#tor writes

[tormentum-ab-intra]

29 for injury prompts! (leander mayhaps? owo)

how fun! 29 is perfect for him :>

From this prompt list

29. "Tell me where it hurts, and be specific."

---

"You're bleeding, Arilan." 

The observation is an off-handed one. The Éa tassra Kithralla does not look concerned, nor sound concerned, nor even glance up from the paw he’s washing with his tongue. 

Arilan trusts, then, that at least he isn’t dying. 

“I...suppose that’s so,” he says, if only because he doesn’t see any reason for the Éa tassra Kithralla to lie about it.

“You suppose?” Eyes like algae roll up to look at Arilan from beneath a soft, black brow and finely arching whiskers. Algae...not the easiest color to read. 

Arilan stills to consider his answer. He does not want to give offense by speaking hastily. He hadn’t thought he was bleeding anywhere, but to imply that the Éa tassra Kithralla might be wrong would be...

“Arilan.”  

Arilan looks up, and the green looks down, raising its chin to regard him over the length of a sleek, narrow muzzle. Not algae, now, but moss. Moss is good; it looks like warmth and endearment. He watches as the great black cat on the Sunning Hill swipes a lazy paw across its cheek, smoothing down glossy fur that was never ruffled to begin with. 

The morning air swirls with motes of gold. Arilan could swear the cat’s eyes swirl with the same, alstroemerias on cushion moss, just before they close in a slow, sightless smile.

Arilan smiles back. He can’t help it. Smiling hurts for some reason, but the burn is a low one, a distant one. It matters not a bit.

There’s the moss again, blinking, deepening, like ferns on the mirror-smooth surface of a lake. Ferns are good, too. Light. Approachable.

“You know,” the wind whispers in his ear, wonderfully cool, curling with amusement, “You could at least try to act like you’re still listening.”

Arilan jumps, blinks, drags himself out of the ferns to see the whole of the lake. It ripples as if under a breeze, the great cat rolling to its side and reaching for the Sunning Hill’s edge. Dagger claws tap the stone, but withdraw without scratching furrows into its revered and ancient surface. The lake stills, and the ferns stare. 

“Well, now you’re just ignoring me.”

Kithralla, help me, Arilan thinks, shaking himself. As he watches, the ferns sink beneath the water and drift back up. Another blinking smile. There’s something wrong with me today.

“There is,” the cat agrees, catching beams of sun on the white of its fangs as it yawns. As if Arilan had voiced the thought aloud, even though he never did. Well; he did invoke the name of Kithralla. That’s more than close enough. “I told you. You’re bleeding.”

Arilan shrugs his aching shoulders. “Aren’t I often?���

“Yes, but hardly ever quite so much. Don’t you feel like sitting down?”

And wouldn’t you know it, he does. The cat is on its back, now, and Arilan can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t eat him if he tried to lie down on the soft mound of its belly. A bed and a warm embrace and a soft fur blanket all in one...

Reluctant, Arilan shakes his head. “No need, Éa tassra. I’m alright to stand guard a while longer.”

“You think so,” drawls the cat. Not a question. Not an agreement.

Arilan frowns. “You do not?”

Long neck craning, the Éa tassra Kithralla looks at him again, upside-down. 

Is its face longer than it was a second ago?

It blinks, sighs, twists about to right itself, and as the mass of dark fur stills, Arilan finds himself gazing up at a wiry hound where the cat had been, grin peeling all the way back to the hinge of its jaw. “Do something for me.”

“Anything.” The ferns have turned into maple leaves. Still green, but with veins of orange fanning in from the edges. “You know you have only to ask.” It’s true; he could not have said it otherwise.

For their honored creature lord, Arilan would do anything, give anything. That’s why he stands guard at the foot of its perch now, in case the threats he took care of earlier were not the only ones of their kind afoot.

“Tell me where it hurts,” says the hound with the maple leaf eyes; a command, not a request. “Do be specific." Tall ears prick forward, black at the edges, red and all but glowing where the sun shines on the backs and through to the other side.

Arilan frowns. “Everywhere,” he realizes. He can’t remember being injured.

The hound does not answer, but there’s a Thought so, written in the lack of surprise on its face. “Come here,” murmurs the wind, nudging Arilan forward with a strong gust at his back. 

So, Arilan goes.

The climb up the Sunning Hill is a short one, made all the shorter by the sickle claws that curl around his waist to lift him up. The world continues to turn and sway even after he’s deposited on the sun- and fur-warmed stone. Arilan thinks he feels feathers brushing against his skin.

He fears to stain those feathers, realizing finally just how much blood he’s lost and is losing, but the Éa tassra does not seem to mind.

Arilan gazes up into the deep dark of pine needles, and the pine needles gaze back. The longer he looks, the more the world stills, and stays still.

Gentle hands cup his face. Arilan starts. Hands; not paws, not talons. He hadn’t even noticed them changing.

The nymph before him is beautiful, just like the hound was, just like the cat was. Long limbs and graceful lines and eyes like pines on a winter night.

But then, the Éa tassra Kithralla is beautiful in any form. Leander is beautiful in any form.

“You fought well, Arilan,” Leander soothes, voice as cool as his hands aren’t, guiding Arilan to lie down. “But let us not forget which of us is the Guardian here, hm?” Soft, slender fingers brush hair back from Arilan’s forehead. 

Arilan can’t argue with that.

“Sleep now, my darling. I will be here when you wake.”

Leander may not be one of the Unlying any longer, but all the same, Arilan believes him.

[iamrizaka]

As much as I love the idea of Will wearing Lee's flannel after his death, I much more prefer a scenario where he was constantly trying to steal it when Lee wasn't looking. Lee got fed up with this gremlin child (affectionate) trying to steal his clothes (he knows that he should toss it out, burn it, but he can't bring himself to do it; it holds way too many memories) so he gets a green flannel and embroiders it with little sun symbols.

He hides it in one of the secret rooms in the infirmary, because he can't have any of his siblings – or worse, a spy – stumble across it in his cabin. He leaves it here and makes a promise to give it to Will on his birthday.

Over a year later, Will tries to find a place to hide – no one should see their head counselor and head medic cry. He finds this room and remembers the talks about it and how it was one of Lee and Luke's secret hideouts. He wants to leave; he doesn't need another memory of what it was and what it could've been. But his gut tells him to enter and he finds a neatly packaged box.

There's a green flannel and a note:

For my little brother, Will

— Lee

P.S. stop stealing my clothes!

He never takes it off.

[toomanyteefs]

Decided to make some Snapback memes since I made a bunch for Salvage and I'm definitely going to make more, but for now Snapback Memes part 1: Jaster edition.

(Spoilers obviously)

Part 2

[clairedaring]

Compilation post of my favorite Nadao actors (Nonkul Chanon, JJ Krissanapoom, Tor Thanapob) & Bright Rapheephong giving some interview answers on why they decided to star in queer/LGBTQ+ coded series/roles, some of their takes on being in BL (Y)/Queer series.

note: if you find this post familiar, it's because i've posted this on Reddit before. reposting here for archival purposes

TOR THANAPOB

Tor Thanapob interview in April 2023 when being asked about starring in Midnight Museum (a queer-coded GMMTV series) - (translation by infinitygraph_)

Tor: I think nowadays we should stop talking about gender. It doesn't mean that I have to act with women all the time or I can't act with men at all. I feel that I have proved to everyone that, work is work, and everything is about art. Even my team who are staying with me all the time has all kind of sexualities. It's not strange if someday we want to try telling story of other sexualities that we feel that we might be able to help them telling. If you ask me if today I am like that, today I might not, but I have a chance to understand them more, so I want to do it. Q: Is it because of the spoiler that [Midnight Museum] might be a series Y (BL)? Tor: Nothing to do with it. I tell you, sincerely, it has nothing to do with the spoiler. I just want to say that you don't have to overthink about it because nothing is fixed. Actors are actors. These days there are some award shows don't divide genders into categories anymore. I think this is a great step. Actresses also don't have to act with men all the time, they can act with women. And they both being the main characters Right. Because not all the main characters from every project have to come with the word 'love'. Even if there's 'love', there're many kinds of love. It's up to the audience what kind of feeling they have. Do they feel the same as me or they even feel more than I do? Q: So that means these days you can accept the work without any limit about what you are, which genders... Everything is about the story/script-writing? Tor: Right. I admit that I was afraid before. I wasn't afraid about my image, I was afraid that I would tell the story without understanding it, because I didn't have any experience at all. But at some point I found the chance to be more open-minded, brave to act it out all the way, such as Midnight Museum...

Tor's Vogue Interview in February 2024 on Spare Me Your Mercy as another important milestone as an actor (all translation by saltymarbles on twitter)

Tor: As for Euthanasia, I’ve been interested in it just from its name. If we were to go back in time to the period of the Prime Ministerial elections last year, there was some talk regarding the laws about euthanasia. As such, I know the meaning of it but if I had to explain it, I wouldn’t dare to because I don’t know that deeply about it. Tor: Up to the day that this drama happens, the owner of this project told me he wanted to set this question before anything changed in society: ‘Actually, are humans capable of choosing their death?’. Tor: This question shot through the core of my brain and immediately, i was like: ‘I need to tell this story’. And the role that he hoped to give me also served that function too. It’s a character which sets up the question of ‘what is right?’.(t/n: "this question" likely refers to a more philosophical kind of question regarding morality which asks what does being ‘correct’ mean — what is ‘objective morality’ (if it exists)) Tor: Do the people who are really suffering have the right to ask to leave? (t/n: "leave" is just a polite way of saying die (Thai people usually don’t use directly use the word die when talking about humans, usually use a more polite way like how we say ‘passed away’ or ‘xyz has left us’) Tor: Thus I decided to play along with knowing that the timeline of Euthanasia will remain with one in a hundred (people), so I like shades of the polar opposite. If the first story is navy blue, the other will be red — not close at all.

NONKUL CHANON

Nonkul's response to the question “If you have a chance, would you consider playing in a BL series? If accepted, who do you to co-act with?” in a Facebook Q&A video in 2021

Nonkul: If that series is an interesting storyline for me, I am always open to any kind of genre. I never categorized BL series as an BL series, I just think of it as a series with another plot as part of my work. It is a normal series that can have any of the plots which I will categorize as Romantic Comedy, Drama or whatever. Thus, when I choose the BL series I want to work with, the love preference of the character does not affect my decision. If the plot of the series is interesting, of course I’m gonna do it for sure. Every work that I chose, I personally think it at least enjoyable for me. Of course, if in the future, there are BL series with plots that I find interesting, that I enjoyed the script. “Like, wow, that’s my type!”, I will definitely selected it to be my future project. A good written series is a good series. This is what I believe as an actor. For BL Series, I think I can work with everyone. I don’t think I have anyone in particular. One thing! I desire the character of that person/actor? to be close to the character in the series. At that point I will be satisfied. Sometimes, I as an actor have a chance to work with people who don't have a lot of acting experience. I will still discover something new from him as well. And there is a BL novel which I really like! [Nonkul explains the plot of his favorite BL Novel ‘Peremo’] I would prefer to choose the “heroine” role because it will be a new experience for me as an actor because it will be a new experience for me as an actor. Because basically I only play as a hero role for the main character or support character in my work, but a “heroine” role in a BL series is the only chance for me to play a character more feminine. So it is a new experience for me. [Nonkul continues raving about 'Peremo’]. But if you think that you can make [an adaptation of Peremo], please do not forget me, Nonkul! Pleaseeeeeeee, I will do my best, I promise!!! However, I’m not only fixated on this novel. I’m also open for many more BL series if there is an interesting plot.

Nonkul's response to being ask if he's worried about filming NC scenes in IFYLITA (translation by saltymarbles)

Nonkul: I have to say when I had finished reading [the novel] and it’s made me want to act (in this series). I am probably worried more about the CG because if it’s a fantasy story with time travel, if the CG isn’t good, people will feel that it’s ‘off’. Because CG is something we don’t know anything about until we see the final product. One of the reasons that I accepted this role is because for some series, when I’ve read (the script/novel) for homework, I don’t accept them because there are some scenes that are forced in just for the sake of fan service. And I’m not really into that. If it’s a natural NC scene, then I’m not bothered. I’m a person who places a lot of importance on the story in series making sense. So to me, if an NC scene is reasonable, I won’t be bothered by it. But if it seems forced, I’m not into it. It’s important to show human-ness.

Two clips of Nonkul being asked what he thinks about doing NC scenes in IFYLITA (Clip 1 and Clip 2). Nonkul said that he places great importance on the character's actions. If an NC scene is reasonable he wouldn't mind but would if it's not reasonable. For Nonkul, understanding character is very important, especially for himself as an actor. Nonkul also said previously he had rejected some BL series offers because he can feel when NC scenes are put in just for fan service, which is also a reason why Nonkul accepted to play Jom in IFYLITA is because the love scenes are natural and make sense.

JJ KRISSANAPOOM aka JAYLERR

JJ's interview in February 2024 on Spare Me Your Mercy and his chemistry with Tor (translation by saltymarbles)

JJ: The pilot of ‘Euthanasia’ has been received well since the novel has many fans already who are excited about it. JJ & Tor are similarly excited and are committed to doing their best. The chemistry between Tor & JJ need not be questioned according to JJ since they are already close with each other. The series is in the phase of pre-production currently.

One of my favorite fictional characters of ALL TIME (not just in Thai or BL series) has got to be Tangmo from Great Men Academy (2019) (the series that a lot of BL audience refused to admit it's a queer series). The character Tangmo (played by Jaylerr) was questioned by the press about his gay crush on the protagonist: "Do you think being gay affect your chance of winning the competition?" to which his reply was a stellar "Well then let me ask you something, Does being gay make my good deeds meaningless?"

This isn't the first time JJ has played a queer role, JJ has played a gay character in TWO seasons of the LGBTQ+ series Diary of Tootsies (2016 and 2017). JJ plays Gus, the love interest of the main character.

So even though many BL fans consider Spare Me Your Mercy to be JJ's "first" BL series (which I don't agree with this strict interpretation of BL series), it is definitely not his first QL (Queer Love) series nor queer-adjacent roles as shown through out his filmography.

It is also noteworthy that even during the airing of these series, JJ was already in a public relationship with his fellow actress girlfriend Thanaerng (who has also played sapphic roles). You can see that the real life relationship of JJ or Thanaerng do not influence how/what projects they take on because work is just work :D

BRIGHT RAPHEEPHONG (all translation by saltymarbles on twitter)

Bright at Mono29 Lineup event

Bright: I think that, as I’ve previously said, BL series are just like other ordinary series or movies. Like IFYLITA can be changed to be said to be more like a period drama. I feel that BL is just about two people loving each other, not about whether it’s about male-male or female-male. This series is a period drama and it’s a romantic comedy and the other series is an action drama.

Bright's Interview with LIPS Magazine

Q: What if one day, we’re sucked in by the ship? Bright: I think fans in this day and age don’t need actors to do fan service to that extent. For myself, I’ve never intended for it to be the foundation (of his work). I think it’s a matter of being partners and working together. As such, it’s somewhat good in every aspect because it’s not forcing it. But in some moments, there may some actions that may just be the result of being friends. So even if fans ship, it’s cute to me. (smiles) Q: Do you feel a sense of “newness” stepping into a full-fledged BL? Bright: I feel that BL series are another branch of acting. I don’t think of it as being a specific form of male to male communication. It’s just another type of series just like action dramas, comedy etc, it’s just another kind of role that we can play.

Bright's Interview with Praew Magazine

Q: How is it working with Nonkul? Bright: Nonkul is a person who already does a good job at his work. He does his homework and he is also good at delivering and receiving emotions when on set. It isn’t just Nonkul who is great but the other characters in this series too, this includes P’Tee, the director. We can always talk about ideas which made the work even better. If asked whether entering the scenes with Nonkul made me shy, I would say that BL series are just another branch (of acting), it is just another role. I don't think that when acting with another man, that there’s a need to feel anything. I feel that it’s just another form of work. Another thing is that our workshops were very complete. When we work together I know what level and extent I can go to, what I should do and also trying my best in how I should feel. Thus, I felt at ease working together.

Bright’s Interview with NineEntertain

Q: Are you happy to do “ship” activities like this? Bright: I feel that if there’s an opportunity with regards to being an actor, I don’t want to be stuck in ships like this. I accepted this role with the status of an actor and I want to accept various roles too. It doesn’t always need to be BL or a specific kind of series. I will have another series next year which is ordinary boy-girl relationship and not a BL series. I feel that BL series are just another category of series — not like BL series are just BL series. It’s another category like action, romcom, or drama. It’s just another category. Q: There is still the possibility of coming to act as per usual. (unclear of what the interviewer said) Bright: I feel that with every work opportunity, it’s more about the script and storyline of the work that I were to accept. For example, I accepted the role of Khun Yai in IFYLITA as i felt that it was a script that was suitable for me. I didn’t think of it as “oh it’s a BL series, I need to accept it” because to be honest, I have been contacted for various BL series but because [IFYLITA] storyline is really good, I wanted to try acting in it. Q: What is the difficulty of acting in BL as an actor? Bright: I feel like there isn’t any difference compared to regular series. I feel that when two men love each other or kiss, I don’t think of it as (me and) a man, I think of it more as each of the characters or persons. Q: Does that affect the trend of being a ship? Bright: Hmm… Actually I am not able to answer that because I feel like it depends on people’s perspectives. Because some people may prefer that (an actor) has a (onscreen) gf/bf but some people may be upset about it. I feel like the trend depends on the people’s perspectives as people have different ways of thinking (about it). I think that I am open to listening to all different opinions on this. I feel that working (in this industry), you should be able to explore different things and you should not be fixed in one thing. We need to continue moving onto the next thing. I feel that Non has his own work and I also have my own work, and other actors too have their own upcoming work. It doesn’t mean that coming to act in IFYLITA means that you stay in IFYLITA forever. Q: Some may feel that it’s sad their their ship is coming to an end and that they are gonna work with different people. Bright: Actually, there are still some upcoming pair events but as I’ve said earlier, everyone needs to continue to do their own duties as an actor. Q: What if people change their minds about shipping your ship in the future? Bright: I think it’s a normal thing. I feel that when someone (likes us), they also like our work. I feel like our fanclub likes both Yai and Jom, and they also like Bright and Non. They like the characters and that Bright and Non play these characters and they so they like us at this point. I feel like people who came to like us are also fans of other people. I feel that they are a source of encouragement for me when they like me but I am also glad if they meet someone new or support another person. I feel happy when they come to meet me and if they’re happy when they meet other (celebs), it’s a good thing for them. If there’s a new person, an older person, a regular person or a person they just met that they are happy to meet, I feel that it’s nothing to be stressed about. Let’s say a fan comes and likes me and is following my work and there’s someone new who enters and they like their work, I am glad for them to go support that other person because that person can bring happiness to the fan.

Wow, I really got carried away with this compilation but as a fan who's followed Nonkul, JJ and Tor since their Nadao days, watching them star in queer-coded series/roles like Bangrak Soi 9/1, Hormones, Diary of Tootsies, Great Men Academy... (or in Bright's case a gay character in lakorn Rivalry), I'm just so proud that they have been able to receive "BL" series script offers that they would like to take on.

I've never sat well with the difference in the treatment of the press to "BL actors" and "non-BL actors". I wish there weren't such a distinction because it feels like the notion itself holds a lot of prejudices baggage with it, to both "BL" and "non-BL" actors. To quote a friend on Reddit, "I believe most actors would feel more fulfilled if they knew their fans loved/respected them as individual artists, instead of only seeing them as one part of a unit whose value is lower when 'separated' from their official partner."

[fearmypaintbrush]

Sometimes my brain reminds me that, out of all the mandos who tried to put to words what it means to be a mando, you have the original resol’nare aka the 6 actions, which inspired the canons of honor, which in turn was inspiration for Tor Vizla’s Kyr’tsad (Death Watch) Manifesto, and Jaster Mereel’s Ori’ramikade (Supercommando) Codex.

And I think about the LENGTH differences between a single phrase of six core values, a group of canons, a manifesto and a codex. Like, I can’t stress enough that the reason we don’t have a canon Supercommando codex is because a codex is an entire book, a compilation of rules, lists, values, and priorities grouped together, organized, and put into book form.

And I think of the man who, upon seeing corruption right in front of him in the system he was apart of, his first response is to kill the superior officer who was apart of that corruption. Then when he’s been kicked out for killing a superior, and he sees that the corruption and injustice and dishonesty spread far beyond the Journeyman Protectors of Concord Dawn, that its everywhere in the galaxy, his response then is to write a fucking book.

[milkymosaic]

Tomorrow, I will post my Guilty Gear piece from the "Caffeine Rush" zine to AO3! Before that, though, I thought it might be good to show off my GG OC, who features in the piece alongside Leo.

Introducing: Tor Idiaffe! (Toyhouse link)

She's a yokai who started her existence as a creature of pure rage and blind violence, thoughtlessly killing any who crossed her path. When Izuna heard rumors of a murderous beast terrorizing the countryside, he went to investigate, and found a feral yokai with no sense of self or the world around her. (art by @sugarysweetest)

Izuna defeated Tor in combat and recruited her into the tribe. After seeing her raw fighting prowess, he took her under his wing as his apprentice while simultaneously helping her acclimate to society. Between him and the other yokai, Tor became very devoted to her adoptive family.

During the events of Xrd -SIGN-, she dutifully followed Izuna's orders to assist Dr. Paradigm in any way she could, but her tendency not to listen to direct orders from anyone other than her master caused a significant amount of friction between her and a certain Second King of Illyria. Tor saw Leo as presumptuous and controlling, and he saw her as flippant and selfish. The rest of the team constantly feared a fight breaking out between the two during meetings. (art by @_Harleequeen on Twitter)

As they worked together more and more, however, both began to better understand one another. Tor came to appreciate Leo's devotion to law and order for the good of all, and he came to see the ferocity with which Tor would fight for those she loved and cared about. Around the same time that Leo's relationship with Ky improved, so too did his relationship with the chaotic yet fiercely loyal yokai warrior. All of this came to a head at the end of Xrd -SIGN- with Tor confessing her love to Leo, and the Second King bashfully reciprocating.

The two later married and started a family. Tor credits Queen Dizzy as both an inspiration and a role model to her in this regard, having been first to smash through every barrier that had been holding the yokai back from following her heart in earnest. (ref sheet by @sugar-gun)

Thank you if you read this far! <(_ _)> Please check out her Toyhouse page if you'd like to see her full bio. I did my best to structure it plainly after the wiki. And if you like any of the art above, please also check out the respective artists.

Please look forward to the fic going live on AO3 tomorrow! I have another fic with them in the works, but because of zine and comm work, it may be some time before we see them again after that.

[hislittleraincloud]

"The Faceless"

Rare photo of AB Mishizu Herz (left) at the Rave'N.

In Satisfying Afterburn lore, The Faceless are Nopperabō ¹. The girl who Wednesday has a bad habit of crashing into, Mishizu Herz, is a half-Japanese, half-German Nopperabō whose Outcast powers are supernaturally empathetic, reflecting the heart of who she physically and mentally encounters on her face, for however long or brief (depending on the strength of the preoccupation). In Outcast society, they tend to make good law enforcement officers/work well with the investigative justice system* since their powers are objective. They can't help or manipulate who they 'face'; it's something like a temporary possession by the emotional image projected by the other person. Still, Norminal society has a deep distrust of shapeshifting Outcasts, so there are few Nopperabō at higher levels of government.

*And thus, in the future there will be some more interesting interactions between ABW and Mishizu.

[brazenskald]

In my first year of university, I was going through a very tumultuous time. There was all the many new things that come from leaving home, some good, some bad. There were the difficulties of a demanding if rewarding job, and I first became acquainted with the not-so-fondly-remembered and not yet fully un-internalized “student lifestyle.” Terrible food, awful sleep schedule, and this omnipresent sense of impending doom that was, at least in my case in Fall 2019, surprisingly prescient. Throughout all of this, I was not prepared to be struck by the warmth and depth and resonant Truth that cut through the noise and spoke to me with a certain book I picked up, by happenstance, because of its pretty cover. That book was A Conspiracy of Truths by @ariaste. You may have heard of them. https://www.alexandrarowland.net/a-conspiracy-of-truths

Now, needless to say I devoured aCoT, and subsequently its excellent sequel A Choir of Lies. I was sorrowfully disappointed to find out after finishing the absolute rollercoaster of Choir that there was in fact, no further reading yet to do. And so, profoundly affected as I was by this (for now) duology, which I will doubtless craft a dedicated and appropriately lengthy treatise at some point in the future, I set the books in a prime place upon my shelf and turned to face the rest of the year buoyed in my hopes for the brightness of Spring and the long lusty laughter of Summer. Alas, they were all of them deceived for another global epidemic was to begin. One (or two) life-altering years in a pandemic later… I returned to university, fully prepared to enjoy the hell out of an actual honest-to-gods academic institution that didn’t begin and end with a computer screen. It hit like a truck. Same awful student lifestyle, more bad habits piling up, and a rapidly growing sense of my own undiagnosed issue rearing its ugly head. I made one decision that saved me, probably. I kept buying and reading phenomenal books. I kept looking for stories to motivate, enervate, and inspire. Somewhere deep in my subconscious, I remembered that fateful message spoken by a Chant on a page three years past. To loosely paraphrase, “Stories [are] people, and the way people are.” I chose to focus on resilience, made it my motto, and sure I still had lots of work to do, but it helped. It gave me the push I needed to keep going.

That last long Winter that seemed so dark that the sun was never going to come back? I went a-wandering, and lo, a new instalment from @ariaste ‘s Mithalgeard universe! Not a Chant sequel as such, but I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough. It was an oasis. A respite from the grind and dreary routines. It was also gay as… well as gay as a rainbow covered in gold, let’s say. And I cannot recommend A Taste of Gold and Iron fiercely enough, because although in many ways I managed to end my degree on a high note, that book drew me out of the darkness of the coldest part of the year. It gave me the sense to smell the flowers, to bask in the green and golden glow of a soon-to-be-attained victory, long overdue.

Alex had by this point also published several shorter works, (and a whole library’s worth of content on AO3, naturally) which I leapt to read whenever they crossed my radar. It helped that I joined their discord community which was leaps and bounds more reliable in terms of getting updates and also just having the chance to share in mutual fandom gushing. If you’re even remotely interested in learning more about what I’ve talked about here, you should join in! https://discord.gg/XHJ9Uy5gef Everybody there is absolutely lovely. So why do I bring all this up? To summarize a preamble that is, to put it mildly, not short, Alex’s writing sings to my soul. I love it more deeply than my non-existent children, and their body of work continues to evolve and grow and deliver on the themes and core messages that hooked me with that first book.

But wait, there’s more! Life carries on, and with it comes new stories! Specifically, Running Close to the Wind! It’s Our Flag Means Death meets Mithalgeard, which if I haven’t convinced you to go and read those other instalments, well just trust me when I say that is a potent and persuasive pairing! It’s also going to be dropping at an important time for me, what with convocation, another big move in my life, and a whole whack of uncertainty. Much like Avra, Teveri, and Julian though, I’ll just have to brave the rocky waters and hold on to those nearest to me, and that’s what I’d like to focus on at the end of this post. A Conspiracy of Truth taught me that stories are people, A Choir of Lies showed how stories can change people, and A Taste of Gold and Iron drove home that stories we tell ourselves are the hardest to rewrite, but also the most rewarding when we take ownership of them. I anticipate that with Running Close to the Wind, Alex will likely show us (with ample amounts of pomp and queer circumstances) how the story of ourselves can only ever be written by interweaving the tales of those closest to us. Perhaps, we’ll even discover how to navigate the often stormy seas of uncertainty that seem omnipresent these days, whenever we deign to pull our noses out from whichever books we’re currently nestled within. I know that’s certainly something I’ll be looking out for, come this June, and now hopefully you will be too! (This last link does go to the webpage for Running Close to the Wind, Tumblr’s just being weird I guess.)

[pintsizeninja]

Talented Voice (12869 words) by bleedingheartshow Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Alan Wake (Video Games) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Odin Anderson/Thomas Zane, Odin Anderson & Tor Anderson & "Fat" Bob Balder, Thomas Zane/Barbara Jagger (mentioned) Characters: Odin Anderson, Tor Anderson, Fat Bob Balder, Thomas Zane Additional Tags: lots of moonshine and rock and roll, Implied Drug Use, Anal Sex, (young) old gods of asgard, 1970s Bright Falls, Explicit Sexual Content, Porn With Plot, Desk Sex, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Dom/sub Undertones, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, POV Multiple Series: Part 1 of To Madness and Beyond Summary: In 1971 the auteur filmmaker Thomas Zane commissions the newly-formed Old Gods of Asgard to create the soundtrack for his new movie. It's a collaboration for the ages, but there's one problem - Odin Anderson can't stop thinking about Thomas Zane.

I first posted this Odin Anderson/Thomas Zane fic back in February 2024. It was written on a whim and I had no idea it would spawn a 80,000+ word series with six planned fics featuring Odin, Zane, and the Old Gods of Asgard. I've decided to revisit this story to ensure it is a strong entry point to my series. I've heavily revised it and expanded the original two chapters, and I've added a prologue chapter that I hope fans of the series will enjoy. :)

I've written a total of 7500 words of additional content for this fic, so if you've already read it, I do hope you'll read it again! And if you're new to this series, this is the perfect time to dive in.

Read it here on Archive of Our Own.

A note on the banner - I definitely headcanon Odin looking a very specific way in the 1970s, and my lovely friend @rangerzath made this incredible banner showcasing Odin exactly how I see him (essentially, a younger Marko Saaresto.)

[justafriend-ql]

"I just went with something I thought would be a happy ending ... Finally, she found what she had been looking for - liberation from her past." TOR THANAPOB as KHATHA and NAMTAN TIPNAREE as JUNE in MIDNIGHT MUSEUM (2023) | dir. Noom Attaporn Teemarkon

[tormentum-ab-intra]

augusnippets day 3

Prompt: Heat wave Word count: 487 Content warnings: none really! Unless you count the beginning stages of heat stroke :)

---

The worst of it isn’t the heat. It isn’t the burns on his soles from walking barefoot on the packed and blistering dirt. It isn’t the stinging in his eyes as sweat trickles down his forehead. It isn’t even the fact that his waterskin’s nearly empty. No, the worst of it is that he wouldn’t even be in this spot if not for Dochibo.

She’s lucky his people and hers share ancestors. She’s lucky his people and hers are friends, and that he honors those ties. He’d let her find her own way back, if not for that.

Scanning his surroundings with baleful eyes, Na Deng wets cracking lips with his tongue and raises his hand, whistling sharply between his fingers. The sound worsens the throbbing of his head, echoing off the sides of the gorge. Na Deng pauses, listens, whistles again, listens again.

Silence.

How Dochibo even managed to get this far in such a short amount of time is beyond him. Maybe she’s just hiding. Maybe he passed her an hour ago. The idea of her wedged beneath a rock somewhere like a lizard hiding from wild dogs would be funny, if he were picturing it from the cold and comfort of the underground inn.

As it is, he’s out here slow-roasting like a rack of lamb, and he fails to see the humor in it.

Thinking, not watching where he’s stepping, Na Deng doesn’t see the sharp stone embedded in the dirt until it’s slicing into his foot. With a hiss, he trips to a stop. Momentum carries him forward another few hopping steps, working with rising nausea to send him off-balance. He rights himself, sort of, and stumbles over to the side of the gorge. The rough stone burns when he leans his hand against it for balance.

A brief inspection of his raised foot shows blood enough for leaving footprints and a cut that will need stitching later. Angrily, Na Deng whips off the strip of cloth holding his hair out of his eyes and sits to tie it around his foot instead.

Now that he isn’t moving, it occurs to him that his leg is cramping. Funny how that sort of thing slips the mind when it’s focused on other things. That, or he’s just too sun-addled to pay attention.

It takes a moment before Na Deng can convince himself to stand back up, but he reasons to himself that the sooner he finds Dochibo, the sooner he can head back and cool off.

Could go back without her, part of him thinks, as he pushes to his feet and tests his weight on his injured foot. Could skip the inn and go home. Say the ghouls got her.

Nonetheless, he limps forward, not back.

Raising clammy fingers to parched lips, Na Deng whistles shrilly, and listens for an answer.

He wishes he’d brought his spear along for a walking stick.

[cienie-isengardu]

I have already complained about the lack of sources and character development for Jaster Mereel, the supposed important figure in Mandalorian modern history. At the same time, I’m genuinely fascinated by how he was seen by Dooku, Jango Fett and Tor Vizsla. Which is not really that they have some drastically different opinions that exclude each other but rather what those characters identify with Jaster.

Let’s start with Count Dooku. The man did a great research about Jango Fett’s past before he hired the Mandalorian to become a DNA donor for the clone army. As he said to Darth Sidious, Dooku "interrogated a number of his former associates"

So, obviously, Dooku's opinion is by no means objective, literally colored by what he learned from Jaster/Jango’s allies and followers. Surprisingly there is no mention about honor that tie-in materials like to bring in regard to Jaster Mereel even though this should be the logical conclusion as the difference between True Mandalorians and barbaric Death Watch. For Dooku alone, Jaster Mereel was “reformed murderer” who "held that the Mandalorians were merely highly-paid soldiers" [JF:OS#1]

Then we have Jango who knew Jaster personally, saw him as family and held in great respect. Whale reading the Death Watch Manifesto that at some point he had in his possession, Fett wrote this:

These are lies. Jaster sought true honor, not the right to ignore laws and moral codes. Vizsla's Death Watch was nothing but a license for murder [Jango]

Jaster was an important person for Jango - so much he wanted his unalerted clone to carry on Mereel’s legacy and without doubt Jango idealized the man.

At the same time, Jango’s opinion doesn’t exactly tell us what kind of person Jaster was, more what was his goal and what he represents for Fett and other True Mandalorians.

And then we have Tor Vizsla and look, the Manifesto was written years after Jaster’s death and some time after the destruction of the True Mandalorians on Galidraan. Tor could write anything, literally any lie and slander that comes to his mind, because there were not many people around anymore who knew Jaster and even if they were remains of True Mandalorians, the book wasn’t intended to fall into their hands anyway. And what of all possible things Tor identified with Jaster? Passion.

And yes, this is very subjective point of view and opinion about Jaster - albeit I would argue Tor’s words aren’t detached from reality that much because it easily ties up with Dooku’s statement “merely high-paid soldiers” and let's be real here, no matter how much Jango or other True Mandalorians (sources) will bring honor into discussion, honor itself is not synonymous with being morally right. But I’m gonna leave mandalorian morality for another time. 

I’m furious that Tor didn't elaborate what Jaster was so passionate about - the order and laws? Work ethics? Religion? - that he couldn’t contain passions in himself and tried to “eliminate them in everyone else”. At the same time it amazes me, because this short paragraph may imply that Tor knew Jaster from a different, maybe much more personal side. And I won’t lie, Jaster being a passionate man speaks to me, an introvert, on a very specific level (as in: not showing that side to every person around you), especially since he doesn’t appear like that in comics? For the little we could observe him through two issues, he was rather cool-headed and down to earth type of person? Being sympathetic to Jango and showing anger only once, at Montross (whom he still personally rescued despite Montross openly disobeying his orders). Passion is not something I would call comics!Mereel and in a way Tor’s words, for me, brings more humanity to Jaster than Dooku’s understanding and Jango’s glorification did.

This does not mean that Jango didn’t know Mereel well but Fett understandably idolized his mentor, especially since he was still pretty young (~14) when Jaster died and this “nostalgia” definitely affected how he remembered Mereel in his adult life. In a way I feel Jango’s opinion is for what Mereel strived (virtues) while Tor’s present humanity (flaws).

And let's not forget the History of the Mandalorians - the supposedly objective article - describes Jaster Mereel as a “deeply pious human”.

The oxford and cambridge online dictionaries say pious means “deeply religious” what I find very intrigued yet another overlooked detail. And hey, a person wouldn't fight tooth-and-nail to become reigning Mandalore without being passionate and devoted to his ideals, right? So I like to think that Jango and Tor opinions about Jaster don't contradict each other but simply present Mereel from different angles that add more depth to his otherwise not exploited character.

[lakehouseview]

Tor scoffed. "You're never gonna get into Valhalla like that, man," he grumbled, glancing over to the new guitarist. He already seemed like he'd just be another disappointment.

"It's not ridiculous to care about what's happening in the world around you, y'know," Bob said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah? Why don't you go plant a tree or somethin' about it then. Fuckin' hippie."

The room was tense. Bob and Tor seemed to stare each other down. Odin nearly held his breath.

After a moment that felt too long, Bob cracked a grin, then broke into laughter. Tor lit up, threw his head back, and joined him in amusement. It wasn't long before Tor had the good stuff out and they were drinking together.

Odin's shoulders visibly eased. He'd been right - this would work. He'd felt good about Bob. That had been happening more and more lately - his feelings panning out. They were on the right track.

[isatoru]

oliver can't be trusted under any circumstances but especially if you leave him alone in your room. the first time you finally let him into your room and tell him to sit there and not snoop around, naturally it's all he thinks about doing. contrary to what you think, though, he actually doesn't need to snoop around. you have one of the pillows you use to get off out on the bed right next to him — it smells like you and looks good enough for an angle he's learned you can cum with when with him. you make it so easy to know you even when you deny. if you ask him (you don’t. he just tells you) the pillow found him

[lightofunova]

“My Lady…” The genie’s voice came gentle, a hand placed upon his goddess’s shoulder. She avoided his gaze despite his soft prodding. “What happened? You are the very fire that warms the heart if Unova, how could someone bring harm to you at such a lively event?”

“I…I don’t-“ Her eyes began to well up, and Reshi cursed herself for the choked babbles leaving her mouth like an infant. She was a goddess, this wasn’t any way to act.

“I thought I could trust him! H-He was so nice and-“

“You did not sense any lies?” The two were upon the ground now. “None whatsoever?!”

“No! If I had do you think I would have stayed there?!” Pitiful sparks rose offering weak heat. “We were alone at t-that damned gazebo a-a-and I just wanted to talk some more!” Litwick struggled to hold on as the platform he sat upon raked with sobs. Tornadus held her in place, ensuring she wouldn’t crumble any further. “What happened next Reshi.” The statement was firm. He needed to put his racing mind to rest before his emotions got the better of him.

“I thought he fainted!!! But then-“ Her voice stopped, the visions of the moment replaying in her own mind. A confusing blur of emotions and actions, fading in and out. One thing remained imprinted into her brain: His eyes.

How gentle they were before, and how cold and unbearable they became afterwards.

“I felt s-so cold…” A whisper ghosted from her. “I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to lose myself again.”

A breath left the older legend as he took in the events imparted to him. Things were beginning to click into place. The sleepover was meant for a reason, she was just too nervous to say why, and rightfully so. He didn’t need to witness the arguement between her and his brother to hear about it. Oh no. Landerous made sure he was well informed.

“Reshi, look at me.” He waited until the embers of her pupils had settled upon him once more. “I’m sorry. If I had known I would have been more understanding. I understand you are trying your best.” Dark arms wrapped around her and held her close until the feelings passed. They could take their time today. Tornadus chanced a glance back up towards the tower, noting the absence of a particular figure.

This would be an ordeal to explain to him.

[milkymosaic]

A violent spring gale

halts its rampage, feasting on

empress's perfume.