#this dude is so broken he is SUCH a fascinating character i love him so much

[carriagelamp]

I'm finally at the Guanyin Temple and Jiang Cheng's screaming match about Wei Wxuian and his martyrdom and the repercussions of well-intentioned choices is going to KILL me

[cipheramnesia]

The Dungeon Meshi character I think about the most, not love the most but think about most, is Chilchuck. He is much more Some Guy than anyone else, he's got a wife and kids and he's gonna open a store. He's a little dude with sharp senses who knows about locks and traps, and it's all very straightforward compared to like, really anyone else in the manga.

But why I'm fascinated is that his whole core essence revolves around organization and function, around safety not in the sense of cowardice or excess caution, but in the sense of a deeply rooted belief that everyone deserves to live and everything has a place. One day he'll open a shop and retire but right now his people are being exploited and he needs to plan for his future, so he's unionizing half foots and reducing risk and that functions for society because it's dumb using the guy watching your back as bait. It's a broken system he has to fix.

And it's like that with Laios and Senshi and Marcille and Falin. Falin dies, it's a broken system, she was a vital component that kept the group healthy. Eating monsters departs from the system, it's wrong to him, but then he figures out how Senshi has created a new system with better survivability. Senshi interrupts his trap hunting and he goes ballistic because that's not how the system survives. Itzutsumi drives him bonkers because she refuses to be a part of his system. Laios' lack of people skills frustrates him because Laios' charisma has made him a leader. A leader needs to know how to see how people feel, and Laios can't do that.

I think a lot about how his approach and personality are so nicely interwoven with his skill at traps and exploration. Everyone else has big weird personalities, but Chilchuck, well he's not a cool head per se, but his weirdness is less grandiose. He's a puzzle guy, a problem solver, and everyone around him is a moving part he's trying figure out. People ditch the party early on and he's not bothered because that's mechanically sound. Laios and Marcille go back and he has to come too because they're more than friends, they're a part of something that works and survives and even missing a part, he knows he can keep this little machine running. But they won't thrive without him, and he won't work as well alone.

[whenmemorydies]

Lessons of a mentor: every second counts

The Bear brainrot continues unabated and a character that has been sitting at the back of my mind since I first watched 2x07 Forks has been Chef Terry. Her influence is felt in a multitude of ways throughout season 2, most notably via the impact she's had on her former chefs, Carmen and Luca. What fascinates me more about Chef Terry though are the parallels between her and Syd and the home truths that both these powerhouse women keep dropping (and which many a loudmouth dude on this show keep missing...*womp*).

Lots more under the cut. This is a long post but this show is so bloody juicy I couldn't help myself!

Who is Chef Terry?

So quick recap: Chef Terry is the Executive Chef at Ever, a 3-Michelin starred restaurant in Chicago, loosely based on and shot on location at the actual Ever. In the show, the restaurant opened in 2012 and was awarded "the best restaurant in the world" that same year.

In 2x07 Forks as Richie walks past portraits of Ever's alumni, we learn that both Carmen and Chef Luca (now based in Copenhagen, Denmark) both worked at the restaurant together, under Chef Terry. This is previously hinted at in 2x04 Honeydew when Luca talks to Marcus about working with a chef who worked "harder and faster than [Luca] ever could," and who inadvertently pushed Luca to get "better than [Luca] possibly could be, just from trying to keep up with him."

Chefs Carmen and Luca at Ever.

In 2x07 Forks, we get Chef Terry's origin story as she recounts it to Richie, who Carmy has sent to Ever to stage for a week. We learn that:

Chef Terry, like Richie and Syd, is an only child. She likely had a tense relationship with her father (who we learn was a Corporal in the military) before he passed, but is incredibly close with her mother, her only living parent.

Carm getting Richie a spot to stage at Ever was not a favour because Chef Terry doesn't do favours:

Chef Terry is quick to praise folks who try to learn. Note when she asks Richie if he'd like to peel mushrooms with her and she tells him that his first attempt is great (despite the fact that process-wise, he peels them in the exact opposite direction she does):

She had previously tried to open "a giant place" years ago when she was younger, and by her own description, "was on fire [and was] arrogant." Chef Terry then says she moved too fast and couldn't keep the place open.

She later opened Ever after coming across the building's "For Lease" sign while walking.

Its clear from her conversation with Richie about Ever's beginnings that Chef Terry is a firm believer in it never being too late to try again:

But for me, the most important thing we learn about Chef Terry in the 5 minutes she's on screen with us, is her belief in time being well spent. When Richie first sees Chef Terry, she's quietly peeling mushrooms by herself in the kitchen. When Richie asks her why she's doing this work, instead of a stage, we get this lovely bit of dialogue:

Chef Terry then goes on to tell Richie about her father and how he kept pocket notebooks in which he made hundreds of entries about different experiences while he was on military tour.

While Chef Terry never tells Richie how her father signed off on each of his pocket notebook entries, its implied by the end of the episode, that The Bear's mantra of "every second counts" originates from those very notebooks.

This was revelatory to me. Up until Chef Terry and Richie's conversation in 2x07 Forks, "every second counts" in this show was synonymous with Carmy's "sense of urgency", taped to the pass in 1x02 Hands and tattooed across his knuckles in the form of "S O U".

Prior to 2x07 Forks, "every second counts" was wrapped up in the frenetic pace of a restaurant's back of house, with Mikey dying well before his time and by his own hand, with the panicked need to fix the regret and broken-heartedness that accompanied years of estrangement, with Donna's litany of cooking timers going off every other minute in a kitchen covered in chaos and passata. It had to do with time slipping away and the persistent, but always losing battle to try and steal it back.

But in Chef Terry's conversation with Richie, it is made clear to the audience that the lesson in "every second counts" is not about speed or clawing anything back. Those notebook entries were not made for any other reason than to describe, remember, and step into a moment. Chef Terry peels mushrooms at first light in her restaurant because it attaches her to her work and connects her to those whose bellies she fills with her food. "Every second counts" is about savouring every second that we have, while we have it, and being present in each of those moments, as much as we can.

Its about realising that every second does count because every second has meaning.

Time spent informed by this knowledge, is time well spent.

Lessons and Parallels with Sydney

Like Chef Terry, Sydney also tried to run her own business, Sheridan Road, but it "got too big too fast", and she was unable to keep up with its demands. As she tells Carmy in 1x05 Sheridan,

My credit got destroyed. I mean, my whole shit got rocked.

The failures of both of their respective businesses pushed both women into the depths of existential crisis. Chef Terry tells Richie how she had been "unemployed, angry, depressed", and "blaming everybody else for all the time I'd lost."

While Sydney never makes an admission like this about the fallout of Sheridan Road, the depth of the impact of that failure on her is clearly apparent in the show, most notably in 2x09 Omelette. In this episode, Syd's father Emmanuel asks her why she is putting so much pressure on herself to be successful with The Bear. Syd responds, its because she doesn't know if she could start another business.

Later in the same episode, we hear Syd's even more vulnerable admission to Carm about her fear of failure, under that pretense for intimacy table.

Like Chef Terry, Sydney does not do favours. Recall when she fixed Tina's bouquet garni-infused cream in 1x04 Dogs after the latter kept ignoring Syd's advice on how to prep the mashed potatoes and ended up ruining her first batch of cream in the process:

Also, bonus Fak attack (lol) from the same episode:

But also like Chef Terry, Syd is generous with her praise when folks try - as opposed to only praising those who succeed. The praise is for the attempt in the moment to grow, not in the growth itself. Recall in 1x02 Hands as Syd calls out orders to Ebra, he falters and says back the wrong count. Syd gently corrects him and Ebra tries again, after which Syd says,

Gorgeous. Thank you, chef.

Its a small moment, but its one of the first times we hear the word "gorgeous" used inside The Beef. You can literally see Carmy's shock at the utterance, at the firm kindness of the exchange between Syd and Ebra. I personally like to think this might also be a moment of recognition for him, where he sees an echo of his mentor, Terry, in the woman he's about to hire as his sous chef.

And finally, of all the characters on this show, the one who seems to best understand that every second counts because every second has meaning, is Sydney. To me this is epitomised by her omnipresent notebooks in which she's always writing, clearly echoing Chef Terry's father and his will to remember the detail.

Sydney's question to her father in 2x09 Omelette is also indicative to me of a person who understands that each moment we have on this tiny blue dot is precious. When Emmanuel tells her that he doesn't think she needs to make everything "the thing" because she will always have his support, Sydney asks him,

Why can't we put everything that we have into everything that we can?

I've no doubt that Sydney's ethos, embodied by this question, is the result of the passing of her mother when she was a child. With that loss, Sydney would have learned from a young age that every second is important. She knows that you can't get more time, so you make the most of that which you have. Or in her words, you put everything you have, into everything that you can.

Its striking to me how differently Syd and Carm have interpreted the intention behind "every second counts" in the context of death and bereavement. Sydney moves through life with a drive borne out of knowing that our lives are finite and so every second contains the potential for possibility. Its why she had the guts to start her own business, had the optimism to apply to work at The Beef under a culinary hero, and had the hope to take a punt with The Bear.

In contrast to this, Carmy rails against time: at the time that he lost with Mikey, at the seconds that he might lose with each hiccup that delays a plate on the pass. For him, there's never enough time because it is constantly being snatched away.

He tells us in 2x03 Sundae that he struggles with being present in the moment and open to the world because he is always waiting for "the other shoe to drop",

I have to remind myself to breathe sometimes. I have to remind myself to be present, you know. Remind myself that the sky is not falling, that there is no other shoe. Which is incredibly difficult because there is always another shoe. I dunno, I think, you know maybe if I could provide more-more-more amusement or-or enjoyment for myself, it would be easier to provide for others, you know.

This isn't to say that Carmy isn't trying. Throughout the show, we've seen glimpses of him stopping to sit within a moment: his making time to talk to Richie about purpose in 2x01 Beef, his constant beckoning to Sydney to "say more" in both seasons 1 and 2, his return to art and drawing in season 2 - an act that physically forces you to slow down and observe detail, his repeated attempts to check in with Natalie about how she's doing despite his discomfort at the question, and most obviously, taking the time to softly, intentionally and unhurriedly comfort a worried Sydney with less than 25 minutes to open on the opening night of their restaurant.

To me, there are a number of reasons why its no surprise that Carmy is drawn to Sydney. I've mentioned a few here in this reply to @mod-doodles. Chief among them though are her consistency, her stability, and her integrity, all informed by Sydney's ethos of putting everything she has into everything she can; into making every second count, just like Carm would have seen his mentor Chef Terry do while he was at Ever.

I reckon Carmy's ultimate challenge in The Bear is going to be getting to the realisation that Chefs Terry, Sydney and even Luca (recall his chat about "openness" with Marcus in 2x04 Honeydew) have already reached: that because every second counts, happiness and peace - indeed amusement and enjoyment - are to be found in the doing, in the process, in the getting there, together. I'm sure by the end of our journey with these lovingly crafted characters, Carm will get there too.

Author's note:

Incidental to the above is this show's God-tier level casting. Storer and Calo have made it a point to cast famous and immensely talented actors in some of the smallest parts on this show...why? I'm thinking specifically of the casting of Jamie Lee Curtis as matriarch/walking emotional vortex Donna Berzatto and Olivia Colman as Capo/Chef Terry. Jamie Lee Curtis appears in The Bear throughout one full episode (2x06 Fishes) and in one scene (with everyone's favourite unproblematic king, Pete) in 2x10 The Bear. Olivia Colman appears in the show for just under 5 minutes, at the end of 2x07 Forks.

I reckon that, while the speaking parts for these characters are relatively small compared to other roles in The Bear, the casting choices here are reflective of the impact of these two characters on Carmen (in particular) and others on the show. The showrunners needed to cast folks whose reputations would precede them in order to instil in us, the audience, the same gravity of their presence as would be felt by the characters in the world of The Bear.

Donna Berzatto:

Donna's impact on the psyches of her children is huge. For evidence of this, watch the faces of Carmen, Natalie and Mikey whenever they're in proximity to their mother in 2x06 Fishes. They are constantly watching her, gauging her reactions and her levels. This is most clearly the case for Natalie who spends most of Fishes in a state of panicked fear, anticipating her mother's every move. Who better to cast as the anxiety-inducing-word-slurring-flirtatious-alcoholic Berzatto matriarch than scream queen, 80s/90s sex symbol and survivor of intergenerational substance abuse, Jamie Lee Curtis?

Chef Terry:

In contrast to Donna, Terry is a stable, consistent force of nature who has mentored successive waves of chefs that have walked through Ever's halls. She's overcome setbacks and had to relaunch herself, doing so with great success, while remaining grounded. While Olivia Colman's been plugging at acting on screen for over twenty years, she didn't reach the height of fame that she's currently enjoying until much later in her career and her life. By many public accounts, she's an incredibly talented, kind and down to earth A-lister. Also this interview with her is so Chef Terry coded I wouldn't be surprised if Calo and Storer read it and offered her the role the next day:

“There’s some amazing actors who don’t get asked back because they don’t behave very nicely,” she said. “Learn your lines, try and know everyone’s name, be on time … There’s a million people who would have your job in a second and more … who are better than you. Take your job seriously and not yourself.”

Without naming names, Colman said: “We all have actor stories of people who were unpleasant, unkind, ungenerous – and it goes around.”

Nor should actors ever become too grand to take on even a short film, she suggested: “Some people might think: ‘I don’t do that any more.’ I think that’s exciting to do. You’re going to meet new people or a new writer who might remember you later on … [Do] not get too up yourself, too grand. Work is work. If I now decided: ‘Oh, I will only do feature films,’ I might not work again.

“If you get accolades for something, enjoy it for a bit, but put it aside and pretend that hasn’t happened a week later. You still need to work and no one else will remember it either after a week. So crack on.”

Yes, Jamie Lee Curtis and Olivia Colman are fantastic actresses who could have acted the pants off their respective roles without their own personal backstories and filmographies doing any lifting...but given the limited time that they're on screen, having actresses who can bring all of that history and shorthand to the role is GOLD for quickly creating meaning and depth for the audience.

As soon as Donna first turned that corner in the kitchen in 2x06 Fishes chaotically balancing a tray of branzino in one hand and a cigarette in the other, yammering about spilling shit everywhere, I knew I was in for a ride. Likewise, as soon as Chef Terry gently suggested where Richie might find the polish he was looking for (instead of biting his head off because he was a mere stage and she was Capo), I knew I needed to be seated for the lesson that 2x07 Forks had been building up to all episode (and indeed that Richie's entire character arc had been building up to for almost two seasons). And phew...did these two brilliant women absolutely deliver.

K that's the end. If you made it this far, DM me because you are probably incredibly patient, kind and like to read and I need more of that energy in my life LOL. Thanks for spending some of your precious time with me <3.

[animentality]

Tavtash leaves such a sour taste in my mouth. Like they could have had durgetash but they were too set on playing a manic pixie dream girl who is super sweet and lovely except that oh yeah she's fucking a mass murderer and a slaver

You know what's really funny to me?

I wrote a 5000 word rant about disliking Tavtash, and I think Tavs in general ruined the story of Baldur's Gate, but then I deleted it. Because people here just want me to fuel their Durgetash/Gortash thirst by making the funnies and the angsties.

They don't care to read things that challenge their viewpoints, offer a strong negative opinion, or encourage them to think critically.

And I know people wouldn't agree with it. Ultimately, that's why I delete a lot of rants. I come here so people can stroke my ego. I don't generally come here to start fights, because that simply bores me.

So it's just comedic to me that I get this anon, right as I deleted that post.

Because I'm glad someone understands.

Like oh, I'm sorry, you're too "nice" to pick the Dark Urge?

But you have no problem blowing a slaver?

You're like the stereotypical 90s love interests who are "nice girls" but also inexplicably dating a dude who knocks a kid in a wheelchair down the stairs. How the fuck can you be "nice" and compassionate, while the dude you're fucking is a sociopathic felon?

Durgetash works for TWO reasons.

Reason 1: They are both fucking awful, and we all know it. Them torturing and ruining each other is a tragic romance with broken teeth, and we enjoy the low moan of a dying animal, tearing itself apart in distress. They start evil, they end evil. Evil horny bastard sex. Tavtash could never be so demented.

Don't jump into bed with Enver Gortash if you intend to keep your hands clean either.

Reason 2: The Dark Urge was given a second chance, even though they didn't deserve it, and took it. They were given the opportunity to fix their mistakes in game. Gortash doesn't get that. The romance is in the tragedy of, he could never be saved. And you cannot save him, even as you save the rest of the world. You grow, and he stays behind.

The romance is in the longing and the yearning for something that is no longer there. The camaraderie of two lonely people...who were separated, and never ever came back together again. It's also about how you were born evil, but chose redemption, while he was born innocent, but chose damnation. Durgetash operates well on this level because it's always equality of opposites. It is character development, mirrored. And it's fascinating to consider.

And what does Tavtash have going on?

It's someone Gortash just met who has something he wants, who may or may not want to kill him but he's desperate enough to throw his eggs in that particular basket. And on Tav's side, it's weird because it's like omg.

I just met him, and he ruined my life, he put a fucking tadpole in my head, and I'm close to becoming a mindless monster without any free will, something he DIRECTLY did to me and my loved ones -

But I still think he's hot.

Hm. ok. that might be amusing if there wasn't a better precursor for a relationship sitting right there beneath you. rotting in Orin's dungeon.

I won't deny, Durgetash might be absolutely nuts - but it will never be as nuts as Tavtash.

But anyway. You didn't hear that from me.

If anyone asks, I looooove Tavtash. I loooooove Tavs. Especially YOUR Tav.

[bonefall]

Does Wildfur (cat mentioned as having their back broken and dying of lung infection) get any expansion? They're only mentioned once but knowing how bad the family trees are im guessing they've been stuffed in somewhere (plus i love the name)

My DUDE!!!

MASSIVE expansion. GIGANTIC one. ACTUALLY shows up on screen and is an important supporting character, I actually need to re-do this character summary at some point because it leaves a LOT of the new stuff out.

Wildfur is going to show up as an important character in two side stories; Blackstar's, and a brand new novella for Cinderpelt.

Cinderpelt's is just a fun side novella about her friendship with Littlecloud. I don't even really have a message in mind for it. It's just exploring the brief but fascinating era where the Clan cats were trading with BloodClan.

Wildfur gets disabled by a car in that one, and Cinderpelt and Littlecloud put their heads together to invent that mobility device.

I want to show the "evolution" of some technologies as the series progresses, so this is the mobility device that Jessy eventually improves upon for Briarlight!

It helps him overcome a really bad state of depression, which was what was causing him to lay around and catch infection over and over.

In Blackstar's SE, Wildfur's just a friend of Blackstar's.

He's an example of the sorts of cats that TigerClan and Brokenstar would have discarded or given up on. Blackstar's SE is about him sitting with that.

I kinda want him to be the father of Ambermoon through surrogacy. Brightheart and Cloudtail are the bioparents. He just kinda feels like a dude with a punk daughter with a name like that.

He goes on the Great Journey in that mobility device, but needs to be carried at several points.

The Clans aren't going to leave behind the old and disabled like in canon jesus christ. That was super fucked up actually

"Elders are respected and cared for :)" my ASS

In terms of personality;

He's super vain and haughty, VERY proud person. Rockstar vibes.

Takes great care of his hair

Different people take their disability differently, especially when it massively alters your life. Compared to Briarlight, Wildfur actually had an easier time adjusting once his depression subsided.

Unlike Briar, he was never a very active or athletic person.

He doesn't mind being an elder, it means he gets to do whatever he wants and boss apprentices around. Pretty sweet deal tbh.

Campbound activities are more his style. He keeps an extra eye on the kits, likes to help out kitchen patrol. Has a lot to do with flax processing.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Hello hello! 👋

I have been a fan of your Grima-centric fics for a while now. I find it fascinating how he works as a character and seeing you explore his personality throughout your works is a favorite treat of mine ^^

One thing that stands out to me in particular is the dynamic that you’ve written for both Saruman and Gríma. Despite knowing that Gríma’s affection for Saruman is wholly one-sided, do you think there was a part of Saruman that considered Gríma as an almost companion? This came to mind when I realized that Saruman could’ve travelled alone to the Shire in the books, yet decided to take Gríma with him anyways. Would love to hear your opinion on this, seeing as you write them so well ^^

Aww thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy my little works - they are great fun to write and I'm always happy to hear when people find them a delight to read :D

The Saruman-Grima dynamic is one of those moments where I'm not sure Tolkien entirely appreciated what he had there with those two.

I personally do not think Saruman felt any sort of affection for or companionship with Grima. Initially, pre-war through to the early stages in February/March 3019, Grima was a useful pawn for Saruman in his chess tournament against both Rohan (whom he resented) and Sauron (who he wanted to triumph over).

So long as Grima was useful to him, Saruman might display warmth or a sort-of kindness, but it would have only been skin deep. Indeed, we know that as soon as Grima stopped being useful Saruman ceased being kind (presuming, naturally, that he had been kind previously. I assume he had, but that's speculation).

There is no depth to Saruman's affection for people - he is all about means to an end and that end is domination (he wants everyone and everything under his purview and to act and behave as he wishes for them to act and behave).

Saruman's calculating chilliness is born from his ambition, his pride and arrogance, and his disdain for those around him. Even Gandalf, one of the Wise, a fellow Maiar, barely makes the cut of someone Saruman might have a semblance of respect for. And that vanishes as soon as Gandalf says "dude, maybe don't align yourself with Sauron? That has, historically, not worked out for people. Also he's evil."

As Saruman says to Gandalf (emphasis mine):

"We may join with that Power. [...] As the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its course, to control it. [...] We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends."

Aside: we might think Knowledge! that's good! But it's more along the lines of knowledge attained through horrific means to serve a horrific end. We're not talking about a high minded scholarliness here.

Saruman is the sort of person who breaks things (and, it can be inferred, people) to see how it works but with little intention of putting it back together. I love this particular exchange between Saruman and Gandalf (emphasis mine):

'White!' he [Saruman] sneered. 'It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.' 'In which case it is no longer white,' said [Gandalf]. 'And he that breaks a thing to find out what it was has left the path of wisdom."

In any case, Saruman's not a warm or loving person. I do wonder if he might have once been - because Gandalf tries to save Saruman from himself on several occasions and I get a sense that there is real heartbreak for Gandalf in Saruman's betrayal. But was Saruman faking that the entire time? Who is to say.

Once Saruman's powers are removed and his staff broken we are left with the shadow of someone who once had been great and who is now bitter and twisted through with anger and resentment. Yet, his desire to control and dominate people in his life remains making for an even uglier combination than when he was at the height of his power.

Which brings us back to Grima - Grima who represents the Rohirrim (those measly horse lords who dared defy Saruman! and won!), who represents the race of Man (pathetic creatures Saruman thinks are incapable of managing themselves with sense or wisdom, better he control them), who represents the fall from power and grace, who represents everything Saruman is angry at.

Saruman brought Grima along so he would have one last thing to stand atop of. One last person to beat down and degrade. One last man he can scrape his claws through the brain and soul of in order to dismantle him for the sake of dismantling him.

When Frodo offers Grima a hand, a way out from Saruman that is truly a way out, with someone who would support him, and Grima is clearly tempted to accept Frodo's offer we see fear from Saruman. He lashes out: the Worm isn't very nice; didn't someone ask about Lotho? The Worm killed him. The Worm has been very hungry. The Worm might have eaten your cousin, why would you offer the Worm anything? The Worm should stay with me.

It's desperation and flailing, on Saruman's part, and all as a means of keeping Grima with him so Saruman has someone to beat, starve, and degrade. If there is someone else to be cruel to, then Saruman won't have to be alone with only himself to look at.

-

So yeah! In summary, I don't think Saruman is someone who would want to be alone because he would rather have a fellow traveler he detests and can be cruel to for the sake of cruelty. It gives Saruman a sense of control, a sense of "at least there is one person who is lower than me and it's this Worm that should crawl on his hands and knees after me. Which is what I deserve. I deserve followers and people to bow and scrape and serve me." etc.

Domination of others because you believe you know better (and are better) than them and that you could rule and order their life to your own desires is one hell of a drug. Don't take it! Not even once!

-

Thank you for the ask! :D I love talking about our beloved damp bog rat snake man who is confusingly wet. Also love talking about the local Tower Top.

[rainbowcarousels]

I'm going to need your thoughts Sephiroth for the character asks 🥹🖤3 <3 <3

Sexuality Headcanon: Gay. So gay. Did I mention he's gay? I mean I think there is some potential wiggle room with Aerith but that's because her balls are bigger than his.

Gender Headcanon: I think in practice from an outsider POV, more agender than anything else. Gender is not really something that he thinks of and interacts with other than his discomfort with how he gets portrayed in the media. That said, I think if you asked him, he would say CIS male because that's how he self identifies so I'll respect that and say CIS male.

A ship I have with said character: Have I mentioned Genseph to you lately? No? Then I must be dead. Like I love AGSZC, I do, and even more than that, I love AGS in general because I believe they balance each other out but I could happily ship Genesis/Sephiroth on it's own maerits, but I can't see Sephiroth/Angeal on it's own. It's not a notp or anything, it just doesn't work in terms of balance for me. Genesia and Sephiroth fire and ice in balance and it just works. They push and pull at each other, both literally and metaphorically, and what they say and what their body says are sometimes in total contrast which fascinates me. Genesis is quite literally the choatic colour for a monochromatic world and Sephiroth needs that chaos to find himself so he doesn't get the desire for human smores.

A BROTP I have with said character: It's a toss up. I would say Aerith because that same feral energy comes from her (family trait clearly) but they both also have this shared experience of being former Shinra lab kiddos and her enthusiasm is only rivalled by Zack's. I feel like Sephiroth always needs someone to just grab him and move instead of asking him to come along and Aerith does that. That said, professionally, I'm fond of him and Tseng interacting. Like they have so much to deal with between choatic red heads and Heidegger being a few fries short of a moogle meal at his job, let them bond.

A NOTP I have with said character: Vincent. I can't ship something where 'that's not how your mum used to do it' is a response that could be canonically correct.

A random headcanon: Understands so much more than he's given credit for. I love to write roboseph as much as the next person, but I feel like he leans into it in a very Captain Holt type way and it's become part of his sense of humour to fuck with people by pretending he doesn't understand something or that he's not understanding their meaning till they get annoyed and let him be or call him on it. This is helped along by being so deadpan that it's almost impossible to know when he's being serious. He is a study in microexpressions and few people understand them.

General Opinion over said character: I think one of the things that throws me about Sephiroth is when people can't see CC era Sephiroth being the same guy as OG/AC era Sephiroth, but for me, this is one of the things that drew me to him as a character. That he is someone who got broken into pieces and is picking them up, emulating people, trying to rebuild a sense of self but clinging onto this belief that he's special because he's always been special. Like this is a person who is horribly broken in a lot of ways and one day, I want to write AC era and give him an arc with that but I think my main opinion of him is that I love that he's got all of these facets of his character.

He is the kid looking for validation and family from TFS, he is still the awkward dude from CC, he is the person who lost everything and chose to just get a meteor and start over and he's someone who is afraid of losing whatever he has of himself left. Like he contains multitudes, he's a fascinating character made all the more fascinating by the more normal things about him.

[seriouslycromulent]

I noticed a few people sharing excerpts from this new interview from Christian that came out on July 6th on TVInsider.com, but most fans aren't sharing the part I found most interesting. So I thought I'd share the part I thought deserved more attention. Note: the bold purple sections are my emphasis, not the article's.

----

Speaking of his father, talk about finally getting to explore that relationship with his dad. Because you and Keith David were so good together.

Well, it’s really funny because we had come up with this idea literally in the first season. We always thought it would be funny if Eliot was adopted because Dean loves — we’re all broken toys, you know what I mean? And I think why you rooted for it so hard right off the bat is because we’re all broken toys and we’re looking to get fixed. And so we were always thinking that Eliot was adopted, his mom had probably passed. But we thought it’d be really great if we had a Black actor come in and play this role. We thought Hardison’s [Aldis Hodge] eyes would just bug out if he ever saw that, you know what I mean? And the years went by and the years went by and we kept it. I kept it as a backstory and I’d always bring it up.

I was talking about maybe Mr. T, something like that, which would’ve been fun. But I saw Keith David at an award show, and I walked up to him, I said, “Do you have a second?” And he goes, “You!” And I was like, “What?” And I just gave him a hug and I didn’t even realize what was going on. We just both ended up hugging each other. And I said, “I just want to tell you what a huge fan I am.” He goes, “Dude, I’m a huge fan.” Turns out he is a huge Leverage fan. And I couldn’t say much about it at the time, but I said, “Dude, I have something for you. I cannot tell you what it is, but if I call you, would you be interested?” He said, “Call me.”

So me and Dean hashed it out. We talked about it. The storyline was absolutely perfect. Dean wrote it. It was great. Dean directed it. And I made the call, and listen, is he worth more money than we paid him? 100 percent. But he came in and he did me a favor, and I couldn’t thank him enough the whole time. I said, “I’ve been working on this backstory in my head for over 10 years, man, way over 10 years. And you came in and just put everything together for me, man. And it was just perfect.”

It was so much fun because a lot of that emotional stuff, my dad had recently passed, and I wasn’t going to get that emotional when I saw him, but he got emotional, and everybody thought that it was because of my dad. It really honestly wasn’t. It was because I was acting with him and he was giving me what I needed, and I really wanted to show Eliot in such a different light that we had never seen him. It was important to me, and it was strange. I was literally embarrassed on set because of the emotions that we had, which was right on the money of what I wanted to do.

And it made for such a great episode.

Yeah. I mean, if it’s Christian Kane, I’m giving Keith David a hug, I’ll probably tear up a little bit right now. I don’t care about that crap. But as playing a character, as Eliot, when I turned around to them, I was literally embarrassed. And I just thought, if I’m embarrassed right now, that means I did it right.

----

This is easily the most fascinating section of the interview in my opinion, and I'm so glad that he shared it. I saw his post on Instagram talking about this a little while back in December 2022, but it was nice to see a longer version with more details about how that episode and concept came together.

I didn't know Chris' dad had passed away, and even though he said that wasn't why he started crying in that scene, it makes that moment seem even more powerful to me as a fan of the show, the character and the actor.

[net-prophet]

*flies into your window before scrambling in through the broken glass* HI- I'm here to hear about John Tenson, I know nothing about him but how've you drawn him fascinates me-

ok heres john tensen basics 101 LETS GO!

hes a side character in the spiderman 2099 comics but he first appeared in his own comics (justice) as. well. justice

john tensen is a widowed single dad who, while working for the government, was drugged and brainwashed via psychic powers into thinking he was a warrior from a fantasy world

his powers are to shoot a ray from his right hand that can disintegrate anything, and to project force fields with his left :) he can also read people’s auras to tell if theyre good or evil… (hes also like kinda psychic but i wont get into that)

eventually he kills the dude who brainwashed him and reunites w his daughter angela (who is like. awesome she can talk to and raise the dead i love her)

justice is kind of a wild card vigilante type character, and is considered a serial killer by the media. he even (accidentally) had his own cult that murdered people for him!

hes a very emotionally closed off person, and his strained relationship with his daughter is one of my fav parts of the comic :3 hes also like. lowkey super mentally ill 😭😭😭 byeah

hes had a couple appearances in various comics or spinoffs but my personal fave is in miguel o hara’s comics, where he gets pulled thru a portal into 2099! he gets amnesia and his powers change to teleporting thru the shields and just concussive blasts instead of disintegrations but he eventually does regain some of his memories!!

anywayyyy yeah thats all i can think of atm👍 this is all off the dome so i just included the major stuff about him personally :) BAII

[lycanpunk666]

alright now aside from those five idk what characters you like so ig just tell me about some of your favs!

Ahem!! #1. Alejandro. Number one silly little guy. Number one horrible manipulative bastard man. 10/10 character I love him to bits. My best friend, Ink, who was slowly turning me into a TD fan by rambling to me, had mentioned to me that I'd probably really like him because he was, quote, an "interesting charmer kinda guy". You bastard. You fiend. I played right into your sick game didn't I. The character intrigued me from the moment Chris mentioned he was an Honor Roll student, and I'm absolutely fucking fascinated with the dude. He does some incredibly smart stuff, he's overtaken by petty emotion in some pretty dastardly ways that I don't typically expect, and he also just does some genuinely bafflingly weird shit that somehow doesn't feel out of character. Idk. Somethins wrong with him. Bit unsettling innit. My favorite interpretations of Alejandro are ones that take the unsettling part and run with it (aka serial killer, vampire, psychological horror villain aus...). #2. Duncan. Number TWO Silly little guy but admittedly for not as detailed reasons. I think he's fun. I think he's a great, incredibly flawed character and I think that he's got just so many things he's tryna overcompensate for with his behavior. I think juvie treated him really poorly, I think that I wanna pry his brain open with a crowbar to figure out what's wrong with him and for some reason I think he could've been even more fucked up. Idk I can make him worse give him to me now. Also, I just really enjoy aggressive asshole characters. Simple as that. #3. Gwen. Second I looked at her I knew she was gonna be the final girl. She is SO cool, I have no notes. I haven't broken her down as much but god there is just something about her that just appeals to me. Idk I just think that she's really cool. She hasn't done anything too out of range for me to want to go out of my way to analyze her though unfortunately, she's just incredibly chill and a great, great protagonist.

[ryttu3k]

Last time, we were in the depths of the Underdark, having just cleared the Arcane Tower. First, here are a couple of autistic wizards stimming with somatic components.

Onwards to Grymforge, then the last of the Risen Road!

Yeah that potion was nasty. Interesting note with the black veins around the eyes, similar to the Astral Tadpole effect!

Omeluum has unlocked: a headache. Pensive emoji. It's okay, friend, it was worth a try.

There wasn't an option to say, "No, it's alright, you need to keep your protection and we'll work out another way", but tbh this is still a pretty... Gale option anyway.

This was neat, hadn't passed this check before! Faerzress is what sussur trees naturally feed on! I figure Gale would be familiar with it, at least in theory.

Peace-Bringer for dealing with the duergar, Kin Spirit for dealing with Glut!

Into the darkness! I hc that Gale is at least passingly familiar with boats, he does live in the coastal part of Waterdeep.

I hope Stonemason Kith gets out. Dude just wants to study. And he gave us infernal iron!

I have a screencap limit so I won't post the caps, but I like this exchange between Karlach and Gale, immediately following: "Never was much for history class, but this place has me captivated." "It would have been quite something in its heyday. But even now, it has much to teach us." I just dig the idea of Gale helping encourage Karlach's nascent fascination for history! Maybe that's how he gets the idea to teach?

I hope the rothes get out safely too. Good moos. Helped out the two being abused, as well, and helped free Skickpit by poisoning the two slavers. Said a brief word for the murdered gnomes (it's okay, we left Astarion at camp), then went to deal with Nere.

Was this line in character? Perhaps not. Was it fun? Absolutely :D

Not my best battle XD;;

Interestingly, talking to Barcus switched to Shadowheart. Good thing, too, because she had the Baldurian tag and could get some extra info that Gale wouldn't have!

Poor Lae'zel looks pretty beaten up! Still, no glitching this time, we got Barcus at camp :)

Moon lantern: broken. Nere's head: in inventory, so no awkward hacking off XD Gale recognises the masks, too, with a successful Arcana check: "Interesting mask. I quite like the design. It belonged to a merregon. Infernal soldiers."

I hc he eventually gets with Zanner Toobin, who helps him get over his lingering feelings for Wulbren by being a partner who genuinely cares about him instead of being dismissive and entitled like Wulbren.

Anyway.

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTIIIIING.

Astarion is just like, "Sunbeam :) Tressym :) ...Gnome :|"

Gale's comment on the Dark Justiciar crossbow: "This crossbow was exquisitely designed. No duergar crafted this... its dark grace is most definitely Sharran in origin." And his comments on the dining hall: "An eerily chilling scene, this. I suspect many were present at this blighted Nightfall feast." He has some interesting thoughts on Sharran stuff!

Pop back to Ebonlake to deliver Nere's head, get dubbed Life-Chanter as well as Peace-Bringer and Kin Spirit, and get a mushroom rave!

Back to Grymforge to give it a proper explore!

Shadowheart and Astarion should commiserate some time.

Some fun comments!

Astarion on one of the moving bridges: "Lovely. Held together by rust and hope."

Gale after fighting the merregons: "It's mask after mask in here. Merely merregons, however. Their commander might still be at large."

Gale at the lake with the elemental: "This lava lake boils like a good stew. Lovely."

Gale after activating the forge: "And so we descend into... more madness presumably."

Astarion, not having a good day: "Oh, there are mephits now too? Wonderful! Why not?"

Gale, particularly relieved after beating Grym: "It's done... It's dead... Good gods, never again!"

Back to camp, and helped the baby <3 Same, Karlach, same.

Shadowheart shares a memory, Gale shares an observation.

Back to the village to make Astarion a shiny new knife, then headed north! For some reason, the gnolls aggroed as soon as we got close, so couldn't do the persuasion thing for some extra Astarion approval, alas. Either way, we saved Rugan and got invited over to his place. Over to Waukeen's Rest!

Gale was still upstairs after rescuing the other dude, so the part of the PC will be played by Astarion here. Who got some extra stuff from being Baldurian, too!

Always thought this exchange was interesting. I wonder what, exactly, Ulder told her? As far as he believes, he disowned Wyll because Wyll had pacted with a devil (which... is true, he just doesn't know why, thanks to Mizora). What did he tell Florrick, then, for her both to be sympathetic towards Wyll and to understand that he'd be angry at Ulder? If Ulder had just explained it to her as, "I forced Wyll out because he was getting into infernal worship" or something, I can't actually see her being sympathetic towards Wyll when they do meet, seven years later, with Wyll visibly now a devil.

I don't know. Maybe she did her own research? Connected 'the Blade of Frontiers' with 'Wyll Ravengard' and realised that everything he had been doing was heroic, even if he was doing it with infernal warlock powers?

I adore her.

Met with the Zhentarim. Got our reward for saving Rugan. Went shopping. Killed everyone. Let Oskar go free. Looted everything not nailed down :D

A sweet comment from Astarion, clicking one of the spheres: "Not just a world to explore, but an entire cosmos..." There's almost this awe in his voice that I love. I think he genuinely would enjoy being an explorer - he's over two hundred years old, but all of that time has been in Baldur's Gate in absolute misery. There's so much still to see out there!

Baby <3

Finally dealt with the adamantine chest Karlach swiped. Animation on the amulet was a bit borked, but hey! Gigglestarion.

And finally, best achievement unlocked <3

[katsettee]

Greetings! I love your art so dang much!! May I ask your headcanons on the LU boy’s ages?

Totally don’t feel pressured, just curious <3

Have a dandy day!

~🦋🤠

Thank you! I have been thinking really hard about this for a while but I think I have my answer.

This is all purely headcanon and how funny I think it would be for their dynamics and relationships.

The ages themselves are kind of fuzzy, but age order in my mind from oldest to youngest goes:

Time(ofc), Twi, Sky, Warriors, Hyrule, Legend, Four, Wild, and finally Wind.

In my mind, Time and Sky have experienced the most time between their last adventure and the crossover, Time obviously because he is just a whole ass adult married man now and Sky because I would like to think he has gained some responsibility and has started the establishment of Hyrule. I would put Time at mid 30s and Sky mid 20s.

I see Twi as significantly older than the others but with little desire to take charge, seeing as he has no experience in leadership to any capacity, but is the ultimate big brother in late 20s. I also see him as being much older than the others during his adventure.

Wars is also older during his adventure, like dude is a captain in the military, he’s been mature enough for long enough to get to where he is. This is where I get fuzzy with ages, but I would put Wars at 24/23.

This is where my headcanons really get the best of me, but I’m obsessed with the idea of Hyrule being older than Legend. I am all about the “Legend feels guilt for the state of Hyrule’s world” and “Hyrule looks up to The Hero of Legend” ideas but what I really love is complex emotions and Hyrule looking towards Legend, the hero that he can only hope to be, and realizing that its never been more than a broken child forced to think like a survivor. I view Legend as just barely pushing adulthood at 18/19 and Hyrule being 21/22. Their dynamic as two people who could only conjure the ideal image of the other (Legend saving his world for the ideal future and realizing it all falls to ruin anyways + Hyrule trying to do anything in order to live up to the “legendary” previous hero) and being ultimately disappointed by the other is fascinating to me, but I like to think they value each other without the title of hero eventually and are quite close because of that connection.

I’m going to be honest I know the least about Four, seeing as I have yet to really invest much time with his games and character, so I’m just going along with him being a comfy 18 for no particular reason. So sorry to all the Four fans but I would like to hear other people’s ideas.

Again here’s some very biased headcanons, but I like to think Wild quite literally JUST defeated Calamity Ganon and is still at that (1)17 age that we see in the game. I love the LU comic but the Wild I like to include in my works is very much an immature teen, not the angsty sad man. My preference of Wild portrayal is HEAVILY influenced by critbit and it will always be that way tbh. Additionally, Wild and Twi being the most “sibling” siblings in the group just appeals to me and putting them at a similar age gap to myself and my own siblings is just funny to me.

Finally you have the kid brother Wind, who I have such a hard time assigning an age to. His age gap is significant enough that he is much different from Wild, but I would also like to think that some time has passed since his adventure. I would like to put him at the 16 year old range, but if I’m being honest it should probably be more towards the 13-14 range- so I will probably change my portrayal of him a bit to reflect that in any upcoming content.

I am super on the fence about this and since these are fictional and very undefined characters I am mostly fine with sliding the ages up and down for enjoyment, but I suppose this is my personal view on what I think is in line with the content that I personally create. I probably will not even follow this super accurately if I’m being perfectly honest.

Thank you for the ask!

[thelordofgifs]

Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: Round 3

Corunir vs Eldacar of Gondor

Corunir:

Ranger of the North; part of Golodir's company. Waited for his trapped friends for years (Lord of the Rings Online character)

he's a ranger of the north who followed his captain to angmar despite aragorn very specifically telling them 'hey, angmar's super dangerous, Do Not'. most of his friends got stuck and/or killed by some haunted statues, and he kept trying to cross the statues to go help them (failed many times til they almost killed him) and just waited for them on the other side for years before he managed to get a message back to the rest of the rangers. love his friends So Much and will not stop following them into stupid dangerous situations

Canonically the ranger who would give the best hugs

he's loyal to a fault, staying behind (alone) in the dread-realm of Angmar just desperately hoping for word from his captain. He couldn't make it further east to where Golodir was because of a valley of powerful watching stones that killed like half of their company when they passed through them the first time. Corunir was trapped on the west side while the survivors made it east, but kept trying to pass them for years and years "until my very spirit was broken within me" as he puts it. like. dude. this poor guy! he kept throwing himself at the valley of death-statues for years and he somehow survived. he was broken by it but he did it out of that stubborn loyalty, because "I could not abandon my captain" :( he just wants his friends to be ok!!! I'm literally so normal about him. also he's somewhere on the aroace spectrum. this is canon probably dude just trust me. we love an aroace-spec king

Eldacar of Gondor:

The twenty-first King of Gondor, also known as Vinitharya. During his reign the conflict known as the Kin-strife occurred and he was forced from his throne for ten years.

The blorbo of all time actually. He’s the protagonist of one of the most interesting stories in the LoTR appendices, the Kin-strife, and everything about his life story is so fascinating! His father was the crown prince of Gondor and his mother was the princess of Rhovanion so not a Númenorean. As a result all the racist nobles of Gondor made noises about how Eldacar was of “lesser race” and wouldn’t live as long as a “true Dúnadan”. One of the most fascinating examples of fantasy racism in Tolkien’s works imo – the bigotry is awful but the bigots have a shield to hide behind! Obviously their concerns are actually valid because they just don’t want their king to die young! (Their concerns aren’t valid. But I think the worldbuilding here is great.) Anyway Eldacar was born in Rhovanion and given the birth-name Vinitharya, but when he returned to Gondor aged five he was obliged to take up the Quenya name Eldacar, presumably to pacify all the racists in Gondor. He’s the EMBODIMENT of mixed-race/immigrant child trauma my beloved. Eventually his father died and he ascended to the throne of Gondor, but then his shitty second cousin Castamir (all my homies hate Castamir he’s the worst) started the civil war known as the Kin-strife and usurped Eldacar’s throne. Eldacar was forced to flee north to Rhovanion but Castamir captured his eldest son Ornendil and had him cruelly put to death which is SO SAD. But Eldacar, being brave and resourceful and clever and extremely cool, put together an alliance with his mother’s kinsfolk in Rhovanion and after ten years reclaimed his throne, which turned out to be slightly easier than expected because Castamir was The Worst and all his subjects hated him. And Eldacar PERSONALLY fought and killed Castamir HIMSELF and AVENGED HIS SON which is extremely important when you consider all the cringefail elves in the legendarium whose quests for revenge didn’t really go anywhere at all. Then he lived to be 235 proving that all the idiot racists who were worried about his lifespan didn’t have any idea what they were talking about, as is par for the course with racists. Also the Kin-strife itself has such far-reaching consequences for the history of Gondor! The Corsairs of Umbar, Gondor’s long-standing enemies, are actually followers of the descendants of Castamir. And during the Usurpation of Castamir Osgiliath was sacked and burned, leading to the beginning of its decline as Gondor’s greatest city. Even though Eldacar’s story is, to me, ultimately hopeful, it’s also such a fascinating turning point in the history of Gondor. Also ALSO he’s explicitly surrounded by textual ghosts which is really fascinating. His father Valacar has “children” plural – so Eldacar had siblings!! What were they like? How did they react to it all? And his son Aldamir is described as Eldacar’s second son and third child, meaning that he had a daughter too. Who was she?? What happened to her? He’s such a blorbo and there’s so much interesting stuff to dig into around him and he has to win this entire tournament please please please❤️

Round 3 masterpost

[itookyoudown]

20, 24, 22 for Tim Gutterson from the character ask meme. I gotta be one of the dozen people to ask for Timpinions.

justie thank you so much always a pleasure to give a Tim Talk on my Timpinions.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

everyone shut your vanilla ice cream holes and hear me out!!

cassie st. cyr is tim's spiritual bestie.

they are the realest option we have for gay and lesbian solidarity friendship in justified. they have this ... intimate chemistry together, but it's very much not romantic or sexual in nature. they seem to GET each other from what interaction we get in canon. there's a weird understanding there because they are both broken bird weirdos. kindred souls. queers of a feather. it fascinates me. we deserved more of this shit.

(i would say colt would be an ideal best friend for tim but we have to be realistic. even if colt got clean and stayed away from crime, these dudes would definitely fuck and it would ruin the friendship. they'd never recover from it because colt would have lingering wild jealousy issues and tim would be harshly judgmental of whoever colt got with).

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Sonny Carisi. your honor they are LEOs, they are catholic, and by god they are gay!!

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

not only is tim a sub but he's a bottom. and a brat! i love fics that vibe with my preferred dynamic and role for him, i devour them fully and it makes my heart very happy. i don't like to see him top outside of very specific & slim parameters and i don't like to see him dom at all. no shade on those who write him that way, you do you, i just can't see that for him.

(CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫)

[court-jobi]

For the Ask Game!

25. role model

and

33. something you want to learn

eee~ thanks for playing @sotwk

25. My biggest role model I had growing up was my brother~ and in many ways he still is. He's committed, creative, an engaging and loving husband and new father! While it's been hard for me to navigate the growing pains of life and try to stay connected even through big milestone changes, I still look up to him and admire his core qualities: love, loyalty, and a never-ending delight in the written word. His faith is also very strong, and has been a pillar for me in his encouragement. No one is perfect -and he certainly isn't- but to even have had my heart broken at times by him shows the depth of love we have for each other. That's always come out on top, no matter our differences... and I'm so grateful for him. He's my Sam. Love ya, dude.

33. Oooo what to learn, what to learn... While it's truly never too late and sounds like a cliche answer, I truly do find other languages fascinating! Particularly written languages bc they are so artistic. Text that is deep in history and so intricately stylized (like Japanese characters) are so beautiful and it's lovely to know how one written word can convey such depth of feeling. Each letter is such a work of art.

Also... I really need to learn how to fry chicken if I am to call myself a Southerner...

[tickldpnk8]

Ten books to know me

Tagged by @notallsandmen — so excited to do my first one of these kinds of posts: thanks for the tag!

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

So the big question is how the hell do I narrow this list down to 10?? I consider this my list as of this moment and not the definitive list of all time...as I'll likely think of at least 5 books I should have put on this list as soon as I hit publish. The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett with illustrations by Tasha Tudor The illustrations on this book are important: they really captivated me when I first read this in elementary school, and this quickly became my first favorite novel. I'd check it out and read it again and again. I also loved her other books, but this one will always be my favorite. Tasha Tudor's work was really influential on me wanting to go into design/illustration. Probably also why I love reading classic literature.

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien The first fantasy series I really got into and it's still the bar I measure everything else up against. His world-building is amazing, and I love how it's really an exercise in recreating an Epic Saga like the stories of Norse mythology. (which I was also really into: that and Greek myth) I've read it over 6 times and am long over due to watch the EE movies again sometime soon.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling Look, at the time we didn't know she'd become what's she's become. Anyways, I was really bored during a holiday at my grandparents' house, and picked up my little sister's copy. It then became a special bonding book series as I made it my mission to get my kid brother to learn how to read and to also like it. Probably my first real fandom after LotR, and definitely my gateway into fanfiction. Also, surprisingly, my gateway into Agatha Christie and other mystery novels.

Persuasion by Jane Austen I discovered Jane Austen at the end of middle school, and while some of her books were a bit hard at that age to keep track of (I had to make a chart of characters for Emma), she quickly became a favorite author. This is my all-time favorite: as much as I love Pride and Prejudice, the storyline really spoke to my notions of romance at the time. And unlike Jane Eyre, it still holds up for me on a reread. Also, Austen's characterizations can just be really funny.

My Ántonia by Willa Cather Czech pioneers in Nebraska, companionate love vs passionate love...This book had a profound impact on how I approached finding love in my life, as well as giving me some empathy for the immigrants in my own family's past.

Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka One of the first books I was able to read in German, and still one of my favorites. (Although Tintenherz by Cornelia Funke or a translation of James and the Giant Peach rank up there for favorite) I hate bugs, but I also just really love the line "Er fühlt sich wohl." Because it feels like it encompasses so much more than the English translation of "he felt good/well."

Bleak House by Charles Dickens Dude, Dickens may be wordy, but his characters are hilarious! This and The Cricket on the Hearth are my fav books by him.

Visitation by Jennifer Erpenbeck What if the places we live in have feelings and memory? What have they experienced over the centuries? What have they seen? A fascinating look at one location's experience in Germany.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn The way Quinn describes her heroine decrypting Nazi code made me feel like my own brain was solving it. Also a fairly accurate description of how my own brain feels when it solves a particularly nasty design problem. Plus a mystery!

How Long Til Black Future Month by NK Jemisin but also her Broken Earth trilogy Dude, I'll read anything Jeminson writes. I found her through both LeVar Burton Reads and also my brother recommending Broken Earth (geology! speculative fiction!), and this short story collection has a little bit of everything for everyone. Some of the stories in this collection just linger in the back of my brain. Also some of the first fan art I've ever drawn. (unless you count drawing Disney characters as a kid)

Honorable mention: just adding that reading The Sandman has basically made Neil Gaiman shoot to the top of the list of my favorite authors. I'm still working through his works, so don't have a favorite yet to share.

I think everyone I follow has already done this prompt, so it's hard to tag someone. If you're reading this and want to participate, consider this your tag! (but tag me back so I can see all your book recs!)