#mar vs the written word

[cowthropologist]

a friend of mine found this person on AO3 the other day who has like, this whole rating system for the fics they bookmark (which they do copiously) and who lays those ratings out in their PUBLIC (!!!) bookmark tags, including commentary which includes like, crit for the fic, that the author can't respond to because it's on a bookmark not a comment, and they bookmark shit they don't even like and didn't finish and give it a bad rating and just leave it there, in their public bookmarks, for some reason, and I've been trying to formulate a funny post about this ever since and I can't because it's so insane to me so I'm just writing this instead

what kind of thought process do you go through to end up being that person, I wonder

[marsprincess889]

Not all that glitters is gold

Style vs Substance

Why are Chitras known as "messy"?

Or gossipy? Manipulative? Chaotic? Deceptive?

Are they all bad though?(spoiler: OFC no👁) but why are they famous for being messy and triggering?

Note from me: I've expressed multiple times the chaotic nature of this nakshatra, and figured it would not be out of place to explain why. I think some ppl thought I had only bad things to say about it(even though no nakshatra is good or bad come on guys grow up lmao, i only have had good or bad experiences with their natives, and that's just my experience, others have different stories). And while it's true that I have had not great experiences with Chitra natives, that does not mean that it's inherently bad. I think you guys will get it once you read my point. So, I have put my personal "beef " with them aside for this one lol.

To start with, I want to say that all nakshatras have their place within the wheel and therefore, are all nessecary partz of the whole, just like the zodiac signs and just like every living being.

Nakshatras also are points within the whole journey. They are all unique, and while they relate to others in regards to certain themes, in the end, none are the same.

The chaos of the mundane

The placement of Chitra is very interesting. Each nakshatra opposes two nakshatras. Half it opposes one, the other half opposes the other. Chitra is opposite the last and the first nakshatras: Revati and Ashwini(one ends Pisces, the other begins Aries), marking it as the opposite end of that division point, ending Virgo and beginning Libra, the nakshatra that is arguably the most immersed in the material world. To make that point even stronger, its gunas are Tamas-Tamas-Tamas, the unaware/chaotic guna.

The sign of Virgo traditionally rules the sixth house. They deal with the "mundane" world, the everyday matters, the nitty-gritty, the details. Virgo is also the ruled by Rahu(and Pisces is ruled by Ketu). So, the material world goes hand-in-hand with the themes of rahu: the outward manifestation, anxiety, nervousness, paranoia and deception.

Chitra's symbol is the gem💎 the precious rocks that are sculpted and manipulated to suit the demands of society(6th house) or the agreements with others(7th house). Chitra is Mars(distraction, triggering, energetic output) filtered through Mercury(precision, manipulation, discernment) and Venus(love, beauty, agreements). It also therefore relates to the law of the written word(is that how you say it?), law in its everyday sense, like how defendants need good lawyers to argue and get all the details right, even if they're innocent, because this is not about "the ultimate truth", or who's innocent or wrong, it's about who wins the argument. And that's where the chaotic element comes.

Society has a lot of opinions, doesn't it? And different people have different points of the view. Chitra goes from the 6th house to the 7th house, so its task is to find out the truth in all the drama and bring a harmonious end to the situation, to achieve equilibrium. The trap is getting lost in all the mess yourself and not even noticing how much of your energy it has taken from you. In a way, it's about getting down to business while trying not to "get triggered".

So, that's why natives of this nakshatra have that energy.

I've also heard a lot of very opinionated remarks or argumentative expressions from Chitra natives(sun, moon, asc, ketu too) and if you point it out to them they will deny it immediately lmao. Tamas is the unaware guna.

The thing is that they have a great potential to see the truth in messy things, but often it's biased and therefore still far from the real truth(6th house, Rahu). This triggered energy, when channeled through harmony(libra, active venus) becomes an energy of peace.

The girly girls, fashion.

Ik a lot of this sounds like a teen drama but to me that's genuinely the vibe of this lunar mansion. Feminine/female Chitras also LOVE that kind of aesthetic. If not, they have a thing with aesthetics, and how things appear. They also isually love the colors pink and/or red.

All is not how it seems, and the appearance should be morphed according to substance/truth, because the truth can't be changed. That's the lesson of Chitra. Venus nakshatras love aesthetics in a different way. They moreso have an innate appreciation for all things that they find beautiful and develop a unique "aesthetic" that is specific to them individually, and they're usually not the ones who are concerned with "aesthetics" as most of the society views them, like "Parisian chic" or "punk rock", etc. Chitras tho, directly relate to those, they WANT to fit into certain aesthetics, and the personality of Chitra women(feminines) is often what people probably think of when they hear the words "girly girl". It's bubbly, snappy, moody, coquettish and sometimes ignorant. They, I've noticed, are very particular and opinionated(or they present themselves that way👁, rahu/illusion) about fashion and appearances in general. Again, the lesson is to fit the appearance to the truth of the matter, not the other way around, you can't really do it anyways. The truth always comes out, and it might bring drama, but the confrontation will happen one way or another, that's life. What matters is that it leads to peace and harmony. Until then, the drama is not over.

And so you gotta learn to see the good side of this: an opportunity to really sort things out, and to enter the sign of Libra(equilibtium, partnerships, harmony) with grace.

The sacrifice of the craftsman

We all know the lament of the artist, the eternal search for perfection that always seems out of reach(hi purva ashadhas). I think of Chitra more as the craftsman, because ultimately, its creations are nessecary for the functioning of the material world. In a way, this nakshatra is about learning humbleness and sacrifice as it's also associated with vanity.

The god Hepheastos in Greek mythology is described as a disabled man, and I've seen this archetype of the disabled craftsman many times. I think it's symbolic of the sacrifice for their creation.

I think everyone who has created or wants to create something wants appreciation for their work, and to know that somehow, it's useful. At their best, Chitras are no frivolous tricksters, they are the craftsmen, serving others, providing something beautiful and valuable, but that's not how many of them are or how everyone sees them. When you go to a jewellery store a lot of things might catch your eye, you might even be tempted to splurge your money(energy) on one or two of them, but then, if you are more mindful, come the questions: "are they really worth it?", "am i being conned?", "what if I find this or something better in a cheaper price?", and then you go through all the details of this and that. That's sort of the energy of Chitra.

When Chitras know the value of sacrifice and channel their energy towards harmony, they are on the side of truth and integrity. Otherwise, when you go that jewellery store, be careful to not get conned👁

[ruanbaijie]

我会保护你，保护你一辈子。无论是你的一辈子，还是我的一辈子。 ARCS OF THE SPIREALM 致命游戏 (2024) [in/sp]

@userdramas event 15 something new: a new show from 2024 @asiandramanet mar creator bingo board ⎈ typography ➻ notes for translations and motifs (spoilers!) used below the cut

Arc 1: 雪村 Snow Village

Quote: 一人不如庙，二人不观井，���人不抱树，独自莫凭栏 One person shall not enter the temple, two people shall not look into the well, three people shall not hug a tree, one shall not lean against the balustrade alone. - the death rules of this door

Motifs: a circle meant to represent the well, split into two to represent (what are assumed to be) the "real world" (top half) and "virtual world" (bottom half). note where rnz is placed

Arc 2: 菲尔夏鸟 Fitcher's Bird

Quote: 小老鼠搬鸡蛋，鸡蛋太大怎么办？一只老鼠地上躺，紧紧抱住大鸡蛋。一只老鼠拉尾巴，拉呀拉呀拉回家。小老鼠搬鸡蛋，鸡蛋太大怎么办？一只老鼠地上跑，紧紧抱住大鸡蛋。一只老鼠拉尾巴，拉呀拉呀拉回家。Little Mouse, carrying an egg, what shall it do if the egg is too big? Little Mouse, lying on the ground, tightly hugging the big egg. Little Mouse, pulling its tail, pulling and pulling and pulling it home. Little Mouse, carrying an egg, what shall it do if the egg is too big? Little Mouse, running on the ground, tightly hugging the big egg. Little Mouse, pulling its tail, pulling and pulling and pulling it home. - the creepy as hell nursery rhyme recited by the three girls

Motifs: broken egg, clock ticking backwards that's formed by the staircase that's rotating clockwise (which I realised was a neat little trick to hint that they were travelling forward in time) and the cut birthday cake

Arc 3: 阿姐鼓 Sister Drum

Quote: 她不见了，找不到她了 She's gone, I can't find her - the words written by the older sister in her diary

Motifs: top view of a Chinese drum, bamboo

Arc 4: 佐子 Zuozi

Quote: 我的腿没有了，你的给我好吗？My leg is gone, can you give me yours? - the death line of this door

Motifs: ripped pieces of paper, handwriting, slowly appearing words

Arc 5: 威福利山疗养院 Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Quote: 已经过了八点了，你们为什么不睡觉？It's already past 8pm, why are you still not asleep? - what the nurse says right before she starts chasing after the players who are outside their rooms

Motifs: room 502, overlapping but non-concentric circles representing a Russian doll

Arc 6: 雨中女郎 Woman in the Rain

Quote: 总不能是你一直保护我们吧 It can't always be you protecting us - what lqs says to convince rnz to let him go into the painting world

Motifs: picture frames shifting from scenes of the players to scenes of the door god and painting world, and back again

Arc 7: 哭儿郎 Crying Baby

Quote: 天惶惶，地惶惶，我家有个哭儿郎，��往恩客念三遍，一觉睡到大天光 Panic in the skies, panic on the earth, I have a crying baby at home, when the kind guest who passes by recites three times, they will sleep till the next morning - the line that will save you in this door. Interesting to note that there's actually a similar line that exists, except one of the changes is instead of 恩客 (ēn kè "kind guest"), it's 君子 (jūn zǐ "gentleman"), and while I translated 恩客 literally as "kind guest" here (what each of the individual characters means), the word itself actually in the past, used to refer to "benefactors" - the customers whom prostitutes fell in love with

Motifs: a lamp with lqs as the flames (vague hint at what rnz always tells lqs) and rnz as the base (note the orientation and negative colours), swirls meant to mimic water as in the book, this door was slightly more strongly related to the river god

Arc 8: 扫晴娘 Rain Doll

Quote: 如果这样，明天还是阴沉下雨的话，我就砍掉你的头 If it's still gloomy and rainy tomorrow, I will chop off your head - the line to recite in this door in order to make it rain

Motifs: umbrellas in the corners, a window (there's this one beautifully framed scene in this arc where they both open the windows of their room at the same time) showing the iconic nanqiu umbrella scene (each of them coloured differently on purpose) vs. the outside of the window with the rain dolls and additional rain overlay layer

Arc 9: 箱妖 Box Demon

Quote: 别看那个箱子，看我 Don't look at that box, look at me - what lqs tells rnz when he gets "hypnotised" to open the box

Motifs: diamonds forming 3d boxes

Full list of scenes used since this gif moves too quickly: rnz waking up from his "hypnosis", rnz and lqs staring at each other after rnz returns from his "death", cyx turning around to look at lqs when they thought rnz was dead, cql being pulled into the box, juxtaposition of rnz (upright) and ybl (upside down) in front of the stained glass windows, one of the box people in the box rnz nearly opened when he was "hypnotised", rnz being full of shit in front of everyone else (as usual)

Arc 10: 无解 Insoluble

Quote: 二人去一人归 Two people go, one person returns - the hint that appears consistently for the 11th door

Motifs: kaleidoscope of the final scene before rnz walks away

I put the two final doors (百鬼夜行 "Night Parade of Hundreds of Ghosts" and the "real" "12th" door) together because I really like how the hint applies for both the 11th door as well as the ending of the show

I also used 无解 "unsolvable" (the original name of the final chapter in the novel) for the name of this arc because of how short and simple it is, but also how it just summarises the 意难平 (idrk how to translate this, but sort of like the bittersweet feelings, being unable to let go of the past) of this arc and the entire show. Just like how there was no way to solve the 11th door with a happy ending for both people (assuming only two people went in lol), there was no way to solve the 12th door and the entire game with a happy ending for both rnz and lqs

However, instead of translating 无解 as "unsolvable", I used "insoluble" instead as it sounds just a little more poetic and is more symmetrical, and also hints at how lqs's memories of and feelings for rnz, whether his whole experience was a dream or otherwise, never dissolved with time 🥲

[faith-of-the-wheel]

Ares/Thracian "Dionysos", A cognate of Rudlos?

This is one I will add for a more personal reason, but I think he has some connections. I'll explain but bare with me and acknowledge I consider more a UPG association than anything else. Perhaps someone here will find my shot in the dark interesting.

One of the twelve Olympians, son of Zeus, god of war, battlelust, courage and civil order. He is also associated Masculinity in general and modern Hellenists/Hellenic Polytheists often share the Personal Gnosis that he is a patron of mental health and one's struggle with it.

Now first, let me lay out a few facets of Ares I consider notable to this list. Although he is sometimes depicted as a mature, bearded man, especially after his syncretization with Mars, he is also often depicted as a spear-wielding(a common symbol to the cognates of Rudlos), nude, beardless youth, an ephebe. This brings to mind the connections between the ephebes and nude fighting, and the Koryos.

He was and is often shown diametrically opposed to Athena, Goddess of strategy, craftsmanship, and wisdom. Many misconstrue this as characterizing the "strategic and humane" warfare of Athena to the "savage and cruel" warfare of Ares. This could not be more wrong, as we have many stories of Athena encouraging, well, warcrimes, and Ares respecting another's honor.

The more accurate dichotomy is a much older, pan Indo-European one. One of defensive vs aggressive warfare. I have written earlier about the idea that Rudlos was the god of aggressive war, the marauding Koryos, counter-posed to the defensive Perkwunos, who protects the people and village from such raiders, and humanity at large from the demons of chaos, like Wṛ́tros. It is also widely accepted that Athena was formed from lesser, individual cults of palace goddesses, patrons of the individual homes of rulers, and later the cities they ruled, who later melded together into the panhellenic Athena, who likely takes her name from Athens and not the other way around as myth relates to us.

The crux of my theory is that rather than be actually being descended from the original PIE gods associated with these two forms of war, Ares and Athena sort of stepped into the molds they left behind, Ares particularly so.

The etymology of the name Ares is traditionally connected with the Greek word ἀρή (arē), the Ionic form of the Doric ἀρά (ara), "bane, ruin, curse, imprecation". Walter Burkert notes that "Ares is apparently an ancient abstract noun meaning throng of battle, war." Beekes has suggested a non-IE, Pre-Greek origin of the name. The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean 𐀀𐀩, a-re.

The epithet, Areios ("warlike") was frequently appended to the names of other gods when they took on a warrior aspect or became involved in warfare: Zeus Areios, Athena Areia, even Aphrodite Areia ("Aphrodite within Ares" or "feminine Ares"), who was warlike, fully armored and armed, partnered with Athena in Sparta, and represented at Kythira's temple to Aphrodite Urania. In the Iliad, the word ares is used as a common noun synonymous with "battle."

He was also known by the name/epithet Enyalius. In Mycenaean times Ares and Enyalius were considered separate deities. Enyalius is often seen as the God of soldiers and warriors from Ares' cult. It has been suggested that the name of Enyalius ultimately represents an Anatolian loanword, although an alternative hypotheses treat it as an inherited Indo-European compound. The meaning is still unknown however.

Now, while it is indeed possible that Ares was a Pre-Greek(or perhaps even foreign) deity adopted by the Greeks, his character lines up closely with the IE idea of deified abstractions. The PIE's believed that if any idea exists, their must be a god who rules over it. In the absence of assigning it to a previously worshiped deity, they would deify the abstraction itself, this is the origin of the PIE god Xaryomen, Roman Fortuna, the various female night personifications throughout the IE world(Nyx, Nott, etc), among many others.

However there are two issues. First, his name is not IE in origin. It's seemingly a common noun, one widely adopted by IE people but still strange nonetheless. The second is his breadth of myth and variety of cultic practice, which is extremely strange for a supposed abstraction. For example, in parts of Anatolia, he had an oracular cult.

Consider his mythic origin for a moment. His birthplace was said to be Thrace, and he was believed by the Greeks to be the progenitor of their people. There is no well known obvious cognate of Ares is Thrace, so it is likely an association made by the Greeks because of the Thracian's martial skill and perceived warlike nature. However the cult of a Thracian god referred to as "Dionysus" was very widespread. Most believe him to be a separate deity. His connections to prophecy, poetry, war, and his identification with Apollon could indicate some connection to Rudlos, but his association with a solar cult feels potentially contradictory, at the very least could go either way because Apollonian influence and Rudlos-Dyeus identification in neighboring Anatolia.

Okay, enough rambling, let's get to personal, 100% UPG crackpot theory. When the IE Greeks encountered the Pre-Greek, Anatolian, and Minoan cultures, we know they adapted much of their culture and religion. Consequently, many IE deities were lost or altered beyond recognition. Rudlos's cult started to disappear before the Mycenaean age, and was then re-adopted/altered via Anatolian Apollon. During Rudlos's initial disintegration, most of his war-related aspects may have jumped ship and been given over to a newly formed/adopted deity, Ares/Enyalius. His aspect/son Leudhero may have influenced Dionysus in a similar manner.

To be clear, we will not considered Ares a cognate of Rudlos moving forward but I thought I would give you something I've been pondering while I continue to work on the next parts for the Rtkona series.

[monkeydluffy19920]

"If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you"

(Lady Gaga ft. Bruno Mars - Die with a smile)

Bruno Mars' and Lady Gaga's duet became very popular (no wonder though, they sound amazing together and definitely deserve praise for this song!). There are already great edits with this soundtrack but I just felt that SaNami version would be fun to do and now that it's ready, be prepared for long blabber *laughs*

Frankly spoken, even though it's headcanonish, I think this kind of song could be something Nami and Sanji could dance slowly in the moonlight or at their wedding (played by Brook).

I've written various posts ponders how Nami and Sanji has had a nice and steady nakamaship development ever since they met and perhaps Zou and Whole Cake arcs were sort of turning points in general (i.e emotional slap is something that doesn't happen very often) but I wanted to do differently this time.

So instead of focusing heavily with those 2 arcs, this was a good opportunity to re-check their journey from the beginning because they have had loads of good moments together both in canon and in fillers (but in this project I wanted to focus more on the canon moments).

Apart from the old projects most of mine don't have subtitled episodes but in this one I decided to add some of them, just to pinpoint some moments especially in the choruses ;)

"I, I just woke up from a dream, Where you and I had to say goodbye, And I don't know what it all means, But since I survived, I realized, Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow, Nobody's promised tomorrow, So I'ma love you every night like it's the last night, Like it's the last night

First verse is sung by Bruno Mars and originally, I was thinking about the scene where Nami was taking a nap before the others arrived in Totto Land (because that was actually the first spark of inspiration for this) but then decided this would perhaps work better as a both sided story, so eventually, this first verse changed to be from Sanji's point of view. Plot or not but in the amv he is seeing a dream which later turns out out to be subtle foreshadowing (them departing in Zou and Totto Land) but after he survives the ordeal in Whole Cake Island he realizes what that mess and dream was all about and swears even more love and devotion towards Nami.

I haven't read thoroughly all the chapters but saw that both Wano and Egghead arcs (that are already animated) had nice moments so I was happy to see that Oda-sensei and Toei are giving some moments for SaNami shippers to be joyed and of course, great material for the amv~!

"If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you, If the party was over, And our time on Earth was through, I'd wanna hold you just for a while, And die with a smile, If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you"

First times I heard this song and saw the lyrics, all I could think of was that moment when Sanji flashed Bellmerè kind of "it's a farewell but don't worry things will work out eventually"-kind of smile for her (it has happened at least twice in canon: First in Skypiea then later when Bege Capone took him to see Big Mom and he told the others to stay out of it). The chorus focuses on the moments where Sanji protects Nami, so there would be even more depth in his message he tries to tell to her via this song.

"Ooh, lost, lost in the words that we scream, I don't even wanna do this anymore, 'Cause you already know what you mean to me, And our love's the only one worth fighting for, Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow, Nobody's promised tomorrow, So I'ma love you every night like it's the last night, Like it's the last night"

So, the second verse is Nami's one and this reflects a more to the Zou/Totto Land/Whole Cake Island arcs because that's where happened a lot. Luffy vs Sanji was hurtful for her but on the other hand Sanji only tried to sacrifice himself in order to keep the others safe just like what happened in Water 7 and Enies Lobby with Robin or when she herself tried to solve the problems in Cocoyashi.

Maybe it's headcanonish but a gut feeling tells that despite being incredibly discouraged by the actions of the "Germa Prince", perhaps deep down she knew the pattern and felt so hurt because "we've experienced this before" and got so scared what'll happen next since Sanji took it pretty far, because he thought it would keep them away.

Who knows? Nami won't tell it directly but her actions did! Why else would she be so eager to get Sanji back and feel guilty about his disappearance? or why else would she feel so hurt she doesn't find words so she has to slap his in order to tell "enough is enough!"

One thing is also for sure, in canon Nami will most likely not show her caring as directly towards Sanji as he does to her but there might be many reasons for her behavior. Like pondered before [x], one reason could be that she is kind of afraid of showing it (fearing of rejection although Sanji would probably never reject her but you know, living a traumatic life under a pirate group who first killed her mom and pretty much forced her to live a life of a thief and then backstabbed her, the trust issues are understandable) and maybe she is worried how the crew would react and would it affect on the whole chemistry and stuff.

Anyway, Sanji is and will be her nakama and doesn't matter if there is eventually love between them too or not in canon, one thing is for sure. Nami has grown from a weaking and definitely willing to do a lot of things for her crew mates' sake.

"If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you, If the party was over, And our time on Earth was through, I'd wanna hold you just for a while, And die with a smile, If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you"

Frankly spoken, Nami's chorus was the hardest part to edit because I wanted there the similar atmosphere that had in the first chorus (her or him hesitating to leave kind of thingy). So that episode from Dressrosa arc where Doflamingo tried to ambush Nami', Brook and th's group and Sanji tried to sacrifice himself in order to keep others safe seemed like a perfect option and it kinda worked as a parallel in choruses.

Anyway, ever since Alabasta she found the big fighting spirit she needed in order to get character development (when she fought against Miss Goldenfinger and now we are in that situation that Nami even had the bravery to stand against Ulti and tell that their captain will be the king of the pirates). So Nami has gotten incredible powers and skills the further the story goes on, so she is definitely not just a decoration or a damsel in distress but a badass strong and loyal crew mate and the best navigator!

Sanji is still head over heels for Nami but Oda still makes him to flirt for the others BUT (and this is a big but!) at the same time it's very interesting that Oda points out subtly that the other SH are also aware of how much Sanji is willing to do in order to keep Nami safe.

I noticed another silly detail but Usopp has been a lot with Nami and Sanji when some big events has happened (as directly part of it or somehow related). First one was of course Baratie where they first met. Sanji was all head over heels and Nami used her charm to get away with the bills. Usopp was a bit sceptic about Sanji because he seemed to be a womanizer (which indeed is a running gag but in my opinion, it could be Sanji's way to kind of mask his insecurities [x]).

Then in Arlong Park arc Nami claimed that she killed Usopp and that pissed especially Zoro off. However, Sanji defended Nami from Marimo (and they soon find out Usopp was indeed alive, so perhaps it's Sanji's instincts or ability to read hearts or something?). At that point Sanji knew Nami only from that short-ish moment but still he trusted her and wanted to help.

In Skypiea Usopp was again there when Enel ambushed them and both him and Sanji got fried badly so Nami and Gan Fall protected the Going Merry. Later when waking up Sanji realizes Nami in in danger and while they climb to that huge boat thingy, he jokes about not giving a rat's eye if something happened to Usopp (honestly, it's just his way to tell the dudes that he cares and trusts them too) and of course, he saves the "coward duo" and while Nami is hesitating to leave Sanji sacrificing himself, it's Usopp who needs to put the pedal to the medal so they can escape easily and Usopp is kind of "witnessing" when Nami is openly worried about what happened.

In Enies Lobby we have that legendary moment where Sanji saves Usopp and Nami and pushed Usopp forward to overcome his insecurities and to find a way to use his unique skills to save Robin. Another good moment for Nami to witness that Sanji isn't just a tough guy and a womanizer but a great individual to read people and to encourage them.

Well, there are lots of examples and once again just some silly moments they share but it's also funny (gag) that usually when Nami is pissed of when Sanji tries to flirt or compliment her, Usopp is there whispering something like "dude, back up for a bit ok?" and that Sanji is such a hopeless romantic.

Another detail that I find silly is that Sanji has tried to hug women countless times but Oda turns them into running gags (for example when Arlong was beaten Sanji tried to hug Nojiko but was missed because Nami's sister hugged their father figure Genzo. Then after Enies Lobby Sanji wanted to hug Robin but once again, couldn't (bumped into the mast if I remember correctly).

However, chapters later there is first Sanji and Nami having a huge emotional disagreement (which led to a teary slap) but everything was forgiven when Nami hugged him with teary eyes and once again Oda could have practically left the panels to the ones where everyone was involved but then there is exactly that one where she looks him directly in the eyes with tears of joy.

Well, Oda did turn this into a gag too but like I said, he wouldn't be way too direct making Nami telling verbally how she is glad to have him back and that whatever happened with Luffy and "Germa Prince" is forgiven. That just wouldn't be Nami's style, she speaks with emotions more.

Oops, got carried away as always *laughs* Anyway, the rest of the song/outro is repeating the chorus but one more detail I wanted to refer is what happened in Punk Hazard. it was also mentioned in Respond: SaNami in the New World pt. 2 - Punk Hazard-post but I think it was a huge gesture from Nami to offer Sanji the opportunity to smoke. She is probably leading a very healthy lifestyle in general so I think this is a big thing for Sanji since he is a chain smoker. Another tiny detail but whereas in manga Nami pretty much just tosses the tobacco pack but in anime she actually gives them to him.

Frankly spoken at times the running gag of Sanji being way too excited about Nami's body wasn't funny but there was thankfully a another side of the dime: Later Sanji learned to respect Nami's strength when he swam for Kinemo's torso and elsewhere Nami was practically saved because of her being him and again.

So, it seems Oda-sensei makes them appreciate their strengths pretty subtle. Nami noticed immediately that the jacket is different (than what was when Sanji left) and did thought Sanji was just oogling around but the truth was Sanji needed it off this time just so he could swim faster.

All in all, this project was a good opportunity to go through old and new chapters and episodes for SaNami clips and even more importantly, go through newer episodes which were a pleasant surprise because they provided good SaNami moments and frankly spoken, I think Oda-sensei does some serious shiptease ;)

[no-passaran]

can you explain the post about catalan self-hatred

Centuries of occupation and being told we are useless, ignorant, and cringy and thus for our own good we should abandon our culture, language, accent, identity, everything that shows what our culture is (or was, if they succeed) except for very few isolated items that can be folklorized (isolated from our very alive culture, which give them sense, and shown as a curiosity or a relic of an old gone past, or simply as one isolated "fun" addition to Spanish culture, which didn't originate it and which doesn't understand it) and monetized to be sold as Spanish (see: Madrid restaurants selling something they call "paella" and which is really an "arròs de mar" but they have re-made it to suit the taste of tourists and that they will advertise with Spanish flags and sevillana drawings and commercialise as "typical Spanish", completely separating it from its roots and without even knowing what the word "paella" means, so that tourists can consume it without even knowing what culture it's from and what language that word is in), hearing how cringy we Catalans are vs how cool we would look like if we became fully Spanish (and fully Spanish means abandoning Catalanity), all of these happening for generations and permeating literature, TV, popular jokes, pop culture, laws, even church leaders speaking it in mass) etc. well, it does end up affecting you.

Generation after generation of this means that we have a very deeply rooted self-hatred. And it's so normalized that we don't even realise it. Self-hatred is a term used in sociolinguistics that means precisely that, having interiorized the bigotry against your own group. In our case, it means Catalan people who are Catalanophobic, often without realising it, or thinking that it's justified because it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. For example, when Catalans say that it's true that our existence is useless and it's a shame that we were born in Catalonia and that Catalan is still alive because everything would be easier if we spoke only Spanish, which they see as a superior and international language, or say that we shouldn't have Catalan written in public where tourists can see it. As you can see, this is very connected with imperialism. All of us are Catalanophobic. I don't think there is even one Catalan person who is not Catalanophobic, because we are raised in a deeply Catalanophobic legal, political, and social system. The difference relies on how aware of it are we and how much we are willing to rethink it. For most people, they're not willing to rethink it because they believe it's right, and that it would be nonsensical to imagine that we are equal to Spanish speakers or deserve the same rights.

That post was a screenshot I took of a comment on Instagram. It's a video of some Catalan people talking and joking around, everything very innocent and nice, and someone left this comment (in Catalan) saying "why do you speak in such a strong Catalan accent? It makes my blood boil, and I am Catalan, so imagine..." (implying that "if it bothers me, a Catalan, that you are so visibly Catalan, imagine how much it must bother someone who isn't Catalan. Thus you should correct it").

This is something that I have been told countless times in my life. In high school, my best friend always used to make fun of me when I said something in Spanish because I have a strong Catalan accent. She would repeat my words after me exaggerating the accent to make it ridiculous and laughable, and would laugh at how bad it is and how "rural" it makes me sound (note: I am not from a rural accent nor speak an accent of Catalan from a rural area, it's that having a Catalan accent in Spanish is seen as being uneducated and "from the provinces"). The thing is tho: she had the same accent. She does not speak any better than me. She also had told me many times about how much she dislikes going to visit her dad's family in southern Spain because the whole town laughs at her for having a Catalan accent and that some kids have insulted her for being from Catalonia, and even her dad (born and raised in that town of southern Spain but who has been living in Catalonia for decades) gets made fun of and receives hate speech for being Catalan now. But so many people always look for someone else, someone who is more visibly Catalan for whatever reason, and give them the same bigotry that they have received. As if that will redeem them somehow, or distract from their own "faults"— and I'm not using the word "fault" just because, that's what we feel but don't say out loud, except when someone slips like that Valencian politician who started a speech by apologizing in case she "slips and says a word in Valencian" because "sadly it's my mother tongue, I have this defect". (note: Valencian and Catalan are two names for the same language). Some people on the internet complained because she said the quiet part out loud, but how many of those people don't act like that in their everyday lives, simply refusing to state it so clearly that that's how they see it?

It's to be expected to get these comments from Spanish people. When I was 15, I was part of a programme for students and we had to go to Madrid for a meeting of all the students in the state of Spain who were being given this scholarship, and I was the only Catalan and the rest of teens spent most of the time making fun of me and my accent. But what I remember the most is that one of them was nice to me, and he talked to me having normal conversations (the others only said bigoted things against Catalonia and against Barça team and tried to get me to talk about bullfighting, knowing that it's illegal in Catalonia, to make me feel excluded), but even this nice boy at one point said out of the blue "you really can't hide that you're Catalan!". It would be nice to answer "so? Why do I have to hide it?" but the thing is that I had tried my best, not to hide it 100% maybe, but to not make it easy to see. For example, when we introduced ourselves, everyone said our name and where we're from, I was aware that I should say Barcelona (even though I'm not from the city itself) instead of Catalonia. After that, I tried taking some online lessons I found on YouTube on how to have a Castilian accent, but I never managed. It would be useless anyway, just a few years later I was on Erasmus and when I introduced myself to the other students (I had literally only said "hello my name is Elna") the two Spanish students laughed and one of them said while laughing "that's a very Catalan name, like very very very Catalan, isn't it?", like it was a funny joke.

So yeah, it's whatever to get it from Spanish people and Spanish-speakers in Catalonia (I mean, to be fair, it's not whatever when it means you can get a harsher sentence for the same trial if you spoke Catalan in the court, that you might get arrested or mistreated by the police if you spoke to them in Catalan, that you can get kicked out of the doctor's office for speaking in Catalan, etc and believe me I have had my share of discrimination from doctors for this very reason) but it is so much more insidious when it comes from ourselves. And it's painted not as bigotry but as "common sense" or just "not being cringy". I'm tired of my existence being considered cringe! I'm tired that if I speak about what happens to us it's seen as cringe and "distracting from things that are actually important" (because we are useless to the world!)! Or if I say more autochthonous expressions that don't have a direct translation to Spanish to get told I'm like a grandma and I'm cringe! I'm even tired of the well meaning ones, some time ago a friend's Spanish-speaker friend heard me talk to another friend and said "aw that's cute, you speak Catalan, it's like you're grandmas". Or that children will get bullied for celebrating the Castanyada instead of Halloween because it's cringe. I love the Castanyada and I will say it now, I spent my whole high school years pretending like I don't celebrate it. I do! I eat panellets that my aunt makes, and sometimes I make them too, and I go with my family friends in front of the fireplace, and we roast chestnuts and we sing Marrameu torra castanyes, and we like it! And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. And if that means everyone laughs at me and says I'm cringe and elderly, then so be it. I spent long enough hiding from my own people. I am so so so so tired.

I heard this sentence once: "what Franco couldn't manage to finish, we will do it ourselves". They couldn't eliminate us with violent force, but the long route of psychological war makes us be our own enemies and our own executioner. As has already happened so much more in the part of Catalonia under French rule, and all other nations still nowadays under French rule.

Here's what I did and helped me very much. Every time I have a Catalanophobic thought or I think as myself as lesser than for something related to being Catalan, I imagine a tiny Franco inside my head and I shoot him. This makes me take a moment to pay attention to what I had thought and that I don't want it, and do better in the future. Being conscious is the only way to learn self-respect.

[ribbonstrawberrysurprise]

TMM Weapon and Attack Descriptions

Small followup to the character bios post, featuring the information about each Mew Mew's weapon and attack from the 2002 Fanbook vs the TMM New Artbook (both the 2002 insert and the main section).

See the comparison chart here.

First, one BIG thing to notice right off:

The '02 Fanbook actually spells the attacks as リボン/ribon instead of リボーン/riboon. This is big because there's always been debate on whether they should be transcribed as "Ribbon" (usually spelled リボン, with a shorter o) or "Reborn" (usually spelled as リボーン, with a longer o).

Basically, does the stretched out o sound mean it's meant to be understood as "Reborn"? Or is it meant to be understood as each girl stretching out the first word dramatically ("Ribboooon,") before moving on to the personalized ending section. This is definitely the way they enunciate it in the anime and parallels the way other magical girl shows structure attacks (e.g., Mars... Flame Sniper, Precure... Blue Forte Wave, Hirogaru... Sky Punch). I've weighed in on this here.

So, does this settle it once and for all?

Well… not in my opinion. Like, I do still think "Ribbon" is the correct transliteration! But I don't think the Fanbook is reliable for a few reasons:

1) The editing on the Fanbook is a little spotty, so there are multiple spots of inconsistent formatting/spelling. For instance, in the charts, all items in lists are separated by interpuncts (・) except for Buling's special skills, which is separated with a comma (、). There's also a missing interpunct in the list of Retasu's favorite foods (the other girls' lists do put an interpunct on the end of a line, so it's not a purposeful choice), and Shirogane's name has a space between the kanji of his surname and given name, something done for no other names*

*(Okay.... so it's also done for Buling's, but this is a real thing sometimes done for Chinese names to indicate that the surname is only one kanji instead of the 2-3 you'd expect of a Japanese surname...... But this is also changed/corrected in the New version, though, so???)

In my non-professional opinion, some of the phrasing also feels a little weird, and there's not much care put into text spacing and especially where lines break, but I'm not confident enough in my Japanese skills to state this for certain or put specific examples...

2) There is no other place where the attacks are written as リボン/ribon across the MANY places they are spelled out (e.g., the original manga, a La Mode, ReTurn, the PS game guide, character profile stickers). See above for examples!

3) Even though the TMM '02 insert in the TMM New Fanbook reuses a lot of text from the '02 Fanbook, it does NOT maintain this spelling, which suggests it was another error that was corrected.

So it's net zero information imo 🤷‍♀️

More small things under the cut:

I translated 必殺技/hissatsu waza as "finishing move". It literally means something like "certain kill technique" and is commonly translated as stuff like "special move" or "special attack" as well. 

The '02 Fanbook describes the attacks in terms of what they do in universe, whereas the New Artbook describes what happens in the stock footage. 

The '02 Fanbook also makes a big deal out of Ichigo's attack being the strongest and claims it's the only one that can purify a Chimera Anima and release the Parapara. It's generally true that they have to play her stock footage she has to finish off the big Chimera Anima, but the other girls consistently finish off smaller Chimera Anima, plus instances like Zakuro instantly defeating the big crow in episode 10 and all of the girls (including Pudding, somehow???) managing to defeat a bunch of big Chimera Anima at once when Pie releases them en masse as a distraction in episode 49. The '02 insert keeps the note on Ichigo's attack being able to finish off Chimera Anima but drops the "not that strong" part from the descriptions of the non-Ichigo girls and even adds that Zakuro's attack is "strong enough to surprise/frighten Quiche". The New artbook has no mention of any one girl's attack being more powerful.

The descriptions of the attacks kind of back up my claim that none of the girls except Lettuce have an elemental attack and are instead all light-based and separated by range:

Ichigo: balls of light; final blow on Chimera Anima Mint: arrow of light; ranged attack Lettuce: stream of water; attacks multiple enemies at once Pudding: wave of light that turns into "pudding"; captures enemy Zakuro: whip of light; can be used close or far away, can bind enemies, can cut into pocket dimensions somehow

...Zakuro is clearly way too OP, since she can essentially copy the effects of Mint, Lettuce, AND Pudding's attacks plus having dimensional powers. I mean, the "cutting through dimensions" thing is way outside the range of the other Mews' powers??? And it shows up so little...

Speaking of Zakuro, the New version eliminates the space-cutting power but also describes her weapon as a cross with a ribbon attached to the end instead of as a whip! (It does say she uses it like a whip in the attack description...) She does move it like a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon a little even in her original attack footage, but it's kind of funny to insist the ZaCross Whip isn't a whip!

They sure are caught up on how Lettuce can use her attack even when tied up since she only has to move her fingers. A situation which only happens once.

I find it a little funny that they never really acknowledge how all of the weapons are based on musical instruments. The LettuceTanets are obviously called castanets, and the StrawBell Bell is noted to have a bell attached, but only the the New fanbook calls Mint's weapon "lyre-shaped" instead of "bow and arrow-shaped". Not once are the PuRing Rings compared to a tambourine (although New does mention the bell) or the ZaCross Whip to a flute.

Confirmed that in the anime Buling's attack is not literal pudding but rather something that looks like it. (The manga is still a toss up considering we see it being eaten...)

The difference in phrasing between the '02 Fanbook and the New insert is pretty funny. プリンのようなもの / purin no youna mono, "a thing/object/substance that's like pudding" vs プリン状の物体 / purin-jou no buttai, "a solid object in the form/appearance of pudding". Puddingy thing vs physical object in the form of pudding.

[thehauntedinfirmary]

Fic Rec Friday Edition 24

Welcome to Fic Rec Friday! We're in the mood for some longfics for this cozy December evening, so settle in and read along!

Hell for the Holidays by ma_malice Complete | 23k words

“There will be no sacrifice,” Shane said for the third time since they’d landed in Illinois. “Not so much as a chicken. Stop being weird.” Shane takes Ryan home for the holidays. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Santa Daddies by drunkkenobi Complete | 3k words

“I really think we should just tell her,” Shane argued. “Kids find out anyway, might as well have our girl be ahead of the class.” “Shane, she’s three!” Ryan shot back. “All kids should believe in Santa at three!” Or: Ryan and Shane vs The Santa Problem

The Young and the Hopeless by mccxxvi Complete | 54k words

He lifted the towel to wipe his small mirror, when he saw it. There was writing on the mirror, a single word wiped into the condensation, written with a finger, a set of tidy, straight letters. Alexander. Ryan almost screamed. The ghost wanted Ryan to find his murderer and bring him to the light. Alexander must have been whoever murdered him. Ryan sighed, resigned to be the detective responsible for it. “Fine, I’ll find this Alexander you want. But I don’t know what to do afterwards,” he said to his empty room. A 1960s Professor!Shane/PhDstudent!Ryan gothic novel flavored AU fic, because i know a market gap when i see one.

A Ghoul's Guide to Life, Death & Afterliving by MercurySkies Complete | 70k words

'Shane was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that, to quote ‘the’ Charles Dickens with an emphasis on the 'dick'. They didn’t tell you the great Victorian novelist was also a grade A asshole in high school but then again what do they tell you in high school? Shane Madej was dead, as dead as one disembodied soul standing seemingly above his own corpse probably can be.'

The Last Days Of The Bergara Gang by PhyllisDietrichson Complete | 41k words

“Plus,” and he smiles with all of his white teeth, “if we’d left you there much longer to cardsharp that crew, likely your night would have ended with a knife to the throat.” He reaches out as if to graze his fingers over Shane’s clavicle, then remembers himself at the last minute. His hand hovers in the air. “And what a shame it would be, to mar that throat.” “Do you—what do you want, Bergara?” Shane stammers out. He winces at the waver in his voice. “You,” he responds, his eyes sweeping up to meet him with a gaze that pierces Shane between the ribs.

hey boy, take a look at me by weakspots Complete | 18k words

Ryan is 27, for Christ’s sake, and he’s not exactly hideous, so there’s really no reason to spend his money on a dude — a dude — whose face he’ll never see but whose livestreams he’s been jerking off to for roughly 4 months now. He should be going out and partying and fucking random chicks. Or a guy, whatever, just to get it out of his system and confirm to himself that he really is 100% straight. Because he is. This is morbid curiosity, if anything.

Whatever The Opposite Of Lesbian Sheep Syndrome Is by orphan_account Complete | 9k words

Shane was the one who kissed, not the one who was kissed. Shane was the one who did the holding, not the one who was held, and that was fine.

made it so far in time by addandsubtract Complete | 12k words

“I’m, uh. I’m pretty sure the you I’m friends with is older,” Ryan says, and then winces.

use somebody by bodhirookes Complete | 10k words

“You’re the most obnoxious person I’ve ever met,” Shane says over the sound of Ryan’s workout noises, which are equal parts distracting and hideous. “Why can’t you just be a lazy asshole like the rest of us?” “I have a figure and reputation to maintain,” Ryan grits out, not even pausing to look at him. “Can’t be a big, bad ghost hunter without my guns.” Or, Shane has a thing for Ryan's muscles and Ryan has a thing for Shane having a thing.

a child's answer by deerie Complete | 2k words

“You know, it’s kind of sad about the Queen Mary,” Ryan says as they make their way to the mess hall. “That’s where I saw a ghost for the first time.” Shane stares at him incredulously. Ryan can tell that he wants to say something, but is refraining. He’ll have to find the video of the tube of toothpaste being knocked off the counter as proof to show Shane. Ryan remembers the panic he felt in that moment: the revelation that something existed outside of the realm of what he understood. It’s the same feeling that he had when the Kaiju first appeared, thrashing and tearing and ripping buildings and bridges to shreds.

A Symptom of Time by fightingfuries WIP | 12k words

"Sure," Shane says easily like he doesn't believe Ryan for a second. "You're living out the plot of the 1993 Bill Murray vehicle Groundhog Day. Now where does the kissing factor in, exactly?" "You were all like 'I'm Shane, I don't believe in magic but you should find a tall brunette to kiss.’" Shane laughs again, helplessly. "I'm the tall brunette? I obviously meant Andie McDowell." He catches himself. "If I had said that, which I didn't, because time loops aren't real."

Want to learn more about The Haunted Infirmary? Check out our pinned post!

[kinardsevan]

ten questions for writers!

tagged by the lovely @perfectlysunny02

how many works do you have on ao3? 34

what’s your total ao3 word count? 253,942

what fandoms do you write for? currently? 911, specifically BuckTommy. In the past (which is written WELL), Ezria/Spardy with a mix of Troick/Lucian, but those are all over on fanfiction.net. The only other fandom I have on ao3 is Marvey. I think I might also have one Veronica Mars fic which is LoVe.

do you respond to comments? why or why not? I definitely do when questions are asked or if I feel like there's a tidbit that I have a response to. Otherwise, not as much. And occasionally I do respond to comments on other fics.

have you ever had a fic stolen? no, not that I know of? I had someone send me a message years ago about one of my PLL stories being posted in another language, which like...ok that's shitty, but also I only speak English? So if someone was sharing it in another language, good on them????

have you ever cowritten a fic before? Not anything still online, but yes. Used to write with people I'm not friends with anymore. @girlwonder-writes and I have talked collaboration though. We'll see what happens.

what’s your all-time favorite ship? Split down the middle between BuckTommy and Marvey. (But probably BuckTommy bc they became canon.) LoVe is a close second.

what are your writing strengths? As @perfectlysunny02 said, "I can make people cry". But also, I feel like it's the way in which I can phrase prose. I've worked REALLY hard to make my writing have strong imagery and metaphor, and I feel like I've gotten there.

what are your writing weaknesses? I've kinda lost my power for showing, which I'm working on. I also run on a lot, and use the word AND (or keep writing things as "they did this, and this, and this, and this").

first fandom you wrote for? In a notebook? 7th Heaven when I was like 10. On the internet? Instant Star (and it was not good 😂)

tagging: @firewasabeast @girlwonder-writes @30somethingautisticteacher (and everyone else who wants to join! I'm still learning who everyone is on ao3 vs tumblr!)

[sharpfurry5917]

Um, okay so... Hi! Hello! Welcome! You can call me Sharper, or just Sharp for short, and this is my intro post! So uh, yeah! let's get started...! I guess... I honestly don't know how to do these, it's been so long since I posted on any social media-

✨

Things You'll See

This is a multi fandom blog, so I'll be posting all kinds of stuff. Such as:

· Art, both traditional and digital.

· My quotes. Which are funny things I say in my head that I write down on my phone.

· And other various things I write, like my scenarios. Which are basically my way of writing fanfics, but they're written more like screenplays, I guess?? It's just been more easier for me to write that way, but I have been branching out.

✨

Things To Know About Me

· She/her.

· 20 years old.

· I have selective mutism and social anxiety. Two things I hate greatly. 😊👍

· I have this friend in my head, named Mind that I talk to that I had since childhood. They're kinda like a headmate??? They show up in my quotes, so I'm mentioning them so you know who that is.

· I don't use swear words. It's something that I refused to use for years, and it just kinda stuck. Instead, I come up with my own "swears". Like 'fudge', 'ship', 'bass', and 'cheez its mice'.

· As I said, it's been a while since I posted on social media, 5 years, to be specific. And I've just been browsing through it as a bystander instead. I eventually wanted to put myself out there again, but my crippling anxiety prevented me from doing so-

Until eventually, I gathered enough courage, and did it. And I'm very happy that I did!!

✨

The Many Fandoms I'm Into

(Including when I first got into them)

· SpongeBob Squarepants ~ ???

· My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic ~ 2012

· Minecraft ~ 2012/2013

· The Sonic series ~ 2014

· Okami ~ 2014

· The Spyro series ~ 2015

· Steven Universe ~ 2015

· The Splatoon series ~ Dec, 2015

· Minecraft: Story Mode ~ 2015

· The Last Guardian ~ Jan, 2016

· Hello Neighbor ~ Dec, 2016

· Tattletail ~ Mar, 2017

· The Bendy series ~ Mar, 2017

· Poppe the Performer ~ Jun, 2017

· Villainous ~ Jul, 2017

· Camp Camp ~ Sep, 2017

· Cuphead ~ Oct, 2017

· Doki Doki Literature Club ~ Dec, 2017

· Baldi's Basics ~ May 15, 2018

· Detroit: Become Human ~ Jun, 2018

· Mystery Skulls Animated ~ Oct 18, 2018

· Deltarune ~ Nov, 2018

· Undertale ~ Mar 2, 2019

· Ace Attorney ~ May 10, 2019

· The Owl House ~ Aug 16, 2020 (My b-day, btw)

· Danganronpa ~ Jun 21/Sep 4, 2020 (Watched someone play the prologue and Chapter 1 on 6/21, then got the game for myself in August, and actually got into it when I reached Chapter 2)

· Friday Night Funkin' ~ Jan 9, 2021

· PaRappa the Rapper ~ Mar 5, 2021

· Komi Can't Communicate ~ Dec, 2021

· The Horizon series ~ Feb, 2022

· Andy's Apple Farm ~ Jan 15, 2022

· Beastars ~ Aug, 2022

· Danganronpa: Despair Time ~ Apr 7, 2023 (First started watching in Jan, 2021, but really got into it due to a certain character-)

· Super Danganronpa Another 2 ~ May 1, 2023

· Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE ~ Jul 10, 2023

· Zero Escape ~ Sep 4, 2023

· The Amazing Digital Circus ~ Oct 25, 2023

· Murder Drones ~ Oct 29, 2023

· The Another Code series ~ Mar 11, 2024

· KinitoPET ~ Apr 18, 2024

· Al: The Somnium Files ~ Apr 27, 2024

· Indigo Park ~ May 19, 2024

· Garten of Banban ~ May 22, 2024

· Max Design Pro ~ Jul 11, 2024

· Poppy Playtime ~ Nov 19, 2024

· Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld ~ Dec 22, 2024

· Mouthwashing ~ Dec 25, 2024

✨

· Squid Game ~ Feb 8, 2025

And uhh, that's it...

Thanks for stopping by!

[cowthropologist]

that is..... not a bad idea tbh

Do I actually want to write this fanfic or do I just want to wallow in the delicious daydream like a pig in the mud?

[dettiot]

Tagged by @wonderlandleighleigh

So, wanted to get some hiatus rec lists going and encourage some self promo  in my friends so how about sharing your top fics no matter how big or  small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

Most hits, kudos & bookmarks: It Runs in the Family (Teen, Iron Man/Arrow crossover) Felicity Stark is the best of her parents. But becoming vice-president of a brand-new division of Stark Industries and moving to Starling City will test her in ways she never thought possible. Especially when a masked vigilante in green leather crosses her path. An Arrow/Iron Man crossover.

Most comments: Two Men, Same Name (Mature, Arrow, co-written with @melsanfo) Oliver Queen's path in life is set in stone. Suffocating under the high expectations of his parents while running a company he’s barely interested in. Still, he never fails to disappoint his parents, even when he’s on his best behavior. He’s supposed to settle down, marry well and follow in his father's footsteps, without stepping an inch out of place . . . until a red streak with yellow lightning changes his life forever.

Most words: Two Sides of the Same Coin (Mature, Chuck, 161,930 words) When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.

Least words: the disaster lineage vs. the coolaster lineage (G, Star Wars, 390 words) A different take on Twilight of the Apprentice . . . a louder take.

And for the fics I'm also proud of:

The Point (Teen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. Just how did Buffy become the Slayer we see in The Wish?

heads-up display (G, Star Wars) Darth Vader throughout the Original Trilogy, as described by the readouts and warnings in his heads-up display.

Ready at Your Hand (Teen, Chuck) In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Catholic plot against the queen comes to the attention of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. To protect Elizabeth, he develops an unusual plan: hide the passing of intelligence between two agents by a false romance. When Lady Sarah Walker and Chuck Carmichael meet, though, their pretend flirtation becomes much more.

Slipping Away (G, Doctor Who) She knows something is wrong.

Today's Inspirational Message (Teen, Veronica Mars) One version of Logan's summer.

Honestly, I love all my fics--so if anything catches your attention on my AO3 works page, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And if anyone else wants to participate, consider yourself tagged.

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

Terra Week 2023 - Day 5 Package

@terrakhweek

Prompts Addressed: Duel + last-minute-bonus!

Pieces: 1. Drawing of 'Property Dispute'; stemmed into Grandma vs. Xehanort. 2. Picture of Orange Flower from Dad 🤨

Requires mod/re-share on Twitter (written pieces)?: No - published via Twitlonger.

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The one and only piece I had ready for Day 5 based on the prompt ‘Duel’.

I decided to call this piece “Property Dispute”:

A very powerful scene as it’s pretty much the battle for Terra’s heart, but it gets preserved with the last minute safeguard. Terra also says some powerful words here.

Trivia: I showed my grandma (mum’s side) a picture of the older Xehanort, and she got so traumatised, saying she never wants to see his ugly face again XD She doesn’t even know what he did to Terra.

Now, I just told her what I was doing, and she called out “ugly ko smrt!”, which means “ugly like death!” in Croatian XDDD BTW, you don’t have to listen to grandma, you’re allowed to like or dislike this man lol.

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GOOD WORK DAD:

I’m not making this up when I say that today (25 MAR), my dad went over to grandma’s (his mum’s), and when I opened my phone, I got this picture in my inbox:

It’s another orange flower! A simple daisy this time.

Now what does this have to do with Terra week?

My dad must have been paying attention to where I posted the chrysanthemums and why I did it. I’ve told him that this week, I have all these pieces to share for ‘an online project’.

Even though my parents don’t have avid knowledge of Kingdom Hearts lore, they do know who Terra is well as a number of other guardians. Due to how I portray Terra in the house (and in my timeline), my mum really likes him, so my dad must be tuning in.

What conclusions can we draw from this?

My dad understands what the ‘project’ is that I’m involved with: Terra Week 2023.

My dad understands that Terra’s signature colour is Orange.

So this work deserves to be recognised.

The friend I just spoke to also said that flowers can represent ‘New life and new beginnings’. So we can relate these images of flowers being posted to Terra’s redemption and future discoveries and aspirations.

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Summary of grandma’s: Mum’s side – Traumatised by Xehanort. Dad’s side – Grows all these orange flowers that just found the camera on the right day/s.

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Last minute laughs at 9:00 PM (AEDT):

I was just having a joke with my mum in the kitchen and grandma on the couch.

I said “if grandma went up against Xehanort, she’d win with her frying pans and her tongue. Terra should let her fight the battle for him. No dark forces would overcome my grandma”.

That’s definitely on the topic of ‘Duel’ alright.

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To link us back to Terra-Week 2023, I bet Terra's having a cackle at the stuff with my grandma (mum's side) and Xehanort.

Terra: "I'll name my next finishing command 'European Grandma'".

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Thank you and see you on Day 6! 27/28 MAR (TZ dependent).

[arethaimeld]

Wk 2 Aesthetics: World of Ideas & Imagination ★

Starting off, we learnt about aesthetics and its relations to form and function, so on and so forth. With reference from the 4 signages of interest in Sim Lim square food courts, we were instructed to come up with a character that gives off the aesthetic respectively. I chose Chirashi-Tei, a Japanese food store from the Broadway food court.

Personally, I feel a tendency for students to choose Japanese cuisine as there is nutritious food content which boosts productivity, rather than leaving an unhealthy after-feel as well as demotivation. The signage used a common sans typeface with a circular red stroke as symbolism for Japanese cuisine; similar to the Japan flag where it’s a red dot. Thus, the elements of the signage live up to the minimalist aesthetic in the category.

Eventually, with thorough analysis, the rough idea of the character based on the restaurant’s aesthetic immediately came to mind - a stereotypical university student who lives an organized lifestyle, living up to traditional asian family standards. As described, the type of student who has their priorities straight and chooses simplicity over sophistication. For the character’s fashion style, I presumed they’d most likely shop at Uniqlo, where most Singaporeans shop for casualwear or basic work attire. Additionally, for her hobbies, I chose playing the violin as it is common for Asian families to expose children to musical instruments. 

Therefore, learning about aesthetics taught us how to relate elements from a particular design to correlate to a possible audience; similar towards considering form and function when we design for clients or communities. After all, aesthetics is the cure to our society where stress is our constant.

(274 words)

Citations:

Chow, Daniel. “Anaesthetic vs. Aesthetic Experience - Full Circles.” Anaesthetic vs. Aesthetic Experience, 6 Mar. 2006, darylchow.com/fullcircles/anaesthetic-vs-aesthetic-experience/.

Disclaimer: I do not use Ai/ support the use of Ai in my essays. All are originally written with real time references to support my statements.

[cowthropologist]

@wheresonichedgehogwnt thank you for being my doctor friend 💖💖💖

🧵

[transmechanicus]

What was your opinion on the HH book Mechanicus, if you've read it?

It was okay. I like Graham McNiel as a person and i like many of his characters but some of the plot threads he’s created are…dated, i think is the best word. The concept of the Void Dragon on Mars is something that has been dropped by omission from the canon, and iirc hasn’t been mentioned at all by other authors. The HH books particularly evolved over the course of the series, and Mechanicum being like the 3rd book means it was written in a completely different background vs the Siege of Terra. So this leaves a lot of its larger plot points COMPLETELY abandoned and arguably impossible to even properly follow up on. It’s a good book, but the way it ends is impossible to take seriously in the modern 40k canon imo.