#the embodiment of 'she did that'

[brighteuphony]

I love Chiyo- and I kind of headcanon her as a Witch of the Woods (Sands???) archetype- a bitter old woman who has sacrificed too much, experienced and committed more atrocities than anyone can imagine, and who knows the truth about what lies in the hearts of men to live among the villages anymore.

In my AU she's got a pretty dark backstory. Back in time when Villages were just getting established, women weren't allowed to be shinobi in the same capacity as men. There was too much warring and death among the clans to risk women, so they were only ever allowed to serve as spies or medics. (Chiyo started off as a medic).

And like any military/fascist dictatorship, serving the state was more important than anything else- so women who were kunoichi were given missions to steal and return with powerful bloodlines. Even before villages, this was a common fear among clans (which is why so many of them have protective measures and inbreed/arrange matches very carefully).

Chiyo was one such woman, who took a X-rated mission in her youth because she was told it would 'serve her nation'. There was a powerful bloodline whose Kekkei Genkai could harden sand to something akin to Steel- something Suna very desperately wanted.

Chiyo succeeded in her mission, but despite the veneer of 'serving your nation', when she returned, she was considered, in her words, "Just another whore."

Then when her son didn't manifest the bloodline- it was worse, but Chiyo was happy because that meant her son was HERS. (This is when she met Enji, and he saved her son's life at great cost- so Chiyo owes him a blood/life debt.)

Then the war came, and they needed women to fight so now serving the nation meant something different, and Chiyo became a full fledged 'shinobi' and turned her healing towards poison and death- especially when she had to fight the Salamander.

Then she sealed Gaara and that was the atrocity straw that broke the camel's back and she dipped out Suna and retired to an oasis. She's still a healer, but adamantly refuses to serve shinobi.

Once again, thank you so much for these asks and all the support for this AU?

@youngpeacearbiter

[bortmcjorts]

[ID: a drawing of pye from outer wilds, standing with her writing staff. she's wearing an orange nomai space suit without the helmet, and she has a light brown face with curly darker brown fur. end ID]

figuring out how i want to draw the nomai, so here's a pye since i am obsessed with her !!!

[movedtodykedvonte]

Simon not knowing where the Bus was going and Betty turning into Golbetty right before it leaves is less to say her fate is ambiguous and unknown to even her but more so Simon and her can truly no longer travel together, more so he can’t come with her.

And that he finally realized that.

[bumblingbabooshka]

My name is [BRUTUS] and my name means [HEAVY] so with a [HEAVY] heart I'll guide this dagger Into the heart of my enemy

Something about having absolutely no choice in who you marry. About being literally forced by the law to spill blood - to accept this stranger as your husband over a man you truly care for or accept the fact that the man you love might die because you put him in danger. Something about risking becoming the wife of a man you've never even seen before a few minutes prior because you know anything would be better than putting your beloved in harm's way. Something about the trust inherent in that decision and in the way she speaks of it after. Truthfully, T'Pring doesn't know the captain and she doesn't know Spock. Either one of them could have taken her as their wife but she does know Stonn. She knows that Stonn will remain by her side no matter what. They made a plan together. They have an agreement which T'Pring believes will be upheld even though the plan changed with the arrival of Kirk. Stonn will always be there, always, and Stonn will be hers. Something about the language used around T'Pring: Ownership, subservience, non-personhood. T'Pring is an object that Spock can win. She cannot reject him, she has no say in the matter other than having Stonn 'claim' her instead. Even when Spock leaves after being very clearly rejected by T'Pring he says "Stonn, she is yours." as if despite her clear rejection he still owns her and is must formally 'give' her to Stonn. But the language T'Pring uses around Stonn is a break from that: "There was Stonn who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him." Stonn who wanted very much to be HER consort and she WANTED him. The language here is very particular - It's not, for example: "Stonn wanted me to be his wife" - he is HERS. And she WANTS him. There's a mutual affection there and a strong trust - a trust which seems to be well founded since Stonn (though silent) stands by her side at the end of the episode. <- That might seem small but if Spock would reject her for 'daring to challenge' (again, the language is not 'because I don't want you' but more of an implied disgust at her having the AUDACITY to reject him) then it's not a stretch to assume that it'd be considered an insult in the TOS Vulcan society to NOT choose Stonn as her champion after a prior agreement. Anyway T'Pring was a woman in an impossible situation within a society which saw her as more of an object than a person and she wanted Stonn and Stonn wanted to be hers and she trusted that he would understand if she had to publicly pick someone else to ensure his life would be spared and he did understand.

[sysig]

Wuh oh (Patreon)

Bonus:

The novel experience of being crushed by a giant rock, a visual metaphor

[ash-and-starlight]

Hello Ash.

I just finished She Who Became the Sun and I’m crying. Dying. Dead. Deceased. Thank you for jumpstarting the ripping out, stepping on, roasting, and eating of my heart that has just transpired.

Aside from the obvious Zhu and Ouyang, what’s your favorite character parallel in the first book?

HIII thank you THANK YOU im so happy the propaganda got you too <33 and HMM much to think about!! I will say that it's been a couple of years (I think?) since I read swbts so the details are fuzzy but one of my fave parallels are between Ouyang and Baoxiang, especially for how strong they become in hwdtw too. They are both seen as lesser and not conforming to the "male" mongol ideal, ouyang because he's a eunuch, wbx because he's not a warrior. They both go against their roles in a very explicit and performative way: ouyang by becoming a war machine and truly embodying the masculinity of a mongol warrior despite his inability to truly ever being considered one bc of his mutilation, wbx by refusing to become a warrior and acting super feminine (genuinely don't remember how much of it is genuine and how much is out of sheer spite but id say at some point the lines got blurred for him too. the guy has Problems.) Something something "femininity" being forced on someone vs being choosen and its Consequences. They hate each other. they're scheming together. they're scheming against each other. they loved Esen. they had to kill him. being gay is a curse. being gay is a game and i am winning. they fucked each other in a parallel reality. and most importantly they're twinks. this does not even begin to cover how insane their dynamic truly is.

[thatwitchrevan]

There's something meta about like. The theme of choosing life versus choosing death. In relation to the Oxventurers and how they play out that finale.

Like they meet with They and explain why they on an individual level want and deserve to live and why Geth deserves to continue. Corazon seeks to keep growing as a person and interacting with other people. Merilwen wants to preserve the force of nature. Dob believes in chaos. Egbert wants good to endure. Prudence rejects the question on the basis that she deserves to live by virtue of having lived.

Liliana is reluctant and afraid. She wants to fix what she's done because she doesn't want to see everything destroyed, and she's warring with shame for her other deeds. She is desperate for community but having trouble accepting it, allowing herself to have it. They tell her she is forgiven.

And then in the finale, everyone obviously fights hard to get rid of the world ending threat, and then the minute it's over Liliana throws caution and self-preservation to the wind because at least one of them has got to die. She can't accept this world where they all go on living and trusting each other and growing together. She has to sabotage it.

And I really believe she's smart enough to know she's probably killing herself, especially when Merilwen starts attacking her and she then doesn't run. Everyone else chose life - fighting for Geth, for themselves, for each other - and Liliana chose to give up.

That's why it doesn't bother me that the cheesed the literal finale boss, besides it being on brand and hilarious. It wasn't about the giant or the apocalypse. It was about who each of them is as a person. It's about choices. It's about whether you choose to move forward or give up hope.

In the end, everyone lived and got what they were seeking, except for Liliana, who couldn't trust herself and gave up hope. By enraging a very scary wood welf druid.

[yuseirra]

**Oshi no ko spoilers** !!

I've been looking over the lyrics for onk S2 op "Fatale" since yesterday, and I'm getting this hunch that this song is from someone who is almost desperate for Ai's love, with her being the "Fatale". There could be multiple ways to interpret the song and I think it'd appear to reflect the perspectives of the many characters coming forth in this arc, but this is the first thought that comes into mind for me

It'd be natural to assume the speaker is Aqua, but what it says seems even more extreme than what he'd feel toward Ai, the lyric feels like there is a huge longing to the point of obsession. This person is willing to give everything up for their love and is declaring they can't survive without them, the type of love aqua has for ai is different, I feel. It should be more tender and familial.

I think it'd make sense for this song to be written fron hikaru's perspective. IDOL was written from Ai's, right? And it conveys her desires to love more sincerely... It could also have conveyed her feelings towards hikaru if she really held some desires to build a more genuine relationship with him as she did for her fans. Perhaps the opening for the second season displays HIS feelings towards HER in comparison. I have a feeling they cared about each other when they were together but there was some miscommunication that's led to a tragic outcome. At this point, maybe the feelings kamiki has for Ai's become something quite huge and twisted, like what nino has for her? Something like what this song says.

He might be even more similar to Aqua than we think, in terms of mentality. What if he feels regret and despair after Ai's death and has given up on his chances to live a normal life like the way his son's doing right now? His motives and purpose for living could be tied to what he THINKS is for Ai's sake.

Mephisto and Fatale both seem to have lyrics that have implications of giving up the speaker's own life and trading it for their loved one, the person wishes to bring them back, and they won't mind giving themselves for this purpose, it seems. So what if those parts of the lyrics are from hikaru's thoughts? What if hikaru is actually trying to go through with something like that? The whole plot of onk starts out with two people being revived from the dead so it IS something that's possible in this universe. Maybe he knows about that after having came to contact with a god himself.

I wrote this yesterday, but he could be a version of Aqua who went to the point of no return. Aqua still has a chance to live normally and happily, but kamiki just can't because he has too much blood on his hands. Aqua can be saved by his friends and companions, but Kamiki only had Ai and she couldn't stop him from going down that path(rather, she became his drive to continue what he's doing the way it is for his own son)

Having Ai love a serial killer would make things seem like she chose the wrong person to love, right?; After what all Ai's been through.. that seems really off. Kamiki should have some type of reason that could appeal to the readers if he REALLY is one in the first place. Did he really kill in the first place... Idk about that, I don't know how extreme he'd get for Ai's sake, but it is likely that the new op could be how he feels about her, and if that is the case, he'd be the guy that'd be able to throw himself away and risk anything if he can have her back. I've only looked at the first verse, but this seems like a REALLY powerful song in terms of the type of emotions it has. I rather have him REALLY loved ai, it'd be sad if the one she wanted to open up to more after all her struggles turned out to be someone who didn't care... The plot makes more sense for me if he did too. Then we'll see why and how desperate he is and understand him as a character and why he is a match for Ai. Honestly everything will start to make more sense as a whole, because there were some parts that felt very confusing. It'd all start to click if the story goes like this.

Looking forward to anime S2! The op seems great!! I can't wait to see the lyrics in full!

[morimess]

Everyone makes fun of Linebeck for his crate. And I will agree, it's a ridiculous concept at first- a grown man hiding away in a crate to get away from his crazy ex-lover, while a random kid fights her.

But what if we're thinking about the crate all wrong. What if the original purpose of the crate is not for Jolene, but for miniblins?

Ok, so- in game there are only 8 ships piloted by hylians. We have imposter wind-waker (1), brother of the imposter wind-waker (2), Beedle (3), Jolene (4), the old wayfarer (5), the merchants in the SE sea (6), the Man of Smiles (7), and the SS Linebeck (8). Everything else is pirate ships piloted by hordes of miniblins.

Most people will first see Linebeck use the crate as a hiding spot when you fight Jolene. And this is probably where the seed gets planted that the crate is solely for Jolene's visits comes from. But, he uses that exact same crate when the miniblins board your ship.

Now, you can beat the entire game (not at 100%, but still beat it) without ever once having the miniblins board your vessel, so I don't blame people for forgetting that this is a thing they can do- especially when you have to try to even get them to board your ship.

But I think even more telling evidence is what happens when you encounter a vessel that's been overrun by the monsters.

The most common vessel to see this happen is in the 2nd vessel mentioned. On this vessel, you board the ship to see miniblins abound, and the ship's captain face-down on the floor. After you defeat all the miniblins, you talk to the guy and find out he's-thankfully- still alive, and he may just give you a treasure or two for your troubles.

You leave, and forget about it- but if you ever sail back to that ship, you'll find it overrun again. And this dude is, once again, face down on the floor.

The point being- I think playing dead is a legitimate strategy that most of the people still sailing use to fool the miniblins into leaving them alone. Linebeck, however, has found a way to avoid the threat of pitchforks being jabbed at him if he accidentally moves, and has just started hiding in a crate.

This is in character for him as, even when you first start sailing with him, there is no offensive capabilities on the vessel, whatsoever. He just has a jump mechanic too help him run away more effectively. If Linebeck truly is more of a runner than a fighter, I 100% believe he would use the "play dead" method over fighting the things any day.

Now, most people think Linebeck is a coward who lets Link do all his fighting- and while the fighting part is true, I would like to remind everyone of the fact that only 8 vessels are still in the water, and his ship is one of them. He would not be one of the only ones left if he was just a coward and dumb. And I don't believe he's alone in the "play dead" method either.

I actually believe the only person actively fighting the miniblins is Jolene- everyone else either plays dead, has attack crows that stop any miniblins wearing anything shiny from boarding, or keeps them locked in a cellar for gods know what reason.

But, when it comes to Jolene boarding the ship- well, he already has a crate good for hiding in during most other pirate attacks, why wouldn't it work on his ex? You know, the girl who likes to dress up like a pirate.

And, I mean, it technically does work. It stops her from attacking him right away, and allows the player to distract her until she gets bored enough to leave. We only find out she caught on because she outright tells us she knows where he's hiding during the last encounter.

But this is just another thought on a growing pile of "Linebeck wasn't really cowardly, he was just a normal guy- if not smarter than average- who we were constantly told was cowardly by the literal Spirit of Courage, who was traveling along with the former holder of the Triforce of Courage. There could not have been a more skewed judge of his character."

[strawberrysoop]

oc reveal ?!

[luckyblackcatxiii]

The final Vol. 3 Touhou charm! It's not a septette, she's not a princess, but damn is she and her theme a classic! It's the little lady of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Remilia!

I'm actually aiming to make her wings be flappable, I'm very excited for the execution 👀

I hope you enjoy the newest line of girls! I'm hoping to have all 3 volumes available at C2E2, so if you're attending, keep an eye out for them! <3

[carnivalls]

do you guys ever think about how babs hated ianthe (or at least had a strained sort of friendship with her) but was the perfect archetype of a cavalier, while gideon l*ved harrow but was a terrible archetype of a cavalier, and those are the only two pairs at canaan house who became lyctors.

& while we're at it, do you ever think about how, despite babs being literally born and raised for the role, it was gideon who actually served as the 'better cavalier' in the end

[silkjade-archived]

need to yap

[existencebringsonlypain]

lil asshole. kept me up all last night

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

ughhh thinking back on the original atla and lok by association reminds me of how much the writers of these shows just... cannot write a good romance.

[mermaidsirennikita]

The Kingdom of the Wicked/Princes of Sin books (I know Princes of Sin is the Adult Standalone Spinoff Series, but come on now... KotW was Adult and I stand by that) have genuinely fun high stakes plots that are like "my boyfriend is the devil, actually; thoughts?" and "my people are crumbling into madness and now I have to do a supernatural scavenger hunt to fix it" HOWEVER Kerri Maniscalco is also DELIGHTFULLY good at engineering the WILDEST Romance Reasons moments, and there are like 10 per book.

Among them:

--"you must go into the Lake of Naked Honesty, which means y'all get naked and can't tell lies, especially if the question is 'are you turned on right now'"?

--"we must travel through the SIN CORRIDOR to get to my house, and during that time you will be tested by all the sins, including lust, which will make you super horny and ready to hop on my dick, I'm sorry, I don't make the rules"

(at one point, it could be argued that one of the heroes probably DOES in fact make the rules, but he's not fighting them)

--"oh no, I caught you committing murder! Quick, let's fake an engagement to save your reputation!" (?????)

--"my brothers said the only way we would pass the test would be if we fucked in this cage, maybe with them watching"

--"shucks, we must stay in this tiny shack together in the cold, with only one bed, which is made out of pine needles I braided together, I sure hope you don't shove your ass up against my dick" (the braid detail is so important to me)

--"we must travel on these Lust Gondolas, and if you want to suck my dick on the Lust Gondolas, DON'T DO IT, I'm telling you, DO NOT, get UP, STOP--"