#mostly I'm posting this simply because some people might find it interesting

[solvicrafts]

Snippet from Dragon Magazine about Eilistraee:

Issue #176

[syninplays]

So uhm... I did a thing...

✨Character Info Template✨

Been meaning to do this a long time ago (and actually started it but never finished it, lol) as a way to share some more information about my ocs without needing to use a custom page theme, but mostly because I haven't found any page theme that looks exactly as I want and allows this much customization.

There are two versions and both are almost exactly the same; but the example shown in the left has an 'appearance' section which is small and has few quick facts regarding the oc's appearance; while the example on the right has a 'moodboard' section instead which allows you to add more info about your oc.

You can change every section/title to fit your needs like I did in the examples below; I personally removed some categories as well and got rid of some connections as this oc doesn't have that many close friends/partners to fill the original template. However, I also included an extra separated 'connections' section in the download in case you want to add more people and more information.

I recommend you stick to square-shaped pictures so it's easier to fit them to each section. Also if and when you edit the information or section titles, please select only one line at a time to replace it so you don't lose the text format. (Titles shouldn't change because that's a single format/font within the same text box, but should it change you can always hit ctrl+z hehe) When you're done, I strongly recommend you save this as a .png instead of .jpg so it's the best possible quality!

Last but not least, this is a .psd file. So you'll need either Photoshop (I did this with Photoshop Portable, but it supports newer versions of PS and it *should* support older versions too) or Photopea to open and edit this file.

Credits: Adobe Photoshop, Inter font, Golften Vintage font

>DOWNLOAD< (patreon but free :p)

(note: I'm posting this with my gaming blog because I think my fellow gamers might be interested in this, but please consider giving credits to me if you use this template by tagging @synindoodles instead of this blog)

More info on how to use and edit this template below the cut!

Layers:

>Each layer is properly named and categorized. The general layers such as the background, the icon shape and background shapes are under the groups.

>If you don't want to see/don't need one of the connections' pictures and information, I recommend you find which one it is (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) and click on the eye symbol next to the layer to hide it so that way if you ever need it, it won't be truly gone.

>To edit a text section, simply find the layer (such as General Information>Left Column) and double click on the 'T' symbol next to the layer. That way it will open edit mode and allow you to edit the text, just don't hit delete or enter while everything is selected or you'll erase it :p

>Main text sections aren't separated, they're blocks of text. I recommend you don't remove the amount (for example, if you downloaded the version with the 'appearance' section, which has 5 sections of information, don't remove the fifth line.) Either leave it empty or replace it with another data, otherwise it will look weird. The 'general information' section might look good even if you remove a few lines, just don't get rid of the whole block of text.

Pictures:

>To add a new picture, simply paste it over this document and move it using the Move Tool.

>To frame it (so it becomes a circle or fits over the shape you want), make sure the picture layer is over the layer you want, then while holding alt click between the two layers. [For example, if you want to add a new main oc picture: 1) paste the pic you want, 2) move it with the Move Tool so it's covering the big circle, 3) once you've fully covered the shape (if it isn't you can resize it by right clicking on it then on 'free transform', sometimes you might need to hold shift to proportionally resize it) make sure the newly pasted pic layer is over the layer named "picture goes here", 4) hold the alt key and hover your mouse cursor over the line between your pic layer and the circle layer until you see an arrow going down symbol, once you see it click it and tah dah! your picture should now have the same shape as the circle! - you can further move it if it doesn't fit the way you want with the Move Tool (;

Others:

>You can change every color, font and section to your liking, just don't change the general layout of the template.

>To hide/show the guides (those bright blue lines all over the document), click ctrl+,

>'Inter' is a free font and you can get it in the link above (linked with the credits), Golften Vintage is not, but you can get the demo version >here< (just scroll down and click the blue download button under license). I will not tell you how to install fonts as it might be different for everyone (for me it's C:/Windows/Fonts and I just drop the zipped files (except the .txt one) there), but google is your friend.

>I can't think of anything else that needs to be said here, but if you have any other question feel free to send me an ask or dm and I'll help you out!

>Last but not least, a like is appreciated if you plan to use this plus consider tagging @synindoodles if you use it <3

[pubbamoon]

Sun signs and your core identity

Hey! It's been a time for the Western astrology, right? I've been thinking about it for a couple of days. This next post is going to be about the Sun in signs. The Sun is the most important planet in Western astrology and it represents our zodiac sign. It can also represents our identity, who we are outside, our external world, what makes us seen or shine, how we attract attention, this and that. Hope you'll find it interesting. It's Sunday, the Sun-ruled day, so I think I couldn't choose better day for this post. Take is as it resonates and leave the rest, as you already know. Why am I even talking about it? Anyway, let's just get into the topic!

Sun in Aries: Well, you may attract attention by just being yourself. Aries rules over the 1st house of self, personality and body, so you are someone who has a strong personality and are mostly authentic. The Sun is exalted in this sign, which is a great placement for this planet in general. You might be the type of person who always put yourself first over anyone and are really confident, unless you have some air or water placements in your chart. I'm about to stop it there, 'cause i don't want to tell you what to do. I know you don't like that, hahaha.

Sun in Taurus: I sense that you're calmed individuals and you don't like to rush things. Stubbornness is a characteristic which always reminds me of you, since Taurus is a fixed earth sign, which goes hand in hand. You may also like expansive and luxurious things which are mostly related to drink and food. Taurus is being ruled by Venus which represents pleasure, so you might be hedonistic and seek for pleasurable moments. You might even be lazy sometimes with this placement, but it depends on other natal placements of yours. You just seem to be normal people who like when things are going as they should do.

Sun in Gemini: This placement tells me that you're communicative and like to discuss about everything. Mercury is a planet of communication and intellect, so you might be extremely smart too. Mercury also represents controversy, so you might say things which aren't that comfortable to the average people. Other people like your presence and it's easy for you to make friends with everyone, sine Gemini is the air sign. You're father might be communicative as well. You might also be duplicitous, say one thing and then do another thing, 'cause Gemini is a dual sign represented by the twins. Or you're just versatile in general. It really depends.

Sun in Cancer: You might be naturally sensitive and emotional is what I'm getting. You're someone who is inclined into family, nostalgia and you might share love to your own home and land. The 4th house is associated with the home and childhood after all. You may be a kind of person who rules over your own family or simply a provider for your partner or any other person, since Cancer is the water and the cardinal sign at the same time. You might not be into a career that much or you might be worried about your career path. I feel like you may be a great parent because of your caring nature, but it depends on your Moon's placement too.

Sun in Leo: The Sun is in domicile and in its own sign in Leo, making a Leo sign the best placement for the Sun possible. Whatever you do, you may attract attention easily. Leo rules over the 5th house of creativity, stage, fun and children, so you might be seen by using your creative abilities, being into a spotlight, having fun or even act childish. There's also a potential for you to be a highly spiritual person, 'cause 5th house also represents spirituality. Creativity and spirituality usually goes together pretty well. This is an individuality placement at its finest, I would tell, and this is the moment where I see similarities between the Aries Sun and the Leo Sun.

Sun in Virgo: I don't know exactly why, but whenever I hear about this placement, it reminds me on anxiety at some point. Maybe you feel this way often. This sign is being ruled by Mercury, but here comes the analytical version of the Mercury. You might have a great sense of working and reading the people as they're open books. I sense that you may struggle with confidence because of your overthinking tendencies or you may be seen as nervous and anxious individual. You may encourage people to work and to not be loose all the time. I know one person I met online with this placement and this person is very judgmental and has a natural critical thinking, so you might behave like this person too. You may also have a great eye for details. Your father could be a doctor or work at any other health industry.

Sun in Libra: I find people with this placement really beautiful, which is kinda obvious, 'cause Libra is being ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty and love. You may be doing well while interacting with the other people, since Libra rules over the 7th house of other people and even the long-term relationships. The Sun is in fall in the sign of Libra, which is not a good placement for this planet, 'cause the Sun represents individuality, while Libra represents collectivity. But the positive side of this placement could be that you may have a good relationships with almost everyone and that you might be likeable a lot. Great placement for any artistic endeavors. It can also tell that your father might be a lawyer, but it doesn't have to the case with all of you.

Sun in Scorpio: You may naturally give off dark and mysterious vibes or you just present yourself this way. I feel that you could have deep emotions within you that need to be expressed. You may get successful after you do something what you're passionate about and maybe that's what makes you shine and seen. You might also be interested in criminalistics, criminology, forensic science or your father may work in these fields. This sign goes after Libra, so you may also hang out with others easily and you likely interact well with them. You attract attention while you stand up with your own power or when you embrace your mysteriousness. You may also be very intuitive, interested in occultic or have some kind of a hard life, 'cause the 8th house represents challenges, occultic and spirituality.

Sun in Sagittarius: This is such a fun placement to have. Whenever I was with these natives, I had such a good time. Having fun and partying is the best with these natives, for sure. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, which is the planet of luck, so you might be naturally lucky and express joy with this placement. You are naturally adventurous and you may find happiness in foreign lands, since the 9th house is related to travel and abroad places. Sagittarius and Jupiter both represent wisdom, so you might love having meaningful conversations about the meaning of life or about any other philosophies. There can also be a talent to teach other people. We can learn almost everything from you.

Sun in Capricorn: You guys could be very ambitious and career-oriented. This may be a great placement for entrepreneurship or for anything related to leadership. Whatever you do could be successful, but it will take time, 'cause Saturn represents hard work and time. Your life might become better when you get older, especially in your 30s, but we need to look for your Saturn's placements to clarify that. your teeth, bones and nose might look beautiful or may be prominent in your body, 'cause these body parts are ruled by Saturn, but I think people with Capricorn Rising may resonate more to this statement.

Sun in Aquarius: This may be one of the weirdest placement to describe it. Well, you may be one of the most unique people out there or you can be the most average people out there. You stand out from the crowd by you being different from the rest, no doubt about it. The Sun is in detriment position in Aquarius, which is not a great placement for this planet. Aquarius rules over the 11th house of friendships, masses of people, finances etc., so you get along with people well and you care about how much money you make. Let's be real, Aquarius people can be materialistic, 'cause they're also ruled by Saturn. Your father might be a founder of some kind of organization or he might have a lot of friends.

Sun in Pisces: You might be very creative, sensitive and intuitive with this placement. There's a natural inclination to spirituality and foreign countries, since Pisces is ruled by Jupiter and it rules over the 12th house of spirituality, foreign lands an even isolation. You could isolate yourself from people around you and you don't mind to be alone. I sense some kind of introvert and old soul energy here. You can adapt yourself into any situation or to any people, since Pisces is a mutable sign, which makes sense. You might be naturally wise from your age and you can share your knowledge to others. I also feel that you are altruistic and you love to help other people and give yourself to people unselfishly.

Well, that could be very everything for today. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you could resonate with these messages. You can ask me which topic you would like me to discuss on if you want to. You can also book a reading with me. The link is in the 'Masterlist' post. I'm sending lots of love to all of you. Keep rising and shining!

Best regards, Paky McGee

[bonearenaofmyskull]

Feel free to answer this whenever you want; I just had to write it down because I've been seeing this analysis in the "Hannibal meta" tags for some time. I came across an analysis, or rather multiple analyses, that blatantly dismiss the Hannigram hug. Despite being a big romance fan and interpreting it romantically, the analyses mostly argued it was a tactic for Will to push them both into the sea. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Additionally, I vaguely recall a post suggesting that Will's 'it's beautiful' remark is actually distracting and disturbing, but I don't recall the details. The gist of the analysis was to not interpret the embrace and the words as romantic but rather as a rejection. Whenever you're free, could you help me understand this? Thank you; you're the best. ❤️

Okay, I'm laughing a little at this because I think...I think...I just might be the originator of the interpretation that Will used the embrace as a tool to throw the both of them off the cliff:

I almost hate to suggest this, but it’s possible the reason Will pulled Hannibal into his arms at the end of “The Wrath of the Lamb” was because he knew that the gesture would be overwhelming to Hannibal because Hannibal is in love with him. With that touch, Hannibal wouldn’t be able to think ahead to what must be coming next. (All that business about touch making us who we are and putting hands on shoulders for authenticity.) Which doesn’t mean that Will wasn’t authentically feeling the moment, but just that he knew exactly why it would work. (x)

I can't find any posts in the hannibal meta tag that you're referring to, either about the embrace or the "It's beautiful" line, and it could be either that I'm just not going back far enough (that tag is way busier than I expected it to be) or that one or the other of us are blocking each other.

So I'm not sure I understand the logic of what you're responding to, but I would say that with both points and with analyses about Hannibal in general, the biggest and most frequent mistake that I see people make is their inability or unwillingness to manage nuance. This is especially problematic in a show that is primarily concerned on the character front with duality and transformation. Hardlining a strongly polarized opinion almost never serves people well.

Both (the romantic and the tactic) can exist, but more importantly...my take on this is not just that both can exist but that neither can exist without the other.

Obviously the tactic couldn't work--it couldn't exist--unless it was overwhelmingly romantic for Hannibal. But it has to be for Will as well because it is only in its authenticity that the gesture has power over Hannibal.

And if it wasn't authentic for Will, then there would have been no need for Will to go over the cliff. The same is true for the "It's beautiful" statement: if he doesn't mean it, then there's no reason for him to die alongside this man who helped him see that beauty. My conclusion from the above post had been:

I don’t think he planned for suicide specifically or that he knew exactly what he expected to happen between himself, Francis and Hannibal (in the sense that I doubt he’d have leaped to his death if Hannibal and Francis had somehow managed to kill each other without involving him), but I think finally accepting his and Hannibal’s relationship as one that’s in love helped ready him to take that dive off the cliff. When the moment comes, when he’s finally killed with Hannibal and is awash in the beauty of that moment, it doesn’t surprise him to the point of inaction. He’s able to draw Hannibal gently into his arms and guide them both into the abyss. The beauty, the love–they simply make his path more clear.

Perhaps less easy to see from the point of view of looking at the finale in isolation is that the romance couldn't exist without the tactic either. More specifically, their interest in loving each other stems from Will's ability to match Hannibal's cleverness, manipulation, and opportunism with his own. That has been the point of the show from the start, from "You and I are just alike" to "I see myself in Will" to "I don't expect you to feel self-loathing or regret or shame. You knew what you were doing and you made your own decisions, decisions that were under your control.... You found a way to hurt me. I wonder how many more people are going to get hurt by what you do" to "Did you think you could change me, the way I've changed you? --I already did."

All of this is their "zero sum game." It is a cornerstone of their relationship that they each respond to the other's manipulation with manipulation, even when it's blatantly transparent. And that push over the cliff was blatantly transparent. Hannibal didn't fight it, he submitted to it as a kind of weird trust fall that started with the catch and ended with a death. Of a very particular sort.

Is this a rejection? I mean, yeah, sure, by one of way of looking at it. Will is taking their fate in his hands and sentencing them to death, which is definitely not sending the message that he's okay with their mountain of sin and iniquity.

But it's also a marriage, in a Shakespearean kind of way ("All...now marry in an instant"), and also in a Christian way: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

I chose that quote because of its direct use of "the Lamb" which the the show instructs us through its title is the lens through which we should view Will's "wrath." Hannibal has already been established in the wife/mother (the woman clothed with the sun) role in the ritual by the Red Dragon, which puts Will in the husband/child role, similar to the dichotomy involving the Christ-child. The show has positioned Will as Christ for at least two seasons at this point, tbf, and in placing Will as Christ, then his sacrifice is by definition born of love. Christ takes human sin on himself to be washed clean through his death for those who believe and submit themselves unto him. For Hannibal this becomes a very literal baptism in the "roiling Atlantic" where "Soon, all of this will be lost to the sea."

So the question then left at the end of the series is not, "Does Will reject Hannibal?" No--he takes Hannibal's sins on himself, as Christ bore humanity's sins on the cross. That has been the story.

The real question is, "How deep and real does Hannibal's baptism go?"

If one views the finale as the definitive end of the show instead of a stepping stone to seasons we'll never get to know (I prefer thinking of it as a stepping stone, to be clear), then I'd say probably the stronger interpretation because of the Biblical undertones and Hannibal's ultimate submission is that dark!Will doesn't win, BUT that Hannigram totally does. And them going to visit some old Testament comeuppance on Bedelia doesn't contradict that.

They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?' Revelation 6:16, 17

WELL, NOT BEDELIA

[wilcze-kudly]

I really want to see your post about how Katara is forcefully matured by the fandom, please!

Ok, while I wasn't ready to make that post in earnest, and frankly never might be, here's some of my cursory thoughts on the topic. I'd gladly talk about it in detail more but also ✨️fear✨️

So, let's get the obvious out of the way. Katara is a 14 year old. A child, barely a teen. In fact, the entirety of the gaang is made up of children.

Now, I haven't been fully active in the atla fandom in quite some time, mostly lurking on the peripheries, because the fandom is a shitshow. One of the reasons being the fact that most fans cannot, for the life of them handle the Gaang's inherent childishness.

This isn't just a Katara problem. Other than her, Aang suffers the most for the egregious crime of being a 12 year old survivor of a genocide. Suki is, of course, mainly ignored. The interpretations of Toph can vary wildly, from her being horrifically matured to being dissmissed as a chaotic, rude child. Zuko and Sokka's immature moments are looked at more permissively, being an angsty boi™️ and a goofy goober respectively.

I do find it odd that Aang doesn't get the "boys will be boys" pass, but ok, we'll blame it on him being... bald? a nice boy? not concerned with his own masculinity?

As for Katara, her maturity is treated like... a given. She's the mom of the group, the proverbial love interest, the feminist icon, the badass fighter, the trailblazer filled with feminine rage. The trophy wife to Aang, the (Lore Olympus style) Persephone to Zuko's Hades.

And true, she is, or at least can be, a lot of these things.

However she is, first and foremost, a child. This fact is presented to us on a silver platter in the first episode, when her and Aang are penguin sledding.

Katara : I haven't done this since I was a kid!

Aang: You still are a kid!

Katara is a child forced to mature. Her circumstances forced her to try to fill her mother's place and to fight for those who couldn't do so themselves. The fandom brands her as a mom friend. Sees her purely as an icon of empowerment. Or worse, degrades her character to being a love interest.

(im talking about both sides of the kataang/zutara debate. I have my biases, but I'm sure there are kataangers who treat her like this as well. I simply have encountered very few of them.)

Her story, while yes, has many themes of female empowerment is in huge part, a tragedy. The tragedy of a young girl forced to grow up much too soon.

Sadly, this is rarely spoken about. It's not spoken about directly and therefore a lot of the fandom doesn't see this. (Or simply doesn't want to see it)

This is not to say that Katara's more mature aspects should be dismissed or buried. She displays a lot of maturity for her age, to the point of being able to go toe to toe both intellectually and physically with the (admittedly usually incompetent) adults of the show. Additionally, she evolves as a character through the durtation of the show.

But a huge chunk of her maturity being forced and therefore unhealthy is a key aspect of her character.

I think what upsets me the most is that while the critiquing the idea of Katara being treated as the mom of the group in fanon is becoming more and more common, the treatment of her as something akin to a YA protagonist is on the rise.

Both these interpretations are so insulting to the character of Katara, what is wrong with you people?

I'm currently rewatching atla with a focus on Katara as a character (while also trying to give zutara a chance I am doing my best guys) and her childishness is an integral part of her. It's sad to see her treated as an adult by the fandom. And honestly unsettling, especially with how much of like a child she acts.

I wanna finish my rewatch before I give my full ramble on the topic. I also wanna look more into the many different opinions people in the atla fandom have on Katara's treatment by the show. Though even trying to skim the surfce was like injecting lemon juice directly into my tear ducts. Also I really, really don't wanna get sent death threats again.

I want to give the topic of Katara my full attention. However I don't think I'll ever make this post, actually. The atla fandom is a rabid horrid pack of creatures and I'm not sure if I wanna engage with all that.The post would probably bash a lot of things considered key arguments for Zutara, since, looking at Zutara through a child's doesn't exactly scream 'romance' and do I really want that on my blog?

Katara's role as a child isn't valued as much as her role as a woman and I just don't want to deal with people calling me mean names for talking about a little girl being traumatised.

I'd be glad to have a discussion but I made this blog mainly to have fun and enjoy a piece of media I like. I met some truly amazing people whom I can have really great discussions with, even if we don't agree. I don't want to jeopardise that by being a pretentious dick on a soapbox.

Call this and the last few posts I made on Katara me testing the waters.

[comikadraws]

Whats tobirama's beef with the Uchiha?

An Analysis of Tobirama's Prejudice

EDIT: If you have headed here via another user's post, here is a note. That user has never interacted with me. They clearly also haven't read any of my previous or linked posts, as far as I can tell. They simply just blocked me and then made that post to harass me afterward - completely out of the blue. My post has since been edited to better combat bad-faith takes and bullies like her.

Oh boi. More Tobirama. Once again, I am probably biased but these are my thoughts on him.

First of all, the guy definitely had beef with the Uchiha Clan, but I personally find the "racist" allegations he often gets to be... difficult, to say the least (not that I necessarily disagree with them). It is just that there are some very oversimplified, black-and-white takes out there with zero nuance.

Not that I am necessarily better but I'm definitely trying xD

Tobirama's Prejudice

Tobirama doesn't "hate" the Uchiha Clan but considers them to be a danger to Konoha. That is because

The Uchiha were more loyal/attached to the concept of "clan" rather than the concept of "village" (which stood in conflict with one of Konoha's main philosophies). Hence Tobirama sees them as "rebellious".

The Uchiha are more likely to lose themselves to intense hatred (aka "Curse of Hatred"). And, in the world of Naruto, hate is one of the main motivations of war, ever since the Warring States.

Combine that with the several bad experiences Tobirama and other Senju have had with the Uchiha (centuries of recurring battles, the death of Kawarama and Itama, Madara leaving the village) and you can see why Tobirama would think the Uchiha Clan is dangerous. Beyond that, Tobirama's character actually makes a lot of sense - more so than if he didn't have any prejudice. The prejudice he has is realistic.

He also personally does not believe that he "hates" the Uchiha and describes his bias as "caution".

The Racist Allegations

As I have already covered in this post about the Curse of Hatred, there might be parallels to our world's definition of racism, but Tobirama is not intended as a racist by Kishimoto.

What is important to understand is that perceived themes of racism in fantasy settings (where made-up races can have all sorts of magical differences between them, even those that are undesirable) do not equal actual racism in the real world (where racial differences are purely cosmetic) and often make for a bad analogy.

What I have also covered in the same post is that the Curse of Hatred very much does exist and Tobirama was right to assume that there is something "wrong" with the Uchiha. (For all of you not interested in reading, the TL;DR is that Zetsu's been manipulating the Uchiha for centuries, hence the illusion of a "curse")

Whether his theory was correct or not, however, is up to the audience's interpretation. The problem here is that Kishimoto never contradicted Tobirama's theories and also that they were presented and treated as exposition by the narrative. I am basing my own theory specifically on the exposition given by Hagoromo (chapters 670-671) and Zetsu (chapter 681) who are both relatively reliable sources and seem to imply (emphasis on "imply") that the Curse of Hatred mostly just affects Indra's reincarnates rather than the entire clan (again, reference to my other post because it has nothing to do with Indra specifically but rather just with Zetsu being manipulative).

Not that Tobirama could reasonably know about that detail, though. What he saw instead were centuries of war and Madara's defection, leading him to believe that there must be something influencing the Uchiha's decision-making. (And yes, assuming that my own interpretation about Zetsu is correct, that would make Tobirama a racist as his theories are not based on fact).

Systemic Oppression of the Uchiha?

Another misconception that people apparently have is that Tobirama ostracized the Uchiha Clan, which is untrue. Yes, the guy was horrible, was far too wrapped up in his own trauma, and should not have become Hokage. Not even because I think he was a bad leader necessarily but simply on principle.

That being said, the Uchiha were not being purposefully isolated from the rest of the village. The police force is neither entirely comprised of Uchihas nor are Uchihas forced to join the police. Instead, it is implied to be a choice in the manga.

Somebody else pointed out Orochimaru mentioning that the Uchiha had their clan compound near the prison. But this is not a criterion of ostracization. All the other canonical information we have on the Uchiha's supposed ostracization is based on Obito, who is famously a liar and not a reliable source (therefore it is up to headcanon).

Tobirama also practically gave away permanent leadership of the police. The police are part of the executive branch in any government, just like the military or, in this case, the ANBU - with the only difference being that the police don't require Hokage orders for everything they do. The Uchihas working at the police are in a position of power rather than in a position of suppression. It is also implied that they are able to arrest anybody they want (except ANBU members) without a warrant (again, emphasis on "imply" because the context implies that arrest without a warrant is possible for all non-ANBU citizens).

Keeping this in mind, the establishment of the Uchiha Military Police Force was (most likely) indeed a gesture of goodwill and trust. It was not a slight and it was not an attempt at ostrachization. If anything, it shows that Konoha (and by extension, the police) was corrupt and abusing power on a regular basis (though that is not the point of this post but yes, Konoha's politics are no unchangeable gospel).

There are more misconceptions about Tobirama that are often twisted to fit people's agenda, but I'll leave it at that for now.

My personal conclusion is that Tobirama might fit our real-world definition of "racist". But that heavily depends on your interpretation. Either way, Tobirama was a product of his times.

[gallierhouse]

Opinion time! I’m sorry but I just simply don’t agree with this headcanon fandom has of Armand being technologically and fiscally inept. “Daniel wake up” posting is getting annoying tbh. He be on that ipad all day. Sure, there is some minecraft alotted time-slot but the rest of the time I’m sure he thrives in being able to control every minuscule part of his and Louis life - from lights and humidity to stock exchange. I don’t think he just presses buttons, he’s too much of a control freak for that. I’m willing to bet he has wallstreet and meditation apps on that thing common users haven’t even heard about. If anything, he’s probably running some of them internet scams, for shits and giggles, or to entice potential victims. He also seemed quite proficient with cleaning supplies and routines. And he can’t be that bad at math, not really, he’s older than invention of calculus ffs. All in all, my theory is every time we see him being inept or confused it's simply tiger being lazy or playing dumb to get some specific benefit out of it.

I agree, mostly. He's definitely technologically adept because it's been a consistent interest of his for at least a hundred years (the projections, the iPad), although I'm not sure how technologically adept he is. I'm sure he knows how to use the iPad and everything, but I'm not sure he actually knows what an algorithm is (in the graphs and math sense). Most people don't. I agree that he likes controlling every aspect of their life. It's his cute little dollhouse. It's his real life Sims game. Who wouldn't? That's the most fun thing there is in the world. He probably has statistics on everything that happens in that house and graphs showing how the humidity changes from day to day and sensors that pick up how many times Louis moved while he slept. I'm not sure if he'd use meditation apps, though. I think he'd find them lame. I agree he'd be into stocks, though. I wrote something about that a while ago. Although I don't know if he'd be good at them. He’d run scams if he got bored enough and he definitely has a million burners, though. But then again, who doesn't?

I don't think being older than calculus makes anyone good at math, though, especially since he spent most of it in an artist's studio, then in an underground wasteland, then a theatre, then Dubai. Do you need calculus for any of those things? I'm sure he can do at least an average amount of math if he tried, though, like up to calculus and whatever they make you learn in advanced high school classes.

I do think he plays dumb, though. Sometimes. But I also think a lot of it is genuine incompetence or confusion. He's not stupid, but he doesn't think. Paradoxically he's very easygoing despite being a control freak, because he's quick to adapt to changing circumstances, and he always adapts before he stops to think. So it's less that he's stupid and more that he's not paying that much attention to what's happening and adapts faster than he can stop to plan. He’s not 100% clocked in all the time. Sometimes he’s chilling and life catches up with him and the tiger, who was happily lazing around, suddenly has to momentarily engage with the world. He’s also very passive, so it might be less that he’s stupid and more than he simply doesn’t act.

[general-sleepy]

Just plain babbling about shorthand

Since reading Dracula might be the first time or one of the first times that people have heard about shorthand, I thought I'd take this thin excuse to infodump. Because I find it fascinating and want to share. (Warning ahead of time, watch out for how many darn times I say "for example" in this post).

For some background, shorthand systems of writing have existed for millennia, but in the English-speaking world, the two most common and well-established systems of shorthand are Pitman and Gregg. Odds are that the Harkers are writing in Pitman. It's the older system (created in 1837) and is to this day more common in England and the Commonwealth. Gregg is more common in America and was introduced in 1888, either only a few years after or a few years before Dracula takes place. There were also numerous other less popular systems floating around at the time.

Pitman and Gregg and most other shorthand systems are phonetic. (Teeline is a more modern shorthand system based on a simplified alphabet, which is also quite popular). Simply put, each sound is reduced to one stroke of the pen. In Gregg, for example, the sound "k" (which includes the letter "c) is a medium-sized forward arch, "a" is a large circle, and "ch" is a short, downward diagonal line. So, instead of writing "catch" you just combine the symbols for "k-a-ch." Instead of "become" you just write "b-k-m." (These "words" are known as outlines).

Some shapes represent multiple sounds. For example, a small circle stands for the vowels in "bit," "bet," and "beet." A large circle stands for the vowels in "cap" and "cape." This might sound like it would be confusing rather than simplifying, but it's generally clear from the context.

There are a bunch of other means which allow you to write more quickly. Common words are further shorted into "brief forms." For example, "the" is represented by "th," "after" by "a-f," and "were" by "e-r." Some common endings or beginnings are also abbreviated, so that "sh" at the end of a word can stand in for "-tion" and "f" can mean "for-" or "fore-" at the beginning of a word. Thus, "Permission" is "p-r-m-sh" and "forgive" is "f-g-v." Common phrases can be combined into a single outlines. For example, for "to be" you can write "t-b" instead of "t-u[space]b." "I have not been able" can be "a-v-n-b-a." (The large circle "a" is the brief form for the word "I" in one of the rare quirks of Gregg that isn't basically intuitive).

Pitman Shorthand is very similar to Gregg (or, more accurately, Gregg is similar to Pitman). Other than using different symbols (for example, in Pitman "k" is a short forward line) Pitman differs from Gregg mostly by its use of the thickness of strokes to differentiate sounds. For example, "g" is also a short forward line, with the only difference being that the line for "g" is drawn thicker than "k."

I learned shorthand absolutely because of Dracula, though for convenience I learned Gregg. As of right now, I'm pretty out-of-practice, and honestly I was never particularly fast. (At my best, I probably was on average as fast writing shorthand as cursive longhand; I think faster than printing, though).

If you're at all interested, I really recommend learning some form of shorthand. It's useful in note-taking or when you don't want people to be able to read your writing (if, you know, you're kidnapped by a vampire or trying to write fanfic at work). It's also just a fun hobby and a nifty skill to be able to say you have.

In my opinion, if you want to learn shorthand, Gregg Simplified is a solid option, because the materials are accessible and the system is a good middle-ground between easiness to learn and quickness to write. I taught myself just following along with the Gregg Shorthand Manual Simplified. The book is broken up into 67 short "lessons." I did one or two lessons a week, maybe a few hours of work, and I was "fluent" in less than a year. I also bought a Gregg Simplified Dictionary, but all you need is the Manual.

(Note that the manual is written both assuming you're probably some kind a secretary and in the fifties. So, you'll learn brief forms for super-useful phrases like "dear sir" or "remit." For practice, they have you read and copy these sample letters in shorthand, and it's almost hilarious how almost all the letters to men are about business matters and the letters to women are advertising sales. There is one spectacular letter that's a man writing to a newspaper to cancel his subscription, because he's moved into a house in the suburbs with another man who gets the same paper. I'm legit tempted to go through the manual again just to find that letter.)

Fun fact! The fastest shorthand stenographer ever recorded wrote faster than the fastest typist.

Also fun fact! It's not uncommon for individual people to invent their own brief forms based on words that they use commonly. So, Jonathan might have been writing "c-a-r-p" (or the Pitman equivalent) for "Carpathian" or Mina writing "t-b" for "Whitby" or both of them writing "v-a-m" for vampire. And I'll bet credits to navy beans they had specific brief forms for their favorite trains.

[littledesertfox]

intro, I guess?

hii! I figured I should make a post like this even though I have a feeling it will be like super messy xD

I've had an interest in history, specifically World War II basically since I was a kid. It was only recently though that I found out that there's a community for it! I've always had a thing with expressing my interests in ways that may seem slightly odd to other people, so it feels nice to see that there are others who seem to experience this in similar ways :3

I want to make it very clear that I am NOT a nazi or rightwing in any way, and I don't want actual (neo-)nazis to interact with my blog, get the fuck out! Similarly, I don't want racists, lgbtq-phobes, ableists, religious extremists, pedos & zoos or people of similarly disgusting kind to interact! I'm literally queer and neurodivergent (undiagnosed/suspected bc getting a therapy place is hard :/), this is not a place for you!

+++

I've been a fan of the Downfall parodies on youtube when I was younger and recently relapsed into this fixation😭 I don't know if this fandom even really exists at this point since it seems that many creators have left in the meantime, but I'd love to talk about it, maybe I'll even get to write fanfics at some point. Also a short disclaimer that when I talk about historical figures that play a major role in the Downfall parody universe (such as Fegelein, Krebs, Burgdorf etc), it will usually be about their parody selves, not the real people! I'll try to clarify that individually if needed though.

I've also started lurking a little in the reichblr tag with a feeling that I'd describe as "indimidated fascination". Currently I'm mostly interested in some members of the Wehrmacht, but other historical figures that I had or have an interest in might come up as well. Overall any stuff that I post will probably go more into the lighthearted and humorous direction, but I'd love to bring in some more educational stuff as well.

My inbox is always open if you want to gush or ramble about your favourite historical figures or Downfall characters (both from the parodies and the movie itself) and such! Please talk to me about our shared faves😭🫶

+++

I get crushes on fictional characters and sometimes historical figures too, but that doesn't mean I support, condone or defend their worldviews or actions in any way (this applies especially to real people of course)! These "crushes" usually stem from a place of fascination with who they were behind their public appearance, I want to know more about them as a private person, like their hobbies, favourite food and other mundane things like that. Often it's also simply that I feel physically attracted to their appearance because I think they're handsome, either that or they give me massive gender envy (or both lmao). I don't really control on who I fixate like that, it just happens, but I hope that this will be a place for me to express those feelings in some way and find like-minded people. Though I also want to point out that not all my fixations are automatically also crushes! Usually I will mention whether they are or not, or you'll probably notice based on what kind of posts I make about them lol.

Current main historical fixations:

Erwin Rommel (I can't help it I just think he's cute ._.)

Fritz Bayerlein (he's the dude in my pfp lol, there's barely info about him but idk I just think he's kinda interesting😭 also yes he was actually bi)

Current main Downfall fixations:

Hans Krebs & Wilhelm Burgdorf (the otp ever)

Wilhelm Mohnke (ngl Downfall!Mohnke is kinda fine❤️‍🔥 ... idk maybe I'm just finding the actor hot though😭)

+++

If I encounter things that make me uncomfortable I follow common fandom courtesy and block tags or blogs accordingly. This is nothing personal, I'm just curating my own online space. I don't want to see any harassment here, neither towards myself nor to others!

Anyway I guess that's it for now? Idk if this is any good as an intro post but for now it'll have to do I guess😂 I'm generally not really sure yet in which direction to go with this blog (should it be more Downfall or reichblr focused? is there a lot of overlap between the fandoms? do they even get along? help😭). I also don't know how active I'll be in general, I'm also constantly jumping between thoughts like "yee this is gonna be fun" and "dafuq am I doing here I should feel ashamed about myself" but I hope to meet people who share my interests :3

[glassprism]

Hii!! I found out about trading an hour ago and am a bit confused. Like, how do you even find the bootlegs if not on youtube? Also, why trade instead of posting publicly?

I have a YouTube page where I post slime tutorials and the like of shows I have watched or proshots I have downloaded. Why gatekeep? I'm literally just curious, I don't mean to offend.

So, the thing that I really, really want to emphasize, because I feel like it'll make everything make more sense, is that bootlegging is illegal. It is against the law, people can and do get arrested for it, and there have been many recorders (mostly filmers) in the past who have been caught and simply disappeared, taking with them any unreleased boots and all potential boots they could have filmed in the future.

And I say that because I REALLY want to emphasize that when people, especially filmers, say, "Hey, can you not post these on YouTube or anywhere else publicly?" it's NOT because they are trying to "gatekeep". Many of them are making their bootlegs as accessible as possible by making it available for purchase and/or trade down the line. They are doing it for their own safety. They are risking legal repercussions getting these bootlegs to you and are asking you not to get them into trouble by blatantly posting their stuff on the most accessible video-sharing site out there. THEY ARE TRYING NOT TO GET FINED, ARRESTED, OR WORSE.

Okay, got all that? Great! Now I can answer your questions.

First - many traders, myself included, have trading sites where we post everything we have available to trade. That is a great place to find bootlegs, and even better, people who have those bootlegs and might be willing to trade or (if you're polite) gift them to you! Here's mine. How do you find these sites? Honestly, a lot of times I just stumble on them by Googling something like "[name of show] bootleg trade". What I also personally do is start bookmarking sites of traders that have large collections of shows I'm interested in (like Phantom) or the sites of people who record bootlegs, so that I can easily check up on them every week or so.

There are also many areas where traders congregate! Musical Exchange on LiveJournal is one of the easiest to find. There was a Yahoo board back in the day that has not turned into a Groups io thing. There's Encora Reprise (I don't use it and I feel like it keeps going down but some swear by it). There are also several Discord servers devoted to trading or set up by filmers. Those are also great places to find other traders and newly released boots.

Second, I partially answered your question about posting publicly with the safety issue, but the other answer is, simply, that trading is decentralized because it's illegal. I don't think there's any one person who has every bootleg ever recorded, it's all spread out amongst us, and it's going to be extremely difficult to get everyone to pool it all together because, well, this is also a hobby, not a job, and we just don't have time for that. And even if we did, there probably is no person with enough space and money and time to upload every bootleg in the world and maintain it, because they will not get enough benefit out of it because musicals are a relatively niche interest.

Here's another way of thinking about it. I'm at the point of trading almost exclusively Phantom. I don't have every bootleg in the world, but my collection of Phantom boots alone is 2.7 TB. That is Phantom alone, I haven't even considered every other musical in the world and all their bootlegs. If you want me to have all these available publicly, I would basically need to get my own server. If I want my own server, I'm probably going to pay money. Hundreds of dollars of money. And I will have to maintain this, which will also cost money, with possibly the only way I get money back being to use, I don't know, ads or making users pay money for accounts, and unless I finagle things legally I could also be responsible if the site gets found and taken down, and you want me to do this, constantly, for bootlegs that 99% of people won't download? (You really think some people are raring to get the blurry 1992 video of Jun Sawaki, for example?) Yeah, that looks like a lot of work and trouble for me to do something that probably won't save others a lot of trouble either.

Anyway, I know you don't mean to be rude and I hope the above didn't come off as aggressive, it's just that, well, I've seen these arguments time and again and it never really seems to cross people's minds that, at the end of the day, this is a hobby that is technically illegal, that just about all the rules and limitations around are done for the safety of the bootlegger and not because they enjoy waving the boot out of your reach, and that trading is done because it's the safest, most anonymous way of, well, getting theatre bootlegs, that people have come up with. At any rate, I hope that answers your questions!

[sassy-bi-latina]

Dream final thoughts

I'm calm now. I actually think I won't say as much as originally planned cause I am no longer in the heat of the moment. But I still want to write about this show. Mostly cause I remember I wanted to do the same with GAP and then I didn't. My thoughts will be a mess so I'm sorry beforehand. I don't know where they'll lead throughout the post. SO LET'S FIND OUT TOGETHER.

I'll start by saying, I have read 5 books of Chaoplanoy (GAP, Blank, Dream, Us and Mate). Against my better wishes. I do this because my brain gets anxious by not knowing what happens. So reading the books helps me because it gives me a better idea where it'll go. It sometimes gives more insight to the characters like in Dream or The Secret of Us (which isn't a Chaoplanoy book but serves as an example). It also helps me see the adaptation in a different way and sometimes it helps me appreciate it more, for example, in Blank, which the book felt like Nueng was a bit predatory but the adaptation imo was so good, it just felt like a love story with two people with an age gap and nothing else which the book failed to deliver.

Okay, that being said, I said against my better wishes because if you know me and you talk to me, you will know I do NOT like Chaoplanoy's writing whatsoever. At first I thought it might be issues with translations but as I read more stories, I started to perceive patterns in her writing style that I didn't like.

Onto her adaptations, IDF gave us the biggest GL in recent times, they weren't the first to propose doing one, they just were the fastest so I think they got lucky. And I won't take credit away from the actresses nor the team behind GAP, but I genuinely feel like whomever had taken the first step would have been a success. IDF just so happens to be the first.

I will say, IDF released an initial pilot trailer that looked promising and while the editing and some of the acting choices didn't convince me as much, I was very sold with the plot points. And I think some of the things that distance themselves from the original book were a bit more interesting, like the focus on Song's relationship and the focus on the second lead couple which was scratched till the point they were just crumbs what we were getting. At the end, they decided to change some things at the beginning and then on the second part decided to be more loyal to the book. Which for me didn't work as much. Don't get me wrong, I did like GAP, I just think they did a disservice trying to initially take a different route to the book just to do a U turn and go back to it, because it didn't feel consistent.

And why am I saying all this about GAP when in theory it's my thoughts about Dream?

GREAT QUESTION MY FRIENDS.

And it's simply because while IDF "failed" in GAP by maintaining too loyal to the book they have the opposite issue with Dream, in which they lead astray so much and just didn't arrive to the heart of the people as well as it could have.

Dream, from the 5 books I've read has been the best one. Not only did I not actively dislike it, I genuinely enjoyed it and I genuinely think that had the show been more like the book more people would have.

For starters, a thing I've seen people complain about a lot is the lack of backstory of Kimwan. We're just thrust into their angst and they expect us just to feel for them without previously giving us anything to make us feel for them. That doesn't happen in the book. It starts with them as teenagers. We are told about the dreams, we are told how they met, we're actually told how they didn't get along at first. We get to see their school life. We see how they genuinely met (Mali was a loyal friend to Wan, a bit too loyal, and locked Kim in cause she didn't like how she treated Wan, which wasn't bad just Mali didn't like it). We ACTUALLY get to see Pam and how Wan and her had a rivalry going even them (just because Wan couldn't take someone being as pretty and equally admired as her).

We spend a couple of chapters just getting to know them, their bond just not between them two, but also with their friends. Did you know Kim got better at drawing because of Wan? The drawing she gave her during Valentine's? She practiced until late at night, because she has ALREADY given her a drawing that wasn't very good but she promised the next one was gonna be better, also because she knew Wan was gonna pick her next partner based on gifts.

Wan didn't end up confessing for the same reason as the show with the difference that the mothers WERE together, which was something I didn't like, and I did prefer they just kissed. But it made sense in the book that Wan never confessed, the mothers were together and she knew that would have broken Kim if she found out AFTER they got together.

Imo, in the show Wan could have confessed earlier cause they never actually got together but I guess she lost her bravery.

After we spent knowing them and loving them in highschool for a couple of chapters, which I think was at least 1/3 of the book we have a time jump where their story as adults starts.

The other thing is, we spent so much time with Marwin? Props for Heng, more work supposes that there's more pay for him but not so much for us. Marwin overstayed his welcome.

In the book, he was there but it didn't feel overwhelming. For starters, we know him at the same time Wan does. He is already established as Kim's boyfriend. Wan isn't thrilled but tries because it's Kim's choice. Kim never goes to work with him either. We also hear about the beach, but it's in passing, I think this, contrary to the highschool moments could have served better as a flashback. And tbh, in the show, contrary to the book, Kim seems more interested in Marwin, in the show he's just there. While in the book they have a genuine connection. You aren't necessarily rooting for him but it's understandable why Kim feels comfortable with him, which is exactly why Wan tries.

Another important thing that I think is lacking a bit in the show is that they kind of undersold Kim. Kim is as loyal to Wan as Wan is to Kim. I think one of the moments that reflects that best is in the scene where they're alone with Marwin's parents, in which, yeah they talked bullshit about Kim and Wan jumped them like in the show but then they started attacking Wan and that is Kim's limit. Matter of fact, Wan is surprised how Kim acts, so reassure and not taking anyone's bullshit and she says it herself, she doesn't care what anyone says about her but she will never let anyone talk shit about Wan.

Also, not only are they very loyal to one another, but they are best friends. Wan is actually with Kim when she receives the news about her mother having cancer, unlike the show, she's in late stages and I had hope they would change her dying but they didn't 😔, cause I'm the book she doesn't even receive treatment cause it felt hopeless. And I think stuff like that showcases their bond. I found it odd that you are going through that struggle and your first instinct isn't to tell your best friend even if they were fighting at the time, especially considering their bond.

Next up is the matter of the actual letter and the confessing their feelings. Yay for Samorn and her nosiness for saving her friends. But I actually did prefer how it happened in the books. Samorn, actually keeps telling Wan that she better act soon but she better not do anything on the wedding day, which is understandable. My girl is smart, she knew the consequences.

Wan doesn't throw the letter, or well, she does, on the shooting she's having that same day but our boy Pat picks it up and attempts to read it aloud and Wan is like "Hey that's mine" to which Pat responds with "Not anymore, you threw it". Wan ends up snatching it back and out of her OWN will reads it. By having Samorn taking a pic and telling Wan to read it, it feels like they took away a bit of Wan's autonomy. It just made me feel a bit weird about the whole scene.

I WILL say, the little moment between the four girls and the camping scene afterwards? Impeccable. Wouldn't touch it for nothing in the world. Marvellous. Gorgeous. Lives rent free in my mind. Thank you very much.

And last but definitely not least, the decline of Marwin. I think they shouldn't have cramped it all in the last episode. I think they should have taken 1 episode and a half of a slow decline, cause that's what happened, at first what Marwin started doing wasn't perceived much by Wan, she thought it was weird that both the fathers decided to retire early but nothing much until she realized it was Marwin. Which, btw, another moment in which Kim's loyalty is shown, she met Marwin behind Wan's back because she couldn't take Wan hurting, cause she wasn't getting much jobs done. But Wan interfered, which shows Wan's maturity imo, since she was like "Don't do that on your own. Every hardship we talk about it and we see how we deal with it TOGETHER" which I think is very sweet. Anyway, they did attempt to apologize together like in the show, and his villain monologue also happened but in the show it fell flat. I think it was better established how he became the very thing he didn't want to be. You knew beforehand his dreams and aspirations and how what he did he did it out of love (regarding his businesses) and not money.

I WILL SAY, I don't necessarily think the show is horrible. The actresses are amazing and have great chemistry. I really liked the secondary couple, although I wish we would have seen more of them. I did like they DIDN'T make the fathers soulmates like in the book. I adore the bond between the four girls. I like the inclusion of Pam and Dokrak. I liked Pat and him being such a nice guy. I also think Jessie was a fun addition.

I ALSO think, that with some different editing, rearranging some scenes the show would have been better.

I also think IDF needs to learn that people like angst but different shows and stories require different formulas because angst for the sake of angst isn't fun.

If you're here, thank you for reading this long ass post.

As a treat, some fun facts

- If you've seen Blank, you know that one radio show Anueng likes, well, in the book of Blank, Wan actually calls the station and explains her story with Kim.

- The singer of the MV is Pleng from the Affair book, series coming out this month, on the 30th.

- The other MV actress in the book is a reporter that had a scandal, if I'm not mistaken a sex tape of her with another woman was leak. I think I read somewhere that she also has a book 🤔. But I don't recall her name.

ANYWAY, with that. I leave. I probably didn't say a lot of the stuff I initially wanted but that's mostly because I'm calm now.

One final thing, IDF you shall pay for your crimes. And please give me fluffy Faymay. I DESERVE it 🥺.

PS. I do not want to be tagged as one of those persons that is like "Oh the book is better" and sounds bitchy about literally any adaptation. Far from it. Matter of fact, ask my friends, they'll tell you how much I dislike that IDF has me defending Chaoplanoy's books 😔.

An addition that I forgot and it's very much necessary: I wish they would have, at ANY point, made Kim tell Wan that they IN FACT slept together at the beach, she just gaslighted her cause she got scared? THAT WAS NOT A GODDAMN DREAM AND THAT'S THE HILL I'LL DIE ON!!!

[maibluemen]

it's been a hair over a year since i last posted any fic/updated last light (look. i know the exact date bc it's also my sister's birthday i swear i have not actually been obsessing over this lol). i'll probably? be able to update this month, the next chapter is mostly done and then needs to be edited. mostly i need to sit down and just write it lol

it's felt a lot like the past couple of years, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, and it sucks to add all of that to a laundry list of pre-existing mental health Issues (the combo of adhd/depression/ocd deserves a special place in hell). social media has been....really rough, especially with the ocd. i simply don't have spoons to deal with it much and it doesn't take a lot to make me spiral in such a way i've nearly called 911 on myself a few times. i've unfollowed and blocked people over genuine grievances but also because i simply can't deal with it. and i'm going to keep doing that, and likely cycling between using socmed a fair amount and avoiding it for long stretches of time. i'm going to keep running the horror week, tho i think i'm going to have to put a pin in rusliet week for the time being, btwn my mental health and feeling really pessimistic about participation for numerous reasons (mostly the mental health tho, and also not knowing what my schedule is actually going to look like any more than a week out at a time atm). and all of this isn't getting into everything that's been going on offline either lol

but i did want to say that i appreciate everyone who has stuck with me, and stuck with my fics. and especially thanks to the people who comment, seeing ao3 emails about getting a comment have made me tear up lol and there's some of you i need to still reply to on ao3 proper but for now please take my thanks here

i also wanted to say that although i haven't posted in (just over) a year doesn't mean i haven't written, either, because i write things out of order and also write snippets of other things....if i can find my outline for the fra/pol/pru murder mystery fic, i'd like to start working on that for real and have it up by halloween, and then also get back to working on oneshots, too. and rework the LL outline...i was going to do that in scriv but i'm a bit hesitant to pay for scriv rn so i might be messing around with pen and paper a bit before typing it up nicely in word lol....anyway. i haven't actually lost interest in writing fic, though there are definitely patches there....but these story ideas and characters live in my head rent free and what can i say i like to write! so it will be exorcised from me eventually lol

[crimeronan]

On the topic of How Do You Handle XYZ Comment, I've always wondered how you handle terrible responses on your toh takes. Like I know the toh fandom doesn't lack piss on the poor reading comprehension and they also really enjoy wildly out of touch takes, but I've never seen any comments on your princess luz stuff of that nature. I'm sure they must be there but maybe I'm too early? But anyway, how do you tend to deal with the "acktually shipping luz and Hunter is incest" and the "ur not a real lesbian because putting amity in a poly ship is lesbian erasure" and the "as a white person kinda sus you make the poc woman an empress" kind of responses? Ones that are technically not hate and maybe if you squint could be from people who aren't inherently trying to do bad but just lack the maturity needed to engage with the internet at large?

this ask made me giggle. honestly, i haven't received as much pushback as you might expect! way less pushback than i expected. in the princess AU, i've gotten a LOT more "this is actually too grotesque for me to stomach" comments than "this is problematic" comments, which is fine. horror-thriller isn't for everyone, those comments do not upset me.

i have had a Few run-ins with bad faith people, whom i mostly block. there's one prolific commenter in toh tumblr fandom who would repeatedly write angry essays on my humor meta posts -- essays that were all about how belos is too evil to be sympathetic and/or about how hunter is a soft gentle boy who shouldn't be jokingly referred to as evil. then they'd go "i can't help my active and conscious decision to type a bunch of rude fucking words and then my active and conscious decision to send those rude fucking words because i'm autistic :(((" around the fourth or fifth time this happened, i was fucking done with that nonsense and finally blocked them. shoulda done it after the first comment tbh!! no more autism exceptions.

as for the rest of it, my main management strategy is to simply.... preempt the bad faith comments?

i had a LOT more unpleasant and conflict-filled fandom experiences when i was in the raven cycle fandom. that was my first exposure to "you can't ship multi-gender polycules if anyone involved is gay" and "queerplatonic het relationships are just heteronormativity shipping that you're trying to get away with." having dealt with those takes before, i've found a few different ways to disarm bad faith readers before they get started.

first is to be super open and honest about my interests. i talk about what i find compelling in different relationships All The Damn Time. it's really hard for anyone to accuse me of only wanting hunter to fuck amity if they've seen, like.... anything i've said about hunter and amity.

same with hunter and luz. the only negative reactions i've really gotten to how they're written in the princess AU is like.... two people being squicked by camila thinking they're romantically involved. i REALLY expected more pushback on the touchyfeely bed sharing stuff, but from what i remember, there's never been Any....? not even from people who consider them siblings.

i expected a lot of pushback on how mean hunter and amity are to each other, since it's taken So much farther than the canon. but it turns out that there's a very large overlap between people who like dark horror AUs and people who like hunter and amity murdering each other. (in a fluffy fic i don't think this characterization would fly Nearly as easily.)

i find that being funny really disarms people, too. when you look at any of my toh meta posts that could be controversial, they're basically all funny. people are a lot more willing to listen to what you have to say if you make them laugh, and it's harder for them to get angry at you.

and then the last thing is that i think i'm in sort of a privileged position in toh fandom. i've written a lot of controversial subjects and relationships and characterizations.... but i've also written some WILDLY popular mainstream fic. and people who like the mainstream fic don't really want to beef with me about differing niche opinions, bc there's a level of respect there. which they might not have for a writer they don't like.

but anyway. when things Do happen, i almost always just block and move on. there are so many people here who get what i'm talking about that there's no need for me to try to convert people who don't, you know??

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

You know something that bothers me in Time Travel Aus and some fics Obikin centered? Obi-Wan's reactions. Like I only really ship Obikin via their dynamic in Rots and CW while fully acknowledging the etnics involved considering everything Anakin did when going Vader (or falling into it), and yet... The fact that people make Obi-Wan have certain attractions to him while he was underage unsettles me. Because when I saw Aotc, Obi-Wan seemed to view him mostly in the lenses of a exasperated father (or coworker), with some moments of reassurance and fondness. Only when he stops being his padawan does that shift to be more equals (dunno how that was portrayed in the OWK show, haven't seen it).

And while I'm aware that wasn't the intention, whenever I see Obi-Wan time travelling to when Anakin was a kid or teen, it feels weirdly similar to grooming, where Anakin simply shifts his obsession with Padmé to Obi. Dunno if it's just a peev of mine, but wanted your opinion.

I must admit I am eyeing this ask a little warily, all things considered. But! assuming this is in good faith…

You may have noticed that when I go on my periodic obikin spirals I tend more to vaderwan; it's the version I was drawn to first and still find most compelling for me. So I'm not the best person to ask for a breakdown of the dynamics you mentioned, but I'm not without insights I guess.

I would say that Obi Wan being attracted to teenage padawan Anakin-or more importantly acting on it- is a darker take on his character… this is an angle someone might find it interesting to mess around with. (and sometimes being unsettled can be the point)

For example Obi Wan -> padakin may be appealing for Obi Wan's character by making him less than respectable, with desires and passions that he has very carefully squirreled away, but that Anakin pushes against and through the boundaries of..

Or your scenario with the time travel- I think I have read something along those lines, but it was fairly self-aware about it. This would be post- rots for Obi Wan, so the stakes are different. And you could play with him getting manipulative.

It sounds like it's not for you though!

Vaderwan is also dark, but in a different way. The OWK show doesn't exactly bring sex into it, it just depicts them as completely undone by each other, their souls consumed by each other, eaten away with grief and guilt and rage for ten entire years……………………………………………………………………

*shrug* This is playing with dolls to me. I have a mental closet with dozens of little Obi Wans and Anakins and Padmes and Ahsokas and Codys in various outfits (the outfits mostly being different takes on them etc). I'll toy with just about any ship involving my blorbos, but I'm not going to necessarily be drawn to every permutation either.

idk idk.

[bidonica]

Hey! I see you're into fragile/higgs ship and caught myself quite like them too recently (tho i've been in DS fandom already for a year and mostly thought about them as a friends)

Just wondering why do you like them? Do you have any headcanons/interesting thoughts? I'm very curious 👀

Hi! First of all apologies for the wall of text you're about to get, but unfortunately you came knocking at my door after I spent nearly two months ruminating about this ship basically by myself sooo I'm dumping it all here

Well the short (lol) version is that in my first playthrough I mostly just absorbed the characters and storyline, but by the time I got to their final scene on the Beach I was like wait a minute... their whole shared storyline feels way too loaded for them to simply have been business associates, that shit is personal, even Higgs wanting to damage Fragile feels way too pointed to just be justified by "he was a turncloak with a secret agenda." Now, I'm not against a "they were simply close friends" interpretation, it works just as well to explain the emotional weight of their falling out, BUT I also cannot ignore the zest, the flavor, the spice of them actually having been involved romantically at some point. And honestly going into my second playthrough with the shipping goggles on I can't help thinking that Fragile speaks about Higgs like he was an ex that hurt her, and the way that she is suspiciously cagey about the specifics of their relationship makes my ears shoot up like a German shepherd.

On a Doylist level I also find it interesting that Kojima gave Higgs extra backstory that connects him to Fragile in the Director's Cut, and also how the behind the scenes for the DS2 mocap show Troy and Léa sharing a scene... I think Kojima is not done intertwining their story and we'll get more info in the sequel.

Now for the headcanons... I have enough that I might or might not be writing a long-ish fic about it, but I want to finish this Director's Cut playthrough before completing it (I could just look stuff up on the wiki but that's not fun). Also I have some art in the pipeline about it that I hope to post within the week. Anyway, the bite sized version of how I envision their relationship:

I hc Higgs as being immediately attracted to Fragile but not really acting on it, while she develops her attraction after getting to know him a little. Then she's down bad but she doesn't even realize it until it's so obvious it hits her in the face

A few people at their joint Fragile Express/whatever Higgs' operation was called co-op assume they are an item long before anything ever happens, because they just hang out together a lot. They have a similar penchant for corny jokes and puns and enjoy some light banter; Fragile finds Higgs' flair for theatrics endearing, while he is drawn to how gentle she is because he has known so little softness in his life (also he thinks she's insanely pretty, which duh. It's self evident because Léa Seydoux) (it's his first serious girl crush anyway; I hc him as bi and as having had mostly experiences with men before her)

They bond over their DOOMS condition and Higgs is fascinated by Fragile's powers, while she is less enthused by all the collateral effects. In my hc, at this point she has yet to become as skilled at traveling through dimensions as she is in the game, which makes her reluctant to agree to Higgs' requests to show him the Beach. This sows the seeds of his resentment towards her, because he feels she has a privilege she doesn't make use of and doesn't want to share.

They are both pretty touchy feely (canon!) so when their relationship goes from friendly to romantic it gets physical immediately and enthusiastically. Yes even accounting for the worldwide lowered sex drive. If there's one thing I never do is put characters in horny jail 🫡

 I think Fragile got to know a version of Higgs that was quite different from what we see in the game, which you sort of can gauge from the more optimistic pages of his diary. Like there's a part of him who's starved for love and connection and a sense of belonging and gravitates towards people like Coffin (he never had a mother) and Fragile herself; ironically, the pull towards Amelie answers to the same need but in reality it feeds on his more nihilistic, call-of-the-void side. I'm not saying that Amelie brainwashed him or anything, but I think she saw what was already there – a  deep seated resentment towards a hostile world and towards those he feels got handed a luckier deal than he did, that he countered by clinging to the notion of being special because of his DOOMS, but then there's someone like Fragile who's even more special and doesn't seem to be doing much with it. Amelie gave him a chance to fulfill what he felt was his potential and shared her power with him, but the tradeoff was severing  the connections he had, "killing" the part of him that wanted to be loved to make space for what he perceived as a higher form of love ("I found someone who completes me" which he says to Fragile specifically like he wants to rub it in her face? Like she wasn’t  enough to fulfill that role?)

That’s why I think it’s significant that he lost his hands with his power-up, because the (holding, welcoming) hands are strongly associated with Fragile; and to me it makes sense if he purposely ruins her body also because it’s a way to stifle his attraction to her. There’s also a lot of projection because HE is the one who’s felt like damaged goods all along, who grew up being  crushed psychologically and physically. I also think that both of them coming close to annihilating the other but choosing not to – leaving them in a dicey situation but not entirely without escape – shows in some twisted way that their bond still exists, which makes me giggle and rub my hands like a nasty little goblin knowing we have another game coming.

So… That’s the gist of it. Sorry for rambling on but as I said, I don’t really get the chance to talk about this ship much – greetings from rarepair hell, etc.

[noaltbruh]

Bucci gang with a maladaptive daydreamer reader 💭

(A/N: to anyone who might be struggling with this, I'm so sorry your disorder is not really recognised as a serious one. I hope you can get better and know that you shouldn't feel invalidated for suffering from this, stay safe ♥️)

Let's get to the post now :)

Giorno 🐞

Giorno is a very practical person and down to earth. He may be idealistic, but he's very focused on the concrete world, if it makes sense.

So, when he found out about your situation, he was rather surprised: he had never heard of it before, and he's saddened to know that there's no way to get an official diagnosis for it.

While at first, he mostly listened to you talking about your characters and worlds because it made you happy, he does actually...Grow rather fond of them, more than he thought he would.

He's genuinely interested in all the different storylines and asks you multiple questions about them. Sometimes, he might even help you find some new ideas for your stories.

Giorno honestly respects anyone who is passionate about something, no matter what it is, so he loves seeing how excited and dedicated you are to your fantasy worlds.

He does try to ground you back to reality when he feels like you may be daydreaming a bit too much.

But never in a rude or aggressive way, no no.

When he sees your stand, he's amazed, to say the least. He's not surprised though, considering your strong love for your paras and characters.

He prefers to give you and your allies your time to shine and observes you, intrigued to understand how they actually act in battle and what their abilities truly are.

Will remind you that you can practically create anything with your stand, not just them. However, since you obviously enjoy bringing them to life the most, and it works really well in battle, he won't complain if you decide not to make anything else using your power.

You will sometimes find GER and your characters having full talks with one another. It's kind of funny, but also cute in a way.

Bruno 🤐

Another one who isn't particularly big on fiction. Bruno grew up really quick and never had that much of an imagination. It's not that he dislikes it, it was just never something he payed much attention to.

He's a bit taken aback by how you could get lost in the stories inside of your head for hours, and is a bit more concerned than Giorno for this. He's not sure daydreaming so much is good for you.

However, he can't really bring himself to be completely skeptical about it with you, simply because he noticed that you really love the worlds and people you've created.

He doesn't want to take away from you something that obviously brings you joy, and will gladly let you ramble to him about your paras and such for as long as you'd like! He won't judge you.

Will ask you some questions from time to time, but mostly prefers to simply listen with a small smile on his face, to give you the certainty that he really is listening to you.

Another one who will snap you out of your fantasies sometimes, but it's always for your own good. If he notices you've been spacing out a lot, he'll ask you if you want to cook or go fishing with him.

He was honestly expecting your stand to be something like this, and considers it extremely valuable. He perfectly knows that you could possibly be creating anything, but he thinks it's rather sweet to see all the characters you've created come to life.

He loves to just look at you and the happy expression on your face whenever you call them out to fight by your side. You seem to be having fun even in battle, which makes him happy as well.

He'll suggest you write an actual book about all your fantasies and creative ideas, insisting that many people would like to read them!

Will support you whether you actually do or not :)

Mista 🔫

Mista just likes to enjoy life as it is. He has some...Uh, rather weird fantasies from time to time, but he's very well aware that they're not real and doesn't really care.

He doesn't fully get your need to daydream so much at first? Like- what's so good about your imagination that you can't have in real life?

But since he can tell that what goes through your head is clearly important to you, he makes more of an effort to understand it.

Definitely interrupts you while you tell him about your characters and adventures. Not because he's bored, he just says some random shit like:

"Pfff, how funny would it be if that guy just went on fire all of a sudden?"

Sometimes one of his random ass comments actually turns into a possible "what if", only fueling your imagination even more.

Sometimes, you use one of the stories you created to put the pistols to sleep, like a bedtime story. Mista thinks it's incredibly sweet and thanks you multiple times for that.

When he sees your stand, he's completely amazed. He thinks he should have figured out sooner that it was going to be something related to your fantasies, but he can't help but be shocked when he sees what you are actually capable of doing in battle.

He thinks that admiring your characters fighting is cool as hell, they're all super badass and powerful.

He totally becomes more interested in them after actually seeing them in action, he wants to know all about their abilities and strengths.

On top of this, the Pistols also love your characters and whine because they don't want you to make them disappear.

He asked you multiple times to create stuff for him. It can vary from a can of soda to a tommy gun, it depends on how he's feeling that day.

It takes him a while to accept that you can't make something appear unless you know exactly what it's made of.

Narancia 🍊

Literally the best daydreaming partner ever.

Narancia's imagination is WILD. Baby boy could easily space out for a long time and get lost in his own headspace. He doesn't have a very long attention span and whenever he gets bored, his imagination just provides a lot of fun for him.

I wouldn't say he's a maladaptive daydreamer like you, but he totally gets why you like to spend time in your head so much!

The thing is, while you do try to give your fantasies more complex, connected storylines, Narancia just thinks of the most unconventional, crazy stuff that doesn't make any sort of logical sense to him either.

So he's just so in awe listening to all the characters and backstory you've come up with completely on your own! He could hear you talk about them for hours without taking his eyes off you even for a millisecond.

He's constantly giving you suggestions on how to make your story more cool or exciting! You don't have the heart to tell him that some of his...Ideas, are a bit too over the top, because he clearly enjoys talking about this as much as you do.

Definitely just leans on your shoulder and closes his eyes as you both get lost in your respective dreamlands. It looks a bit weird from an outside perspective, but the two of you couldn't be happier to be sharing a moment like this. It provides a lot of comfort for you both :)

He's tried multiple times to draw your characters and proudly show them to you. Do they look incredibly deformed and he's not able to color inside of the lines? Yes. But has he put his heart into them? Absolutely.

He has the biggest pog face and you can see his pupils turning into little stars as soon as he sees what your stand is capable of. Despite how he knows how passionate you are about it all, the possibility of your powers focusing on your imagination hadn't even crossed his mind!

Ahhh he just can't contain his excitement! During the whole battle he can't even fully stay focused because he keeps on staring at you guys full of joy as he cheers you on.

Tells your characters how happy he is to meet them at the end of the fight, and begs you not to call them back, but you have to.

He tries his best to describe his own fantasies to you as well, hoping you'll be able to bring them to life as well. He's not uhm, very good with explanations, but you try your best to keep up with him.

Fugo 🍓

Whether this surprises you or not, Fugo does actually...Understand you rather well.

When he used to go to school and university, he didn't have much free time since he was always focusing on his studies and duties.

However, those few times he wasn't busy, it was actually rather common for him to just...Space out and go blank, although there is no way to know for sure about what he was thinking or imagining.

So when he finds out your situation...He's not really bothered by it, although it alarms him sometimes when you neglect your work because you're too busy in your imagination.

Which means that he'll ground you back to reality if it is strictly necessary for you to stay focused on something, but aside from that...He won't mind this behavior of yours.

He's actually quite endeared by some of your complex stories, and constantly asks you if there's some meaning behind a specific character's name, or where you get your ideas for their backstories.

He's pleasantly surprised to see you get so invested in them, he feels rather special that you're comfortable sharing all these tales and fantasies with him, he would gladly listen to you for hours.

Recommends you books and novels with storylines that remind him of your own, he thinks you're really going to enjoy them and that it's a good way to show that he supports your creative thinking.

He had stopped one or two times to think about what your stand was going to be, but he had thought that it would have probably been one of your characters with all their powers, not a being capable of creating them all.

He's really astounded by your power and kind of feels relieved since it means he won't have to rely solely on his stand to defeat the enemy.

He's scared of possibly hurting one of your characters with Purple Haze's virus, so he'll be extra careful in battle.

Feels kind of awkward around them when they try to talk to him the first time, but he ends up warming up to them a little.

He'll probably ask you to make a stress toy for him when he's feeling nervous so that he doesn't have to punch Narancia in the face to feel better.

He secretly wonders if you could bring to life old historical figures so he could talk to them, but he's too shy to ask.

Abbacchio ⏮️

Bro's got no imagination whatsoever lol.

BUT. But. He doesn't mind your creativity and daydreaming tendencies in the slightest. Abbacchio, surprisingly, isn't the type to judge for this sort of thing.

He knows it helps you release stress and relaxes you. Besides, it is a quiet mean to pass the time, although he must admit it is quite surprising to see how quickly you're able to space out. Like- the way you seem to just detach from everything almost...Worries him.

I feel like he'd just awkwardly put an hand on your shoulder if he feels like you've been hanging out in your own head for too long. He knows it annoys you, but doesn't care at all.

Although he would never say it out loud, he actually really admires your creativity and imagination.

Just...Stares at you and nods when you tell him about your storylines . It's hard to tell what he's actually thinking, but you assume that he doesn't mind considering he never interrupts you.

He's just very bad with "abstract" stuff and he wonders how you come up with new ideas and worlds so easily.

I can see him sighing and lightly smiling to himself when he first sees your stand. It's not that he doesn't like it, he simply thinks:

"Heh, of course, what else could it possibly be?"

He's actually pleasantly surprised to see how in sync you're able to fight with your characters and thinks you guys are a great team. He refuses to leave all the work to you and tries to participate in the battle as much as he can, although Moody Blues is not exactly made for that.

However, he'll never say out loud how much he actually likes your powers, he's too proud to admit it.

Trish 🎙

Trish actually likes daydreaming from time to time! Nor as much as you do, of course, but she often imagines what it would be like to sing in front of a huge crowd as the best pop star in the world. She's going to make that dream come true one day, she's certain of it!

So, at first, she was a bit confused by your fantasies. Not because she thinks the stories themselves are weird! She just doesn't get why you'd want to daydream about characters that aren't you lol-

With that being said, once she understands how much these worlds and fictional people matter to you, she fully supports your creativity and constantly reminds you that you're free to ramble to her about them at any time!

Trish loves listening to you, it's like watching a Tv show but you narrate everything, she really likes hearing you talk so much, especially due to all the passion you put in it.

Sometimes gasps dramatically in the middle of a story. You were worried she was making fun of you, but she's just as involved as you are in all the events you're telling her about.

Loves with helping you design your characters! She's made some really cute outfits for some of them, but you can clearly tell she took inspiration from her and your own wardrobe a lot lmao.

Totally hypes you up as soon she sees your stand. She had figured your powers would have been connected to your characters, but seeing them come to life is completely different!

She and Spice girl try to show off during the battle to prove that they're just as cool as you and make a good impression on your "friends" They totally succeed in doing so as well.

They also both introduce themselves at the end of the fight. Spice girl can be more talkative around them than you could guess at first! It's honestly very sweet.