#misha briar

[gwyns]

you can hurt, too. your pain isn't a burden" what series is that? <3

why, i'm so glad you asked, anon! i hope you're ready for a somewhat ramble filled post

short answer: it's the briar sisters trilogy by the lovely carly h. mannon. there's currently two books out, with the third slated for release in january!

long, fangirl inspired answer: it's one of my favorite series ever. like, no joke

i read the first book earlier this year before the second released, devoured it, cried during it and it healed some part of me. then, the sequel released and i, again, devoured it, cried during it and it healed another part of me

i have never related more to characters than i do nicole and misha, but especially nicole. i've seen many people over the years talk about how much they relate to nesta and that's why she's their favorite character ever. i finally get that now with nicole, not that i can't relate to nesta (i do, very much), but it's different here because nicole feels and sees and expresses things exactly the way i do. it's such a comfort to find yourself in a character like this

i'll try to keep it short but i wanted to showcase some of the quotes that made me full on bawl during my read because, that's me

i can't explain to you how many times i've kept myself together simply because i felt like if i didn't, i'd never be the same again. i wouldn't know how to put myself back together, to feel some semblance of the person i was before

this seems like such a simple thing, especially since we've seen many characters in sjm's books feel unworthy, but to have it put in this perspective? it made me feel less alone. i do feel unworthy, but in a way i don't see many people talk about openly. i'm not even worthy of being seen as an option for love, not even a flitting thought through someone's head. it feels silly typing it out but... this meant a lot to me

and here's the quote you inquired about. reading this genuinely did something to me... i wish someone had said this to me many years ago. i don't want to get into my upbringing or anything but there have been many times where i've kept my hurt quiet so i wouldn't burden my parents. it's a very exhausting way to live

again, i don't want to get too into my personal life but for those who do know, somewhat, this... hit too hard. too close. it's still a lingering fear of mine i have to try and combat. in fact, i'm doing it right now and only mildly succeeding

and to end my too long list of quotes, here's some misha ones (please excuse how different this screenshot looks, i had to take it on my computer instead of my phone, like the previous ones). another constant fear of mine, being too much to handle and making the person i love most in the world hate and resent me for it. to become a burden to him, too. it's a terrible feeling and i wouldn't wish it on anyone lol

i'm going to shut up now but genuinely if you've been looking for something to help scratch that acotar itch while waiting for book news, this series is the closest thing i've found to it. it has fairytale elements, namely snow white and sleeping beauty, fated mates, dislike to lovers trope, betrayal, an interesting world and lore just... please read them. and, you know, tag me in any and all posts because i have brainrot

[pupsmailbox]

NEUTRAL LEANING MASC NAMES︰ abner.　 abram.　 adam.　 adrian.　 alex.　 alistair.　 andreas.　 ariel.　 arlen.　 arley.　 arlo.　 ash.　 atlas.　 auden.　 august.　 austin.　 avery.　 bailey.　 baron.　 barrett.　 baylor.　 beauden.　 bee.　 bellamy.　 bennett.　 blair.　 blaise.　 bowen.　 brayden.　 brendan.　 bronson.　 bryce.　 byron.　 caius.　 caleb.　 callahan.　 callan.　 calloway.　 callum.　 camden.　 cameron.　 carlin.　 carson.　 casey.　 cassian.　 chandler.　 chase.　 cody.　 cole.　 connolly.　 corban.　 corwin.　 cyrus.　 dallas.　 damion.　 damon.　 daniel.　 darius.　 davis.　 dawson.　 daylon.　 denver.　 desmond.　 devin.　 doran.　 dorian.　 drew.　 elian.　 elias.　 ellery.　 ellison.　 emery.　 ethan.　 evan.　 ezra.　 fallen.　 farren.　 finley.　 ford.　 foster.　 gabriel.　 gannon.　 garner.　 gavin.　 gentry.　 graham.　 greer.　 griffin.　 guthrie.　 harley.　 harlow.　 hartley.　 hayden.　 henley.　 henry.　 heron.　 hollis.　 hunter.　 ian.　 irving.　 isaiah.　 jace.　 james.　 jameson.　 jared.　 jeremiah.　 joel.　 jonah.　 joran.　 jordan.　 jory.　 josiah.　 jovian.　 jude.　 julian.　 juno.　 justus.　 kalen.　 kamden.　 kay.　 kayden.　 keaton.　 kellan.　 keller.　 kelly.　 kendon.　 kieran.　 kit.　 kylan.　 landry.　 lane.　 lennon.　 leslie.　 levi.　 leyton.　 liam.　 linden.　 lowell.　 luca.　 madden.　 marley.　 marlow.　 marshall.　 martin.　 mason.　 mathias.　 mercer.　 merritt.　 micah.　 miles.　 miller.　 milo.　 morgan.　 morrie.　 morrison.　 nate.　 nevin.　 nick.　 nicky.　 nico.　 nicolas.　 noah.　 noel.　 nolan.　 oren.　 orion.　 owen.　 parker.　 percy.　 perrin.　 peyton.　 pierce.　 porter.　 preston.　 quincy.　 quinn.　 reece.　 reid.　 reign.　 rein.　 remi.　 remington.　 renley.　 riley.　 river.　 robin.　 rollins.　 ronan.　 rory.　 rowan.　 russell.　 ryan.　 rylan.　 sam.　 samuel.　 sawyer.　 saylor.　 seth.　 shiloh.　 soren.　 spencer.　 stellan.　 sterling.　 talon.　 taylor.　 thaddeus.　 thane.　 theo.　 toni.　 tracy.　 tristan.　 tyrus.　 valor.　 warner.　 wells.　 wesley.　 whitten.　 william.　 willis.　 wylie.　

NEUTRAL LEANING FEM NAMES︰ abigaël.　 abilene.　 addison.　 adrian.　 ainsley.　 alexis.　 and.　 andrea.　 arden.　 aria.　 ashley.　 aspen.　 aubrey.　 autumn.　 avery.　 avian.　 ayla.　 bailey.　 beryl.　 blair.　 blaire.　 blake.　 briar.　 brooklyn.　 brooks.　 bryce.　 cameron.　 camille.　 casey.　 celeste.　 channing.　 charlie.　 chase.　 collins.　 cordelia.　 courtney.　 daisy.　 dakota.　 dana.　 darby.　 darcy.　 delaney.　 delilah.　 devin.　 dylan.　 eden.　 eisley.　 elia.　 ellerie.　 ellery.　 ellie.　 elliot.　 elliott.　 ellis.　 ellory.　 ember.　 emelin.　 emerson.　 emery.　 evelyn.　 ezra.　 fallon.　 finley.　 fiore.　 florence.　 floris.　 frances.　 greer.　 gwenaël.　 hadley.　 harley.　 harper.　 haven.　 hayden.　 heike.　 hollis.　 hunter.　 ivy.　 jade.　 jamie.　 jocelyn.　 jordan.　 jude.　 juno.　 kelly.　 kelsey.　 kendall.　 kennedy.　 koda.　 kyrie.　 lacey.　 lane.　 leighton.　 lennon.　 lennox.　 lesley.　 leslie.　 lilian.　 lindsay.　 loden.　 logan.　 lou.　 lyric.　 madison.　 mallory.　 marinell.　 marley.　 mckenzie.　 melody.　 mercede.　 meredith.　 mio.　 misha.　 monroe.　 montana.　 morgan.　 nico.　 nova.　 oakley.　 olympia.　 owen.　 page.　 palmer.　 parker.　 pat.　 paulie.　 perri.　 petyon.　 peyton.　 phoenix.　 piper.　 priscilla.　 quinn.　 raven.　 ray.　 reagan.　 reece.　 reese.　 remi.　 remy.　 riley.　 rio.　 river.　 robin.　 rory.　 rosario.　 rowan.　 ryan.　 rylie.　 sacha.　 sage.　 sam.　 sammy.　 santana.　 sasha.　 sawyer.　 saylor.　 severin.　 shannon.　 shelby.　 shiloh.　 skye.　 skylar.　 sloane.　 sol.　 soleil.　 sterling.　 stevie.　 sutton.　 swan.　 swann.　 sydney.　 tatum.　 taylo.　 taylor.　 tracey.　 valentine.　 vanya.　 vivendel.　 vivian.　 vivien.　 wren.　 wynn.　 yael.

[crownedinmarigolds]

AND THAT IS A WRAP!! Happiest of holidays to everyone (or a great normal week for those who don't celebrate!), this is the last VTM Collaboration of the year! Wow! We've done these for a YEAR!! What an amazing group - I am so lucky to be a part of this community. This holiday season was busy with outside of internet obligations, Secret Santas, THIS - and it was still a ton of people who still participated. I love and appreciate all of you so much! I'm tagging everyone beneath the cut - have a great rest of 2024 and I hope 2025 treats you all well. <3 (I hope I adjusted heights correctly! I wanted to show off everyone the best I could!! I'm so sorry if you're not tagged properly - I think Tumblr has a limit....)

Lygota and Slaine - @totally-a-tzimisce Shirraz - @rattenprince CC and Lynx - @squiretinnion Tali - @salubri-outcast Misha, Nancy and Charlie - @m4rloe5 Lattie - @casuallycryptidcider Mina - @arc-tu-rus Skadi and Dawn - @maxahlia Briar + Walter and Lark - @wizzsp Leech and Jellybean - @kentuckycaverats Caius - @knownsome Parvati, Harrakhty, and Kahanni - me!! Magpie - @dykeferatu Alexei - @demonbones Soledad - @aztarion The Lady, Reid, and Tammy - @anarchswild Gretchen - @mortifying-macaroni Thana - squiretinnion Artemiy and Joon - @salems-lots Solomon, Melinda, Sophie, and Seth - @scribesofcalamity Aidan - art by me, but belongs to @deathandthesoul!

[throwupgirl]

you're gonna make me rewatch supered natural. and the thing is i'll want to skip to at least s3 :-/

if youre considering briar well i am taking u down with me.

introducing the mo supernatural episode guide for casgirls (speedrun to s4) under the cut

season 1

1x01 pilot. you kind of need that one

1x09 home. this is a secret tool that will help us (mary winchester apologists) later

1x11 scarecrow. important character happens. :)

1x12 faith. bar none best episode in all of seasons 1 thru 3 so u should watch it.

1x22 this like has the main plot so id watch to understand.

season 2

2x01 in my time of dying. whats better than this the cycle persisting

2x02 everybody loves a clown. jo :)

2x08 crossroad blues. demon deal is important.

2x13 houses of the holy. really great for sowing and also making fun of dean (clueless)

2x16 roadkill. this ones not necessary but i like the plot twist.

2x20 what is and what never should be. put that gayboy in a situation.

2x22- turn the ep on but skip after dean makes the demon deal its all u rly need to know.

season 3

all u need to know is dean has one year to live and theyre trying to get out of the deal.

3x11 mystery spot. big skip i knoww. well i love watching dean die.

3x13 ghostfacers! important to ME.

3x16 no rest for the wicked. hehehehe

from there on you are in the enlightenment period (castiel) and just skip if misha collins isnt in the opening credits <3 (except 7x10 deaths door i love 7x10 deaths door my best friend 7x19 deaths door)

if u watch 3 episodes a day (equivalent to 2 hours) you should reach the castiel era in 5 days

[mess-is-where-brain-is]

Well, hello there random fellow internet user. Welcome to this dumpster-fire of a blog. I am minister of the so, said dumpster-fire. Name's Coco, a bisexual mess of a guy I am.

So... Self-shipping yeah.. I would do art for this blog, but atm I don't feel like my skill-level is enough. So, have some random imagines I make or repost.

So, if you have the patience to read through my f/o list both platonic and romantic. Also, I'm happy to nerd out about any of the shows/games/blorbos we might share interest in.

(This is not in any specific order.)

Platonic.

Ace Attorney: Phoenix, Maya, Gumshoe.

Arcane: Ekko, Vi.

Borderlands: Maya, Mr Torgue and Hammerlock.

Bayonetta: Bayonetta, Viola.

Baldur's gate 3: Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Karlach.

Breath of wild/ Tears of the kingdom: Link, Zelda, Sidon, Mipha, Daruk, Revali, Purah and Robbie. (just the whole cast, I suppose.)

Devil May Cry: Dante, Nero and Nico.

DC comics: Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy.

Genshin Impact: Amber, Eula, Kaeya and Venti.

Pokemon: Raihan, Piers, Nessa, Leon and Sonia.

Mario series: Luigi, Peach and Pauline.

No More Heroes: Travis, Shinobu and Sylvie.

Hades: Zagreus, Megara and Dusa.

Valorant: Sage, Cypher, Jett, Reyna, Phoenix, Viper.

Hi-Fi Rush: Chai, Peppermint, CNMN, Macaron.

Honkai star rail: Misha(Son.), Aventurine, Robin.

League of legends: Briar(Daughter.)

Romantic.

Baldur's gate3: Laezel.

Borderlands: Moxxi, Gaige and Zer0.

Breath of wild: Urbosa.

Cyberpunk edgerunners: Kiwi.

Delicious in dungeon: Namari.

Genshin Impact: Rosaria.

Honkai star rail: Gallagher.

JJK: Kento Nanami.

Pokemon: Lorelei.

Tiger and Bunny: Nathan Seymour.

League of legends: Samira.

Hi-Fi Rush: Korsica.

Hades: Nyx.

Valorant: Deadlock.

[scp-rockoverse]

Hello! And welcome to my OC askblog, come on down and meet my Characters! They don’t bite(at least a few don’t)

We’re starting off small and working our way up with askable OCs so here’s who you may ask now

Madam Miracles Haven for the Anomalous

Amber Prisma(she/shine)(black hair dark skin)

Madam Miracle(She/her)(Purple eyes)

Rai Manta(He/She/It)(blue daba dee daba die)

Wallace(he/any)

Public’s enemies:

Regan McRory🪲-(he/they/dusk)

Briar Hollythorn🌹- (she/they/dawn)

Clover McRory-Thorn🍀 - (she/her)

The Foundation personnel

Site Director (???) Inglip(she/they/slash)🪓

Researcher Bruce Daizmond(He/Him)🦾

Assistant researcher Florence Molt(They/Them)🍂

Dr Clarence Scorch(He/him)🐓

Dr Rory Kelly(he/they/spark)⚡️

Dr Faux(She/Her)💄

Researcher Dr Brutus Scythe(He/any)(gothic neopronouns)⛓️

Assistant researcher Rowan Bones(she/they/he/feather)🩻

Dr Azriel Hearthstones(he/sprout)🪴

Agent Pascal (???)(any)🤖

Agent Shamrock(she/her)🍀

Agent Scapegoat(any)⚠️

SCPS contained anomalies(I don’t have numbers for them)

SCP-Klondike the Circus bear(he/him)🐻

SCP-Misha (she/they)🦉

SCP-there are no happy endings here (she/her)🦄

SCP-Quiet as the grave aka: Peeper (they/it)🔒

SCP-Pip Cheerio(it/he)🪤

SCP-PomPom (She/it/honk)🎁

SCP-Circus Freak(They/them)🪅

[leilapotter]

Briar Vance (Golden Trio Era)

Cat Pictures for references (lol)

This OC was originally Breanna Vance played by Vanessa Hudgens

[motionsofekstasis]

Addiction. Officially Unofficial. from dan lysenko on Vimeo.

Directed – Yury Vorobev D.o.P. – Vlad Jakovlev Music – It's not me by polnalyubvi

Cast: Yulia Filipovscaia Kasia Briars Emerson Machado

A.D. & 3D & Props – Danil Lysenko VFX – Mihaly Sipos Gaffer – Roberts Kravecs Colour & Edit – Misha Drygov Stylist – Nika Frost Makeup & hair – Sara Aziz Backstage Video & photography – Kostya Alonov Produced by Yury Vorobev & Danil Lysenko

[thefirstcourtesan]

I think it’s weird that brair is still our maid even after MC being countess. She only appears to pamper MC yet she’s her supposed best friend from home

I am not playing D&D, but I think it’s weird that Briar is still your maid even if she is yuor sister-in-law 😂. But other than that, it’s weird and yet, I can see Briar not wanting to live on the Mc’s charity and this way the Mc has a lady’s maid she can trust. It is also a way for hte women to stay together, despite class barriers.

[victoriahazelnut]

ROMANTIC UNISEX NAMES

🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞

🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓

🌹 Amour, Ardent, Ares

🌹 Bardot, Bellamy, Briar

🌹 Celestin, Clem, Constance

🌹 Darling, Desi, Drewbie

🌹 Emory, Engel, Evermore

🌹 Fay, Florian, Frankie

🌹 Garnet, Gracen, Grey

🌹 Hazen, Heike, Hyacin

🌹 Inder, Iris, Ivory

🌹 Jade, Janvier, Jonesy

🌹 Kaelyn, Kastiel, Kruz

🌹 Lian, Lovelace, Lutz

🌹 Malak, Misha, Monroe

🌹 Narcisse, Nico, Nisha

🌹 Ottie, Omen, Onyx

🌹 Pascale, Patrice, Penrose

🌹 Quartz, Quenby, Quinn

🌹 Rebel, Romani, Rosario

🌹 Sentinel, Starling, Sylvon

🌹 Tame, Tender, Thorn

🌹 Ulysses, Umber, Unknown

🌹 Valentine, Vengence, Vixen

🌹 Waltz, Widow, Winter

🌹 Xia, Xue, Xylon

🌹 Yancy, Yuval, Yvet

🌹 Zain, Zasha, Zuri

🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞༺༻🍓༺༻🐞

[honeypuckle]

A big old dump of quick, messy doodles. Most of which were for Britt~!

[alexiethymia]

Jeanne Theories (but more like questions)

A dump for all my questions and theories about Jeanne. In the manga, the third chapter is named after her (Chapter 1 is Vanitas, while Chapter 2 is Noe). Arguably, you could say she’s the third most important character. Among all of the main characters, her past seems to be the one we know least about. This actually ties to my questions relating to vampires and their ages. 

I am a bit confused about how aging works with vampires and how that reflects physically. We have Noe and Dominique who are chronologically the same age as Vanitas. Assuming nothing goes wrong, human Vanitas would die of old age (except we know that isn’t the case), while Noe and Dominique would look physically the same how many years later. Jeanne’s age wasn’t intentionally revealed because I think it ties in with the plot, but we know she’s centuries older than the main cast. She’s been with Ruthven since before the betrayal, and grew up with Chloe. This is where it gets confusing for me. Chloe became a vampire at four, but physically stopped aging at eleven years old. Jean Jaques was also a hidden vampire changed by Babel but he ended up growing and looking older than Chloe (at least physically). Same with Jeanne. She and Chloe met when Jeanne was younger than her, but Jeanne grew up to look like a young woman. I’m curious as to the difference as to why it was only Chloe who stopped growing physically at around eleven years old, although she’s older than Ruthven.

Jeanne’s link to Luna of the Blue Moon

I don’t think the line above is a throw-away line. Jeanne was of Ruthven’s time, and we find out that Luna had also seen her, specifically during the time of the Great War. She left that big of an impact on Luna that they would retell the story to Vanitas (and I presume Mikhail too), which had that much of impact on him as well.

They removed this context from the anime which makes it as if Vanitas heard of Jeanne through stories, except we know from the manga that it was more personal since he heard it from Luna. 

Why exactly did Luna have admiration towards Jeanne? Was it because she was slaughtering Vampires of the Red Moon? But contrary to the rumors, recent chapters would show us that Luna didn’t seem to be a vengeful entity or hold ill-will toward Vampires of the Red Moon. 

Luna was also probably the reason why Vanitas felt an initial connection with Jeanne. Like with his hourglass earring, the name, the book, the gloves, etc., despite their complicated past, Vanitas seems to be (consciously or unconsciously) maintaining a link with Luna. 

Jeanne’s Slumber (possible connections with Sleeping Beauty)

Why was it necessary for Jeanne to sleep all this time? And why did she have to wake up now, at this exact moment in time? What exact thing does Ruthven need to use her for, and for what purpose? Because let’s admit it, Lord Ruthven is shady af. 

It’s also ironic how Jeanne reads Sleeping Beauty and places Vanitas in the princess’ position, when she has more in common with the fairytale. Having to sleep for a hundred years, her mark is that of a rose with thorns evoking the imagery of ‘Briar Rose’ and the spindle, while her epithet ‘Hellfire Witch’ evokes imagery of the evil fairy who could turn into a dragon and breathe fire (admittedly I may be focusing on the Disney version too much). 

We know she’s named after Jeanne d’Arc, a martyr who was burnt at the stake (please, please, let this not be foreshadowing of how she dies) hence the connection to her epithet ‘Hellfire Witch’, but even disregarding how vampires (and perhaps humans as well?) have true names, Vanitas says she was ‘bestowed’ a saintly name. We know she was adopted, and we don’t know the circumstances of her birth which are shrouded in mystery, but could Ruthven have been the one to grant the name ‘Jeanne’ to her? 

If not for the fact that we already had Florifel and Eglantine in the first chapter, I would have thought Jeanne’s true name and malnomen if she gets one later would be connected to the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. 

Jeanne’s Malady

The vampires in Vanitas no Carte are different from the stereotypical portrayals of vampires, except for one - Jeanne. Jeanne has that uncontrollable desire to drink blood, and yet as of now, doesn’t appear to be a curse bearer. Based on her patchy memories, we can infer it was Ruthven who made her like this, is the one to supply her with her sketchy medicine, all the while forcing her to swear not to talk about it.

Is she in the same predicament as Loki, Luca’s older brother, forced to have the symptoms of a curse bearer and yet being prevented from being cured, by Ruthven? For what greater purpose? Why is it necessary for Loki to be a curse bearer? And more intriguing than that, why is he consenting to it? It all relates to the Queen somehow, something which no one is privy to except the Oriflamme Family. 

Sleeping Lions

Who could Marquis Machina be referring to? Everyone in the Oriflamme family, and by extension Jeanne, have connections with the imagery of lions and fire (they seem to have an elemental affinity like how Luca displayed, except that Ruthven’s is black fire, which makes me wonder what color Loki’s flames would be if ever). Jeanne can’t seem to manipulate the World Formula like Ruthven and Veronica though. The flames come out of her gauntlet, Carpe Diem. 

In relation to that, I think Misha’s patron is Marquis Machina. In the same way, Marquis Machina built Carpe Diem for Jeanne, I think he built Misha’s hand and dog for him. I mean Marquis Machina doesn’t seem to be working with Ruthven and Charlatan. His pieces seem to be the kin of the Blue Moon (Vanitas and Misha), the dhams, and the De Sade family. It could also be that the De Sade have their own agenda and are just using Marquis Machina or it’s just a mutual beneficial arrangement. If so, an eventually power struggle is bound to break out, possibly between the De Sade and the Oriflamme families, and poor Jeanne will be caught in the middle. Where then does the Shapeless One play into this? Perhaps a third faction? A silent observer? A loyalist to the queen? There’s still too little information to theorize. 

Who could the Sleeping Lion Marquis Machina wants to see wake up be? 

Jeanne, Faustina, Luna, and Naenia

It could just be a stylistic thing, but the long flowing light colored hair seem to be common among all of them. 

In relation to Pandora Hearts and its themes of will and what measure is a person, what if the Jeanne that we know now is just a consciousness inhabiting a body (kind of like Oz and Jack), specifically the queen’s body to be exact. It would certainly be foreshadowing to when she says ‘promise to kill me when I’m no longer myself anymore’.

Alternatively, the current Jeanne we know may just be a vessel or a golem to house the Queen whose body has deteriorated. It certainly would explain why she was treated as a doll even in her earliest memories. ‘Jeanne’ isn’t supposed to exist. 

Although it’s a long shot, since Ruthven has connections with Charlatan, and by extension Dr. Moreau, could ‘No. 70′ have been Jeanne? Again like I said, it’s a long shot. I think it’s likelier that No. 70 is a character we haven’t been introduced to yet. 

Jeanne’s Parents

This is a Mochizuki work. Of course, there’s got to be something to it. Why exactly did they side with the humans so suddenly in the war? What horrible thing did the vampires do to have over a thousand of their kind turn against them? And yet the way it reads, rather than betray Ruthven, I think Jeanne’s parents along with all of the vampires who were slaughtered were sacrificial pawns. Maybe I’m just really biased against Ruthven, but I think he was the one to lead the rebellion of his students, and like Chloe, although he presents himself to be an ally of the current Vampire Monarchy, perhaps he’s just biding his time to get revenge for his students. In working with Charlatan, it’s vampires who he’s harming.

What greater purpose could he have in wanting to assassinate his own nephew or ally himself with a known vampire extermination unit of the Chasseurs (Gano and his ilk) or in killing so many vampires by having their true names corrupted? 

Face to face with Noe, we see in their meeting that Noe says the exact same words Ruthven told Chloe when he was younger. Noe reminds Ruthven of his students, while Ruthven reminds Noe of his teacher. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this, but it seems like the Ruthven of now scorns his past self’s moderate and progressive ideals of vampires and humans living in harmony. He speaks of our side, your side, and Noe having to choose one or the other. And yet all of his collective actions at this point have served not to protect but rather harm vampire kind, which puts him in direct opposition to Vanitas who wants to save vampires. 

In relation to Jeanne, there will be a boiling point. She’s loyal to Luca and she’s loyal to Ruthven. She’s incredibly fond of Dominique. As of now, she also loves Vanitas. And yet down the line, inevitably Luca and Ruthven will be on opposing sides, so I am curious to see how the betrayals and conflicting loyalties will play out. 

[scaryorganmusic]

not briar of horny for misha fame calling me out for liking a picture of old man jarpad 🤡🔫🤡

[artofket]

My pen died from all my love

A huge heartfelt gift to a bunch of great people in the Arcana fandom! (Drawn in a random order)

Misha: @art-misha-voltaire

Amora: @brainfartistart

Hathe: @leatherandsaltybitters

Valerie: @aaliyah-draws

Isha: @bastart13

Illian: @lazyvoyager

Halla: @linaisbluepancake

Briar: @amnesia-moth

Julianne: @timmys-and-scribbles

Agrippa: @victorscribbles

Marín: @marinmuffins

Tari: @mcarcanageek

Prentiss: @arcanaprentiss

Kipling: @asras3rdeye

Anaya: @sugared-sweet-coffee

Misery: @miserytheapprentice

Marin: @punky-peach

Tazim: @lucioscunt

Jay: @bitcxes-n-cream

Miena: @scaredy-apprentice

Alice: @kidgrimm

Sindre: @makidrawzzz

I figured it was high time I stopped admiring your apprentices and art from afar, so have some sketchy signs of my affection 😌

[auburnflight]

VnC 47: Jeanne’s Fantasy

I'm really intrigued by this page of Jeanne reading one of Luca’s books in VnC chapter 47:

From the previous page, we can tell that it's a traditional fairy tale--to be exact, Sleeping Beauty (In French, La Belle au bois dormant).

What stood out to me about it is that, as she reads, Jeanne envisions herself in the conventionally male role—fighting the monster, saving Sleeping Beauty (who is actually Vanitas), and carrying her (him) to safety. I wanted to address a few meanings that this seemingly innocuous page could have for the story: added complexity to Vanitas and Jeanne's relationship, potential foreshadowing, as well as a queer reading.

Up until now, Vanitas and Jeanne's relationship has followed a heteronormative type of the controlling man and the more submissive woman, almost to the point that it's humorous. Jeanne, introduced initially as fierce and intimidating yet strikingly beautiful, is taken in by Vanitas, who manipulates her into being dependent on him (for example, making her drink only his blood and promising to kill her if she goes mad). In short, she turns out to be, in the words of the other characters, "kind of a pushover."

IMO, this characterization does not leave a positive first impression. I was excited by the image of Jeanne as a feared fighter (which, admittedly she still holds somewhat, though the story of the hellfire witch has been put on the back burner for now), and I felt that she immediately lost a lot of that "coolness potential" when that image got buried in Jeanne's romantic entanglement with Vanitas. But I do feel that this image of Jeanne's fantasy introduced in chapter 47 adds a level of intentional irony and textual self-awareness to Jeanne and Vanitas's romance. It juuust begins to undermine heteronormative ideas about gender roles, instead of blindly following them.

In actuality, the crafty Vanitas has the surprisingly innocent Jeanne under his control, and  Jeanne loses much of her say in her own narrative. But in her fantasy, Jeanne maintains agency over her own story. Perhaps, due to her inexperience, she fails to see the strategies that Vanitas has used to establish his position of control over her. But she desires to some extent to lead her story in its own direction. Through the inclusion of this brief yet important fantasy, Jun Mochizuki may be acknowledging that their relationship is more complex than it appears on the surface (as Mochijun’s stories so often are!).

...Ooor it could be just wishful thinking, but I’m really hoping that it’s not.

Whether or not Jeanne will be able to regain agency remains to be seen. In this sense, this image of her fantasizing could be read as foreshadowing—there's a discrepancy between her ideal romance and the actual nature of the one she's in, so maybe she won't get the "happy end" that she envisions in the fairy tale.

I'd also like to posit the interpretation of this page as a queer reading of the text. Obviously we've seen queercoding elsewhere in Vanitas in numerous places. Notably, though, Jeanne's fantasy comes explicitly and intentionally from within her—this is not just the characters or the text hinting to something, but something Jeanne actively (even if subconsciously) wants for herself. This is  stood out to me as a lesbian reading the text—it's a direct glimpse into an awareness of or desire to reach outside the prescribed notions of heteronormative relationships. 

Again, how exactly this becomes significant to Jeanne's character arc remains to be seen. However, as a reader whose "queer awakening" began with that first realization that I wanted to completely upend masculine and feminine sterotypes in relationships, I definitely feel a little more complexity hiding under the surface for Jeanne, and I look forward to seeing how this vision of herself is built upon further as the series progresses.

Of course, this is just one page in the midst of a chapter that's overall dedicated more to Misha. However, considering the implications that Jeanne and Vanitas's relationship have already had and will continue to have for plot events, I think it's worth noting this page and particularly the middle panel as a glimpse into Jeanne's perspective. And, saving and being saved, as is happening in the fairy tale, is a theme at the core of Vanitas as a whole. We have already seen that Vanitas has promised to "save" Jeanne and heard Noe’s hypothesis that Vanitas even wants to be saved himself. So, both on a surface level and in numerous more subtle ways, this panel is actually deeply entwined with the messages that Vanitas conveys. In particular, I look forward to seeing how the complexities of Jeanne, both as an individual and in terms of her relationship with Vanitas, continue to be revealed!

Fun fact to end the post: The thorns and briars are a significant symbol in Sleeping Beauty, which is also known by the title "Little Briar Rose." We've already seen "shadow briars” in our encounter with Amelia/Eglantine earlier in the series. I wonder if these are connected somehow...?

[thesimperiuscurse]

Thanks to my bro @simlit​ for tagging me 🖤 Unfortunately, this tag requires me to acknowledge the fact that I have three previous generations 🤢 Since my stories run for such a long time, the legacy spanning nearly six years, this doesn’t necessarily cover things that appear prominently in all four, without fail—since I’ve changed so much as a writer—but more around things that have culminated in Eva’s story. 

R U L E S

List five things that you, without fail, weave into or explore in your stories, whether it be specific themes or tropes, character archetypes, allusions to other literary works.

T H E M E  —  F R I E N D S H I P

There are two things I can look back fondly on for Fallen Angels, first being sarcasm king Raphael, second being the ‘found family’ that Cherry joins when she runs away. I really liked the six criminal outcasts joining together (even if half of them were toxic motherfuckers) and I brought that into the following story, this time with five dancers and much stronger, healthier relationships. I do think friendships / platonic bonds have potential to be just as compelling and weighted as romance, so I’m trying to explore that in En Pointe, particularly with Misha and Mako. 

A R C H E T Y P E  —  F I G H T E R

Eva, her mother Cherry, and her grandmother Briar—all main characters of their respective stories—are trained in self defense / martial arts, specifically Muay Thai. Plot wise, this stems from Briar’s younger days, when she was a reckless new police officer who constantly got into danger (obviously Cherry inherited that, smh) and made sure her children learned how to protect themselves. Author wise, I just like badass female characters. They’re all stubborn and headstrong and determined to do things their way, so in that regard, the founder Fern was also a fighter. 

T H E M E  —  M O N E Y  +  P O W E R

Since my stories are now based in real life, money and how power + corruption, politics + ethics, is inexplicably linked to it is a real issue that has always intrigued me. It forms the basis of Fallen Angels, and En Pointe, except this time from the lens of the powerful. 

T R O P E  —  E N E M I E S  T O  L O V E R S

This is perhaps my favourite story trope ever. I explored it a little in previous generations, but only in En Pointe does my enjoyment of the trope come to full fruition. It just has the greatest scope for development and natural chemistry. For Evako, working out all the tiny details and silent gestures that show them very slowly evolving from enemies to friends to lovers is really fun. 

T H E M E  —  T H E  N A T U R A L  W O R L D

I think this is the single thing that has cropped up, without fail, across the four stories. Fern was always drawn to the ocean, and gave her three children nature names. Briar has a unique (supernatural) connection to the moon. Cherry, who spent much of her teen years alone in the woodlands and singing with birds, loves the earth. In a roundabout way, Eva has the deepest bond with the ocean. She grew up with her feet planted firmly in water and soil, and the natural world shaped her character and morals. Her harmony with it is the force behind her voice and experiences—natural metaphors and physical awareness permeate her descriptions. Even the fifth and unborn heir, Hikari, is fascinated by stars. All this is because of my own concern for the environment, which is the main driver for my architectural work, but since I’m petrified of insects (*cough* spiders) I make my characters go adventuring outdoors instead 😆

T A G S 

@amys-snapshots​  / @notjustabooksims / @simnights / @itheaxel​ / @itssimplythesims​