#the art and making of the dark knight trilogy

[fortunaegloria]

[abalidoth]

what is cosmere? (is that what its called?)

The Cosmere is a big, interconnected fantasy universe that is the setting of most of the works by the author Brandon Sanderson. The cool thing about his books is that each series is contained to its own world, and you can read any of them in isolation without realizing you're missing anything, but if you read them all you get a sense of the larger plot happening behind the scenes as those worlds start to collide and things cross over.

Brandon's magic systems tend to be very rule-based and well-defined, with a lot of twists being characters finding interesting ways to use those rules of magic. This lends itself well to the crossovers, because all the magic systems (as different as they are) share the same underpinning principles.

Here's some quick rundowns of different series and standalones in the Cosmere:

The Stormlight Archive

Planned ten-book series, currently four books are out.

A massive sprawling epic about the world Roshar, that's hit by a hurricane about every four days, and all the life has adapted to survive that environment. Knights Radiant -- superpowered individuals with a close bond to a spirit -- are starting to re-emerge in the world after being absent for centuries.

Because there are so many characters, this is where a lot of the character fandom tends to focus their efforts. I wouldn't recommend starting with it, though -- the first book alone is a thousand pages. I'd wait until you have a sense of Brandon's writing. But it's very good.

Mistborn

One trilogy (completed), one tetralogy set a couple hundred years later (completed), two trilogies some time in the future.

One cool thing about this series is that it follows one world (Scadrial) from a vaguely Renaissance tech level in the first trilogy, to 1920s in the second series, and eventually 1980s in the third and space-age magic in the fourth.

The magic itself is very intricate and all woven around metals -- there are people called Metalborn who can ingest metals and burn them in their stomachs to get different effects, including super-senses, strength, and Magneto-ish metallokinesis. That last bit makes the gunfights in the second series particularly fun.

The first book is a heist novel about robbing a thousand-year-old God-Emperor blind. It's a pretty good place to start, although it's a pretty hefty novel to start with.

The Emperor's Soul

I'm putting this one in a different category from the rest of the one-offs for a very good reason -- it's, in my opinion, the single best place to start reading the Cosmere.

It's a novella (just over a hundred pages) about a forger named Shai who uses magic to rewrite the histories of objects. She is captured by the government of an empire to reforge the soul of their Emperor, who has been left braindead after an assassination attempt, in the 100 days before the mourning period is over.

It's a fantastic meditation on art, a cool introduction to the way Brandon writes both characters and magic systems, and Shai herself is one of my favorite Cosmere characters. If any of this sounds at all interesting to you, I recommend you check it out.

One-offs

Brandon has also written a bunch of one-off novels in the Cosmere.

Elantris: His first book, and the one that my tattoo is from. About a prince who is affected by a dark transformation and thrown into a city of fellow undead, and the princess betrothed to him who arrives just in time to be told he died. Good, but suffers from some first book issues, pacing problems, and weird plot cul-de-sacs. Set in the same world as The Emperor's Soul, although there's basically no crossover.

Warbreaker: About a world where souls (Breaths) are bought and sold, and used to animate objects to do work, ruled by The Returned, living gods who require a steady dose of Breaths to live. One of my favorites, and an essential if you'd like to get into the crossover-y parts of the cosmere, as it introduces a bunch of elements that show up later (Especially in Stormlight)

Tress of the Emerald Sea: The first of his wildly successful Kickstarter project books, it's a fairy tale style story about a girl who braves a sea of bubbling, deadly spores to rescue the man she loves. It's lovely, especially if you're into a more Diana Wynne Jones kind of vibe to your fantasy. Probably a pretty good place to start!

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: The third Kickstarter book. About a shrine priestess who stacks rocks to draw spirits, and a man who paints the nightmares that roam the streets of his city to banish them -- they become trapped in each other's places and must learn about each other's worlds to survive. This is currently my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE cosmere novel, oh my GOD it's so good. I'm not sure it's a great place to start, as a lot of the conclusion might feel a bit rushed if you don't have a good feel for the vibe of how Brandon writes magic, but honestly it might stand alone just fine even then.

The Sunlit Man: Fourth Kickstarter book. I haven't read this one yet.

Novellas: There are a bunch of novellas and short stories, some set on worlds we haven't otherwise seen, some set on Roshar or Scadrial.

If any of this sounds good to you, I recommend you give his writing a shot. He's one of my all time favorite writers (the tattoo should prove that, lol) and the Cosmere fandom is by and large wonderful and welcoming. I've made many lifelong friendships there.

[pinguwrites]

Cillian Murphy & Characters

--- --- ---

𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲 (𝐫𝐩𝐟)

This is not a reflection of Cillian Murphy's actual life. This is completely separate and is not intended to harm him or his family in any way. DNI if you're a Yvonne hater. This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ oneshots

Sweet, Little Girl | 1k, dark!reader You're Cillian Murphy's next door neighbor. You're young and innocent, and he's an attractive older man—surely he must be the one taking advantage of you . . . right?

A Daughter's Duty | 1.4k, dark!cillian x stepdaughter!reader You’re stepfather has made a habit of sneaking into your room at night to use you, even when you don’t want it.

A Father and a Lover | 1.1k, dark!stepdaughter!reader Cillian Murphy is trying to be a good dad for you. It proves more difficult than he expected.

⸻ drabbles

You milk Cillian of his babies

Your favorite actor flirts with you

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 (𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬)

Peaky Blinders characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ oneshots

In The Light of the Moon | 5k, dark!tommy x innocent!reader Having enough of being mistreated by your family, you decide to runaway to the small town of Birmingham. There, you meet the feared gangster, Thomas Shelby, whose intentions with you are less than pure.

To Lend a Hand | 3.2k, sister!reader After catching your brother masturbating, you decide to go to him for help in a matter you've been struggling with — the art of pleasure, and specifically, how to do it for yourself.

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: Tommy takes you from behind

Drabble: Tommy wishes you were his

⸻ series

Black Heart | poc!american!reader, age-gap, slow burn

𝐣𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞 (𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲)

The Dark Knight Trilogy characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ oneshots

You Set My Soul Alight | 5k, enemies to lovers You and Jonathan Crane have always been at odds. One day, Crane comes to you with a plea to enticing to resist, and you find this the perfect opportunity to put him in his place.

The Doll’s Burial | 9k, kidnapper!reader

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: yandere!jonathan kidnaps you

𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬 (𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬)

Watching The Detectives characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: you catch your boyfriend Neil eating out his fleshlight

Drabble: dark!neil refuses to pull out

𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐲 (𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬)

Red Lights characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ oneshots

Our True Nature | 4.4k, psychic!reader Despite your great abilities you've pursued a humble life, looking for others like you. Your search comes to an end when you realize that your professor's assistant, Tom Buckley — the one you've been harboring a secret crush on — is a psychic, just like you.

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: Tom can’t help but breed you

𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 (𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞)

PHOTO COMING SOON

The Edge of Love characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ oneshots

Home Is Where the Heart Is | 9k, future!reader You don't think much of the box when it arrives at your front door. That is, until you open it and are transported decades into the past. There, you fall into the arms of a handsome soldier, who is intent on making you stay.

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: William gets needy when he's jealous

Drabble: William fakes a PTSD nightmare

Drabble: dark!william teases and degrades whore!reader in semi-public

𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 (𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧)

Inception characters, plots, quotes, etc. do not belong to me and belong to the rightful owner(s). This is only fanfiction and this is just for fun.

⸻ drabbles

Drabble: you degrade and overstimulate Rob

Death Junior (only one fic for now)

Robert Oppenheimer (only one fic for now)

[slavicdollie]

Lin kuei movie headcanons 🎬🗡

As a film girlie I saw another user talking about how the Lin kuei brothers wouldn't really be into the mean girls so it made me think what kind of movies would they be into

Bi-han

I cannot picture this man being into comedies or romance, so if you're down for some 10 ways to lose a guy or the notebook enjoy watching that by yourself.

Comedies,no the only time we see this man crack a smile is when he's saying something snarky to his opponents in the intros.

Likes Quentin Tarantino movies like kill bill and inglorious bastards,not a big fan of pulp fiction because he thinks the characters and plot are silly but he enjoys the martial arts and revenge plots in other Quentin movies.

He will like movies where the main character is problematic but he doesn't understand that the audience isn't supposed to be rooting for them eg,scarface,taxi driver and joker(2019)

I also see him fucking with kung fu panda💀

Kuai liang

Similar to bi-han,can appreciate a good action movie but leans more towards movie's that make you think, such as interstellar, inception,shutter Island and the Truman show.

Definitely a Christopher nolan fan,I can see him liking the dark knight trilogy.

Unlike bi-han he would not put down watching a romance movie.

I see him enjoying 10 things I hate about you.

Unlike bi han he would watch films like scarface and taxi driver but criticize the main characters

Tomas

Opposite of bi han loves romcoms and classics.

I assume Johnny would def give tomas movie recommendations which consist of classics and action.

Doesn't like action as much as the others,I feel like Tomas's views are different from the other two men even though all of them basically grew up around violence Tomas uses films to escape from his real-life experiences.

Enjoys light hearted stuff with drama like Wes Anderson,he enjoys the cinematography of his films.

Not really a movie but he would watch sitcoms.

Enjoys movies like The royale Tenenbaums, the mask,Shrek 2

[syzygyzip]

The Soul Still Burns: Analysis of the Lords of Cinder (DS3)

What follows is a short essay on the Lords of Cinder from Dark Souls 3, exploring their symbolism on spiritual and metatextual levels. After that is a related reading of Slave Knight Gael, the final adversary of the Dark Souls trilogy.

The Lords of Cinder are in many ways the primary adversaries of Dark Souls 3. This title they share, “Lord of Cinder,” refers to a personage who has rekindled the first flame, keeping the cycle of light and dark going.

Cinder is a substance which continues to burn without the presence of fire but does not reduce to ash. So euphemistically, it seems that the Lords are somehow stuck in their process of purification, and the game suggests that the world is stuck along with them; this is why it is the Ashen One’s task to “set them upon their thrones”—to hurry them along and thus allow the world to follow its natural decline. As individual characters, each of these Lords represents a different attitude that complicates and prolongs the cycle.

Through these stubborn Lords the game is commenting on at least two things. On the metaphysical level, it reflects the Buddhist idea that certain attitudes keep people reincarnating over and over again, unable to extricate themselves from the material world of suffering (samsara). While on the metatextual level, the game is suggesting that certain attitudes keep players coming back to Dark Souls again and again, starting new games, making new builds and revisiting old files.

The idea there on the metaphysical side finds an easy analogy in Buddhist doctrine: the “three poisons,” the three root causes of suffering. These are hatred, greed, and delusion. What’s interesting is that these essential vices also fit pretty easily onto the different types of players that are being caricatured by the Lords. We’ll break these correspondences down in a second.

But First: Why Do They Correspond? So we have these sets of three. Three lords, three poisons in Buddhism, three types of Souls players. How convenient. When we analyze art, we sometimes ask, “Huh, is this structure really there, or am I projecting it into the material?” And if the structure is really there, baked into the work, that doesn’t mean that it’s due to developer intention. Archetypal forms sometimes show up in work via an unconscious influence, be it due to the cultural milieu, personal psychology, or some a priori biological disposition of the human being.

And the thing about Dark Souls is that it’s an unusually honest piece of art, in that its creative team allows their own free associations and intuitions to show up in the work without too much self-censorship or questioning. They make space for a mystery to show up on its own terms, and in leaving its riddles unanswered, there is more space for discovery by the people who play it.

It should also be said that cultural ideas persist for a reason. Beneath the ethics and ideology of the people who originally named the Buddhist “three poisons,” there may be something timeless, something perennially descriptive of human nature. If that is the case, then it would make sense for this same triplicity to unfurl itself in other cultural products. So for one reason or another, these three poisons, these addictions, show up diegetically in the characters and are also expressed in player psychology.

I say all this just because sometimes I feel very aware of the disconnect between much of Souls lore discourse and the broader field of mythological study. Since we are gamers first, there may be this tendency to want to “solve” the lore, but that’s not what we’re doing here. Myth functions because it elaborates our experience of the world through affective resonance; it attaches images and characters and stories which help us anchor our own prelinguistic impressions of the world, cultivating our sensitivity there.

Anyway, let’s look at these Lords.

Abyss Watchers Poison: Hatred The lore of the Abyss Watchers is pretty clear: they have an obsessive fixation on the abyss, and are ready to raze an entire town if they suspect abyssal encroachment. This obsession has literally possessed them, as they are now “abyss touched.” Gaze too much into the abyss, etc. They carry such strong contempt for the disavowed object that they don’t care what comes between it and their sword. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that they are a brotherhood yet are unhesitatingly slaughtering themselves again and again. Hatred has made them blind, and has also caused them to resign their individuality (they are identical, mere instruments of a transpersonal grudge). They cannot die, their hatred keeps them locked in combat.

Type of Player: competitive | Interest: combat The Abyss Watchers are a representation of PvP addicts. They have no powers other than tenacity; they perform the same combos repeatedly. When you are really gripped by a PvP binge in Souls, you often end up doing the same thing again and again. The fight takes place in a mausoleum, on top of many chambers filled with human remains. The fact that this boss fight is instructional about combat, specifically about looking for tells (a cloud of dust always signifies the end of their combos) might be another clue. There is no limit to how good you get at Souls PvP; every foe is an opportunity to improve timing and strategy. You can just keep stacking anonymous bodies under yourself.

Aldrich Poison: Greed Aldrich invokes the concept of supremacy many times: he is in the supreme area from Dark Souls 1; in the supreme boss room of that area; he wears as a crown the former supreme lord of that area. This is because he devours lords; he tries to take prestige upon himself through acquisition and incorporation—greed.

Type of Player: completionist | Interest: content Aldrich is a commentary on completionist players. He is someone who “plays the game to death”, acquiring every object, reaching every achievement, devouring the soul of the game through taking everything into himself. He becomes bloated by consuming as much of the game’s content as possible. The old God whose likeness he has adopted is Gwyndolin, who was, in narrative terms, the one pulling the strings in the land of the Gods. And in gameplay terms, he is a secret boss. So on both counts we have someone who is elusive, and exists more or less at the boundary of the gameworld. When a player tries to see every last little morsel of a game, they become somewhat like Gwyndolin, a manipulator of a virtual world. If you know too much about a game, you have the risk of being less immmersed.

Yhorm Posion: Delusion In Buddhism, the poison of delusion secretly underlies the other two poisons, as the impulse toward hatred and greed are ultimately born of some false view about reality. This is akin to how the profaned capital sits below the rest of the kingdoms. To beat Yhorm you essentially have to “play pretend” with him, picking up a fake super-weapon, or fighting alongside Siegward, a knight who appears to be somewhat deluded about the state of the world, enthralled in the same fantasy as Yhorm himself.

Type of Player: lore researcher | Interest: meaning The profaned capital is full of statues—fixed images of myth; and empty goblets—treasures with no utility. Not to mention the area with the swamp which is full of symbolic imagery, but serves no narrative or mechanical purpose. The entire profaned capital challenges us to make sense of it; it is the ultimate temptation of lorekeepers in DS3. It throws at us a disproportionate amount of reference to DS2, which is famous among Souls players as the least thematically sensible Souls game. The Greatshield of Glory is found right outside Yhorm’s room, in a conspicuous room full of treasure, and yet it is a very impractical shield and offers very little lore value. If a lore-minded player picks it up, it directs them to a legendary personage from the War of Giants, which raises far more questions than it answers. The same is true of much of this area—the Eleanora, the Monstrosities, the Profaned Flame itself—they are all there to get you to speculate. These are the players who come to Souls games again and again, trying to find the “ultimate meaning.” They seek the grail, claim to find it, and then chuck in a pile with the others.

Yhorm's story also imitates the primordial Artorias myth: forsaking his shield in preservation of something more valuable. Other than that Yhorm is largely a cipher when it comes to biography, with a void for a face, which itself epitomizes what must remain at the center of mythology and storytelling: mystery.

Sit Down and Seek Guidance So we have the three reasons that people become fixated on Souls: the combat, the achievements, and the mystery. But there is a fourth lord of cinder boss, who is conceptually apart from these three: the Lothric Twins. They represent yet another kind of person who must keep playing Dark Souls: the developers. Lothric is striving to produce “a worthy heir,” a proper sequel to Dark Souls 1. The Princes are bound to their chamber as the developers are bound to their project, as that is their curse—“but you may rest here too, if you like.” In this context we can see their duality as the dual nature of having to work on the game and also play it to death. The privilege and the loftiness of the promise of a great piece of art (Lothric), and also having to go back "into the trenches" of the work itself (Lorian). Notably, neither of them can walk, they just teleport around. They are stuck at work, trying to bring the new world into being. Also I can’t go this whole essay without mentioning the obvious: that the Ashen One is bringing Lords to their thrones, and we players and developers have to assume our little chairs and couches when we access this world.

Playing Beyond the Point of Pleasure Of course the most extreme example of someone stubbornly remaining in the world no matter what is Slave Knight Gael. He is looking for pigment, which seems to be a euphemism for the substance of humanity (the Dark Soul). He wants to give it to the painter, the world-creator, so that a new world can be made. He is willing to indulge in a wasteland of abject violence for as long as it takes in order to renew something. Ironic that he is probably only prolonging the current world in his obsessive drive to recycle it faster.

Let’s examine the relationship between the figure of the painter and her relationship to Gael. That she is a spiritual entity is obvious: we never see her touch the ground, she is always in an upper room and lifted on a piece of furniture. Among other things, she is a clear metaphor for life springing eternally. A creative child who continues to paint despite kidnapping and imprisonment. She is the heart of the painted world, itself a place that symbolizes the idea of the representation of reality.

I want to make sure this is clear, because it is a bit of a kaleidoscope to consider. Any subject in Dark Souls stands for many things, but something that the painted world specifically represents is the very concept of representation. So of course the places in our imaginations are painted worlds, but so is this physical world of appearance, the maya of mundane reality. Not to mention that a work of art is a painted world, and the game we’re discussing is a painted world. When a work of art is able to recreate itself in itself, we can see this funny effect of mirrors reflecting mirrors infinitely. This results in seemingly inexhaustible symbolic content—there is so much potential to find meaning and create connections. Because Moby Dick represents a work of literature; the Tempest represents a play; Twin Peaks represents a TV show, these works can offer extensive insights not only into their medium but into the nature of reality. In these and other examples, the representation of the medium within the work may or may not be a single subject, but since Dark Souls is formally a game about levels and level design, the painted world is the heart of its self-reflexivity. The painted world can be pointed to as the summary of this fractal device. And the personification of that device, its ambassador to the player, is the painter.

The miracle or divine child is also an archetype familiar to us from Lothric, in their struggle to produce the “worthy heir.” Reality seeks salvation through the appearance of grace. They want it in a clear, incontestable form—to be able to point at it and say, "thank goodness we went through all that, because look, now here is the meaning, here is that which validates all that came before." In the world of Dark Souls 3 the religion of the masses is the Lothric stuff; meanwhile knowledge of the painted world is much more obscure. Lothric’s religion is obviously regulated and hierarchical, while Gael’s devotion to the painter is highly personal and private: he carries around a scrap of painting; he prostrates to a hidden idol in a small chapel; he considers the painter his family. He is emotionally close to the object of his worship.

But whether it’s Lothric or Ariandel, they are anticipating the divine child to redeem the world. As an archetype, the child ultimately represents surprise. The possibility of being delighted by life in its creative novelty. The child as an archetype appears in our own behavior when we do something without any sort of contrivance or mental interference, doing something in the world which doesn’t seem to have come from who we conceive ourselves to be. This is miraculous. Such an action enchants the world, and there is no explaining it, even if it may weave all kinds of stories around itself, retroactively framing things that have led up to it as portents or promises. (Though not exclusive to him, this trait is well-known in characterizations of Christ, and DS3 is clearly indebted to Christian iconography, so do with that what you will). Regardless of the specific cultural invocation, the divine child is a personification of something that happens within the human spirit. TFW you are renewed by a fresh and spontaneous engagement with life.

The grace of the miraculous often comes to us through play. Play is more of an attitude than an activity; the feeling of play may come to us through making a painting, or chatting with a friend, or moving around in a video game. We can play video games idly, competitively, experimentally, creatively, studiously, whatever, the feeling of “play” can show up regardless. We can sit there playing a certain game from a certain motivation, and feel totally rote and joyless, and question, “Why am I doing this?” Or we might sit there and play the same game with the same motivation, feeling totally lit up by it, its purpose to us obvious and self-validating. We are not even questioning why we are doing it, we are enjoying life.

This is really the ground that the miraculous tends to land on. Grace, meaning, and an immanent love of life are more likely to show up when we are in flow and not exercising our capacity for self-assessment. But like everything in life, we mistake the images and objects around us for the feeling of grace. Any given object might only be the catalyst once; it’s not about the object. This is extremely easy to see in cases of acute nostalgia; adults chase enchantment through collecting Zelda memorabilia or going to Disneyland, in pursuit of what kindled their spirit as a child. It was never really the game or the character that was doing it, it was what they were able to access within themselves.

So anyway Gael has yet to realize this. He thinks the Dark Soul is out there in something else. That it will be yielded as a drop if he just kills the right enemy, or 10,000 enemies, or goes to the right place at the right time. You can see that this is something of a synthesis of all the other Buddhist defilements: there are elements of completionism/greed, violence/hatred, mysticism/delusion. There is even the suggestion of the developer of these games again, in that Gael is a “slave,” forced into participation in the world to assist some creative apotheosis. (Isn’t it funny that his weapon is a worn-down executioner’s sword?—whether the person coding or the person playing, we are all “executing” command after command). The thing that really keeps him on the wheel is something beyond any of the player types and their vices; it is almost some sort of pure, amoral automatism, a churning drive that on one side resembles wanton nihilism, and on another side single-minded piousness. Is one disguised as the other, or has Gael somehow stepped beyond this binary? Yet another dichotomy in Dark Souls that begs to be reconciled, but whose tension creates the opportunity to participate creatively in its expansive mythology. When things are held apart we can move between them.

To really understand Gael, we have to contend with the question of a person’s relationship to their own soul, since that relationship is so plainly suggested by Gael and the painter. (This question, by the way, is much elaborated in Elden Ring, with its repeated foregrounding of the image of the maiden or “consort”). If we were to see Gael and the painter as partitions within one person--whether she is his soul, or his inner life, or his better nature, whatever—then in any case Gael is the side which goes out into the world and experiences it. He is the creative extension into the world as its active participant and realizer. Yet he is clothed as the warrior, the executioner. While the one who is dressed as the artist, the painter, just stays in her room and imagines the world—but this is where the magic of creation is really felt. We involve ourselves in life, or in a game, but we are only really changed and renewed when that exterior experience is “brought home” into the inner life. We do something “in the game,” but the act of “painting,” in renewing the world through our creative interpretation, is a decidedly interior experience.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Youvebeenlivingfictional Masterlist

Hooooboy, alright. Caving and turning this into a post. I'm keeping the page up as well, so if you prefer that, don’t worry, it’s still there.

If this post is missing something and i can almost guarantee it is, lemme know! Also if a link is broken, lemme know. Also also if you see that there are missing drabbles, that is because 9/10 times, unless it’s part of a larger work, I don’t list drabbles. It would never end. It would be a monster of a post.

As always, any minors interacting with explicit works will be blocked.

Last Updated: July 28, 2024

I do not give consent for any of my work to be copied, posted, or translated on other sites.

What it says on the tin. Archiveofourown: youvebeenlivingfictional

Kinktober 2022  *18+ Only

Kinktober 2023 *18+ Only

Fluffcember 2022 Fake Dating Masterlist

Includes: The Triple Frontier Boys, Javier Peña, Nathan Bateman, Percival Graves, Christopher Pike

Men I Always Meant to Write For

Includes: Bruce Wayne, Daniel Le Domas, Don Draper, Don Eppes, Harvey Specter

The Bear

Force of Habit - Carmy Berzatto x Reader  *18+ Only

Get What You Get - Carmy Berzatto x Reader

If You Can’t Take the Heat - Carmy Berzatto x Reader

Captain America

Love Isn’t Always On Time - Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes (On indefinite hiatus)

Strange Bedfellows - Steve Rogers x Reader *18+ Only

Challengers

Estranged Wife - Patrick Zweig x Reader *18+ Only

the pro - Art Donaldson x Reader *18+ Only

reunion - Art Donaldson x Reader *18+ Only

tense - Patrick Zweig x Reader *18+ Only

Daredevil

Gauze - Frank Castle x Reader

Her Voice - Matt Murdock x Reader *18+ Only

The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Other Half - Bruce Wayne x Reader *18+ Only

Defending Jacob

Clandestine - Andy Barber x Reader *18+ Only

I Could Be Your Sometimes - Andy Barber x Reader *18+ Only

Where You Want My Lipstick - Andy Barber x Reader *18+ Only

Den of Thieves

Bad Idea - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader *18+ Only

The Pool - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader *18+ Only (The Pool ‘Verse)

Benny and Techie’s Holiday Plans  - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

Benny and Techie Wind Up Skipping Arm Day - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

Benny Teaches Techie How to Shoot - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

How Benny and Techie Spend New Year’s Eve - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

Benny’s First Thoughts - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

Benny and Techie Have It Out - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader (The Pool ‘Verse)

Nick Makes Techie Uncomfortable - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader The Pool ‘Verse)

Last Resort - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader -*18+ Only

Points of Contact - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader

Procedure - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader -*18+ Only

You Know That I’ll Be Patient - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader -*18+ Only

You Want Me To? - Benny ‘Borracho’ Magalon x Reader - *18+ Only

Don’t Worry Darling

Dark Victory - Frank x Reader *18+ Only

Dune

A Stalwart Gem - Duke Leto Atreides x Reader *18+ Only

Be Changed; Be Undone - Duke Leto Atreides x Reader *18+ Only

Left Behind - Gurney Halleck x Reader

The View - Duncan Idaho x Reader x Gurney Halleck *18+ Only

The Warmaster’s Wife - Gurney Halleck x Reader *18+ Only

Enola Holmes

An Absolute Mess - Sherlock Holmes x Reader

Terribly Confounding - Sherlock Holmes x Reader

When We Were Young - Sherlock Holmes x Reader

Ex Machina

A Few Nathan Bateman Thots - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Bateman Begins, A Nathan Bateman Batman AU - Nathan Bateman x Reader

By Definition - Nathan Bateman x Reader

Loosen Up - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Magnetic - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Nathan Bateman Buy Me This Challange - Nathan Bateman x Reader

Rubber Ducky You’re the One - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Soft Nathan Headcanons - Nathan Bateman x Reader

That Algo is Fuckin’ Scuffed - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

The Logical Progression - Nathan Bateman x Reader

The Logical Epilogue - Nathan Bateman x Reader

This Didn’t Happen - Nathan Bateman x Reader 

Three Years - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Wired - Nathan Bateman x Reader *18+ Only

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

A Grave Life - Percival Graves x Reader

Game of Thrones

Being Pregnant with Oberyn Martell’s Child Headcanons

Take Your Time - Oberyn Martell x Reader x Ellaria Sand

The Maiden of Summerwood - Oberyn Martell x Reader x Ellaria Sand *18+ Only

The Gilded Age

Bluff - George Russell x Reader

Lessons - George Russell x Reader *18+ Only

The Crossing - George Russell x Reader

To Have Loved and Lost - George Russell x Reader

The Gentlemen

Company Man - Raymond Smith x Reader *18+ Only

Indiana Jones

Relative Dating - Indiana Jones x Reader

James Bond

All Over - James Bond x Reader *18+ Only

Enemy at the Gates - James Bond x Reader *18+ Only

Give Me a Buzz - James Bond x Reader *18+ Only

Old Dog - James Bond x Reader *18+ Only

The King’s Man

illicit - Orlando Oxford x Reader *18+ Only

Knives Out

Homestead - Benoit Blanc x Reader

Morning Paper - Benoit Blanc x Reader *18+ Only

Mad Men

Better - Don Draper x Reader *18+ Only

The Starlight Room- Don Draper x Reader

The Mandalorian

Softly - Boba Fett x Reader It’s On the Cards - Boba Fett x Reader

Mayans MC

Good Cop, Bad Cop - Crossover with Den of Thieves. Angel Reyes x Reader x Benny Borracho Magalon *18+ Only

How to Have Fun - Angel Reyes x Reader *18+ Only

Hop On - Angel Reyes x Reader

The Mentalist

His Hands - Marcus Pike x Reader *18+ Only

I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Marcus Pike x Reader

I’ve Seen This One; It’s a Tragedy - Marcus Pike x Reader

Odd Hours//Getting Even - Marcus Pike x Reader

Stress Relief - Marcus Pike x Reader *18+ Only

The Long Con - Marcus Pike x Reader

Wooed - Marcus Pike x Reader

Wound Up - Marcus Pike x Reader *18+ Only

A Most Violent Year

Headcanon: Meeting Abel Morales - Abel Morales x Reader

Intrigues - Abel Morales x Reader

Might As Well Jump - Abel Morales x Reader

Pretty Things - Abel Morales x Reader *18+ Only

Moon Knight

The First Time - Marc Specter x Reader *18+ Only

Narcos

Don’t Get Too Close (For Comfort) - Javier Peña x Reader Explicit *18+ Only

Easy - Horacio Carrillo x Reader x Javier Peña *18+ Only

Empty, As Before - Javier Peña x Reader

Enough - Javier Peña x Reader

Just You and Me - Javier Peña x Reader Explicit *18+ Only

Middlemen - Horacio Carrillo x Reader

Movement - Javier Peña x Reader

Stubble - Horacio Carrillo x Reader

What’s the Use of Wonderin’ - Javier Peña x Reader

Ocean’s 8

Oh Whiskey Please - Lou Miller x Reader (On indefinite hiatus)

Outer Range

Closing Time - Rhett Abbott x Reader

Don’t Make it Weird - Rhett Abbott x Reader  *18+ Only

Waking Up Slow - Rhett Abbott x Reader *18+ Only

Peaky Blinders

Making Arrangements - Tommy Shelby x Reader *18+ Only

Princess - Tommy Shelby x Reader *18+ Only

Power

Itsy-Bitsy//Hunger - Diego Jimenez/Reader *18 Only

Ready or Not

Wicked Game - Daniel Le Domas x Reader

Scenes From a Marriage

Holiday Traditions - Jonathan Levy x Reader

Breathe - Jonathan Levy x Reader

Exhale (Sequel to Breathe) - Jonathan Levy x Reader

Star Trek: Discovery/ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Christopher Pike Headcanons

Chapter and ‘Verse - Christopher Pike x Reader

Grounded - Christopher Pike x Reader

I Caught One Last Sight - Christopher Pike x Reader

I’m Always Curious - Christopher Pike x Reader

I’m Right Here - Christopher Pike x Reader

Intergalactic Prince Consort Christopher Pike Thread - Christopher Pike x Reader

Let’s Get Physical - Christine Chapel x Reader

Lonely - Christopher Pike x Reader x Una Chin-Riley

String Theory - Christopher Pike x Reader

The Bodyguard - Christopher Pike x Reader

The Captain’s Woman - Christopher Pike x Reader (On Indefinite Hiatus)

Star Wars

Effective - Poe Dameron x Reader

Everyone’s Got Their Reasons - Poe Dameron x Reader (On indefinite hiatus)

Heartless - Poe Dameron x Reader

Is That My Shirt? - Poe Dameron x Reader

Neighborly - Poe Dameron x Reader

No Pressure - Poe Dameron x Reader

Stupid, Slutty Collar - Poe Dameron x Reader

The Stars - Poe Dameron x Reader

You Never Know - Poe Dameron x Reader (On indefinite hiatus)

Succession

I Can Take a Beating (Like a Good Pair of Headphones) - Kendall Roy x Reader

Long Shot - Stewy Hosseini x Reader  *18 Only

Suits

More Than Enough - Harvey Specter x Reader

Bad Faith - Harvey Specter x Reader

Supernatural

A Little Dream Of Me - Dean Winchester x Reader

Stranger Things

You Spin Me Right Round - Eddie Munson x Reader

Sex Pollen - Eddie Munson x Reader *18 Only

Teen Wolf

Trouble Finds You - Chris Argent x Female OC (On indefinite hiatus)

Top Gun: Maverick

Our Girl - Bradley Rooster Bradshaw x Reader x Jake Seresin *18+ Only

The Periphery - Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Reader

Princess - Jake Seresin x Reader

Row 27 - Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Reader

What You Do to Me - Jake Seresin x Reader *18+ Only

When Are You Gonna Come Down - Bradley 'Rooster’ Bradshaw x Reader *18+ Only

The Worst Best Man - Jake Seresin x Reader

Triple Frontier

The Balance  - Santiago Garcia x Reader x Will Miller *18+ Only

Beached - Santiago Garcia x Reader *18+ Only

Caught (Up) in the Act - Santiago Garcia x Reader 

Don’t Treat My Love Like a Habit - Santiago Garcia x Reader

Fooled Around and Fell In Love - Santiago Garcia x Reader *18+ Only

Impressions - Will Miller x Reader

Patched Up - Will Miller x Reader *18+ Only

Plans Can Change - Benny Miller x Reader

Sweets - Frankie Morales x Reader

Under Covers - Santiago Garcia x Reader *18+ Only

An Unspoken Rule - William Miller x Reader

Well You’re Not What I Was Looking For - William Miller x Reader

You Shouldn’t - Santiago Garcia x Reader *18+ Only

Benny Likes to Talk

You Got a Ring for Me, Miller?

Benny Miller Headcanons

Drift-Compatible Miller Brothers

Venom

Will You Give Me Shelter - Eddie Brock x Reader x Annie Weying (On indefinite hiatus)

The West Wing

Clean Slate - Josh Lyman x Reader

I Don’t Mind the Company - Josh Lyman x Reader *18+ Only

Nickname - Josh Lyman x Reader

1,001 Reasons Not to Move - Josh Lyman x Reader

Wonder Woman

I Cannot Weave - Antiope x Reader *18+ Only

Steam - Antiope x Reader *18+ OnlySantiago Garcia x Reader 

[marvelstars]

This is a really interesting take on TPM, art and text by @FaithErinHicks from twitter.

Anakin´s story

Imagine you are a slave boy on Tatooine. You & your mother are sold to a junk trader when you were 3 years old & you live without freedom, without personhood. You & your mother together, against the world.

A Jedi Knight comes to Tatooine. The Jedi are the “Guardians of Peace and Justice” but he is not here to free slaves. There is no justice on Tatooine, but the Jedi Knight doesn’t seem to care about that.

The Jedi decides to take you away from Tatooine. Not because you are a slave boy & he recognizes that injustice, but because you are special. You are a Chosen One from some prophecy you’ve never heard of. You will become a Jedi.

You have to leave your mother, who the Jedi will not free. The one person in the world who you love, you must leave her in slavery, while you become a Jedi, a Guardian of Peace and Justice.

You are told by privileged people in robes you will not become a Jedi, you are not fit. You are a child, and you miss your mother. The Jedi tell you to fear losing her is to risk falling to the Dark Side. But what is the Light without your mother?

At the end of the story there is a party & you watch a Queen gives a Gungan a shiny ball. You are a Padawan, you will become a Jedi someday. But do the Jedi take you back to Tattoine, to rescue your mother? They do not.

There is no justice for your mother, still a slave, trapped galaxies apart from you. Years pass & the Jedi, Guardians of Peace & Justice, do not free her. You are the Chosen One, but you have no agency, no power. You are merely a tool to be used to bring balance to the Force.

The Dark Side beckons.

"Anakin and "The Son(Darkside) from the Clone Wars"

Now I personally think this wasn´t the sole reason Anakin fell to the darkside but this definitely was a strong reason for him to develop tension with the entire Jedi Order along with what happens on the Clone Wars because it´s curious how they often treat Anakin more like an unreliable resource than one of their own, they expect him to win battles for them but don´t trust him to make decisions and when he shows emotional umbalance as a result of this is tackled as if it´s only a fault of Anakin, all this background certainly explains Vaderkin´s perspective of the Jedi being evil even if he tried for many years to justify them to himself and others,in fact he had an idealized view of them and often defended them to Palpatine.

I am not saying they were indeed evil or that they were in charge of correcting every evil in the galaxy but they are responsible for the things they had the possibility to correct and didn´t just like Anakin was responsible for his own actions.

The Prequel trilogy had many interesting concepts that weren´t truly explored but it´s richness in the story of the tragedy of star wars is still out there to be explored.

[unfortunately-obsessed]

Saying that I hate Nolan's Batman in a room full of man just to feel something

But here's a random list of my rating of different Batman that nobody asked because I love giving my opinion

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Solid Batman, hate the Bruce Wayne. Brucie, the public persona, is supposed to be a bimbo that cares for the city, not a rude arrogant prick that sinks the Wayne name. It completely butchered his relationship with Harvey too for... *checks notes* Rachel? Nahhh 2/10, a male fantasy movie but it gets one point for showing his training years and another for some cool one-liners

The Batman (2022) – I love the movie and that's top Batman to me, especially the last scene. Batman is a symbol of hope, compassion. I had the same problem as the Nolan's one for the larger portion of the movie: instead of using the Wayne Inc. to do good, he doesn't care about his parent's heirloom and drowns into being Batman. HOWEVER, it's pretty clear how raw and wounded he still is, and after the whole Riddler deal, I can see him turning this around and doing good as Bruce Wayne too. My fav live action movie but it gets a 8.5/10 on characterization

The Long Halloween, Comic – classic Batman, I like his personality and how he lets Batman and Bruce work together to do better to the city. A inspiration for the 2022 movie too. 9/10

The Long Halloween, Tomorrowverse – butchered the storyline and I shit you not Bruce says "I never thought I would need to do detective work to be Batman". Made him all muscle and no brain. Cool art but it doesn't even get a point for it, couldn't bring myself to watch more than 20 minutes of the part two. I kinda liked how he acts with Selina though. Yet, keeps it at -10/0

The Arkham Games – I watched the Arkham Knight gameplay like it was a movie and then watched scenes from other games on yt. That's the ideal way Batman operates to me. Thing dreams are made of. Also balanced on his public facade. 9/10

Batman The Animated Series, Timmverse – can't ask for better. Always offering rehabilitation to villains? Showing empathy for freeze and ivy and Harley!? and his friendship with Harvey? 10/10

Justice League: Unlimited – The timmverse gets him right and I love to notice how he progressed as a character. Love how they write Bruce's friendship with Clark and true partnership with other Leaguers. Also love his relationship with Diana, wonderbat forever. 10/10

Batman, Tv animation (2004) – The story is tailored to be palatable to kids so they changed some elements. It's fun to watch tho, 7/10

Batman Vs. Superman – guilt-ridden, PTSD older Batman? Pretty solid on the premise and I could see any Batman acting that way with enough groundwork. I just don't like the whole marking criminal and sending them to prison to die. Bruce wouldn't, doesn't matter how grief stricken he is. 8.8/10

Gotham (Tv Series) – Eh. Young chaotic Bruce. The focus of the series is on the villains and I didn't even pay too much attention to him tbh. I love a disaster teenager Bruce tho, 7.6/10

Young Justice – Gets points for bonding with Dick earlier in the series and for later showing him operating with a larger Batfam. Also accurate on the way Batman operates. He would leave the League because he's not about being part of a society or the status that come with it. The League had a purpose, which was facilitating saving people. Than he couldn't save people with it? He left. 9/10

Superhero Girls – exploring him being Kardashian-level celebrity?? Hilarious. But I don't like the other implications the show makes about him as Batman. 3/10

The Killing Joke, animated movie – something about how he acts throws me off. Older Batman but done badly. I think they don't work enough to drive him to murder. Should have left him kill Joker when Jason died. 2/10

Ninja Batman – The writers had LSD to write it. Insane. Hilarious. Didn't like that he was "oooh I don't have tech what will I do? :(" Batman is a survivalist so be for real. 4/10

Year Zero (comic) – hate that buzz cut. He wouldn't. Otherwise solid. Also another inspo to 2022 movie. 6/10

Year One (comic) – classic backstory, can't ask for anything else on personality matter. The fact he hallucinated a bat while he was concussed and thus made himself Batman because he thought it was rad? Peak characterization. 10/10

Harleen (comic) – He's not the focus of the story but I do love when they show how much sheer power the Wayne name carries. He has a steady hand over Gotham, a background influence constant and unwavering. Also that dialogue on the end where he's blaming himself for everything that happened even though it's not his fault? Yeah, it tracks. 9/10

Turning Points (comic) – the way he acts... He's such a theater kid. Also accurate on how Robin happened and I love he doesn't try to fight Gordon but humbly accepts Jim is going to hunt him if something happens to Robin. 9/10

There's a black and white one shot comic that Dan Mora made that I can't rember the name but?? Bruce adopting Jason, Dick and Tim in one go?? Can't go wrong for me. I am also not immune to how Mr. Mora draws Bruce. 100/10

The goal of this year is to watch more timmverse and read more comics with the batkids

[void-ink-studios]

Feeding my Kirby fans well today.

Finally got around to doing some stuff from the poll! The winner was Metadad content, so I deliver!

Reblog if you like the art! And if you like the designs, check out the rest of the Incarnations AU tag!

Artist and Author's notes under the cut!

I am a firm Metadad believer. Meta is Kirby's mentor, protector, caretaker, everything. I believe that all of Meta's boss fights in the games are either Meta trying to prevent Kirby from doing something foolish (like with the Dream Fountain) or testing them to make sure their ready for whatever challenge comes next. The fact he always gives Kirby a weapon and waits for them says a lot.

In the story for the Incarnations AU, Meta doesn't call himself Kirby's dad until a lot of nonsense, specifically after the end of the Dark Matter trilogy. He's terrified of what being a dad actually would mean, so he refuses to call what they have a parent/child dynamic for a long time. Only when he thought he could've lost Kirby for good to Dark Matter's despair does he crumble and assert once and for all that Kirby's his son and proud of him each and every day.

They make each other better. Meta gets Kirby to stop and think and consider. He helps them get a handle on their powers, and what being an Incarnation means, in all the ways he wishes he did. He's the one Kirby goes to for wisdom, he's the one that gives them the space to grow and adjust. It's what stops Kirby from becoming another chaotic demigod running around, like with Dark Matter and Elfilis.

Kirby makes Meta gentler. While Meta was never cruel, he was closed off. Taking care of Kirby, watching him grow up unafraid and happy, it did something to the Knight's mindset. It let him accept the vulnerability that he tried very hard to bury. It's what ultimately opens his heart enough to let Dedede in as a companion, and what lets him admit to himself that the Meta-Knights are his family.

They are the best things to happen to each other, and they make sure they both know it every time they encounter each other.

I have so many thoughts about their dynamic, so this is probably not the last time I'll draw/write about it.

[romanceyourdemons]

i’ve thought carefully about it, and there really isn’t anything defensible about dragonball evolution (2009). however, it does provide a case study for the weaknesses many early 2000s comic book films suffered from. despite stephen chow’s name in the producer’s spot, this film is hollywood through and through, and is undeniably a part of the wild west that was pre-mcu comic book film, a period ranging from blade (1998) to the league of extraordinary gentlemen (2003) to the green hornet (2011). although the period also produced gems such as v for vendetta (2005) and christopher nolan’s dark knight trilogy—gems that show a deep love for their source material—many films seem to telegraph a disdain for the original material and harshly adapt them to make them as easy for a mainstream american moviegoer to understand as possible. even for a viewer like myself without much familiarity with the dragonball manga, it is obvious that this film is an extreme victim of this phenomenon. goku is changed from a sun wukong successor to a knockoff superman, a conventionally attractive white high schooler who is a cartoonishly bullied loner for reasons the film does not bother to make more than arbitrary. indeed, every step on his hero’s journey is arbitrary, jerked along by a blandly snarky, hyper-standardized plot. although the film hints at some assets it could have had, its stripped-down budget, stripped-down script, and apathetic directing guts them before the audience’s eyes: a few shots indicate an interesting blend of sci-fi, fantasy martial arts, and early 2000s high school settings, but rather than giving an even cursory glance at the lines where those genres intersect the film leaves them utterly separate and unincorporated; a few of the actors, most notably chow yun-fat, give very energetic performances, but the script hardly even leaves them a two-dimensional character to perform. the most tantalizing thing about this film—as with most of the worst of this period of film—is that individual scenes, individual performances, individual moments of fight choreography are colorful and intense and stamped with the shape of the beloved original work. scattered throughout the film are brief, campy visions of what it could have been. but the tragedy of dragonball evolution (2009) is that it neither trusts its audience nor values its premise enough to fully grasp or commit to this potential incarnation; contrary to the film’s own catchphrase, it does not remember to have faith in who it is

[undyingembers]

9 People You Want to Know Better

Tagged by @dmagedgoods

Three ships:

Leonosa x Daeran: A truly unexpected pairing indeed! The classic uptight busybody dates the wild party animal. However, Daeran truly appreciates Lenarius being a moral rock, even if he will never ever admit it.

Mazzy x Tatjana x Valygar: Someone recently left a string of comments on my BG meta fanfic, so it made me think about this pairing a lot. Mazzy and Tatjana are the definition of courtly/knightly romance with a knight and lady, and Valygar is the grump who they are overbearing to. There's also the camaraderie between the three warriors and a deep respect for each other's skills.

Tatjana x Wyll: Another knightly romance between the prince and the comely peasant maiden. I am so glad I decided to to this AU with Tatjana as the Dark Urge.

Last Song:

Hell's Coming with Me - Poor Man's Poison

Last Movie:

The Last Unicorn - I had the opportunity to view it for free online, and I enjoyed it so much I checked out the book from the library.

Currently Reading:

The Secret Country trilogy by Pamela Dean. I'm on the last book, The Will of the Dragon.

Currently Watching:

I don't watch a lot of TV. I haven't watched anything in months. I would like to get caught up with season 2 of HotD.

Currently Eating:

Ramen! I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so I made my quick meal. I'm going to have leftover salad with homemade dressing later to balance out the unhealthiness.

Currently Craving:

Some decent weather so I can actually go outside and go walking without getting drenched in sweat.

Favourite colour:

Blue. Especially that dark velvety blue that the sky takes just after the sun completely sets.

Current obsession:

The King in Yellow and other adaptations. Writing my RT fanfic.

Last thing I googled:

Reminding myself how to do the single crochet foundation stitch for a project.

Favourite season:

Autumn! I love the colors/harvests and being able to walk outside. Also, it the season for apple cider and pumpkins.

Skill I’d like to learn:

Well, I'd like to get better at crochet. But one of these days I'd like to learn how to sing. I've been told I had a lovely singing voice, but I've never been coached. There's a music program for adults near where I live, but I never find the time.

Best Advice:

I was at this writer's convention, and some of the stuff the panelists were saying just did not make sense. The lady who I made friends with at the convention told me that I had to learn what advice to take and what I can ignore.

No pressure tagging:

@arendaes, @mathlann, @forestdragoncat, @dujour13, @the-raging-tempest, @cassynite, @captastra, @fantastic-mr-corvid, @jean-dieu, @amatres, @arrow90-art

[helix-enterprises117]

My Headcanon Star Wars Timeline

This might also double as a "Star Wars: A Beginner's Guide," so if you want, you can also use this as a reference for Star Wars stories you can pick up if you want to get into the franchise; but ultimately, this is not the main point of this post.

Pretty much all Pre-BBY Legends stories: How the Sith and Jedi came to be, how lightsabers were created, the first wars, how everything started out as a high-fantasy before it evolved into proper sci-fi, the fleshing out of the midi-chlorians as entities in Star Wars... it's all so damn fascinating.

KOTOR - KORTOR II: SITH LORDS - SWTOR: The Knights Of The Old Republic games, and it's unofficial third entry in the form of 'Star Wars: The Old Republic,' are stories that take place in an even LONGER time ago in the same galaxy that's far, far away. The first game talks about Revan, the second talks about 'The Exhile' and the third game has both characters be greater-scope forces in the background that influence the events of the game.

The Prequel Trilogy: I never had a problem with these movies. I grew up playing the LEGO games, so I guess it never registered to me that these were bad. But I love the prequels.

The Clone Wars 2003: Unpopular opinion, but this is way better than Clone Wars 2008; no offense to anyone who loves the 3D Show, but the 2003 cartoon is a flashy and high-octane series that NEVER stopped and it had an appealing art/animation style. More importantly, the characters here are far more faithful to their film counterparts than 2008!CW. Plus, Grieveous was a straight BADASS in this show.

Republic Commando (both the book & the game): The book is generally a good read, but the game is basically "What if Star Wars made a Halo game?"

Revenge Of The Sith - Junior Novelization: While RotS is a good movie, the book is... it's just so much better. It goes in-depth into Anakin's descent into complete madness, properly fleshing out his paranoia and his trust in Palpatine; it makes everything he's gone through in the film more believable.

Jedi Fallen Order, Force Unleashed, Force Unleashed II, Jedi Suvivor: These four games, all taking place in-between episodes III and IV, are two sides of the same coin. Both are epic hack-n'-slash games where you play as a lightsaber-wielding force-user. But that's where their similarities end, the Force Unleashed games are power-fantasy games where you are so unbelievably powerful that you can do just about anything; the Jedi games are a more traditional journey from zero-to-hero where you start out weak and the gameplay requires a bit of legitimate skill to properly master.

The Han Solo Books: The REAL origin story of Han Solo. Born of a family of thieves, Han joined the Imperial Navy because he wanted to fly. He meets Chewy and loses his job. Other goofy stuff ensues.

Rogue One: Didn't think a movie that was based ONE LINE IN THE OPENING SCRAWL OF THE FIRST MOVIE was gonna be as good as it was, but here we are.

The Radio-Drama version of the Original Trilogy: I love the movies, but I love the radio-drama adaptation WAY more; as it expands upon and fleshes out the things in the films that left me scratching my head, it has more context to a lot of it's scenes AND it has a bunch of other extra scenes that weren't in the movies that make listening to the radio-drama a fresh experience.

The Mandalorian (seasons 1 and 2): I haven't seen season 3 (I'm sure it slaps, though), but I think this is an awesome sequel show to the original trilogy.

The Courtship Of Princess Leia: I just— this book is so damn funny, I can't wrap my head around it. (Plus, I love Han and Leia as a couple).

The (original) Thrawn Trilogy & Dark Empire: While I'm well-aware that the Thrawn books are pretty much loved by many a Star Wars fan, Dark Empire (I've noticed) is a lot more contested... but I love the Dark Empire SO MUCH. I love the idea of the World-Devastators and Luke turning Dark is awesome.

All of the Post-BBY Books from the Legends continuity: Mara Jade, the Solo kids (Jacen, Jaina and Anakin) and Ben Skywalker are such cool characters that I'm actually depressed that they get de-canonized.

Star Wars Legacy: Cade Skywalker is a very interesting character, as he's a Skywalker who became a hedonistic criminal who doesn't want the burden of responsibility weighing on him by proxy of being a Skywalker, the Empire is actually kind of chill, and everything that we all thought we knew about Star Wars gets flipped on it's head. Legacy, in my mind at least, is an interesting way to end the story of Star Wars.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Superheroes are stupid, but that's why they're awesome

This might be an opinion that might get people to hate me, but it's worth saying: Superheroes are stupid.

Now, that's not a bad thing. In fact, superheroes being stupid is a large part of why they work. I mean, think of your favorite superhero. Think of how they look or what their powers are. Think about the villains they often fight day after day, week after week, year after year. Think about THEIR NAME.

Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Avengers, The X-Men, The Justice League, The Teen Titans.

Everything about a superhero is stupid, and the best stories aren't JUST the ones where Joker cripples Batgirl or Green Goblin dropped Gwen Stacy off a bridge. I mean, those ARE good stories, but they're not good because they were super serious or incredibly dark. They're good because writers EMBRACED the stupidity of superheroes.

Believe it or not, but embracing stupidity means more than just making jokes or comedies. It also means playing the stupidity straight, telling a story so good that no one could care about nonsense like powers, suits, and even names. Think about it: If a serious story DIDN'T embrace the stupidity of all those things, then it would do away with all of them.

Daredevil may be a crime drama about the cold death grip a mob boss has on the city and the constant battles to fight against him through the justice system, but it still features a blind lawyer who knows martial arts and jumps across rooftops in a devil costume. And the Dark Knight Trilogy might be a more realistic depiction of Batman, but it still has him dress up as a bat as he battles Two-Face and The Joker. Despite telling more serious stories about superheroes, both of them were still willing to embrace the silliness of the character. They just played them for straight instead of for laughs.

And with that said, there's nothing wrong with making comedic stories with superheroes either. Guardians of the Galaxy may have made jokes about the lunacy of a talking raccoon, but that talking raccoon also turns out to have the most tragic backstory of the entire MCU. The Suicide Squad may have people placing bets over which supervillain dies first, but the movie is still about the dark corners of the US government and how it views convicted criminals and "lesser" countries.

A superhero story can embrace stupidity in a serious and comedic fashion. They just need to remember that...

A. Don't reject the notion that superheroes are stupid. Do that, you have a movie like Fant4stic, which takes itself too seriously to the point where it can't even say the name Fantastic Four.

B. Don't lean too much into stupidity. That'll get you something like Batman and Robin, filled with so much cheese and camp that not many people can stomach it.

Whether you play it straight or play it light, never forget how stupid superheroes are. If you forget it, you forget what made them last for decades, nearly centuries. Writers embraced that stupidity and told great stories because of it, and fans couldn't care because they got a good story that lets them see past the stupidity.

We know superheroes are stupid, but that's what make them awesome.

[dangerousdan-dan]

Tagged by @mooblum Thank you :)

(It was difficult to answer some of these because I like a lot of things and it's hard for me to choose favorites)

Favorite album(s) or song(s)?

For albums: The Sin and the Sentence (Trivium), Ruin (The Amazing Devil), Post Human: Survival Horror (BMTH) and 10,000 Days (Tool)

Songs: Lateralus (Tool), Separate Ways (Journey), The Outsider (A Perfect Circle), Tiny Dancer (Elton John), Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin), The art of dying (Gojira) and lately I'm obsessed with Heartbreak Feels So Good (FOB)

Favorite movie(s)?

LOTR (the trilogy, don't make me choose one), Isle of Dogs, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, A Knight's Tale, The Incredibles, MegaMind, Children of Men and Howl's Moving Castle

Favorite fictional characters?

Cassandra Cain and Damian Wayne (they're my favorites, tho the list of DC characters I love is quite long), Viktor (Arcane), Bilbo Baggins and Éowyn (Tolkien), Corvo Attano and Emily Kaldwin (Dishonored)

Favorite comics/books?

Comics: Batgirl (2000), Superman for All Seasons, Dark Victory, Supersons, Batman & Robin, Superman (2021), DC The New Frontier, Justice League International and Mister Miracle

Books: LOTR and The Hobbit, The Riyria Revelations, La amortajada and Our Share of Night.

(I could also add a lot of poetry books to the list but I'll refrain this time)

Favorite videogame(s)? (This one wasn't in the og post but I wanted to add it)

Dishonored, Uncharted, Resident Evil, The Last of Us, The Witcher 3 and Disco Elysium

No pressure tags: @cephalog0d @putting-the-bi-in-robin @adalineozie @kayrielwrites @xetlretl @poetikat and anyone who feels like participating :)

[martyrbat]

ok here's the movies low-down:

Batman VS TMNT was very good. short. enjoyable. ninjas. Ra's. furries. etc. a lot of the other animated Batman flicks take heavy inspo from 2010s comics so of course they are terrible but this one was a nice departure.

the Tim Burton movies are very good and fun Tim Burton movies but they are weird/mildly frustrating Batman movies. Michael Keaton is great at making Bruce weird. turtleneck. the music. the art. Michelle Pfeiffer. (these are the pros) Bruce kills. the Joker is in it lots. kind of weird but not always good weird ? Tim Burton's blonde love interest fetish. (these are the cons)

Batman Begins ? dated. kind of a slog. but overall I liked it.

The Dark Knight + the third one of that trilogy... boring. didnt care. got rid of homoerotic bruharvey subtext. uninspired. overrated. etc. didnt even ever watch TDKR because I was so bored and didnt caresies.

I havent ever watch the Schumacher ones.. . they look camp but kind of boring. like it's a messy kind of camp. not the cunty kind of camp I've come to expect from Batman.

obsessed with this in depth run down....!! thank you!!! i would probably start with tmnt and animated because i love my silly goofy good times and i think batman 2022 will be my 'ill watch this in october maybe' movie (<- guy who hasnt sat down through a movie in over a year) and i think the only burton movie ive ever seen was the remake of charlie and the chocolate factory so i dont have much to draw on from there!

i know nothing about the plots of any of the others but i do think george clooney from the schumacher ones is so hot... i can deal with messy camp because i think that can be so fun if its a result of earnestness but if its from being boring and just poorly made out of lack of caring then all energy gets zapped out of it :(( and michael keaton is hot for forever with his cunty turtleneck but i only know him from white noise... the idea of a bruce that kills is. bad. and concerns me but also it has michelle pfeiffer which cancels out a lot of complaints i could have.... decisions decisions...

[argentumcor]

A flare-up of Arkham Trilogy fandom has been triggered, and so I spent entirely too much money on the Arkham Knight Genesis comic. Art is nice, writing is pretty good. I'm not a comic person, and find most comics to have ugly art these days, but this one (and Soulfinder from Iconic Comics) impressed me.

I always liked this version of Jason coming back best since I heard of the character. A plot device like a Lazarus Pit needs to be kept to a minimum because otherwise it just breaks everything and the Arkham version where the Pits are nearly exhausted and restricted to the Ra's plots is the best way to approach them. Jason being crazy because of torture and not mystical woo-woo side effects offers more interesting directions to go in to me, problems that can't be easily solved because they are choices he made while at least somewhat in possession of his faculties.

Man, I thought the backstory I cooked up for Arkham's Jason was dark but the canon one is darker. I had it where he never knew his dad and his mom was an addict who OD'd when he was young, but in the comic both parents are meth addicts who tried to sell him to the mob to pay their debts, which didn't work because that's nuts even in Gotham, and so abused him until he was thirteen, when Jason sold them out to the mob and watched them get killed in exchange for getting a small bit of turf where he was left alone to do small time crime.

I always liked the version of him meeting Batman by trying and semi-succeeding at stealing the wheels off the Batmobile, but the Arkham version where he saves Batman's life during a tussle with the Joker is a better fit for this universe.

There's conflict between the game City Stories version of how he got caught and the comic one. The game one is much darker, from what drove Jason after Joker (horrible murder and mutilation of children at a school in the game vs. pride I think in the comic) to the actual getting caught (Jason's hubris and sense of righteousness making him very stupid in the game vs. purely a trap the Joker laid in the comic). The game lore version of events is better, though harder to depict I think in the pages the comic had for various reasons.

One thing stands out about Arkham Jason: everyone in his life had given up on him from the moment he was born...except Bruce and the family. Bruce met him for only a few minutes at most and saw that Jason could be more than just another doomed rat in the dirty alleys of the city, wanted in some way to be more (Arkham Knight Jason disputes this in narration but it's clear from what happened that's the case). But a lifetime of being given up on doesn't just vanish in a year-ish of being really valued- and Joker brilliantly weaponized it against Jason and in doing so against Batman.

The comic is from Jason's bitter angry broken pre-Arkham Knight POV but there are hints that the darkness hasn't consumed him. I think Dick naming Tim as his brother in a fight hurt him- because I think they would have had that bond before Jason was taken and 'Tim as my replacement' is a big thing for Jason. He's ruthless, yes, and apathetic to the world around him but he sees that Bruce has a memorial to him in the Batcave and it triggers really intense emotions- anger because that's almost all he has anymore and then something else he can't and refuses to even try to process.

That's why, I think, Bruce extending a hand to Jason at the end of the boss fight destroyed the Arkham Knight. I also think that getting Gotham to evacuate civilians was Jason's idea. There's no logic to it from Scarecrow's POV; more people in the city would mean more fear to, uh, imbibe. It's not that Jason is worried about collateral damage, exactly, it's that he isn't totally gone. You can see that in the game audio logs. I wish we would have gotten an encounter with him and Dick, either as the Knight or as Red Hood. I think the rivalry there with Tim is built in as a matter of history and personality but with Dick there's a brotherhood that got broken through no fault of their own.

The Red Hood smart-assery is also present in the narration in the comic. I think it was there with the Arkham Knight, too, here and there, but he's on the furious hunt in most of what you hear from him so there isn't a lot of room for it.