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bladengineer · 4 years

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Bladebreakers: College Edition

anyone who’s already read my fics knows exactly what i’m about, so lets get straight to business about the college headcanons im about to slap yall with

also all under the cut bc this went way too long lmfao Hilary and Kenny should follow shortly bc it got really long and im just. oops

Kai is the first to go which is like. logical considering he’s the oldest and most driven out of all of them

not to mention he had the entirety of Hiwatari Corp. about to be put into his name as soon as he reached 18 and he’s just like aw man here we go

to be honest? he’s not keen on taking over the company, never has been (excluding the time where he felt obligated to under his grandfather’s influence) and the thought of actually having too just kinda. embitters him

so he gets himself sucked into the whole Business classes to get himself the necessary qualifications – and despite being bitter, he doesn’t half-ass shit so he studies on the regular

it isn't until Max wrangles him into finally giving his own interests a go and he changes his path to a History Major with a Minor in Business

he is so much happier

History, specifically Ancient History, had always been an avid interest in Kai’s books so he basically dives into his new studies with his own brand of stoic enthusiasm

its also the sole reason why he’s been amassing so many books in his personal collection at home, Hilary had implored him to buy bigger shelves after Max nearly broke his neck tripping over a loose pile

Kai likes to study alone, preferably in his private study (Tyson keeps making fun of him for having a private study at the age of 18, what are you, a grandpa? damn rich kid lmao) with soft instrumental music playing – he’s especially fond of rainy ambience music

of course, Kai is often seated at the back of the classes, but is indisputably one of the best students with very insightful and well-researched essays, naturally, most of his professors adore him

except a select few traditional-minded professors – they’re still bitter that Kai stood his ground when they had overlooked Cleopatra’s history and reduced her to the Ancient Sex Symbol and Kai was ready to cut a bitch at the blatant disrespect towards an Ancient Political Mastermind

the majority in his class has a fat crush on him but thats nothing new

Max, for a long time, had a bit of a dilemma as his parents urge him to start choosing his preferred path; was it going to be Engineering like his Mother or Mechanics like his Father, and honestly? the poor boy was so torn

in the end, he confessed he wanted to do neither – he loved Beyblade but it wasn’t something he wanted to dedicate his life to forever

instead, his heart had always belonged to the ocean and he dreams of being a Marine Biologist

his father was very supportive, while Judy had her doubts so it took a little convincing – in the end, her son’s joy was more important to her and she too gave her blessing for him to pursue his dream

Max goes on to major Zoology, directed towards marine animals, and takes up a minor in Engineering because hey, it pretty much runs in his family and it stayed an avid interest of his

his university wasn’t too far of from Kai’s own, so sometimes when he stays over at Kai’s he gets a free ride to class

he returns the gesture by always providing the best butter croissants for breakfast (they’re still warm too!)

Max usually studies in the campus library, noise-cancelling headphones on, bopping silently to whatever music he’s listening to as he reviews his notes for the next exam

he researches a lot for his topics and has collected so much trivia about the ocean and its inhabitants in general

Max: did you know jellyfishes have no brain? Kai: Max don’t bully Tyson Tyson: excuse me?

the professors love Max tbh, he’s always fully engaged within class so they usually let him get away with things mainly bc he’s just their Favourite

pretty sure half of the university knows of Max in some way or another, being a social butterfly and all and maybe having flooded the campus once by accident

Ray also had a hard time deciding what to do and what to study; being from a rural village with traditions certainly made him question wether he should pursue a modern career or stay within his community

the White Tigers were quick to kick his ass over it however, booting him straight to Kai’s doorstep and telling him to do what he feels was right for him

now, he’s managed to get himself applied to one of the prestigious university for culinary arts – he’s not too sure yet which path he wants to take in terms of culinary skill

he loves cooking and working in a kitchen, however after many work experiences he has found that working at the command of someone else wasn't exactly to his tastes, not to mention, he’d like to dabble in more traditional culinary arts

as of now, Ray particularly enjoys the sweeter side of cooking, preferring to create intricate pastries and confectionaries, often stemming from his chinese roots but also applying his skill within the japanese side of things

his homemade mooncakes are honestly to die for

next to his obvious passion for cooking, he’s also taken up classes in horticulture, mainly bc he’d love to grow his own ingredients and create his own sets of spices and various artisan products

since his career path is very labour focused, he often practices at home and takes inspiration from various chefs all around the world. his bookshelves are full of recipe books and general insightful cookbooks

Max had suggested to him to make videos of his dishes, mainly for self-improvement, but also being able to put them online to start a crowd interest for his work

its going pretty well actually, his videos have become quite popular since they are aesthetically pleasing, the food looks tasty as hell and also a wide crowd of older people have voiced their joy in seeing more traditional confectionary being made

his friends secretly love their birthdays nowadays bc without fail, Ray always gifts them homemade foods, from neat boxes of handcrafted chocolates to cute jars of sweet jams

he knows, he always takes time to create flavours he knows they will appreciate

Tyson, surprisingly, knew exactly what he wanted to do, and it wasn’t anything to do with Beyblade

Hilary: WHAT ARE YOU SICK Tyson: i- no? i just– Ray: hold on maybe he’s running a fever Tyson: would yOU GUYS JUST LISTEN–

look, he loves Beyblade, it’s something he’ll treasure all his life, something he’ll still pursue in the future, but

it won’t be what he wants to do full time

instead, he majors in Anthropology in order to pave his way into Archeology and everyone is so proud they start crying

next to his Major, he also minors in Business, mainly due to his longstanding position within the BBA, with whom he stays as a particular poster boy and star

next to his work with the BBA, he occasionally helps out in the Dojo and everyone kinda realises? that this guy is literally holding down two (2) whole jobs while also studying and if that isn't hardcore my dudes i don’t know

then again, he’s grown a lot and his interest in his father’s career had always accompanied him since he was a kid – however, his studying habits are still all kinds of atrocious and the only reason why he can even halfway ace his exams is bc he refuses to go down quietly, actually is really critical and analytical is he puts his head into it, and the fact that he employs Hilary to stand vigil with a rolled up magazine to smack him back into focus should he slack off

otherwise, he’s friends with most people in his class and regularly exchanges notes with them and even has become a favourite with a select few of his professors

most just find him exhausting but can’t refute his elaborate essays, which are both thoughtful as eyebrow raising

he attends the same university as Kai (much to his chagrin) and they stick together just as much as they bicker (one-sidedly) just like old times – however, they are both ancient history buffs and its one of the very few topics that they can be heard talking about in actual peace without Tyson going apeshit when Kai loses interest in the conversation

Tyson and Kai are also those college students who pull ridiculous all nighters to study

Max once got so nervous for an exam he made a terrifying concoction of Red Bull and Instant Coffee to stay up and study

he aced the exam but he cannot for the life of him remember what he did in those 24hours bc as soon as he went home he crashed for nearly 32hours straight

Tyson and Ray who were present at the time refuse to speak about it and when asked about it, they kinda just. disassociate for a minute at the sheer horror they had witnessed

Kai rarely ever communicates with classmates yet somehow gets always invited to all the frat parties

who are those people? he doesn’t know

#beyblade #bakuten shoot beyblade #beyblade headcanon #engineering some headcanons #bladebreakers #i low-key love those college aus only bc the amount of shenanigans they could get into #actually i should make a more extensive list about their shenanigans #bc this was literally halfway a meta about my own deductions of the characters #HM.

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professorspork · 3 years

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Hot take, perhaps, but if/when Penny 3.0 happens I don't think she should have Floating Array, etherial or otherwise. It's just too bound up with her self-image as a Weapon instead of a Person. If Penny gets a sword, it needs to be a sword she can put down.

This is-- a fascinating take! I’m not sure I agree with it, but I think there’s some meaty ideas here worth unpacking. And I do think we agree on the fundamental premise (i.e. Penny’s autonomy needs to be foregrounded above all).

You assert that Penny’s current problem is that she sees herself as a Weapon and not a Person, and I don’t think that’s exactly the case.

One of the things I admire most about Penny is is that when people try and tell her who (or, insultingly, what) she is, she quietly but assertively refutes them. Though early on her conviction in her own personhood was somewhat shaky, when her friends encouraged her she took it to heart. After Ruby “I Love You And Your Beautiful Soul” Rose told her that she was real and Winter “Everyone’s Feelings Are Valid Except For Mine” Schnee told her that her opinions mattered, she got-- really quite bullish about this. To illustrate:

Random citizen: It's Ironwood's robot! Robyn: [suspicious] Penny. Penny: I-- I didn't! [7.06, A Night Off]

Vine: I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not hurt them. Penny: I would never hurt anyone. Elm: Well Winter’s in critical condition, because of you. Harriet: And you repaid her by stealing the power that should have been hers. Penny: But taking the Maiden power was the only way to stop-- [8.03, Strings]

Cinder: You’re just a tool to be used! Penny: You do not know what you are talking about. ... Cinder: I don’t serve anyone. And you wouldn’t either, if you weren't built that way. Penny: That is not… I choose to fight for people who care about me. [8.05, Amity]

Which isn’t to say Penny isn’t prone to self-doubt, because she absolutely is, or that Penny doesn’t have a self-sacrifice streak a mile wide, because she absolutely does. But Penny wouldn’t have that reflexive, Janet-saying-“Not-a-girl”-style reaction to people telling her she’s nothing but a weapon unless she genuinely thought they were wrong. She’s not defensive, in these moments, even though she’s defending herself. She’s certain.

Maybe this is me splitting hairs with your argument, but I don’t think Penny’s issue is that she sees herself as a weapon. It’s that she sees herself as a hero. Not just a soldier, but THE soldier. The Protector of Mantle. She’s not Winter; she’s not most comfortable when she’s got orders she can hide behind so she can reassure herself she’s doing the right thing because someone else already did that math. She’s-- she’s Spider-Man. She feels a tremendous responsibility to save everyone she can, because that’s what you do. And yes that’s also, literally, what she was built for, so I can see where the argument is coming from, but I think it matters that the argument’s being made about someone from Remnant.

And on Remnant, your weapon is an extension of who you are.

We’ve never, as far as I can remember, seen anyone straight up switch their weapon. Ironwood made the nuke attachment for his pistols, but it’s still Due Process underneath. Maria only carries one of her two canes, now, but she didn’t make any design changes. Same with Yang and (lefty) Ember Celica. Jaune gave Crocea Mors substantial upgrades, but it’s fundamentally the same weapon; Blake chose to solder Gambol Shroud back together rather than replace it... and if anyone had an argument that using the same weapon might be too traumatic, it would be her. I mean, hell, the Messrs Oz have been using the same staff for millennia.

Weapons aren’t something you turn your back on. I don’t think it’s something that would occur to people. It would be like-- like turning off your Aura. That’s you.

Unless, of course, you’re Cinder.

Cinder gave up on Midnight after the Beacon arc, and we’ve never seen it since. She relies exclusively on Maiden weapons instead-- some of which she molds into forms quite similar to her old swords or bow, but still. She tossed it aside. This follows the logic of the show: Cinder discarded the weapons, and with them the person she used to be, when she found it all to be lacking. Instead, she embraces what she sees as a higher form of power.

I don’t think Penny would think of Floating Array that way; as a sign of her failure. Nor do I think she’d see it as the prophesy/burden your take implies.

Granted, Watts used a sword from Floating Array in order to get access to her code and install the virus; it ended up being the vector for a huge breach of autonomy and violation of consent. But so was Tyrian using Harbinger to murder Clover, and Qrow’s still using it.

And granted, Penny didn’t choose Floating Array in the same way most people chose or designed their own weapons. She was born with it; activated combat-ready. But then, that’s not so different from Jaune inheriting Crocea Mors, is it? It might not be what either of them would have selected or been most suited for if they’d had the chance to say for themselves at the start, but... well, we’re far from the start, now. And Penny does choose Floating Array, when it matters. When she conjures weapons in her new, self-created body, she instinctively reaches for what she knows, what’s familiar. Her father’s providence. So for me, the moment you’re alluding to... it’s already happened. The whole point of leveraging Ambrosius’ limitations in the way they did is that Penny is separated from the parts of her that can be weaponized-- she watches her synthetic body eat itself, consumed by its own self-destructive urges. It doesn’t get much more metaphor-made-literal than that!

What remains, then, is Penny. And Penny uses Floating Array.

If Penny comes back and doesn’t resume the Winter Maidenhood (which I think is... low on the list of options, given Winter’s desperation and the likelihood that Maiden transference shenanigans are going to be a part of the vehicle that allows Penny to return in the first place), then she won’t have a choice. Either because that will mean she’s back in a 3.0 robot body (in which case it’s the same lack of choice she always had; Pietro wouldn’t give her an unfamiliar weapon after all that) or because she’s a Regular Normal Flesh Gal now and unless her Semblance is telekinesis (which it may be!!! we don’t know!!!) a weapon like Floating Array just isn’t on the table. But all of that, as I’ve already laid out, has to contend with so many unknown factors. How she comes back, and in what form, and at which time.

If Penny does end up designing a wholly new weapon, to me that would signal total transformation, given the rules and themes of the world. And that... well, it depends on the execution, I suppose, but I think I’d find that a little alarming. That she’d choose to have so little of her old self in her new form. But on the other hand, maybe I’m dead wrong there! That could also be read as yet another gorgeous act of creation by the Maiden best suited to it; it could be Penny choosing to yes-and herself into doubling down on her identity. She could be SO MUCH of a person that she, and she alone, gets to make a new weapon for her new self. I’m not against any of that!

But even if that’s the case, I still think we’d see the hard light version of Floating Array again, especially if we have a Maidenbowl Redux. Even if I were to concede to your point that it’s too bound up in her self-image issues, that doesn’t imply to me that she’d have to move beyond it. If she’s to contend with herself, if she’s to decide she’s a person and not a weapon as you lay out, she’s going to put all of herself in the effort. As the speech goes, it’s a part of her. Even if it’s just a part, that’s still... a part. And this show has never been about severing yourself from your broken bits; it’s been about embracing them tenderly and letting them actually heal.

...also, Floating Array is *checks notes* cool.

#rwby #penny polendina #Anonymous

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hobie-brown · 2 years

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first line tag game

rules: list the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. then tag some friends.

i got tagged by @risoris :-D ty !!!!! I’m probably gonna pull from some things I haven’t published yet alongside the ones i have, just because i don’t publish my works very often and i don’t want to grab from much older stuff I’m not very proud of! hopefully that doesnt defeat the purpose of the game lol

before i jump into it and/or forget I’ll tag uhhhh @ohlooksheswriting-wips (if you havent done this already) and mmmmm @demonwithapaperhat. i dont know if you’ve shared your writing like this on tumblr tho so no pressure! both of you are completely free to ignore this if u so choose :V

Snapshots from Detention

DETENTION NOTICE

NAME: Jackson Overland-Frost

HOMEROOM: Bunnymund

REASON: Ran down the hallway during study hall with a bluetooth speaker blasting "I want to break free", thus disrupting other students

There are two seasons in Scotland. June and Winter.

Jack hums as he sets down a single foot on the cold cobblestone of the DunBroch gatehouse. Even with a guard in front awake and alert, Jack slips past him into the daunting castle easily.

Check Yes Gnomiet

There weren't really many extensive circumstances that led up to this point. You could say it started when Merida first began indulging the boy's whims, or maybe pin it as early as when she met Frost, but no. Jack's shenanigans were typically independent of one another. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing…

Seen and not heard

When Amity was eleven years old the twins wanted absolutely nothing to do with her for nearly two years.

They had gotten to the exact age where they were comfortable meeting up with friends all by themselves but Amity still legally wasn’t allowed to be by herself in the house. Given how both of their parents were constantly out for work, Mother and Father had set the rule that one of the twins could make plans as long as one of them stayed behind or they brought Amity along.

Rendezvous

An ethereal being with immense amount of power, say an archangel, is not confined to limitations of miracles and physics the same way humans and lesser angels are. Their bodies are both real and untrue to the laws of the universe at the same time, so travel can be done with a single thought, if one thinks hard enough.

Welcome you home

Realistically, Catra’s world should have come to an end when she pulled the lever. That was when everything fell apart, when she was split and corrupted between herself and the unknown that had seemed familiar. When she turned into the nothing of another reality. Catra remembers that, that life in the back of her head like a recent dream. But that dream was not what happened. Adora got involved, everyone became themselves again, and Catra’s livelihood sputtered out and died on a much more anticlimactic note.

the WIP title for this one is: Merida’s HARDCORE X-TREME DOPE birthday EPIC spectacular

no title for this one but its just a giant indulgent costume party w queerplatonic jarida and merida bonding with elsa bc i said so. and mavis is there.

Queen Elinor of the DunBroch Kingdom means well. She does.

She does, Merida scolds herself. The nerves in her hands constrict like they

disagree but Merida negates that by slamming one of her swords into her bed frame for good measure.

“Awh you guys are so cute!” Mavis slightly slurs around her plastic neon pink vampire teeth. They are the only hint Merida has that Mavis actually wore a costume to the costume party, because the gothic cape and acrylic claws on their own wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary for Mavis’ style.

This one’s a giant big four project where i really thought about the worldbuilding i would go with if i wanted to make a whole overarching story where they met. but its again, a giant story.

Jack never learns the names of where he goes and here is no exception. It’s not for a lack of trying but usually the denizens of the lands he visits are always too busy rushing into the warm indoors to just namedrop much of anything. If Jack had to come up with a name for where he roamed now though, it would probably be something like Greenland. The real Greenland he had visited was more his ‘style’ but wasn’t deserving of the name. Here, everywhere he looked there was something green or just about. Green trees, green hills, green thickets.

It was his job, then, to change that.

and thiiiiiis is a piece about modern hiccup coming to terms with being touch-starved and what that means for his overly-touchy friends :V

Stoick was many, many things, but you couldn’t quite call him affectionate. Not with Hiccup.

The last time Stoick had picked Hiccup up was when he was four years old. It was finally time to plan a funeral for Valka. He’d been putting it off for three years but Stoick knew that even with the slim chance of her being alive somewhere out in the world, there wasn’t going to be any closure for them. This would be the closest they could get. When the casket finally arrived it remained empty and Stoick picked Hiccup as though he was hoisting an anchor, squeezing tight enough to burn. And that was that.

What I notice off the bat? Rotbtd obsession and inside of that a smaller, more intense jarida obsession. Seriously its bad. But more to the point I tend to have a lot of stress when it comes to first lines so I’ll compensate for that by just deciding to start where I’m most interested in. So sometimes I jump in with dialogue, or a framing device, or i put forth a ‘fun little factoid’ for the reader that if I stretch it out enough will give me enough mileage for the rest of the concept. you can see that last bit especially in here i think.

#rotbtd #writblr #?? i think #sorry for party rocking #tag game

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zelenacat · 3 years

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When We Were Young- Chapter 13- An Obitine Story

The difficult part of that promise lay with Tyra Satine. How would she get her daughter to Mandalore? Korkie went back to school with very few words to her, and all he promised was that he wouldn’t tell anyone. Satine felt sick to her stomach. Tristan, who attended the Royal Academy of the Sciences in Sundari, was spending most of his free time with Korkie and his friends. Although, Satine had only found out through the gossip columns. Mara was being trained as a criminal, but she was incredibly witty and quick. Satine decided that she wanted her daughter to have an education, and so granted Mara access to the Library of Lawmakers. She and her master criminal, Bartok was his name, had relocated to Mandalore and would be her eyes in the criminal underworld. Which Satine considered a great advantage, that she could tell no one about. But Tyra Satine, how could she get to her?

Then Padme called, and she knew.

“I’m coming next Tuesday!” cheered the Senator.

“Wonderful,” Satine smiled, “and Padme, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know, Master Quinlan Vos?”

“Hm,” Padme obviously tilted her head, “Anakin might.”

“Can you give me Anakin’s number then?”

“Why?”

Satine sighed, “There’s more that ties me to the temple than what you know.”

“How? This is a secure line, Satine.”

“Master Vos’ padawan,” Satine swallowed, “her name is Tyra Satine.”

Padme was silent for a moment.

“I’ll give you Anakin’s number, and ask about him for you.”

“Thank you, Padme,” Satine’s fear eased, “you’re a darling.”

“I know, I know,” the Senator grinned, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Your arrival will be grand, that I promise.”

“Oh well,” Padme sighed, “I guess I’ll have to charm everyone.”

“It’s what you do best, Padme.”

“See you then, Satine.”

Happy with herself, the Duchess began to plan for Padme’s arrival. Her advisors were more than thrilled, Almec however, was slightly cautious.

“A Republic Senator visiting, after we’ve chosen to remain neutral,” he ventured, “wouldn’t that send the wrong message?”

“We’ll invite a member of the Seperatist Senate another time,” Satine assured him, “Padme is what the system needs.”

If anyone was surprised that the Duchess called the Republic’s best diplomat by first name, they didn’t show it.

“Is that all?” Satine asked.

“Yes, Your Grace.” the Prime Minister nodded.

Satine dismissed the meeting.

“Are you worried at all?” Parna asked when she brought in Satine’s afternoon tea.

The Duchess stayed silent.

“About the kids?” Khaami prompted.

“Yes,” Satine admitted with a sigh, “Korkie has been avoiding me.”

“I’m surprised you told them so soon,” Khammi commented, “seventeen years ago you said they would never know.”

Satine opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.

“She met Ben again.” Parna explained.

“Ah, yes,” Khaami leaned back, “the Jedi Knight in shining armor.”

“You know?” Parna squinted.

Khaami smiled, “I was present at the births of both sets of twins.”

“Along with Fesma and a medical droid.” Satine added.

“No pain relievers?” Parna gasped.

“Just some pills.” Satine answered.

Parna gaped.

“Our Duchess is quite the warrior,” Khaami smiled, “in her own way.”

“The she-wolf.” Parna agreed.

Satine sighed and stirred her tea, “I never thought my life would be like this.”

“I don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen what happened.” Parna said sympathetically.

“It is quite unusual.” Khaami added.

“That’s for sure.” Satine rolled her eyes.

Satine’s comm dinged.

“Oh,” the Duchess looked down, “it’s Anakin.”

Khaami tilted her head, “The Senator’s Jedi?”

“Yeah,” Parna explained, “he and Ben are close.”

Satine smiled.

“What is it?”

Satine giggled, “He’s congratulating me on my extensive efforts to undermine the Jedi, how very Mandalorian of me.”

“Ah,” Khaami nodded, “the hero with a strange sense of humor.”

Satine asked about Quinlan Vos and his Padawan.

“They will be accompanying Senator Amidala!” Parna squealed, reading over her lady’s shoulder.

Satine smiled and thanked the Jedi.

“Wait a minute,” Khaami blinked, “Ben isn’t his real name!”

Parna gave her a look.

“Isn’t Master Kenobi on the Jedi Council?” Khaami asked with a frown.

“That’s why no one can find out.” Parna explained.

“Satine,” Khaami sighed, “please tell me you’re not going to have any more children.”

The Duchess laughed, “Khaami, I’m 35 years old, I won’t be having any other children.”

“I’m just making sure, Your Grace.” the lady winked.

Parna smiled, “Where shall we have them meet?”

“The gardens,” Satine clapped, “with a picnic.”

“In full view?”

“They’ll be friends of Korkie’s,” Satine explained, “just here for tea.”

The meeting took place on Sunday, and Quinlan Vos and his Padawan Tyra showed up in one of the Republic’s cruisers. Only, it hovered slightly above the landing pad.

“I’ll pick you up on Tuesday!”

Satine’s heart lurched as Tyra jumped off the ship and struck a perfect landing right next to her.

“Tyra Satine!” she whispered harshly.

Her daughter stood, took the Duchess’ hand, and curtsied.

“You must be Lady Mother.”

Parna giggled on Satine’s right.

“I am.”

Tyra stood and kissed her mother’s cheek, “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Your Grace.”

“Oh?”

The Padawan pulled a necklace out of her shirt, “I did extensive research on it, that’s how I knew I was Mandalorian.”

“I’m glad you still have that trinket,” Satine looped an arm around Tyra, “it was your grandmother’s.”

Khaami and Parna accompanied Satine and Tyra to the gardens, where Korkie, Tristan, and Mara were waiting.

“Howdy do?” Tyra winked.

Mara burst into laughter, Tristan looked confused, Korkie was horrified.

“Don’t worry,” Tyra sat down on the blanket, “I don’t actually talk like that.”

“Oh,” Tristan bit his lip, embarrassed, “well thank God.”

Tyra snorted, “I have some manners, I’m from the Temple after all.”

“Can I see your weapon?” Korkie perked up.

“Sure!”

“No,” Satine crossed her arms, “definitely not.”

“Why not,” Korkie asked, mirroring Satine’s stance, “Lady Mother?”

“Because,” Satine huffed, “you are the Mandalorian heir, and you shouldn’t touch a Jedi weapon.”

“Oh yeah,” Tyra nodded, “because he’ll definitely burst into flames.”

“Tyra Satine.”

“It’s true, Lady Mother,” Mara piped up, “Korkie can handle himself.”

“I’m seventeen.” Korkie agreed.

“Son,” Satine sighed, “you’d burn a hole through your head if you tried to use a lightsaber.”

“Not if Tyra trained him.” Tristan pointed out.

“Absolutely not!” Satine clutched her pearls.

“Why not?” Korkie asked, smiling wider than Satine had ever seen him smile.

“Because,” Satine stuttered, “because-”

“Perhaps, Your Grace,” Khaami interrupted smoothly, “we should leave the children to their antics and go enjoy a nice cup of tea?”

“A relaxing cup of tea.” Parna added.

Satine relented, “I would enjoy that.”

The Duchess began her walk upstairs, but then turned around sharply.

“No Jedi shenanigans, children.” she warned.

“Of course not,” Tristan grinned in a seated bow, “Lady Mother.”

Slightly frustrated Satine continued on her way upstairs and had Khaami bring a nice platter of tea and sweets up to her personal parlor.

“They love each other already.” Parna smiled.

“They ganged up on me!” Satine huffed, grabbing a cookie.

“That’s what siblings do.” Parna smiled.

“Their obsession with the Jedi though,” Khaami frowned, “that’s concerning.”

“We told them their father is a Jedi.” Satine frowned.

“Yes,” Parna spoke up hopefully, “but they don’t know which Jedi.”

“Let’s hope they don’t figure it out.” Khaami agreed.

“Let’s.” Satine nodded.

After her morning tea, Satine had a meeting with her council.

“Things are running smoothly for Senator Amidala’s visit.” Prime Minister Almec smiled.

“What about these reports of food shortages,” Satine asked, “they are concerning.”

“I agree,” seconded one of her advisors, “we must investigate this problem.”

As more and more agreements to this statement were reiterated, Satine noticed Almec’s knuckles whiten.

“What do you think, Prime Minister?” she asked, suddenly skeptical.

“I think that we should focus on one event at a time,” Prime Minister Almec suggested, “perhaps this should be a problem for after the Senator leaves.”

Satine frowned, if there was one thing she hated, it was corruption, and she now knew that people were willing to lie to her.

“I think we shall keep watch on this problem,” Satine decided, “but I also think we should begin our efforts now.”

“I agree with Her Grace.”

Satine looked around the table, no one disagreed.

“Dismissed.” Satine announced.

Only the Prime Minister stayed back.

“Prime Minister?” Satine questioned, tilting her head.

“I do not think it wise to show the Republic we are weak.” he responded.

“We are only as weak as our insecurities are strong,” Satine stood, “Mandalore stands firm in her position.”

Almec bowed, “Your Grace.”

Parna met Satine at the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just,” Parna sighed, “Tristan has just mind tricked a guard.”

Satine coughed.

“And Korkie,” Parna continued, “Tyra seems to think he’s powerful.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Satine shook her head, “not my Korkie.”

“Come see.” Parna advised.

Instead of the garden where she left them, Satine’s children were at the center of the garden’s maze. Surrounded by a large picnic and floating objects.

The Duchess was furious, “What in the name of Mandalore-”

The flying objects dropped.

Satine raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t I say no Jedi shenanigans?”

“Sorry, Lady Mother,” Tristan smiled, “but I can do mind tricks now!”

Crossing her arms, Satine told her second son to fix the guard. After some pouting, he did.

“Your Grace!”

“Please return to your post,” Satine nodded, “I must speak to my nephew and his friends.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After he was gone, Satine noticed all the children staring at her.

“What?”

“You called me your nephew.” Korkie said sadly.

Satine shook her head, “That particular guard is not on the list of people who know.”

“Which guards are?” Tyra asked.

“My two head guards know half the story,” Satine clarified, “but you must not tell anyone.”

“Tristan has great balance,” Tyra spoke up, “he should practice lightsaber movements.”

The Duchess’ voice grew cold, “There is no need for that.”

The children looked at each other, surprised.

“Lady Khaami said our father was a powerful Jedi,” Tristan crossed his arms, “why can’t we learn his art?”

“Because he,” Satine stuttered, “he, he doesn’t know about you.”

“We know that, Lady Mother,” Mara spoke, “that’s not a good enough reason.”

Satine let the silence hang.

“Would it be so terrible to assume,” Korkie began, “that our father is a high profile figure?”

“No,” Satine swallowed, “no it would not.”

“And no doubt your reputation,” Tyra frowned, “even at the Temple people are surprised I hail from the Mandalore system.”

“And Mandalore’s dignity.” Tristan added.

“All I ask,” Satine began quietly, “is that if you do anything remotely related to the Jedi, then please do it in secret.”

“Yes, Lady Mother.” Mara nodded.

“We understand, Lady Mother.” Tristan agreed.

Korkie stood and embraced his mother.

“You raised me,” he said, “even though I didn’t know, I would hate to remind you of hard times.”

The Duchess sobbed, “Thank you, Korkie.”

“We won’t practice if it reminds you of our father.” Tyra insisted.

“No, practice,” Satine wiped her eyes, “just don’t tell me about your progress.”

Parna came forward and steadied Satine.

“We have the final touches to prepare for Padme’s visit.”

“Yes,” Satine swallowed, “please children, excuse me.”

The final steps to prepare for Padme’s visit were picking her rooms. Korkie still slept on the same floor as her, and his siblings would be placed in the remaining rooms around him. Which left the lower floor.

“Can we give Padme a room on the lower floor,” Satine asked, “Would she be offended?”

“I cannot say, Your Grace,” responded the palace’s head maid, “she seems sensible, but we do not wish to offend the Republic.”

Parna leaned in close to Satine, “Tyra and Mara can share, and if Tristan bunked with Korkie she could fit.”

The Duchess considered this, she had never shared a room with Bo-Katan even when they were young.

“I hear the Prince’s friends will be staying till Tuesday morning.” stated the head maid.

“Yes,” Satine nodded, “but we will have them share, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Hesitant, the maid smiled, “Thank you, Your Grace.”

The Duchess arranged for a quiet dinner in a small dining room with her children. Then, she asked the guards if they knew where the Prince and his friends were.

“The ballroom, Your Grace.”

“Thank you.” Satine nodded.

The Duchess of Mandalore was shocked to find her kids wrestling each other on the ballroom floor. Well, it was more like Tyra was teaching her siblings self defense with the added bonus of getting to beat them up.

“It’s alright, Lady Mother,” Mara smiled, seeing the Duchess first, “we’re alright.”

Satine gawked, “Tyra Satine, stop choking your twin brother!”

“I’m not-”

Korkie, who was back to the floor, kneed Tyra in the chin and twisted on top of her.

“Go Korkie!” Tristan cheered.

Satine sighed, “Don’t encourage your brother, Tristan.”

Mara pulled Korkie off of Tyra.

“Come on, I was about to win!”

“No you weren’t,” Tyra stretched, “Tristan, you want to go next?”

Tristan opened his mouth to speak.

“Absolutely not,” Satine crossed her arms, “I have ordered a special dinner and I will not have my children bruised.”

“Dinner,” Mara frowned, “it’s not even four o’clock.”

“Lady Mother,” Tyra’s knit her eyebrows, “that doesn’t make any sense.”

Tristan and Korkie looked at each other.

“Knowing our Lady Mother,” Korkie began, “we will likely have to dress for the occasion.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry,” Tristan grinned, “I’m sure you’ll take kindly to the royal treatment, Tyra.”

“Ha ha.”

“Children,” Satine smiled, “tonight I would like to imagine I raised you myself, you will have to act your birthright.”

“But it’s just us, right?” Mara asked.

“Yes,” Satine nodded, “just us.”

“Korkie,” the Duchess turned, “give Tristan one of your old uniforms. Tyra and Mara shall come with me.”

Parna and Khaami made grand gestures to welcome Tyra Satine and Mara to the Duchess’ royal wardrobe.

Mara gawked, “I’ve never seen anything so fancy before in my life!”

Tyra clapped, “Oh my God, we get to wear these?”

“Yes,” Satine smiled, “pick out a dress.”

Squealing, the Duchess’ daughters ran through the rows of gowns and skirts of their mother’s walk-in closet.

“You’re so stylish, Lady Mother.” Tyra winked.

“Some of these I haven’t worn in years.” Satine confessed.

“I’ve watched some of your speeches,” Mara nodded, “you generally stick to the house colors.”

Satine was humbled, “You’ve watched my speeches?”

Mara blushed, “He was never subtle.”

Satine smiled.

“I like this one!” Tyra smiled, pulling out a salmon pink gown with a satin ivory sash and lace.

“What, Tyra,” Mara asked, “why?”

“We don’t get to play dress up at the temple,” Tyra explained, “and I think I'm gonna love being a secret princess.”

Satine laughed at that.

Mara gasped, “OMG, we should be matching!”

Tyra raised an eyebrow, “You?”

“Criminal trainees need baby lace too!” Mara whined.

Laughing, Satine pulled out a lilac version of the same dress.

“I’ll leave you two to get changed,” Satine beckoned for Khaami, “Lady Khaami will bring the head seamstress to see you.”

“The head seamstress?”

The Duchess grinned, “Alterations of course.”

Mara gasped, Tyra squealed. Khaami winked as she passed them.

“Parna,” Satine turned, “watch the girls while I check on the boys.” “Yes, Your Grace.” the lady smiled.

Satine made her way over to Korkie’s room, where much rustling emanated from within.

“Ow, Tristan-”

“Move over, Korkie.”

“Boys,” Satine smiled sweetly, “will you be done soon?”

“These uniforms are all tight, Lady Mother.” Tristan complained.

“Wear something in pastel blue, then, with white accents,” the Duchess suggested, “it will go with your sisters’ outfits.”

“Yes, Lady Mother.” Korkie agreed.

With a triumphant grin, Satine sauntered off back to her room.

“Mara and Tyra are being fitted in the parlor,” Parna told her, “shall we pick out your dress?”

“Yes,” the Duchess straightened, “I should like my pale yellow dress for this evening.”

Parna clapped, “I know just the one.”

By the time the entire family was dressed for dinner, it was almost time for the meal. Satine took her daughters and met her sons in the hallway.

“You look lovely, boys.” the Duchess smiled, pride in her features.

“We’re matching,” Tristan observed, “I’m sure you planned that, Lady Mother.”

“I most certainly did,” Satine nodded, “now, we will enter in proper form.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, hush, Tyra Satine,” the Duchess waved, “Korkie, take your twin sister on your right arm.”

Korke made a show of walking over to Tyra, jutting out his right arm, and placing Tyra’s left arm through his.

“Tristan, do the same with your twin sister.” Satine ordered.

With a little less grace and a couple hesitations, Tristan did the same.

“Korkie and Tyra will walk behind me,” the Duchess instructed, “and Tristan and Mara, you will follow.”

“Ooh,” Mara grinned, “fancy.”

“You ready?”

“Yes, Lady Mother.” answered a quartet of voices.

Satine lead her children into the private dining room, applauding herself silently as they all gasped.

“What a feast, Lady Mother!” Tyra gasped.

Mara choked back a sob and Satine wrapped her arm around her youngest.

“I’m afraid we’ll forgo servants tonight,” the Duchess explained, “servants and all, but please sit down and serve yourselves.”

Tyra made to sit down, but Korke stopped her.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he smiled, pulling out her chair, “only the best for a princess of Mandalore.”

Delighted, Tyra sat down.

Pulling out Mara’s chair, Tristan asked, “Are you trying to outdo me, Brother?”

Sliding into her chair with ease, Mara grinned up at her mother as Tristan pushed in her chair.

“Who shall pull out Lady Mother’s chair?” Tyra asked, looking to stir up violence.

Korkie and Tristan shared a look before racing over to their mother’s chair.

“How about both of you work together,” Satine suggested with a smile.

Tristan pulled out the chair anyway, stubbing Korkie’s toe.

“Lady Mother.” bowed her oldest.

Mara snorted. Satine sat down.

“Now that we’re all seated,” began the Duchess when everyone was comfortable, “I was hoping you’d all tell me a story about your childhood, a favorite moment, so that I get to know you.”

The children looked around the table.

“While eating of course.” Satine amended.

The Duchess worried that she had asked too much of her children, but then the silence dissipated and they began to serve themselves.

“After I had gotten my lightsaber,” Tyra began with a grin, “the Jedi Masters were supposed to choose a padawan, Master Vos chose me because I told him I had better hair than he did.”

Mara snorted, “Proud at an early age huh, Tyra?”

“He then asked me why I thought so,” Tyra gestured, “and I said because I was Mandalorian. Then I said that I researched my necklace and voila, I had a master.”

“Wow,” Satine shook her head, “that’s not usually how I remember hearing how it goes.”

“Lady Mother,” Tyra rested her chin on her hands, “you know Jedi stories?”

“I’ve known a few Jedi.” Satine nodded.

“Wait,” Mara paused, “isn’t our father-”

“I mean Master Qui-Gon-”

“You knew Master Qui-Gon,” Tyra perked up, “Master Vos says he’s the only one who could rival me for best hair.”

Satine burst into laughter.

“Lady Mother?”

“Tyra Satine,” smiled the Duchess, “you would for sure win that contest.”

“Really?” Tyra perked up.

“Master Qui-Gon once went a week without washing his hair,” Satine smiled at the memory, “it nearly destroyed him.”

Tyra shivered, “Sounds dreadful.”

Korkie sighed, “I now know so much more about you, Tyra.”

Tyra snorted, “Oh please, that wasn’t even the best one.”

“Mara,” Tristan suggested, “why don’t you go next?”

“Ooh,” Mara clapped, setting down her spoon, “how about the time I mind tricked the head of the Coruscanti Crime Ring!”

Satine gaped, “You did what?”

Mara blushed, “Don’t worry, Lady Mother, we’re not allowed back there.”

Satine sighed, head in her hands.

“I’ll go next,” Tristan piped up, “when I was seven I tried bokator for the first time.”

“Teach me?” Korkie asked.

Satine was so startled she coughed on her own spit. Tyra laughed.

“Anyways,” Tristan continued, “I broke a kid’s nose and then proceeded to tell him the process of how the doctors would fix it.”

“You’re such a nerd, Tristan.” Mara teased.

“When I was five,” Korkie began, “I told the head of Clan Saxon that she reminded me of a pooka.”

Satine groaned, “I remember that.”

“You,” Tyra asked, “the perfect manners man?”

“Yeah.”

“He got no dessert for a week,” Satine recounted, “what was it you liked, Korkie?”

The Duke of Sundari grinned, “Those packets with flavored powder and chalk-like sticks.”

“I loved that!” Mara gasped.

“I wasn’t even allowed to have that.” Tristan crossed his arms.

Tyra looked between her siblings, “Did I miss out on something?”

“Definitely.” Satine stated, reaching for her drink.

As dinner progressed, the Duchess felt a happy longing, wishing for this to have always been her life.

“Remember, children,” Satine spoke before dismissing her children, “Senator Amidala is coming on Tuesday.”

“We know, Lady Mother.”

“You’ll have to remain in the background,” Satine advised, “but you’ll meet her later on.”

After bidding her children goodnight, the Duchess went up to her room, sending Khaami to bring nightdresses to her daughters.

“How was it, Your Grace?” Parna asked, untying Satine’s dress.

“Marvelous,” tears sprung to the Duchess’s eyes, “my children are treasures.”

#satine kryze #satine x obiwan #Duchess Satine #korkie kenobi #obi wan kenobi #obitine #obiwan

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jackalgirl · 3 years

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Archive.org (the Brouhaha, recapped)

There’s been a post going around about archive.org, and a suit against it by four large publishers. And there’s a lot -- I mean a lot -- of hyperbole going on about it.

I had a very constructive conversation here with @helenisfair (I had in fact bought into some of that hyperbole) and wanted to recap what I learned so far (I have more research to do). Be warned: it is very long.

Claim #1: the Internet Archive scans copyrighted books and makes them available to everyone, which is illegal and robs publishers of revenue, and if the publishers are robbed of revenue, so are the authors. Ergo, the Internet Archives is pirating authors’ works.

This claim plays on what it means to “make available,” and is strongly implying that this means unlimited digital copies of a physical book available for anyone to download and possess, always and forever. It would be like me buying a book, then making 10 photocopies of it, and giving those photocopies to my friends (or worse, selling them).

This is not really true (but in the case of the lawsuit, it is kinda true, see below).

The Internet Archive claims to function like a library. What this means is that, like a library, it buys or acquires (e.g., by donation) books. It does scan them and make them available online, and this does include books that are under copyright. Now here’s the part I don’t know yet: I don’t know if the Archive has a brick-and-mortar location where you can go and check out physical books. I am operating under the pretense (for the moment until I know for sure) that it does not. Therefore (again, I presume), it is not possible for the physical copy of a book and its digital copy to be loaned out at the same time.

Once the Archive has this scanned copy, it lends that copy out to readers using something called “Controlled Digital Lending”. For example: if you have an IA account, you can “check out” the scanned copy into your account’s loan list for one or 14 days. You can then read this book online, via web-enabled reading. You can return it at any time, or, once your lending time is up, the file is released from your loan list and is now available for someone else to check out.

It is also possible, if you have the proper Adobe application, to download an encrypted ePub or ereader version of the book. This allows people manipulate the display more appropriately for their needs. I think that the function of this Adobe software is the same thing as the web-reader: after the loan time, it removes the file from your device and (presumably) notifies the IA that the book is free to check out again. (I say “think” and “presumably” because I have not yet researched how the actual mechanics of this software work.)

The function of this is to ensure that extra copies of the book are not generated: one digital copy per physical book in the possession of the Archive (unless the book is no longer under copyright, that is), available to one person at a time. So, under the “lending libraries should be allowed” presumption: no revenue is being lost, no author is losing money.

Claim #2: The Internet Archive is doing exactly what libraries do with their eBooks!

Well, no. As I understand it, libraries license the digital copies of books from the publishers. So they do pay. What they get for paying is a number of digital copies that they can lend out that way -- entirely separate from any physical copies in their collection.

Claim #3: The Internet Archive made unlimited copies of millions of books under copyright available, and that’s why they’re being sued.

Well, actually the lawsuit only alleges 127 specific titles, to the “millions of books!” statement is an example of that hyperbole I mentioned earlier. But if you’re a fan of writers being compensated for their work (which I am), it’s not the quantity of books being “stolen” that is an issue. It’s the fact that unauthorized copies were available which could have, if they had been authorized, generated income for the original authors (or their estates).

And note my earlier statement about the idea of “copy”. It was not unlimited copies, as in “files I can download to my computer and have forever”. It was “multiple people potentially accessing the same digital copy of a physical book.”

So what actually did happen?

Well, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many libraries were closed -- or otherwise inaccessible to people with health limitations and/or concerns. People were trapped at home, with no access to libraries. So what the Internet Archive did was remove the 1:1 lending limitation for books in their library, calling it the “National Emergency Library” (it’s still not 100% clear to me whether this was all of the books in their holdings, or just some of them). This meant that for every physical copy of a book, there could theoretically be an unlimited number of digital copies checked out at one time (again, though, no one would get to keep their copy).

Apparently, the Archive had an “opt-out” option, wherein a publisher could notify the Archive that they didn’t want a book included in the “National Emergency Library” offering. I don’t know if the publishers could say “nothing from us”, or whether they’d have to fill out the “opt-out” form or whatever for each individual title.

Personally, and this is just me here, I do not particularly like “opt-out” options. If I’m going to take something from you, or collect something from you, or otherwise benefit from you, I think it is fundamentally shady for me to just start doing it and saying “but you can always opt out if you jump through these hoops”. I think the Archive would have been better served by sending notification to the publishers that they were going to do this thing for the benefit of people during this emergency, and ask them to opt-in, and not "unlocked” the affected books under copyright until they had done so.

Anyway, the publishers (Hachette, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Wiley, for the record) filed suit against the Archive for copyright infringement, at which point the Archive stopped the “National Emergency Library”. As of this writing, the Internet Archive is back to what it was: 1:1 lending of the digital copy of a physical book in its possession (I think).

Claim #3: The Internet Archive did nothing wrong -- all of this is covered under “Fair Use”

That’s what IA is claiming in its response to the lawsuit. However, this may not be a very strong argument. The Mass Law Blog provides an analysis of this argument and concludes that the claim fails to meet most of the required prongs, or elements, of Fair Use doctrine (again many thanks to @helenisfair, who provided the link to this article).

Claim #4: By suing the Internet Archive, these publishers are trying to bring an end to the lending of books!

This is a claim made indirectly -- by refutation -- on the IA’s blog: “Copyright Expert on Publishers Lawsuit: 'The idea that lending a book is illegal is just wrong'”. Well, I can imagine a world in which publishers would, indeed, prefer to be paid for every time the contents of a book entered a reader’s brain. However, it’s my understanding this lawsuit is much more narrow -- it’s about unauthorized copies, which (if correct) would make this claim is a strawman.

Claim #5: This lawsuit will utterly destroy the Archive, and thus remove a lot of material from being available, including its archive of US political shenanigans (particularly from 2016-2020), which if lost, will impact people’s ability to fact-check said shenanigans.

This may very well be true, and it’s a concern. There is a lot of material there that would benefit future historians (or any current people who are interested in fact-checking and primary research), and to lose it would be a tremendous loss (though it would absolutely benefit certain persons’ ability to continue to create “alternate truth”).

End conclusion: I personally think that, if multiple people had access to the same digital scan of a copyrighted book during the National Emergency Library period that yes, the IA did infringe on the copyright, and they absolutely should be held accountable. I do not feel that the ends (helping out people during the pandemic) justified the means (essentially stealing from publishers and, by extension, the authors). I feel all of this could have been avoided via an opt-in system. I am also perturbed and annoyed by the hyperbole being utilized by the Internet Archive itself -- it has the feeling of handwaving, slippery-slope, and catastrophic-thinking arguments, to distract people from the issue at hand: did the Internet Archive make unauthorized copies of books available to its users?

I hope that the Archive can settle with the publishers for any actual copyright infringements that occurred, if they occurred. I think we’ll have to wait for discovery to find out how many of the 127 titles were checked out by more than one person at a time during the “National Emergency Library”, but even one infringement could be pretty hefty (see the Mass Law Blog article for penalties).

I personally feel that the Archive is incredibly useful, especially because it gives me the ability to access some very old manuscripts, and also books that -- while still in copyright -- still haven’t been digitized by their publishers. For example: “The Architect of Sleep”, by Stephen R. Boyett, is an absolutely excellent book about a guy who falls through some kind of multi-words rift and ends up in a Florida in which the dominant, sentient form of life is a bunch of really large, upright-walking, sign-language-using raccoons. This sounds like an absolutely ridiculous premise, but dear reader, the book is fantastic and well worth the read. It is also out of print, not available as an eBook, and is contained within the collection of the Internet Archive, so if I have intrigued you but you don’t want to pay for a used copy, you can go check it out online.

Likewise, I’d really like it if the ability to access the Wayback Machine, and also to fact check shenanigans, were as readily available in the future as they are now. In short, I would hate to lose the Internet Archive, and will continue to support them (provisionally; I sure hope they don’t try to pull another “opt-out” stunt in the future). If you’d like to do so as well, there’s a donate button on their main website at archive.org.

#internet archive #controlled digital lending #lawsuit

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hogwartsfirebolt · 4 years

Photo

Hi again! This is part two (out of three!) of my 2019 drarry fic recs. In the first part I recommended ten of my absolute favorite stories I read this year, and here I am today with ten more that I also love dearly and hope you’ll enjoy too. The banner art is by one of my FAVORITE ARTISTS, @aceveria-art who was kind enough to let me use their art for this and just LOOK AT THAT STUNNING PIECE (here’s the link for you to reblog if you want cause omg). Now, in no particular order, here’s some of my

FAVORITE FICS I READ IN 2019 PART TWO

1. Of Wands and Trees - Omi_Ohmy - 45k - All Draco wants to do is be a wandmaker, but to do so he needs to understand the soul of trees. Of course, the only man who might be able to help him is the one man who is more of a mystery to him than any tree.

We’re starting out this list with this absolute gemstone of a fic. It’s got everything: adventure, redemption, cabins in the middle of nowhere, a spin on the kind of magic we’re used to in this fandom, ancient trees, passion, wandlore, Draco being forced to work for his own food, Harry bathing naked in streams (my mouth’s watering as we speak), and it’s so, so good, the writing, the characterizations, the setting so vibrant I felt like I was standing right there. Just, a gem all around.

2. Take Into the Air (My Quiet Breath) - guardianmira - 11k - Draco is dying of Hanahaki Disease. Serves him right, Harry thinks.

This fic felt, to me, like something completely different from the eighth year fics I usually read, and, having found it by accident, it absolutely blew my mind! I did not expect to love it as much as I did, and I definitely did not expect to feel it as deeply as I did. Just the right amount of angst to give us that sweet, sweet relief at the end. Very lovely.

3. We have a Problem - @xx-thedarklord-xx - 3k - Weddings tend to have a variety of things happening at one time. With a groom as meticulous as Draco, Ron expected nothing to go wrong. When shenanigans, walkouts, disasters, no-shows, and a lack of food strike, it’s up to Ron to save the day.

SO SWEET. Just so, so freaking sweet and funny and different. Ron’s POV was fresh and lovely and so clever, and the plot is hilarious and engaging. It reads so quickly that you will barely feel time passing, and I am 10000% sure that everyone’s bound to adore this. It’s just one of those fics. I cannot recommend it enough. It will be the absolute best 15-20 minutes of your day.

4. Foreplay - @lqtraintracks - 6k - Getting a raging hard-on on the duelling room floor, pinned under Harry Potter’s sweaty body, is not how Draco saw his day going, but… Well, here he is.

Mmfffff. Can barely think about this without having to fan myself, because it’s probably the hottest fic I read all year. Aurors sparring, a Harry who is unbelievably hot, a Draco who tries but simply can’t resist him, showers, a bit of semi-public sex, and the very literal definition of ��not safe for work” can be found in here. Just, goodness, it should’ve taken me half an hour to read it and it took about one because I KEPT STOPPING TO BREATHE. Lqt never fails to deliver powerful, incredibly sexy stories and you should all go see for yourselves what I’m talking about.

5. Safe Words - felix_atticus - 26k - Draco discovers his husband has been keeping a secret from him. At first he’s amused. Then he’s curious. The problem? Harry’s always had a hard time saying no.

Speaking of powerful, this one here stabbed me right in the chest and twisted the knife, but in the absolute best way possible. It’s FANTASTIC. The writing is beautiful, the characterizations astounding, and I felt every single emotion so deep inside me. It paints how difficult it is to navigate trust, how impossible it feels to put our own wants and needs over what’s expected of us, explores consent in so many different aspects of life and just presents a beautiful relationship at its core. It really is gorgeous.

6. Upstaged - @lettersbyelise - 3k - West End actor Drake O'Malley starts receiving fanmail from a (not so mysterious) stranger.

The epistolary format already makes this stand apart from our usual fic, but the plot itself is also something I hadn’t ever read before. It’s written so smoothly that it reads like a dream, and I loved every second of it and how it allowed me to build up an entire picture of what was happening with each letter. I’ve gone back to it two or three times just to experience it all over again, and I always have a great time when I do. This is so lovely, witty and just different.

7. Pure Imagination - @aibidil - 14k - An eighth-year tale of depressed happiness, reluctant imagination, and conflicted hope. And skateboarding.

My god is this fic lovely. I spent about three quarters of it clutching my chest because I loved it so much, I love these kids so much and it hit me right in the feels to see everything they go through after the dust of the war settles and they have to figure out their place in life. This is hope in a jar, it’s that light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel story that becomes a metaphor for life itself. A beautiful, beautiful ride.

8. Poor Unfortunate Souls - @doubleappled - 19k - Draco is a potioneer. Harry is trying to save his sex-challenged marriage. Everything is a mess, but at least there’s an octopus in the lobby.

Chaotic, unique, HOT!!! The whole set up is brilliant, Draco’s work is very interesting, the scenes where we get to see with Harry and Ginny are so incredibly well done that my jaw fell to the floor a little, and what can I even say about the entire buildup we get for Draco and Harry’s relationship, it was MASTERFUL. This fic is absolutely amazing and the ending is so good I can still savor it when I remember it. Go check it out, right now!!!

9. Weather With You - @quicksilvermaid - 29k - Flood. Heatwave. Cyclone. Epic storm ready to rip London apart? Something strange is happening to the weather inside the Ministry of Magic…–Featuring magical creatures, Harry wearing minimal clothes, a snarky snake, and Draco Malfoy who is definitely Up To Something.

This story is such a fun ride that can, at times, be absolutely freaking hilarious (the whole “He Is Up To Something” narrative never fails to crack me up), and at times become sweet and tender. There is nothing more relatable to me than a Draco who wants Harry so much he doesn’t even know what to do with himself, and it was a joy to read him here, and actually, both of their characterizations are so fantastic that they definitely feel like an extension of what we know about them to begin with, and I just had the best of times watching them work their way out of this mess. Sprinkle in a bit of parseltongue, witty snakes and shirtless Harry, and you’ve found yourself the best way to spend the evening.

10. A Sword Laid Aside - @korlaena - 128k - When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be. Draco has to navigate dealing with this Potter while being hunted by Dark wizards and wanted by extremists in the Ministry. When things take a turn for the worse, Draco has to decide whether he’s going to keep running or find a way to protect the world and the people he cares about most.

There are so many things I want to say about this one, so many little details that drove me wild and I want to mention but I just… I- this story is absolutely MIND BLOWING, it’s deep, it’s amazing and frankly extraordinary and I don’t even know how to tell you how much I adore every single word of it. This must be one of my absolute favorite versions of Harry that I’ve ever read, his immense power, his internal conflict, pain and sheer physicality made me weak in the knees; Draco’s characterization is also so heartbreakingly spot on that I could barely believe what I was reading. This story gripped me, squeezed me, spun me around a little and then put me upright again, and there is honestly nothing like it. I haven’t even told you anything about the plot, which… omg. There are no words to tell you how much you NEED to read this. Just typing this is making me want to embark on this adventure again. — I have no excuse for the amount of Harry thirst to be found on this list, I just- well. I really hope you like these little gems! Hahaha. If you do end up reading any of them and want to chat about them, or have questions about any tags or warnings that might worry you, my DMs are always open!!! Enjoy ❤️

#drarry #drarry fic #drarry fanfic #drarry fic recs #draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry fic rec #drarry rec list #2019rec #ficrec

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cellydawn · 5 years

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Sans is a Darkner Theory (MASTERPOST)

I know that this theory has been touched on before, but I’d like to compile all the evidence from the original post with some additional stuff I found relevant into a single comprehensive post. To preface this, I would like to remind everyone that the merchandise based on Sans isn’t canon and that though Deltarune isn’t a direct sequel to Undertale, the Deltarune FAQ confirms that connections between the two are not precluded.

I’m going to divide this theory into three parts because I want to cover all my bases and there is an extensive amount of evidence, so without further ado, let me introduce you to my completely self-indulgent crazed ramblings!

WARNING: This is very long. Also, a bunch of speculation here so read at your own discretion.

1. Sans has connections to the Deltarune universe

Let’s list off what we know for sure:

Sans instantly recognizes the Player as a human and has knowledge of the Surface.

In the conversation at MTT Restaurant, Sans confesses that he knows the feeling of wanting to go home.

According to the Snowdin Shopkeeper, Sans and Papyrus showed up one day and “asserted themselves”.

In his lost soul dialogue, Sans says that “you’ll never see ‘em again”.

During his battle, Sans reveals that he “gave up trying to go back a long time ago” and that “getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore, either.”

After being defeated, Sans says that he’s “going to grillbys”. In Deltarune, the first place we see Sans is at Grillby’s. Sans’s house and the restaurant in Deltarune are the same as in Undertale (except for slight alterations like the lack of snow and...’sans)

Undertale!Sans and Deltarune!Sans have identical sprites.

After talking with the Clam Girl and learning of Suzy, you can go to Sans’s workshop and find a card sticking out from the back flap of the binder, described as a poorly drawn picture of three smiling people with the words "don't forget" written in lowercase. Deltarune’s credits song is titled “Don’t Forget”.

We can safely assume that Sans came from another place that is not the underground nor the surface; Sans misses his home and his friends there (presumably the people in the picture); Susie and Suzy are related somehow. Additionally, we can speculate that Sans and Papyrus may have arrived from another dimension. It might very well be the case that Sans originated from the Deltarune universe: Sans is completely resigned to the fact that he can’t alter the past no matter how hard he tries. Deltarune’s prophecy is all about inevitability. Sans’s defeatist attitude might stem from this.

Here’s some evidence that is more debatable:

River Person warns the Player to “Beware of the man who came from the other world”. It’s possible that the man in question is Sans.

I’ve noticed this isn’t brought up as much, but Sans’s word search is from ICE-E’s, which is a brand we only see in Deltarune. As far as we know, there is no trace of this brand in the Undertale universe. It definitely doesn’t appear to be one from a newspaper—it’s a distraction given to kids at restaurants.

BONUS: There’s a wacky inflatable mascot that resembles the ICE-E’s mascot in the dog shrine found in the skelebros’ house (console version)

During Shyren’s encounter, if the Player hums twice, the flavor text describes Sans selling tickets made of toilet paper. Now, we know that all the food in the Underground is made out of magic. Magic nourishes monsters, but it doesn’t pass through their bodies as waste. Why does Sans have toilet paper?

Alphys seems to be in-the-know about Sans’s time-space shenanigans. In the epilogue of the pacifist ending, there’s some dialogue that suggests Alphys and Sans are quite familiar with each other. Both of them want to keep this a secret for whatever reason. In a neutral ending in which Alphys becomes the ruler, she is mournful of the deaths of Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore, but is glad that “at least Sans is here”. In the MTT quiz, if you pick “Don’t Know” to the question about her crush, Alphys reveals that she has done research on alternate universes and knows they exist. Both Sans and Alphys have connections to Gaster, who is quite prevalent in Deltarune. She, along with Sans (and coincidentally, the ICE-E word-search) are affected by Fun values and have their own Fun events. It seems a little random, but what if all the Fun events are Gaster-related? Are Alphys and Sans the two people mentioned in Entry 17?

So I think all of these pieces are sufficient in establishing Sans’s connection to Deltarune, though it is still unclear whether Sans came from Deltarune into Undertale or vice versa, OR Sans showed up from yet ANOTHER universe. That’s a theory for another time, though. On to the next part!

2. Sans has abilities/properties exclusive to Darkners

Some of the basics:

Sans can teleport, that is, use “shortcuts”, as evidenced by appearing both in front and behind the character in Snowdin, going to Grillbys, chasing after Papyrus in the wrong direction during the Pacifist ending scene, etc. Though Rouxls Kaard is shown to teleport, Lancer’s style of teleporting most closely resembles Sans’s. There are multiple instances in which Lancer stays ahead despite the Player passing him (for example, Lancer sneaking a sign past the party despite there only being one way to the door).

The door to Sans’s room greatly resembles the fast-travel doors that only Darkners are able to create. If you get the key to his room, the pitch-black and seemingly-endless walkway is not dissimilar to that of the supply closet. Papyrus also happens to liken Sans’s room to “another world”. All of the weird junk could be representative of various landmarks in the dark world.

Sans can manipulate shadows as seen through his first appearance (I also like to think that this is the reason why his “eye-lights” can disappear). This is most prevalent with Ralsei, Lancer, and the King obscuring parts of their body with shadows.

Darkners have colored portraits. At first glance, you would assume Sans doesn’t have one, but his head is already—conveniently—black and white.

If that wasn’t enough, let’s take a look at Sans’s battle in the Genocide Route. The most distinguishing feature of this fight is Sans’s ability to dodge your attacks, an ability that was thought to be unique to him. As it turns out, Darkners are also able to dodge (provided that they are warned). In order to actually beat Sans, you need to tire him out, and once you have dealt the final blow, he runs away. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

I believe that Sans actually survives the encounter as well. I’ve seen people claim that when he goes off-screen, the “dusting” sound effect signifies that he dies. This is wrong. That sound effect plays at the end of every battle, regardless of whether you spared or killed an enemy. I’d like to point out that the EXP you gain from the battle does not confirm Sans’s death. If you pick on Loox, you can get 5 extra EXP stacking up to 3 times. This means that killing an enemy is not required for you to gain EXP. I’ll also include that the kill counter doesn’t go up once Sans’s battle is over. It’s believed that this is the case because of Chara’s interference, though I don’t personally agree.

Let me also present this tidbit that I see no one else talking about: unlike literally any monster in the underground (besides Flowey, but he doesn’t count), Sans HAS NO HP BAR. When he gets hit, the damage numbers are present, but the HP bar that should have appeared above him is absent. Darkners don’t have a visible HP bar when struck.

Here’s some stuff that’s a little bit more controversial/speculative:

Lancer more or less implies that Darkners bleed, though we haven’t seen any examples of this yet. Ralsei doesn’t correct him, however. We know that the monsters in the light world don’t bleed (“Does it hurt to be made out of blood?”), and Susie’s comment (“Everybody bleeds, right?”) could be read as her trying to look cool for Lancer. Then, does Sans bleed?

It has been confirmed by @nochocolate that the red coming out of Sans is the exact same red as his ketchup bottle. This is a deliberate choice, but it doesn’t completely deconfirm that it may be blood because we don’t have other instances of blood to compare it to. Additionally, there is a mention of both blood and ketchup from Noelle: "This isn't another trick, is it, Kris? Like when you put ketchup on your arms and told me it was blood?" This might just be Toby Fox poking fun at the fandom or intentionally misdirecting us—really, it could go either way.

Sans’s mouth doesn’t move at all while he talks. It turns out that there may be an explanation for this! In Undertale, you can see the mouths of face sprites move while words are being spoken.

However, in Deltarune, both Lightners and Darkners don’t feature moving mouths in their textboxes! In instances wherein the full-body sprites are shown (Papyrus date, Alphys date, literally all the battles), the mouths don’t move either. So while his expression rarely changes, it might turn out that Sans DOES actually move his mouth while speaking, we just can’t see it. I’m a bit iffy on this theory since it varies from monster to monster in the Light World. Moreover, in Undertale, while Mettaton’s mouth doesn’t move at all (I’m going to disregard this since he is a robot) it’s very peculiar that the same can be said for Alphys.

Seriously, why doesn’t Alphys’s mouth move at all?? This HAS to be intentional, all of the other characters with a face sprite have moving mouths. Deltarune!Alphys doesn’t have one either. This brings up more questions than answers: Are certain monsters Lightners and others not? Is Alphys a Lightner? Did her “research” on alternate universes involve her actually traversing the multiverse? Am I overthinking this? In any case, it’s more stuff linking her to Sans...

If it turns out that not all monsters are Lightners, then it makes sense that Sans is so devoted to Papyrus, assuming that Papyrus is, in fact, a Lightner. No other person’s death makes as much of a difference as Papyrus’s concerning Sans’s behavior towards you. Alternatively, if Papyrus is not a Lightner, then it stands to reason why Sans is so depressed—he has no way of fulfilling his purpose. “Sans”, after all, means “without”.

The Light World has virtually no indications of monsters being able to use magic. In Undertale, it’s stated that magic is a method of self-expression for monsters, yet the only magic we see in Deltarune is from within the Dark World. If we compare Deltarune!Toriel’s stovetop to Undertale!Toriel’s, we see that the flavor text has omitted her use of fire magic. Susie is able to send out magic ax attacks, but this is likely due to the nature of the Dark World. I need to clarify that she is not the one that casts the Pacify spell at the end of a “neutral” run; she realizes that the King is tired, and waits for Ralsei to finish the job. Her remembering Pacify is exactly what it means, and Ralsei comments on it because he is expressing surprise that she cared to remember the spell she made fun of him for. I’ll also point out that the lack of magic would be the reason why the monster-human war ended differently/didn’t even happen, therefore allowing monsters to reside on the surface. If Sans did hail from this world, he wouldn’t have magic or would have very limited magical capabilities if he isn’t a Darkner.

Here is a piece of dialogue from Sans about the Underground. Interestingly, he differentiates himself from monsters, though this could just be because he doesn’t want to lump in Papyrus with them. The King has a similar line (“Show my son the monster you REALLY are!”). Monsters are possibly complicit in Darkners’ imprisonment. Is it possible that Sans is also resentful? Do Darkners exist in Undertale?

I feel like this interaction is worth mentioning. It’s entirely possible that Darkners were sealed so long ago in the Undertale universe that nobody even remembers their existence.

Going back to Papyrus, if Sans is a Darkner, then it’s important to mention that Papyrus is not. We see Papyrus turn to dust when he is killed. For that reason, it seems that Sans and Papyrus are not biological brothers. I think this actually makes a lot of sense given how different they look. Yes, it’s true that Sans and Papyrus both have a skeleton motif, but they don’t look remotely similar. The face shape, the jaw, the build, the height, the eyes, the nasal cavity—nothing matches! Each monster species look the same, hell, even boss monsters like Toriel and Asgore resemble each other. Compared to Papyrus, Sans seems a lot more solid (his gut) AND he’s almost completely covered up save for his face (what are you hiding under there?).

Their bone attacks are distinct as well: Papyrus’s have a more angular aesthetic compared to Sans’s rounded edges.

In comparison, Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel have the same exact fire attack.

So, if Sans is a skeleton-themed Darkner, what type would he be?

3. Sans is the Ace of Spades

This part of the theory is a bit more conjectural, but I think there is enough evidence to put this in here.

Let’s start with how Sans, Lancer, and the King are similar:

Their sprites have the same color scheme: black, blue, white, and grey.

They sport uneven and toothy grins, are round and chubby (“if you eat too many hot dogs…you’ll probably get huge like me”), and have a hood.

The spades seem to have a smile motif. The grinning “mouth” of the Card Castle has the same number of “teeth” as Sans. Additionally, you can see portraits of spade people inside the castle. They’re all smiling.

These three are the only characters that can freely shift between being completely submerged in the shadows and becoming visible. The ability to cloak their body with shadows is a trait thought to be shared by all Darkners; Ralsei, after all, exhibits this all throughout our journey. What’s interesting is that there are clear parallels to Sans, Lancer, and the Kings’ shadows: they conceal their entire form and reveal it during their first appearances.

Sans and Lancer are shown to be able to teleport. I’m bringing this up again because it seems that not all Darkners can teleport without the use of a door as indicated by Ralsei’s confusion. If Ralsei has extensive knowledge of Darkner powers, and he is unaware that Lancer can teleport, then teleportation must be an ability unique to the spades, or, at the very least, card-themed Darkners.

Sans and the King’s fights are eerily similar. You need to fight/tire them out and listen to them monologue in order to progress. A major theme of both fights is how you can’t truly spare them. Appearing worn out from the battle, they appeal for mercy. Should the Player fall for it, they launch an unavoidable attack that deals catastrophic damage. Additionally, before his fight, the King employs the use of silent text, just like Sans during his judgments and his intimidating moments. Also worth noting: in both fights, the battle box is manipulated deliberately to suit the needs of the Player (for our last attack against Sans) and the King (his weird stomach tongue latching onto the box). Sans is also capable of stretching the box as seen with the attack before his special attack.

Lancer and Sans, in particular, parallel each other quite nicely. They are both playful jokers, they both own bikes, and both of these characters have a strange relationship with food (particularly with red condiments).

The two just so happen to have stands to sell questionable foodstuffs.

Sans is evidently constantly eating:

Undyne: “And his brother kept making 100’s of midnight snacks.”

Papyrus: “GRILLBY’S… IT’S DARK AND FULL OF GREASE. PURGATORY OF FRIES… HAMBURGER ABYSS… ANYWAY, MY BROTHER PRACTICALLY LIVES HERE.”

Big-Mouth: “Sans is interesting. He has told me about all kinds of incredible foods. But, despite his knowledge, he always orders the worst burger off the menu.”

And we know that Lancer barely eats at all. He doesn’t think that having three glasses of milk as his dinner is unusual, he’s not allowed to eat the Dark Candy, he pretends to eat the salsa in the stump, and he has to get fed worms by Rouxls because his father forgot to feed him. Sans and Lancer both have terrible eating habits. I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean, but you know, food for thought.

Why the Ace of Spades:

The designs of both Lancer and the King originated from @kanotynes who created an entire deck of cards. The Ace of Spades does not have a distinct design.

French manufacturers standardized the four playing card suits. “Sans” and “Lancer” are both French words.

It symbolizes uncleanliness and depression (Sans’s socks and his room, the latter is pretty self-explanatory), omens (River Person’s warning, Flowey alerting us to not reveal our abilities to him, “you’re going to have a bad time”), and death (the reason for his skeletal nature).

In Blackjack, Aces have a numeric value of 1 (matching his stats) or 11 (the same number of unique pre-battle dialogue from Sans, though this may just be a lucky coincidence). The Eleventh Hour is an idiom meaning nearly too late. Sans’s fight is your last possible chance at quitting before the world ends and your game gets corrupted.

Remember that bit where Sans has toilet paper? In the Card Castle, you can see that a bathroom, the Royal Flush, is occupied. Darkners have to digest their food. On a related note, the royal flush is a poker term for an A(14), K(13), Q(12), J(11), and 10 hand. Interestingly, in the sequence before his “special attack”, we see Sans disappear and reappear at the edges of the screen 14 times (again, probably just a neat coincidence).

The ace is paradoxically the least and most valuable card (in Blackjack, Poker, etc.), paralleling Sans being the weakest and strongest enemy.

Ace of Spades also represents “an end”, and Sans is there at the end of our journey, judging us before Asgore’s fight. He is also responsible for initiating the phone calls at the end of every neutral route.

Okay, this one is a little bit of a joke. In this deleted tweet, Toby said that Sans would be too lazy for sex, causing fans to speculate that he is “ace” lol.

BONUS: Sans was originally intended to run a casino. This one’s a bit self-explanatory. Also explains his poker face.

The most important piece of evidence, however, is this: the French expression fagoté comme l'as de pique means "(badly) dressed like the ace of spades." Checks out.

On Gaster Blasters:

Gaster Blasters might have a spade motif. If you connect the natural curves of the eyes and the top of the nose ridge, you get a spade shape. The GB's crests resemble King Spade's crown and possibly the neck/shoulder part of his cape.

A GB's nose resembles King Spade's when he isn't snarling at you; this might also apply to Sans if he stopped smiling (mouth shape affects the shape of their noses).

Also on the topic of noses, Sans, Lancer, and King Spade's noses translate to the same shape in their overworld sprites.

The fog from Snowdin, which has been theorized to be either a front-facing GB or Sans' face (and honestly I lean more towards it being Sans's face because of the eye shape) has a hidden line underneath and above the nose. Perhaps Sans resembles the Gaster Blasters and the Spades more than we anticipated?

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.....

#undertale #deltarune #darkner sans #deltarune theory #undertale theory #lancer #chaos king #sans is the ace of spades #long post #cellytheory

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mangohub · 3 years

Photo

this update touches on almost every muse & fandom on the multi / @affcgato, so please consider skimming!

hello beans! I hope all of you are doing well, & this week is starting to treat you gently. I know a lot of you have been having a rather hard week up until this point, so I hope it cuts that shit out. I’m currently pinging around my apartment trying to get my dog to settle down because she’s been waking up at 5am & my roommate needs to be able to get an extra hour of sleep. my solution? wear her ass out so she has no choice but to sleep lmao. this is going to be a bit of a long post, so bear with me!

updates & info for @affcgato!

READING SCHEDULE & MUSE UPDATES:

I’ve finally finished all of my main reading for Andromache the Scythian, which is nice since when I circle back to her, it’s going to be thick hard-science novels & I’m giving myself a break before that. I actually changed up my reading order in the middle of last night, & I’m going to be putting off my Star Wars stuff until AFTER Chain of Iron ( Shadowhunter Chronicles ) is released, because I like to group things by similarity, & I should be just finishing Little Women for my book club when I have to dive into CoI. given the settings are similar enough, it feels weird to dive into several hundred pages of various SW stuff right in the middle of two period pieces. so instead, I’m going to be focusing on my Chain of Gold re-read, plowing through Chain of Iron, then diving back into my SW things.

a sidebar, I did finish Sabé’s popup as much as I could without finishing Queen’s Shadow, so I’ll loop back around when I pick that back up, & fully add to her headcanons. Leia has additionally gotten a SMALL touch up, but no other SW related popups have been updated yet.

After Chain of Iron, I’m going to spend a small amount of time updating popups for the relevant muses ( Jesse, Jem, Cordelia ( test muse ), & Magnus ), which I’m giving myself a little leeway on because ya girl is burn out from coding, but then I should be back on track to plow through the rest of my reading & updates.

PLOTTING & INTERACTION:

due to unexpected demand, I’ve moved a few more muses around & loosened the privacy on a few of them so if there’s someone you’ve been eyeing, you are welcome to approach me on discord because I honestly wasn’t expecting my weirdly divergent muses to garner that much attention, but hey! let me know, we can maybe work out some plotting.

I also have an open themed plotting / interaction call for my low thread-count muses , which includes a little bit of everyone. you’re also welcome to request a specific muse using the eight ball emoji, so please take advantage of that!

last note for this section, please fill out my interest tracker/plotting guide (found here), it makes it much much easier to keep track of who wants who, & it’ll make me less shy about approaching you, promise.

expected updates!

Shadowhunters: popups updated for TID/TLH muses to comply with CoI release ( Mar. 2, but my book apparently comes Mar. 8, playing this by ear. ) My book came on the release date, & I fininished it in two sittings. spoilers will be tagged until April, one month out from release, unless otherwise requested.

Star Wars: Sabé & Leia will be getting updates, & Kylo + Jyn will officially be added in varying stages as I dive into their canon. I have an extensive reading list, so this update will take some time - movies don’t really help me absorb world-building, so you’re stuck with my reading speed for this one. (I’ll be reading somewhat chronologically, so updates will follow that order)

OCs: After all of these shenanigans, I expect to also update/add information for Charlotte to the multi, then I’m trading Sci Fi out for Fantasy & delving back into Ersken’s lore.

Marvel & DC: As some of you have notice, I cut a DC muse recently. I don’t really feel bad about it because he was getting no interaction & I didn’t have the headspace to delve into his wider canon & lore, so off he went. My absolutely last priority will be to circle back & delve into Karolina Dean & Jason Todd. they’re both limited canon for the time being as far as what I’ll be adding to this blog, so I’ll be focusing on Karolina’s comic canon, & Under the Red Hood + limited comic runs for Jason.

that should be everything, but in the event you’re waiting on something for a muse you don’t see listed here, please let me know!

#status.#updates.

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windup-dragoon · 4 years

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I wanna hear more on the kind of parents Kiri and her princely husband would be 👀 -slides back into the Lurking Abyss-

AAAAAAAAA Thank you for humoring me. ;;;; This is actually one of my favorite topics between these dorks??? Because family stuff melts my rotten little heart. ;u; Yo this is going to be hella long though so sorry about that.

The News:

Childbearing definitely was never big on Kiri’s to-do list in life. Always busy running off into danger and going on adventures, who has time to raise kids? The thought of being a mother in any aspect never really crossed her mind, besides maybe adopting stray animals and affectionately referring to them as her children.

But with Hien in her life, her thoughts on this change. Seeing Hien interact with the kids that she helped in Revenant’s Toll, the way he spoke and laughed with them ends up melting a bit of her heart. He has such a way with children, even newborns around Doma when he’s out having social hours with his countrymen and women. Eventually Kiri surprises Hien by telling him she wants to have kids. With him. All of the negatives she used to see in having children become just another challenge for her to overcome, with Hien at her side, she can do anything.

It isn’t until after their official marriage that they finally achieve this goal. Kiri, while in Eorzea doing whatever it is she does, has stomach troubles and is a little alarmed by everything that’s happening. She doesn’t typically get sick, unless she’s in Ishgard for extended weeks in which she will develop a terrible cold, so these symptoms have her visiting healers of any sort or maybe even reaching out to friends for advice.

When she’s given the official news, she’s immediately stunned. Of course she’s aware of how children are made and all that jazz, but it didn’t occur to her that it would be so sudden. Kind of an ‘oh that’s right, that’s something that we did’ moment. At first she’s too shocked to say anything, or even move; the nurse who delivered the news worries Kiri wasn’t expecting to be pregnant. But it isn’t that the news is bad. Her mind is racing, her heart pounding while her stomach continues to feel queasy. After the initial shock, Kiri fully accepts her condition with a big, goofy ass grin.

She returns to Doma to tell Hien the news as immediately as she can, after of course settling whatever task she was in the middle of accomplishing in Eorzea. All of Doma is gathered for a festival when she returns, one that runs late into the night with fireworks shot off from the Dairyu Moon Gates and over the One River. It’s here that she tells Hien. She pulls him away from his merriment of drinking with friends and socializing, in between loud bursts of colored fire over head; Kiri tells him he’s going to be a father.

Pregnancy:

They’re both new to this whole situation. Neither really having much experience besides common sense and what they’ve been told by those who know about the pregnancy. Hien and Kiri decide to keep it quiet for the time being, the only ones outside of caretakers and themselves are the Scions who Kiri felt she had to tell immediately and some of their Eorzean friends who would otherwise try to recruit Kiri for more shenanigans. Hien is very affectionate during this time, never too far from Kiri if he can help it or enlists Yugiri and Az’hala to help keep tabs on his adventuring wife should he be called away to the Alliance or any of his other responsibilities.

At night they stay up and talk things over, to help calm each others nerves or any fears they might have as time passes. Kiri is relatively relaxed throughout the whole pregnancy, although she does have moments where she wishes Lynawyb could be with her. She wonders if Lynawyb would have been excited to be a grandmother, Eyriwolk would have made a fantastic grandpa. During these times, Hien also makes mention that he too wishes Mina and Kaien could be with them. And don’t you dare for a moment think they don’t try to send word to Gosetsu. Gosetsu is more apart of their family than anyone knows.

Hien often speaks to Kiri’s tummy, even in the earliest stages when she hasn’t even begun to show. She finds it amusing and usually wakes up to him speaking in Doman to her tummy. She quickly begins to recognize certain phrases like good morning.

When they finally announce it to all of Doma, mainly due to Kiri beginning to show signs, it’s a huge celebration. Their friends from Eorzea are invited to attend the festivities, even members of the Alliance are extended an invite.

After many requests from Sadu to come visit, Kiri and Hien eventually travel out to the Steppes. Sadu, believing she’ll get to fight with Kiri, is dumbstruck when she realizes what’s up. But instead of throwing a tantrum or getting upset, Sadu is very supportive of Kiri and asks that she visits more so she can help. Kiri briefly wonders who Sadu thinks her child will be the reincarnation of. Magnai dismisses the entire interaction as boring, pretty typical of Magnai, while Cirina, much like Sadu, is excited and supportive. Both Sadu and Cirina offer medicines and herbal teas for Kiri to try that their tribes often use themselves.

It’s Time!:

As it draws closer to her delivery date, Hien is an absolute wreck. Nervous beyond belief and struggling to keep Kiri in one place. But she’s just as antsy as he is and tires of sitting in bed all day. Some of the elders encourage Kiri to walk around, but she ends up wandering. Yugiri and Az’hala both stick to her like flies, not so much worried about Kiri as they are with Hien. The poor guy. But again, they’re both new to this and have no idea what to expect next.

I haven’t decided where Kiri ends up giving birth to Hanami. I thought it’d be funny if she was visiting the Steppes when it happened, Sadu’s tribe and Cirina both helping while Hien tries not to pass out. Magnai scoffs but he would probably faint too.

Actually being parents:

Now that Hana is born and all of Doma is buzzing with excitement, both Kiri and Hien are over the moon with happiness. They both share the burdens of waking up in the middle of the night to hold a crying Hana, never asking the servants to do it instead. They’re both completely in love with this little bundle. Without question, it’s a tiresome job, but Kiri is rarely without a warm smile these days and Hien is always beaming from ear to ear. He’s very proud of what they created together.

When Hana gets older, Hien takes to telling her stories at night. He uses funny voices and puts on a whole drama for his daughter who claps and giggles in response. Kiri and Hana spend a lot of time together outside, usually occupying the garden, feeding any ducks or koi in the pond and watching the blossoms open and fall in the breeze. As a mother, Kiri is very soft and tender to Hana, some of her Eorzean friends might not even recognize her. The gruff, accented voice she once had has kind of fallen away, but her laughter remains the same. And her love of jokes.

If Hien leaves for an Alliance meeting, upon return Hana is always the first to greet him. It starts off as little sandals clapping against the stone, then a little giggling girl jumps at her father. Hien drops everything just to scoop her up in his arms and raise her up high. She’ll ask if he brought her back anything, namely sweets, and of course he does. While Kiri remains in contact with her Eorzean friends and allies, Scions included, she doesn’t partake in adventures quite as frequently as she used to. She stays with Hana and Hien in Doma; and when Hana is a non-stop talking toddler, Kiri and Hien are expecting again.

Hana and Hien frequently speak in Doman to one another, even in Kiri’s presence just to tease her.

Occasionally Kiri will take Hana to Eorzea with Isho as their escort; Hana quickly falls in love with traveling and wants to explore the world just as Kiri does. Hana loves meeting with Tataru and Krile, having tea together and gossiping. While in Isghard, Hana and Count Edmont talk for hours over more tea and hard little biscuits. Kiri has always explained to Hana that although her friends are not related by blood, every one of them feel like family to her and she hopes Hana will experience the joys of having such an extensive family.

Kiri and Hien end up having four kids in total. Hanami is the oldest and only daughter. (Unless I change my mind :V)

Thancred, Urianger, and Y’shtola have bets on how many children Kiri and Hien will have. So far Y’shtola is winning. Urianger secretly wonders if Hien and Kiri are trying to create an army. Ryne would absolutely love to meet Hanami some day! Alphinaud and Alisaie are still in shock that Kiri even had children to begin with, but also treat Hanami as another part of their little family.

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classicmollywood · 4 years

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The Screwball Comedy Films Review

There’s a book in there, I promise! I can’t believe I am on review #4 for Out of the Past Blog’s 2020 Classic Film Reading Challenge! This has been a blast and made me (in a good way) keep up with my reading! And also try to get my photography skills improved (not really working but that’s okay!).

Okay, let’s get to the actual review. The book’s full title is The Screwball Comedy Films: A History and Filmography, 1934-1942 and it was written by Duane Byrge and Robert Milton Miller. When I first opened this book, I got a little nervous because the title and picture on the cover sold me, but the Table of Contents seemed very textbook like. It is a wonderful thing I ignored my original assumption, because this book was more of an enjoyable reference book than a bland textbook. The book is set up into four major sections which I believe was the smartest way to intrigue a reader. Why you might ask? Because it’s kind of like in baseball (sports?) where you do a wind up and a pitch before the batter hits a home run. The wind up and the pitch are the first three sections - which are Major Performers, Major Writers, and Major Directors. The home run comes in the last section, The Films, 1934-1942. The book also explains why screwball comedy is so great. So let’s talk about that now!

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant can’t believe I mentioned baseball too! Source: Britannica

So I used the baseball analogy because the term ‘screwball’ actually comes from that sport. But I don’t wanna talk too much sports because this a book review and my baseball knowledge is limited. This book really pointed out the comparison though and made me realize why screwball comedies are called well, screwball comedies. You could say, oh these are just romantic comedies. STOP! NO, HOLD ON A SECOND. Screwball films combine a specific formula, which yes, includes a love story and some comedy, but goes more in a satirical zone whereas traditional romantic comedies don’t always do that. There is usually some slapstick, witty fast talk, and some sort of ‘untraditional’ romantic pairing that usually ignores socio-economic boundaries and one of the characters is so zany it is hard to believe they are real and the other one keeps getting dragged into zany shenanigans even though they are the practical one. This is a gigantic paraphrase, but Byrge and Miller really do a good job of describing what makes a comedy more of the screwy variety. They also taught me something I should have known... but didn’t.

In My Man Godfrey, Carole Lombard’s spoiled rich girl against William Powell’s butler is so Screwball. Source: Pinterest

It Happened One Night is crowned by the authors (and history) as the first ever screwball comedy. It has most of the identifiers above, and really was the guinea pig to see if this new genre would even survive. Once that film became a hit, earning Oscars galore, writers went full steam ahead to create that perfect chemistry that Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable had and the new ‘screwball formula’ that delighted audiences. I also learned that It Happened One Night had so many imitation films it isn’t even funny. The imitation was mainly in the plot, with the whole spoiled rich girl meets working class male on a cross country trip because she is escaping something or someone and then she realizes she doesn’t hate the working class life or the working class male.

The film that started it all! Source: Medium

The irony is Claudette Colbert starred in the first screwball and also in the last of the glorious period of screwball greatness that was 1934-1942. Colbert was in The Palm Beach Story with Joel McCrea. Why did screwball mania end? Because when a war is going on, it is kind of hard to focus on the fun shenanigans that follow the rich mixing with the poor with excitement. The Depression audience that started the screwball craze just simply grew out of it and had other things on their minds. But the ‘70s and ‘80s had a revival of sorts for the screwball genre (this book mentions What’s Up, Doc? and that is the perfect example of screwball revival).

The film that was the closing chapter of the screwball era’s highpoint. Source: BFI

The first three chapters of this book are more in paragraph form, but are easy to read because they explain things with just the right amount of info but not to the point where you start getting overwhelmed. My favorite section of the first three is the one on the performers, because it was fun reading which actors and actresses dominated the genre and which ones only did a real toe dip and then moved on. If you were wondering, Carole Lombard was pretty much the queen of screwball and was in quite a few of those films and usually played the zany one. Lombard knew minor success in various genres but really shined when she was a bit ‘screwy’. Cary Grant had similar luck like Lombard, and the genre catapulted him to superstardom. I could go on and on about the other stars of the genre, but then it wouldn’t leave you anything to read in the book.

Screwball royalty Grant and Lombard with Ronald Colman. The duo were in films together, but the main one is a drama. Source: bridiequality on Tumblr.

The reason why I loved the last section so much is because it lists almost all of the screwball comedies made between the ‘34 and ‘42 time period. It is also in chronological order and my brain works best chronologically when it comes to movies (my extensive movie collection is in chronological order and my friends think that’s weird but it isn’t! It’s how I am programmed, okay?!). The chapter lists the film, the year it was made, director, cast, does a small plot summary and also provides background on the film. For example, in the His Girl Friday spotlight, the authors talk about the plot and how Howard Hawks inspired the actors to do that rapid pace dialogue, which gives everything a more manic vibe. Then they describe how Rosalind Russell’s character is not the zany one this time, but in fact, it is Cary Grant’s character who gives us the doses of zany. They also explain how this film is the same yet different to others in the genre. The analysis of the films is very intellectual and you can tell the authors actually researched the films they are talking about, meaning it seems they actually watched the films they discuss. I have to point that out because it is obvious when someone is just talking the talk but has no clue what any of it means!

They sure talk fast in this film! Source: Mental Floss

This book is a winner for those who love screwball films, want to know more about them, or just love classic film. I will say if you are not movie minded, you won’t like it. It is a shorter read but you will probably view it as a more academic book than entertaining. I really enjoyed reading this book, and because I love telling anecdotes, I am glad I bought this book. Last summer I was in Asheville and went to a champagne bar/bookstore. I saw this book and was intrigued but thought it was super expensive, so I walked away. But then the next day, I kept thinking about this book, with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell on the cover, and went back and told them to take my moneys. The book wasn’t too expensive and once I got around to it, I am grateful that Cary and Roz caught my eye.

#classic film reading #screwball comedy #The Screwball Comedy book review #book review #classic film #It Happened One Night #The Palm Beach Story #My Man Godfrey #His Girl Friday

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duketectivecomics · 4 years

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Hi! I’m writing a Batfamily fic but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of comics with Duke :( Could you help characterize him for me?

the fact that you’re asking means you’ve already got a leg up on 90% of the fandom! glad to have you aboard my dude!

despite starting & running this blog, i’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of duke still isn't the most extensive...... yet. i’ve read a good chunk of We Are Robin and I’ve been keeping up fairly regularly with Batman & the Outsiders, but I have yet to read every single appearance of his. (i swear I'm working on remedying that though. i’m just about through with my BoP readings actually so i’ll be picking up my duke live-blogs soon!)

That being said, I DO have a handy-dandy read list right here on the blog for anyone interested! One of the great benefits of Duke’s newness, means that reading for him is a breeze compared to the other batfam members (many of whom have been around for decades now, ofc)

the biggest stand-outs to me about Duke’s character is that he’s just as tenacious as any batkid, leaping before he’s completely looked, but usually able to find his way out of a tough bind if he’s ever stuck in one. he knows his limits but he’s willing to push through those boundaries anyways. plus the fact that he’s a low-key kind of meta and that he’s got the makings of a detective with that ability helping him along, means he’s got a lot of potential, both as a character full of further development to come, and as interesting plot filler as he continues to develop/hone his powers.

something that the majority of fandom often does is treat him as a Stock Witness to the rest of the batfam’s Shenanigans™, when he’s actually a More Than Willing Participant. The familiarity he has with each member also varies quite a bit and isn't something I see used often enough in fanworks. I would suggest possibly looking at those canon interactions where you can, to gain more nuance while writing. Again, I’m a bit limited in my personal recall, but I’ve seen him most closely working with Cass in BatO, and iirc, the New Talent Showcase featured a story with Duke and Jason training and bantering.

I’m a very firm believer, above all else, that one should read the canon provided and draw their own conclusions and inspirations from it. Fandom is a great vehicle for sharing ideas and meta, and waxing poetic about what we’re all taking away from it. But when it comes to writing fic and gaining a feel for a character’s, er, character... that’s something I think a fan should determine for themselves. After all, the feelings and conclusions that I’ve drawn may be completely different from someone elses, or hell, I may change my mind about what I know about his character so far and that’s okay!

at the end of the day, we’re all here bc we just want to see good things for duke. and really? who wouldn’t?

#duke thomas #asked and answered #lofi studies #randywrites #fandom stuff #I've been in a slump these past few days but i'll be picking up the queue again soon y'all *thumbs up emoji*#still trying to clean up the tag pages and make sure links work n stuff #but also I've just had my mind on bop a lot lmao i love duke but I'm flighty as fuck and switch constantly between characters i cant help it #i WILL become an EXPERT on this boy tho and that is a THREAT and a PROMISE

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imaginativecrime · 4 years

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7 reasons The Witcher series is a mess (or damn I need to vent)

Unpopular opinion time! For the record, I’ve read the books, played the games, hell, I’ve binged the Polish movie and series (because my love for Michal Zebrowski and Zbigniew Zamachowski is undying, sue me), and I was super hyped. Then I spent the entire series yelling at the TV, so I made a handy numbered list of the reasons why I personally consider it mediocre at best.

Because I’m fucking disappointed and I’ll never not be bitter about it. Fact.

Be warned, there are all sorts of spoilers below.

Let’s look at some of the issues that affected the show as a whole:

1) Adaptation is hard work - but you have to do it right

Adapting a story from one medium to another is difficult, you inevitably have to change things to make it suitable to the new form of expression and also, everybody wants their adaptation to be unique, to emphasize points they think are important, to reflect on the current times, you name it. But changes in an adaptation should make sense and lend themselves to the storytelling.

Many changes in the series were arbitrary, nonsensical and contributed absolutely nothing. One such example is the Battle of Sodden Hill, a terribly executed “siege” with not enough extras to fill a classroom instead of a battle of 100 000 people. Writing out Redania, Aedirn and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers from the conflict doesn’t seem to have a point to it, while the delayed arrival of the armies of Temeria and Kaedwen is both unexplained, unlikely and underwhelming, not to mention that it completely undermines the Nilfgaardian threat as a whole. This, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg of all the things that are wrong with Sodden Hill in the series.

Or take Foltest and his affair with Adda. It is perfectly clear in the books that after seven years of wizards, witchers and all manner of frauds coming and going while Foltest is obsessed with breaking the curse instead of killing his daughter, even the very last blind and deaf peasant knows about his shenanigans. It’s only logical, too. The story is relayed to Geralt in no uncertain terms at the very beginning. Now in the show the whole episode is too short to set up a murder mystery that requires Geralt’s incredible detective skills (uhuh) to unravel. What is worse is that you cannot make a big reveal of something that your audience actually has previous knowledge about. So why even bother to have Foltest deny it and have Geralt beat it out of Ostrit?

Which brings us to point two:

2) We all know which way to Temeria, don’t we?

Even if you have popular source material, you cannot expect everyone to know it. An adaptation has to consider people who are just getting their first introduction to the sandbox. When your lore is as rich as that of the Witcher, you need time and careful effort to set up your world. The show made a total shit job of this one. As in the above example, sometimes the show ignores that we, as an audience, know things.

Another example is Vilgefortz. We know him, his plans, abilities and allegiances, we have very specific expectations of his character. Besides completely failing these expectations (and doing a very unconvincing early reveal of his true colors), the show goes as far as taking Vilgefortz’s iconic sentence (You mistake stars reflected in a pond for the night sky.) and putting it in Fringilla’s mouth. Like did they actually think we wouldn’t notice? Or not be pissed?

At other times the show expects us to fill in its glaring blanks exactly by knowing our lore and characters. One obvious, overarching example of this is the issue of the separate timelines, that sometimes left even fans a little confused. Also, fun fact: one of my friends (who has no idea about anything in the Witcher’s world) for instance needed some time to realize Pavetta wasn’t, in fact, a grown-up Ciri, and he remains to this day very confused about Blaviken.

Basically, we are on a swing here, which is actually made even worse by another thing: bad pacing.

3) Hold your Roach for a moment

The first season wants to cram too much into its limited time and it has a severe negative impact on worldbuilding and character development. By bringing in all three timelines from the beginning, the show has to juggle time allotted to each.

To be frank, Ciri’s timeline at this point consists of a lot of running and screaming, which in itself hardly merits all the time we spend with her. It could have been utilized in part to provide us with a view of the war from ‘below’, to show that beyond the high politics and heroic battles there are burned villages, dead peasants, people who lost everything, cripples, deserters, ruined fields, and so on. Instead, we get one refugee camp of neat tents, actual beds, food and complaints about Calanthe (though not of dead husbands, lost homes or winter). Though I guess it should come as no surprise that the shock value of paint being made from a woman’s reproductory organs (that never happened in the books) is more important than actual large scale human suffering.

Now giving Yennefer an extended back story is great. But by that level of extension once again time is being consumed that is taking other opportunities away. Opportunities like giving Geralt himself a bit more background, clarifying points for fresh faces in the audience, giving characters more time for meaningful interaction. Because there is not enough time to let the story breathe and progress naturally, episodes are often rushed, choppy, and shallow.

4) Reverse worldbuilding, aka welcome to nowhere

Another serious issue with worldbuilding is what I suspect to be a deliberate departure from the game visuals and aesthetic. One of the things I adore most about the games is that it built heavily on Eastern European history and folk tradition. Nothing compares to the feeling when you ride into a village and you feel right at home because things are inherently familiar, or you go out into the woods and hear the exact bird song you are used to.

Netflix is very careful not to even offer a whiff of this particular identity to its show, but it doesn’t seem to have a clear artistic vision beyond that. Thus while landscapes are nice enough, other settings such as cities, taverns, ballrooms and the like are horribly bland in that “this is how we imagine the middle ages in Hollywood” way and look exactly what they are: sets. While one is not likely to quickly forget the red rooftops of Novigrad or the wild beauty of the Kaer Morhen pass from the games, there is nothing memorable about the locations presented in the series. (Even more bewildering is the depiction of the elite boarding school of Aretuza as a creepy dungeon with elf skulls everywhere. I cannot even begin to address this one unless it is all in caps.)

Point being that the show lacks an actual visual identity that would distinguish it from any other dime a dozen medieval fantasy.

5) My kingdom for a decent wardrobe

Sadly enough, the bland and flavorless visuals have a terrible effect on something else: clothes and armor. While some costumes are well done, there are way too many examples of the opposite. One very obviously is Nilfgaardian armor, which looks like fossilized trash bags with sad dick helmets. The fact that armor in the show is treated as the equivalent of cardboard is doing no one any favors. Please do your homework next time. Please?

Another inexplicable departure from the books and games is the appearance of the nobility, and most jarringly, sorceresses. That dress Yennefer picks out the first time? It’s literally the drabbest, ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, and the others are not much better. When it comes to period-accurate choices, the range is just so wide: we are talking cambric, velvet, silk, cloth of gold and silver. We are talking luxurious furs, embroidery, colorful feathers, bright dyes, coats of arms and jewelry. Brooches, necklaces, bracelets, rings, hat badges, belt buckles, hairpins, you name it. People wore their wealth. Making them look like sad orphans will not make them look any more medieval.

Peasant clothes also had their decorations, though to a lesser degree than nobles, obviously. But I guess it’s too much to hope that those would get any attention when queens are dressed like they lost a bet.

6) I see your people and I raise you mine

Including people of color in the casting choices caused a lot of heated debate amongst the fans, but at least it means that the show cares about minority representation, right? Right?

The world of the Witcher has its own minorities, and what we have seen of them so far is so incredibly pathetic that I haven’t the words. For one thing, they look so terrible that elves in the Polish series actually look better, and that was so not a high bar to exceed. To make matters worse, they again seem to lack any sort of distinguishing visual identity (except for the Dryads. I’m also willing to make an exception for Chireadan, as he actually looks right and he’s a settled elf.)

Sadly, unlike the games, the series also fails to establish even the beginnings of a compelling narrative for its minorities, which definitely needs to be in place by the time Thanedd happens at the very latest. What is more, we seem to be given something called the Great Cleansing, which is plenty obscure but comes across as a Night of Broken Glass sort of thing (though that could be just me). While still salvageable at this point, this shift in narrative is cause for some concern, and so far doesn’t make much sense.

7) Your villains are not my villains

Unlike the books and games, the Witcher series sadly doesn’t seem to excel at presenting opposing sides without the need to vilify one (which again, makes me worried about what they are going to do to the Scoia’tael later).

Nilfgaard is now an Empire of Evil (TM) that lives for killing and religious fanaticism, Fringilla is a psychopath, and Cahir... Well, Cahir is a thousand shades of wrong all on his own. Stregobor and Istredd are now assholes of a whole different caliber, and even poor Eyck of Denesle gets to enjoy his five minutes of fame as a madman frothing at the mouth instead of a paragon of knightly virtue.

This is going so well.

#the witcher #the witcher netflix #the witcher spoilers #the witcher netflix spoilers #review #crit #i am so disappointed in you #I'm legit afraid of s2

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corruptedsorrows · 4 years

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what do you think of chuuyaxdazai? chuuyaxatsushi? chuuyaxakutagawa? chuuyaxyasano? chuuyaxranpo? chuuyaxkunikida? chuuyaxtachihara? chuuyaxango? chuuyaxtsujimura? chuuyaxodasaku?

Heck that’s a lot of ships anon. I guess the easiest way would be to put them in a sort of number ranking and explain my reasoning, yes? Let’s go with that.

So the range is 0 - 10, 10 is OTP/intensely shipped and loved, 0 is absolute NOTP, don’t bring it near me with a 20 foot pole. Sound good? Alright let’s go!

(read more because this is a titan of a post)

ChuuyaxDazai

Hnnngh… my grandmaster of BSD ships. I don’t think it should come as much surprise to anyone here that this is my OTP, ranking an easy 10/10 ship. There is so much complexity and depth to these two I could rant for hours, but I’ll hold my tongue. I will say at the very least, with this being my OTP I am honestly quite choosy about who I open my heart to with it.

I want to explore all facets of this ship, not just jump straight into romance and smut (although yes, I do like it). More than anything I want to explore the drama between them. I want to have fun shenanigans of teasing and their childish banter. I want Chuuya to understand the shit that goes through Dazai’s head and pull him back from the cliff he’s drawn to–if only for a moment. Chuuya knows how much his head tortures him now, he understands that after having spent so long together. He knows he absolutely isn’t the cure Dazai needs, but he can’t help longing for it. The double edged sword of always being the one passed over for Dazai certainly doesn’t make admitting what he feels towards the man any easier to understand. Why should he want to be involved with the person he’s always being compared to?

This sort of depth is what I’m looking for in anyone that wants to RP this ship with me. I want to dive into the core of SKK and swim in those troubled waters. I want them to fight and scream at each other, to reach their limits and break down as the finally have their masks shattered. These two know each other to such a depth–even with all of their bad blood that they can still understand each other’s thoughts and actions without speaking on it. They can still trust each other with their lives and know that even though everyone else they thought they could trust–that may have even shown kindness towards them, has let them fall. No matter how badly these two fall out with each other, they’ll never let the other fall past the point of being saved. At the end of the day they’ll be the one outstretching their hands to catch each other.

ChuuyaxAtsushi

I WANT TO RP WITH AN ATSUSHI SO FRICKING BADLY. As the brutality of SSKK I want Chuuya to mentor Atsushi and work with him on accepting his ability. Chuuya’s gone through so much of the same strife and struggle I think these two could understand each other very well. Granted, they’d probably clash on the surface given how little patience Chuuya has for those too afraid to fight (it’s the Port Mafia way), but knowing Atsushi’s fears about hurting others with his ability and being afraid of it he understands very well. He knows what it’s like to feel like a monster, to be transformed into something when everyone else’s ability is merely an extension of themselves. It’s different when you become something instead of wield it.

I want these two to have these talks so badly, and I sincerely hope Kafka will give us this content because I think Atsushi could stand to grow so much under Chuuya’s guidance. Again, like Akutagawa I view these more on a familial/mentor relationship, but I think unlike Akutagawa, Chuuya would be able to dote on Atsushi more and be allowed to express himself in more heartfelt ways–like hugs and gentle hair brushes… things like that. I’d put these two at 6/10.

ChuuyaxAkutagawa

Oh Akutagawa… while I don’t really ship these two, I like to think of Chuuya as something like the replacement for Akutagawa. I don’t think Chuuya did a very good job considering how much Akutagawa still pines for Dazai’s attention, but Chuuya understands that pinning at least. He knows how painful it was for Akutagawa when Dazai left suddenly, and seeing how Dazai’s effectively replaced them all with ADA equivalents must hurt like hell to him. I love having Chuuya as a source of comfort for Akutagawa, but I don’t romantically ship them together. This would be more of a familial/mentor relationship and I prefer it that way between them. 4/10.

ChuuyaxYosano

I WANT THESE TWO TO GET PLASTERED IN A BAR TOGETHER! Chuuya and Yosano would be THE BEST drinking buddies and no one can tell me otherwise! I think these two have decent potential as romantic partners–but there’s a huge problem between them–and that would be Mori. Yosano can’t stand the idea of him and Chuuya has dedicated his life to servitude under him. There would be so many arguments and fights over this that it would be a serious point of contention between them.

I would love to see though… if one day they got on well enough for Yosano to truly see the damage Corruption has done to Chuuya. It’s something she wouldn’t be able to heal from how long its existed in his system. She could of course heal him if he were in a state of Corruption that lasted long enough to put his life in jeopardy, but otherwise Chuuya would be one of the few cases where she simply wouldn’t be able to heal someone and could only watch them waste away with each use like a fatal disease. What sort of affect would that have on her I wonder? 6/10.

ChuuyaxRanpo

Ok this is admittedly a guilty ship for me. I honestly didn’t realize how much I would ship this until I actually started RPing here and got to interact with an amazing Ranpo. I think it’s enjoyable because in many ways Ranpo is like Dazai as far as intellect is concerned. While Chuuya doesn’t have background with Ranpo, the man is able to easily cut through Chuuya’s bullshit and pride in order to get to the heart of what Chuuya is really feeling. And he teases Chuuya about just as badly and as a MUN I’m horribly weak to my muses being teased. I would put these two at about 8/10?

As much as Ranpo is able to give Chuuya by means of healing and growth, I’m not sure how much Chuuya would be able to give Ranpo in return. He’s certainly not the best intellectual companion, but maybe that’s what Ranpo finds amusing. He can indulge in simpler things and not have to overthink all the time.

ChuuyaxKunikida

I don’t think Chuuya would ever meet any of Kunikida’s ideals so 0/10. No, I’m kidding! I think these two would fit really nicely together as work friends–even though they’re on opposite sides. They have one extreme headache in common and it would be nice for them to just chat out their frustrations over drinks at a bar. Kunikida may just have to step down from his high horse a bit to be able to stoop to casual conversation with the enemy. I’d give them a 2/10. I’m not much for a romantic ship for them, but friendos? YES PLEASE!!!

ChuuyaxTachihara

At first I was like, ah… they’re good bros. Just what Chuuya needs, a best friend that he can confide in. And then Tachihara was revealed as a spy and member of the Hunting Dogs, betraying Port Mafia and I just tiorewihtwfoilahflidu. CHUUYA APPARENTLY ISN’T ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY FRIENDS OR FAMILY JFC. When’s Kouyou handing in her notice at this rate?! However, Tachihara’s leaving of Port Mafia, and his compounded feelings towards them definitely added a nice level of spice for me with this ship, giving it room to have less bromantic feelings and more romantic.

I enjoy them as an angst ship and I so yearn for that confrontation between them. I enjoy ships that have a lot of work to be done and aren’t smooth sailing–but there’s potential. There has to be some foundation there that holds them together, and in this case it’s that former friendship. So for these too I’d now say that they’re at 6/10.

ChuuyaxAngo

This is quite honestly a ship I struggle to understand as far as how it would work. I see how they could get on with being mutually misunderstood by both their organizations and suffering as a result of their abilities but Chuuya has so much animosity towards Ango for all that he has done and what he represents by working for the Special Abilities Division. Hell, Ango has even referred to Chuuya by his number, making him feel even less human when he already struggles with that concept so much in his life. I truly don’t see these two working together and think they would be far better off with others. 2/10.

ChuuyaxTsujimura

In perfectly good honesty I have not read the spin off novel for the Special Ability Division. However, Chuuya would likely feel very similar to her in the way he does Ango. Chuuya HATES the government with a burning passion for what they put him through. While Tsujimura does seem to have a considerably bigger heart, Chuuya would likely not be able to stand her due to her affiliation not only with the Division, but working directly with Ango as well. Strangely enough though, I do think her concern for Chuuya’s well being would warm his heart quite a bit. It’s rare for anyone to show compassion towards the danger he throws himself into so… on that merit alone it gives her quite an advantage: 6/10

ChuuyaxOdasaku

Again, Chuuya once more doesn’t get on with someone in this listing. It’s an unfortunate pattern. He blames Oda for convincing Dazai to betray the organization and leave, so Oda is in his own way a traitor in Chuuya’s eyes. However, he can also see how Oda’s influence has changed Dazai for the better, and he’s grateful for that. Chuuya’s feelings towards him went from jealous friend, to enemy, to a father figure he wished he could’ve had. Dazai was very lucky to have had someone to teach him in his life for so long. So if anything, it would be more of a paternal/familial ship with Oda and it would certainly be complicated. I’d place this at about… 3/10?

#◺ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇᴅɢᴇʀ◹ ┅ ᴀsᴋs #☈ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴡɪɴᴇ — ᴏᴏᴄ #Anonymous

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fyrapartnersearch · 4 years

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About Me: Morgan, 28, female, Central time zone

Email: [email protected] *I RP over email or Google Docs. Chatting can take place over email or Google Hangouts. We can chat over Discord if you’d like (ask me for it), but I won’t RP over that platform because the post limit is annoying.

Style: Third person, past tense, paragraph form. *I tend to average three to four paragraphs a post, but depending on what is happening, I write more. I enjoy long post, both reading and writing them, so if that’s not your jam, you should probably look elsewhere.

What I’m Looking For:

*A partner of any gender over the age of 21. *Partners who can reply at least 3-4 times a week. I aim to write a post at least once a day or every two days. *Partners able and willing to play several characters (though not all the time) to help create the world and the scenes. I don’t “double”, so please don’t ask. I play OC characters and expect the same of my partner. *Extensive world-building depending on the plot. I love world-building and I’d love it if you did too. *M/F or F/F pairings. I can play male or female, but some plots listed may have my preferred gender to play because I already have a character drafted. *Mature themes. Swearing, smut, and violence will feature in my RPs, but let me know about limits/triggers and we’ll work something out. Making sure we’re both comfortable is important to me. *Communication and open-mindedness. I love brainstorming and fleshing out plot-lines. Also, if you are no longer interested in plotting or RPing just tell me, no hard feelings. Ghosting is a major pet peeve of mine, so please don’t do it. *Face Claims. They're not necessary but I like using them. You don't have to use them, but I most likely will. I also like adding other visuals to the RP: buildings, outfits, special gadgets, etc. I really like sharing visuals, but I do add descriptions to the RP as well.

Please introduce yourself in your initial contact with me and what plot interested you the most. I most likely won’t respond if you don’t specify a plot or plots you would like to try. If none of my plots interested you but you feel we would be a good match, please send me your plot idea. Let’s see what we can come up with!

Plots:

{Sci-Fi. Cyberpunk. Heavy World-Building. Slash Optional.} My character (female) is the captain of a small scavenger crew. While on an expedition searching an old space station, the crew stumbles upon a lifepod on its last leg. A lifepod with a person still alive inside (your character)! More plotting required; not really sure where I want to go with this.

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{Historical Fantasy. Heavy World-Building. Slash Optional.} A nation of mages (your country) find themselves losing a war against a longtime enemy. In desperation, they ask for help from their traditionally isolationist neighbors (my country). The nation agrees to help and they form an unlikely alliance. This plot will mostly likely feature an arranged marriage between the rulers of the nations. I have a few ideas of how to grow this plot, but nothing is set in stone.

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{Fantasy. Historical OR Modern. Light World-Building. Setting. Character Driven.} A travelling circus that features the talents of actual mages and magical creatures. No real plot for this, could just be the inner-workings and relationships of the different people in the circus. Playing multiple characters is required, though not necessarily at the same time.

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{Fantasy. Historical OR Modern. World-Building. Setting. Character Driven.} Cruise ship full of Mages. A mysterious benefactor invites a number of big name Mages to spend a week (or more) on a cruise ship. Curiosity gets the best of Mages from all around the world and they decide to see who’s behind the invitation. Shenanigans ensue. Playing multiple characters is required, though not necessarily at the same time.

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{Post-Apocalyptic. Fantasy.} Magic has come back into the world with devastating effects. A vast majority of people without magic (Mundane) are dead, technology is fried, and the world is left primarily to the mages. Now they are left in a world that is being reclaimed by magic and the creatures that had once been myth are returning.

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*Medieval fantasy is my main craving right now.

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #long term #email #submission

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tamrinetamomille · 5 years

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FFXIVWrite 2019 Masterpost

A big list of all my entries for the FFxivWrite 2019 challenge, with a quick summary of each one, on top of a characters’ list, and some personal commentary and musing at the end.

ENTRIES

#1 - Voracious (Healing) - About Tamrine dealing with her alcohol trauma.

#2 Bargain(ing with a Keeper) - Tan’rhyne meets a traveling merchant from Eorzae and gets from ehr the inspiration to travel outside of Thavnair.

#3 - Lost (for the First time) - Tamrine has to reconsider after losing a battle for the very first time.

#4 - Shifting Blame (on the Youngest) - About some of the difficulties Tan’rhyne faced in their childhood.

#5 - Vault (of Souvenirs) - Tamrine considers retiring as an adventurer after the events of Stormblood.

#6 - First Steps (into the Light of Eorzea) - Tamrine experiencing a change upon setting foot in Eorzea for the first time.

#7 - Forgiven (Urianger) - About the trust between Tamrine and Urianger, and how they overcome grief together.

#8 - A Mother’s Love - Rhyne - Introduction of Rhyne

#9 - (Don’t) Hesitate (to Dance) - Tamrine dealing with anxieties from childhood.

#10 - Foster (Family) - About Tamrine being accepted in the Fortemps family.

#11 - Snuff(ling around in his bed) - A cozy NSFW story about Tamrine relationship with Haurchefant.

#12 - Fingers Crossed (for their First Time) - A NSFW story about Tan’rhyne’s first sexual encounter.

#13 - Wax(ing poetics and memoirs) - About Tamrine writing about her journey.

#14 - Scour(ing the land with one breath) - About how Tan’rhyne perceives the world around them through their senses.

#15 - A Mage’s Power - Rhyne - About how Rhyne uses magic to create monsters.

#16 - Jitter(ing at her first magic) - Tamrine realizes that she can now use magic properly after the events of Shadowbringers.

#17 - Obeisant (to the Fae King) - A suggestively NSFW tale about Tamrine polyamorous and BDSM dynamics post-Shadowbringers. References another NSFW fanfic of mine.

#18 - Wilt(ing before them) - Alternate History - A what-if scenario where Tamrine becomes Titania.

#19 - Radiant (Forgivan Sacrifice) - Alternate History - A what-if scenario of Tamrine as a Lightwarden.

#20 - Bisected (Toy) - Very NSFW story involving magical shenanigans.

#21 - Crunch(ing and munching) - Tamrine experiencing Hingashi’s culture through its cuisine.

#22 - An Heir’s Lover - About Rhyne’s daily life, and introduction of Sae’huji

#23 - Parched (for Mana) - Reinterpretation of how Astral Fire and Umbral Ice work.

#24 - Unctuous (Girl Cream) - About some of the details of Tamrine’s gender transition

#25 - (Do you) Trust (Me?) - Eight Calamity adventure and introduction of To’ahana.

#26 - (Encounters made) Slosh(ing around hot in water) - Various NSFW adventures taking place in hot springs.

#27 - (Chanting) Palaver(s) - How to learn magic like a bard would.

#28 - Attune (to the Flow) - Tamrine’s feelings about teleportation, and a representation of her intense hotheadedness.

#29 - A Past Echo - Rhyne - A revelation concerning Rhyne, and the differences between her and her child.

#30 - Darkness - Esteem’s Tenth - Reinterpretation of the level 50 Dark Knight job quest.

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS LIST:

Tamrine Fortemps Tamomille / Tan’rhyne Taamomi: (They, then She / non-binary). The Warrior of Light, a Keeper of the Moon from Thavnair.

Sylvie: (She / female). A traveling merchant who meets a young Tamrine and inspires her to travel to Eorzea.

Rhyne Taamomi: (She / female). Tamrine’s biological mother. A powerful mage.

Sae’huji Tano: (They / non-binary). Tamrine’s other biological parent. A cool-headed lancer.

Ahana: (She / female). The mother of Tamrine’s first child.

To’ahana: (They / non-binary). Child of Tamrine and Ahana. In the Eight Calamity timeline, they seek to learn more about Tamrine and look for her secret journals, before later meeting with Cid & co, and giving them a hand.

Unnamed Miqo’te girl: (She / female). Daughter of a retainer who worked for Tamrine and kept one of her secret journal, before passing the duty to her daugther. Once she meets with To’ahana, the girl gives the journal to them and joins them on their journey.

Brie: (She / female). An experimented thaumaturge and a ring leader of Ul’dah’s sex industry and kink circles.

A big thanks to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for hosting this challenge!

While it’s hard to write every day, this was a great experience writing so much about Tamrine and developing her character so extensively, by both putting to ink a lot of ideas that had been in my head while playing the MSQ, but also by coming up with a lot of new ones as I went.

Every single secondary character was invented on the spot, and while I’m happy with my writing, I think it kinda shows, like for instance with how Sylvie never reappeared because I created her to fill one specific role and then I had no need for her anymore. Also, almost every single character fits one of two boxes: either they are an amab non-binary person who goes by “they”, or they are a cis woman who goes by “she”. (Only Tamrine breaks this specific mold, and barely at that). I should add some variety to this cast some day =‘D (but I guess fanfiction is all about self-indulgence).

And while I had the idea for Tamrine’s backstory for quite a while, I also committed to it at the last moment (another idea was for her to be from the Shroud, which I almost went with instead!). Writing about her pre-game backstory was pretty tiring at first because I had to create all the foundations by myself, but hey, I got to write my own lore, so that’s fun! And if the game ever visits Thavnair in an expansion, that will definitely be super interesting for me (and hopefully not conflict super badly with what I wrote =‘D).

Tamrine’s birth name, Tan’rhyne, was also created on the spot (thank you to @mirkemenagerie for all the easily-accessible lore) and is a retcon! It also involved bending the lore a little bit by having the Taamomi place the suffixes like “Tan” at the beginning of the name instead of at the end to make it work. Also, I twisted the canon naming conventions further by having the Taamomi number their assigned-male children differently, because it’s just impossible for one person to give birth to ten assigned-male children, especially in a race where only 1 in 10 individual is assigned-male... Statistically, that person would need to birth a hundred children!!!

Anyway, if anyone has actually read the entries I wrote, or gave any care about my OC, then I thank you deeply.

#ffxivwrite2019 #fanfics

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