#thank god we've evolved from that

[frogfaced-wheeler]

it is INSANE to me that mike visibly regrets his fights with will. this isnt something finn last minute threw in this is something the duffers wanted. they scripted this. they make it SO CLEAR TO US that mike doesnt intend to be a dick and its fucking wild to me because when season 4 dropped all i saw in the fandom for a while was a LOT of "we want season 1-2 mike back!!!! hes such an ass in season 3-4 we hate him!!!!!!!!" like. mike VISIBLY REGRETS THE SHIT HE SAYS. AND WE STILL SOMEHOW GO TO THE CONCLUSION WE HATED HIM. HELLO??????

[evegwood]

Nosferatu’s Contracts: A Linguistic Deepdive

(This is one half of a blogpost I put on my website! Read the full thing for a full list of sources and even MORE information on the contract from the 1922 film).

So I saw the new Nosferatu film the other day and while I didn't think it was all that fantastic (I loved the first half okay, calm down) the one thing that did stick out to me was the absolutely gorgeous scripts used for the contract that Thomas has to sign. Thank you to��this Reddit post for sharing a picture of the entire thing:

The BEAUTIFUL red calligraphy is called Vyaz, a form of decorative Cyrillic calligraphy. In Vyaz script, letters are all joined and interwoven together to create a beautiful, ornamental typographical piece. The Wikipedia page about it is fucking pathetic but it does feature this example of text with a coloured breakdown of the individual words that comprise the piece:

Obviously this itched my language brain like crazy. The best resource I have found since to learn more about Vyaz is this full, free guide written by Viktor Pushkarev. He has also released a 254 page PDF for 25 euros called the Modern Slavic Vyaz Calligraphy Workbook and I think I'm going to have to buy it. His examples look stunning and I would love to learn more about this style of calligraphy. Thank you, Nosferatu.

The Vyaz calligraphy is only one style of writing used in that contract. The other is a completely different style of writing and, surprisingly (or not, maybe?) the best place to look for answers turned out to once again be Reddit. This commenter suggests it's another form of Cyrillic:

Here's some Glagolitic, to compare:

In a different thread, this commenter claims to have cracked it:

This commenter replies with an addition:

So that's cool! In that same thread, this commenter says that the contract looks like a Romanian hrisov, or medieval chancellery charter, and recommends this video explaining how they were written. As you can see from the example below that the commenter shared, these traditional contracts look pretty damn similar to Orlok's contract! So let's talk about them real quick, because it's interesting!

The video is by Adrian Gheorghe, a historian whose speciality is the editing and translation of all documents regarding Vlad the Impaler. He talks about how unlike letters, which would be written in Latin, these charters were written in Slavonic, a liturgical and "literary language, based on Slavic dialects of the Balkans, developed by monks in the 9th century" (X). Viktor Pushkarev suggests a book called Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language if you want to learn more about the grammar and syntax. Slavonic was often written in Glagolitic and hey, we've seen that before!

These charters also had explicit and strict structures that they adhered to. This strict standard served to not only prove the legitimacy of a document, but that "the document was drawn up with all due solemnity" (X). Interestingly, each charter would invoke God in the opening lines or would simply have a cross at the beginning, and according to the translations given above Count Orlok's contract does not seem to include this. I recommend checking out the video in its entirety to hear more about this cool bit of history.

But of course... that's not all that's written on the contract, is it? Thomas signs it, and he signs it in Kurrent script, an old traditional form of German cursive. If you'd like to learn how to write in Kurrent, there's a free guide by Margarete Mücke right here! Here's a screenshot I took of the scene along with a Kurrent alphabet for comparison:

Kurrent has a really interesting history. It evolved from gothic cursive at the beginning of the 16th century, which saw a lot of use in the medieval ages. Compared to the vast variety of gothic cursive writing styles, Kurrent was "beautiful, fast to write and comparatively legible" (X). It soon moved out of use solely in chancelleries and into everyday use, becoming more and more standardised.

This script saw a bit of a rollercoaster of popularity; in the early 1900s it was established and taught in all German schools, then steadily became seen as "antiquated and ugly", then the Nazis declared other writing scripts "Un-German" and promoted gothic typography until 1941 when Hitler declared Kurrent and its sister writing style Fraktur "to be of 'Jewish origin' and therefore taboo". More information about this can be found on this page about the history of Old German Script (another name for Kurrent).

So that's that! Count Orlok's contract is based on traditional charters of the region with set structures to highlight their legitimacy and importance as documents, using traditional scripts and handwriting of the time, and is also a style of document that is directly tied to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula and ultimately Nosferatu. Extremely cool and also totally makes sense considering Robert Eggers interest in authentic linguistic detail (like I didn't even mention the language that Orlok speaks throughout the film, which is Dacian, an extinct ancestor of Romanian). Lots of really tasty stuff to look at and I had a blast putting it all together.

Except.......... it's not the end. There's a whole second saga to be told about the contract from the 1922 film, and if you wanna read that (I get deep into talking occult symbols and angel languages) you're gonna have to read the original post on my site!

[03jyh23]

🌷⌇the night finding our way back part 11; a choi jongho mini-series

ex-boyfriend! idol! jongho x ex-girlfriend! single-mom! reader

│ series masterlist│ next │

│synopsis: five years have passed since jongho last saw you. your lives have taken drastically different paths, with jongho achieving fame and you focusing on raising your daughter, nari, in quiet anonymity. when jongho discovers he has a daughter, he's determined to be a part of her life.

│genre: a slice of life, romance, fluff, some angst

│trigger warnings: mild alcohol consumption, romantic/intimate situations (non-explicit), mild suggestive content, adult language

│words: 5.7 k

│reminder: what you’re about to read is purely fiction, so let’s keep it separate from reality.

!minors do not interact!

— hi, my lovely people! this chapter takes a different turn from the previous ones, offering a more playful and lighthearted moment in our story. after all the emotional intensity we've experienced, i wanted to give you something sweet and fun right before we reach the end. hope you enjoyed this slightly different side of our characters! thank you for reading and staying with me through this journey! your support means everything. see you in the next chapter! oh, it's not proofread so im sorry for any errors :(

as always,

love, mon ♡

│taglist: │ @seventeenthingsblr │@DALSUWAHA │

│ @ateez-atiny380 │ @yoonshiiu │ @sndeoki │ @bomi-ja │

│ @vixensss │ @all-fandoms-rise │ @finnydraws │

│ @jonghosbrainrot │ @ateezswonderland │ @stayatinykatsy

│@chickenscoups │ @ana-stasssiaaa │ @starryunho │

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│ if you wish to be tagged let me know here! ♡

The night had grown quite late by the time Hongjoong insisted on giving you a ride home, following what had unexpectedly evolved into quite the festive gathering. The streetlights cast long shadows through the car windows as Hongjoong navigated the quiet streets. You watched the familiar buildings pass by, each one bringing you closer to home. You found yourself reflecting on how long it had been since you'd allowed yourself to truly unwind like this - the easy laughter, the flowing conversation, the comfortable atmosphere that made time slip away unnoticed. But tonight felt different, special even, like a weight had finally lifted from your shoulders. You could feel yourself relaxing, truly relaxing, knowing that Jongho and Nari were building their relationship, that your daughter finally knew the truth about Jongho's identity. The guys had surprised you completely - instead of the awkward, formal interaction you'd been dreading, they had welcomed you with open arms and genuine warmth. Their natural friendliness and humor had made you feel less like an outsider being cautiously accepted and more like you'd somehow stumbled into a gathering of old friends you'd simply forgotten you had.

"So..." Hongjoong's voice broke through the comfortable silence, a playful lilt in his tone. "How are you really doing with all of this? You know, the whole Jongho situation?"

You couldn't help but giggle, the pleasant buzz from the evening's drinks making everything seem lighter, funnier somehow. "Oh my god, you sound just like one of those TV show therapists!" You mimicked a serious expression, pushing imaginary glasses up your nose. "'And how does that make you feeeeeel?'"

Hongjoong burst out laughing, shaking his head. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation here!"

"Serious is overrated," you sang, watching the streetlights blur past. "But if you must know..." You paused dramatically, making Hongjoong glance at you expectantly. "I have absolutely no fucking idea what I'm doing!"

"That's... surprisingly honest," Hongjoong chuckled.

"I know, right?" You grinned, feeling giddy. "But here's the thing - and don't you dare tell anyone I said this - I think I might still be a teensy bit in love with him." You emphasized 'teensy' by pinching your fingers together, then immediately burst into giggles.

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, trying to maintain his composure but failing miserably as your laughter proved contagious. "A 'teensy' bit?"

"Okay, okay," you waved your hands dramatically. "Maybe a lot bit. But shhh, it's a secret!" You pressed a finger to your lips and made an exaggerated 'shushing' sound that sent both of you into another fit of laughter.

"You're something else when you're drunk, you know that?" Hongjoong managed between chuckles, turning onto your street.

"I'm delightful always," you declared with mock indignation. "It's just that right now everything feels... possible? Like maybe happy endings aren't just in fairy tales?" You suddenly gasped. "Oh no, I'm getting sappy! Quick, tell a joke!"

Hongjoong couldn't contain his amusement anymore. "You're absolutely ridiculous," he said fondly, "But for what it's worth, I think those happy endings might not be as far-fetched as you think."

"Now who's being sappy?" you teased, making him roll his eyes even as he continued grinning.

"God, you know what?" you sighed dreamily, slumping against the car window, your cheeks flushed from the evening's drinks. "Jongho got so impossibly, unreasonably hot. Like, have you seen his arms lately? Those perfectly sculpted muscles that peek through his fitted shirts should be considered dangerous weapons! The way they flex when he's just casually reaching for something... It's completely unfair to the rest of humanity!"

"Okay, maybe we should change the subject-" Hongjoong tried to interrupt, but you were too caught up in your revelation to notice.

"And don't even get me started on his thighs! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been with anyone? Years! YEARS, Hongjoong!" you declared dramatically, throwing your hands up in frustration. "And here he comes, walking back into my life looking like some kind of Greek god, giving me those intense looks with those gorgeous eyes of his... It should be illegal! There should be laws against looking that good after all this time!"

"I really don't need to hear this about my bandmate-" Hongjoong protested weakly, fighting back laughter at your animated state.

"But seriously, have you seem his thighs in those jeans a few days ago? The way they just... UGH! And I just want him to grab me and-"

"NOPE!" Hongjoong practically shouted, reaching over to clamp a hand over your mouth while trying to keep the car steady.

"No, but listen!" you persisted, pulling his hand away from your mouth. "Have you seen the way he carries Nari? Those strong arms just lifting her up like she weighs nothing, being all fatherly and protective... And then he'll catch my eye and give me that soft smile that makes my knees weak and I just-"

"You are definitely going to regret this conversation tomorrow," Hongjoong chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"I can't even finish that thought because it just makes me feel all..." you trailed off with a dreamy sigh, fanning yourself dramatically. "Is it getting hot in here? I think it's getting hot in here."

"Alright, time to get you inside before you say anything else I'll need therapy to unhear," he laughed, putting the car in park.

"Oh? We're already home?" you asked, surprised as you peered out the window at your familiar building.

"That's what happens when you spend the whole ride waxing poetic about Jongho's... physical attributes," Hongjoong teased, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Listen, I'm just saying," you drawled, gesturing expressively with your finger weaving unsteady patterns in the air, "As a single mom who hasn't had time for dating in forever, you have no idea what it's like. I bet you're out there living your best life, going to fancy industry parties, probably have people throwing themselves at you begging you to fuck th—" you continued, your words becoming increasingly slurred as you attempted to make your point with increasingly dramatic hand movements.

"Y/N!" Hongjoong interrupted, his expression a mix of mortification and barely contained amusement. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're saying all this. Exactly how many glasses of wine did you have at dinner?" His voice carried equal parts concern and entertainment at your uninhibited state.

You responded with a series of uncontrollable giggles, your coordination clearly compromised as your fingers fumbled clumsily with the seatbelt buckle, missing the release button entirely several times while muttering something incomprehensible under your breath. "Alright, I'm going," you declared with exaggerated dignity, attempting to push open the car door but somehow managing to pull on the window control instead. "Oh. That's not... wait, why isn't this... ah, there it is!" You finally located the correct handle, swinging the door open with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.

Hongjoong quickly jumped out of the driver's seat, rushing around to your side of the car as you swayed precariously on your feet. "Whoa, careful there!" he exclaimed, catching your elbow just as you started to tip sideways. "Let's get you inside in one piece, shall we?"

"My hero!" you proclaimed with an exaggerated flutter of your eyelashes, swaying dramatically as Hongjoong supported your wobbly progress toward the building entrance.

"Just doing my duty as a responsible friend," he chuckled warmly, carefully guiding you up the steps while ensuring you didn't take an unexpected detour. "And making sure Jongho doesn't kill me if anything happens to you. He'd never let me hear the end of it."

"Aww, he's so protective," you sighed dreamily, your fingers fumbling with your keys in an elaborate choreography of misses. "Have I mentioned how incredibly, absolutely, positively hot that protective side of his is?"

"Only about a dozen times in the last hour," Hongjoong muttered with fond exasperation, gently extracting the keys from your uncoordinated grasp. "Here, let me help with that before you accidentally try to unlock your door with your credit card."

"I am perfectly capable of using my own keys!" you protested with the utmost conviction, nearly pirouetting over your own feet as you made this passionate declaration. "See? I'll show you! I am a key-using expert of the highest caliber!"

You triumphantly thrust your hand into the air, brandishing what you believed to be your key ring with the confidence of a symphony conductor, only to realize you were wielding your phone like a magical wand. "Oh. When did that happen? The keys have clearly learned to shape-shift. Very sneaky of them."

Hongjoong's laughter bubbled over, rich and genuine. "Just let me help, okay? Before you convince yourself your lip gloss is actually the garage door opener."

"Fine," you conceded with an exaggerated pout worthy of a theatrical performance. "But only because you're being so nice about it. And don't you dare tell Jongho about any of this! This is top-secret, classified, confidential... what's another word for secret?"

Hongjoong glanced at you with a mixture of amusement and growing concern. "You do know Jongho's at your place with Nari right now, don't you?"

"Oh shit," you breathed, your eyes widening to comical proportions. "Oh no, no, no... This is not part of the plan. The plan was to be sophisticated and elegant and..." Hongjoong couldn't help but laugh at your increasingly panicked expression, watching as the realization slowly dawned across your features. "Oh my god, I'm so drunk," you groaned, pressing your hands against your flaming cheeks as if trying to physically hold your dignity in place. "But I'll be fine! Totally fine. Completely and utterly fine!"

"I'm telling you," you continued with newfound determination, stumbling slightly as Hongjoong guided you through the building's entrance, "I'm going to walk in there and be all... all dignified and stuff. Like a queen. Or maybe a duchess. Do duchesses wobble?"

Hongjoong let out an undignified snort. "Sure you are. And I'm secretly a unicorn."

"No, really! Watch this!" You straightened up with the determination of an Olympic athlete, attempting to walk in what you believed to be a perfectly straight line down the hallway but instead executing a gentle curve to the left that would make geometry teachers weep. "I am grace personified! Poetry in motion! The very essence of... of... what's that word for when you're really good at walking?"

"Finally," Hongjoong sighed in relief as the elevator doors opened. He guided you inside, pressing the button for your floor while you leaned against the wall for support.

"I need to be... what's the word? Sophisticated! Yes, that's it. I am a sophisticated, responsible mother who absolutely, positively, definitely does not spend any time whatsoever thinking about her daughter's father's muscles. Or his shoulders. Or the way his t-shirts fit just right when he's... No! Bad brain! Stop that!"

"Maybe save the thigh appreciation for when you're more... coherent?" Hongjoong suggested, leading you down the hallway to your apartment.

"You're right, you're right," you nodded with such vigor that the world decided to do a spin, forcing you to grab the wall for support. "Do you think Jongho will be able to tell I'm drunk? I can be sneaky. Like a ninja. A very sophisticated ninja."

Hongjoong paused at your door, giving you a look that could only be described as 'are you actually serious right now?' "Y/N, a blind person could tell you're drunk right now. From three blocks away. In a soundproof room."

"I'm not drunk!" you protested with the righteous indignation of someone who was very much drunk, punctuating your declaration with a perfectly timed hiccup. "I'm just... experiencing an enhanced state of... of... consciousness expansion? No, that's not it. Alternative sobriety? Enhanced gravitational awareness?" You waved your hand in elaborate patterns through the air, as if trying to pluck the proper words from the cosmos itself.

Just then, the door to your apartment swung open to reveal Jongho standing there with an amused smirk playing across his features. "Enhanced state, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as you felt your cheeks flush an even deeper shade of crimson. Hongjoong cleared his throat, making a valiant but ultimately failed attempt to suppress his laughter at your mortified expression.

"I am completely and totally fine," you declared with all the dignity you could muster while the floor seemed to be engaging in some sort of gentle wave motion beneath your feet. "Just experiencing some temporary... spatial recalibration. It's very scientific." Your attempt at a graceful entrance was somewhat undermined when you promptly stumbled directly into Jongho's chest, his strong hands instinctively reaching out to catch you with practiced ease. "Hi!" you chirped brightly, gazing up at him with what you hoped was a casual smile but probably looked more like a lovestruck grin. The solid warmth of his chest against your palms and the steady pressure of his hands on your waist were doing absolutely nothing to help clear your wine-addled thoughts.

"Someone had a good time at dinner," he observed, his voice carrying notes of amusement mixed with something deeper, something that made your stomach do little flips that had nothing to do with the wine.

"The BEST time," you emphasized with enthusiastic hand gestures, still making no effort whatsoever to extract yourself from his supportive grip. "They had so many wines. SO many. And they were all very... winey. Like, really good at being wine. Is that a thing? It should be a thing."

"And this," Hongjoong announced with barely contained glee, backing away toward freedom, "is where I make my strategic retreat. Have fun dealing with... all of this." He gestured vaguely in your direction with a flourish before giving Jongho a sympathetic pat on the shoulder that clearly said, 'Good luck, you're going to need it.'

"Traitor!" you called after him, your voice echoing dramatically down the hallway along with his answering laughter. "Some friend you are, abandoning me in my hour of... of... what's that thing when you really need something?"

"Need?" Jongho supplied helpfully, still maintaining his steady hold on you as he somehow managed to kick the door closed without letting you topple over.

"You, Mister Choi," you declared with the gravity of someone making a profound scientific discovery, punctuating each word with a gentle poke to his chest, "are very smart. And strong. Have I mentioned how strong you are?" Your eyes widened comically as you realized what you'd just said, dissolving into a fresh fit of giggles that you tried to muffle against his shoulder.

Jongho's chuckle rumbled deep in his chest, the sound warming you more effectively than any amount of wine as he carefully guided you toward the couch. "Maybe we should get you some water and have you sit down for a bit," he suggested, his hands maintaining their gentle but firm pressure on your shoulders. The combination of his proximity and your alcohol-diminished inhibitions was making it increasingly difficult to remember all the reasons why you shouldn't be telling him exactly how devastatingly attractive you found him.

"You know what?" you announced with the air of someone about to share a vital piece of information, tilting your head back to look up at him. "You have really nice shoulders. Like, really, really nice. The kind of shoulders that make a girl want to..." you trailed off, your hands making vague grabbing motions in the air that would have made a mime proud.

"And how much exactly did you have to drink tonight?" Jongho asked, his valiant attempt at maintaining a straight face crumbling around the edges as he steadied you for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Enough to finally tell you that your whole..." you made a grand sweeping gesture encompassing his entire form, nearly taking out a lamp in the process, "...everything is very distracting. Has anyone ever told you that you're unfairly attractive? Because you are. It's very inconsiderate of you, honestly. There should be laws about this sort of thing."

Jongho's ears turned an adorable shade of pink, but his smile only grew wider, softer somehow. "Maybe we should revisit this conversation when you're sober," he suggested gently, guiding you to sit on the couch with the careful attention of someone handling a particularly wobbly piece of fine china.

"Nooo," you whined, latching onto his arm like a particularly determined octopus. "You're just going to be all responsible and professional again tomorrow, and I'll have to go back to pretending I don't notice how ridiculously good you look in those stupid fitted shirts of yours. Do you know how hard that is? It's very hard. Very, very hard."

"And don't even get me started on your arms," you continued, poking his bicep with an accusing finger as if it had personally offended you. "Do you know what they do to a person? Because I do. I know exactly what they do, and it's very... it's very... arm-y."

Jongho caught your poking finger in his hand, his expression a fascinating mix of amusement and something warmer, something that made your heart skip several beats. "Maybe you should tell me," he teased, his voice carrying a hint of challenge that sent shivers down your spine.

"Oh, I could tell you so many things." You leaned closer, emboldened by the wine and the way his eyes seemed to darken at your proximity. "Like how distracting it is when you roll up your sleeves, or when-"

"Mommy?" a small voice called softly from the bedroom, the innocent sound cutting through your wine-induced haze like a bucket of ice water. The simple word instantly cleared your foggy mind, replacing the warmth of attraction with sharp, sobering clarity as you sat on the couch beside Jongho.

"Oh god," you whispered, practically leaping to the other end of the couch as though burned, your heart hammering in your chest as reality came crashing back. "Nari's still awake?"

Jongho reacted with lightning-quick composure, smoothly adjusting his position to create a respectable distance between you as the sound of tiny footsteps approached the room. "She was asleep just a few minutes ago, must have woken up from all our talking," he explained in carefully measured tones, his voice barely above a whisper, just as Nari appeared in her flower-patterned pajamas, her small fists rubbing drowsily at her eyes.

"Baby, what are you doing up?" you managed to say with impressive steadiness, fighting against the lingering effects of the wine that made the room tilt and sway. Your thoughts raced as you desperately hoped your daughter wouldn't notice how flushed your cheeks were or how disheveled you must look.

Nari shuffled toward the couch with that endearing sleepy wobble that small children have, her eyes heavy with interrupted dreams. "I heard laughing..." she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Princess, Mommy and I were just having a little chat, but it's very late now." Jongho stepped in with practiced ease, his voice gentle as he rose from the couch and lowered himself to her eye level. "Can I help you back to bed?" The natural way he handled the situation, seamlessly transitioning from your heated moment to caring father figure, made your heart clench with an emotion you weren't ready to name.

Nari's eyes darted between you and Jongho, concern evident even through her sleepy haze. "Is Mommy okay? She looks funny."

"Mommy's just a little tired from dinner with the uncles," Jongho explained, his voice warm and reassuring as he extended his hand toward her. "Let's get you tucked in, and tomorrow morning, she'll feel much better." The tenderness in his tone made your chest ache with longing and gratitude.

You caught Jongho's eye as he led Nari away, mouthing a silent but heartfelt 'thank you,' overwhelmed with appreciation for his quick thinking and smooth intervention. As their footsteps grew fainter down the hallway, you sagged deeper into the couch cushions, letting out a long groan while pressing your palms against your eyes, trying to will away both the spinning sensation and the memory of how close you'd been to kissing him.

A few minutes later, Jongho returned to the room, his expression a perfect blend of amusement and fond exasperation as he leaned against the doorframe. "Well, the first baby is safely back in dreamland," he announced with a knowing smirk, crossing his arms across his chest in a way that definitely didn't make your heart skip. "Now it's time to take care of the big baby."

"Are you calling me a baby?" you protested with an exaggerated pout, stumbling slightly as you tried to cross your arms. "Because I'll have you know I am a very mature and sophisticated..." you trailed off as an ill-timed hiccup interrupted your declaration, "...person."

"Whatever you say," Jongho chuckled warmly, his eyes sparkling with barely contained mirth as he gently took your elbow. "Come on, let's get you some water. Can you walk to the kitchen?"

"Of course I can walk," you declared confidently, though your steps were anything but steady as he guided you.

Once in the kitchen, he carefully positioned you against the counter, his hands lingering on your waist to ensure you stayed upright. "Stay right here," he instructed, his voice a mix of amusement and concern. "And try not to fall over while I get your water."

"No, I don't want water," you whined, gripping the counter edge as the room did a gentle spin. Your eyes followed him as he moved to the sink, unable to help yourself from admiring his profile. "I want to tell you about how pretty your eyes are when you smile." Jongho turned back to you with that exact devastating smile you'd just mentioned, making your heart flutter.

"Here," he said firmly, pressing the glass of water into your hands, his fingers brushing against yours in a way that sent tingles up your arm. "Drink this, and maybe we can talk more about my eyes later."

"Or you could just kiss me," you murmured, the wine making your voice husky and your usual hesitation nonexistent. Your eyes traced the contours of his lips, lingering on the subtle curve of his mouth as he held you steady against the kitchen counter, his proximity making your head spin more than any amount of alcohol could. Jongho's breath caught audibly in his throat, his fingers flexing unconsciously where they gripped your waist, the pressure just firm enough to send shivers down your spine. For a long moment, the air between you crackled with an almost electric tension. Then, with a deliberateness that made your heart race, he slowly began to lean in. When his lips finally met yours, it was with a gentleness that made your knees weak. The kiss was tentative at first, exploratory, like he was giving you every chance to pull away. Instead, you let out a soft sigh against his mouth, your fingers finding purchase in the fabric of his shirt, desperately pulling him closer. Something in him seemed to break at that small sound - the kiss transformed, becoming deeper, more intense, charged with years of suppressed longing. His hands slid up the curve of your back, fingers threading through your hair as he pressed you more firmly against the counter, the solid warmth of his body making you dizzy with want.

But then, as quickly as the moment had ignited, Jongho wrenched himself away, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. "Wait," he rasped, his voice rough with barely contained emotion. "We can't... we shouldn't do this. Not like this."

"Why not?" you whimpered, your hands still clutching at his shirt, trying to draw him back to you, missing his warmth already.

"Because you're drunk," he said, his tone firm despite the obvious desire still burning in his eyes, making them dark and intense. "And I... god, I want this - want you - too much to let it happen this way. You deserve better than some rushed, drunken makeout session in your kitchen that you might not even remember clearly tomorrow."

"Jongho..." you purred, your fingers tracing patterns on his chest. The wine had completely demolished your filter, leaving your desires bare and unrestrained. "I've thought about this... about us... so many times..."

Jongho's jaw clenched visibly, his hands gripping your waist a fraction tighter. "Y/N," he warned, his voice strained. "You're making this very difficult."

"You're kind of adorable when you're being responsible," you giggled, swaying forward to rest your forehead against his chest. "But fine, have it your way. I'll be good." The words came out more suggestive than you'd intended, and you felt Jongho's sharp intake of breath.

He shifted slightly, maintaining a respectful distance while still keeping you steady. "Let's get you to bed," he said softly, his voice gentle but leaving no room for argument.

Letting out a small sigh of defeat, you let him guide you toward your bed, your steps still slightly unsteady. "You're no fun," you mumbled, even as your eyelids grew heavier with each step. "But you're still pretty..."

Jongho smiled fondly as he guided you toward the bathroom instead, his warm hand steady against the small of your back. The way he looked at you made your heart flutter - even through your wine-induced haze, you could see the tender concern in his eyes, mixed with something deeper that made your breath catch.

"Let's get you cleaned up first," he said softly, his voice warm and gentle as he steadied you with one hand while reaching for your toothbrush with the other.

"You're being very... what's the word?" you mumbled as he carefully put toothpaste on your brush, your body swaying slightly into his solid presence. The bathroom lights seemed to spin a little, but his firm grip kept you grounded. "Nurturing? Is that it? Like a big, strong, handsome nurse," you giggled, leaning back against his chest for support.

He chuckled, the sound reverberating through you where your back pressed against him. "Someone has to take care of you," he murmured, his breath tickling your ear as he passed you the toothbrush. His hands lingered on your shoulders, thumbs drawing small, comforting circles that made you feel safe. As you brushed your teeth, still swaying slightly, you caught his eye in the mirror. The way he watched you, with that mix of amusement and affection, made your chest tight with emotion. His reflection showed everything you'd been too afraid to see before - the way his eyes softened when they met yours, how his protective stance betrayed more than just friendly concern.

"Are you gonna stay?" you asked around a mouthful of toothpaste, trying to sound casual but failing miserably, your voice small and hopeful. Jongho reached up to brush a stray strand of hair from your face. His fingertips lingered against your cheek for just a moment, sending sparks of electricity down your spine.

"I never planned to leave in the first place," he assured you, "Someone needs to make sure you drink water and take painkillers in the morning. Besides," he added, his eyes never leaving yours in the mirror, "there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now."

You shuffled into your bedroom, leaning slightly against Jongho's steady presence as he carefully guided you to sit on the edge of your bed. His movements were deliberate and gentle, ensuring you remained balanced despite your slightly unsteady state. With remarkable foresight and consideration, he made his way to your dresser, retrieving your pajamas and holding them out to you with one hand while the other dramatically covered his eyes, his fingers splayed in an exaggerated gesture that made you smile.

"No peeking," you giggled, swaying slightly even while seated, your hand reaching out to steady yourself against the mattress. "Such a gentleman..."

"I'll turn around," he said firmly, though you could hear the barely contained smile in his voice, "Just let me know when you're done changing, okay?"

"But what if I need help?" you teased, watching with delight as the tips of his ears turned a delicate shade of pink, the blush creeping down his neck. "These buttons can be so tricky..."

"Y/N..." His voice carried a warning tone, though it was impossible to miss the undercurrent of affection and obvious amusement in his words. "You're making this whole 'being responsible' thing incredibly challenging, you know that?"

"Fine, fine," you conceded with an exaggerated sigh, waving your hand dismissively. "Turn around then, Mr. Proper," you mock-pouted, watching as he obediently spun to face the wall. As you managed to change into your pajamas with surprisingly minimal stumbling, you couldn't help but notice how Jongho kept his word, standing perfectly still with his back turned, his shoulders tense with the effort of maintaining composure. You had to admit, his steadfast determination to be proper and gentlemanly was endearing, even if your wine-influenced mind desperately wanted to test those carefully constructed boundaries. With a mischievous grin spreading across your face, you waited until he was fully turned around, completely unsuspecting, before carefully unhooking your bra under your shirt. In one fluid motion that was far more coordinated than you expected given your current state, you managed to pull it free from your sleeve and, with surprisingly good aim, tossed it directly at him, watching with gleeful satisfaction as it landed perfectly draped across his broad shoulder.

"Oops," you giggled with exaggerated innocence, trying and failing to suppress your laughter. "How did that get there? Must have slipped..."

Jongho froze completely, his shoulders tensing visibly beneath his hoodie. You could practically see him counting slowly to ten in his head, his fingers flexing at his sides before he carefully, deliberately reached up and removed the garment without turning his head even slightly, holding it out behind him with two fingers. "Y/N..." his voice was delightfully strained but unmistakably amused, a combination that made you want to test his resolve even further. "You're absolutely impossible, you know that?"

"I prefer the term 'delightfully challenging,'" you quipped back, finally pulling your pajama top on and smoothing it down. "Okay, I'm decent now. More or less. Probably more less than more, but who's counting?"

He turned back around slowly, cautiously, as if expecting another piece of clothing to come flying his way. A soft smile played at his lips despite his obvious attempt to maintain his composure, and when his eyes met yours, they were warm and tender, yet still carrying that hint of careful restraint that had characterized the entire evening.

"Let's get you tucked in," he said gently, moving to help you under the covers, his hands steady and sure.

"Can you... Stay with me?" you asked softly, your voice suddenly sleepy, all the previous playfulness melting into vulnerable honesty. "Just to cuddle? I promise I'll behave this time... mostly."

Jongho hesitated for a moment, his expression softening visibly as he looked down at you. "Alright," he conceded with a gentle smile that made your heart skip. "But you need to actually sleep, okay?"

You nodded eagerly, watching as he pulled off his hoodie with careful movements, leaving him in his soft, oversized t-shirt and comfortable sweatpants. The bed dipped slightly under his weight as he slipped under the covers beside you, and you immediately gravitated toward his warmth like a moth to flame. Your head found its perfect resting place on his chest, the steady, strong rhythm of his heartbeat more soothing than any lullaby could ever be. His arms wrapped around you protectively, one hand resting securely on your back while the other began to stroke your hair with such tender care that you felt yourself melting into his embrace.

"Comfortable?" he murmured softly, his voice rumbling pleasantly in his chest beneath your ear, the vibrations sending waves of contentment through your entire body.

"Mmhmm," you hummed contentedly, already feeling the gentle pull of sleep starting to cloud your consciousness. "You're so warm... and safe... like my own personal guardian angel..."

The last thing you registered before drifting off into peaceful slumber was the gentle, almost reverent press of his lips against your forehead and his whispered "Sweet dreams," the words carrying more tenderness than you'd ever heard before.

♡│if you enjoy my writing please consider supporting me by tagging and reblogging│

[bairdthereader]

Nick Asking Charlie Out: Intention

The differences between the show and the comic in the scene where Nick asks Charlie to come to Harry's party are striking and, I think, are Alice's brilliant way of adding intention into this evolving relationship in a way it hadn't existed before.

In the comic, we get a panel that shows the boys' notebooks and their hands, but not their faces, as Nick says "Are you going to Harry Greene's party on Saturday?" Though Nick is obviously deeply interested in Charlie's answer, this is still a passive inquiry; the stakes are low when the question is framed this way.

In the show, on the other hand, we first get this moment of intense, silent struggle while Nick works up the nerve to ask a real question, a question that he knows is weighty. There's a second where he checks in with himself--you can see it in his eyes (Kit is brilliant here)--where he's asking himself if he's actually going to do this.

And, yes, he decides, he is. This is easily the most nervous we've ever heard Nick to this point. The words rush out, squeezed together and slightly high-pitched: "Do you want to go to Harry's party?" This in and of itself is still not a particularly loaded question; it's the fact that Nick managed to ask it at all that lends it consequence. He thought hard about it. He knew what he really meant when he asked it. He's still incredibly, intensely confused, but he also knows he's taking a concrete step toward exploring a romantic relationship with Charlie, even if he's still completely unsure of what that really means for his own identity journey.

And Nick wants Charlie to have a clear understanding of what he's really saying, too (as is Nick's way). So then comes the bit that really scares him, but about which he's undeniably most hopeful. This is where this scene deviates most noticeably from the comics, in which Nick never specifies that he wants Charlie to go to the party with him. I love that Alice made this change, because we get to see Nick, for the first time, making an intentional decision not only to act on his attraction to Charlie (in a seemingly small but for him really quite monumental way), but also, importantly, his intention to make Charlie aware, on some level, of his changing feelings.

In the comics we get Charlie's reluctance, and then Nick's admission that he doesn't want to hang out with his own friends. Then "I have you now, so . . . so will you come?" Again, Nick is asking Charlie to attend the party, and clearly wants him to say he will, so there is some kind of intention behind his ask, but he frames it safely in the context of wanting someone there to hang out with whose company he actually enjoys.

In the show, Nick is very purposeful and decisive in the way he responds to Charlie's reluctance. "I want you to be there." This is not passively allowing closeness to happen under the guise of friendship. Yes, Nick carefully walks the line between a platonic ask and a romantic one by not actually calling it a date, but this is still a critical point for him. This is intention, purposefulness, acting toward a specific, desired outcome.

I love the panel in the comics that appears after Charlie says he'll go to the party, that it will be fun if Nick is there. It's adorable, and Nick is clearly flustered and excited that Charlie changed his mind about the party based on Nick's desire for his company.

But in the show we get This Face. ⬇️ The I can't believe I just did that face, immediately followed by the thank god he said yes face (along with a tiny little sigh of relief that he managed to say what he wanted to say). This whole interaction is basically a preview of the rest of their relationship. Nick constantly acting in a very considered, purposeful way, pushing himself and surprising himself . . . in part because Charlie promises to be there, is happy to be there . . . and Nick not believing his luck.

[Side note: Charlie's face says a lot here too. It says "I think, maybe, that might have been an actual ask out!" Then it says "But maybe not, don't get too excited." Because despite Nick's intention, Charlie's past experiences and pain--not to mention everyone around him--have been telling him there's no way Nick could mean his question in the way Charlie wants to interpret it. Charlie's uncertainty even after this interaction makes Nick's next really purposeful, intentional, purely internally motivated move--taking Charlie's hand after their first kiss--that much more important.]

[hrizantemy]

Something I find very interesting is how some stans lose it when people call Rhys a dictator. Dictators, while having evolved to have negative connotations in modern day, have been around since the Roman Empire, and wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The Senate, the governing advisors that helped run the country, would recommend a candidate, and they would be appointed by one of two counsels then confirmed by an assembly called Comitia Curiata. They were expected to maintain absolute power temporarily, in times of external or internal crisis, and then step down. By definition, a dictator is a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force. Note that they typically gain power through force, but not always.

Technically, every court is a dictatorship, from what we can tell. The High Lord's powers are unchallenged, not even by their partners (and that goes for the NC too. Feyre isn't challenging anyone).

I bring this up, because I've been thinking about your fic, A Place of Silver Silence. In the Dawn Court, the temple maintains a certain degree of political power, and even the High Lord has to tread carefully when dealing with it. This makes Dawn the only court, in your AU anyway, that we've seen, that isn't a dictatorship. Nesta asked in that chapter, I believe, what would happen if the temple and the High Lord disagreed, which is an interesting point.

If a political situation arises where the temple decide that they should have some say, or jurisdiction over it, and want to make a choice that the High Lord disagrees with, or vice versa, what happens? Hasn't this already, somewhat, played out too? The Cauldron is a tool of the Mother, and the trove was born from it. One could argue that the threat the trove possess makes it an issue for the High Lord, given that a death god and formerly mortal queen want it. But, it's connection to the cauldron, and by proxy, the Mother, lend to an argument being made that it would the temple's responsibility. The same could be said for Elain's visions, as an argument can be made that the cauldron is a tool from the Mother, but she didn't take Elain's powers, and as her tool, she let it show her what the Mother wants her to see.

There's also the matter of war. If the temple deems that a religious war of some kind is necessary, for one reason or another, how much sway do they have to make it happen? Can the High Lord, who manages the military, check their power there, and stop them? Or if the the High Lord wants to make a trade agreement that the temple doesn't like or deems to be otherwise an affront to the Mother (idk how but the trial made it clear that these high priestesses can use their religion to bs their way out of any situation), would they have the power to stop it?

Are they really working together to govern Dawn, or is one vying for more power? Does one already have more power? Is the temple's role a true check on Thesan's power, or is it just a theocracy in disguise? How much power do both the temple and the High Lord really have in relativity to one another?

The world building in your A Place of Silver Silence is amazing, and love how complex and different it is than just having seven monarchs and calling it a day.

Oh my gods, first of all—thank you. That is genuinely one of the most thoughtful, in-depth analyses of the political worldbuilding in A Place of Silver Silence I’ve ever received, and I want to frame it and hang it on my wall. You’ve not only picked up on the nuance, but you’ve interrogated it in such a layered way, and I’m honestly obsessed with your read on it.

You’re absolutely right that technically every court in Prythian is a dictatorship. The High Lord is the sole, unchecked power in each territory. Feyre being named High Lady doesn’t change this in the Night Court, because she doesn’t challenge Rhysand’s decisions, nor is she ever shown to hold equal or independent power. She doesn’t govern, she doesn’t lead armies, she doesn’t even oversee laws or reforms in Hewn or Illyria. So in practice, we still have a single ruler system.

Which is why your reference to Roman dictatorship is so brilliant. People hear the word “dictator” and immediately assume it’s a moral judgment rather than a political structure. But your historical framing is spot-on. Dictatorship can be a pragmatic tool in moments of crisis—if the person in power relinquishes it when the crisis ends. (Rhysand, of course, has ruled for over 400 years. The crisis has long passed. Yet the power remains consolidated.)

That’s where Dawn Court becomes so fascinating in the fic—because it actually challenges this model.

The Temple vs. The Crown: A Built-In Power Tension

Dawn was designed to be the one court where power isn’t centralized in one person, and you honed in on exactly what makes that interesting: there’s no clear answer on who wins if the temple and the High Lord disagree. It’s all precedent, tradition, political maneuvering, and optics.

Thesan is extremely aware that while he is the High Lord, he is not invincible—not socially, not politically, and definitely not religiously. The Temple of the Mother has a grip on the cultural and moral authority of Dawn. Its high priestesses (especially those like Clotho or the unnamed elders) can sway public opinion, destabilize alliances, and even challenge legislation on “sacred” grounds. And yes, as you pointed out—they can absolutely twist scripture and prophecy to justify nearly any action.

War and the Trove: Secular vs. Sacred Jurisdiction

Your point about the Cauldron and the Trove is chillingly sharp. They are, by canon and by religious belief, artifacts of the Mother. That inherently puts them into the temple’s domain. But Thesan is a ruler. He can’t ignore a weapon of mass destruction being passed around like a cursed party favor. This has already created friction in the fic, and that tension is only growing.

But here’s the real danger: the Temple doesn’t need to wield physical power. They wield belief. If they say the Trove belongs to them, and people believe it… it might as well be true. That’s a different kind of dictatorship—a theocracy in disguise.

Trade Agreements, War, and Policy Disputes

To answer your question: No, Thesan can’t necessarily stop the temple from launching a religious crusade—not directly. He can refuse military support, but if the temple frames it as a holy cause? They can rally Dawn’s citizenry, conscript faithful followers, and destabilize his rule from within. On the other hand, if he wants to pass a policy the Temple deems immoral or heretical (even if it’s just a trade agreement with a court they disapprove of), they have tools to stop it: public denouncement, ritual refusal, even sacramental excommunication from temple blessings.

And you’re right to ask: are they really governing together, or is one slowly angling for dominance?

The truth is—they are locked in a cold war. A constant, delicate balancing act. Neither side wants open conflict, because that would shatter the unity Dawn is known for. But both are constantly watching, maneuvering, trying to ensure the other doesn’t gain too much leverage.

It’s not a healthy balance. It’s a tense one. And you’re so smart to ask: is it really better than dictatorship, or just a prettier cage?

Thesan’s Power vs. the Temple’s Power

Thesan holds:

• The military

• Trade routes and international diplomacy

• Arcane knowledge through the Scholar’s Guild

• The “legal” right to rule

The Temple holds:

• Moral authority

• Cultural and spiritual power

• Access to prophecy and lore

• The support of the rural and devout populace

Thesan knows that if he loses the Temple’s support, he may not fall legally—but socially, politically? He’d be crippled.

And that’s what makes Dawn the most unstable court in the fic, even if it looks the most peaceful.

Seriously, I can’t express how much I loved reading your breakdown. You grasped the entire subtext I was building into Dawn—this uneasy alliance between power and piety, the question of whether checks and balances are real or illusory, and the idea that true power isn’t always in the throne—it’s in what people believe is sacred.

[subway-boss-jericho]

So how did ingo evolve in the Combee au after you know they got separated

Long and complicated answer! Welcome to The Plot!

After Ingo and Emmet are separated, Ingo tumbles into Hisui and is generally pretty worse for wear. He has to relearn how to fly (alone and unbalanced) and figure out how to Survive.

Thankfully for him, he manages to make some friends :] Mainly in the form of a slightly greener Laventon, fresh on the scene in Hisui and substantially newer to the field of research- A hurt combee, while still a Pokemon, is a lot easier for one man to handle and approach on his own. He takes Ingo back to his office at Jubilife and nurses him back to health- And while he sleeps one night as Laventon is burning the midnight oil, the little bee beegins to take on a glow. It encircles him like a halo, and when the light clears, he has a little red marking in the shape of a triangle on his chin.

Laventon gets to witness the first Hisuian Combee, Ingo himself rather clueless to the whole thing.

His evolution comes a lot later, after Laventon reintroduces him to the wild; Laventon takes Ingo to the Combee colony living in the Heartwood and makes sure he acclimates well enough/isn't rejected before falling back to leave him bee.

I haven't decided exactly what happens and when, but in the time Laventon spends away, Ingo evolves in an attempt to protect the colony from some kind of danger. When Laventon finds him again he's nearly unrecognizable- An alpha- A noble by right, first of his kind and dignified guard to the field's Combee.

He recognizes Ingo not by appearance but by his behavior alone- Treating Laventon with familiarity and hospitality. He's exceptionally gentle for his size and strength, and continues to get along with humans shockingly well. (As a pokemon from the future, we've seen they are broadly more domesticated.)

Is this a ramble! Yes! It is! There was no quick answer to the question :> I hope you enjoy the elevator pitch plot points. I love the bees so fuckin much man....... Why does Arceus bless Ingo? Great question. I just think he should be gods favorite. As a treat. And also it's a super awesome story device that I haven't seen many other people use- the origins of Hisuian Pokemon.

Thank you for the ask!!

Combee AU Masterpost

[msfbgraves]

God bless KK Legends for styling Ralph so very nicely. His hair is thick and fluffy instead of that severe and flat CK hairstyle. HIS CLOTHES ARE NOT FUCK*NG BLUE!!!! He is wearing flattering colors that compliment his skin tone. He looks younger than ever! He is absolutely cute and charming and sweet and THIS IS THE DANIEL THAT WE KNOW AND LOVE. Our totally loveable, pretty, kind-hearted boy!

FUCK the CK writers for treating this angel so poorly for so long. AND FOR PUTTING HIM IN SUCH UGLY BLUES!! Give this olive-skinned, good-looking guy jewel tones and earthy colors!

Never forget, never forgive!

Can't speak for the film, of course, but at least the trailer feels like: "this one's for Daniel." Because Cobra Kai never was even though they literally would not have had a fourth and fifth season without him, or a sixth, because no Sekai Taikai without Terry. I'm being overly dramatic now, but I feel like that trailer alone pulled Daniel out of some toxic relationship we've had to watch him suffer through. Three seconds with Jackie Chan and Ben Wong showing the character genuine respect and some positive styling and everything about Cobra Kai feels extra enraging. Like some asshole boyfriend saying: "You'll never do better than me, so be thankful for what you get, bitch." And that numbness that comes with it. "Maybe they're right. Maybe this is all I'm worth. I try, but I must not be good enough." And here is Jackie Chan with one simple line: "I came here for you", and Ben with one deeply respectful bow - not even Robby's weird tantrum or Demetri's "Can we skip this", no, a simple "Thank you for taking time for me", and it feels like the world saying: "No, you're beautiful and worth it and always were."

Look I'm glad Ralph doesn't seem to mind however poorly his character was treated, as he's fine with working with these three bullies again, but I feel like, for the briefest of moments, the character was done justice, and maybe I can choose to view the three films and this one without ever having to reference Cobra Kai. I mean, YES!!! still for Silverusso, but this constant focus on Daniel's darkest impulses it came with, even that can be tiring. Sure, OK, boy has a Murder Switch, but how he lives is kind and warm and respectful and I love, too, that maybe they offer him a way back into all the depth and warmth of what Miyagi gave him inside himself, without having Miyagi present. Because it seems hinted that even NYC will play a role, so Daniel's American roots will be an asset, something Miyagi didn't have. He can finally make it his, the way Miyagi also said he would: "One day, you teach karate your way", without that meaning the value of the tradition he pulls from is in any way diminished. Shimpo Miyagi took what he learnt from China and made it Okinawan, Nariyoshi Miyagi brought it to America and Daniel-san took it and made that his, another branch on the tree. Finally letting him evolve it, and himself, past his dependence on his sensei.

It's possible the film can't deliver all that but the roots are all there in the trailer and I'd love for Daniel to create and teach his own style because I simply feel it's richer where Johnny's style lacks depth. It's not tang soo do, and when left to be the sole sensei in S6 part 2, he had remarkably little insight to offer other than: "don't hold back." And I also love the potential of Mr Han telling Daniel, "Sensei, you have something our tradition doesn't, please teach us."

[thequietesthing]

ONYX STORM REVIEW🐉🖤

SPOILERS AHEAD

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

it's long, I'm sorry

Let me preface this by saying that I don't remember every single detail from FW and IF, so if I make some mistakes and/or wrong assumptions, please bear with me

Now onto the review

Personally, i enjoyed it much MUCH more than IF (which is not saying a lot since IF was a really crappy book in my opinion), starting from the fact that we've finally got over the whole drama/V+X having the same conversation over and over and over again + the miscommunication trope which made me want to gauge my eyes out. so no more of that thank god.

Instead there was much more adventure and exploring the world outside of the Continent, which was pretty cool. All the details of all the isles and all the trials and tribulations were enjoyable and fun (RIP Trager)

I have to be honest, I find Xaden and Violet a bit cringe sometimes (and I think this since FW), but I also understand that that it's the way she wrote them to result a bit cringey sometimes.

Talking about Violet, I also don't really like this "she is the most powerful/the answer to all our problems/god complex" they have going on for her. I honestly don't know why, maybe because it doesn't really suit her character (?) like it feels a bit forced. it's not the trope in general because I didn't have this problem with Aelin, and she is the epitome of all the characteristics mentioned above.

Them as a couple are good, is unmistakable but they do not move me as other couples have since they've gotten together.

What I really liked were the secondary character sprucing up the story.

The "quest squad" was a really great ensemble and fun to read (also already calling it now, something will happen between Mira and Drake, like I can feel it in my bones - she is hurt, he is there, you know how this works).

I also liked Cat, now that she is no longer segregated to being the jealous ex-girlfriend; I liked that there were some "awkward moments" here and there, as it should when you're travelling with your boyfriend ex girlfriend in close quarters for 3 weeks, but her character evolved since IF which I appreciate because I genuinely enjoy reading her scenes.

I also enjoyed reading Dain scenes (I know, who would have thought) because I feel like he's doing the work to redeem himself: he's there, he's available, he betrays his father for Violet without complaints, so he's definitely on the road of full redemption and I'm sure we'll see a lot more of him in the next book (also he and Sloane either end up together, or he dies for her, I'm pretty sure is going to be one of the two).

About all the others, Sawyer and Jesinia are the sweetest, Aaric is my man (and can see the future!!!! hello advantage) and I love the foursome Vi, Rhi, Ridoc and Sawyer together (although gotta say Ridoc has quickly risen amongst the ranks of my favourites during quest squad time), and I love Garrick, I don't think I need to elaborate. Also Andarna is a cutie pie that needs to be protected at all costs, and I would give my left kidney to have the chance to read about the conversations between Tairn and Sgaeyl.

Regarding major plot points, like Violet being consecrated to Dunne when she was a baby, etc. felt pretty obvious since the beginning, same as Theophanie being a high priestess because of the silver hair and tattoo on her forehead; so because of that no scene made me go "oh wow I did not see that coming". Even Xaden turning venin; it was supposed to happen, we all knew that it was going to happen (she has 2 more books to write, it was impossible to imagine otherwise) this entire book was a very slow countdown to the inevitable and Violet (failed) attempts to accept it. Honestly the only scene that made me tear up was Quinn's death.

Regarding what happens next, feels a bit obvious from the finale, but I may be wrong. I think that clearly Xaden and Violet got married so that she is the Duchess of Tyrrindor, has the control on the army and a seat in the Senarium. Obviously something else happened that Violet asked Imogen to make her forget and I'm pretty sure the next book will be about that and Violet trying to find Xaden (even though he told her not to), probably also using her second signet, which is how it think they will communicate.

I'm also really glad that we finally found out Violet's second signet because it was getting tiring (also down with one secret, right into the next with this one).

All in all, it was a nice book and I had fun. it had its up and downs but it was a good read (certainly better than IF) which means I will continue with the next book when it comes out.

Final vote ★★★★/5

Edit: after giving it more thoughts and re-reading the last chapter (a mess) my final vote has been decreased by half a star -> ★★★.5/5

[bluginkgo]

I haven't seen this brought up often. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, but... in the teaser for episodes 7 and 8, something doesn't make sense.

It's the Absolute Solver's laughter.

Spoiler, duh

Up until now, when we see Absolute Solver doing something, it sounded it out. For example:

When "N" attacked eldrich J, it said, "Claw swipe. Snarl." As it did those motions.

Then, "Climbing, criss cross apple sauce." As Cyn climbed up.

Even doing, in my opinion, one of the best lines: "Tantrum. Brain blast."

And of course the classic "Well-timed giggle."

All of these instances, the Absolute Solver accompanied its motions with dialogue as it did that movement.

So I'm confused as to why in the teaser (0:33 roughly) the Absolute Solver says: "Hahahaha, thanks for giving me the planet. Fricking idiot."

I actually wanna dissect that single line quite a lot.

First and foremost, why is it "Hahaha" instead of say "Evil laughter." I could only come up with a handful of ideas.

1. It's the Absolute Solver. Somehow it evolved to the point where it now can express emotions instead of just sounding it out.

2. It's the Absolute Solver. But it's possessing something (AHEM- Tessa- AHEM) that allows it to express emotions better than Cyn could allow it.

3. It's not the Absolute Solver. Instead, it's something or someone completely new/or perhaps someone we already know from the show but is only now revealing their identity.

4. It's just a trailer, you're looking in too deep. That could also be a possibility. Given that we see only black screen when the line happens, glitchproductions might have thought that it would be better for us to hear laughter instead of a bland line of just "insert evil laughter." Issue here for me is... I don't think that's the case cause Liam is very detailed. Every d*mn frame in this show is a foreshadowing. That has to apply to voice lines, too. (AHEM, looking at you "robo-satan, robo-Jesus, and robo-god.")

There is a similar sounding laughter at 1:01, just after N yells "V, come on!" But it's highly likely that was not Absolute Solver, and instead some other character we've already heard- be it V, Uzi, J, etc.

Then next question would be: who is the fricking idiot? Once again, I've got some (unhinged) ideas.

1. Uzi, would make sense. She's slowly succumbing to the Absolute Solver's control. If she makes one miss step, it's all over. So Absolute Solver could be directly speaking to Uzi in her mind, like a little shoulder robo-satan/demon.

2. N, could also be him. On the bad ending trend, Uzi could lose herself and Absolute Solver. And just like Tessa said, N would have to choose between one little drone and the universe. If N chooses Uzi, the Absolute Solver could easily speak through Uzi and mock him for giving up the planet and the universe.

3. Tessa, here I'll have to branch out. It could be the current Tessa. Her actions might lead to Copper-9's fall and the Absolute Solver will rub it in her face. OR, this could be another flashback. The Absolute Solver could be talking to a younger Tessa back at the mansion, as some past action made the Absolute Solver start taking control over universes and not just the Elliot mansion.

4. Nori. Omg, Ginkgo you're getting out of hand. Yup, welcome nothing new here. We did get this shot from glitchproductions right after we got the teaser.

Many are speculating that Yeva and Nori are not dead and could be coming back to help our gang out. Thaaaaat'll have to be a separate rant on my side. But with this image, I'm taking Nori into the group of possible "fricking idiot"s.

Given how confident Nori looks here, she must have had excellent control over the Absolute Solver before being completely possessed. Perhaps the screenshot of Yeva and Nori that we're given is a flashback scene. Nori might have done something that essentially doomed Copper-9 from the start.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my rant. Let me know if you guys have some other thoughts. Cause personally, I'm pretty stumped on the laughter part.

[mxrp-official-steve]

Welcome back campers, to this weeks episode of TOTAL, DRAMA, HELLSITE! On this weeks episode, me and my handy Chef Hex will be cooking up a delicious meal of parpy goodness! But the campers will have to roll a single... WITH A PROMPT! The first one to get a proper Roleplay going gets the immunity marshmallow. Now watch out, cuz this ones gonna be a doozy, dudes!

Your September 2nd PARPdate: "Remember that time on TDI where they called god to make it rain? That happened" Edition.

News this month is sorta slow- those of you In The Know already know this, but Hex is being forced to move again. This hasn't impacted Dev TOO much, honestly, and I'm gonna break down WHY in this wonderful little post!

Ok so if you remember the August update, you likely recall us showing off our shiny new mod features and how we can now play funny roleplay police state in order to nail rulebreakers and bandodgers.

If you're also a huge Bubblehead (which is what you're called), you're also likely familiar with this bastard:

(Image description: The red miles, basically. Its a message failed message repeated like ninety times in a row in red font. Thanks to Alienoid from the server for posting this screenshot for me to steal!)

This is because, somehow, these new mod features almost completely broke Dreambubble in ways that make no sense (the new features use Redis, but for some reason their introduction is making PostGres, a completely different system, go absolutely haywire)

So, Hex decided to move forward with their pet project to rewrite Dreambubble. Normally, this would mean a development delay on Parp2 and I'd feel pretty bad about laying this on yalls feet after two years of parplessness.

But hey wait isn't this literally just how they made parp last time.

The answer is yes! The previous Msparp version was built using what is now Dreambubble as a skeleton, evolving on itself into the rickety but lovable RP site we knew before she tragically passed away last February after choking to death on fresh air. As such, Dev is actually going pretty good! Hex has been COOKING through the bones for Dreambubble 2, getting a ton of barebones stuff working right off the bat:

(Image description: A barebones but functional chat window using Felt theme; complete with system connection messages, text preview, and quirking)

Along with our first new feature preview in a while: PUSH NOTIFICATIONS!

(Image description: A felt-theme settings menu showing the ability to turn on and off push notifications, as well as a browser popup in the bottom corner showing that it's been activated)

These are also working on Android! What this does is it pings you when the chat you're in gets a new message, operating on a system level instead of a site level so you don't even need to have the tab, or the browser, open to keep up with your chats! This is gonna be especially useful for mobile users, since this means they can navigate away and use their phone for other things, and their phone'll just ping them when their partners' next message comes through. (These are gonna be off by default, btw. You'll have to turn them on yourself on a per-chat basis in the final release)

It should also be noted that we've Snagged Ourselves A UI Guy recently from the userbase, so we've got a dedicated Make It Look Good person for when things get closer to launch!

That's all for this update, though. Absolutely thrilled to be showing off some progress after the restart. Hopefully we'll have even more to show off next month!

Until then, cheers!

[traegorn]

Whenever I’m feeling stressed about the political state of the US, I actually go out of my way to come here. It’s just incredibly reassuring to see levelheaded and pragmatic perspectives on things coming from someone I can trust to actually know how things work in the political machine.

Even when it’s a disagreement with the exact kind of person who caused me to feel stressed in the first place, the way you tackle it and explain things brings me a little bit of peace and makes things feel a little less insurmountable.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge (and a little bit of your peace, I know dealing with that shit so often is exhausting)

I try to look at politics pragmatically and without ego.

It's funny, I know sometimes I respond to these folks a little dickishly, but I always try to provide evidence -- and they never respond to it. They always come in hot -- and it's like, I don't go seeking them out. They come to me. They see someone promoting voting and take it as a personal attack and start out hostile.

I genuinely don't think anyone rational does that.

And we need rationality more than anything else right now.

Also thanks for stopping by so I can subject you to how I'm convinced that Dal on Star Trek Prodigy is secretly a Lizard Baby.

So Dal R'El apparently grew up in the Delta Quadrant, and they want us to believe that Dal is a human augment. We know he spent time with the Ferengi DaiMon Nandi, but we don't know exactly when he met her or where.

When Dal gets scanned by the Federation, we know that the Federation database says he's a human augment, and that his base DNA is human mixed with a whole lot of other species. But we've seen augments before, and none of them look like Dal. We don't know what supposed lab he was cooked up in.

So this is what I think happened.

Threshold takes place about eleven years before Prodigy, and while Dal appears to be like 17, we don't know for sure how old he is. I think Dal was one of the Lizard Babies left behind by Voyager. We don't know how long it takes for them to mature, or if they have other life stages. The only adults we see are Janeway and Paris, and they were only hyper-evolved humans for like a day.

Dal somehow got taken from the planet by Nandi, and grew up into the version we get to know in Prodigy.

I think Janeway was worried that one day her offspring would be found, so she took the hyper evolved DNA samples the Doctor likely kept, and faked records in the Federation Database to make them come back as Augmented Human to cover up that she technically left a bunch of baby humans on a planet in the Delta quadrant.

That's why Janeway is so protective of Dal when she meets him. She knows he's her kid. It's also why Dal's personality is a perfect balance between Janeway and Tom Paris. He is their hyper-evolved ideal.

Dal's a fuckin' Lizard Baby, I swear to god.

[madraleen]

Seraph of the End - Takaya Kagami/Yamato Yamamoto Vol. 29: "...They're canon, right?" A Commentary

-the boys on the cover :")

-mika is drawn so beautifully

-"oh well. it's not like the fall will kill him" LMAO, COLD, MIKA, COLD! that's a tokyo tower fall, man!

-in the nuances of how yuu looks and what he says, he feels more mature. like he's growing up over the volumes and evolving, oh so subtly, but there all the same

-the poetry of baby mika and demon mika shoving yuu away to make sure he'll live

-...they're canon, right? yuu/mika? also, mika, i understand where you're coming from, but in what world do you think "you chose to leave me behind and start a new life" will make yuu reconsider? if anything, it'll make him even more stubborn.

-the headbutt, lmao mika, why

-“give up” while you're in tears, very convincing, mika, you've convinced me. yuu, aren't you convinced? i'm sure you are. /sarcasm

-...they're canon, right?  "i don't want no shinoa, i don't want no babies, i don't want no future without you, if you die then i die" yuu? like-choosing mika over *shinoa* of all people is a very specific choice. also i love yuu, and i love mika. i love them.

-the way there's still a tear clinging on mika's eye when yuu flicks him on the forehead, what a beautiful detail

-this "serious moment undercut with snarky or silly comments," this is so my vibe, this speaks so much to me

-mika's brain: "he's an idiot. but he's my idiot... BUT HE'S SUCH AN IDIOT! but... he's MY idiot... BUT HE'S-"

-YES, THIS IS SO GOOD, HAVE MIKA THINK UP THE PLAN TO SUCCEED, GIVE HIM THE REDEMPTION HE WANTS (but doesn't need, because he's a baby angel who did nothing wrong and-)

-are we really not gonna address that mika is The Son, boys?

-shinoa, if you touch a hair on mikaela's head, honest to god.

-i know we suppressed the seraph at some point, but, guren, how are you so sure yuu isn't just going to go seraph-berserk if you keep cornering him like that. he's just a trumpet away from doing it, you know

-OOOH!! OOHHH!!! THIS WAS JUST AN ILLUSION! smart mika, smart mika!

-YOU CORNERED HIM, GUREN! DON'T "DAMMIT" US!

-there are so many panels that are just gems expression-wise

-soon it will occur to mika that he can just use that tail as a yuu-leash. soon.

-there's nothing like the feeling of "...we've come so far" of long-running manga (or book series for that matter). i had a flashback of when yuu stabbed vampire mika when he didn't even know mika was alive, and now look at them. sitting on a shrine on mount fuji, looking at the view as fugitives from everyone, closer than ever, trying to save the world their way. we've come so far.

-yeah, those panels are the stuff romcoms are made from, ngl. and i like mika and yuu so much that you could have pages and pages of them just talking until dawn and i'd say 'yes please and thank you.' they just gel so well

-i can only imagine yamamoto-sensei's shock (and pleasure?) when he was asked to draw happy mika, and then some more happy mika, and then more happy mika.

-kagami-sensei, if you don't give those two boys a happy ending, honest to god. GIVE THEM A HAPPY ENDING! I KNOW YOU WANT TO!

-and i was wondering about kureto. glad to see shinya is well too

-OOF! the sheer power on the spread of the first and the demons (and krul)

-listen, i'm NOT on the first's side (for now), i am NOT sympathizing, but damn it's sad how the mighty have fallen. the way they restrain him is so humiliating

[cyberdragoninfinity]

I'm loving your Arc V swap AU so far! I am curious though: how do the dimensional dragons swap? Do they just change aesthetics, or something more?

THANK YOU IT'S IN OUR BRAINS SO BAD

anyway, aw man buddy you got no IDEA how swapped up these dimension dragons are, eheheheh. Right out the gate we ended up fuckign around and changing each summoning method's associated color(s) (so fusion is whites and vibrant greens, xyz is red/blue gradient/i guess also that seafoam/orange gradient of pend cards, pendulum is all blacks and greys, and synchro is purples,) so each yuboy does keep their dragon from canon, and it gets to roughly keep its color palette, but the summoning method associated with each is also swapped around, as are its deeper motifs/aesthetics. Here's a lil rough overview of the four of 'em.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon SWAPS TO -->

Eclipse-Eyes Xyz Dragon

@zxal named this one and it kicks so much ass. Playing around with sun and moon light and dark type motifs; it has a hyper aggressive evolved version called Eclipse-Eyes Totality Dragon that Yuya first summons in absolute earth shattering fury. It bites Sora's arm off at the Arc League Championship. Don't worry about it <3

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon SWAPS TO -->

Dark Janus Pendulum Dragon

Big beastie with two-faces...y'ever see Janus cats before?? It's like that but a dragon. Fucking around with the vibes of duality, beginnings and endings, creation and destruction, etc etc etc. It upgrades into Dark Entropy Pendulum Dragon<-- (ZXAL'S NAMES DONT MISS!!!) and has an Odd-Eyes Rebellion-type combined form with Eclipse-Eyes that gets busted out called Eclipse-Eyes Penumbra Dragon :^) yaaay The Big Bang and heat death of the universe YAAAY

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon SWAPS TO -->

Ravenous Venom Synchro Dragon

I think this one's name and Shattered Wing below both came to me while I was falling asleep one night and kickstarted this whole mess. ANYWAY we're still cooking on the visual direction going on with this gnarly guy but it has big oily black feathery wings!! It upgrades into Furious Venom Synchro Dragon and hey buddy. hey synchro yuri. is that supposed to be 'furious' as in angry or 'furious' as in desperate. or is it maybe both <3 ah

and finally Clear Wing Synchro Dragon SWAPS TO -->

Shattered Wing Fusion Dragon

SHATTERED WING IS MY BABYYYYY fusion yugo is really in my brain Especially Bad. imagine Clear Wing but its wings are completely smashed and broken, leaving it grounded. It has no back legs so it drags itself across the ground sooo slowly. but never giving up. Endurance predator 💚 It also upgrades into the absolutely horrifying Perfect-Wing Fusion Dragon that I took a lot of inspo from uranium glass, nuclear fusion, and glassblowing for--it glows with sickly green light and has yucky melted glass wings amalgamated from God Knows Where. we're still sussing out the abilities of all the swapped dragons but i think Perfect-Wing absorbs monsters to add to its 'perfect' state <-- (BIASED FONDNESS FOR YGO MONSTERS THAT STEAL YOUR MONSTER)

BUT YEAH THERE THEY ARE!! here's a nice neat little list zxal organized of all the dragon variants and evolution we've concocted so far, too!! :D

[cowgurrrl]

I’m Still Standing

Pairing: rockstar!joel x actress!reader (except he’s at home with the kiddos in this one)

Author’s note: yes I was influenced by Pedro’s Actors on Actors interview

Summary: Actors on Actors: You and Carolina Garcia-Long [2.0k]

Warnings: talk of pregnancy/family life, the age gap is finally ✨revealed✨, relationship stuff, Carolina being the best, discussions of sex scenes, I think that’s it!!

Carolina sits across from you in a beautiful white dress that perfectly compliments her olive skin tone, smiling big and bright. You've already been talking as the crew sets up around you, and you're struggling not to have too much conversation without the cameras rolling. It's been a long time coming, but after more than a decade of working together, you two are finally sitting down with Vanity Fair to discuss your jobs. Somebody calls to action, and a set of questions pops up over Carolina's shoulder, but you don't look at them immediately; you look at her.

"I'm so happy we're doing this," you say, and she smiles. 

"Me too! I feel like I haven't gotten to pick your brain about this stuff in forever." She says, settling into her big plush chair, and you nod.

"Well, it's like every other year one of us is pregnant."

"That's true because you had Sam like three or four years after I had Victoria, and then the girls were born last July, right?"

"Yeah, they're gonna be one soon." You say bittersweetly, and Carolina pouts her lips sympathetically.  

"Do you think becoming a parent has changed the way you work?" She asks, and you nod.

"Oh, absolutely," you say. "Even before we had Sam, Joel and I's older daughters totally changed my life and what roles I took and how much I worked. It's kinda crazy to think about how fast it all happened. Like one day, I was able to binge-watch Law & Order: SVU with no problem, and then all of a sudden, these girls came into my life, and I couldn't even think about it because it would make me sick to my stomach."

"That's how I felt after I had Elizabeth! They just change your whole world, man." 

"And can I gush about you really fast while we're talking about our kids?" You ask, and she laughs.

"Uh oh."

"No, it's all good. After I had Sam, I was so worried about how having a baby would affect my career, and my body looked different and whatever else, but you made me feel so safe and secure and loved. You reminded me I was able to have a career before I was a wife and a mother, and I could continue that career after. I don't know if I can ever describe... what you gave me because it was so integral to the actor I evolved into, and I've always had so much respect for you, not only as a friend and an actor but as a mother. And seeing how hard you worked made me want to work just as hard. Not just for me but for my children. So, thank you." You say, and Carolina reaches across the couch to grab your hand, and you smile. 

"Thank you for saying that. You know how much Ryan and I love you, so I'm glad to know that we were able to give you some actually good advice," she laughs, squeezing your hand. "We've been friends for a really long time now."

"Fifteen years."

"God, are we old?" 

"I don't know. Our first project together is about to turn thirteen." You say, both of you groaning as the fact settles between the two of you.

"Oh, my God, you're right!" She exclaims, dropping your hand to cover her face. "When we did Sweet Water, you had just moved to LA, right?"

"Yeah, it was my first series ever. Ryan told me you had just been cast, but they were still looking for someone to fill the role of Alex, so I went in for the audition, and I wasn't expecting anything, and they cast me right then and there."

"Which never happens."

"No, never." You agree, still not fully understanding what it is those directors saw in your all those years ago to cast you on the spot. Carolina points to her nose like she's remembering something, and you smile at the habit. She always does that when she has something to say.

"I will still get people who come up to me and tell me how much they loved that scene of us in the hospital because it was so raw." 

"Well, yeah, neither of us had slept the night before because we were filming, and we just let whatever was going to happen happen, and it ended up being one of those scenes that is just… once in a lifetime, y'know?" You say, and she nods. "You were and still are such a generous scene partner in everything you do, like in how you listen and react and really find your characters. It was an amazing thing to work on with you, and I still brag about you whenever I get the chance."

"I remember filming the scene where you came into the hospital all bloody and bruised and going home to tell Ryan, 'I think this kid has some serious potential.' I mean, you were just phenomenal, so I was not surprised when you started getting picked up by all these major studios," she says. "Speaking of which, tell me about The Beginning of the End."

"What do you wanna know?" You sigh as memories of those fifteen months flood your brain. 

"Everything. What was it like filming it? What did you think when you read the script? What was it like shaving your head on camera?" She asks. 

"Well, shaving your head on camera isn't much different than actually shaving your head because you pretty much get one shot to make sure it's good, and that's it. But, yeah, that was a hard movie to make. I was in a really weird place mentally, and Ruth was such a complex, nuanced, broken character, so it was interesting getting to know her and hard to let her go when we wrapped up. For better or worse, I still find pieces of her in my daily life."

"I remembered you calling us from Ireland and being like, 'I don't know if I can do this. It's so hard.' And I remember telling you there was no one else out there who could bring Ruth to life the way you did, and I still believe that to my core. There is nobody who could've played Ruth the way you did."

"You and Ryan were such an anchor when I was over there because I was alone and I was working all the time, and then it was always fucking raining, which is just not good for anyone's mental health and-"

"And you and Joel weren't together at this time, right?" She asks, and your jaw drops a little as you look at the cameras.

"Caro," you say, laughing. "I don't think I've ever talked about that publicly before."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Her hands fly over her mouth, and you reach out to grab her hand.

"No, it's okay. It's fine. All our loved ones already know the story, so it's okay," you say, squeezing her as a comfort. "But yeah, Joel and I were separated at that point which is another reason why it was so weird to be there alone."

"I remember you telling me you guys broke up, but it's been so long, and you are always together, so it's easy for me to forget about that. How long were you guys separated?" 

"Pretty much the entire time I was there."

"Wow," she breathes. "Do you think that separation made your relationship stronger, or have you just not thought anything about it until I brought it up in front of cameras?" She asks, and you laugh.

"No, I definitely think it made us stronger. We were both going through a lot, and I won't speak to Joel's experiences, but for me, separation was the best thing I had to offer at that specific point in our lives. And we really didn't speak at all while I was over there because it just hurt too much, and we were both working, and he was being a dad, and there were just too many moving parts. But when I got back to LA, we had coffee, and it was like no time had passed at all."

"Things were back to normal. Just like that?" She asks, snapping her fingers, and you nod.

"It was kinda crazy because we had both grown so much in that year or so, and I was worried that he wasn't gonna like the person I was coming back as or we wouldn't feel the same, but, oh my God, I'm gonna start crying," you say as you dab at the corner of your eye. "I still had so much love for him, and being with him and the girls… it just felt right like there was nothing I wanted more in the world than to be with them. And I knew if we could survive that, we could survive anything."

"And now look at you." 

"I know. Five kids and ten years later."

"How old were you when you met Joel?" She asks, and you have to look at the ceiling as you do mental math. 

"I was… Gosh, I think I was twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Somewhere around there. We met when Ryan and I were filming Hyde." You say, and she furrows her brows as she thinks.

"And how old was Joel?"

"Joel was either thirty-nine or forty when we met. Or..." you trail off. "Maybe he was forty because we met in the fall, and his birthday is in September."

"Can I tell you something I've never told you before?" She asks with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Please."

"When Ryan told me you were dating Joel, the first thing I did was google how old he was because I knew he had two kids, so I was a little worried," she says, and you laugh. "But then we met him, and he was so goddamn charming. It's really hard not to like him."

"Isn't it the worst? He's got that accent and those stupid guitarist arms and those big, brown eyes," you gush, rolling your eyes. "And he doesn't even know how pretty he is, which is the most annoying part!" 

"Wait, so if you guys met during Hyde, did he know what the movie was about?" She asks, and you make an eek face.

"No, and I wasn't going to tell him because I didn't know how serious we were gonna get, but then he showed up to set with me one day, and we were filming the cabin scene-"

"Oh, the cabin scene!" She half-yells, and you laugh. "Dude, when that movie came out, I got asked about it all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Well, everyone knew how close the three of us were, and when the movie came out, people were shocked that I would let my husband do a scene like that with one of his best friends. But Ryan told me he wasn't going to take the part until I read the script and approved or disapproved or whatever, but I thought it was just fantastic. Because it wasn't just about this relationship between these two people, it was about the different paths each wanted to take when it came to your character, Amber, being pregnant. Plus, it's just work. It's not like this was a real thing that was happening." She says, and you nod in agreement.

"I remember I got cast first, and then they brought us both in for a chemistry read, and we were like, 'this would be so crazy if we got to be in this movie together,' and then we were. And I think I do recall Ryan saying something about letting you read the script and you encouraging him to do which, thank you, by the way." 

"I didn't do anything except give him a nudge," she shrugs. "Wait, so Joel was there when you filmed that scene?"

"Oh, my God, yeah. I tried to get him to wait in my trailer, but he didn't wanna listen to me. So, he was off in the corner while I'm, like... filming this sex scene, and it was so embarrassing because we had only been dating for a few months at that point. Plus, you're already so vulnerable in scenes like that, but Ryan and Tanya Reid, our intimacy coordinator, were so supportive, so I felt really safe," you explain. "You did a good job with that one." You say, and she laughs.

"Yeah, you too."

[nokikissa]

For the character asks, I want to know more about Kelo! 1, 2, 3, 10? 20? Answer as much or as little as you want!

Yippeee thanks!

1. What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

I just about 5 years ago once had the thought of "hey what is Warforged Druid?" and was compelled to draw that up, I didn't even need a dnd character right at that moment. I just liked the contrast of warforged being like man made mechanical beings while druids are all about nature, and also like the idea of circle of spores druid specifically with the idea being that they have like symbiotic relationship with the fungi growing on them and so on.

2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

Even the first drawing of them is rather recognizable, main changes from that one was ditching the clothes cos they're more fun to draw without them, and like leaving out some small details etc. to simplify them and so on. I'd say they were in their final version pretty much at the start of the campaign they were in, after that the changes were mainly like the art style evolving/getting more loose with drawing them.

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

The design and basic concept of warforged mushroom druid. After that was name, and personality and story only came about when it was decided that I'd be using them as my character in a campaign.

10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

At the very beginning of the campaign their goal was to find out what happened to their friend who they knew before falling into like centuries lasting coma basically. But then the campaign plot happened and they got involved in big ol plot about gods and stuff, a lot of stuff happened in the plot as it was the longest campaign we've done and I'm too lazy to explain it all lol.

Along the way they did eventually find their friends, and at the very end the old gods needed to be replaced so Kelo became one of the gods alongside with their friend so yeay happy ending!

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

I at one point briefly contemplated attempting to like draw a comic of the campaign Kelo was in, but that never went anywhere cos god that'd be so much effort oh lord, and came to conclusion that mostly I felt that cos I was missing drawing Kelo regularly lol.

Love em they're fun to draw and they're kinda the most interesting one of my characters and one I'm most willing to like share with people and thus they've kinda become the one I put as my avatar in everywhere, Like I love my other characters as well but like a lot of them are more generic I'd say (Runo is my other favorite but at the end of the day he is a gay tiefling bard and there's a dime a dozen of those around the internet lmao)

[hiveworks]

Vampires, Witches, and Magic

Interview with Eric Lide and Angélica María

October 2023

Solstoria by Angélica María (aka: @charmwitch) and Ozzie the Vampire by Eric Lide (aka: @ericlide) are celebrating their 10th year anniversaries! We're diving into these absolute webcomic legends to learn more about their creative process in a joint interview with María and Lide.

Ozzie the Vampire is a webcomic about a vampire gal named Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy who find themselves protecting the town of Gloomburg, New Jersey, which seems to always find itself under the constant assault of demonic forces from the underworld. Sometimes they even learn something!

Solstoria is follows a girl named Samantha and her brother, Lawrence, who carries the weight of protecting his family on his shoulders. When he goes missing, Samantha embarks on an adventure to become a knight.

For a look behind the scenes at these two webcomic series, read on!

It's spooky season, and both of your comics have themes of the supernatural. What kinds of creepy or magical energy do you bring into your comic?

Eric Lide:

I think the demons in Ozzie the Vampire bring the creepy energy for sure. A lot of them have bizarre and impractical anatomy, and they’re pretty enthusiastic about eating people.  Magic is a constant presence in the story as well, mostly through the spells Kimmy and Grimsley use to help Ozzie fight the bad guys.

Angélica María:

To start off, let's talk about the environments! There are certain areas and themes in Solstoria based around my love of Halloween! I'm not from the continental United States, so I've always loved the idea of a spooky air, or of pumpkins and ghosts. The Wayward Lands and Farmlands, two prominent areas spoken about in the story, are themed after the fall season in the United States. Besides that, witches carry a great importance in the story. They are magically gifted individuals of any gender, who purify the air and specialize in magics that are of help to the greater good of society. A witch is someone who can tame ghosts, calm uneven levels of magic in the city, and provide useful trinkets and charms for the everyday chore. They're just neat! Pointy hats are all the rage, too.

Which character in your comic would survive a horror movie?

EL:

Well Ozzie is more or less immortal, so she could probably sleepwalk her way through any horror movie scenario…

AM:

Oddly enough, I feel like Samantha and Oksana (eventually) have the calmest head on their shoulders. Most of the adults would probably be fine, Huxley would serve as a great merchant in between sanctuaries, but as for the rest… Actually, who's to say Solstoria isn't secretly horror…

A decade is a long time to be telling a story! Congratulations! How has your comic changed over the course of its publication?

EL:

When I first started out, I was just kind of drawing whatever and not thinking too much about the future. At that time, I was just trying to cram in as many fight scenes or gags as possible. Over the years though, I’ve come to love these characters and I think about them nonstop, so I’ve been writing more scenarios that challenge them on a personal level. There’s even a bit of romance coming up, which would’ve been unthinkable to me ten years ago.

AM:

Thank you so much! I burnt out for a few years, so you can definitely see my art style and narrative changing. I hope it's not... toooooooooo drastic of a change, but I always told myself to experiment on my pages and change things as I saw fit. If you re-read Solstoria, you will simply see my art evolve with no care of consistency. I apologize if this is glaring, but honestly- it's fun! One of the biggest changes now that I'm working on the story again is that we've swapped protagonists! Currently, we're seeing the story through Lawrence's eyes. Samantha's elder brother is possessed by a crow god, but he still thinks of his family first. Hopefully, they can figure something out together though!

What motivates you to keep going?

EL:

I’ve always been drawing comics since I was very young, so it’s hard to say. I think once a story is in me, it has to come out in some form, even if it takes forever or no one is interested in reading it. That said, comments– audience response of any kind, really– is always a huge boost for me.

Solstoria has an electric 2010s anime flavor. What kind of series inspire you? Do you have any manga or comic recs?

AM:

Oh, I appreciate the comparison, but I wish to counter it- Solstoria is heavily inspired by Japanese RolePlaying Games! Specifically, games created by Capcom, GameArts, Square-Enix, and a few others on top of that! I do have a few anime I quite enjoy, like Princess Tutu formulated my brain intensely. I highly recommend watching this show if you want to experience a masterpiece! If you just want a good time, I also quite like Slayers! As for video games, I have so many to recommend! I love Fire Emblem, Breath of Fire, Star Ocean, LUNAR, Lufia... and so much more! All of these games are close to my heart, but stylistically, I think the Disgaea series has a lot of visual influence on Solstoria.

Ozzie the Vampire has a cool punk flair that reminds me of webcomics I liked from the 2000s. Where do you draw inspiration from? Do you have any zine or webcomic recommendations?

EL:

Music was a big influence on Ozzie! There’s a lot of references to my favorite punk and metal records throughout the series, some obvious, others not so much. I always wanted the comic to look something like a scrappy punk zine. I don’t get to read many webcomics these days, but Boxcar City Rush has been a recent favorite.

What can fans of your series look forward to in the coming year?

EL:

More updates, hopefully. This year was a bit sparse due to working on my debut graphic novel, The Champion of Draeland, but I’ve been wrapping that up and eager to dive back into Ozzie. I have many other graphic novels on the way though, so balancing both worlds is going to be an interesting challenge.

AM:

I'm very ahead of schedule, so I hope I can keep the momentum going. We're learning quite a bit about Samantha's brother, Lawrence, but we will also learn soon about another character who is pivotal to both siblings. He's a quiet, gentle person who tries to take on things on his own, and it doesn't go his way. Also murder. There may be murder.

What is the best way for fans of your series to support you?

EL:

Leaving comments, reblogging and sharing updates, all that stuff really helps for sure! Fan art always brightens my day. I have a Patreon as well where I post early updates and behind-the-scenes material for only $2 a month. And of course, supporting my graphic novels once they release!

AM:

Honestly I really just love comments and tags on tumblr and twitter! If you wish to support me, you can always see early updates on Patreon! Thank you so much! But honestly, I just want to hear feedback from people and hear their thoughts and feelings about my work. It makes me so very happy.

Read Solstoria and Ozzie the Vampire for free and follow @charmwitch and @ericlide for updates!