunzel's pov it felt like she was only gone for a couple hours. there are several examples of this time shift where it felt like some parts of the story (rapunzel spending time at the witch cottage to learn her powers) that felt like it was over weeks of time but the whole point of her leaving the tower was to see the lanterns which, at this point of the book, i was unsure if she missed them due to being chased or if everything had just been taking place over several hours and everything movee very quickly, which doesn't make sense since her powers involve moon phases. it is later revealed that it had been 9 days since she had left the tower, which, if i am recalling correctly (i will have to go double check), earlier in the book it was said that the lanterns would be in 3 days.

flynn never climbed rapunzel's tower. rapunzel simply saw him drop off a bag in a cove, and she decided then that he'd be the one to take her to the lanterns. it seemed like a very implusive decision from someone who is not impulsive. rapunzel also very much seems like a damsel in distress when she very much doesn't want to come across as one. because flynn didn't climb her tower, she didn't use the frying pan as a weapon, and so the entire book she has no weapon and has to watch her friends fight for her.

another couple minor issues that i had were:

- rapunzel being told that she is the lost princess instead of being able to have the realization herself

- flynn is simply written horribly

- arianna and frederic decided to tell the kingdom that rapunzel had died as an infant. how can she then come back as the princess if the princess is dead? it feels like it opens plot holes like the people losing trust in the crown for lying to them for 19 years about the fate of the princess

overall, even with all of my criticisms, i read the entire thing and had a great time doing it. it was a fun story and an intriguing ride, and i honestly couldn't put it down even with my thoughts.

likes:

○ i very much enjoy gina! she was a fun character

○ the premise is very neat! i definitely feel like it could've been fleshed out more!

○ i loved the ending. it felt like it had enough connections to the movie and the characters to give me good vibes

dislikes:

○ real world mentions of europe and christianity/christian god

○ multiple different powers

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