#tbh sometimes i think i use my degrees for this as much as i do for actual research

[stardust-moth]

looking at some takes on characters or relationships or scenes in which things happen between them and just thinking,

How in the hell are people interpreting it this way??? But then i step back and realize that the story or character in question is fundamentally and extraordinarily different from the average person's life experience and I go,

ah,

you guys just... don't have a deep enough understanding of trauma responses...

[licncourt]

you you you I you you [sorry]… I truly thoroughly and wholeheartedly enjoy your meta writings so much. I recently stumbled upon your blog and spent the past few days reading your meta posts on VC and thought to send an ask to say— the way you take the characters and put them into different literary, emotional, or real life contexts that not everyone may catch on at first really tickles my brain. The meta on claudia as a Classical antiheroine&& Louis’ being feminine-coded are special to me ☆ 1/2

☆ The reference to Salome in the Claudia dissertation? Misogyny by proxy?! as an art historian &literature buff I take great joys seeing the parallels & interesting points you make [the line “he created the potential for "life" that was "fertilized" (fed with blood)” ROCKED MY WURLD]. Sorry for spam— I just enjoy your work! I leave you with this: “I had taken you for divine beings, sons of the Most High, all of you; but you shall die as men do, fall like any prince” 2/2

Oh wow, thank you!!! Drawing parallels with literature and exploring themes is always so much fun, definitely one of my favorite things to do when talking about books! I'm so glad you like reading my thoughts because half the fun is having conversations about this stuff and digging into it with other people who are also excited! It makes me so happy that you took the time to send me this, it's the the most motivating thing in the world to hear that my approach to these books rings true for other people!

Please feel free to talk to me off anon! I'm always down for making art history and lit about vampires! Idk what it is about VC that draws art historians like flies, but here we are!

And omg the Psalms verse?? Filing away vampires = elohim for the future!!

[aeide-thea]

the eternal, often-unsuccessful struggle to separate 'hm i personally am not enjoying Thing because it smacks of Unpleasantness to me' from 'i actually dislike Thing because it's Inherently Problematic, amazing how my personal taste is an unfailing radar that way' 😔

[cy-lindric]

hey there! i LOVE your historical costumes... i have fawned over historical fashion for the better part of my life and would love to get into sewing my own outfits— did you have prior experience with sewing before you started? i have almost no experience and no equipment. :") i still intend to try at some point, but am daunted by and wondering how difficult it is considering how complex the outfits look!

Hello ! When I started a couple of years ago I had learned to sew a button as a kid and that was pretty much it. I'd never done as much as follow a commercial pattern before. I did have a basic sewing machine that I got from my grandma when she passed, but I didn't know how to use it, and my friend (in the pictures with me) didn't have one at all and did all of her first costume by hand. Sewing with a commercial or printable pattern is like following a cooking recipe, I really think anyone can do it (with varying degrees of perfection depending on your experience, but still). You should definitely pick something simple but cool and go for it ; look at youtube tutorials for the steps you don't understand, use cheap fabric at first and try again and you go wrong. Tbh the only big lesson I had to learn at first was to accept the fact that sometimes you'll have to be patient and start over.

I think everyone can start sewing by themselves at any point and do cool things quite fast with the ressources we have today ! Especially if you're powered by brainworms !

[wickmitz]

i don’t think church would do something so drastic! after all, tracy also said that church “-- does some things that i think are not entirely unreasonable, given the circumstances,” about the part church will later play, which doesn’t sound like attempted murder or the likes to me. and despite the strained relationship him and wick have, he does hold some actual interest in wick ; and wick, in spite of the loathing he feels towards church’s constant critiques, did take the man’s advice to heart later too. there is also the fact that church knows about the duck ( something that only one other person, aka lacy, knows about ) and still met that with leveled advice rather than, reasonably, thinking mr. sedgewick sable a looney and withdrawing his investments. to me, he does care to an extent, or at the very least there’s some form of respect and trust there. but if it comes down to wick or his own behind … then he will choose himself every single time. hence the literal wording on his character card on the lackadaisy site!

if one can crack through the acrid outer coating and pick off the prickly cynicisms beneath, he at least appears to uphold a measure of genuine regard. of course, a devout pragmatist, church always has his self-interest to consider too.

the more likely scenario is that wick will have a fallout with the investors due to the money mitzi stole, and they will probably start to leave him over time. the worst thing i could see church doing ( which would still fit tracy’s statement, as well as making sense for him as a character ) is him somehow convincing wick to hand over sable stone & quarry to him, with wick stepping down and allowing church to resume the operation by his lonesome. it’d be a messed up thing to happen, certainly, but given wick’s own penchant for rubbing elbows with nefarious types and getting himself into trouble, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for church to view him as unfit to run a booming business. but more likely than not, church will just leave wick high and dry to save his own reputation in the end. which, again, isn’t an unreasonable thing to do given what has and will probably happen within the story.

lacy might go through a similar arc herself, where she may be inclined to pick her own future over wick, if you read this old q&a post tracy did in a certain way.

after all, her role in volume two was being wick’s right hand woman -- someone who cares for him deeply ( as stated in her character card ) and wants the best for him and the business. for that role to change to something ‘rather different’ around the time wick begins to suffer due to his gangster related problems, then i could see her jumping ship as well. especially if wick continues to dig his own grave and decides to return to the lackadaisy, even though he now knows it’s wrong to do so. while lacy and church could be read as cruel for these actions, there’s no denying it’d make sense for them to distance themselves … they aren’t obliged to drown alongside wick, even if he is a deeply kind man who got himself mixed up in something he did somewhat try to avoid.

but overall, church interests me as a character for this exact reason. he’s far from being a good person, but like everyone else in lackadaisy he’s hardly some inhuman evil force either. whatever church does to wick will hurt harder if it’s a.) not personal and b.) they at least held somewhat positive feelings towards each other, even if it’s as simple as wick trusting church to guide him properly and church believing wick has promise. only time will tell! but i do firmly believe whatever church and wick’s relationship is will have layers to it, since tracy is very skilled at making every lackadaisy dynamic so woefully complex. if the characters matter and serve a purpose, anyway!

my hot take is that i love the investors actually. i think they’re sooo fun and i enjoy the way they act around wick … edmund church in particular is *chefs kiss*

[blippymilk]

Dirt Bike Racer Fem! Reader x Brozone (+ Poppy)

(TYSM for all the love, request, and followers guys!! The little comments y’all be putting on your request and under my post make me wanna tear up a lil bit 🤧)

John Dory:

- Finds it incredibly hot that you’re a (famous) dirt bike racer

- Didn’t know you were a female at first until you took off your helmet and revealed your (GORGEOUS) self

- Never thought he had a chance with you tbh :(

- But then realizes HE’S JOHN DORY, THE LEADER, J.D and gets the courage to ask you out (however that story ends up is up to you)

- When you guys finally end up together his heart is content

- Although sometimes he feels that he has to go beyond his expectations because his girlfriend is literally a dirt bike racer!

- So yes his ego is hurt a little bit (but he’ll never stop loving you so don’t even worry)

- He would love to take your motorcycle for a ride all day

- And if he doesn’t know how to ride one yet (which I doubt) he will (put his ego aside and) ask for lessons (don’t tell anyone though)

- Definitely getting matching cycles

Spruce:

- Kinda thinks you’re a walking hazard/danger sign at first

- But Bruce believes the heart wants what the heart wants and it wanted you

- Has to get used to the loud noises your motorcycle makes when you take off anywhere, but eventually gets over it

- Loves riding on the motercycle with you after a couple months

- Has you under a oath to never speak about the time he tried to take it for a ride by himself with zero experience (🫢)

- Makes sure the keys (or anything that the lock can be picked with) for the motorcycle are always out of reach if you decide to have kids

- Doesn’t mind you taking the kids for a ride (but they have to be 10 or older 😢)

- Definitely wears a shirt that says ‘My wife is a famous dirt bike racer, how about you?’

Clay:

- You definitely bring out the fun in him (and he hates that at first)

- You met him during his serious boy Clay get up so at first he didn’t take you too seriosuly

- But when he learns it’s ok to loosen up, he found himself falling for you (he been loved you, he’s just embracing it now)

- Wants to be on your motorcycle more than you do

- Definitely already knew how to ride one (he was fun boy Clay soooo)

- Teach him all the crazy tricks in the book, he’ll end up mastering them all

- Please convince this man to wear a helmet cause if you don’t , he’s not even touching one

- Screaming all types of things while on the bike

“I LOVE MY GIRLFRIEND!”

Floyd:

- It’s a little weird with Floyd

- Like he loves and supports the fact that you’re a dirt bike racer but he doesn’t think about it too much (at least for the first part of the relationship)

- Secretly terrified of the roaring of your engine behind his calm smile

- You didn’t realize he was either until one day he walked into your garage and you started it up, causing him to completely fall onto his back

“Oh my gosh Floyd are you ok?

“Yea bab- yeah I’m fine…”

- Unlike the other boys, you have to convince him to ride on your bike

- Sit him in front of you so he’s convinced you won’t leave him behind :(

-Eventually he learns to enjoy it to some degree (still prefers the car tho if you know what I mean)

- Attends every event you have with the biggest “____’s #1 FAN!” sign anyone there can bring, and please don’t let him find out if someone is trying to show him up 😭

Branch:

- Ok let’s be honest if you met him during his first Trolls movie phase, he would actually despise you (at least at first)😭

- The nerve he’d think you’d have to turn on your loud engine while the village could possibly be hunted down by bergens

- After the first movie events and knowing everyone’s fine and well, he starts to show some interest

- You may or may not catch him at one or two or all of your events

- He can’t decide if he wants to ride your bike or not

- Like you’ll offer to take him for a ride and every time he’s just like:

“Well- like…um- ye- well actually, wait no, actually…maybe- well…”

- It’s to the point where if you want him to go with you, you’re gonna need to snatch him on and put the helmet on his head

- Since he’s one of the few trolls that knows about the internet, he made a fan account for you where he uploads all your clips, and makes sweet commentary and deletes all hate comments and possibly comments “____ is better” on fan accounts for any opposing riders

Poppy:

- You might have to run away from this girl at first

- Begs to ride your bike before you’re even together

- And when she is with you like Bruce she feels the need to take it upon herself to try and ride the bike

- Let’s just say she enjoyed your physical attention and the way you kissed her “boo-boo’s” afterwards

- So by the time she heals you’ve learned to take Poppy for frequent rides

- Has no shame in asking for lessons at all

- Definitely asks you to take, her, and Viva for a joyride

- Let’s the whole pop village know that her girlfriend is a famous dirt bike rider (as if they don’t already know 💀)

“Oh you’re boyfriend’s a baker? That’s crazy cause my girlfriends a dirt bike racer!”

“No way she’s a CEO? Mine ride’s a dirt bike, and she’s well know!”

“You’re girlfriends a top secret spy for the biggest agents in the world? That’s insane, my girlfriend rides a dirt bike!”

[decepti-thots]

🔥

Oooh, dealer's choice. Okay. Hmmm.

I think that MTMTE does not ever really manage to coherently bring together its ideas around things like functionism or the cold construct/forged idea, tbh. As ideas, it's very easy to latch onto in transformative fandom and try and do something with them- but on the flip side, I think that when you really try and just look at what the comic does with them in the text, they do not ever come together in a way that has a clear narrative goal, or is always well executed.

This feels weird to say when both concepts are incredibly necessary to the comic itself. They aren't superfluous elements you can take out and the comic is still what it is! Despite that, if you try and do a close read of the comic itself, it quickly feels apparent to me that a) in universe, diagetically, they are not very consistent and you often find yourself going 'wait, what?', and b) non-diagetically, in the realm of 'is this a stand in doing real world social commentary', it's straight up a mess much of the time. As worldbuilding, it's wishy-washy and inconsistent; as allegory or anything like it, you often wind up going 'hm. well. that doesn't really work'.

Is cold construction supposed to be a commentary on classism? Maybe- but the degree to which the text reinforces that a degree of real physical difference exists makes that touchy, frankly. Is it then using that to talk about class and disability as it relates to class? This would be an interesting angle- but the comic has too many issues around its treatment of the latter to invite uncritical use of that lens, in my opinion. Sometimes, racism gets invoked, but of that I can only say I think it is an ill-advised approach the comic does not explore well! Functionism, meanwhile, gestures at a lot of stuff, but never really convinces me the comic is quite sure what it's getting at there. Again, the question of classism comes to mind, and it's all clearly a response to the stuff set up early on in IDW1 by Megatron: Origin, which invites such commentary and critique. But there's just too many holes in its treatment of certain characters to make a lot of sense. The inconsistency means trying to do an actual read across the whole comic winds up maddening. (Source: I've tried.)

And if we justify this by saying 'not everything is allegory, sometimes worldbuilding is just worldbuilding'... well. It just still doesn't add up! In the moment, it seems to make sense, but attempting to extrapolate out into an actual consistent sense of how that world works, or worked pre-war, quickly falls apart for me. Which brings us back to the idea it's not literally consistent but is Doing Thematic Work, which... see above! We run into The Issues again!

This is not to say I think there's nothing interesting to be gained from engaging with this element, to be clear. But I find it's most productive for me when I engage with it from the baseline that it's a fairly muddled, inconsistent, and ultimately difficult to pin down element that, while very important to the comic, is not one of its narrative strengths. Very much a part of the comic where I think admitting the meat is in doing work as a reader to make it work for whatever reading you want to do is a good way to approach it, rather than assuming the comic itself has done that leg work. (And sometimes, that will mean being critical of it; I really do think there's stuff in there that deserves unpacking in how it's handled.)

[creekfiend]

whats it like keeping an unfixed dog? is going into heat like, an issue? ive heard about some people needing to use doggy diapers about it

it really varies a LOT tbh. Lambchop struggled with her heats a whole lot and had like ... some really intense hormone issues that were fixed with her spay. She also didn't keep herself clean and bled a lot so she did need diapers in the house for several weeks every time which I won't lie, was a huge pain 🫠

Glimmer is a whole different story, her heats don't bother her at all and she doesn't really seem to notice much. She bleeds a lot less and she keeps herself very clean, so she doesn't need diapers. It's a LOT easier.

this kind of this often runs in families so you can sometimes predict how rough stuff will be by asking how it is for the mama dog or any other female relatives, but not always. I've only ever had one intact male, so less experience there, but my understanding is that it varies to a similar degree. Noodle was very easy compared to some stories I've heard about intact males. so is Anzu! but some people really struggle with things like marking, etc. fortunately every hormonal issue I've heard of cropping up usually goes away with a neuter. and if course with heats there's making sure the bitch doesn't get bred if you don't want to breed her, lol. That can vary in difficulty also depending on where you live and what the people around you are like in terms of Dog Containment and whether they spay and neuter their dogs. I didn't think I had the ability to absolutely ensure that Blue didn't break out and breed when she hit adolescence, for example, which is the main reason I spayed her before her first heat ... which I do now regret, but it's tough balancing all the things you need to balance wrt bone growth in large breed dogs and also NOT WANTING AN OOPS LITTER OF RANDOM WANDERING SWAMP DOG X ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD 😂😂😂

anyway there's a lot of variables. But if you have a regular house pet and have no intact males and your dog is never left unattended outdoors, then it's pretty easy most of the time, barring freak accidents like your dog chewing through a door or something. Some dogs are really determined. Neither of my intact bitches have been, thankfully 🥲

[advisorykitty]

Can you do Yashiro nene! Reader x Randal headcanons and Randal is like Hanako? Please

Yashiro nene! Reader x Randal Headcanons

I had to search this up a bit so my apologies if it isn't as Canon!!

Randal is always causing chaos around [Y/N], popping up at random moments to scare or prank them. He finds their reactions endlessly entertaining.

Randal insists that his coffin is the coziest place in the world and often invites [Y/N] to hang out inside, which freaks them out but makes him grin.

He constantly compares [Y/N] to his beloved dolls and sometimes even dresses them up in clothes similar to his dolls. It’s hard to tell whether he’s joking or being serious.

Randal shows his affection through dark humor and weird gestures, like gifting [Y/N] black roses or scaring them right before swooping in to save them.(how heroic)

His way of affection is unique: giving [Y/N] strange gifts, pulling wierd jokes, gifting what he said is "rat" liver.

Randal constantly shows up out of nowhere, scaring [Y/N] half to death, only to laugh it off and call it "quality time." He thinks spooking [Y/N] is the best way to show his 'affection'

He’s oddly protective of [Y/N]. If anyone messes with them, Randal’s smile stays, but his tone drops a few degrees colder. He’ll play tricks on the offender until they’re begging for mercy, all while [Y/N] is left wondering what just happened. (One of the few reason people avoid him tbh)

Randal loves to tease [Y/N] about their superstitions, or whatever they belive but , in reality he thinks its kinda cute/cool.He’ll listen attentively when they talk about legends or scary stories and later try to bring them to life—just to keep them entertained, of course.

Whenever [Y/N] tries to study or do something productive, Randal will pop in, hovering upside down in front of them. He’ll do anything to distract them, from telling wierd anime stories to pulling silly faces. It’s his way of keeping the boredom away.

He’s weirdly good at remembering little things about [Y/N]—their favourite snacks, how they like their tea, or the exact way they roll their eyes when he says something stupid. He’ll use this to his advantage, pulling pranks or surprising them with thoughtful gestures.

Whenever you Hyper lucidate, he always makes to find you and you meet new friends on the way! (It's his world so it's not to difficult to find you!)

If [Y/N] ever expresses frustration with him, Randal will sulk like a kid. He’ll sit in a corner, pouting dramatically until [Y/N] forgives him. Once they do, he’s back to his cheerful, chaotic self, acting as if nothing ever happened.

Randal sometimes gives [Y/N] weird gifts—like a doll that looks disturbingly like them or a necklace made out of buttons. He insists they’re meaningful. (You don't have much say in throwing it out)

When [Y/N] gets mad at him, he’ll lean in close, with that same mischievous grin, and whisper, “You know you can’t stay mad at me forever.” And, annoyingly, he’s usually right.

MINI INTERVIEWS!!

Nyon: “They… are okay. Do not talk much, but fine to be around. Better than the loud one.” He’s neutral but appreciates [Y/N]’s calmness compared to Randal.

Nyen: “Don’t care. As long as they don’t get in my way, whatever.” He’s not bothered by [Y/N], as long as they don’t interrupt his day.

Randal: “They’re perfect. Couldn’t ask for a better person to spend eternity with. They keep things interesting.” He’s clearly attached, seeing [Y/N] as his forever companion.

Sebastian: “Why would anyone willingly put up with that? They must have the patience of a saint.” He’s both impressed and baffled by [Y/N]’s ability to deal with Randal’s antics. Still grateful he has time off when you're around

Luther: “They fit in well enough. It’s nice to see Randal have a constant distraction.” He’s amused and watches from the sidelines, happy that Randal is behaving (to his standards anyway)

(Shorter then usual sorry, got alot of exams >_;

[candeathbereal]

Random Astro observations

-Aquarius suns without an Aquarius Mercury confuse me the most bruh. I think to a certain degree it has something to do with myself having my sun and Mercury in Aries so I don’t quite get people who don’t have their sun and Mercury in the same sign. Honestly it made me wonder about people who have an Aquarius placement even just one. I’m cool with them most times but if they have an Aquarius moon I tend to feel a disconnect emotionally. That will bring me to my next point.

-People who have a different element and modality to your moon sign will feel so disconnected most times. For me it would be anybody who has their moon in a sign like Aquarius or Scorpio. As a Virgo moon I have always found certain moon signs almost impossible to feel a connection like I have with certain signs like Taurus and Sagittarius. Like this is how the order goes for me (from intense and almost instant connection to damn do I even know when you are in the same room as me.) Sagittarius, Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo, Pisces, Gemini (really a hit or miss bro), Libra (mostly cause I can’t resist a Libra placement), Scorpio, Aries, Cancer, Leo, Aquarius. Now even then I am not entirely sure about this order of the signs. Tbh the only reason I put Scorpio before Aries is because of how many artist I listen to that have a Scorpio moon. Now I have met a good amount of Aries moons that I don’t feel that insane connection not even when their moon has a conjunction with any of my Aries placements. The only Aries moon that I can think of (at least right now) that I have felt an insane connection with is my grandma. Now my grandma is a Virgo sun with a Mercury in Libra, Venus in leo, and her mars is in Scorpio. So I feel like it influences me a bit more than some other placements would. Like I’m sorry leos but you guys do not influence me as much as I thought you guys did. I am pretty sure my grandma having both a Libra placement and a Scorpio placement is the main reason I connect with her so intensely. I love Leo placements but it’s just not the same vibes. ✨Anyways moving on✨

-Cancer suns with a sag moon (in my opinion) are so fucking nice to be around bruh. Are they the most emotional people? No, but that doesn’t make them assholes oddly enough unlike some sag placements I have seen…(sag Mercury I love the energy I really do but some of you either can’t read the room or have decided to close your eyes idk bruh). Sag moons are by far one of my favorite placements ever. I swear some have had the worst fucking childhood and yet don’t become a bitch like I am. Or as passive/people pleasing as the rest of the mutable signs (Virgo, Pisces, and Gemini) and yes I am included in that because I am very bad at confrontation and people interaction as a whole. People say they like me but I can’t understand their reasonings. If you think me listening to you vent makes me a great person I’m going to need you to raise your standards…

-Any negative aspect from the moon to one of your big six is a horrible placement to live with for us emotional babies. I speak as a person who has their moon forming an opposition with my Mercury and Venus while it forms a square aspect with my mars. Like I’m sorry I am not used to people comforting me when I’m sad. Idk how people can do it so easily. It is easier for me to just cry by myself than in front of others. It’s a work in progress for me.

-Honestly im glad I don’t have any negative aspects to Pluto tho…I don’t think I’d be able to handle a negative aspect. I have a couple positive aspects from my sun and ascendant to my Pluto and that shit is odd sometimes. I would love to hear some random shit that has happened to you guys with the negative aspects to Pluto. I feel like you guys have some interesting stories idk tho.

Anyways enough for me. Let me know anything you guys would want for me to talk about next or even just tell me some random shit.

[blush-and-books]

oh also! you’re a film major right?.. what did you think about the direction on the show?? and what do you think abotu the fact so much of donna and harvey is Hidden from the audience like we never see what the can opener thing is and when they spend the night in s3 we never actually see them kiss like he leans in and the door closes in front of the camera

HAHA!! yes i am a film major with an actual degree now lol. but let's all take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

i don't have any grand thoughts on how the show is directed, because it's always felt pretty basic to me lol!! the shots are very simple, the composition never goes too crazy (but sometimes i will say they do kinda eat some shots however overall it's incredibly one-toned), and tbh that's very typical of a show like Suits bc it's somewhere in between "network procedural" and "adventurous legal drama."

the fact that so much of donna and harvey is hidden from us is likely a combination of deliberate action, and whatever the fuck is going on in that writers room. The can opener thing reminds me a little of the character Maris Crane from Frasier - if you're unfamiliar, she's the wife of one of the main characters but she's never EVER shown on screen and we never hear her voice, she's just talked about in increasingly alarming descriptions (multiple facelifts, fragile and little body, etc). All of this is to say that the can opener thing suddenly becomes a bit where the writers are probably like "it would be funny if we reference it and build on it but we never have to decide what it actually is, so that we can escalate it as much as we want." first it's the can opener, then there's thumbtacks involved, and then there's supposedly a record amount (two dozen? three dozen?).

the choice to never show us their real first kiss in the other time is definitely absolutely deliberate. at this point in the series, i don't think it was locked in for donna and harvey to be endgame, so there was a lot of room to toy with the audience. they build us up with their flirting and talking about hooking up but they're going to deny us the satisfaction and leave us wondering - where does this really go? and do we really want to see them kiss for the first time in a flashback?? that's a big moment even if it's a past event, so they wouldn't want to just dump it on us in a way that's less meaningful than how it could happen in the present timeline.

id love to hear more things you think were hidden from the viewers!!!

small other bit of cinematic analysis: something that has started to irk me in my rewatchings of various episodes and getting stills for the edits i've been making is the series lack of solid two-shots between donna and harvey. so many of their interactions are just filmed in a shot-reverse-shot (back and forth between shots of each character over the shoulder of the other character as one of them speaks) and there is like SO MUCH INTIMACY that can be made just by putting them in a frame TOGETHER. and it's not that they never do this, there's some great examples, but I've found there's scenes between them that just could have benefitted from having both of them in the frame and not just cutting back and forth. if you'd like more explanation on this i will get stills from other series as well and demonstrate but it's a very little nitpicky thing honestly

thank you for this ask!!! send more when the mood strikes 🥰🥰🥰

[gamerbearmira]

Looks like Encanto and Hobbit story is updating again!!! Got any snippets about it for us??

YEAHHHHHH I SAW IT SO COOL!1!1!1!!!!!!1!11 very excited to see more, trust <33 might rematch the hobbit and the lotr trilogies. Prossobly out of order because, as I've mentioned a bajillion times, Desolation of Smaug is my favorite. Especially the ending line, IT'S SO COOL UGHHHHH 😔 I also think Smaug is cool, I know he's evil but. He's so cool <\\33

Also very silly when Thorin and co tried to trap bro under literal GOLD like that was wild, but also so cool, and honestly if the gold cooled faster, it would've been a really awesome plan. Major slay, I wonder if Mirsbel contributes to that plan. Also random thought, you know how tired she gets of rude Thorin 😭 like I know he gets all corrupted like his father for a little bit cause of the stone (?) and she's not having it. Snaps him outta ts REAL FAST 💀💀

Anyway, no snippet but I do have these drawings. Maybe a snippet later 🤭 The first one if from one the recent chapters. I have no idea what the marks look like, so take em with a grain of salt because I looked up random elvish markings and went wild, it's honestly to my imagination 💪💪

The second is just me redrawing the nerds. Idk, I felt like somewhat updating their designs to some degree, but let's be real, they're probably going to change again because I'm indecisive asl

AND THIS. Listen, idk if anyone remembers this movie, it's from like the 80s? I specifically remember watching it at the ripe age of like 6 and I loved it tbh. It was the Dark Crystal andddd sometimes I remember it exists when I think of the lotr. The villain things, the skeksis or however you spell it honestly scared me. SO MUCH. I also vividly remember it because my mom always called me gelfling cause she said I looked like Kira.

ANYWAY THERE WAS THAT FREAKY LITTLE DOG THING??? FIZZGIG. and this thing came to be, completely unrelated.

[smokestarrules]

I agree with you that some people mischaracterize Amity in Labyrinth Runner. She doesn't look down on Willow like in S1, she just wants to protect her, like Amity said that herself. When Willow says she's gonna capture some scouts to investigate them, Amity says that "They're tough, not anyone can stand up to them." Amity is reasonable, I think, given the fact that Willow was kidnapped by the Scouts before in Any Sports in A Storm. Tbh, If I had a friend who's gonna face and capture her kidnappers again, I'd stop them. And some, including Gus, even misunderstand that Amity is looking down on Willow in that first scene.

However, the most controversial scene is when Willow traps a Scout with her vine, Amity says that "Lucky shot, Willow." Given that even the captured scout says to Willow that "Don't listen to her, you totally got me", it only fuels people's opinions that Amity is underestimating Willow again. They bring up the fact that Amity is oblivious cause she doesn't remember that Willow used to cover the school with her vines. This scene also confuses me more than the first one in the cafeteria. Do you think this scene is badly written? The writer makes it as if Amity was looking down on Willow again.

Sorry for the wait on this, anon---I got sick literally the day you sent it in and the very concept of Thinking Analytically made me want to die. It's now Finals Week at my university but I am getting a degree in Overanalyzing Amity Blight so fuck it we ball. Anyway---

Nah It's Not Weird Writing, Amity's Just Like That.

I've talked before about Amity's issue with assuming things. That's essentially her main problem in this episode, that she's overcompensating for her earlier actions and in doing so actually causing a different sort of rift to form. Amity assumes that she still needs to atone and to do whatever she can to ensure that Willow doesn't get hurt, even though everyone else knows Willow can take care of herself.

And it's not that Amity doesn't know that, but that's the fact that gets left behind in the face of Needing To Atone.

So when it comes to that scene specifically, it's probably a combination of that and also just. using the wrong words. Amity tends to do that sometimes too. She both wholeheartedly believes that Willow wants Amity to be doing all the work, and also she just puts her foot in her mouth. It's what makes her so goddamn funny.

That's also why this conflict is ultimately so easy and quick to resolve. Amity assumes things, it's true, but when someone actively communicates to her about whatever she's doing wrong, especially in cases where she literally just thinks she's helping, she's very open to changing her behavior.

Willow says she doesn't want Amity's protection. Willow says that she wants Amity to see who she really is. So Amity does. Amity goes, whoops, that was wrong, and makes up for it.

And because she learns of her mistake and immediately fixes her behavior, Amity and Willow are able to end the episode much closer than before.

[qwertyfingers]

your addition to the post about pain being bad for you is really good but the op turned off reblogs. is there any way you could post it separately? youre correct i think people are just getting mad ur disputing them

okay I had no idea about this because I don't follow the poll OP and the other person I complained about blocked me but I did go on their blog to check the response and this post they made about me is soso fucking funny because none of what they're saying about me is true at all. I have above-average level of medical literacy because I am a huge nerd and actively in the process of applying for a biomedical science degree. I know exactly what the interaction between SSRIs and NSAIDs is, and I know why it's dangerous, I just also happen to know that humans are complicated and messy and 'this thing has a high potential to be bad' does not always mean 'never do this thing' on a medical level. tons of medical advice is contradictory and seemingly stupid on the face of it until you dive a tiny bit deeper and learn more about it.

I also don't "throw my identity behind having a hard to define chronic illness", I have really severe chronic migraines that I've been seeing doctors about since I was literally an infant lol. this whole spiel is awful cruelty that would be awful applied to anyone but about me specifically becomes frankly hysterical tbqh.

amazed it came to all this tbh I think I was pretty fucking nice in my responses lol.

anyway their response to my reblog specifically was incredible because their claim that 'it clearly wasn't about that' (kind of true) completely ignores the fact that all the research (at least that I could find) on the interaction between NSAIDs and SSRIs is specifically about people being prescribed both drugs concomitantly, something that pretty much only happens in people with chronic pain or like, people who currently have an inflammatory illness or a recent injury or whatever. not people who take ibuprofen in the morning sometimes.

i literally do agree with them that a lot of people should be making lifestyle changes and taking better care of themselves, I just don't think that being wildly vitriolic is going to do anything useful to make that happen lmao.

[topazadine]

Good Motivations for Continuing to Write

I think it's so important that we be realistic about what we are aiming to achieve when we write. This motivation is what makes it possible to continue when things get hard and we're feeling stuck, and it needs to be something that deeply, instinctively drives you or it won't stick.

But I need to put a huge, important red flag warning here.

Fame and fortune cannot be your primary motivator.

Yes, it's possible to make six figures a year with writing, even if you self-publish.

You really shouldn't listen to someone who says this never happens and that all writers are broke pathetic losers. Rather than being "brutally honest," it's more likely that said advice-giver has not been able to achieve any success and is bitter about their lack of sales, so they project and insist no one can succeed. Crab in bucket mentality.

However, making a steady income from creative writing takes a certain kind of person.

Rich authors have skills that are completely outside of writing. This includes marketing and promotion, networking, and consumer research; ie, a lot of business skills.

Yes, even tradpub authors need to do a lot of their own marketing; getting with a publishing house isn't an excuse to coast. From speaking to tradpub authors, I have learned that marketing teams don't do anywhere near as much as you think they do to help you.

It is of course possible to learn all of these skills. There are tons of excellent free resources out there, as well as books and manuals by successful writers. You can also take courses at your local community college in marketing or business. This is both way more affordable than a four-year university, and they are often more accommodating. Plus, you're supporting your community with your tuition!

But you have to have the desire to learn that, which takes a lot of work. You have to be the special kind of author who enjoys both the business side and the writing side.

In some cases, you have to be willing to shell out a ton of money to contract ghostwriters. (Which I think is lazy tbh.) Quantity is the name of the game in writing, so you have to keep pushing yourself to produce more. Most of us do not have ghostwriting money. And you'd still need all the other skills or you're just throwing money away.

So, if you are not willing to do some or all of these ...

Develop and pay a marketing team

Teach yourself those skills

Take business classes

Network with everyone

Get a degree in publishing

... then yes, you are likely not going to make a lot of money from your writing. You need to decide if you are okay with that.

Personally, I look at it this way: it's wonderful if I do make a ton of money from my writing or get famous or whatever. Of course I'd never turn down cash.

BUT if those things did not happen, and I was a nobody forever, I'd still be happy with my work, because I am proud of it and enjoyed the process. I am motivated by a few different things, which I will explain after I share a list of motivators.

Now that we understand that, here are some of the most positive reasons to motivate you to keep going when you feel trapped by the narrative.

Hold them close and don't let them go!

Improving your skills

Building community

Meeting like-minded people

Expressing your innermost thoughts

Satisfying the human urge to create

Learning and growing as a person

Trying out new things (for the research!)

Working through your own problems

Escaping from the real world for a while

Examining real-world issues through art

Looking at yourself and others in a new way

Understanding complex problems

Teaching others what you've learned

Creating imaginary friends

Making others happy

Many writers are motivated by multiple of these, or even all of them to different degrees. Sometimes, it's not clear what your primary motivator, and that's okay; as long as something is pushing you to keep going, it's not always necessary to psychoanalyze it.

For me, I'm motivated primarily by these factors:

Improving my skills

Satisfying my urge to create

Examining real-world issues through art

Working through my own problems

Applying my education by teaching others

Making others happy

Honestly, even one person enjoying my work makes it worthwhile. I was especially proud that my mom liked my book because she's my favorite person, and getting her approval is very important to me.

Knowing that I gave someone a few hours of relief from their problems is incredibly gratifying. I have spent a large portion of my life escaping into other worlds through books; they've gotten me through difficult times and given me comfort. Being able to pay it forward by doing that for someone else makes me feel like I've made the world a better place, if only in the most miniscule way.

It's nice to get royalties, and one day, I hope to break even on the money I've spent on self-publishing (yes, you do have to invest funds in self-pub if you want to do it right). But ultimately, selling just one or two books is great, as long as the consumer enjoyed it and felt they got their money's worth.

Also, as I've mentioned in previous posts, writing has helped to break me out of my shell because I'm one of those writers who craves verisimilitude. Wrong details can really break immersion, and I don't want that.

In a fantasy world, I get to bullshit a lot, but any time there is anything analogous to reality, I need it to pass the sniff test. That has led me to take up new hobbies and research things I'd never cared about otherwise. Like, did you know that there are 128 grasshopper species in Mongolia?! Holy shit! There are over 10,000 different grasshopper species worldwide! That's insane!

Anyway, maybe you don't really know why you write, just that you do.

These questions might help you find your motivator.

What kinds of reactions give you the most pleasure? Someone liking the plot, or the characters, or the worldbuilding? What are the best compliments you've received about your work? If you died and people were talking about your writing, what would you want them to say? When you're really struggling with writer's block, what gets you out of it? What is your favorite part of writing? Is it the research, the wordplay, the character building? Would you be okay if no one ever read your writing? Why or why not? What's your worst-case scenario for writing (other than never selling anything)? Is it someone saying that your writing is unrealistic, or that it's melodramatic, or that the characters feel undeveloped and flat? Why did you begin writing in the first place? Was it to express yourself, share stories for other people, work through personal issues, get attention? What would be the greatest award you could achieve for your writing? Don't just think about literary awards but anything. What if your book won the Nobel Peace Prize? Or got you an honorary degree from a university you like? Or recognition from an organization you admire, like NASA? If you think about it carefully, that can give you an understanding of what you really care about deep down. If you were interviewed about your work, what would you want the interviewer to ask?

It's so important to have something to drive you, and I hope you find it.

If you enjoyed this, consider picking up a copy of my debut book, 9 Years Yearning.

9 Years Yearning is a gay coming-of-age story set in a realistic fantasy world with poetry magic, featuring fistfights, horses, and a battle scene at the end!

It'd be the greatest honor to me if you were able to pass a few happy hours reading about dumb oblivious gay men.

[banamine-bananime]

just listing some of my headcanons (mostly appearance/demographics) because i like listing things and i’m procrastinating hard

caboose - 18-19 in 2552. went straight from hs graduation to basic to sim training to blood gulch. he was gonna do a program where the UNSC provides a hefty scholarship for completion of an engineering degree with a few years of service upon graduation, but got enlisted instead through a combination of paperwork being confusing for bureaucratic nonsense reasons, paperwork being confusing for deliberate predatory we-need-as-many-people-for-cannon-fodder-as-possible reasons, and him being confused by any paperwork. 6'7”, ~250 lb, very muscular and not thin but not quite chubby either, very mixed but mostly latino and arabic ethnicities, thick fluffy 3A chin-length dark brown hair that's always in his eyes, round face with cute fuzzy eyebrows and aquiline nose. him and tucker (and kinda donut and perhaps sarge) are the only motherfuckers here with a stable happy childhood. uses-no-specific-label queer cis dude.

church - we know church is 5 in blood gulch lol but it think he thought he was like 23-ish/jimmy was around that age. in jimmy's body, 5'10, ~230 lb, chubby and "normal" level of muscularity for someone who has a somewhat active job but doesn't work out much, untidy thick straight black hair that's like 2" grown-out from a buzz, face passably similar to the director if you squint but not really (e.g. shorter/squarer face, eyes hazel instead of stupidly light green). epsilon projects a similar bodytype but would probably default to a young-director-ish face if he had to make one. i think he would at some point consciously change it around if he were doing a face with any regularity. bisexual and nonbinary and will probably never fully acknowledge it but she can have some pronouns as a treat (from tex or in her own internal monologue) sometimes.

tucker - 18-19 in 2552. went straight from hs graduation to basic to sim training to blood gulch. enlisted because he was a “fuck around without any motivation or particular goals in life” kind of teenage dirtbag who was like “oh hey predatory recruiters absolutely dominating every career fair in Covenant-war-era earth. i’ve heard being in the military is very sexy and exciting and makes you a chick magnet so sure sign me up”. 5’4”, ~110 lb scrawny guy in blood gulch -> ~135 still pretty skinny but more muscular later. 4C hair with a grown-out buzz from basic in blood gulch becoming locs when it's long enough. *takes you by the shoulders very seriously* repeat after me, his eyes are BROWN. and the only acceptable other option is when they’re turning gray as in a body horror way, gray as in your body becoming something uncanny to you, gray as in the horribly blinding cold light of unfathomably vast stars lightyears away from anything you’ve ever known (read lazarus left the tomb btw. treat yourself). very handsome face in a boy-next-door-looks-very-sweet-until-he-opens-his-mouth kinda way. an only child or had like one older sibling he wasn’t very close to by the time he enlisted. i think of him as a bi cis guy but i enjoy trans hcs.

kai - 20 in 2552. 5’2”, ~200 lb, fat and top-heavy hourglass and broadset. a little muscular (it’s not immediately obvious) as she was always athletic and basic training helped, but she’s made more for endurance (body by “dancing 7 hours and walking home across town drunk and sleep-deprived”) than strength. thick upper-back-length black 2C hair that she sometimes dyes streaks in or ombre (usually brown highlights but she mixes it up). broad face and nose, big adorable eyebrows, life-endingly cute eyes and smile. alternates between no-makeup all-leg-hair realness, and full femme glam for funsies with 5 sets of fake eyelashes trying to take flight (at least three of them are inevitably going to be Just Fucking Gone by some point in the party). pansexual ipsogender intersex gal (tbh the original reason i headcanoned her having mosaic turner’s is the colorblindess [x-linked recessive traits are rarely gonna show up if you have 2 X chromsomes vs having one, so i was like, “hey her retinas could be some of her XO tissues, and with mosaicism, fertility isn’t uncommon, so it doesn’t contradict her having had abortions”] and then years later i thought about it harder and was like wait she has achromatopsia and that’s autosomal. biology nerd fail moment. but anyways she’s intersex.)

tex - her body is modelled after allison aged 33 (when she died), but bigger stronger faster idealized-by-memory-and-wanting-her-to-be-invincible-to-the-point-of-looking-more-like-she’s-on-gear-and-photoshop-than-a-natural-body. 6’2”, body looks like ~220 lb of muscle and low-body-fat (but not like, cut for bodybuilding competition level of low-body-fat), but being made largely metal, she is heavier. whereas allison was like 5’9”, 170 lb, serious-crossfit-competitor kind of build but nowhere near as built as tex. face looks very similar to allison but just… weirdly airbrushed look and looks… sharper. harsher features. more intimidating. but she’s got this crooked smile that looks kinda like a smug smirk but also like she’s not laughing at you exactly, she’s just vibing with you and the inherent comedy of the absurdity of life. but when she’s Not Smiling it's the kind of expression you start backing away from expeditiously. i think of her having shoulder-length hair she wears in a ponytail but i do love short-hair tex dearly. gnc butch gay/bi (mostly attracted to women, uses both labels) cis woman who uses any pronouns.

wash - around 31? in 2552 (would put him being recruited to pfl at about 26 which feels right for being able to slide into the Goofy Innocent Rookie role but also plausibly have achieved a pretty high non-commissioned officer rank). 5’6” -155 lb, functional muscle with a build in-between lean and stocky (“otter” as a label keeps coming to mind). i don’t have a super settled facecanon but picture him as either white or mixed white and east asian. he has not changed his bleach-blonde crewcut since he was 17 and the shock of allowing himself to change it now might kill him. gay ace trans man.

carolina - 29 in 2552 (actually the youngest among the high-ranking freelancers. she would kill (jk) to protect this secret). she did the whole 4 year military academy to commissioned officer training thing and had a couple years of normal UNSC service before unfortunately getting wrapped up in her dad’s mad science pet project. 5’8”, ~150 lb, leanly muscular. i think of her having natural red hair she dyes bright red but i love a black-haired carolina too. we’ve seen her face. straight trans woman (transitioned as a preteen). i know, i wanted her to be in the wlw club, too. unfortunately every time i try shipping her with a woman she’s like “meh. thinking about my weird khaki man.” and i’m like oh. sorry about that affliction.

sarge - 62 (?) in 2552. 5’6”, ~200 lb, stocky and solidly muscular barrel-chested slight-beer-gut old dude. chinese-american. if you somehow catch him without his helmet he’s got wraparound reflective shades so good luck ever seeing his face (he’ll tell you it’s classified). another eternal crewcut guy but his is shorter than wash’s. bi and definitely a robofucker tbh. he is cis or trans depending on what’s funnier in any given circumstance.

grif - 24 in 2552. worked in honolulu a couple years after hs graduation until kai was old enough (17) he felt he could leave. did a year at university before realizing he’s smart enough to be admitted to cornell but not to get the scholarship he realistically needs to not be in crushing debt on graduation and also there’s not nearly enough regimentation to college life to prevent him from rotting in bed paralyzed by Problems. went through basic and stationed on the doomed outpost. that Whole Thing happened and he was reassigned to sim troopers. 5’8”, ~300 lb, fat and a little bit strong against his will from an involuntarily active job (he has valiantly resisted picking up cardiovascular conditioning. he works very hard on unfitness). he’s kinda cute in a “hasn’t washed his face in 5 days and his peachfuzz/stubble patches combo is very uneven but you caught him smiling for 2 seconds and oh no it was VERY charming” way. thick 2C dark-brown hair that’s a few inches long, wears it longer later. gay trans guy (because his little sister is named “younger sibling of the same gender” so like… also lmfao how unfortunate for kai that her name, which she did not choose, misgenders her big brother. like 😭 god it is very on the grif siblings brand of “hello so the circumstances we have been put in mean that my existence [kai]/how i have to leave you here to protect my own sanity [grif] is actively making your life much harder. i am ashamed of this, let us never communicate about it ever. i love you so much.”)

simmons - 23 in 2552. tried to do university several times and had to drop out for mental health reasons (a very polite way of putting “rapid spiral into absolute disaster every time”. it leaves room for giving him the benefit of the doubt that this was a proactive “ah i should take care of myself and this is not working for me :) #selfcare #therapy” decision. this is not benefit of the doubt that anyone who knows him would extend.). I go back and forth on whether to roll with the “suspiciously specific denial of being in a unit that was stranded and had to eat their dog to survive” thing or just say he was assigned straight to sim troopers. 5’11”, ~160 lb, wirey build and has to be standing at attention or else he holds himself so awkwardly. i pretty much go with the Standard Ginger Simmons Fanon Face but light brown hair also feels right and i think his hair should be very short. i really like when people draw his prosthetics very industrial/bare mechanical frame not trying to imitate biological form, just whatever’s functional. Red circle eye, hell yeah. bi and i used to firmly believe “this guy has to be cis because there is NO WAY he would have the hutzpah and willingness to put self-authenticity over doing what he’s Supposed To Do. we’ve seen how he deals with anxiety. he would just be white-knuckling his way through dysphoria to this day” HOWEVER i have really come around to trans simmons

donut - 19-20 in 2552. i see him taking a gap year or two to work on the farm and think about what he wants to do with his life (not productively introspecting on his deeper desires in life and what would allow him to fulfill them, god no, of course not. daydreaming unrealistically. obviously.) before enlisting. i think his upbringing was fairly happy but kinda weird and a bit insular within a small community of some Beliefs and possibly homeschooled. not like exactly Fundie Christian America as you might assume with that background; american subcultures have changed enough over 500 years that this is one of many totally unrecognizable to us. like it has some roots in Fundie Christianity and homesteading-from-a-weird-reactionary-tradfamily-can’t-trust-the-gubernment-place and some in Hippie-dippiness Spirituality, not-actually-a-cult-but-sometimes-you’ll-hear-him-say-things-he-thinks-are-normal-and-you’re-like-ummmmmmmm. (Idek how that headcanon started. i think i was just like so how DO you build a guy like donut). he’s 5’10”, ~185 lb, sturdy build, i don’t think people would consider him chubby but definitely not thin. his face and hair looks like he should be on a 1960s white america boyscouts poster but like, goofy about it. i think of him being mostly white but some latino heritage he’s curious about but was not raised connected to (hence wanting to learn spanish). acearospec and gay (he’s like…. mostly asexual and aromantic but it’s complicated. he is barely aware of being gay let alone ace or aro. he just fully makes up what he thinks sexual attraction and romance are and assigns it to random feelings/experiences). cis dude or nonbinary.