#no book spoilers in this post or significant show spoilers

[toriangeli]

I actually have a minor theory that the tattoo in the s3 teaser, "Armand told the truth," is referring to the incident with the photos.

But the only reason for it to be so significant that it's one of three things focused on visually in the entire teaser is if the purpose wasn't just to buy Daniel time. I shall refer to one of your wonderful tags:

I mean, first of all, perfect way of putting it, and a good note on something you said earlier in the post about how Armand's love for Louis is conditional when it's really his attachment that's totally fickle and willing to stab people in the back in order to avoid one additional iota of pain. At least, if Armand's way of loving people and attachment holds true in the show as it is in the books. That distinction between love and attachment is so ripe for internal conflict I wanna see it explored all the time.

BUT ANYWAY.

There is someone already introduced on the show who is canonically a guy who deliberately plans out bad things, a chessmaster style villain who has some reasons to meddle in vampiric lives.

BOOK SPOILERS.

If anyone can come up with a plan that involves breaking up Louis and Armand, both of whom are adjacent to some really damn important vampires, it's Raglan Fucking James. Initially I thought he was banking on Louis going to Lestat and following him, but on second thought, Lestat isn't yet the Most Powerful Vampire Ever so he might not have even drawn James' attention yet (and there's time for him to do so). Maybe at this moment, he's keeping his options open. Armand could be a tempting target, but probably not if he has a similar reputation as he has in the book universe, since like...you don't want to approach him for any reason or you will probably die. But if they break up, Louis is likely to go find Lestat, and Armand has a connection with Marius, who is arguably the single most important non-statue-like vampire in existence right now. He could still be interested in swapping bodies with Lestat, or he could have plans involving the Parents that I can't yet fathom. idk, just about anything is possible. But they didn't bring that character in this early just to have him dick around comedically before finally getting to work in season 5. By the time he shows up in the books, he's already been at work for some time. Done his research. Figured out how he's going to get what he wants, and then does it.

So "Armand told the truth" has really got to be a warning that something a lot worse is going on that people think Armand has lied about. I've been a little sad that the fandom hasn't speculated on that. Like I said, it's one of three things visually focused on in the teaser: Lestat-stand-in-guy, the tattoo, and Lestat himself. There's no way they put that in there just to hint at some warring in-universe fanbase.

I still think the photos were either an absent minded accident to where no one can be really sure who made it (several people have had access to the archives and have sorted through it over presumable many years) or deliberately planted by Rashid for Daniel’s benefits to go through the files uninterrupted. Because I think it’s a better display of how Armand is operating here simply out of a complete disinterest to be supportive, accountable to anything, or understanding of what the aim of all this is, and his care for Louis only goes about as far as himself, especially where the threat of exposure or abandonment is concerned. In short he has a disdain for this entire interview, let alone Louis history and inner struggles with it, and for selfish reason, so the photos, regardless of how they got in there, expose him of this. It clues us in about how his love is conditional on meeting his expectations of it not ending or being threatening in some way, especially where his sense of security is concerned, but he’s extremely possessive of who he loves so manipulates as much as he can to prevent this, to a point, and in such ways, it is just emotionally abusive. Though we also do see a result of when he’s offered something else that his love can shift easily to someone else if they are simply offering him all this sense of security, so his possessiveness is conditioned on the fact he has no other better options of getting his strong desires for this kind of love met.

Anyway, if it’s an accident like that, and let’s say it’s one Armand happened to have made, it falls right in line with this even more, though I think the point is we actually can’t know if this is the case of it as even he doesn’t know who did it. Though if there were any care he’d probably not point fingers at Louis who is the one who’d be least likely to have made such a mistake, but he doesn’t care and is just mad about being blamed by Louis, so does carelessly throw it out there.

And if they served a purpose of allowing Daniel to access the files for an extended period, which he couldn’t do much earlier when Raglan initially sent them over without raising suspicions, one can make the assumption that Rashid, who we find out is working for the Talamasca, did it for Daniel’s benefit so he could do so undercover.

Just my two thoughts.

[twig-tea]

What I'm left with after episodes 1 & 2 of Love in the Big City is a visceral reminder of the yawning loneliness of isolation that comes from otherness, finding a kindred spirit, and then the betrayal and heartbreak at knowing you're no longer each other's most important person, and how society expects that to happen but somehow you (I) got blindsided by it anyway.

This show is beautiful, bitingly funny, and quietly devastating. And it is so, so gay. The way Young describes the relief of returning to the loud music and lights and packed dancefloor of the club is the same feeling that washed over me watching this show; even with these sad themes around the loneliness of our 20s , the familiarity is ironically a warm and comforting reminder that we're not alone.

[reinemichele]

(Eep it's embarrassing to be perceived)

I exclusively make bad choices 😏😏😏 (I don't mind spoilers)

[victoryai]

The ascendant in solar return chart

♈ Aries ascendant: When this shows up as your Sr ascendant, we are talking about you, you and you. The focus of the year is on you, new beginnings, new goals, a fresh start. They'll be a very significant change in your life and physical appearance. You might adopt new habits, start hitting the gym, dye your hair, cut your hair, change your name, or make a major achievement in your life. Your confidence will sporadically shoot. Aries is ruled by fiery mars. So be careful

♉ Taurus ascendant: Taurus represents, money, food,wealth, self worth etc. when Taurus shows up as your solar return ascendant this listed above will be highlighted. This is a year that is about to shake up your account balance 😂. Your going to earn and spend more. There's a high chance of adding weight. This is literally spoiler alert😂. You'll spoil yourself rotten and buy what ever you like. Your self esteem is gonna reach the stars. Not a year to be broke baby!

✨Where Taurus falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♊ Gemini: Gemini represents short distance journeys, siblings, neighborhood, your country/continent, learning, education , writing. So literally any of these could come up for you. You might find your self really restless 😬. Yeah, the year I had this, I was sooooo restless and anxious 😰😂. I also moved from one city to another . You would literally be so busy. Might end up writing a book or start a blog or take an educational program. You might travel within you country or continent (exceptions if Gemini falls in your natal 9th house, then you can travel abroad)

If you had a strained relationship with your siblings, you can fix that. Something significant happens in the life of your siblings/cousins/neighbors. They might be something happening in your neighborhood too. Where Gemini falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♋ Cancer: Cancer represents home, house , mother, emotions, family, home country, mother figures, Grandma etc.

So when Cancer shows up as your Sr asc, expect this 👆to be highlighted. You're very likely to make a renovation at home, buy a new house, invest in real estate, change homes. The focus of this year might also be on your Mom, just something about her . If afflicted, it might show fights with family or at home. If you're a woman, then you might have your first child or you might become for family oriented. It might also show you reuniting with family members. Where Cancer falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♌ Leo: This year is going to be shiny year😂. Believe me when I saw you might have children this year or focus more on your kids. If not, you might be really having the time of your life. Going on dates, having numerous crushes and admirers, having funnnn. Let's not forget that this is also the house of education. You might enroll in a partime educational course . A short educational program. If your a gambler, expect luck to rain on you this year. Your going to be fortunate In betting and gambling. Lastly and most shiny, you have the chance to be in the spotlight. You're a star✨⭐. You'll find yourself seeking attention and fame and you'll get it. Go girl/boy. plus be careful not to get too prideful. Where Leo falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♍ Virgo: Pls tryy your possible best to take care of yourself this year😬. There's a 50/50 chance of really falling sick. When I had this, that particular year was the worst of my life 😭. I normally don't fall sick but that year, it was something else.

Well apart from sickness, you'll find your self more picky and organized. You wouldn't tolerate nonsense tho 😂 . The year I had this , I literally fought with someone. If your planning on losing weight, then it'll be easier for you this year. You might also do something education related. Your schedules will be full and you'll find yourself being repetitive. You might also decide to take more care of yourself , go to spa, healthcare, clinics often and youibe very careful too 😊. I almost forgot, you'll be of service to someone that is sick , old or a baby . That year I took care of my 90 yr old Grandma. You'll pack others 💩😂 or maybe community service too.

Where Virgo falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♎ Libra ascendant: Awwn 😊, your gonna make heads turn . Having your Sr asc in the sign of partnerships and love, you should know what to expect. People are going to find you attractive as hell 😉even if you didn't change much. Your very likely to find yourself in a romantic relationship or you're going to be surrounded by people. You might get married as well !. If you're already married then your focus for this year is going to be your spouse and your marriage. Without affliction, the love btw you and your person will grow stronger. People will come to you✨.Where Libra falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♏Scorpio ascendant: This year is likely to be about transformation, death, inheritance, wealth of others,s3x, your spouse properties , surgery. Expect a transformative year because your due for a change . You can come across massive wealth this year(which is def not yours), someone might die, thereby leaving you with inheritance. You might decide to go for surgery(mostly surgery to change your looks). You might obsess over something which might be unhealthy for you. Take note. Where Scorpio falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

Your headed for a change baby!!.

♐ Sagittarius ascendant: 😋 my favorite. This year is about religion, travel 🧳 college/university, beliefs, teachers and adventure. You can't get bored this year!😋. You might be making a significant move regarding your studies, might start or finish college. You may travel overseas this year!!😋🤤. Get to experience different cultures and places. Let's not forget the spiritual side of this house. You're likely to improve in your beliefs this year or maybe even change them or convert to another religion . You will feel the presence of God. Your definitely in for luck this year. You might meet a mentor or a very great teacher. Even if you're an introvert you'll literally stand on a hill and scream 😂 lol. Where Sagittarius falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♑ Capricorn ascendant: Your job is highlighted!!. If you're looking for a job, you'll get one this year. Your concern this year is your job and public image. You might even get promoted . You are Boss!. You'll learn to accept responsibilities this year. If the stars are even more aligned, expect fame. Youll shine and be in the spotlight. You should also try to be in good terms with your Dad and other authority figures. This is a year to establish your careeer goals. You might feel a little overwhelmed.Where Capricorn falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♒ Aquarius ascendant: This year is about your hopes and wishes, community, friend group, socials, being unique and being online all the time 😂😂lol. This year you are one among the crowd. You fight for your justice and for what is right. You seem so different from the people around you. You are innovative this year. You're likely to have new friends this year or might even become popular online. Maybe you decide to boost your socials or you fulfill long term goals.Where Aquarius falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

♓ Pisces: 💦💨🌊🌬️. A year of deep introspection or isolation. This year you seek to shut the outside world so as to renew lost energy. You seek peace and quiet but don't let it throw you into depression mode. You're often more quiet this year and let your mind and soul wander in other realms. You third eye 👁️ may 👐 open. You no more seek material things of this world but seek that which last forever. Your likely to be more immersed in spiritual practices.

The bad side is that you might easily get depressed 😔, or get into drugs. There's also a chance of going to jail. I love y'all . pls be careful and don't get confused or deceived 🥺🥺Where Pisces falls in your natal chart is also going to be highlighted.

[whaledenwtf]

Hello! This might be a weird request but what about Gale, Halsin and Astarion with a s/o who's super cute and friendly and overall just a gigantic sweetheart who also happens to canonically be horrifyingly powerful. Like potentially even more destructive than Gale and the orb. Enemies who know their lore turn and run just at the mention of them and their name strikes fear into many hearts but then the camera pans over and it's this short sweetheart of a person. Literally this post basically

Thank you so so much, I really love your writing! Also Happy Holidays sweetie! ☺️

I love this idea!! I made it headcannons so it wasn't too long to read! REQUESTS ARE OPEN!! Please ask more, I love writing things for people <3

REQUEST HERE

Headcannons: Astarion, Gale and Halsin with a super cute friendly S/O who's horrifyingly powerful

Warnings: None, this is just indulgent FLUFF, Minor Spoilers for Act 1 and for Gale and Astarion's Lore

Astarion

You were always sweet with Astarion, and only made him feel comfortable and safe.

After he told you he was a vampire, you accepted him despite everyone else telling you not to!

When you told him you could beat Cazador, he didn't believe you at first because of your sweet nature.

The first time he realized you were a legend was when you guys raided the Goblin Camp to save Halsin.

You initially told everyone your name was Tav, so nobody really knew who you were.

Every Goblin met their end with a swing of your weapon, gutting them before they blinked.

It scared your companions, honestly.

When you got to Minthara, you told her your name was (Y/N), and she backed away from you.

Astarion was confused until Karlach, Wyll and Lae'zel spoke of your legendary moniker.

Wyll may be known as the "Blade of Frontiers" but you were known as "The Walking Death" and that was thrilling for Astarion.

Every monster, creature and being met their demise when face to face with you.

Astarion was a slave for 200 years, only knowing the bare minimum from Cazador. But knowing you were on his side, and under his thumb, that thrilled him!

Once you apologized about lying to your companions, they all welcomed you in their arms, especially Astarion.

As he slowly falls in love with you, he realizes that he likes knowing his significant other is not only powerful and showed no mercy, but showed him life through another lens.

You show him that love doesn't make someone weak, but stronger.

You're powerful, and having you by his side makes him feel unstoppable as well.

He is very grateful for you. You will pull him from Cazador's clutches and stay with him through it.

Despite your sweet nature, you kicked ass. You saved everyone you could, which annoyed Astarion. But he loved you despite it, and always will.

After all, why would he run away from the first good thing to happen to him?

Gale

He was also confused about who you were right away. As a scholar he spent most of his time in books, rather than the battlefield.

Honestly, his mind was distracted between the Netherese Orb in his chest and Mystra.

When you pulled him out of the portal, he was struck by your kindness.

Then he was struck by your beauty when you fought valiantly for your companions.

He was excited seeing someone so powerful near him, and honestly fell harder.

After telling you what Mystra did, you told him you'd kill her.

He laughed you off, until he saw what you could do.

Now he's worried he won't have a goddess to worship.

Your battle prowess is astounding, and he can't help but admire you as you shout commands to your companions.

You always were gentle with Gale, soft touches and sweet nothings between you two.

He always finds it difficult to associate you with your title.

"The Slayer of Man and Beast" he's heard Lae'zel and Shadowheart call you.

You always chuckle and tell them "soon you'll have to add gods to that"

Now he's even more worried about his goddess

Over time, he considers you his goddess. After all, you've protected and respected him much more than Mystra ever had.

When he tells you about the Netherese Orb, you shrug him off.

"Nothing will keep me from you, not even a bomb."

Wow

When you two are alone, he caresses your muscles and your hands. He's in love with the idea of his significant other being this battle-worn individual set to protect him

Throughout your adventure, you remind him that you would protect him with your life.

"All for little old me?"

"Nobody will stop me from protecting you. No monster or goddess."

Man you really hate Mystra for hurting Gale so bad.

You dream about smiting her and protecting Gale in your arms.

While adventuring, you always keep Gale by your side. Everyone teases you for it until you shoot them a warning glance.

You're so so good to him. You take hits for him, heal him in battle, and heal him in the privacy of his tent.

"You're too good to me." He muttered once, eyes closed.

"You've never been treated right. It's my personal duty to make sure you never doubt yourself ever again." You replied, kissing his eyelids.

He just fell harder.

Halsin

He actually knew who you were before you saved him.

When you said your name, he bowed his head in respect.

"An honour to put a face to the name" He said to you.

You told him you loved how big and safe he was.

"You're the one who would keep me safe, little one."

He wasn't wrong. You've saved him multiple times throughout your adventure.

You were very sweet with Halsin, always leaning against his arms and closing your eyes when you sit together in camp.

He found it amusing, seeing such a feared individual be so innocent and kind with him.

In his 350 years of existence, he's never been so captivated by someone like you.

When he tasked you with eradicating the Goblin Camp, he enjoyed seeing the fear in Minthara's eyes when you said your name.

Despite being a druid, he knew that with life also came death. He accepted your past.

He found the juxtaposition of your personality endearing.

One day, he was in wildshape lounging around as a bear. You laid on him and spoke about different topics regarding your life.

In that same day, he saw you obliterate 20 goblins on your own.

He never thought he'd be aroused by someone killing goblins, but you did that.

You also knew all the spots to scratch when he was a bear??

Yes that's the spot. Right behind his ears.

He liked seeing the way you treat your companions with such kindness.

You showed respect and compassion to those who you find deserve it. You helped people find safety, and feel safe.

It was beautiful, the way you showed such love to those who were close to you.

He always compared you to the ocean.

"Why the ocean?" You asked him once.

"You can be calm, bring peace. But you are also wild, strong in the most beautiful way." He replied.

He enjoyed the way you blushed.

One time, you asked him to wildshape and you rode him into battle. Nothing is scarier than seeing (Y/N) "The Tempest" riding onto a bear.

Even your companions were scared

Ever since then, you always did it. It was like couple bonding, somehow??

Gods, he loves his little tempest

Hope this is as enjoyable for you guys to read as it was for me to write!!

[shayminlucario07]

Okay y'all. The big Post-Oathbound Analysis/Thoughts/Critique(?). Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

(This was written over the course of two days in four separate sittings, and the entirety of it was written while I was out of ADHD medication. So this is probably going to be very disjointed and incomprehensible. Sorry!)

Of course, it would be criminal to start anywhere other than the center of it all- Bree. While I have some qualms about Bree's arc in Oathbound, they are small and few, and almost exclusively have nothing to do with Bree herself. Following Bloodmarked, it was very necessary for Bree to have the chance to make a clean break from the expectations put on her for her abilities- and to be able to define for herself, with the knowledge of why she has her abilities, what their purpose- and her purpose- will be. I do take some issue with the conceit of Bree losing the identities of the people she cares about, but ultimately it serves extremely well to show that Bree is not the way she is- is not WHO she is- due to their presence, nor their influence, but rather because that is who she is. And I think it's so telling that the first construct she is ever able to use her Root to construct is a shield- especially when she specifically sought out, from the whole line of Vera, a method to use it as a weapon. In order for Bree to be able to use her Root to attack, she must know how to use it to defend- first herself, and then others.

One moment of Bree's arc I particularly loved was when she, Zoe, and Elijah took the time to establish an environment where they could each safely, comfortably, and non-judgementally articulate their respective queerness, with the twins helping and encouraging Bree to put her own queer identity into words for the first time. (A brilliant moment regardless, but also an excellent example of my earlier note about Bree being able to define her own self.) I know from personal experience- on both the Bree side, as the one first articulating their identity, and on the twins' side, as the guiding figure- how meaningful and important that experience is, and I can only imagine how much more significant that experience is for Bree with everyone involved being Black.

And of course, how can I not talk about Bree and Nick, finally being able to reunite properly after Bloodmarked, and finally having the time to figure out their relationship beyond the new, tenuous thing it was at the end of Legendborn? In Bloodmarked, both Nick and Bree were broken down to their lowest, and had to build themselves back up from that- and they had to do that apart from each other. And after both of them worked on themselves, working through their own issues and reaching the point where they were able to stand on their own in confidence, they were able to come together on that shared new ground and figure out what they wanted from each other for themselves. Finally, after two-and-a-half books of others- Alice, Sel, William, Mariah, Valec, Zoe... basically everyone- calling Bree and Nick an item, defining their relationship before they had a chance to truly explore it for themselves... it was gratifying. After how little screentime (Can you use that term when talking about a book?) Nick- and by extension, Nick and Bree's relationship- got throughout Bloodmarked, it was lovely seeing the two together again.

And that, naturally, brings me to Bree and Selwyn. Bree and Sel's friendship began quite late into the events of Legendborn, but from almost the very start of the two learning respect and trust for each other, there was a distinct romantic and sexual tension- from Bree encountering Sel shirtless in one of their first interactions that wasn't explicitly antagonistic, to the iconic "Cariad" scene- and this tension carried forward into Bloodmarked. Due to Nick's absence throughout most of Bloodmarked, his and Bree's relationship becomes a major focus throughout the book, and the two- and their relationship, in turn- undergoes a great deal of development. However, throughout Oathbound, Selwyn is mostly absent, like Nick was in Bloodmarked. As such, there is similarly little relationship progression between him and Bree; I'll refrain from talking about their relationship in Oathbound until the discussion of Selwyn as a whole, as there isn't much development therein, but what is worth noting is that when Bree loses part of her soul, she forgets the tension between herself and Sel, where she doesn't for Nick. Personally, I interpreted this to be a result of her most prominent feeling being her feeling of responsibility for his Demonia, whereas her most prominent feeling for Nick being a result of having to leave him behind, when he was running for her.

Moving on to our secondary characters, we'll start how the book itself does- with William. Now, don't get me wrong- I love William. However. I... really don't know why he was a point-of-view character in this book? Beyond the scene where he tells Lark about the abuse Nick faced as a child, his only purpose as a POV character seems to be to obfuscate Nick, and this scene could easily be delivered through a flashback from Nick's own point-of-view. Alternately, William's point-of-view could have been used more through the latter half of the book- which would also serve as a way to check in with the rest of the Order, such as Greer, who are very absent throughout the majority of Oathbound. Seeing William and Lark's tension develop was quite nice, though.

Mariah, on the other hand, was quite a neat new perspective. While she is a medium like Bree, her own variation of Medium abilities are very interestingly different, and through the vehicle of Mariah's perspective, we get to see more of Valechaz and the Rootcrafter network, the two most interesting aspects of Bloodmarked, in my opinion. It was also lovely to see how utterly Mariah and her aunts were so devoted to helping Bree- she deserves that level of dedication, and it was absolutely heartening to see Bree get the love and respect she deserves, after two books of the Order- and frankly, most others- treating her like shit.

Elijah and Zoelle were absolute delights. The two gave so much context to Erebus. Also, Zoe being a badass trans cambion? Iconic. I loved how she joined in on Bree and Mariah's girltalk so seamlessly, and it was wonderful to see her shame Bree on keeping her boy drama secret.

Speaking of Bree's boy drama... Nick Davis. While he had a whole character arc off-page in Bloodmarked, it was entirely possible to fill in the blanks of what we didn't see with his presence in Oathbound. I am incredibly proud of how he stepped up to force the Order to face the dark truth of how Bree became the Scion of Arthur- especially considering how closely tied he himself is to that abhorrent history. Seeing Nick finally openly face, acknowledge, and denounce the disgusting and horrific nature of the Order was cathartic. His example is one that I hope to follow, no matter how inconvenient and uncomfortable it is.

And finally, one cannot talk about Selwyn Kane in Oathbound without simultaneously talking about Natasia Kane. Finally getting to see Natasia was immensely satisfying, given how much build-up she's had throughout the series, and seeing her wholehearted devotion to Faye- even without the knowledge that Faye was the Scion of Arthur- serves to highlight not only how genuinely wonderful the Matthews women are, but also to showcase how the Kingsmages feel the draw to serve and protect their king, even if they don't know who their king truly is. But that isn't to insinuate that the only thing drawing Natasia and Selwyn to Faye and Bree is their status as the Scion of Arthur- because truly, that's all their own. Bree, like her mother before her, earns that devotion on her own merit, and is not defined by her bloodline. Natasia's love for Faye was so beautifully true that it extended to her husband and daughter, too, and it was a delight to see how utterly willing she was to act in defense of Edwin and Bree. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit more to Natasia's devotion to Faye than mere friendship alone, but even if it is just platonic friendship, the strength of their relationship is one that I can only dream of achieving myself one day.

As for Sel... seeing his Demonia progress was painful to witness. At no point was he not himself throughout the book, it was horrifying to see how his worst characteristics were forced to the forefront above all else. The combination of his own personal dedication to Bree and his Demonia-induced craving for her Root twisted his affection for her into something that just felt sinister, even if he never explicitly took hostile action against Bree. Seeing him treat Nick and Bree as cruelly as he does- especially knowing the history he and Nick have of doing exactly that- was heartrending, but seeing the level of care that they still held for him, even in the wake of this treatment gives me faith for the future. The thing that must be remembered is that Sel willingly chose this for himself, because he decided Bree was worth it. I know for a fact that Nick feels exactly the same, and that shared absolute devotion to her is without a doubt going to help bridge the newly-widened gap between them. And of course, there's Bree herself- Bree, who can do anything she puts her mind to. If she wants to help bring Sel back to himself- and I wholeheartedly believe that she does- she will succeed. Those three care for each other so deeply that I cannot doubt they'll make it through this.

And finally, the reveal of reveals- that Selwyn Kane is the son of the Shadow King. What will this mean? Well... I have some ideas, I think. I have no doubt that this is going to cause some pretty damn sizeable relationship drama, to say the least, but I don't believe for a second that Sel is going to become a major antagonist- or even an antagonist at all, for that matter. Legendborn, as a series, is intrinsically tied to the past- specifically, to the pain within it, how that affects us in our current lives, and how we can and should carry that forward, letting it inform how we go about our lives and guide us onto a better path than we had been on before. This isn't a series with one antagonist, one enemy to overcome- the conflict is systemic, not individual. The efforts against Bree are not the result of actions by any one specific person, but the structural, systemic racism of the Legendborn Order. It is not the regents' plots to lock her away and usurp her, and experiment on her, and use her as a pawn in their games; it is not Vaughn and Tor and their overt racism towards her; it is not the widespread distrust that the Order has for her as an outsider, both an outsider of the Order and as a Black girl; it is all of this, together, compounding on itself. It is the structure as a whole being designed against not just her, but everyone not at the top of the ladder; it is the exploitation of the Scions, and the Legions; it is the Abatement, and throwing the lives of people of all kinds into the meat grinder, not to end the danger that the Shadowborn pose, but to prolong the war and preserve the position of power that the Regents and the highborn of the Order hold; it is the systematic hunting of Rootcrafters, Morgaines, and any users of magic not under the oppression of the Order; it is the meticulous, eugenicist controlling of "bloodline purity" to preserve the inheritance of the Lines, and produce stronger Merlins that will be more reliant on the Oaths, and controlling of every little facet of the Scions' lives up to, during, and after their awakening.

When Bree asked Nick if he would stand with her if she wanted to burn it all to the ground, that was not a hypothetical. At least, that is what I believe. The Legendborn legacy is one of pain and suffering- and that is not just true for their own. The Rootcrafters suffer beneath the totalitarian oppression of the Order; even the Shadowborn themselves are impacted extremely negatively by the war's perpetuation! We have seen, with Valechaz and his brokering of contracts, with Zoe and Elijah and their willingness to aid Bree in saving Rootcrafters they don't even know from being harvested as fuel by Shadowborn, even the Shadow King that they are personal wards of, and more, that even those "On the wrong side" of the war are impacted negatively by the war, how they are harmed by it, and how they are denied the chance to thrive in harmony with the world, by those in power on all sides- by the Legendborn Order, by the Shadow King and his Nightshade court, and by every structure of power in place that perpetuates the cycle. This is the conflict of the series, and this is the obstacle that Bree and her allies work to overcome and defeat. Not any individual or individuals, but the systems that they participate in, perpetuate, and control. And even if this conflict can be fixated down to a few specific individuals, Selwyn Kane is not one of them, even as the son of the Shadow King.

Our main trio, Bree, Sel, and Nick, are three of the most powerful entities in the plot. Bree, the Scion of Arthur and the strongest Rootcrafter currently alive. Sel, the son of the Shadow King and of one of the strongest Merlins in history. Nick, the Scion of Lancelot, raised to be the heir of the entire Legendborn order. And of course, that's not even all of the players on the board- there's Valechaz, a balanced Cambion, son of a Nightshade, and major power player in the demonic world; there's Mariah, who very much seems to have been established as the heiress of the Grand Dame, who can use her medium abilities to restrict the Shadowborn and those in league with them; there's William, the Scion of Gawain, who for two hours every day is the most physically powerful person there is, and who is a master of aether healing; and of course, there is Alice Chen, who in her very brief appearance in Oathbound, is established to be actively defying death by sheer force of will alone, has seemingly developed her own supernatural abilities entirely independent of any established form of inheritance, and whose intelligence and stubbornness allowed her to overcome a mesmer from a master- because I don't believe that it was Bree's power alone that made Alice immune to mesmers. There is Natasia Kane, one of the most powerful Merlins in the history of the Order who was able to overcome being cast out from the Order and denied her Oaths, consigned to progressing in her Demonia beyond the point of any Merlin's recorded survival; and there is an entire new generation of Legendborn Scions and Squires, and past generations of Legendborn Lieges and even Vassals that could turn away from the Order and follow Bree- and I believe that several of them will. All of these people, all at different levels of power and influence, working in concert to overcome the structures set against them and create something new and better in its wake, are all but guaranteed to succeed.

When book four comes around, while I'm afraid for the future of the characters we love- including and especially Sel, for whom I have a very great affinity, and whose fate seems to be the most potentially tragic- I have both enough faith in Tracy Deonn's writing and understanding of the story she has written, and enough faith in the characters within it, to be truly afraid for the future of the series and its characters. I want what is best for these characters who I love, and I have full faith in both them and in Tracy Deonn to bring that about.

TL;DR, while I felt there were flaws in Oathbound, its story, and its structure, I am eager and excited for the future of the series and optimistic that things will end well for those involved, and I will be waiting very impatiently for the next book. I do not believe that Selwyn will become an antagonist, and still hold absolute faith that he, Nick, and Bree will all end up happily in the end, together, as they care far too much about each other to let any of them fall. There is far more in store for Alice Chen than any of us know, and of course, Bree Matthews will accomplish everything she puts her mind to- of that, I am certain, and I cannot wait to see it.

[throwawayyyyyyayay]

Elain off and on page ACOSF

Spoilers for acosf ... duh.

I have to make this post because I haven't seen any connections made like the ones I'm about to make. Lots of quotes.. ACOSF is Nesta's arc but Elain's plot builds with it (if you noticed it)

*No BC quotes in this

Elain starts the book agreeing to Nesta's intervention and not being present during the ultimatium given to Nesta by Rhys and Feyre.. Elain insteads packs Nesta's belongings to be transported to house of wind. I assume Mor or Azriel take her belongings there because they are the only IC members not present at the intervention..

In SF, Nesta mentions often Elain in the past, which allows Archeron character development, but I want to speak on current plot points. This is the only time from the past I'll mention because Feyre's POV never saw Elain as this dark or desperate. ACOTAR 6 will we find out about Elain's darkest days?? Let there be light!

Finally Elain and Nesta interact *200* pages into Nesta's story. A long time for sister's who were inseperable from Feyre's POV. It's a significant momement for these two. In fact, all their interactions are significant plot points!

Elain is over Graysen and doesn't breakdown like Nesta expected at her mention of him. BECAUSE Elain does not need a male!

Nesta KNOWS the hurt she causes Elain will make her cry. SJM eludes someone will witness the tears. Elain!!! tell me whose shoulder you cry on??

*Not Rhys* .. Nesta anticipated Elain to fall apart on the way home, but she also thought mentioning Grayson would make her sob. Elain is stronger than Nesta thinks. But that doesnt mean she still wont cry at some point...

TBH Imma cry . I have a feeling SJM is gonna destroy my heart and soul... and yall are fighting about who f***s who 😭 Remember these as the good ol days...

Azriel knows Elain better than Nesta at this point in time.. A day after the sisters' fall out and after *learning* pivotal information about the Trove, can we assume he's concerned about Elain? YES with that vibes change, check YES

Elain joins the IC conversation only to get *slammed* by Nesta. We know Nes can dish the burns but Elain's dialogue brings boss babe vibes. Even when hurt, she doesn't resort to demeaning language but instead slaps with the truth and leaves. MIC DROP! Girl has emotional intelligence.

Throwing this in for the *SPICE*

So why mention Elain in the middle of Nesta mentally putting herself as the fixings of a bat boy sandwich?? Human Elain may have fainted, Fae Elain HAS to share her thoughts in her book after this sentence...

SPILL👏THAT👏TEA👏

Immediately after the IC discussion about scrying, Cas is even suspicous about what Elain and Feyre are up to in the morning. I agree Cas, they likely are not in a garden..

As I mentioned Azriel knows Elain at this point... Also may or may not have been the off page shoulder for Elain to cry on but thats headcanon for another time... He has FEELINGS about Elain being exposed to the Dread Trove.. Let's reflect quietly about this man's temper in ACOWAR ....... Be careful how you speak about my High lady & amen.

This Chapter is Elain heavy dialogue. I dont think we've ever heard this woman speak this much, and you know none of it is without purpose! She moves the plot with this dance conversation and the way she speaks makes you know she knows what she is doing! Girl brings the plot!

Ope- Didnt forget!- Gotta go back and drop these lines in. Elain is shy around Azriel and he smiles at her. Are all the *private* moments they've shared making the public ones awkward? I'm puzzled too, Cas. SJM piece it together for us!

Didn't mention Hewn City but that just made her look boss af. She showed up, she played her part, and she let Nesta out shine her on purpose, as noticed by Eris!

But yall .. SOLSTICE CHANGES EVERYTHING

The sister's get their first private moment since the fight! "You came for me" ?.. oh, nay nay -

*You came*

A Good Sign!

The sister's make their peace and enjoy the presence of another again. Elain laughs at Nesta's exclamation which isn't new Nesta banter in this story but is new for their relationship! Oh, how the Fae times have changed!

But then... dun dun dun!!! who hovers at the sound of Elain's laugh? OH maybe just the male who actually knows what's going on with both sisters. Our ever observant Spy Master! Headcannon time is now!

HC: The well known gaze is CHARGED because Azriel was there for Elain after her last conversation with Nesta. She knows that he knows that she cried and he is here. for. her! Ugh. my breath catches too, babe.

*

*

No quotes but Elain is then mentioned during Nyx's birth. She is supportive but doesn't have any dialogue. She is also FROZEN crying when Nesta is using the harp. But any one else wondering if Elain uses any powers during this emotional moment? Mother's prayers be heard 🙏

Edit: I left out the 3 sisters (+Nyx) having a sweet moment in the msmory of their father, together, finally. sweet way to end the book🤟but all character building, not a plot build so hmmm, rudely i did not mention the beautiful, necessary and a nice fade to black scene - cut- curtain closes, queue the standing applause and future ship brawls 😳 🤮

Alright. thanks for the long read! If this spoiled anything for you, why did you read this? Hope you enjoy... or at least find joy somewhere in your day if it ain't here! 🫶

[mayonesamitch]

Lets yap about Geode and why it's practically canon!

Contains spoilers

Okay I've been wanting to write this for a while but never had time to. However, winter break just started! I should be working on some unfinished school work but I don't care about school. So here it goes! This is basically why Geode (Cole x Geo) is canon/will be canon.

So first, I wanted to talk about how Cole never really had an actual love interest up until now. Sure, in season 3, there was the stupid love triangle thing with him, Jay, and Nya, but it was confirmed by the writers that Cole never really had feelings for Nya and was just confused by the attention she gave to him. I'd also like to assume that P.I.X.A.L's perfect match detector thing also threw him off. (I'm just gonna call her Pixal for the remainder of this, yes she'll be mentioned again)

He also never had much of a romantic relationship with Vania. Sure, they were close and had a great friendship together, but that's where it ends, just a friendship. They never really did anything more. And when it comes to Ninjago, they make the love interest very obvious.

The writers are also very aware that they haven't given Cole a love interest. They make subtle jokes about it, like in this scene. While the ninja are hanging out with their significant other (expect for Lloyd who had a love interest but uh... we saw what happened the Harumi...) except for Cole. He's instead looking at the cake that the woman is holding up. The writers of the show also have said that his love interest is cake as a joke, so they're aware that they haven't given him a love interest yet.

They also once posted this on the Lego.com website as a poll. This might be far fetched but to me it implies that there might be someone else in the future that will be Cole's lover. I know that it says girlfriend but it doesn't mean that the someone Cole is yet to meet can't be a guy. Maybe Cole is a bisexual too we can't take that completely off the table either.

Now, let's talk about the actual ship of Geo × Cole. Geo is not as social as the other and is more timid. He keeps more to himself. However, with Cole, he's an open book. He raised a whole family with him. They're also rather close. Cole has never been that close to anyone other than the other ninja, and even so, it still took him a while to get used to them. So him being so close to Geo as fast as he did is quite attached to Geo. And if that isn't gay then I don't know what it is.

Now this is the part where I talk about my personal favorite and probably one of the most canon ships ever in Ninjago, PixZane. (Pixal x Zane, told you I was gonna mention Pixal again 😉) It is very obvious that they love each other and is canon that they're dating. So, why did I mention them? Well, they never explicitly say, "We're dating." Instead they say that they're "compatible." Zane also says that she has "Half of my (his) heart" Which all of those are all just says of saying that they're in love and dating. Also they both have a strong attachment together. I mean, Zane is desperate for Pixal in Dragons Rising, and in the comic, Zane's Pixal Project, he's so desperate for her and is willing is sacrifice himself for her. In fact, Pixal only says, "I love you." In Crystalized. Took them only 8 years to finally hear something less nindroid-y but that just proves my point more. Yeah, with all of that plus the stuff I didn't mention, they're dating at least.

So why did I mention all of this? Well, a common rule for story writing is, "Show, don't tell." Very common in real life to, like phrases like, "Your actions speak more that your words." So they would apply that rule to a ship like Geode. I mean, the hints are very loud, yet sneaky in a way. Enough for me to apply the gay label but not enough for someone to say it's 100% without a doubt canon.

I'd also like to say that the writers of the show hype up and imply this ship more than a little. One of the writers of Ninjago posted this on his Instagram. The writer is also gay so that's some extra points. (I got it from here.) Also I just realized that the little effect thing around their hands make a heart, so I'll add that to the evidence list. Also this clip, Doc Wyatt seems to support the ship. So I'm pretty sure the writers are planning something big for them, maybe... a kiss? Who knows?

Now, in the end, it is a gay ship, so they have to be much more vivid about it or else the show could get banned in certain places around the world if they do make it canon. However, other cartoons do have canon LGBTQ+ representation that's more prominent. (Ex. The Loud House - Clyde's dads (Howard and Harold McBride) + Luna is a bisexual, Adventure Time - Princess Bubblegum and Marceline) Plus, there is some LGBTQ+ throughout the show which I talk about more here. (Shameless plugging XD) So it wouldn't be out of character for Ninjago add a gay ship in the series. Not only will it give them more open doors since it shows how they're willing to add queer relationships into the show, so they might add some more queer relationships. It would also make Cole the first canon LGBTQ+ ninja of the main 6.

Okay, well I think that's about all I have to say about the most gay characters in Ninjago. Also thank you for all the likes + reblogs on my queer Ninjago post, I like yapping about this show clearly, especially the queer part cause I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community so I might as well spread my pride. I literally love Geode so much please make it canon in my life.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys their winter break, gets lots of presents this year for Christmas, and stay up for New Years. Make sure to stay healthy and have lots of fun with family and friends.

[graceshouldwrite]

The Most Powerful Hack to Make Your Readers Cry

You’ve seen it all: show, don’t tell, plant a visceral image in the reader’s brain of the environment/character, write a complex character arc with lots of growth and setbacks, establish deep relationships, high stakes, etc. 

All the advice for making readers cry I’ve seen so far is basically that list. But, while those things are absolutely important, I find that the thing that always does the trick, whether as a tipping point or in and of itself, is this: 

THE CALLBACK! 

Before we move on, this is an ANALYSIS heavy post, so all the book + show examples contain spoilers!!

So, what do I mean by a “callback?” Think of Chekhov’s gun, but, here, you use the gun to pierce your reader’s heart. As a refresher for anyone who needs it, Chekhov’s gun is just a rule in writing that anything you introduce in the book should play some role in the plot.

Specifically, the name comes from the example that if a reader introduces a gun in the first act, it MUST go off later, (maybe, say, in the third act). For example, in the TV show Breaking Bad, the protagonist Walter White prepares a vial of poison (ricin) that he wanted to use to eliminate an opponent early on in the series. After the assassination attempt falls through, the ricin makes an appearance again in the very last episode of the show, when Walt finally uses it to kill another opponent. 

Got that? Alright, onto the examples of successful, tearjerking callbacks: 

1. The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan); “Family, Luke, you promised.” 

Context: The character Annabeth says this line. Years ago, Annabeth had run away from home, and Luke had effectively adopted her into a found family with another kid named Thalia. Common reason for leaving home = parental trauma! Yay! He promised Annabeth that they would be each other’s “family” from now on. 

Now: Kronos, the antagonist titan, has possessed the demigod Luke and uses his body to strike Annabeth, injuring her. She’s also holding a dagger that Luke had given her when she joined his “family.”

Significance: her words + the dagger are a mental + physical reminder to Luke of his promise. They force him to recognize the sheer degree of his current betrayal by bringing him back to a different time. The fact that their found family only happened because of parental trauma bringing them together makes it worse—Luke felt abandoned by his Olympian father, Hermes. Now, he realizes that he basically did the equivalent to Annabeth by joining the titans. 

2. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo); Jean Valjean’s death 

Context:  At the beginning of the book, the bishop had caught Valjean trying to steal candlesticks to sell. Instead of handing him over to the police, the bishop told the police that he had given them to Valjean, saving him from arrest and showing him mercy. This changed his life forever, kickstarting his character redemption arc. 

Now: Jean Valjean dies surrounded by his loved ones, remembered as a benevolent man who bettered thousands of lives. He’s surrounded by light from candlesticks that once belonged to a bishop.

Context: Valjean had once taken in an impoverished woman named Fantine, showing her mercy and promising to take care of her daughter, Cosette, after Fantine died. Valjean then rescued Cosette from abusive quasi-foster parents (it’s a long story), raising her as his own daughter. This furthered his arc by allowing him to finally understand how unconditionally loving someone feels. 

Now: Valjean describes Fantine to Cosette, who never knew her mother. 

Significance: Both examples throw readers back to much earlier points in the story before the completion of Valjean’s character arc. In a way, this final scene feels like an external manifestation of his kindness paying off; both he and the reader feels a sense of accomplishment, relief, and just a general “OMG WE MADE IT.” Readers don’t feel cheated, because they were with Valjean every step of his 1,400 page arc. The weight of it all just crashes down on you...

3. Your Lie in April (anime); Kaori’s letter after she dies

Context: Kaori’s entire plot significance is that she helps Kousei, a piano prodigy who can’t play piano anymore due to traumatic parental memories associated with it, play again—but also, just to help him enjoy life again after a turbulent upbringing. She meets him a year before she dies of a medical condition, and her free spirit + confidence influences him to find beauty in life and music again. They basically do a crap ton of crazy funny stuff together lol

Now: Kaori has died, and she leaves a letter to him. Among other general confessions and thoughts, she references things they did and memories they shared: she says, “sorry we couldn’t eat all those canelés,” reminisces about  jumping with him off a small bridge into the stream below, “racing each other alongside the train,” singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as they rode the bike together, etc.

Significance: Yes, the nature of the letter is just sad because she’s revealing that she loved him all along, apologizing for not being able to spend more time with him, lying that she didn’t like him (to spare his feelings b/c she knew she would die soon), etc. BUT, these small details highlight exactly how many experiences they shared, and the depth of their relationship. Thus, they emphasize the significance of her death and the emptiness it leaves behind. 

4. Arcane (show); “I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I’m different.” 

Context: Character Jinx says this in the last episode to her now estranged older sister, Vi. Without going into the crazy complex plot, basically, orphans Vi and Jinx used to care for each other before a bunch of crap went down that got them separated. They then grew up on opposite political sides; Jinx grows up on the side of the underbelly city rebellion, and Vi grows up working on the side of the richer city that essentially oppresses the undercity. Thus begins the development of their opposing viewpoints and work environments, to the point where they always meet on opposite sides of a political battle, never able to come together as a family or understand each other again. 

Now: After a super dramatic confrontation, Jinx reveals that although she wants Vi to love her like she did before their separation, she knows it’s not possible because “[Vi] changed too.” She finishes with, “so, here’s to the new us” before blowing up a political council meeting a few blocks down filled with people Vi sides with. Oops! This cleanly seals the fate of their relationship as something basically irreparable.  

Significance: This callback isn’t through literal flashbacks or items like in the previous examples. Jinx’ lines are enough to bring back images of their childhood to the audience’s mind. Now, the audience subconsciously places this image of: 1) two sisters so different, hurt, and torn apart, right next to 2) the image of two sisters as innocent children who loved each other and would care for each other no matter what. 

Why do callbacks work so well? 

If you’ve noticed something in common with all of them, you’re right: they remind audience of a time BEFORE the characters have come so far on their arcs, developed, and put on so much more emotional baggage. 

Callbacks force the audience to SUDDENLY and IMMEDIATELY feel the weight of everything that’s happened. The character’s anguish and overwhelming emotions become the audience’s in this moment. Callbacks are a vehicle for the juxtaposition of worlds, before and after significant development. 

This works because we, as mortals, fear IMPERMANENCE the most. We fear LOSS. For us, time gone is time we will never get back; callbacks make us face that exact fact through a fictional character. A lost moment, time period, or even part of oneself may hurt as much as losing a loved one, and nothing makes humans grieve more than the realization of a loss. A callback slaps the audience in the face with the fact that something was lost; loss hurts so much because almost 99% of the time, what’s gone is gone forever. 

Of course, a good callback requires good previous character development, stakes, imagery, and all that jazz, but I thought I’d highlight this specifically because of how under covered it is. 

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

I’ve been binging general media lately: I finished Death Note, Your Lie in April, and Tokyo Ghoul all within like a month (FIRST ANIMES I”VE EVER WATCHED!!), reread lots of Les Miserables, analyzed a bunch of past shows like Breaking Bad, watched a bunch of My Little Pony, worked to fix up my old writing... and that’s not even all! The amount of times I’ve CRIED while enjoying the above media and so much more honestly just inspired this post. 

Like, no joke, my eyes were almost always swollen during this period whenever I hung out with my friends and it was so embarrassing help 

Personally, I just find that this method works super well for me, and I watched a bunch of reaction videos to these above scenes (and read book reviews on the book scenes I mentioned), and it seemed that just about everyone cried during these parts. That’s when I realizes that the callback might also just be a universal thing. 

Anyway, this post is long and dense enough as is. SORRY! As always, hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated <3333

Happy writing, and have a great day,

- grace <3

[markantonys]

speculating on a couple of tidbits from the interviews! book spoilers in my thoughts for sure, and potential show spoilers as well given that the cast has been revealing a fair amount of specific information in these interviews.

if you want to know which tidbit comes from which interview, i probably will not be able to tell you because i've been watching/reading so many of them all day haha

off the top, i might be wishful thinking, but i just keep getting the vibe that rafe & the cast lowkey know s4 is happening but just aren't allowed to say so yet. idk, just little sentences here and there where they seem to speak about next season/s4 as if it's a given and then tack on a "hopefully" "if we get renewed".

rafe said that lanfear and lews therin haven't had a scene together "YET [significant look]", so i'm hoping this means we'll get a flashback of them this season!!! whether as a cold open or as part of the rhuidean sequence. this season flirting with the idea of rand genuinely falling for and siding with lanfear makes it the perfect time to include a lanfear/lews flashback, so i think the odds are good!

he also confirmed that both lews therin and ishamael are in this season, which we already basically knew given that both actors were leaked to be returning, ishy is on the poster, and lews is a guaranteed presence every season.

various Forsaken Comments from him and natasha imply to me that we'll be meeting more than one new one this season (notably, the discussion about lanfear trying to ally with the other forsaken sounded like they were talking about more than one potential ally, and we can probably assume moggy is not included as a potential ally lanfear is courting since she made her stance clear to lanfear in s2). we already figured we'd be getting asmodean this season since it's his time to enter, and between "gaebril" confirmed as a character and leaks of a possible sammael audition script, it's definitely never been crazy to think we could get 2+ new ones this season, but still, very exciting to consider!

i may be misremembering, but i believe josha made a comment indicating that the bubble of evil mirror attack at the inn (which he confirmed involves an Evil Rand trying to kill egwene) happens *before* egwene's accepted test in the first episode. this is interesting because i'd been assuming that egwene's accepted test would be one of the first things we see after the shredding and that the bubbles of evil would be the ending climax of the first episode. if rand and egwene are hooking up or about to hook up during the bubbles of evil, then now we're looking at that being maybe midway or 2/3 through the episode instead of the very end, which potentially leaves some space for them to have some kind of Relationship Talk by the end of the first episode, whether that be an official breakup or just a not-yet-final expression of the idea that things aren't going so well between them. their connection will continue to be a focal one of the whole season, of course, but i'm curious to see how long it will take the Final Breakup to occur. will that happen early on and they're in an awkward exes-who-still-care-about-each-other phase for the rest of the season, or will they be will-they-won't-they-ing for most of the season before officially calling it quits?

rosamund mentioned that moiraine and rand are so affected by what they see in rhuidean that lan can't get through to moiraine and egwene can't get through to rand when they first return. so at the very least, egwene is still providing (or attempting to) emotional support to rand in SOME capacity by midseason (but i would expect that to be the case regardless of their official relationship status, since they continue to care about each other no matter what). feels like a potentially similar vibe to book!rand retreating into his hermit crab shell after hearing the tale of his parents post-rhuidean and not wanting to talk to anyone (besides mat sitting calmly and quietly with him all day, RIP to a great cauthor moment </3 but the show has already invented so many other great cauthor moments that i'll call it even!)

it's a shame that maddy and zoe aren't part of this round of interviews, at least so far, because i'd love to hear some randgwene insight from maddy to add color to josha's and rafe's perspectives! josha seems ready to call randgwene a fully past love whereas rafe makes it sound like a more drawn-out arc, so i don't know exactly what to expect. not mad about having mysteries left, though!

donal mentioned mat is uncontrollably spouting old tongue, which i'm guessing might be the "downside" (or one of multiple downsides?) of being the hornblower that one of this morning's interviewers referred to. i'm forgetting any other specific Mat Things of note (aside from rafe confirming that they got to do that mat-siuan TDR scene basically exactly as it is in the book), but overall i just love the way donal talks about the character, it's so clear how in tune he is with mat's emotional depth and inherent goodness and not just his Cool Guy persona that so much of the fandom sees as the main piece of his character. (i'm tired of the "mat is finally coming into his own and becoming more like himself" fan takes, if you didn't love him at his saddest wettest and most pathetic then you don't deserve him at his coolest!) ooh, something i loved was donal mentioning somewhere that mat doesn't like having people depend on him and linking that to his childhood trauma of not being able to rely on his own parents and of being parentified very young with his little sisters. not sure whether mat's backstory will actually be that relevant to his characterization this season or if donal was just psychoanalyzing mat for his own interest, but either way i love it! another great example of taking a trait that book!mat has (doesn't want responsibility) and grounding it in something more mature/relatable that makes mat seem a bit more sympathetic and a bit less flakey/irresponsible/childish. donal's repeated emphasis on mat's loyalty to his friends and wanting to be their emotional support (to the extent where he wishes his only role was Emotional Support Of Important Friends rather than being important himself) makes my heart very happy <3

marcus seems so excited for us to see faile and her relationship with perrin, and that makes me excited! it sounds like she's going to bulldoze into perrin's life as a breath of fresh air to give him a kick in the pants and jog him out of his moping ("moping" being marcus's word for it, not mine haha no one can say perrin isn't justified in moping given everything he's been through to date!). perrin and faile were always an exercise in opposites attract, but the way marcus talks about it makes it sound like the show is really committed to showing why someone so different from perrin is good for him and betters his life (and no doubt vice versa once we get to know faile and HER life more and see how perrin is good for her), which is really sweet and gets at the best of what this romance could be. he also mentioned them being aware of faile being a divisive character and isabella worrying people wouldn't like her haha don't worry girl there are lots of us in your corner!! only tasteless fools hate faile!

i'm wondering about when min might arrive. when marcus was listing out characters who are hanging out at the start of the season, he only namedropped the EF5, elayne, and aviendha, and so far we have nothing to indicate that min is involved in the tavern bonding times. that doesn't mean she isn't! since we also know there are additional characters not mentioned by marcus (bain, chiad, loial). still, i wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't show up until episode 2 or 3 in order to leave a bit more space in ep1 for all the other characters we have to catch up with. curious to see whether they'll make an effort to have her encounter rand and aviendha before they go, or if, like in cairhien in s2, they'll let her and rand be briefly in the same place without crossing paths. it wouldn't hurt to remind us that they know each other and take another step in establishing a connection, but rand has already got so many relationship dynamics new and old going on this season and he already had a good (and fairly lengthy, not to mention emotionally significant) one-on-one scene with min back in s1, so min might be lower on the list of characters who need to have Rand Time before he heads off to the waste.

there was a mention (i think by rafe) of nynaeve and elayne hunting the black ajah in the halls of the tower (in the context of them wanting to make the tower's visual ambience more spooky this season), so that must be what they're up to in the first few episodes since they don't head out to tanchico until the back half.

ceara and an interviewer made reference to elayne feeling torn between her duty to andor and to her other adventures out in the world, which further solidifies my guess that the scene of elayne putting on a crown is an IRL scene of morgase applying some pressure to her about the Weight Of The Crown during her visit to the tower. also, ceara and ayoola said that elayne and avi feel an immediate connection because they have so much in common in terms of duty etc and have more similarities than differences despite seeming to be such opposite women on the outside <3 name a more iconic duo than avirandlayne + the inherent romance of duty!

rafe confirmed there is a new shadowspawn type this season, but it isn't a draghkar. i don't remember what other kinds there are and also don't really care, so i'll leave this with you nerds (affectionate) to speculate on.

i felt josha was getting into veeeeery dangerous waters when he mentioned filming an emotional scene involving rand and moiraine that felt like they were saying goodbye, but he said that rosamund in that scene was the best acting performance he's ever seen and she was like "oh! you've never told me that" and was clearly very touched, and it was so sweet!!

god i feel like there were so many other random little tidbits that i was intrigued by, but i'm forgetting them already, which is probably for the best so that i don't know TOO much going in!

[mryoyo000]

“Wicked” Book and Musical Thoughts (SPOILERS)

in advance: these are just my personal thoughts—I am not trying to force my opinion on anyone and I welcome any disagreement!

SPOILERS (also long sorry) also for the sake of writing this I actually went back and reread Wicked for the first time in several years.

I think it might be helpful for people to consider that Wicked the book, and Wicked the musical, are not just different in terms of plot and tone, they are ultimately telling two different stories with different goals. If you are having a hard time reconciling the musical/movie to the book or vice versa, this might be one way to look at it.

I think the differences ultimately add up to two entirely different stories. The book is a lot darker, definitely not written for younger audiences, and it also has a very different scope. The musical is about Elphaba, and primarily it’s focused on Elphaba’s relationship with Glinda. The book is attempting to tell a sort of epic scale story (whether or not it succeeds in that) about the times in Oz during Elphaba’s life—and Glinda has significantly less overall prominence and presence than in the musical.

I don’t think you can overestimate the significance of this difference. This might be one of the most fundamental differences between the book and the show/movie—Glinda is central to the musical, but only one among an ensemble in the book. I have critiques about the book which I won’t get into in depth here, but this is NOT one of them and I actually think that, for what the book is trying to be (which is NOT what the musical is trying to be), Glinda’s relative lack of prominence is the right decision. The book goes through a number of perspectives before reaching Elphaba herself, and all of these other voices are among the people in her life who either died and/or became estranged from her. (Elphaba does not become the point of view until she’s reached the point where she starts referring to herself as “the Witch.”) In the book, Glinda functions as one among many of Elphaba’s relationships that fell apart and failed over time—there cannot be a central relationship between them in the book because the book is telling a story about Elphaba losing everyone in her life.

So the book is not trying to be “about” Elphaba and Glinda, and the story it is telling about Elphaba is a lot bleaker than the one that the musical is telling.

Elphaba’s story in the book is about loss, and also about failure. I think this is also one thing that causes the book to be controversial. Elphaba is unable to succeed in the book—for all of her revolutionary sympathies, she is constantly prevented (narratively) from making any actual difference. The sad joke of the book is that the “wicked witch of the west” title wasn’t given to Elphaba even out of spite—it was transferred to her because Nessarose was already being called the wicked witch of the east. Elphaba isn’t even treated as a wicked witch for the most part—she’s seen as an oddity, and she’s more mocked than feared.

for anyone reading this post who is also an ASOIAF reader, I would make comparisons between Elphaba and Catelyn, since in the book Elphaba’s final confrontation with Dorothy shows her at her most broken (she is only called the Witch at this point) after an entire book’s worth of loss, and of seeing all of her hopes never come to fruition.

the tragedy of the musical is that Elphaba was never evil, just misunderstood and labeled by others.

the tragedy of the book is that in the last moments of her life, Elphaba really did become the wicked witch, after a lifetime of being broken down. She was genuinely threatening to kill Dorothy out of paranoia.

It’s a strangely private scene though, because Dorothy is the only person who witnesses Elphaba’s final breakdown. This moment of real “wickedness” is only seen by Dorothy, no one else in the story knows about it, and it ends anyway with Elphaba’s destruction.

There is a lot more to get into as far as differences (Glinda is an entirely different character, so are Boq and Nessarose etc.) but I think I wanted to mainly focus here on Elphaba and also to say that I think the book is at least worth reading to find out how you personally feel about it. last but not least but also not relevant to the post as much, I would say that out of the Gregory Maguire books I’ve read, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is my favorite and I would personally say that I think it’s better than Wicked, both as a book in its own right and as a reworking of a classic story. I would recommend it as an introduction to Maguire’s writing even before Wicked, because it’s a more focused and smaller story and I think it has stronger characterization. It has typically Maguire sardonic dialogue but overall is less cynical than Wicked, so it’s less heavy—no need to slog through fascist dystopia Oz with this one.

[choosingwhatmatters]

Music in The Loyal Pin, Episode 1

My goodness, what a beautiful chocolate brownie of a first episode! There are already wonderful posts about the way in which the funds of the series have been put to good use. One aspect that has not been highlighted yet (please correct me if I'm wrong) is the music. And oh!, the music we get in this series.

My ears perked up from the very beginning of the show. We get an orchestral score! All the instruments of magic welcome us at the palace: strings, a harp, a glockenspiel, woodwinds, bar chimes, a piano - I was smiling within seconds.

Tv shows very rarely receive a score like this because arranging, recording and mixing music for twenty different instruments is time-consuming and complex, by which I mean expensive. One trick you can use to lower the costs is using synthesised instruments. The strings we can hear are not real. However, a brilliant thing the scoring team does here is mix in real instruments. For example, we can hear real flutes, if I am not mistaken. Some cello and violin pieces throughout the episode have also been recorded with real instruments. For me, the whole soundscape is simply beautiful!

What about the music itself? There are three things I would like to talk about: the pentatonic scale, Pachelbel and a melody that I hope will become one of Pin and Anin's.

1. The very first thing we hear when Anin has landed on Pin is a melody comprised of five different notes. For Western ears, these fives notes are inevitably associated with music from South-East Asia. The scale resulting from these notes is called a pentatonic scale, and if you ever feel like playing it: look for the black keys on any piano keyboard and go wild. The cool thing about the pentatonic scale is that it's fantastic for improvising. In Western music, it's used all the time because these notes simply sound good together.

We have a lot of ambient music in this episode. Music that blends with the peaceful atmosphere onscreen, and often the pentatonic scale is used to do just that.

2. Which brings me to another piece of music I want to talk about: Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major. It's the first and the last piece played at the dance. While the king discusses Anin's future with the rest of the family, we can see Pin and Anin dancing to this piece. I find this significant because most music scholars believe that Pachelbel composed the Canon as wedding music (for Bach's brother, no less).

I haven't read the book the series is based on. I have avoided spoilers as best as I could. Logically, I KNOW that it is very unlikely that we get a happy ending here. But I get to see two women in a historical setting dancing to a wedding piece and this fact alone makes me very, very happy.

3. Off to my last point. Even though most of the episode features music, I have noticed very little repetition. There is, however, one piece of music that comes back.

We can hear it when Pin and Anin have their first meeting, and again when Anin discovers her windmill and her ribbon in Pin's bedroom. (What do you call those tiny windmills? And, more importantly, what is it with these two and tiny windmills? Thank you, creators, for the nod to your GAP fandom.)

The piece sounds somewhat like this:

The harmonies are more intricate, but this gives us an idea what we can listen out for in future episodes. The melody is simple and sweet. It could be connected to childhood and adolescence. I'm curious to see if we encounter it again.

And I'm very excited to see whether the score team continues with motives and reprises. I love straining my ears for these because they give us even more clues about the happenings onscreen.

Thank you for riding along with me! I am so excited to see what the show has in store for us!

[beifong-brainrot]

Seeing those designs of the next avatar and her friend as adorable and promising as they are, why do they look like they belong in Voltron TvT?

Spoilers for the leaked potential designs under the cut!

Okay, so I think the characters in of themselves look fine, pretty cute. Though the artstyle is a clear variation from the the artstyles of the previous shows, which, while there were some miniscule changes, stayed relatively consistent.

For example the top lashes are much mor prominent and I think there's a general change in the facial proportions as a whole.

The main thing that upsets me about the leaked designs is the clothing choices for the characters, as I said in my previous post. The Avatarverse has a history of taking inspiration from real world outfits of various cultures, such as Southern Water Tribe parkas, or from other pieces of time appropriate media, such as Bolin's jacket in B4 being inspired by a WW2 comic book character, the Rocketeer.

These two, Jae (right) and our new Avatar, (Pavi) look, well a bit generic sci fi. At first I couldn't place my finger on what threw me off their designs, but I'll do my best to explain.

I tried to make a lil vision board to help me illustrate my points. Below you have the potential designs, with their colour palettes beside them, along with tve more vibrant colours I'd bicked from Tenzin and Aang's reference or promotional art. Bottom left is a sheet of Earth Kingdom background characters, and to the right of that you have designs for more prominent characters of a similar origin. I've also added desings for the air nomad bodysuits and pro bending uniforms which i believe are the closest to the proposed new clothing style.

As you can see the clothes Jae and Pavi are weaeing have more colours overall, but these colour palettes are more muted, which is a cheap trick to make clashing colours fit together more harmoniously. You can see this in a lot of modern futuristic shows, like Voltron, which I mentioned earlier.

It's usually a technique of having a character's palette consisting of more muted tones while having one or two colours that are more vibrant. This is a bit of a step away from Avatar's designs, which had less colour combinations as a whole, but were much more vibrant, with exceptions.

Avatar would usually pick a colour palette based around one colour, usually the one corresponding to their element, and work around it to pick colours that wouldn't clash, but were still eye catching enough.

Even more muted designs had a wealth of detailing and patterning. Which brings me to my next point. Pointless design choices. Let's compare Jae and Asami's designs, which both have some similarities.

They both have a type of shirt, boots and baggier trousers. But for Asamu, the details on her outfit make more sense. She has the logo of her company, a pattern on her chest, clasps to keep her jacket closed, pockets, and a bunch of straps that wind around her boots to either keep the black leg warmers in place, or secure her shoes.

Jae has that more 'futuristic' detailing that boils down to slapping multicoloured bumps onto a character. What are those grey things on his trousers? Pockets maybe, though they don't LOOK like pockets. What is that orange thing on his boot? It's not a locking mechanism like a buckle or button since it doesn't seem connected to anything. Is the orange thing on his belt supposed to be a buckle? Why is there a weird orange thing on his neckline? Im assuming the logo on his chest and shoulderpads is supposed to signify him as an airbender as it looks a bit like an airbender arrow which I don't know how to feel about.

Jae and Pavi's designs notably lack details of buttons, clasps and their clothes just feel like they don't fully make sense along witg being generic. Pavi has a brooch holding her customary spocalyptic wanderer cloak closed, though it is drawn in a way that we don't see where the cloak ends. The brooch may carry some significance, and it may juat be less detailed because its not focused on, but it does also just look. Generic.

There's also the lack of Avatar's staple inspiration from actual cultures, particularly chinese in these outfits. Jae's outfit only keeps the baggy pants and his weird neckbrace thing sorta slides off to the right, which doesn't really make sense. Pavi's clothing is the lesser offender here, but I really can't say I would pinpoint ger as an Avatar character if you didn't tell me she was one.

And I'm far from a cultural expert, so I really could just be talking out of my ass but none of these outfits carry the hallmarks of what I expected from avatar characters.

It's a shaame really because seeing what seems to be the concept art you can find here, I like these designs a lot more

Pavi's clothinv is much more vibrant, her clothing seems more detailed and Jae has a white lotus outfit that makes much more sense. And I like that he has an arrow again. I genuinely hope this ia the version we get, though this looks more like concept art, while the designs I was talking about looked like finished character sheets.

If you like these, designs, more power to ya. I think Pavi is adorable and sweet and she deserves better clothes lol. I hope Jae's outfit is just a uniform he takes off at the beginning of the show or smth. Because it ugly.

[sleepy-spacetronaut]

Pilot Project : Vogelfrei, a Gravity falls Fanfic Idea

(POST DATESTAMP: post started on December 8, 2024)

Start note: If some of you remember my post about a potential fanfic with the Handyman Bill Au , then I have great news! Not only have I settled on a title, but the story is lining up for a potentially elaborate sequel! While the first story will mostly be written in a traditional sense, I decided to experiment with comic making for the follow-up story. After mind-boggling hours of search for a pleasant closure to the initial story (for which leaving an open ending seemed tasteless), making a sequel was a rather exciting idea. From all the stories I’ve ever wrote, rarely any had been turned into a duology, let alone one in comic format. Additionally, the sequel will require a lot more world building, unlike the first story, it will loosely follow the bases of the gravity falls books (TBOB and the Adventures) rather than the show.

Fanfic Idea in Brief Details

Title: Vogelfrei/ Pilot Project Vogelfrei

Placeholder title : Tears So Hot They Make The Universe Burn (No comment about the terrible acronym this title would have gotten.)

Expected length : ~15-20K words to begin with (book 1)

The plot : see here for a draft of the plot idea, however it is not up-to-date -> a fresh version with an adequate summary will be posted later.

Pairings? : Billford(One-sided then QPR), Fidauthor (Also QPR) Melody/Soos, Fiddleford/Stanley, Ford & Old Goldie* (briefly).

*canonically, Ford is married to the golden statue because of Stan usurping his name, no one’s happy about it. They get a divorce, much to Stanley’s dismay.

Production: what to expect ?

To start, all the energy I get and pour into making fanfiction is bestowed upon me by coffee, the hyper fixation frenzy of an ADHD brain ,and the reading of amazing fanfiction that inspired me to further my ideas into actual, tangible stories. I will do my best to get the story plot down as text before the enchantment of the fixation flies away, as if I ever lose the interest,the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

Pacing of the production : I have both the general outlines for Vogelfrei and its sequel ready, with a little luck I will get the first story down through the winter holidays, if not, it will stretch until around June for the completion. The sequel will be produced immediately after the first story is finished.

Comics and artworks: I have recently experimented with 6-10 panel comic strips on my iPad, but I am better at making traditional art. So there will be digital and paper drawn doodles peppered here and on AO3 once the process is started. I will have separate batches of art, one which will contain art directly related to the plot , and another with ‘extras’, labeled accordingly.

Answers to any other inquiries you might have

TBOB and Gravity Falls series compatibility -> will I get spoilers?

If you’re new to the fandom and haven’t seen the whole series yet, I suggest to finish it first and skim over the GF wiki , for context of how Bill ends up in the Theraprism. I haven’t gotten my hands on much of TBOB except some pages and ideas here and there, therefore it probably wont be much of a spoiler—There however will be lots of contradictions, especially with TBOB.

2. Audience ratings

Both are 16+ in my opinion, if you are younger and choose to read regardless of the warnings, that is up to you. Thought keep in mind there will be a significant amount of swearing, some depictions of substance abuse (alcohol mostly, but also some other stuff), self-harm, violence (verbal and physical) and suicidal thoughts (briefly towards the end the first story). In any case, I will add a CW/TW notice when time comes.

3. Asks/Fanart

Questions, comments, music suggestions and fanart are all very welcome! I’m mostly writing this for myself to satisfy cravings, but I’d be glad to know that it also made someone else smile.

End note : Soon the winter holidays will begin and so will my writing, hopefully, I will get the time to do half of the story. I will post here and on AO3, but most of the art will link back to my blog. If , in the end, the story gets to monopolize my tumblr, I will make a separate blog for it to keep this one from getting too cluttered. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!

P.S.: In parallel to this story, I am working on another Gravity falls Au, called Rewind the Timeline, for which I intend to write a short historical fanfiction which will span from the late 18th century throughout the 21st century. It will be focused on Bill’s perspective a lot more than Vogelfrei, which will have some shifts in point of view. You can find the fic idea on my pinned post.

[fraeuleintaka]

Official Investigations Artbook

This is the 78th post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 3 days left until release!

Today's topic: the official Investigations Artbook!

[Spoilers for Investigations 2 in some of the images]

Back when both Investigations games were first released there was not only a Complete Guide for the first game (sadly not for the second one) but also an official Artbook for both! By now it's also out of print and was, again, only released in Japan so it's difficult to get but not quite as difficult as some of the other books I showed in previous countdown posts. Since I also call the Artbook my own now (my newest treasure) and it's full of amazing art from the Investigations games I want to talk about it as well!

Firstly, I love it's unique cover art! Justified to show off both of the games' main casts and it's so pretty! Being an Artbook of course the book is on the larger side (compared to, say, the Guide) and the paper is thick and glossy to really make the art shine. It's not a hardcover, unlike other artbooks I own, but the spine is robust enough that it doesn't hurt that much. Still very nice quality.

The first few pages contain a collection of all kinds of promotional artwork for the Investigations games in large and wonderful detail. I especially love these illustrations with Miles, Gumshoe and Kay in various situations. Gumshoe holding Miles' umbrella. Them thinking hard together on the solution of a case. Kay and Gumshoe taking pictures together. Gumshoe draping his coat over Miles when he falls asleep in his chair. So cute!

Then we get two double pages of extensive relationship diagrams of all characters appearing in both games and how they relate to each other. Unlike the Complete Guide the Artbook doesn't hold back on spoilers so all of these connections are what you know them to be at the end of the games and not only what they might appear like at first. Really appreciate that, it's much more detailed and useful this way. (Though it does make total sense that the Guide doesn't spoil everything immediately like this.)

The main section of the Artbook is filled with character artworks (obviously), that includes their full body art, a collection of some of their chibi sprites and a large collection of their confrontation animations. These are drawn especially detailed and with various frames depending on the animation! The high resolution confrontation sprites of the collection (and the mobile version) are directly based on these. And they look absolutely gorgeous! So worth it for these alone!

The main characters are all put together at the beginning while the rest of the characters are sorted with the cases they first appear in. They also don't get as many pages to them as the main characters do which is to be expected.

Every case is introduced with a little summary at the beginning with all the major characters appearing in the case and all of the relevant pieces of evidence. We get a show of all the significant images appearing during each case and even the zoomed in deduction screens. Lovely! Before that though we get a complete timeline on the events that are important to the games' story, when they take place and what important things happened there. So nice and really useful for mapping everything out (like when writing fanfics)!

The next rather large section focuses on concept art for the characters. Especially for the main characters there's a huge variety of sketches, some of them from very early development! It's by far not all of them, as the Complete Guide had several that aren't shown in the Artbook, but it's definitely a lot and pretty much for every little character, even the victims. I especially love seeing what changed in different development stages and what stayed the same. There are even some additional treats in the sketches like an illustration of Shi-Long fist fighting de Killer that looks insanely badass!

Towards the end we have a bunch of shorter sections with one being a detailed show of all the background artwork of the two games including some fun commentaries from Gumshoe! On Miles' office, for example, he rants little about Portsman being a bad prosecutor and states that it was a lot of work to clean up the entire mess (because of course he's the one who cleaned it). There are also a bunch of interviews with the staff and a nice little Q&A section about some character detail (like what kind of ice cream de Killer holds). Definitely my favourite part of the interview was them delving a little into Shi-Long's design and how hard the character designer Iwamoto fought to make him shirtless! He even came up with a reason after being denied (that Shi-Long has 7 scars on his chest that are formed like the constellation Orion and he wants to show them off) but Yamazaki didn't buy it 😄 I wouldn't have minded a shirtless Shi-Long at all but I'm also very happy with his final design 😉 The spirit of the idea is definitely conveyed in it!

And speaking of favourites, the last and probably my favourite bonus in the Artbook that I want to mention is a couple of pages full of these short character interactions! They essentially play out a scene of the characters talking about something with these wonderfully drawn animations. I can't go through them all but I want to highlight my favourite one: Shi-Long and Miles meet in a restaurant. Unusually for him, Shi-Long is on his own without his subordinates and Miles asks him about it. Shi-Long quotes Lang Zi at him and says that he does do stuff on his own occasionally. Miles then notes the amount of food on his table (enough for more than 20 people!) and after trying to deflect a little by mocking Miles' "deduction" to which Miles doubles down Shi-Long admits that he tends to order way too much when alone and asks Miles to join him. Miles doesn't refuse but makes a little comment about Shi-Long apparently having some difficulty with being alone. Awww, so cute! The other interactions are of a similar kind, ranging from funny to heartwarming and wholesome. I can totally see Shi-Long having such issues when he's used to being accompanied by so many people (especially considering what happens inbetween I1 and I2) and I adore the idea of Miles (and the others) keeping him company. Reasons why this is my favourite cast in AA and I love their every interaction! Getting more of those is not something I necessarily would've expected from an Artbook but that's just makes it even more amazing!

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

a lil good omens brainrotted update from your mascot

Hello my maggots it's nearly midnight here's how the brainrot's going (spoiler alert, there are no, uh, ripe braincells anymore).

I just spent a rather significant amount of time drawing leaves into my bullet journal (because it's Crowley themed this month).

That whole time I listened to first Crowley's apartment ambience and then to a bunch of Good Omens edits and got extremely emotional about it but in the best way. God I love this show.

Every day (it'S a-GEtTinG clOSeR) I have a stare-off with the Good Omens book that keeps me company on my desk.

It laughs in my face, daring me to read it.

I recall the last time I opened it (to summarise, I read a line about Crowley and burst into tears like the macho guy I am). I refuse.

We are locked in a battle of wills. Who will win, the book or I? I'm torn between wanting to read it so bad and the fear that I will never be emotionally stable again if I do.

Speaking of books, just for vibesies an update on the one I'm writing, I've written 7,200 words in the past six days (when I pulled the WIP out of its musty folder because of that post Neil made).

The page I made in the bullet journal was actually a writing tracker here lemme show y'all because I'm proud of the progress I made:

[Yes, that is the Good Omens book lurking in the top left, it's never far away. The battle is perpetual.]

Crowley quotesssss all the Crowley quotes I love them so much it's insane.

Also, I'm gonna go get yarn to I can continue my endeavour to learn crocheting to make a Crowley-beanie. @singalongpoppet is my guru and leader in this journey. Not sure if I'll manage it, but a guy can dream. Channeling my non-existent cottagecore era.

I am also considering getting a Plant.

Weirdly enough, this is not entirely brainrot, I was supposed to grow a plant back in January because my word thing of the year was Grow (the burden of prophecy is real).

However, I am dreadful at taking care of them, even succulents. I managed to kill a wild cactus that I brought home from a roadside. It survived several months but in the end being around me was too much for it, poor thing.

I assume there is a bit more to plant-parenting than misting them and screaming at them to GROW BETTER, so any advice, please?

End of update, I have no idea how to write conclusions so have a snapshot of the dynamic of Rian and Avi, the characters in the book I'm writing [spoiler alert: their dynamic is dumpster fire].

Love you my maggots have a wonderful brainrotted day xxx