#when i find my reference source I'll add it

[subrosasteath]

Some Trans-coded moment I could find in Kai's episode because Pixar really did not let Disney stop them:

When Kai sees the softball team for the first time we get a close zoomed in shot on Taylor and Yuwen. This emphasizes two things: that the team is co-ed, and that there is a black girl on the team, someone Kai can relate to and maybe look up to in that I wish I looked like you kind of way

No one in Kai's family refers to to her by pronouns or descriptors like "my son" or "my daughter" until later, once she's already on the team.

The close up shot of the photo of Kai with a trophy has 3 other kids in frame, all of them looking like stereotypical boys. It's hinted at that the team Kai was playing on before was not co-ed, and so this would be an all boys team. This and a photo of Kai up to bat with short hair in a blue shirt are the photos she hides.

From the scene of them all cheering Kai's name at the beginning, I almost thought that was the first time it was said in the episode - it's not. The first time her dad says it in the car. Interesting!

Rest under the cut cause this is a fairly big post and also spoilers for the rest of Kai's episode!

The whole "but you were so good at baseball!" scene - just, you actually can't take the trans coding out of that scene if you tried. "Nothing can change the fact that I love you" . To break it down specifically, the line but you were so good at baseball feels similar to the idea of like "but you were fine as a boy!". It's the kind of statement that sounds like the question "why do you need to change?". This is continued in the next scene with the you liked baseball!, which can be read as a continuation of a worried parent "why do you need to change, i thought you liked yourself before?" they don't even pitch the same - "there are some serious changes here" I feel like read from a different angle it could also be about voices, and how sometimes how your voice sounds can be a source of dysphoria.

Kai wears pink socks for almost every scene she's in around her teammates i think? Blue crocs in the beginning, white socks in the "so you want to switch to uh softball?" scene, and then in the next scene she's in pink socks with a white stripe. The only scene in the episode with blue socks is after she hurts her ankle, when she's tell her dad "it's not a big deal" about the cheating.

Her hair getting longer, obviously <3 She's got a rainbow hairband she wears for the rest of the episode

The vaguely trans-flag looking lighting whenever Kai's floating

"We look so good! We look so good!!" "Hey girls, say pickles!" That scene just makes me happy. Kai has a place she feels right in, with friends and girls who age her accept her and want her around, she get's to be included in the "girls"!!! Like how sweet is this?

And the girl sleepover with all the team girls!!! It's so cute!

Her sinking into the ground powers are so cool. Like - nothing specifically "trans" about this, it just plays into what's already there, that Kai feels like she's either floating so high off the ground or totally stuck in it and how everything in her life feeds into that.

There's definitly more, like so many more, like maybe I'll add onto this post later kind of more, but I am so sleepy now, that I'm just going to post this for now!! Congrats to the writers at Pixar for pushing through even when Disney tried to shut them down. I know I really appreciate it.

[cup-o-stars]

How to draw like you no borax

Good question!

I'd warn against following my process (at least if you want to learn), but I'll be honest and show you, lol. (Heads up: this is just how I do FAN art. When having fun, I generally care less about the fundamentals.)

1. I slap down super rough sketches, jotting lines/expressions like bullet points of my idea. Pretty much stick figures with just enough detail to remember who's who later. Not shown here, I also move, resize, and add details to express the intended composition if I'm planning something larger. You may notice a lot of curved lines / haphazard circles.

2. I refine the sketch by drawing it with more intention and build structure with slightly blockier shapes. If I'm really struggling with a pose, this is also where I'll find references or look at myself for bits and pieces to fill in the gaps. (When practicing, I would highly recommend using a reference from the start so all your limbs are an appropriate length and you don't need to say things like "that's passable" right before posting. If you're a perfectionist you'll leave that thought with the rough sketch.)

3. I'll decide around here whether or not to leave the sketch as is or commit to lineart (not likely). I guess I'd say I "shape the lines" here by going over some to add thickness/weight, and by adding basic sort-of-shading to break things up a little. Then I'll just fill in space if the page looks empty. (Usually this is where I incorporate the borax, but I hear baking soda works nicely if you're worried.)

4. Onto coloring. I don't feel confident enough to pretend I know what I'm doing here, lol. I just choose my base colors, imagine the general direction of the light source, then add minor gradients to the light and dark layers so they don't look flat. Then I just add some BS highlights and outline them. I've only recently found the motivation to properly practice coloring and just go with the flow tbh.

You may notice that Nami's forearm is too long, her hand looks like a pancake and Chopper has no joints! My kind sibling explained to me once that my anatomy is poor, but cohesive enough that nothing stands out too bad, lol. That's why it is important to use references!! And if you're me, practice all parts of anatomy at the same time with full bodies so that even when you're at a loss, your hands aren't that much better than your feet.

All in all, to draw like me, just have a very hedonistic approach to art, ha. Draw what you want, avoid getting burnt out on any single piece (sometimes that happens when you try to perfect drawings one at a time), and follow my personal motto:

Make fun, not masterpieces.

Idk how helpful this was, but there you have it!

[dunmeshistash]

Hello!

I'm Cyan (or anything you wanna call me) this blog started as just a stash for Dungeon Meshi extras and worldbuilding details but expanded as people asked questions and I did my best to answer! Hope you find it as useful as I do. I try my best to categorize my posts so they're easy to find but sometimes I forget.

If you'd like to share something you compiled yourself feel free to send it to me and I'll reblog it! You can also send a submission if you'd prefer. The main goal is to share Dungeon Meshi information :3

Consider checking the FAQ before sending an ask!

Spoilers are tagged as "Dungeon Meshi Spoilers"

Please support the author by purchasing the manga if available in your region.

TERFs and other bigots aren't welcome

Icon and Banner

Ryoko Kui's Blog

Tag list under the cut

Types of post

For referencing - Canon things and other information you might want to go back to.

Compilation - Posts where I compile lots of canon art/sketches about a specific subject.

Dunmeshi thoughts - My own non canon thoughts. I also use the tag speculation when relevant

Dunmeshi complaint - Tag for more negative subjects/discourse in case you wanna block that. I usually go back and delete the ones that don't seem productive

Asks - Since I post quite a lot of asks I decided to divide them into some tags so they're easier to filter: Lore ask | Character ask | Meta ask | About Cyan

Parties

Laio's Party: Laios Touden | Marcille Donato | Chilchuck Tims | Senshi of Izganda | Izutsumi | Falin Touden

Kabru's Party: Kabru of Utaya, Diamond of Sadena, Mickbell Tomas, Kuro, Rinsha Fana, Holm Kranom

Tansu's Party: Tansu Floke, Yarn Floke, Kiki Floke, Kaka Floke, Namari of Kahka Brud

Shuro's Party: Shuro (Toshiro Nakamoto), Hien, Benichidori, Maizuro, Inutade

Canaries: Mithrun, Pattadol, Lycion, Fleki, Otta, Cithis

Races:

Tallman

Dwarf

Elf

Gnome

Half-Foot

Ogre

Demi humans

Orc

Kobold

Sources (<- check this if you're confused where the extras come from):

Adventurers Bible

Daydream Hour

Monster Tidbits

Bluray

Resources:

Oc reference

Art reference

Cosplay reference

Other tags:

Worldbuilding

Maps

Magic System

Post Canon (Extras about the story after the story)

Clothing (Details about character's clothes and in world fashion)

Dunmeshi Extra (extra comics that aren't in the main story)

Rooms

Modern Clothing

Dunmeshi anime vs manga (comparisons or panels missing from the anime)

Monsters:

Red Dragon

Chimera Falin

Mermaid

Fairies

I'll be updating as I add posts/figure out how to tag stuff

About me: Cyan - Adult - She/He - Brazilian

[timeslipcamp]

me?? look up flower symbolism for a mobile game??? it's more likely than you think!!

spoilers through ep 15

🌸💐🌼🌸💐🌼🌸💐🌼🌸💐🌼🌸💐🌼🌸

first of all trying to find all these was insane SECOND of all tumblr only lets me add 10 pictures per post on mobile so this WILL get split up into multiple posts. thats on me for always writing these at work lol

a couple of the flowers as well i'm doing my best guess. either the shape or the color is slightly off (it's artwork and flowers) so i've been finding what i think is closest. additionally, i do prefer to be as educational and historically accurate as possible in the references i'm finding, but flower languages are something that tended to vary across culture, time period, and region. oftentimes the major messages and themes carried over, but the interpretation wasn't always the same. i did my best to cross reference at least a couple sources for each one and i'll be going with the main meaning i find for each.

do i think all of these are intentional? probably not, but it's fun anyways.

if anyone has any questions or other interpretations, please send them my way!

flower meanings for the ghouls

first up we've got the most recent one that came out in subaru's super cool fit from episode 15. like i said in my time loop theory post, i do believe this is actually technically a red surprise lily, not a spider lily. however, the two are considered sister flowers, and i put them side by side below so you can see.

as far as i can tell, both of them have the same meaning, and are often used interchangably when describing the flowers. just about every place cites the japanese meaning: they both bloom in autumn, around the same time as both the autumnal equinox and a period called ohigan. during ohigan, it's an important time to visit graves and pay respects to ancestors. spider lillies are poisonous, and in ancient times, were planted over fresh corpses to keep animals from digging them up. ever since then, they've become one of the most easily recognized and symbolic flowers with several meanings and names.

the most common meanings are death, reincarnation, the after life, and its two names, "the death flower" and "the corpse flower". hotarubi has dealt with ghosts and the restless dead in both episodes they've featured in, not to mention episode 15 took place in a haunted house where we were pretending to be ghosts. i think this one is pretty simple.

helloooooooo beautiful sunny haru! we've got quite a few flowers here. i've got sunflowers, daisies, orange roses, thistle, pansies in the background there, anemone, and then i think that's supposed to be baby's breath but the clumping and petal shape look almost like butterfly bush. could be sweet alyssum as well. idk i just work here

sunflowers - did you know sunflowers were originally cultivated as a food source? there's your fun fact for the day! these flowers also vary in meaning across different cultures but all of them have a positive connotation. sunflowers stand for hope, happiness, and also good luck!

daisy - is that a daisy. the petals are fat and now i'm second guessing myself. oh apparently theres one called a wide petal daisy lmao anyways! if it is a daisy, once again a very positive flower, most meanings list innocence and new beginnings. victorian flower language says a daisy means a secret is safe with you. interesting :)

orange roses - theres always 900 interpretations of roses smh. from what i've gathered, outside of a relationship they mean fascination, perseverance, and admiration. new beginnings make an appearance again. inside a relationship it typically means passion and energy, along with enthusiasm. all things that are very haru

thistle - cute lil tucked away in his pocket. this one's pretty interesting because the meanings amost flip depending on where you're from. thistle represents adaptation, pride, and resilience, but in victorian flower language specifically, it represented pain and intrusion. honestly, i think both fit.

anemone - three out of four of his flowers have greek myths associated with them. what the hell, man. anyways. this one changes wildly depending on the culture. one has them listed as anticipation, one as tragic love, and apparently, this one is also a flower of the dead OR it will protect you from evil. if i had to guess, i think the anticipation one fits most, because it has it listed here that you give them during major life changes.

pansies - this one kind of went back and forth and i didn't feel confident in any of the sources, but the most common one i found was that they're to give to someone to let them know that you're thinking of them. interesting that these are placed in the background.

baby's breath - still not 100% that's what this is. whatever. baby's breath is another one that symbolizes purity and innocence. if anything, i think these ones symbolizing innocence just kind of apply to haru's optimism--he has such a pure view of wanting to help anomalies and humans live together. it's so sweet.

overall, i'd say the main theme of harry's flowers are optimistic, purity, life changes, energy, and resilience. love the way daisy applies to him.

i wasn't going to include this one but this picture is pissing me the fuck off and i think it's because this isn't a real flower. i've been googling for 45 minutes because clearly that's a yellow rose, right? wrong roses dont grow in on woody leafless stems like that. you know what does? kerria! you know what kerria is often confused with? japanese rose bushes! i think someone fucked up and pissed off a very specific subset of nerd (aka me and like, one other person)

hoping i'm wrong. someone PLEASE tell me what this is if you figure it out

anyways

yellow rose - literally so different depending on the region and even the time. in modern americas/england, they're for friendship, but in victorian flower language, it was infidelity. in latin america they represent deep, passionate love, but in china and modern japanese culture, it's for wealth, prosperity and life changes. in historical japan, they represented the imperial family.

so literally who knows pick your fav this one doesn't count.

the man the myth the legend!! love this dude

we've got purple roses (and some blue and yellow but that might be for aesthetic reasons), yellow iris, i think that's supposed to be a purple dahlia in his pocket? but the size is off, perhaps more thistle? whatever. a couple white calla lillies, a couple lil yellow and greenery that's also filler, and i think white delphinium.

yellow roses and thistle meanings listed above

purple roses - this one was funny. the synonyms kinda changed depending on the source but for the most part they represent love at first sight, enchantment, and mystery. one website said they meant "a love that is unattainable." :')

blue roses - less info available, but also mystery and the unattainable.

yellow iris - across the board, they represent passion, but it does also look like it can mean both platonically and romantically. one super obscure website also said it's a gender non conforming flower. nonbinary zenji lives

purple dahlia - several sources cited this one as meaning dignity, grace, kindness, and a couple others also had creativity in their lists. there were also some that had mystery! a very zenji flower, even if i'm incorrect about this one lmao

white calla lily - another innocence and purity one. however, they've also come to be associated with death and rebirth with their use in easter celebrations. iiiiinteresting

white delphinium - i've spelled that name wrong like six times so far if you see a typo no you didn't. this one seemed to have a different meaning on every place i looked, but there were a couple common threads: levity, protection, innocence, and remembrance. zenji's card bouta make me cry.

if we're looking at the placements at all, i love that he's handing you the enchantment and love at first sight flower. ugh zenji you deserve the world

followed IMMEDIATELY by his brother lmao. these two drive me INSANE dude i am always thinking about their relationship

in the back bouquet that he's holding we've got some pink and peach roses (and one hidden red one???), a couple random ones i can't made out, and in the foreground a BUNCH of

hey wait hold on

its called WHAT???

huh?????????

zenji hello???????

okay anyways back to jiro

up in the forefront he's got a bunch of dame's rocket, i guess? also called sweet rocket and eve weed, it's the closest i could find. yet another flower that has a greek tale associated with it, which i think the greeks just made up stories about every flower smh but it's named after hesperus (the morning star).

apparently it's only real symbolism meaning is deceit, which is wild given how much of this flower is on this card. also, jiro doesn't remember parts of last year. guess he could be lying!!!

pink roses - admiration and love, but a few sources did make a point to say the pink is a more gentle and understated love. very jiro. also love that there's a single red rose poking out there

peach roses - sincerity and gratitude.....ok. ok hold on. tin hat donned. jiro is holding flowers that mean sincerity but there are a ton of deceit flowers behind him. he's trying to be sincere but something is holding him back? who's to say

anyways that's all the pictures that tumblr will let me add on mobile so this is part one done, onto part two!

dms and asks always open 🌻

[swagginmun]

Hello!

I just wanted to tell you that your art and way of storytelling is AMAZING. You're one of my biggest inspirations, and one of the people who got me into LMK (which I am very grateful for! Thank you so much)!!

I also have two questions for you (if you're not too busy! I dont want to bother you-)

What's your process for making illustrations? Yours look so pretty and they are so wonderful to look at!

And, what's your tips for anyone who wants to make a LMK fan-comic, but is a little scared to get something wrong? (Like good representation and cultural no-nos for example. I've done research, but the internet can be a little confusing and messy about topics like this, so I wanted to ask for help!)

I do hope that I'm not bothering you in any way!

Have an amazing day/night!

This is an oldie ask, apologies, but I do have a better way to answer this now! Typically, when I work on my pieces, I have 4 main phases: Roughs, Lines, Flats, and Renders! I'll use this Nezha piece as an example!

My Roughs stage includes getting references, color themes I may want, and feeling out the general vibe I want out of a piece! For this one, I really wanted to push Nezha's face expression (my main) as well as try to emphasize the speed at which he was moving.

Once I do that, I try to space out everything in the background, and refine the sketch with one more rough draft before moving on to the lines!

The Lines stage is pretty self-explanatory: this is when I line everything and make additional changes I may not have thought of from the Roughs stage: For this one in particular, I remember wanting to add details of more wear and tear, such as the sash being a bit damaged, or his bracelet getting cracks, or his face being a little scuffed up.

Next up: Flats! This is when I would flat color, as well as adjust the lineart to have colored lines (its already colored in the prior screenshot, but my lineart starts out all black) I find coloring the linart helps make the colors feel more "lived in" for lack of a better phrase

Finally, the render portion, which usually starts with the BG for me most times; I find if I know the environments colors/lighting it helps concrete where light is affecting the characters

This is your overlays, mutiply, and shine layers in action! Flat coloring makes my soul itch, but rendering really helps quell that pain for me; esp if I get to work with gold/hair shine! I hope that was helpful! And as far as advice for respecting cultural-related things, honestly, as an American I don't know much in the realms of specifics, but I do know to try to have basics understood, which I gather from what has been made thus far within LMK, reading the source material/fact checking information I come across, my own experience of being black in America, and reviewing travel advise funny enough. I wish you a good luck with your artistic journey homie!

[cookierunbases]

-`.~♡ OFFICIAL COOKIERUNBASES GUIDE ♡~.'-

Requests are currently OPEN!! Look for more information below!

-`.~♡~.'--`.~♡~.'--`.~♡~.'-

Hey there, welcome to CookieRunBases!

Thanks for checking out my blog!

This blog was made to help folks bring their cookie characters "out of the oven", as it were, and into the sugary-sweet world of Cookie Run!

The bases on this blog are traced directly from official Devsis sprites, allowing for a quick and easy way to create a reference for your character in the art style of Cookie Run!

Below the cut, you'll find information about how I categorize my bases, how to search for specific traits and characters, and request guidelines. Feel free to add any information you think would be helpful in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

So! You wanna find a base, right? Here's a handy-dandy guide to how each base is categorized, how to get to and search in the archive, and how to request bases!

-`.~♡ Categorization & Tagging ♡~.'-

All base-related posts will follow a template formatted like the one below:

[ NAME OF COOKIE ] Base - TAGS / TAGS / TAGS / TAGS

SIMPLE/DYNAMIC Pose

Requested by [USERNAME]!

-`.~♡~.'-

Bases will always be labeled with the cookie's name. If you're wondering whether or not a pose has already been made into a base, search for the character's name!

Tags (not Hashtags/#) are used to describe the nature of the pose, such as emotions, actions, objects, and possible use-cases! An example would go as such: Happy / Smiling / Dancing / Walking / Speech / Holding Object / Staff . Feel free to search for terms like these if you're looking for a specific kind of pose!

Simple vs. Dynamic poses actually have nothing to do with the pose itself, but rather, where it's from!

Simple poses consist of sprites, such as talksprites, wardrobe sprites, or in-game movement models.

Dynamic poses are sourced from more complex official character art, like title screens, loading screens, and gacha reward screens.

Bases that are requested will have the requester's username labeled by default. If you have requested a base or want to request a base, you can ask not to have your username mentioned and you'll stay anonymous!

-`.~♡ Searching the Archive ♡~.'-

The archive is great if you want to browse the library of bases quickly and efficiently! Here's how to find it:

PC/COMPUTER

Navigate to the top of the profile, then click the three little dots next to the DM button.

Select "View Archive" from the drop-down menu.

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The mobile app doesn't currently have archive compatibility, however, you can utilize the "Search Blog" function by following these instructions:

Navigate to the top of the profile and click the white magnifying glass icon.

2. Type your desired term into the box (character name, tag, username, etc).

3. Browse the bases with ease!

-`.~♡ Requests & More Info ♡~.'-

Requests are usually open! You can always find this information in our profile's description, right beneath our profile picture!

To submit a request, DM this profile with up to THREE total images of the work you'd like turned into a base and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Requests will only be accepted if you are sending in official Devsis artwork!! I will not use work from independent fanartists.

You can submit multiple requests, but only after your previous one has been completed.

Your bases will not be completed all at once! I rotate between requests each image in order to keep variety in my posts.

I make no guarantees as to how soon I'll finish any given request, if at all. I am a full-time college student. I work on this in my free time, this is a way to relax for me! Please do not ask me when your base will be completed!

This blog has no DNI.

You are not required to credit this profile when you use my bases - however, it is highly encouraged so that other folks can find and use this resource!

Thanks again for reading! Go bake up some deliciously creative cookies!

- Angel <3

[offtorivendell]

My thoughts on the Bryce, Azriel and Nesta HOFAS bonus chapter...

Disclaimer: as suggested by the title, the following discusses the Walmart HOFAS bonus chapter featuring Azriel, Bryce and Nesta. I haven't read the main text, so it won't feature anything related to that, but there are massive Maasverse and HOFAS spoilers ahead regardless. Please beware.

These are just my initial thoughts, not expanded upon in any substantial way and, as usual, I could always be way off the mark.

Also, yes, fair warning that I'll be mentioning the ACOTAR characters a lot. If that's not your jam, and you'd rather avoid any of the possible implications of the crossover, then I'd give this post a miss. On the other hand, if you're interested in how CC/HOFAS may affect Prythian going forward, please read on.

Music:

The Stone Mother song has me 👀 especially as the stone and water were "talking" at the start.

@cassianfanclub and @wingedblooms have already posted about the Stone Mother (here and here); @ladynightcourt3 has found the Phrygian goddess Cybele, also known as the "Mountain Mother," who sounds very relevant.

That being said, am I crazy to think Elain could have been listening in? Is Azriel stone and Elain water? His stone siphons - which Elain called beautiful, did she hear their song, as kin? - and Elain possibly as water? Was she using salt water to boost her powers, or a reflection pool to scry, and keep tabs on her sister and friend?

Or is it the space between linking worlds? Are the old gods talking?

Alternatively, could stone be referring to Nuala and Cerridwen, who are capable of manifesting stone around themselves and others (ACOTAR).

Is this what SJM meant when she said we'd see Elain in "some form" in the next book?

@psychee92 said she wished that SJM had somehow included Mr Brightside, and now I wish the same; even a mention of indie rock. 😭

Josie and Laurel - "He/god will add/increase" "(laurel) trees/victory"? Elain? Lol sorry, but it's either giving gardener, or Elain killing Hybern.

Wraith-like harmonies? After the description of Josie and Laurel's voices? It's crack, but is it a metaphor for Nuala and Cerridwen?

The musical similarities between what Juniper dances to and Prythian's music?!

Azriel's humming/singing made the shadows dance, once more suggesting that shadows dancing is a response to power, not mate bonds

The music Az liked was death metal. Could this link to any sort of metal artefact, like an iron crown for grounding? Or wyrdstone jewellery?

The glass coffin?

"Nineteenth century literature presents the glass coffin as a prison within which sleeping women are frequently mistaken for dead or vice versa." (Source). It's giving Sleeping Beauty (credit to @elriell for the OG SB theory), and a little Snow White.

Check out this tale from The Brothers Grimm, which sounds... suspiciously relevant to Elain.

@cassianfanclub also suggested that it's giving necromancer vibes, and I'd love that for Elain.

Feyre once said she could sleep for a hundred years after coming back from the Prison, right before going to the Hewn City in ACOWAR. After Elain had left the room, and before Feyre went to check in on her to find her "asleep—breathing."

Let's not forget Elain's assistance in rescuing the human COTB, Briar, from Hybern's camp.

Will Elain prick herself while weaving?

I was tired enough that I could barely summon the breath to ask, “Do you think the Cauldron made her insane?” “I think she went through something terrible,” Lucien countered carefully. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have your best healer do a thorough examination.” I rubbed my hand over my face. “All right.” My breath snagged on the words. “Tomorrow morning.” I managed a shallow nod, rallying my strength to rise from the chair. Heavy—there was an old heaviness in me. Like I could sleep for a hundred years and it wouldn’t be enough. “Please tell me,” Lucien said when I crossed the threshold into the foyer. “What the healer says. And if—if you need me for anything.” I gave him one final nod, speech suddenly beyond me. I knew Nesta still wasn’t asleep as I walked past her room. Knew she’d heard every word of our conversation thanks to that Fae hearing. And I knew she heard as I listened at Elain’s door, knocked once, and poked my head in to find her asleep—breathing. - ACOWAR, chapter 27

Azriel specifically said Nesta "beheaded" Hybern, after looking down at Truth-Teller.

This is not Azriel giving Nesta credit for the assassination. If anything he's hiding Elain's involvement.

I've said before, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done so, but I would expect Azriel to protect his LI with silence, whoever they are.

He had to have been thinking about Elain, who I've theorised could now/soon be known as "The Shadowsinger's Knife" after she became the "knife in the dark" in Azriel's place at the end of ACOWAR.

The young girl sitting on the mushroom:

I'm still looking into the carving of the young girl sitting on the toadstool with the hound sprawled on the ground beside her, as I find it really interesting. My initial thought was that it seemed like a convenient place to drop a mention of a garden-like fairy carving with a hound right after Bryce had quizzed Azriel about his hypothetical mate, or lack thereof (Elain being both heavily associated with plant life, thanks to her "little garden," as well as dogs, after Nesta called her one in ACOSF).

I also wonder if it has anything to do with the Czech tale that amanita muscaria - while psychoactive/toxic - are said to protect from lightning and other ill fortune. If this is correct, it reminds me a little of the markings - wyrdmarks - on the Archeron cottage.

I don't know where Bryce and co were walking, as I have only read this bonus chapter and the prologue, but given it was carved on an underground wall, and I suspect that there are underground portals in at least the Hewn City and the Prison, and maybe the waterways... could it have been for protection against the invading lightning Asteri? Or did the Asteri (Daglan?) put them there to protect against Thunderbirds, or whatever Hunt is?

Miscellany

Maybe Bryce hadn't been sent there by Urd? Who then? Was @silverlinedeyes right all along?

The mention of pleasure halls seems like a call back to Azriel's bonus chapter, but it's also likely that they aren't all brothels (see Rita's).

Azriel listening closely about Nesta now liking being Fae; he could extrapolate her responses to Elain. Maybe she's no longer miserable, and in need of their pity. And maybe she's changed her mind from ACOFAS, when she said to Feyre "I don't want a mate, I don't want a male."

Azriel said "no" to whether or not he has a mate rather quickly. Hmm... the shadowsinger doth protest too much?

It's also potentially important that Nesta said "yes, WE are" curious about Azriel's mate status. Her, Azriel and most of the fandom! 😂

"Okay, okay," Bryce said. "But it'd be cool to know something about your world. Or about you." They were both silent. Bryce asked Nesta, "You have a mate, right?" She nodded to Azriel. "Do you?" "No." Azriel said quickly, flatly. "A partner or spouse?" "No." Bryce sighed. "Okay, then." Azriel's wings twitched. "You're incurably nosy." "I think that's the nicest thing you've said about me." Bryce winked at him. "Look, I just... I'm curious. Aren't you?" Azriel didn't answer, but Nesta said, "Yes. We are." - HOFAS, Bryce, Azriel and Nesta bonus chapter

All in all, while there were no overt mentions of Elain - and really, why would SJM do that in a series that wasn't Elain's own - imo we got the Elain-shaped holes in the text that I was hoping for, and I can't wait to see if there are any more in the full book.

[scuderiabutch]

What to ask for at a barber's shop, a butch guide

As promised, here's the ultimate butch guide to what to ask to your barber when asking for a specific haircut! A few premises: I'm not a barber, this means that everything you'll find in this post is purely based on my personal experience. If you're a barber and you see I explained something wrong, please correct me! I'll update the post asap. Furthermore, I won't cover up haircuts for black folks, because I'm not an expert on that topic, however I would love to link external and trustable resources on that so If any of you has them let me know and I'll add them! My intent is helping as many butches and studs as possible (: Second thing is that this post is more about short and really short haircuts, I won't talk about wolfcuts, middle part, mullets, however if you want I can make a post about them if requested! I think this is all I had to say, so let's start!

When visiting a barber, it’s important to know how to articulate what you want to ensure you leave with the perfect haircut. Understanding the difference between taper and fade, as well as the most common hairstyles that pair with them, can help you communicate effectively with your barber. Here’s what you need to know:

Understanding the Basics: Taper vs. Fade

Taper and fade haircuts are versatile and can be paired with various hairstyles, depending on the desired look. The terms "fade" and "taper" are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different haircut techniques:

Taper:

Subtle Transition: A taper gradually reduces the length of hair from the top down to the sides and back, but the change is subtle. When talking about "tapers," it's important to know that they can vary in style depending on how subtle or pronounced the transition is, where it begins, and how it complements the overall hairstyle.

Low Taper: The low taper starts lower on the head, around the ears or just above them, and gradually shortens down to the neckline. It offers a gentle, natural transition that’s less noticeable than other tapers

Mid Taper: A mid taper falls between the low and high taper, starting around the middle of the head. It offers a balance between subtlety and definition.

High Taper: The high taper begins much higher up on the head, typically around the temples. The hair shortens more quickly as it moves downward.

Tapers, source: Jimmythehairdresser on Tiktok

Fade:

Bold Contrast: A fade, on the other hand, involves a more noticeable transition where the hair gradually becomes shorter as you move down the head, often going down to the skin. As for the Taper, the fade starts at varying levels as well (low, mid, or high) depending on your preference.

Low Fade: The fade starts low on the head, just above the ears and around the nape of the neck.

Mid Fade: The mid fade starts slightly higher than the low fade, around the temple level.

High Fade: The fade begins high on the head, around the temples or forehead.

Fades, source: jimmythehairdresser on Tiktok

Bonus Fades:

Burst Fade: The burst fade creates a circular fade around the ear, leaving the hair longer at the nape. It resembles a "burst" around the ear, with the fade extending outwards.

Drop Fade: The drop fade follows the natural curvature of the head, "dropping" behind the ears towards the nape of the neck. It creates a more rounded silhouette compared to the straight line of a traditional fade.

The main difference between a fade and a taper is that the taper requires less maintenance. In order to keep the fade clean and neat you must go to the baber shop every two or three weeks.

Common Hairstyles to Pair with Tapers and Fades:

Once you’ve decided between a taper or a fade, the next step is choosing a style for the top. Here are some popular options:

French Crop: is a classic and timeless men's hairstyle characterized by short hair on the sides and back, with slightly longer hair on top that is usually styled forward. The defining feature of a French crop is its fringe (bangs), which is cut straight across the forehead or slightly textured, giving it a clean look.

Edgar: the most defining characteristic of the Edgar cut is its blunt, straight-across fringe (bangs). The fringe is cut very short and is typically styled straight down across the forehead. The sides and back are usually kept very short, often with a high fade or a sharp taper that contrasts significantly with the longer hair on top.

Textured Fringe: is a type of hairstyle where the bangs (fringe) are cut and styled to have a messy, layered, or choppy appearance, rather than lying flat or being uniformly cut. This style adds depth and movement to the hair. Sometimes is also referred as "fluffy" fringe on Tiktok.

Faux Mohawk: is a modern and versatile hairstyle that mimics the look of a traditional mohawk but is less extreme. Instead of shaving the sides completely as with a classic mohawk, the sides of the hair are kept shorter but not shaved, and the hair on top is styled to create the appearance of a mohawk.

Side Part: is a classic and timeless masculine's hairstyle that features a distinct parting on one side of the head, based on personal preferences or the natural hair grow pattern. The side part can be combined with different types of fades or taper with longer hair on top.

Slick Back: The defining feature of the slick back is that the hair is combed straight back from the forehead towards the back of the head. The goal is to create a smooth, uniform flow of hair. To achieve the slicked-back look, styling products like pomade, gel, or wax are typically used. The sides can be kept short with a fade or taper, creating a contrast with the longer hair on top.

Fringe Down: A fringe down hairstyle refers to a look where the bangs, or fringe, are styled to fall naturally down onto the forehead, rather than being swept to the side or styled upwards. The fringe can be cut in various lengths, from just grazing the eyebrows to longer, covering the forehead. The fringe down look can be combined with various fades, tapers or even longer sides, depending on the overall desired style.

Two Blocks: The two-block haircut is a hairstyle known for its distinct structure, featuring two contrasting sections of hair: a longer top section and significantly shorter sides and back. The style is versatile, easy to maintain, and can be adapted to suit various hair types and face shapes.

Styling:

When it comes to hairstyling, there are several key products that are commonly used to achieve different looks and hold styles in place. Each product has its own unique properties, making it suitable for specific hair types and desired outcomes. Here’s a breakdown of the most common styling products:

Pomade: Designed for more combed looks, such as side parts. It will give your hair a varied degree of shine and hold depending on the strength of pomade used. Pomade should be applied before you start styling your hair. It helps to shape and define the hair, making it easier to achieve your desired look by using a comb.

Wax: Hair wax is one of the most versatile hair styling products. Basically there are two types of hair wax, water based ones and oil based. It can give you a matte or high shine finish, depending on that.

Clay: Compared to Wax, Clay is usually dryer and a bit more stiff compared to a regular hair wax and that is what gives the product its hold and matte finish. For people with thinner hair a hair clay can be an option for some more volume when you apply it in damp hair before blow-drying.

Gel: Hair gel is somewhat similar to water based pomades. Both are relatively wet products, but hair gel is slightly wetter. The downside is that it is not very versatile. Furthermore, cheap hair gels are pretty chemically and they can leave white flakes in your hair when the product dries and  you touch it too much.

Styling Powder: is a product you apply directly at your roots and then you piece it into your hair. This kind of product is great when you like to get some more volume in your hair and make it appear thicker and fuller. You hair will get more body, especially when you add it to your roots directly. Compared to other styling products, you need to apply them on already dry hair.

Sea Salt Spry: Sea salt spray mimics the effect of ocean water on hair, adding texture and volume for a beachy, tousled look. It’s ideal for creating casual, undone styles with a matte finish. It’s particularly popular for enhancing natural waves and curls.

Some final small tips:

When talking to a barber, clear communication is key to getting the hairstyle you want. Here are some final practical tips to help ensure you and your barber are on the same page:

Show a Picture: If you have a specific look in mind, showing a picture can be incredibly helpful, even better if it's a 360 video.

Ask for Advice: Your barber is an expert, so if you’re unsure, ask for their recommendations based on your hair type and face shape.

Mention Your Styling Routine: Let your barber know how much time you spend on your hair daily and what products you use. This helps in choosing a cut that fits your styling routine and maintenance preferences. Furthermore, if you have a specific lifestyle (e.g., active, formal work environment), let your barber know. This information helps them recommend a style that fits your day-to-day life.

Ask About Maintenance: Inquire about how often you should get the haircut maintained and any specific care instructions. This ensures you know how to keep your style looking its best.

Provide Feedback: If you notice something you don’t like during the haircut, give feedback politely and promptly. It’s easier for the barber to make changes if they’re aware of your concerns early on.

This is it, hope it can be helpful for some of you guys!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

hi! can i ask you have a certain research workflow for your writing materials?

Hi, here is a great explanation on secondary research, with a 5-step tutorial: The Research Process, which I try to follow.

If you want my longwinded answer...

It depends on the topic. But this is more or less what I do for the requested posts:

Collect information I can find related to the topic (my old files, bookmarks, a quick internet search...)

Integrate all (or most) of that in one post (always interesting to see where the different sources overlap, disagree etc.)

Reformat the post (bullet points & numbered lists, might include a bit of my thoughts/opinions ... but on the most part, it's basically just copied & pasted, especially when I'm not that familiar with the topic)

Link to the sources I used (sometimes posts don't save properly when my connection fluctuates so I appreciate when people point out missing/broken links, which I'll edit as soon as I see the messages)

Might include a photo (like the one above & then I link to the photo in the Image Description)

Add tags (because tumblr keeps reminding me when I don't, so I usually just copy & paste from my previous posts)

Add to queue (or "schedule" because I keep accidentally clicking the "shuffle queue" & it messes up the queue)

But on a more serious note, these posts really are just surface-level secondary research, mostly internet research, done really late at night or on lazy weekends, in an overly-caffeinated state. So please do research more for your writing projects. These may just be useful as starting points or to get a few ideas/inspiration, maybe. This blog is ever-growing & there are many research databases I don't have access to (+ considering my limited/lack of knowledge on certain topics), so all the additional information & corrections are always appreciated and won't just be helpful to me, but everyone who uses these references as well!

(As for the non-requested queued posts, that's just me going through my bookmarks and old files. Just been clearing them out as another ongoing little side project for me that I started last year. Okay, I should stop talking now. Bye for now, dear anon.)

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatma Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Fatma Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, specifically male travelers, had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[copperbadge]

Custom Wax Stamps

banesidhe

Would you be willing to share the source for custom stamps? I also do these and have had a hard time finding stamps with what I want on them

Oh sure! I hope it's okay that I pulled this out into its own post, I didn't want to spam the OP on the other. Apologies in advance if you know any of what I'm about to say, I'm just going to infodump and I want to make sure I don't miss anything. I will say that the process was smooth and pretty painless for me, much more so than I expected.

As preface, if you haven't been to the Craspire website, they have acres of stamps for very cheap, and I think the vast majority of sellers on Amazon/Ebay/Etsy actually just dropship from Craspire. If you're looking for variety, I'd definitely look there. (If you have, again, apologies, it just took me a while to find it and I spent more than I should have on a couple of my stamps before I started buying direct from them, so I like to make sure I mention it.)

There are a ton of shops on Etsy offering custom stamps, with wildly varying prices -- when I was doing research I saw one that was $55 for just the stamp, and another that was $30 because you couldn't buy the stamp without a starter-kit bundled in (furnace, spoon, wax). Definitely don't pay that much. I didn't get super exhaustive with my research because I couldn't really find a better price than a shop that I'd already done business with, and I knew they were reliable, so I just stuck with them. The shop is PraeyDesigns -- they have reasonable rates overall and everything I've bought from them has been good quality, so they're one of my go-tos for both stamps and wax (there's cheaper wax available but I like their selection). They offer a number of different sales pages for custom seals, so I'll link direct to this one, the one I purchased.

On that page, the third image lists the sizes they offer -- I bought the 3cm oval because I needed it "long" to accommodate the tail on my image. For reference, most larger stamps you buy prefab are 4cm rounds, most of the smaller stamps are 3cm rounds; that particular page only offers up to 3cm but PraeyDesigns does have other custom stamp pages that offer 4cm. In any case, it looks like the page just offers you the chance to pick from a variety of designs, but they do explicitly offer custom engraving from your own image; under "add your personalization" you should give the size head you want and then say, "I have an image for a design, please message and I will send it to you."

They reached out about 24 hours after I purchased, through Etsy, and asked for the image; this is what I sent them, also through Etsy's messenger function, and the result:

I'm given to understand that they generally have to retrace the image regardless of size or quality to turn it into a vector, so they can take a fairly low-res image and do a lot with it, but I tried to give them as clean a JPG as I could to work with. While the result is not absolutely identical, for an engraving smaller than a quarter it's pretty damn accurate and I think most of the minor shifts in design were for clarity's sake.

But I was pleased it really was that simple -- I bought the item, they said "Please send the design", I sent it, they confirmed they had it, and I didn't hear from them again until they sent me the shipping notification. Potentially if you don't have as clean an image they might need to talk to you about issues with the design, so I would make sure you have a very clean-line black-and-white image to send, but they seem pretty competent and they do good work.

Love to see what you get if you end up getting one! Definitely tag me. :)

[onlyancunin]

About Commissions

I offer comic-style drawings. I’ve been drawing since I can remember and doing art commissions since I was 17.

I'll be accepting only 1-3 commissions at once. I will edit my bio & add a post whenever the commissions will be closed/reopened.

I do not offer quick drawings or "just sketches" for lower prices. It will take me probably a few months to finish a single piece, reason for that being drawing is only my after-hours activity as I balance my two full-time job. One being a 9-5, another - depression.

Topics I can draw

Astarion - in general, AUs included (with off-limits exceptions listed below),

depictions of your original character - whether in the BG3 game, or other (DND, fanfics etc.),

any other comic drawing / portrait - whether for a gift of someone you know, a character from another franchise etc.,

suggestive / NSFW - as in focusing on the celebration of relationship instead of raw sexual act,

original ideas - including fan fiction scenes (I reserve the right to check beforehand on the source material though).

Topics that are off-limits for me

It’s hard to tell in black or white fashion, as most will depend on the context or general intent of the piece. But generally speaking:

NSFW - I don't do senseless porn and/or nudity for the sake of nudity when it comes to Astarion, as his whole plot revolves around him not being perceived solely through his body. This is an absolute non-negotiable for me.

Romanticized depictions of unhealthy / toxic / abusive relationships. So no pairings of abusers with their victims (e.g. Astarion with Cazador, Karlach/Wyll with Mizora, Gale with Mystra etc).

Things venturing from canon too far for my comfort. That includes things like dadstarion and "fairy tale prince" Astarion (e.g. ballroom dancing).

Ascended Astarion.

List above is informed by my own personal preference and what I find comfortable to draw.

Commissioning process

You send me a message about the commission you want. I accept messages in Tumblr DMs, bluesky DMs, or via email at onlyancunin@gmail.com. Please include in the message a brief description of what you'd like me to draw.

I respond to you within 3-5 days. I'll let you know if I have a slot available and/or if I'm interested in working with you. I reserve my right to refuse doing a commission I do not feel comfortable with drawing, for any reason.

We talk details - to get a better idea of what you need. If you have any references, please provide me with them at this point.

I send you my payment info via PayPal and wait for full payment. I don't start working until the payment is cleared. Any currency exchange rates should be covered on your end (USD -> PLN).

Within the first 3-5 weeks after payment, I send you a draft of the work. If you have any notes for me, now would be the moment for them. I will not accept major changes (total reworking of the concept, asking for however more "options to choose from", drastic change of pose / angle etc).

I continue my work, and contact you when in doubt of something. It's hard for me to tell how long it's gonna take me, could be anywhere from 3 to 6 months.

Once I finish, I send you HD picture of the drawing.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING COPYRIGHT:

What I draw as a commission is for your personal use only.

Me handing over a HD picture of the drawing is NOT AN AGREEMENT FOR COMMERCIAL USE.

My art is NOT to be reproduced and sold on any media / products / online shops.

I reserve the right to post the preview (as in not the full HD picture) of the commissioned work as part of my portfolio. If there are any reasons as to why your commission shouldn't be public, we can discuss them.

Offer & pricing in USD

Comic style drawing - b&w or partially desaturated

digital drawing

subdued colors or completely b&w (depending on the piece)

1 or more characters

$350 / character

Comic style drawing - full color

digital drawing

full color

1 or more characters

$600 / character

Contact

through this tumblr, via DM or ask

bluesky

onlyancunin@gmail.com

[morgensternauroras]

The Alec and Lucifer Theory

Alright, this has been on my mind since TLBotW (further referred to as 'White' because I am lazy), but I think Cassie's recent event convinced me. Especially after she said the thing about going back to TMI themes (more on that in the end)

So let's talk about The Svefnthorn and Alec.

In White, he stabs himself with The Svefnthron and LIVES. Which should not be possible considering the Wiki says it contains a lot of demonic power and only a warlock could survive being stabbed with it. (Link leads to the wiki page as reference) We are never actually given an explanation to how/why he manages to survive this stabbing, it is implied it has something to do with the allience rune, but we are never given the impression thay the allience rune could act in any way that would save Alec's life in this situation. If the allience rune is what saved him, we don't know how/why, and if that were the case, how come Alec was so shocked that he surprised? I don't know, the allience rune explanation doesn't sit right with me. Alec himself mentions he doesn't understand how it worked.

And then we need to talk about Sammael's reaction, he is described as confused and then he just... fucks off. Sure, it might just be a natural reaction of someone who just basically got defeated, but we'll talk about what I think it might mean SOON.

Essentially, Sammael after the thorn fails to kill Alec just leaves, no smart comebacks, no significant reaction, he just poofs. And realistically, he could have killed them all out of spite, I mean he was mad about Lilith, that was at least half the point of his story in White.

The next time we see Sammael is during the White epilogue when he calls a meeting of the Princes of Hell! All of them except Lucifer. And we're basically told this meeting is being held without Lucifer on purpose, especially after this exchange.

“Too long have we gone it alone. If we are ever to truly achieve our larger goals, we must recognize that we are more alike than we are different. We must put aside our old grievances, forget them, and work together.”

Asmodeus looked astonished. “You mean—”

“Yes,” said Sammael. “I want to talk about Lucifer.”

So we have a mention of putting aside old grievances and then a mention of banding together and having to talk about Lucifer, this happens right after Alec mysteriously survives the stabbing with the thorn.

Now, we know the thorn was tied to Sammael, and we don't know much about Lucifer, but we know he is more powerful than all the Princes. So I will ask, what if Lucifer is the reason TMI crew (especially Alec) survived White?

Think about it, it would explain why Sammael reacted the way he did to Alec's survival, why he chose now is the time to band the Princes together, presumably, against Lucifer.

And then another thing happened- well, actually, 3 things happened. For 1, Cassie said that Lucifer might surprise us. (Kill me I cannot actually find a source for this, if anyone knows where/when this was said let me know, I'll add it to the post) 2nd thing was, Cassie's tumblr post about going back to TMI motifs, (we'll get back to this, I'll share the ss of the post lower in the post. 3rd thing being the recent claim that TEC3 aka The Black Volume can't come out yet because it spoils TWP.

On a slight tangent, I don't actually know where the idea that TEC3 won't come out until TWP is over, Cassie has previously said TEC3 would come out between books 2 and 3 of TWP.

ANYWAY, back to this Lucifer thing. Cassie recently said we'll go back to TMI themes.

And I think she mentioned Paradise Lost for a very specific reason.

I recently read Paradise Lost, and there's an interesting discussion and interpretation surrounding that book. The way Satan (or Lucifer) is written in Paradise Lost makes him a protagonist, but for many he is also an anti-hero written in a sympathetic way, if not a straight up hero. While his goal is ultimately evil, he isn't written as pure evil as Lucifer often is. He also is a liberator in Milton's poem, he believes that what he is doing is ultimately good for humanity. (I am not gonna waste your time referencing academic sources and interpretation, but I do think you should look it up if any of this sounds interesting)

I think Lucifer will not be the villain we believe he is. He may be a villain, but with different plans and motivations than the rest of the Princes. I wonder if Alec will be part of that plan and if Lucifer needs some of our Shadowhunters alive, and if he might be the reason Alec survived the stabbing.

TEC was always focused on the Princes of Hell plot while TWP is actively looking like it will be dealing with the Cohort, Clave in Exile and the plots set up in TDA. It makes sense to me that the Lucifer plot would play out in TEC.

This is what I have so far. I am open to people adding stuff, I doubt I'm the first to have this idea.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/777840012248170496/i-find-it-almost-like-incredibly-fucking-funny?source=share

Replying to some of the commenters perhaps a bit late to take the excuse to talk more about my characters (still on anon, because I grew up watching people get crucified for writing canon/OC and still haven't recovered), so apologies OTNF for the incoming infodump as I use your blog like a public discussions forum

To answer the person who suggested making them polyamorous, that would be an extremely bad idea with these characters. The main OC, who I'll call A, is a yandere. The villain OC is technically two characters for the price of one, so referred to as a unit I'll call them B, separately, B1 and B2. B1 is a yandere, and is obsessed with A. Then the male canon character, who I'll call C, comes into the picture. A is obsessed with C. B2 is what's called a dorodere, which I will simplify the definition as basically a character who simultaneously hates and loves their love interest and wants to force them to be with them. B2 is obsessed with C.

So. To simplify, the pairings are: A/C, A/B1, C/B2. Only A/C is reciprocated. B's respective feelings for the other characters are unrequited.

Anyone who has any experience with the yandere trope knows that rarely if ever can this trope be resolved into polyamory when rivals get involved. This one especially cannot be resolved into polyamory, specifically because of the actions of B2. A is, as yanderes tend to be, super overprotective of C (often to his complaint and dismay), but during one of the turning points of her character arc, B2 does something she can't take back. She forces herself on C when she snaps at his umpteenth rejection of her. When A finally manages to rescue him from her, she discovers this when she's treating his injuries.

B1 just wants C out of the way, because in her mind he's the only thing keeping her from A. B2 promised that by working with her, C would be out of the way and B1 would finally have what she really wanted all along: A. B2 initially planned on using C's body as a host for her mate (B2 and her mate are a parasitic species, B1 doesn't get overtaken by her because of her own species' biology), but B1 and B2 have become mutually corruptive influences on each other. B2 started off as purely ambitious, only seeing C for how he could be useful to her, but B1's influence on her led to her developing genuine affections for him, but they're muddied with feelings of hatred, too, and so now she wants him, not just what she can use his body for, even if she still fundamentally does not respect his personhood or autonomy.

A doesn't percieve B as two separate units. They can't be separated from each other, and what one does, the other allowed them to do. B1 has also been corrupted by B2, and allowed her to do what she did to C. Because of what she did to C, A can never forgive B. A also never would have felt that way towards her to begin with, just by virtue of how her character works. She only cares about C, no one else, and she's violently protective of him on top of that, because he is the only thing that can make her feel human again (long story short: she was human, she was turned into something inhuman and lost her ability to feel human, then a few centuries after the fact, she met C, and felt human again for the first time in literal centuries when he was the first person to treat her with the smallest scrap of kindness in all those years. Yes Beauty and the Beast rewired my brain as a child, why do you ask?)

In any case, that's why I can't contrive a situation under which this pairing can be resolved via polyamory, as much as I love resolving love triangles into triads.

As to making the side canon f/f couple foils to the (one-sided) OC f/f couple, somehow, I don't. I don't think that would work great. Given all the context of the rest of their relationship. Mostly I just want to add them in because I like them.

But. Yeah. B's story ends because to make a very long story short she gets sick with radiation poisoning (she has regenerative abilities that are outpacing it), this causes B2 to go dormant, thus removing her influnce from B1, and she has a conversation with A (immune to the radiation because of how her nonhuman abilities work), who is injured on the other side of the room, and during this conversation, she comes to the realization that she will lose A no matter what she does. If she helps B2 succeed in mindbreaking C, A will never love her back (she's not ready to accept that A would never love her back anyway, and she never will be). If she kills C, A will lose her will to live and kill herself rather than go back to a world where she can't feel human. She asks A if she really loves C, A says yes, she does. B1, no longer under any kind of influence from B2, makes the executive decision to kill herself and take her entire colony world with her (in universe shenanigans means A survives this and is rescued by C), ultimately choosing A's happiness over her own in a final act of self sacrifice.

Truly, given how all of these characters fundamentally function, there is no other possible ending I could come up with for B's story, at least, not one that I feel would be narratively satisfying and keep everyone in character on top of that. Hence why I referred to them as "Diabolically Toxic Doomed Yuri", heavy emphasis on "Doomed".

--

[sunnyy-sunsh1ne]

About the Possible Deterioration that the curse of Inmortality had on Khaenri'ahns (TL;DR)

CLARIFITACION: This thread was written just after the Caribert Archon Quest came out, and also when I was still an student in Psychology.

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The effects of the curse started to gain my interest since we got the Caribert Archon Quest, because they remind me a bit of neurocognitive disorders.

First off, I'll use the knowledge I've obtained during my Psychology career, and the sources that were given to me during that time.

Even so, I'd still need an specific specialization to talk confidently about this topic.

So because this is not my specialized field of research, I'll be talking from the knowledge and point of view from when I used to be an student.

I'm open to feedback by any expert in the topic<3

By the way, I'll use the "ND" abrevitation to refer to neurocognitive disorders.

And I'll also use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed). I would use the DSM-5 TR (most updated edition) but I still need to get it

If I ever use other sources, I'll add them around the thread.

First, what are neurocognitive disorders?

In the most simple definition ever, neurocognitive disorders are a group of disorders that affect: memory; behavior; attention; learning; decision making; perception; movement; & language.

These disorders usually happen to older adults by longevity, but they can also be obtained by younger people. The causes can be for genetics, accidents or other unkwown causes.

The thing is, Chlotar had symptoms of these kind of disorders.

Of course we can't classify him with an specific disorder because the symptoms are quite vague, and also I don't have any kind of specialization on the area of neuropsychology.

Still, we can detect some of the symptoms and understand a bit better in what consists the curse of inmortality.

Along the quest, Dainsleif says that his memory wasn't fully functional due to his long period of existence; here we have a problem with memory, a symptom of ND.

There's a possibility that Dainsleif is actually presenting symptoms of dissociative disorder. People with this disorder tend to live in a constant state of alert, making them to not be totally present during their daily lives; this results in them not remembering important or regular stuff, because their mind were not completely present at the time.

This case can be seen in memories that are partially or totally forgotten.

I'm not really sure if Dainslei actually went through this disorder, but the possibility is there; it seems (not confirmed) that Dainsleif had to endure 500 years in constant danger of the abyss, making him be in a constant state of alert all the time.

If Chlotar is being serious about this, then here we can find two symptoms of ND: motor skills; & I would also add facial recognition because supposedly he wasn't able to recognize his son, but to be honest his son is a hillichurl & it's totally understandable that he can't distinguish between hillischurls.

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CONTEXT: On Twitter I wrote about making this an on-going thread, so that when we learn new information about the curse, I be able to add it into the thread.

[shinysmolivgarden]

I'd like to preface this post by saying

I think the toxic chain theory was interesting, and no hate to the people who believed it, but...

I find it kind of funny that SO many people believed it.

MY FIRST POINT:

That would have been a very big plot point. And that would be kind of weird considering the Indigo Disk was obviously about Terapagos and not "Dokutaro", as it was named at the time. A thing I've seen is that people thought taking the championship title from Kieran is what would "reveal" that he had been possessed or whatever, but like... Kieran was the most important non-player character in the DLC. You'd think that if he had actually been possessed by Dokutaro, that would be the main focus of the Indigo Disk. But it clearly wasn't. Pecharunt (up until the epilogue) was only found in the files and hidden when Kieran's grandpa tells us Ogerpon's story, which is something that'd be weird to do for a legendary so important to the DLC's story. Even with Ogerpon, despite the fact that it was a reveal that it wasn't evil and a reveal to the characters in the story that it actually existed, we knew it existed because it was announced BEFORE the Teal Mask came out. And, I was right about that! Pecharunt was announced BEFORE the epilogue was released! (Again, no hate to people who thought this, I just think it's a bit weird.)

MY SECOND POINT:

A big piece of "evidence" for the theory was that the trailers for the indigo disk showed that he "dyed" his hair purple. (And that's the same color as Dokutaro! :0) Like... that was always his hair color. The underside of his hair was always purple. He just tied his hair up. You can still see his black hair from behind. I guess it made sense if you already believed the theory, but if you didn't (like me) it is easily explainable.

MY THIRD POINT:

Another theory I've seen going around (especially on tumblr) is that Kieran was not outright possessed by Pecharunt but was still influenced by it as part of his descent into... I don't want to say madness but basically madness. (This would also explain why Ogerpon did not go with Kieran during the Teal Mask. I've already created a post on MY opinions on that, but you can read that later.) A reason for this I've seen is that "there must still be some poison under the Loyal Three's grave even though their bodies have decayed" (yes I still call them the Loyal Three and not the Lousy Three, cry about it /j). Which... what? How would that poison get up to Kieran after he punched the grave? Poison is weak to ground for a reason. And as to why he wasn't fully possessed is because Pecharunt's dex entry says that its mochi draws out desires and capabilities, and Kieran of course didn't have any mochi so he wasn't outright possessed- stop. Listen to what you just said. Pecharunt's mochi draws out desires and capabilities, and Kieran didn't have any mochi. Are you beginning to see the problem? tbh toxic chain believer copium /j (I'd like to say again, I. HAVE. NOTHING. AGAINST. THESE. PEOPLE. I just think the THEORY is a bit wack. Please don't hate me.) (I will add the people who made the posts I'm referencing once I find them again.)

References:

@jadeazora for one of the posts.

https://www.tumblr.com/2oul2ilver/753739784490532864/yes-i-was-just-thinking-about-writing-a-post-on?source=share for the other.

BONUS POINT:

One of the people I saw supporting the theory before the Indigo Disk came out (It was a yt video but I can't find it again so I'll link it if i find it) said that Kieran might be possessed because "he looks crazy". That's it. That was their evidence.

IN CONCLUSION,

The toxic chain theory is a theory that I believe to be fine in concept, and I think it is an interesting idea. But, as with any theory, it had its faults and I personally didn't believe it because a majority of its evidence I believed (and still believe) to be just a tad bit wack.

Thank you for reading!