#ngl I love the historical additions

[murderandcoffee]

are we dragging isaac newton into the horrors now? was the apple that fell on him full of teeth?

[paperstorm]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of kindness and what some people seem to mean by it vs what it means to me. Because ngl some of the worst people you’ll ever interact with have “treat ppl with kindness” in their social media bios and I’ve been trying to figure out why that is. Why do they think they’re kind when they are so clearly not - or, who are they kind to and who are they not? What sort of social capital is gained through declaring yourself a kind person but never backing it up with actions? What have we gained/lost as a society when we put so much weight in just label of good person but so little weight in caring whether anyone follows through? Why can so many people I know relate to the experience of the meanest people sincerely believing they are kind, and using that as a shield or weapon when it suits them?

I don’t know that I have answers yet but I’ve been thinking about how in my conceptualization

Kindness means being nice - complimenting people, lending a helping hand, keeping negative opinions to yourself sometimes, being happy for others success, being a cheerleader for your loved ones. Kindness DOES NOT mean being a door mat - denying yourself your valid emotions, letting others step on you or manipulate you, bottling up your feelings so as not to cause a scene, keeping the peace at the expense of your own well-being. Being kind also means being kind to yourself.

Kindness means being welcoming - inviting people into your groups, being open to making new friends, identifying when someone is feeling left out and maybe altering your behaviour accordingly. I changed high schools for my last year and in my first class a boy i had never met came over and said “hey you’re new, come sit with us.” That was kind and it has stuck with me to this day. Kindness DOES NOT mean being welcoming to everyone indiscriminately. You can’t throw a party for wolves and sheep where everyone is welcome. Sheep are not safe at that party, and pretending they are is siding with the wolves who will use your party to hunt them. You can’t be welcoming to bigots because you don’t want to make waves and still be a safe person for minorities to exist around. Sometimes kindness necessitates making waves.

Kindness means fostering positive spaces - where the happiness is genuine and laughter is abundant and people feel good about themselves when they’re around you. Kindness DOES NOT mean keeping the peace at any and all cost. That is a veneer of acceptability politics where people don’t feel safe to speak up when they’re being harmed, and it often involves prioritizing the comfort of the majority. Again, you can’t be kind to everyone. So much of what some people seem to mean by kindness boils down to the maintenance of a homeostasis where nobody is ever upset. But through what means is that achieved? Is it real or are people with genuine concerns being told to shut up and pretend to be happy? “Absolutely everyone is welcome!” “It’s not that serious/we keep things light and cheerful around here!” “Fandom is supposed to be a safe space/escape from the real world!” “This is a space free from politics!” read as neutral statements but they aren’t. They are statements that can serve, albeit often unintentionally, to invite bigots into your space by communicating that you won’t lift a finger to evict them if/when they start harming historically oppressed people who are also in your space. Having peaceful spaces is good. Having spaces wherein the peace is maintained through the tacit silencing of minority voices because their discomfort is ‘ruining the vibe’ is an act of cowardice, not kindness.

Idk! Clearly don’t have all the answers or even any answers but I’m releasing these brain worms in the hopes that I can keep searching for additional clarity on this and other things I’m always ruminating about in this messy life.

[cottonotter]

Laudanum and (Anthony) Crowley

Results of my late-night history buffing. Laudanam in Latin is 'to Praise'

'Anthony' is derived from the Roman 'Antonius', meaning ‘worthy of praise’

Crowley says he has 'The constitution of an Ox' which usually means a strong ability to overcome something (most commonly alcohol and sickness)

You'll see how some people who overcome great challenges or show great qualities they are considered 'Worthy'

Additional funsies: The name was historically spelt Antony. In the 17th century, the letter 'H' was added into the spelling on the belief that the name derived from the Greek word 'Anthos' which means 'Flower' Laudanum was made by dissolving extracts from a flower known as the 'Opium Poppy' in alcohol.

I have absolutely nothing to benefit from these fun coincidences but I still love it. It would be fun to write a fic or something that leans into it ngl.

[epersonae]

Truth or dare! 🔪🧩🪲

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

ngl I am very low research for my fics, back in the TAZ days the most it ever was is looking at tazscripts for specific lines from the show or looking up D&D spells for the characters to use. and ofc David Jenkins School of Historical Accuracy - but I will say that I did do a bit of a deep dive when I was working on chapter two of Hungry for love, ready to drown to figure out what books Stede might have looted, and took way too long figuring out when the Jacquard loom was invented. I think there's a balancing point of having an understanding of what's plausible historically in order to know when to play with it, and writing that fic was a fun place to play with it.

actually, no, wait, speaking of Hungry for love, ready to drown: that is the fic that prompted @emi--rose's Stabifesto, which was merely my attempt to answer the question: how much would Ed be bleeding after getting stabbed? ended up being a waaaaay deeper dive into the subject than I had intended, and I ended up using like three details.

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

minimum bar of writing quality, I also have a minimum bar of characterization which is a "know it if I see it" thing (and occasionally if the writing is good enough I'll forgive it not quite being in-character), in particular there's sort of a constellation of things with Ed and Stede specifically that if I see it I'm like oh you don't get these guys. And like, write what you want forever, but also I'm not going to read it. honestly, anything with Izzy alive post-canon.

and then there's this weird, I don't know how to describe it, with canon-era fic, but it's related to my thoughts about use of history, and knowing the rules you're breaking, and sometimes the wrong anachronism will throw me out of the story so badly that I can't keep reading. (there's an absolutely gorgeous fic that I know a lot of people love, but it reads to me like it's set very clearly and solidly in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and I kept getting thrown by the details because they're so lovely rendered, it's a beautiful world that is entirely wrong. if it had been written as an AU it probably wouldn't have bothered me so much!)

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

I'm actually going to skip this, the thing I was working on last is in a spot where I don't want to post anything to tumblr 😅 (but who knows, maybe I'll come back and reblog this with an addition)

[mikestoklassa]

My time at the Zak Bagans Haunted Museum

This ghost hunting episode has compelled me to share my own experience with Zakary Bagary's Spooky Emporium, mostly because I've only shared this story orally and also because I want to flex that I've been somewhere Mike Stoklasa has been. Mayhaps it will inspire one of you to write a Fanfic (gentle persuasion). But truly this is mostly a diaristic blog post for me so that my memory of the Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum never truly slips from my grasp. Facts may not be totally accurate because this is months later and I have a shit memory. Anyways read more if u even care

THE BEGINNING

So my boyfriend and I went to Vegas this past year so that I could see my beloved Vegas Golden Knights <3 Of course that couldn't occupy the whole weekend, and my boyfriend and I aren't gamblers, so we had to find other things to pass the time. When we realized that Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum (which I will refer to as ZBHM) was in Vegas, we had to go. To be honest, by boyfriend and I have only seen a few episodes of Ghost Adventures, but we love spooky stuff and people whose reputations proceed them, so we knew we had to go.

We were staying on the strip, and ZBHM is located more in their downtown, so we had to Uber there. NGL I was expecting some spooky old Victorian house painted in all black, but truly it is just a pretty historic home in a residential neighborhood.

To my shock as a North-easterner, the check in for the museum is outside. So we're greeted by a lovely person who asks if we have tickets. We said we didn't and they told me the wait can be anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours, as we'd essentially be hoping that someone who bought tickets didn't show up to their tour. We didn't feel like waiting in the Vegas heat, so said we'd come back. Out of nowhere a man who looked like Guy Fieri if he shaved his head came up to the desk and said we were making the right choice, and to come back tomorrow with tickets. The workers were really nice and let us peruse the gift shop before we left.

My BF and I ended up going to the Mob Museum which was in the neighborhood. It sucked. Don't go.

THE RETURN

That night we purchased tickets for after lunch the next day. They were a whopping $54 dollars each, meaning two tickets was already over $100. There was something called an "RIP Access" ticket, but all I saw was we got to go to a basement and got a shirt and I thought that was dumb as shit so we didn't get it.

So we return the next day and have to wait outside for the next group to enter the house. Most importantly, we're asked to sign wavers stating we WILL not sue Zak if a ghost follows us home. I'd never hold Zak to that, so I gladly signed. Once we're informed we can head inside, I assume the tour is starting but no, we're being led to a lobby with a ticket booth. I thought that was weird, because we already had tickets, but I figured they had to give us badges so they knew we were on the tour. There were pictures of people who had come to ZBHM before, including One Direction's very own Liam Payne. No photography was allowed on the tour, so this is the only photographic proof I went.

So in this lobby, we're basically lined up to a ticket booth where I think we're getting badges. But no, when you get up to the booth, a lovely worker asks if you would like to give Zak Bagans additional money to do the "RIP Access", which includes extra experiences and rooms, as well as free T-shirt at the end. I still think that's dumb as shit, so I say no. But then my BF and I realize we are the ONLY people on the tour who don't have RIP Access, and we don't want to have to stand like dumb dicks outside of certain rooms while everyone else got to go inside, so we let peer pressure get to us. We upgraded for an additional $32 each, meaning now instead of giving Zak Bagan's $108 dollar, we gave him $172. Truly a low point.

THE SPOOKY TOUR BEGINS

So once Zak swindles you out of your money, you're guided out of the lobby, through a yard, and into the museum proper. The first room is truly, deeply, honest, the most censory overload I have ever experienced in my life. Every breath you take will contain 0% oxygen and 100% smoke machine gas. The first room was just an oddities room, filled with haunted items and general cool things that Zak has found along the way. There were human skulls on an old church pew, and as a museum worker myself, I so desperately needed to see the provenance of those. I'm still waiting, Zak. Anyways, our tour guide then proceeds to uncover a machine which is an old Zoltar machine, but instead of a Zoltar animitronic, it's a Zak Bagan animitronic. Then, after each person on this ten person tour gave Zak Bagans $86 dollars each ($860 total), the tour guide asks if anyone would like to "spare a dollar" for the Zak Zoltar machine so Zak may give our tour a fortune. I thought everyone on the tour would feel just as indignant about this as me, but no, people were desperately reaching for their wallets so that they may be the person who blessed our tour with a fortune. I can't remember exacts, but it has something to do with bewaring stairs. Spoiler alert: the fortune did not come back up.

THE GROSS

So from the main room, we enter a haunted doll closet, our first RIP access experience! It was a hall filled with old dolls. I think old dolls are cute not creepy, so this was a pretty lame experience for me. Next we entered a room that looked like a chapel, and we are for the first time greeted to Zak's lovely presence. Zak in a voice over begins to tell us the story of Anneliese Michel, the German woman who underwent a bunch of exorcisms. Now I am very much like Jay, in the sense that ghosts are most interesting to me when they're presented as amorphous fields of energy. I do not care for demon stories, especially when it's obvious that the "demonic person" is just severely mentally ill. So needless to say, I was not about this room. After the voice over, Zak invites RIP ticket holders to the spooky crawlspace tunnel below a mantle holding a chalice the Michel family owned? Idfk. I was NOT crawling through some damn tunnel with someone I don't know's ass in my face, so I declined and walked in the hallway with our tour guide to the next room. My BF went through and said the scariest thing was the idea of the person in front of you farting.

I won't lie, it's about here where my memory gets murky, so I apologize if this is out of order. ("But isn't this just the second room you went in??" Girl idk!!) What I remember next was entering a room with a large bed in it. In the room we are greeted to another voice over from Zak explaining that this bed came from Love Ranch. Zak spends a long time explaining that this is the bed that NBA player Lamar Odom OD'ed and almost died on, and that the Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof died on. I was like "Okay I guess that's a little creepy and sad but is it haunted?" And then Zak on the voice over was like "Oh by the way here's a picture of Hof on the bed with a creepy face in the back that may be a ghost" and then we were PROMPTLY ushered out of the room.

Next we're taken into a room that looks like a medical office. We're told the drawings on the wall and the items in the room belong to Jack Kevorkian, who was a doctor and proponent of euthanasia. The Zak Voice Over spent a lot of time explaining how people would faint in this room after feeling very emotionally overwhelmed. I was like okay....it's the Vegas heat, we've been standing for awhile now, every square inch of this place is nothing buy fog machine smoke, and now we're talking about euthanasia...yeah that'd probably make me pass out. Anyways we go into a room which has Kevorkian's van where the euthanasias were performed. To me, this stuff isn't spooky like at all? IDK I don't know a lot about Kevorkian but from what Zak said he just sounded like a doctor who wanted to give people a chance to go with grace.

So with all of that leaving a bad taste in my mouth, we were taken to a room full of serial killer memorabilia. Personally, I don't like the idea of serial killer's being tortured souls who must stay on this mortal coil as ghosts, but I guess it was better than Zak exploiting the deaths of their victims so whatever. It was a little cool to see the artifacts in the room but honestly now as an adult who understand serial killers aren't complex and fascinating psychos and mostly just guys who hate women, I didn't really feel compelled by this room. There also weren't really any ghost stories in this room. I think Zak just wanted to flex he had a John Wayne Gacy painting.

We were then taken to a room that looked with a barn with a big cauldron in the center. I IMMEDIATELY clocked it as an Ed Gein room. The Zak Voice Over once again comes on to explain a little bit about Ed Gein and how the cauldron in the room is the one Gein used to drain the blood of victims. Again, I'm not into this stuff, but was snapped back into it when Zak explained that on a paranormal investigation of the museum, two English witches were performing a seance in this room and one became possessed by Gein and tried to attack the other. I was so onbroard. Zak please if you're reading this pay those English witches whatever they want to explore your museum more.

THE UPTICK...

So the English witches had me so unbelievably hype and the next point in the tour was so fun. We're taken to this carnival themed room where a man introduces himself and then promptly sticks a drill bit up his nose. He then swallowed a sword and explained he'd been working there for awhile. I asked him how you learn you're good at something like that, and he actually explained the process by which he trains. It was genuinely interesting. Next to him was a caravan which apparently was haunted by a little girl, so the group was split in two to investigate. My group was second, so we had a moment to talk to this guy and ask questions. I am of course annoying so I asked how often Zak is bringing objects to the museum, how he decides where to place them, where does he get them from,etc. I think the guys wanted us to ask if Zak was like cool and nice lol but he played along and answered as best he could. Anyways we went in the caravan next and nothing happened.

...TO THE STEEP DROP

After we departed from nice carnival man, we were made to walk in a hallways with scary clown animatronics, only some of them were real people. I don't hate clowns, but I do not like haunted attractions with real people, so I spent the whole time just staring at the ground. I couldn't tell you what anything looked like.

Then we were in a normal hallway with two doors. Our tour guide informed us that we'd be going to the left, which was the "torture room". I had my fill of human suffering, so I asked if I could wait in the next room. My tour guide was kind enough to let me do so. My BF went in and informed me it was a serial killer who prayed on male sex workers and they had the bed he would torture them on. I did not mind missing it.

The room I waited in was next, and you guessed it, we were greeted to the Zak Voice Over. Zak explained we were in the antechamber for the Dybbuk Box. I was hype, because this is something I definitely know Zak for. All was well until the Zak voice over started explaining to terrifying night Zak had with the Dybbuk Box while investigating with his "friend, Post Malone." Something in me just snapped, I started crying laughing. I thought it was so fucking funny. But you need to understand, everyone else on my tour was SO into this stuff. I didn't want to be the asshole yucking everyone's yum, so I turned to the corner. I then noticed our tour guide looking at me and realized he was assessing if I was crying or not. Not wanting to be used as a story of "a woman who started having an emotional breakdown right outside of the Dybbuk Box room", I pulled it together. We finally entered to see.....the Dybbuk Box behind four giant wooden walls. Apparently Zak had a vision of someone stealing the Box, so he added the walls for good measure. I was whelmed.

After this, my memory gets REALLY murky. I know we went to the basement where the previous owner claims her dad would perform satanic rituals on her. Very sad, but Zak made a point to note that she stopped texting him eventually. Take a hint Zak.

I remember a spooky doll named Peggy, who we were told NOT to disrespect as she was SUPER MEGA HAUNTED. Even Zak apparently wouldn’t go in alone. We entered, and Peggy was just a doll from the 70s with a page boy haircut and a prairie dress. There was a spirit box in the room and we were told we could commune with Peggy. NO ONE spoke for the longest time so eventually I said “…I like your haircut Peggy!” No one laughed and Peggy did not respond.

The most exploitative room undoubtedly, was the celebrity haunted memorabilia room. Inside were such respectful object such as Brandon Lee’s coat from The Crow, which he died in, Paul Walker’s sunglasses, which he died in, Truman Capote’s summer clothes, which he died in, and for some reason, Patrick Swayze’s tooth. Nestled in the corner was an object which I was immediately drawn to, and which I paid the most attention to throughout our time in this room. It was Sharon Tate’s wedding dress. I don’t exactly know how this object was supposed to be haunted, as she didn’t die in it, but my God did I want to deck Zak Bagan’s in his fucking face because something like this genuinely belongs in a real museum and not Zak Bagans’ Misery Porn Tour of Horror.

I also remember being taken to a nautical themed room which had some Titanic objects, but was mostly a Natalie Wood room, as it had items from the boat she was on when she died. Voice Over Zak explained that he was doing a separate paranormal investigation and placed some objects in the room. At the same time, the captain of the ship Natalie died on texted Zak saying, practically verbatim, “OMG!!! All my books just flew off the shelves. It’s Natalie, I know it.” All I could think was, “For the love of God, let this poor woman rest.”

THE END

At this point, the tour was just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. We went into a room with a rocking chair that supposedly possessed a child. I asked our tour guide what happened to the kid and he was like “Oh the demon left him and he’s fine now.” Oh, good! We went into another room with artifacts from an occultist with a specialization in EVPs. I LOVED this. Again, I love the idea of ghosts being energy who can speak through radio waves. What I didn’t like is Zak being like “Oh by the way, listening to EVPs infected her with demons and she went crazy and wasted away.” I’m sorry, what is it with Zak and demons???

Lastly, of course, was the house from Zak’s wonderful documentary. You’re led a dark room where Zak explains the portal to Hell resided in the basement of a home in…Gary, Indiana. The the walls lifted and from behind a fence you could see some dirt from the basement with a pentagram in it. I’m sorry, how did they transport that? Everyone has to understand they redrew/drew that pentagram in there, right? Anyways, super anticlimactic way to end our tour.

Then of course, exit through the gift shop. I was offered a shirt for buying the RIP access ticket. I declined. My boyfriend did get one, though. Still trying to convince him to do a Mike and Jay Halloween costume with me.

TLDR, the ZBHM had none of the fun campiness of Zak’s personality and was full of human suffering and very little ghosts. I cannot stress enough, though, how awesome all of the employees there are. I truly, TRULY hope that a good portion of the ~$860 Zak is getting form each tour is going to them, because they sell you on it.

Anyways Mike what if we kissed in the Creepy Demonic Crawlspace of the Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum 😳

[hausofmamadas]

NO MAMES KITTEEEE | Bc here we stan a side character with moxie y moda tan shingona

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✴︎ Good morrow, mi gente 💃🏻💃🏻 ✴︎

Can you actually believe someone asked me to dump summore gifs out into interwebs instead of me unsolicited shoving them down everyone's throat. I know, revolutionary. One for the books really and truly. But I did get an honest to goodness gif request from my df, dear friend @cositapreciosa (with additional support and screaming in caps from @narcolini)

cositapreciosa: *beeeep* hi Kay it's meeee, you said i could send some request your way, may i have a small gif set for our Kitty 👉👈 they can arrive whenever because i don't think i have another kitty fic for the moment, but i'll make sure to do one to baptise the new gifs 😌

narcolini: honestly… there are so few gifs of him that any would be a dream..

Am I woefully behind on react reblogs because I decided to make these??? and work this other Javivid instead Why yes, yes I am!!! I'm so glad you asked you didn't but as my dfs so thoughtfully pointed out, there is a distinct lack of Kitty Paez gifs in these here interwebs, the supply is abysmal, and it was a historic injustice that needed to be corrected esp because there are quite a few bomb ass Kitty fanfics in existence (see ⇢ here and ⇢ here for examples) and any future fics are in desperate need of visual aids and by visual aids, I do mean Bad Bunny shirtless and smiling and laughing like he is literally the sun itself and feeling fucking fine about it

᪥

Narcos: Mexico - Season 3, Como La Flor

⌁

Narcos: Mexico - Season 3, Los Juniors

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Narcos: Mexico - Season 3, Boots on the Ground

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Narcos: Mexico - Season 3, La Jefa

⌁

And yeees, yea, I know you said "small gif set for our Kitty," and liiiiike I don't think.... it's not every single scene Kitty's in...? but ngl 👉👈 once I got going 👉👈 kskskskksksksk i couldn't stop. So instead of making 10, I made like 30. I just love him so much, enserio Bad Bunny estaba en una in this role and it's a travesty he wasn't featured more tbh like literally if we could just take every part rat-faced Romeo you know the one i'm talking about, the one with the Beetlejuice jacket, c'mon I'm not the only one who thought it, it's okay, this is a safe space is in and replace him with Kitty, it would satisfy a fraction of my need for more Arturo Kitty Paez. Like mans isn't even really a full blorb for me? Like he doesn't consume my every waking thought I only have so many thoughts and we all know the blorbs those are tied up over skskskks but every time he's on screen, I can't look away and I can't stop smiling?? yes, even when he's doing terrible thinks like street terrorism. So yeah in conclusion, Romeo was a waste and in this here house, Kitty is the one true narcojunior okay.

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PS. some bonus Món gifs that just idk magically found their way into the mix somehow, i have no idea, not sure, no tengo ni idea como han llegado esos ahí, mis cabrones, lo siento pero era impotente pa detener esto

↑ and this was the exact look of satisfaction on my face when i finished all these ↑

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taglist(have some gifs): @ashlingnarcos @cherixrosa @purplesong1028 @criatividad-e @tinylittleobsessions @cigarettesaftersunset @artemiseamoon @narcos-narcosmx @thesolotomyhan @mandaloria314 @bellinitini @narcosmx @alreadywritten @drabbles-mc @complete-nonsequitur @narcosmx @dashavau

[antebellumite]

Top 5 favorite people to draw?

thank you so much for asking! in order, daniel webster, robert hayne, john c calhoun, thomas benton, and henry clay

Daniel Webster: I will be honest, when I draw Daniel Webster, I give him the most nonhistorical hair out of everyone that I draw ( though in general, the hair of all of the peeps that I draw are very generous to their hairlines to begin with lmao ). I love giving our guy the most bushiest eyebrows in existence, super large anime eyes, a strong nose, and tanner skin than the rest of his colleagues. it's even better because doing all that is still historically accurate! #danielwebster #byronicism. Stocky build, short, you know the drill. Gold and blue and black color scheme.

Robert Hayne: Just in general, his features are fun to make out. His hair is distinctly boyish and playful ( and ginger ) whenever I draw it, and I always make sure to give him round eyes, softer, rounder, features, yellowish-based pink-toned skin, and a button nose, thereby making him the second must defined design in my head after webster ( and questionably after calhoun ). Also, technically, me drawing him in a cute childish way would also be strangely accuraet to his historical portrait, which is great, considering that I consistently make Henry Clay like 30 yrs younger whenever I draw him. Color scheme is mainly yellow to me, and he looks like your average twink, moving on.

John C. Calhoun: The wild nosferatu hair! I know we love to shit on that hairstyle, but tbh, tuberculocur satanic corpse Calhoun is actually the second most pleasing Calhoun to look at right after Early Days Young Calhoun. Calhoun with long hair, cheekbones, a square jaw, a sharp nose, and eyebrows with that additional flair on it [if you check my fanart of jcc you will notice that I never draw him without the little hook on his eyebrow ] just gives perfect demonic vibes, yk? It functions as an aweinspiring all-powerful mask to distract the viewer from his horrible pathetic weak non-influential clinging-to-whatever-scrap-of-power-and-signficance faux-manipulative personality inside [ best represented during JCC's middle years when he had spiky hair ] that represents Calhoun's true self. The issue with drawing JCC with this hairstyle all the time though is that it makes it very weird when he's alongside Webster and Clay. Webs looks like he's in his 20s, Clay's in his thirties, and Calhoun is here looking like his 70 yr old deathbed self. I actually draw him significantly more muscular than he probably was during this time of his life ngl. At least, his shoulderspan is larger. He also has a very specific clothing design I use [ black cape, gold waistcoat, white cravat and innershirt ]. Color scheme white grey gold and black.

Thomas Hart Benton: APH Russia hair. Bulky male form. I'm so sorry. I didn't base him off his offficial portrait at all. I actually get most confused about Benton's hair, btw. Is it blond? Ginger? Brown? Anyways, round face, VERY pink skin, and a strong nose are my defining features for him. Color scheme I haven't actually figured out yet, but he seems to be a gold and green fellow, just like....

Henry Clay Ah, Henry Clay. Long face, but I can't seem to find it in myself to make him actually ugly. I also can't seem to bring myself to push his hairline back. And this will be the third time I've mentioned Hetalia in this post but I whenever I draw his long blond hair verison of him ( which I always do ) I am constantly picturing APH Poland. I am sorry. Anyways, long, lanky, legs, thin lips with a wide mouth, long horizontal eyes, significant eye wrinkles in that spot, a long nose, and a green and gold color scheme for me, with a red cravat, unless it's black and gold and red.

thank you so much for asking!!

[jyndor]

watched the episode, it was great, need to watch again but some thoughts off the top of my head, spoilers under the cut

I wasn't sure if the crystal in Maarva's ship was actually a kyber or not, but now I'm certain they are going for a DIRECT parallel with Jyn and the kyber crystals given that Luthen gives Cassian a Rakatan (!!!! Lol no Easter eggs my ass) kyber pendant. I wonder if the crystals are representative of mentors/parental figures in their lives as well, and obviously Luthen's gonna die at some point. Also I think they are representative of moments of transition. This is... I mean they're just pointing them in the direction of home, their final home at least.

Love the attention to DETAILS! Cassian shaving, tending to wounds, the rings and the wig Luthen puts on and the way he practices his persona, the fake name Cassian chooses (Clem 🥺, his adopted father).

Cassian DID fight when he was 16 but I was getting ready for work so I missed what he was saying. Interesting that he literally sounds like Jyn - "they're all the same" - when referring to the Partisans, Separatists, Alliance, etc. I mean it's... wow. Like it's not even subtle at this point.

Luthen is a compelling character, the clear disdain he showed for the man he became when he put on the dressings of the Coruscanti version of him was interesting. It's Very Interesting that he is selling historical artifacts to fund rebel cells, considering how historical artifacts have been trafficked irl by European/US empires and not for good altruistic reasons. I'm curious to know if they will address how messy that is.

I am also glad he isn't actually TEACHING cass how to be a rebel, he's just pointing him in the direction of other movements that need help. I don't love the optics of a Core worlder organizing and funding rebel cells of marginalized groups but I also think he's maybe playing the role of an ally - opening his wallet so to speak.

Mon Mothma's home is BEAUTIFUL and opulent and very much juxtaposed with where Cassian was sleeping on Maarva's ship, and Aldhani in general. I know she did not say that she would be the first to fall 🤣🤣🤣 I am certain she meant in the Senate but that just shows her lack of real connection to the struggles of rebel fighters. Ofc she IS putting herself in danger - to deny that is to deny what the Empire is - but she would never be the first to fall and Luthen seems to know that, and in fact I'm sure that him saying that he has mouths to feed (in addition to being a signal that he is a parental figure, and IMO I think Val(?) is his daughter they just... had a vibe idk) is him reminding her that for all of the danger that she is in, she is able to feed herself and live in luxury when there are people who are in the mud.

btw Aldhani feels very Ireland/Scotland/Aoteoroa which... crying ngl. Iirc they even said highlands which??? They're just scalping the British empire ilu show

Saw Gerrera mention love him sfm. Also I love the Aldhani rebels, they're fantastic.

Cassian Andor needs sleep

Dedra and the ISB are... no notes everything is horrible and Imperial and structured and wow perfect. Majority white, majority male. Fascists can also be women, especially white women. She's great. I hate her already.

Speaking of hate, they literally called Syril "proud" lmfao he's a proud boy. Love his mom, I'm sure she's trash too but I literally have no notes.

Cassian is the first to hear the TIEs, our guy is so fucking observant. Also now he looks super young so pls don't age his ass up too much it unnecessary.

[mamamittens]

Been having funny thoughts about ToTK and BoTW. Every so often I consider making Nikia in each race just for funzies but I'm really bad at non human characters so I end up trashing the idea.

That and I honestly can't recall a single female goron besides the really old goron lady from Majora's Mask (at least... I think that was a woman??? Deeply titties out with big lips I think?? Hold on... Googling now. Well, if there is, no one knows who they are! So that... Was not a woman?!? It's been a long time so maybe I just don't remember them well enough...)

Anyway! Just for fun, here's some little headcanons about what race random OP characters would be!

Marco, I think, would be a Kokiri! Specifically an unusually tall one! Seemingly ageless with magic abilities, perhaps even a sage for a strange land!

Ace would be a Gerudo who pretends very hard not to be on account of male Gerudo historically being Just Ganon Yet Again. He's not and would never be, but the suspicion he'd revolt and throw the world into darkness would persist anyway. Obvs, his mom was a Gerudo warrior and Roger a Hylian Pirate, or perhaps just a man from another country besides Hyrule.

Izou is clearly a Sheikah with little care for the ninja stuff or gender binary dress code. He can still pull it off just fine, but prefers long range weapons to get it over with.

Luffy? Ngl, I really want him to be a little tree Korok just waddling around like he's swallowed bells. He fits the vibe so well! Maybe he has a 'Hylian' disguise but it usually ends up bursting in a cloud of smoke when he gets jazzed up.

Zoro is a Hylian and probably the only person in history to get so lost in the Lost Woods he perfectly navigated to and from the Great Deku Trees every time. A sort of 'so wrong you looped back to being right again' sort of fella. Hopefully he's not this incarnation of Link or Zelda will have to wait a very long time for him to find the castle, regardless of the size Ganon is circling it.

As tempting as it is for her to be a Gerudo, I think Nami is just a Hylian who lives in a coastal village. She does bullshit Gerudo heritage to scam people though and who knows, she just might have a Gerudo ancestor, but she'll never get that height and cheese shredder abs. Sorry bby.

Robin? Oh, Sheikah. So very Sheikah even though she does more history than ninja work. Undoubtedly the one that knows every legend and scrap of lore by heart and thrives in it all.

Ussop is also from a coastal village but definitely has some mixed heritage from... Somewhere. Unclear where, but he's got too many weird skills for just some fisherman's son. Yossop being Sheikah himself is of course, where all that bullshit magic invention shit comes from, not that Ussop didn't make it his own in due time. Though I wouldn't be against him being Rito! It would be an interesting change and excellent addition to his preference for long range weapons! I don't recall them having magic tho so idk... only downside I suppose.

Brooks? Well... I think he'd make an interesting Twili who found just enough magic spells to live in the daylight but... Looks like a skeleton. Whoops. Can't have everything I suppose! He makes it work, though!

Chopper would make a cute little Goron, honestly! If he wasn't just a reindeer with magic sentience. Wouldn't be out of the question given the shit we see elsewhere! Why not a Korok? Actually... Korok would be super cute! No disguise, just baby! I'll workshop it, there's a few good options!

Sanji would clearly be a Yiga who abandoned the Yiga clan and now pretends to just be a regular Hylian who loves cooking. Certainly wouldn't be the strangest thing out there!

Jinbe's so easy it's almost boring, clearly he'd be a Zora. An unusual whale shark Zora, but a Zora nonetheless! Most Zora seem to be shark based anyhow.

Sabo is a Hylian noble, obviously, and very done with aristocracy, preferring to rough it out in the wild.

Thatch is also a Hylian, one of many who love cooking but is also not dumb enough to poison himself in the name of experimentation... Looking at u, master chef weirdos. Seriously, what the shit?!

Whitebeard is absolutely a Goron though! Massive mountain man who breaks mountains with his fists! Old as shit! It's a great fit!

If I had to choose a race for my OC, Nikia... Imma be a fucking cheat and say Fairy. Great Fairy? Somewhere between the bottle fairies and Great Fairies at least. Their design changes each game honestly and the recent version has them be sisters implying there's a family structure somewhere? Idk, she's still getting the hang of her magic and doesn't want to sit in a pocket dimension via flower portal, so she's not as strong as the Great Fairies yet. Prefers to hang around isolated ponds and tends to attract smaller fairies to her side. I imagine their size/immobility from an area indicates strength, usually, baring Wind Waker where the Great Fairy is literally child sized and implied that the other Fairies you see are puppets... Weird reveal ngl. So she's capable of some interesting stuff in her own right. Almost wanted to say Rito cause I like their designs (even if the idea of an open house like that wigs me out lmao, what a fucking drafty ass house to have!) but no, Fairy works for me. Maybe she gets small when traveling outside of a sacred area to conserve power and safeguard herself.

She would not be naked though, absolutely not lmao, very modest for her race. Another oddity I guess you could say.

[ideas-on-paper]

Book review: Adrian Mayfield/Green Flower trilogy Part 1

With Pride Month being over, I want to share my thoughts on a really great LGBTQ+ book I picked up and read during June: the first part of the Adrian Mayfield/Green Flower trilogy by Floortje Zwigtman. (Original Dutch title: "Schijnbewegingen")

The story is about Adrian Mayfield, a young homosexual in Victorian England who grew up in the East End of London.

The first thing that strikes the reader's eye is the unique writing style: The plot is narrated by Adrian in first person, in a blunt, almost coarse manner. This actually gives the book a lot of its charm, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once at the sarcastic, dark humor. It makes Adrian's experiences feel all the more authentic, in addition to painting a wonderfully disgusting picture of the Victorian period's hypocrisy.

The historical setting itself is brought to life by vivid descriptions, which integrate organically into the narrative without feeling long-winded. The story also superbly manages to hit some more serious notes, addressing social issues of Victorian times such as homophobia (both internalized and external), poverty, and the strict social class system. It also takes a sober, by no means saucy look at the male prostitution Adrian eventually finds himself in.

Quite a few historical figures also feature prominently in the novel, including Oscar Wilde, his lover Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas and Aubrey Beardsley, among others. As far as I can tell, the author really did her research and portrayed their personalities with respect to their historical counterparts. In fact, if you didn't know, you couldn't tell which characters are historical and which are fictional - I was surprised to learn that Charles Parker, Alfred Wood, Bob Cliburn and most of the other rent boys actually existed.

As for the fictional characters, my opinions about them range from "love them to bits" to "absolutely insufferable". Augustus Trops, Adrian's first acquaintance from high society, belongs to the latter category - not because of his sexuality, but because his understanding of art, personality and overall attitude are completely at odds with my own. However, that doesn't mean that Trops is a bad character - rather, it's admirable feat on the author's part that he feels exactly like the kind of person I couldn't stand in real life.

In general, I found it quite welcome that the book doesn't make any attempt to dictate which characters you're supposed to like or dislike - all of them have their flaws, and to be frank, most of them are assholes. Still, each of them also has their good moments, even Trops - I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Among the standouts on the positive side was Mary Ann, Adrian's energetic sister whose outgoing, confident personality I couldn't help but smile at. (Fun fact, btw: "Mary-ann" was actually a synonym for a male prostitute in Victorian times.)

My favorites, however, were Imogen and Vincent. Imogen is a tomboyish girl who just can't seem to fit into the role of "refined lady" that was cut out for her, preferring to realize her own creativity by writing. Being a hobby writer myself, I immediately took to her.

Meanwhile, Vincent is totally my spirit animal: Shy, reserved artist who is sort of belittled by his company of (false) friends, not very interested in joining them in their excessive consumption of intoxicating substances, hating parties, more married to his work than anything else and spending months of research poring over every historical book about Palestine just to get David's sandals right for his painting? Yep, that's definitely me. xD (Ngl, the guy was giving me serious autistic vibes at times; also, I'm willing to bet money that he's ace.)

As a fair warning though, the story gets pretty depressing at times. I really felt with Adrian having to deal with the various intricacies of life, and since the first half of 2024 has unfortunately been pretty rough for me, it resonated with me all the more. To share some of my favorite quotes:

"Every time I had managed to find life pleasant by the means of all sorts of tricks, something happened that turned everything into one big mess again."

"From time to time, it was fair for life to seem okay, but I knew from experience: It wouldn't stay that way for long."

"It was such a mess that it was probably true. Life. Just damn life."

However, I think the book actually sort of helped me through my troubles; at the very least, it made me think deeply about my own perspective on art and love.

On a side note, while there is sexual content in the novel, none of it is really explicit, making it a great read even for people who feel uncomfortable/awkward about sex scenes (like me). In fact, I would say the story helped me confirm my own identity as demisexual.

[spoilers]

The sex scene between Trops and Adrian made me feel absolutely nothing - the context was clearly sexual, but it didn't turn me on in the slightest. I simply couldn't get behind their relationship, so it left me completely cold.

However, when Vincent confessed his love to Adrian at the end - how much he suffered from hating himself - I almost broke into tears. I absolutely adore both of them, and I support them with all my heart - they'd make a wonderful pair, IMO.

[spoilers end]

It's a real pity that the language barrier prevents this book from being accessible to a wider audience, since it's only available in Dutch, German, and Danish. (Kind of ironic that such an excellent novel about Victorian England isn't available in English.)

Still, I highly recommend it to anyone who can read it - it's emotional, compelling, and downright disgusting at times. It's exactly like the abyss from Edgar Allan Poe's story referenced in the book: Despite wanting to shrink away, you can't resist the desire to throw yourself into it.

[97-liners]

i literally have not been able to stop thinking about your latest wonwoo fic since i read it this morning like it hasn't left my mind once!!

i already said this in my reblog but the writing was so beautiful im so in awe like !?!!! the concept alone was amazing but you really pulled me in with the way you wrote it

im so obsessed with the way you chose to describe things from the setting of a scene to the way things play out it was so cool to read ill literally never get over it omg

also i NEED to know if you chose to write this in a specific way because of the setting but it reminded me so much of old xianxia movies. at first i assumed that was the intent because of the magic but it was so strongly weaved into every scene, even the ones where it was just two characters talking (especially those ones honestly), that i had to ask

reading this genuinely felt exactly the same as watching an old xianxia movie like everything was new but familiar and homey and im sorry this is so long but i loved every bit of this fic ill literally never forget it ever 😭

hi!!! sorry i let this ask sit in my inbox for a few days, but i genuinely felt like i was gonna explode from happiness when i read this. thank you so so so sooooo much for the feedback and the review, it really means so much!!!

fic talk below the cut:

ngl when i made the very first text post, it was still in a totally ambiguous setting. like, it could have been modern royalty, it could have been 18th century korea, it could have been european fantasy setting, it could have honestly been anything. but,,,,,, i did hone in on an east asian fantasy setting by the time i added my second addition and subsequent additions.

i like to include a lot of east asian influences in my fantasy settings or vaguely historical settings, because i'm asian and my gripe with historical aus involving asian characters in western settings is that it's a very white pov to be able to just.... suspend disbelief and pretend that imperialism and racism haven't been the driving power structure between european history for the last couple hundred years. like, white people just think of themselves as the default and don't even think of the fact that having wonwoo in a historical european setting would require a huge suspension of disbelief.

also. most people who write fantasy settings end up making things just.... transparently european, probably because they're westerners who are used to their culture being the default. stone single-complex castles with towers, balls and ballrooms, knights, all of these are european concepts. even down to the social structure, standards of formal interaction, etc.... people write them as european without realizing or without pointing it out. so yeah, it's part of why i like to make my fantasy settings vaguely east asian, because everybody else's is vaguely western european lmfao

i think also part of the reason the voice turned out the way it did was because i decided to relisten to the mdzs audiodrama around the time i was planning this fic LMAOOO so that's probably a big part..... originally there wasn't going to be elements of magic included, but that changed after i went on a run and listened to like the first four episodes of mdzs audiodrama.... so yeah the xianxia influence was intentional. i'm a casual costume drama enjoyer too!!

[aconstantache]

MY FAVOURITE ROMANCE NOVELS OF 2020

HM: The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon; Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews; You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle 

10. Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - loved, loved, loved these MCs. They were both so well-realised and multi-faceted. Zafir may be one of my favourite heroes ever and the depiction of a South Asian family here is also an all-time fave?? No boring, tired, sad diaspora vibes? No overused tropes re: Muslims? MIRACULOUS. So Zaf is a romance novel-reading lover of love and Dani is Not About Relationships. Unstoppable force meets immovable object etc etc.

9. Two Rogues Make A Right by Cat Sebastian - the ultimate in hurt/comfort decadence. Literally the entire plot is one person is really sick and the other person spends the entire rest of the book looking after them. LIKE, MAYBE THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT HAPPENS?  It takes a bit to get into it but also the sick one is kinda villainous and the one looking after him believes there’s good in him despite all evidence to the contrary. V good dynamic! 

8.  Wild At Heart by K.A. Tucker - I read and LOVED The Simple Wild last year and was so happy the author decided to write a sequel. I would read ALL the books about these two characters just living their life in this universe. I know Tucker is branching out and writing about other characters in the ‘verse and: eh. I only want to read about Calla riding snowmobiles and Jonah telling her how competent she is I’m sorry!!! Wild At Heart focuses less on romance and more on Calla getting used to Alaska but it’s still satisfying seeing them work out how to compromise and start a new life together. 

7. Beach Read by Emily Henry - I love when a romance novel has a lot of hype and it lives up to expectations (see The Roommate for the opposite, ugh that book was bad.) Honestly I get off just on the blurb of this book: he writes pretentious literary fiction! she’s a bestselling romance author! they help each other write and slowly fall in love at the same time! It also deals with slightly heavier themes and there is focus on a recent death and some other stuff which I know a few people struggled with but there’s plenty of humour and light-heartedness so it all works imo

6.  A Dangerous Kind of Lady by Mia Vincy - It is so rare for me to like every book in a Historical Romance series but Mia Vincy’s Longhope Abbey is 3/3 atm. I loved the first two (as mentioned last year) and this one is an A+ addition (ngl I have qualms about the fourth book but I think MV has won some trust at this point so.) We originally met these MCs in the first book when they were introduced as very happily married and devoted so rewinding to them being conflict-stricken and angst-ridden youths was great.

5. You Say It First by Katie Cotugno - So I simultaneously adored this and also found it irritating. This book focuses on ‘liberal’ Meg who has progressive values and is very involved in things like voter registration phonebanks. She ends up on the phone with Colby who is her age and struggling with his family’s lack of money, his dead-end job, etc and has no time to discuss how the electoral system could help him. From a political point this had the potential to be really interesting but I think it’s pretty mishandled by the author. I think she could have done a much better job at writing a character who has no faith in the political system for valid reaons but like, some of Colby’s opinions are just nonsensical? Also Meg often feels ‘liberal’ in a way that is twee and annoying and superficial. Why did I place this so high when I have such a list of complaints??? Despite all this, the relationship between Meg and Colby is so sweet and satisfying and well-built. Most it it takes place over the phone and I love that liminal space that exists just for the two of them. It managed to outweight my negatives!!!

4.  If We Were Us by K.L. Walther - I know people have had qualms with this book but I still loved it. The boarding school vibes; the friendships; the siblings. Quintessential YA things done well! Sage and Charlie are best friends and would be perfect together (valedictorian types) except Sage is far more into Charlie’s twin brother (v not valedictorian type) and Charlie isn’t into girls at all. Two good, satisfying romantic relationships found here folks!

3. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall - FAKE DATING EXCELLENCE. I think every year I need something new to fill this particular category and Boyfriend Material is a really stellar entry. That being said, I don’t think there’s much actual fake dating going on in this book apart from premise-wise but we move! Luc and Oliver have a good mix of awareness and conflict so you get the Good Stuff TM of them being together and sweet and wonderful while still having to wait for their climactic Get Together.

2. Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon - I’m obsessed with “I’ve hated you all along! Wait... have I?” narratives and it’s executed so perfectly here. Rowan and Neil are two massive nerds and competitive rivals who end up spending their last hours of school together. There is very little plot to this book - it is almost 100% relationship development and hangout time - which is almost always all I ever want from romance.

1. Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson - I read this all the way back in January (what a completely different time in the world!) so it’s a testament to how good it is that I still feel strongly enough about it to give it pride of first place. This is the kind of book - because it’s not reeeeally genre fiction - that seems destined for a sad or, at the very least, ambigious ending but (HA!) it provides a warm, wholly satisfying happily ever after. Anyway if you’re into second chances after decades and decades apart and people communicating through songs and yearning and never being able to Let Go - this is for you!

[smallfrost]

Homeostasis in Motherland: Fort Salem Part 2 - The Balance of Witchbomb

I had previously discussed how the structure of the magic system in MFS followed the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Specifically, that there is a balance interwoven throughout Motherland, and in order to create something, something of equal value must be given in exchange.

At first glance, though... it would appear as though Witchbomb defied the Law of Equivalent Exchange, that Raelle was healing people without consequence and that she was able to produce this huge energy source without giving anything in return. However, I am here to argue that these two apparent caveats are in fact WHY Witchbomb is a perfect example of maintaining homeostatic balance in MFS.

We previously discussed that uses of magic without an energy exchange can have catastrophic consequences. Adil told us this in 1x07 but we were also hinted this before the show even began, with BTS historical snippets including this one of Alder:

Ma’am, your indifference towards global warming is troubling

The left-hand column is blurry but reads “global climate destabilized by weatherwork” and can be found in this clip here from Freeform. So definitely, the over-use of magic has drastically pushed the world out of balance.

Raelle was an example of balanced energy exchange in this universe because her unconventional methods offered herself as a source of energy to be exchanged in return for healing others – prior to linking with the Mycelium, she always took on the illness, at least by a little bit, maintaining homeostasis by doing so. We were all curious about what Raelle’s link to the Mycelium would mean; the implications it would have. The old hypothesis was that it would impact the ecosystem around Fort Salem (and who knows, maybe it will in season 2). But what we do know now for certain is that Raelle’s connection with the Mycelium is sentient and eternal. She exchanged DNA with the Mycelium, linking with the “living death fungus.” So now, Raelle is able to heal people without taking on any of the illness, and that when she “died”, her emotional link with Abigail triggered Witchbomb, which eradicated the remaining Camarilla and, in its wake, left behind a plethora of new life (mushrooms sprouting).

Raelle: Abigail, we should start our own entertainment business, because you and me? We’re a blast.

Ngl, I never considered mushrooms to be that big a deal, but now they’ve started to grow on me

So how is the Mycelium working to maintain balance here? Well, Raelle usually took on the illness, sacrificing herself, using her own energy. Now, she is linked to the Mycelium, and it is instead offering itself as an energy source for Raelle. We see that when Raelle heals Khalida, the plague detaches and goes into the ground around them. Since the Mycelium is a network running under Fort Salem, we can infer that the plague is picked up by the Mycelium. This is immediately confirmed when we see Izadora dissecting mushrooms and looking at the Mycelium with utter dread as the black plague infiltrates.

*Insert confusion over the plague spore-adically detaching from Khalida*

Izadora playing her life-sized version of Pandemic, secretly nerding out over mushroom things

So now… we can infer that every time Raelle heals someone (Khalida, Tally’s broken leg, Tarim boy, etc.), the affliction is transferred to the Mycelium. She survives and is left unaffected. This could also explain why overdosing on Salva didn’t kill her – it was after her connection with the Mycelium was formed and it prevented her from dying by taking on most of the drug (hypothetically).

Raelle just really needs a vacation in season 2

So already, by using itself as an energy source instead of Raelle, the Mycelium is maintaining balance. But how was Witchbomb a result of this? Well it comes down to questioning, how is it possible for the Mycelium to retain all of this negative energy without any consequence? What balances negative? What balances death? The answer: Positive and Life. Therefore, my new hypothesis is that the Mycelium, due to its intimate connection to the underworld and its sentient nature, retained all of the negative energy taken on by Raelle’s fixing and refocused it. We know that mushrooms, as occupants of the underworld, can be brought forth utilizing the resonant energy of the freshly deceased. The Mycelium is likely functioning in a similar fashion by channeling all of the negative energy collected by Raelle into a massive energy source (almost like a battery) that with the appropriate trigger, could be released into the world, replacing death with life. Essentially, Witchbomb is a giant ‘Reset’ button to return the world to a balanced and homeostatic state after the scale had been pushed too far. It is a giant filtering system, taking the negative energy from Raelle’s healing and releasing it back into the world in a positive manner, and in this instance, bringing life to where there is none.

So therefore, I would guess that in order to access Witchbomb in the future, Raelle will need to “charge” it by healing numerous people. The more drastic the illness, the quicker the “bomb” will be charged. And then there is the question of the trigger. We know for sure that the sisterly love and friendship between Raelle and Abigail was enough emotional energy to trigger the energy release (though some people love to point out the link was with Raelle’s left hand, the one Scylla marked).

Raelle is extremely emotional, she lets her emotions run wild resulting in bouts of extreme magic.

You practice summoning tornadoes yet, High Atlantic? Cause our plot line has a great Twist…

Raelle Collar, making girls fall for her left and right without breaking a sweat

So, in season 2, we’re going to explore if there are additional emotional responses that can trigger Witchbomb and whether or not Raelle can control this trigger by controlling her emotions. I would bet money that eventually, the emotional linkage between Raelle and Willa (whether it’s hatred and anger initially or unconditional love later) would be enough. That Raelle’s love for the other third of her Unit, Tally, would be enough. And of course, the love she has for Scylla and their inevitable, emotional reunion, would definitely be enough. And if that’s the case, since linking with a blaster to create Witchbomb resulted in an actual, destructive explosion, could it be that Raelle generates a Witchbomb channeling the specialization of whomever she links with? Would linking with Willa create a “fixing” bomb, healing everyone instead of blasting them? Would linking with Scylla allow her to open a death current by harnessing sufficient energy that would only be possible during Beltane (or Samhein) otherwise? Or since Necro is so close to Fixing, would is similarly be a “fixing” bomb, literally bringing life from death (and I must credit @thefabfan10​ for these “fixing” and “death current” bombs, because it’s brilliant and I definitely agree). So, to build on these, would linking with Tally generate a Witchbomb that would allow them to see into the future or make a prophecy of sorts?

All in all, Witchbomb is a conduit and has the power to re-purpose negative energy into a positive force. It is the embodiment of balance and reminds us that nothing ever really dies. And in a universe where maintenance of balance may be integral to the survival of humankind, Witchbomb may be a solution to re-stabilizing the magic system (and it wouldn’t have been possible without Raelle and Scylla’s love).

[whocalledhimannux]

ngl, I'm really into the framing device I'm using for In Affectionate Remembrance so I'm putting my author's note(s?) on tumblr instead to keep the chapters themselves clean. note for chapter 5 beneath the cut.

For the most part I'm basing this fic on my favorite Regency-written novels and a few modern historical fiction novels, but for this one I did draw a lot on a nonfiction source, so I wanted to specifically cite Robert Morrison's The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern.

Also, I'm kind of playing around with mapping canon QT events onto this AU, although obviously a lot of things can't really have direct parallels without massively rewriting British history. Some of these things, imo, work pretty well, like the general plot of TaT. Some... don't. I'm ambivalent about how they work in this chapter, to be honest. It's inspired on two plot points from canon, but in reverse order and with some historical elements thrown in because that seemed to make more sense for the AU, and I think the references may have become a bit muddled.

Basically, the big parallel is meant to be the moment in Return of the Thief where Relius argues against Costis returning to Roa, which I read as him being protective of Costis on Kamet's behalf. (I know Teleus isn't in that scene in canon, but my personal headcanon is that he was entirely on Costis's side, hence his interference in this chapter.) But in order to most closely parallel the canon scenario, I would have to be really, really, really specific about what "the Medean affair" is, and so many players in QT would legally have no real role in the British parliament and I would have to learn more about British parliament and for the most part I'm trying to limit the number of characters whose letters are featured in this fic so I just... didn't want to do that.

So instead, to recreate the life-or-death urgency that moment has in real life, I turned to the Regency's real-life homophobia, which seemed similar and simpler. In general, I don't really enjoy writing about homophobia and I doubt this will be a prominent theme in later letters, but personally when I'm reading and writing historical fiction I sometimes get pulled out of it by writers either ignoring the aspect of homophobia altogether or writing it in a notably anachronistic way. The gbq characters in canon don't seem to have any hangups over their sexuality, but in a Regency setting there would be additional misgivings and I wanted to represent those fairly. The idea of England having much stricter mores regarding homosexuality comes from Morrison's book; at the time, a significant portion of Western Europe was under the Napoleonic Code, which had decriminalized sodomy. It may not have been viewed favorably by the residents in those countries, but it wasn't reviled to the extent that it was in England, according to Morrison.

(One of the only other main ways that homophobia influences this fic is w/r/t how the letters are written and addressed. You'll notice that the characters are often vague in their terminology, and that more direct letters typically include nicknames and initialisms as opposed to full names.)

And then the little parallel is, of course, to Costis and Kamet going off and getting their own little place in Roa, which here is more of a permanent establishment. My idea is that Kamet passes himself off as a poor scholar without many marriage prospects, so he mooches off various friends and ~just so happens~ to spend the greatest amount of time with Costis, and occasional longish stays with Eugenides and Irene, Relius, or in London.

Also, as a final, more general note this really is just a jumble of related oneshots and I don't have a "plot" or a regular updating schedule, per se, but I do have at least three more letter chapters and two prose interludes (including one that gives context for the title) in my WIP folder.

[peachdoxie]

OKAY notes on chapters 2 and 3 of Rhythm of War! I'm going to attempt a read more but idk if it will work, sorry.

Chapter 2

"Kaladin grunted in reply." Glad to see his characterization is still consistent.

The new Fused powers are super dope, but fucking rip to Kaladin. That's one of the most physically brutal attacks Brandon has written

Adolin advising Syl in fashion is 10/10

Also rip Kaladin pt 2 with the insomnia

Interesting evolution in Shallan's multiple minds

Hmm yes, the Fourth Ideal for Shallan. Remembering "everything." Gonna be torture to watch her go through that. But what could she be repressing, after what her other memories were about?

Syl mimicking Kaladin is fucking hilarious and I absolutely love it

"Gagadin!" ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Kaladin very briefly dated Lyn, but she broke up with him. I wonder how much Syl had to convince him to date her.

Also, Syl and Hesina complaining about Kaladin right in front of him, another 10/10. “Has he been disrespecting you again, Syl?” “It’s been at least a day since he mentioned how great I am.”

So. Kaladin and his father are barely on speaking terms, it seems.

"Only, everyone had given up on Herdaz." Oof.

The Mink sneaking away by leaving a dummy behind seems very Herdazian

"“And abandon his men?” Kaladin asked, aghast." Really fucking hope Kaladin isn't forced to do this, because honestly it would probably destroy him, but it also seems in line with the speculation on his Fourth Ideal

“Well done!” Syl said as he left the shed. “You barely scowled when they called you Brightlord.” lmao

“I had hoped,” Lirin said softly, “that our message would inspire you to approach covertly.” Lirin I know you're disappointed in Kaladin for being a soldier who kills people, but you could be a tad nicer by greeting him with something other than a criticism

Holy fucking shit, that's one way to get Kaladin's parents to Urithiru

Chapter 3

The chapter is called "The Fourth Bridge". Neato.

Okay, so Larkins are useful to making fabrials. But they're now mostly extinct. And the wars in Aimia were in part about Larkins. That's some lore I wasn't expecting. And Rysn has one....

"Dalinar said from behind, his voice as steady as steel, as immutable as mathematics." Navani confirmed for fucking nerd.

"But they could send flashes of light that could be interpreted." Roshas invents Morse Code, more at 11

Aluminum, huh? Wonder who helped them with that....

"She wished she could share it with Elhokar." Ouch, my heart 😭

Okay, so the Azish helped with the aluminum

Also Navani needs to stop selling herself short. Fuck you Gavilar.

But also I feel that her...it's not quite imposter syndrome but close is gonna be relevant to her Ideals, if she does in fact become a Radiant

Bridge Four is physically part of the Fourth Bridge I'm gonna cry

Highmarshal Kaladin? Wonder what he feels about that.

Mapping expeditions of the eastern Shattered Plains. Inch resting....

Okay, so we've got a bunch of Edgedancers in addition to a bunch of Windrunners. That tracks with historical Radiant numbers, iirc

Rip Lift, going through puberty

Okay ngl I'm really enjoying reading about the Fourth Bridge with all the Radiants on it. It feels like something out of Dalinar's visions, which I'm sure is not something that's slipped past him.

Though I am also struck by the mental image of the Fourth Bridge burning and falling out of the sky, so thanks for that, brain.

One of Navani's insecurities is that she feels she's not really part of the endeavor of building the Fourth Bridge and all the other fancy fabrials because she's not the one doing the engineering and whatnot. And that's true, she's not, but she's also the one who brought them all together to make these things happen, and I feel that's something that shouldn't be underestimated. Navani is very good at organizing people, and I think her involvement goes beyond just being a rich woman who can provide the funds to make something happen. I know I'm hoping for a Dustbringer Navani, but I also thing Bondsmith isn't out of the question.

Kaladin, taking the name Stormblessed as his house's name, but also not telling his father. Color me not surprised.

Oh shit, Edgedancers with Regrowth serve as the Radiants' surgeons. That's...gonna cause problems for Lirin. Hashtag another identity crisis. Wonder if he'll become an Edgedancer or something, or if he'll turn down the chance to be Radiant. I don't even know if a spren would be drawn to Lirin, nor which kind.

"She thought, for the briefest moment, she heard a tone in the distance. A pure note vibrating through her." Inch resting....

The Urithiru gemstones resist Dalinar's attempts to infuse them. And Navani thinks that Bondsmiths are connected to the tower itself, in some way. Branderson give me the Urithiru lore.

I also wonder if it's related to the fact that Urithiru is the one place made of stone that's acceptable for the Shin to walk on.

So the Sibling is "slumbering" and that's seen as final by the spren because it was killed. But reviving a spren is...sort of possible? If Adolin and Maya is worth anything. Branderson give me the Sibling lore

Thought just now: I wonder who knows about Adolin's brief connection with Maya. I would imagine that Renarin is the most likely to know.

"Only [Alethi] are stubborn enough to bully nature herself." I mean, that's basically how Dalinar convinced the Stormfather to bond with him at first.

Also I have the feeling this beggar guy is the Mink, snuck aboard the ship, though I always am suspicious about beggars.

Lol yep, it's him. And he managed to get past the Cobalt Guard. This guy is gonna be entertaining.

Oh boy, more Fused! And ones who can fly! The next several chapters are gonna be fun to read!

Anyway, that's chapters 2 and 3! I'm excited for next week!

[elisabeth515]

“The General’s Mistress”review (part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

About: Basically this thing is based on Ida St. Elme’s memoirs (and plus some spiritual stuff—like angels and divination🧐)

Foreword

I am going to attempt to review a historical fiction properly after the horrors I’ve seen from Alison Pataki’s Sisi series (Elisabeth hates it so much). Although a very strong opposition from my dead best friend Michel, I decided to read Jo Graham’s “The General’s Mistress” because I feel really, really called to read it, after reading some reviews on GoodReads, also the encouragement from mutals on tumblr.

I hope you all will enjoy this entertaining reaction/review on this book which, hopefully I am going to finish it despite the fact that I have to finish two philosophy essays, my French writing assignment and prepare for the upcoming maths exam in January (#UniLife). Now, to the main thing!

//

First Impression

To be honest, although I was triggered by the fact that it was based on Ida St. Elme’s “Memoirs of a Contemporary” (which, as you know from some older posts, I don’t really like it no matter how intriguing the author is), this book is probably my cup of tea, given to my great interest in the Napoleonic era, also some supernatural, witchy things that reminded me of my weird witchcraft journey which has ended just some months ago. Given to the reviews thats I’ve seen on GoodReads, I think it is quite a nice and entertaining novel—especially because Michel Ney is in it. After reading the sample, my feelings are positive as I was pretty much hooked into the story.

The Reaction

This post is going to be a collection of my reactions, and impressions to chapter 1 to 13 of this book, which I managed to finish it in a lightning speed of 3 hours (with note-taking on my phone). So far, I am on chapter 24 (and now taking a break by charging my kindle) and it’s quite good I would say, at least better than what I expected, somehow, considering I am a bit reserved when it comes to historical fiction—like the accuracy is super, super, super important to me.

From the reviews, I have already been warned for 18+ content so reader’s discretion is advised. Before starting the book I have already been trained by watching porn with a straight face and I’ve passed them easily. Well, let’s just have a rough go through on my reaction to chapters 1-14 because I have too much things to talk about in this.

At first the writing is quite fine—here we have the very first glimpse of Ney and the MC basically swooned—as someone who loves Ney too much sometimes I approved

Yes we shall S W O O N in front of this babe

Well, apparently she no like her husband Jan (whom she married when she was 12, by the way) so she decided to go to be a sugar baby amd goes with the name Ida, and Victor Moreau is her sugar daddy

Everything is rather fine, until I found some errors in the clothing that the MC is wearing—dresses from the late 18th century to early 19th century are not closed with hooks (*at the back I mean); it was a late 19th century (La Belle Époque/Late Victorian) thing.

Edit: just looked up some more info again, apparently dress hooks also exists in some regency gowns for back closure, nevertheless, it would not have existed in a 1795 round gown.

By the way she is supposed to be wearing a pair of stays, not corset as it’s a future invention derived from stays. (This is somehow just nitpicking but this is very important)

Since she was supposed to be wearing a 1790s regency dress, I somehow just kinda want to say that she’s probably wearing a round gown since it was fashionable at that time; the square neckline started to come out in that decade, but I personally doubted that she would have been wearing one, since the wrap neckline or round neckline is more fashionable I would say.

Here is a fashion plate from the year when Ida started to have an affair with general Moreau (source)

Also, she would have been wearing a big handkerchief around her neckline (a fashionable thing in the 1790s).

Nevertheless the author got it right when it comes to the first steamy part when Moreau started to do her—before the drawers, dress historian guessed that women wear nothing underneath at the lower part of the body (except the mensuration belt which acted as the pads/tampons that we wear nowadays)

I kinda need to substitute the steamy parts with Moreau doing something to a sentiment rock to make myself get over it because idk—I just kinda reading them with horror because I can’t really stand smut for historical guys to an extent-

Oh no the description of babeythighs I’m ded- *proceeds dying of laughter while a confused Michel Ney watching me in the background*

Of course our MC just goes like “OMG OMG OMG I LOVE HIM😍😍😍😍😍” whenever Ney is mentioned and I feel somehow personally attached 🌚👌🏻

So there are some tarot scenes that somehow reminded me the days of me opening a tarot reading shop for earning funds for amino events, haha. It seemed like a pretty nice foretelling of the things coming ahead—like the main girl is going to be the master of her fate under the war ahead, yada yada

Another thing to note is that the MC has another persona called Charles and well, there are steamy parts for Charles as well besides Ida. The MC was seemingly super confident in “her crossdressing alter” (which you would first meet him the very first chapters of this story).

In the very first acquaintance between Ida and Michel, he kinda seemed awkward and cute which is pretty cute I guess- (well Michel in this said the MC is the most beautiful woman in the world and she has “the face of an angel”—I can faintly hear the one irl in the background saying he begged to differ lol—but spoilers say that there’s something going between him and the MC thus the “unusual behaviour”? Michel seemed a bit smitten to me in that scene ngl)

Of course the MC is super smitten by our babey who has unlimited charms despite not being considered good-looking; so she wrote a letter to Moreau and Ney respectively and Moreau found out and yeeted her out of the house.

In overall the pacing is fine, we are in the lens of our MC Ida/Charles and those foretelling through tarot is pretty cool in my opinion. There were some parts that I guess are connected to the previous books in the series which I have not read, but at least I can get the thing. One additional note is that it is written in American, so some terms might required a dictionary to understand if you have been learning British English.

Last but not the least, happy holidays and I shall yeet back to my philosophy readings now UwU