#as an add on purely for myself - the thing i said at the very beginning of the tags abt the people within being the answer

[ajdrawshq]

@ your tags on my post, i am shaking you like a maraca and yelling "YESSSSS"

i wanna see how kh3 tackles that whole thing because it's so eerily similar to what happens in the manga. and in the manga, he is in so much pain and agony, AND HE'S STILL FIGHTING. ROXAS IS THERE WITH HIM, HIS ONLY COMPANION, and then kh3 just tripped and fell on the glass table.

also, i think about this constantly, i want them to do something with it so bad.

YEA i cant wait to see the rest of kh3 manga chapters and how they handle everything, i especially loved the manga versions for days and kh2 and the way their stories were told - even tho kh3 has a Lot going on that might be hard to show well.. amano's been good at it so far tho so i have faith :]

but yeah that whole thing with Roxas is just . oughh. im not gonna lie even i forgot that Roxas was like. still there with Sora when he perishes until i thought abt it writing those tags but now that ive realized that. why the hell did they not take advantage of that!!!! like ok i get that it was more focused on the destiny trio in the ways i talked abt in the tags but yknow. what happened to "he makes up the difference"?? that wouldve been a great moment for it to shine!! ik they already make an example of it during the Xemnas n Saïx fight but still!!

part of me wishes Roxas couldve have more outward influence on Sora the way Ven did. granted, he arguably had an affect on Sora back in kh2, and while i dont remember if it was canon or even intended, that could be applied to both his appearance (his lighter hair, mostly) and his behavior (his hostility towards the organization members; ive seen this argued both as smth Roxas had influence over and purely based on Soras experiences thus far, and i believe in both personally) but Ven in kh3 was literally able to speak and somewhat act through him. im pretty sure this was meant to show that Ven was fully ready to awaken or smth like that, and that wasnt sonething that was needed for Roxas; hes alright, just needed a body/vessel for himself. but i still think itd be a cool way to express the earlier sentiment. and it wouldnt necessarily have to be Roxas "taking over" either, the manga shows very well how Roxas gives Sora strength from within and that he definitely does make a difference

to be fair tho...... whether that wouldve helped Sora in the moment that he gives in to his despair, im not sure. in kh2, both manga and game, hes in a very different mindset than kh3. in that part of the manga especially, despite thinking everyone (except Roxas) is gone for good, he still has the belief that they can live on within him. and that, plus the literal strength hes getting from Roxas, is keeping him going despite it all. in kh3 his self confidence is beyond fucked, and he truly believes in that moment that hes lost Everything, not just his friends. thats hard to come back from

i wonder if he were to remember that Roxas were still there, if that wouldve helped. whether for comfort in the way that hes not really alone then, or for motive to keep living bc if he dies then Roxas is gone too, or whatever reason, i think it couldve changed something, even if its just a little bit. hell, itd have been great if something like that happened afterwards in the final world. id like to think Roxas had a hand in Sora surviving ..... not sure how but its a nice thought. either way i do wish Sora n Roxas' connection and that moment they have in san fransokyo had more....... More. in kh3. it was a great opportunity that they didnt use/forgot about n im now sad abt it forever

#while writing this im now realizing that Sora rly just keeps going thru the 'the real answer was within u all along' thing over n over . #Kairi. Roxas. then Ventus and still Roxas #ANYWAY BACK TO MY MAIN POINT its part of why i love love love the manga i love how they handle Roxas especially #not that i dont like his game stuff tho dont get me wrong. hes one of the most beloved characters for a Reason #its possible that they didnt do anything bc they wanted Roxas' big moment to be when he comes back as himself once n for all #n didnt wanna take away from that maybe ? idk thats pure theorizing here #but also theres that mention of how Jiminy is still with him after death..... and how Naminé appears in the final world n all that..... #thats not related to the previous thing i mentioned it just. feels connected in a way i cant articulate rn #ok my ability to think is going down now thats all i got rn. ty for enabling me again i havent thought abt these guys like this in a While #god. i need to replay kh2 again sometime #kh #ask #storm-driver #as an add on purely for myself - the thing i said at the very beginning of the tags abt the people within being the answer #or important in some way...... he himself is included in that. bc of remind

[charliemwrites]

Three to Flee

Commission from the very sweet @ignoreprotocol

Someone leaves the door open and the pets get out.

Content Warning: Established kidnapping situation, unhealthy relationships, collaring

Author's Note: This does not mean Keeper/Kept is back. As far as I'm concerned, that story is finished, but this was a special case.

Shockingly, it’s not Feral that brings it up first.

The girls are having a little picnic at the edge of Johnny and Shy Thing’s yard, shaded by the tall trees. The men are chatting on the porch, sharing cigars and whiskey, far from earshot. Good behavior has earned them this bit of privacy, and so far, they’ve just used it to exchange keeper notes and offer bedroom advice.

“I can’t believe you don’t even have a fence,” Good Girl muses, glancing at the forest beyond. Her own yard is well fortified. It’s not just the sturdy, unclimbable fence, but also the monitors and floodlights connected to it.

Shy Thing sheepishly mentions a failed escape attempt several months earlier, a mad dash through the woods that ended with her dirty and disciplined. That prompts Good Girl to confess her own ill-fated getaway, a midnight attempt at sneaking out that resulted in a bruised ass.

Feral listens with her head cocked, nibbling at her apple slices. When their eyes turn to her, she shrugs.

“I haven’t tried to leave in a while,” she admits, “but I don’t think it would go well.”

Good Girl frowns. “How do you know if you haven’t tried?”

Feral snorts. “You’ve met Simon, haven’t you?”

All eyes turn to the boys on the porch. And there’s Simon, watching. Feral makes a rude gesture his way and they can see his shoulders shaking with a chuckle.

“Besides… it’s not so bad,” she muses. “Most of the time.”

Good Girl sits back, expression twisting. “I don’t want it to be ‘not so bad,’ I want it to be good. And I want it that way all the time.”

Shy Thing shifts. “What’s so wrong with John…?”

Good Girl huffs and begins picking at threads in the blanket. “He’s… fine. I mean, he would be if I could just leave. Don’t you miss being free?”

Feral hums.

“I… I miss going to the store when I wanted… or just… walking around town,” Shy Thing admits slowly. “I miss coffee shops and parks.”

Good Girl groans in agreement. “I miss the internet. It’s like being a fucking teenager again, having all my activity monitored.”

With a little more momentum now, Shy Things continues, “I haven’t been alone in months. Just… by myself. Doing whatever I want.”

“And not having rules,” Good Girl adds, sipping at the mojito John put in a little travel cup for her. “Fucking… sick of having a bedtime and chores and a fucking collar. Aren’t you sick of it?”

It’s directed at both of them, but Shy Thing nods, hands fidgeting.

“It gets to be a lot sometimes,” she mumbles, “I think I warmed up to Johnny out of pure exhaustion.”

Good Girl huffs again, worked into a proper fuss now. “And they’re so smug about it. Like we’re just these good, trained pets.”

Feral pipes up, “We could leave together.”

Both girls swivel to her with varying degrees of shock, hope, and disbelief.

“You said you didn’t think you could get past Simon,” Good Girl says.

Feral snorts and stretches out on her stomach in a mottled patch of sunlight creeping through the leaves.

“Yeah, I couldn’t on my own,” she explains, “but between the three of us…”

It’s uncomfortably simple when it happens. They just need to wait until the next big mission.

All three of them beg (or in Feral’s case, demand) to spend that time together while the keepers are away. It’s not unusual for the creatures to meet up when one or more of the men are gone. With all three off on a mission this time, they sniffle about being lonely and wanting company. That their houses feel too big and empty, that cooking for one is depressing.

Johnny caves instantly; John agrees on the stipulation that Good Girl is on her best behavior before he leaves. Simon, of course, is a foregone conclusion.

They go to Simon’s house. It’s the safest of the three homes and has the most space. Not to mention the girls will have some sort of access to the outside with the enclosed sunporch.

On the day of the mission, Good Girl and Shy Thing show up with fully packed bags, ready for their extended “sleepover” with Feral. The pets see their boys off, behave as normal for the cameras until Shy Thing gets the “heading out” message from Johnny. That’s the greenlight.

Feral has her own bag of things that she packs quickly and expertly. They fill a fourth bag with nonperishable provisions, just in case. Each of them has cash that they filched last minute from their keepers’ wallets – knowing they wouldn’t check them just before a classified mission.

The girls know it’ll be a day or two before anyone checks on them. Even Kyle is away with the team this time.

And then it all comes down to walking out the door.

The front door is, of course, locked. All the windows have alarms on them, and so does the garage door. But the sunporch…

“He didn’t lock the door,” Feral realizes as it swings open. And the alarm only engages when it’s locked.

All three of them take a single step out into the open air. And stop. Stare at each other a little moon-eyed.

They just left.

They stride at a quick clip around the side of the house and down the road. It’ll be an hour-long walk into town, but they have thick coats and each other for company. They chatter as they follow the pavement, just within the tree line out of caution. Pretend its giddy celebration at their escape and not a distraction from the creeping mix of dread and uncertainty beginning to simmer within each of them.

When they reach town, they blend into the crowds, weaving through the streets until they find a low-end hotel. It won’t be anything fancy, but at least it seems clean enough. Good Girl does all the talking with the receptionist (also a lady, thank god) since Feral and Shy Thing are jittery from so many people. They get a one-bed room with easy access to the fire exit.

 It’s only after they’re inside that reality sinks its claws in.

They’re free. For the first time in months, they’re outside with no one standing behind their shoulders or holding their arms. No one to appease, nothing to behave for.

And Shy Thing throws up in the toilet.

“This is scary,” she wheezes, eyes watering. “I’m scared. I want—”

Though she stops, the other two know what the end of that sentence was. Good Girl rubs her back.

“Don’t worry, they’re not going to find us,” she soothes like she doesn’t know why Shy Thing is really scared.

Neither Shy Thing nor Feral reply. The answer hangs in the air, unspoken. We want them to.

Feral, feeling restless, goes back into the main room and begins rummaging through her bag.

“What are you doing?” Good Girl asks, giving Shy Thing privacy to clean up.

“Looking for something to cut that off with.” Feral nods to Good Girl’s collar. “It’s probably chipped or something. We should have taken it off at home.”

She stops as the blood drains from her fellow creature’s face. They stare at each other across the tiny motel room, the weight of their successful plan pressing heavier and heavier with each passing second.

“I…” Good Girl rasps, “I…”

“You don’t want to.”

Her eyes well with tears. “No.”

Feral drops her bag and crumples to the ground, tugging her knees up to her chest.

“Why don’t I want to?” Good Girl whispers, curling her arms around herself. “This… this was my idea. I complain all the time. Why do I miss him already?”

Shy Thing appears in the doorway, sniffling. “I-I don’t know if I can do this. I can’t imagine life without Johnny. I… I don’t know if I want to have a life without Johnny.”

And Feral, still on the floor and trembling all over, just looks at them with huge tears running down her face.

Needless to say, when three rather miffed keepers in full combat gear throw the door open at 3am, they are not expecting armfuls of distraught creatures sobbing into their chests.

#cod #my writing #fanfiction #reader fic #dark fic #commissioned work #commission #keeper/kept au #keeper price #keeper ghost #keeper johnny

[libroseitm]

I wrote a note to myself on how to navigate this slightly sketchy time in the campaign, writing things down helps me think more affectively and to remember what I've thought about. As I was reading it this morning, I wondered if others would find it useful, so I changed the writing slightly, here you are:

. I know a lot of people have said it already, but it needs repeating over and over: if you feel burnt out, take a break. It's okay. Many of us have invested a lot of time into this campaign over the last two weeks. It's natural to want to slow down or step back. If you're struggling to take a break, think of it as a strategic rest- you're resting so you can come back stronger and more motivated than before.

. If you want to interact with the people who run large accounts, avoid using phrases along the lines of "I trust you", "I rely on you", "you always do the right thing" etc. At best this kind of language puts undue pressure on the person, at worst it sounds threatening. Try to stick to "[a specific thing you did] helped me today" a simple "thank you", or sending them something lighthearted to help them smile.

. Understand that while many people are taking breaks and feeling de-motivated at the moment, the interaction on your posts will likely go down. I know hardly any of us are doing this for clout or likes, but the sudden change in the amount of interaction can be jarring, and it's natural to feel weird about it. It's important to not rely on others for your motivation and make sure you're doing this purely because you want to.

. Others are not responsible for our motivation and vice versa, we are not responsible for theirs. However, if you are online and want to help, you can like, comment, QRT/reblog the posts that have little to no interactions. Make sure if you're QRTing/reblogging to add the tags. You can find these posts easily by searching one of the tags: #saveOFMD, #RenewAsACrew, #AdoptOurCrew, and put the "latest/newest" filter on.

. To put into perspective why you may be feeling strange: We celebrated the highly anticipated ads along with many of the cast and crew. That was incredible. Then, without warning to anyone, DJ put out a beautiful and hopeful message thanking us and involving us in the shopping process. While this was so very wonderful, it also turned the campaign around in a complete 180. While this was going on, the RAAC team needed to have a change of leadership. The reason for this change isn't something we need to be concerning ourselves with, or trying to speculate on. The point is, they were not available to provide guidance because they weren't able to anticipate the sudden nature of the change (not blaming DJ at all, the timing was just a bit rubbish). Responsibility fell onto Jac who has said from the beginning that they are uncomfortable with being in a main leadership role. That boundary was pushed and broken. In turn, through no single person's fault at all, things got confusing and stressful. So no, you're not weird, crazy or silly for feeling worried, scared or upset.

. And finally to end it on a high note, tonally, OFMD is a silly and lighthearted show. While important aspects like representation of various groups is the main reason we like it so much, the other huge reason is that it makes us laugh. In my opinion, this is why we're such a chilled out fandom in general . We're all here to have a good time. So let's make some memes! Let's share funny scenes! Let's be silly, and have fun! Not only does this get you posting and using the hashtags, it'll help you to laugh, and it'll help to lift this weird vibe we've got going on at the moment.

#Hope this is okay #I really needed to tell myself these things so thought other people might find it helpful #OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #Renew As A Crew #Save OFMD #Adopt our crew

[noa-ciharu]

A CLAMP ship can be divided into two categories:

Messed up beyond what is humanly possible

Drowning in so much fluff you get diabetes from simply being in their proximity

Of course, there are overlaps mostly to make the reader suffer even more when they hit you with the angst train

Clamp ships angst scale:

Since no space on badly organized graph I'll write captions under cut

Tooth rooting fluff category:

Akira/Utako, CSD and Duklyon couples(0.5 angst points):

-Look, it's Clamp's mangas so 0 angst is impossible thing to happen

-Very cute, very funny, very 'no angst' so they deserve lowest score on scale

Syaosaku (ccs) and Touyuki (1.0 angst points)

-Rooth rooting fluff

-Fluff so sweet you need to drink water immediately afterwards

-Some miniature drama happened but nothing much

-Love conquers all

Saika/Kakei and their Wish counterparts (1.5 angst points)

-couple so sexy they haven't angsted one day in their sexy lives

- angst is bc their adopted son and his bf are angsting (aka plot angst)

-fucked so kinky even hell kicked them out

-demon!angel and angel!demon

Shuichiro/Kohaku(2 angst points)

-"we gathered here today because some *glares ar coffin* couldn't stay alive"

- very cute, very sweet

-not much do be said here rly

Fujimoto/Kobato(2.2 angst points)

- tsundere boy and sweet girl

-angst caused by misunderstandings and plot

-Kobato is so cute idk how could he be mean to her in beginning. Must be bc of tsundere genes

Fiero/Fuu and Ascot/Umi which I forgot to add (3.0 angst points)

-seen coming from miles away

- side couples

-very cute

-they get along well so all angst points is bc of plot

Rikuou/Kazehaya(3.3 angst points)

-boy was clamp not subtle

-condom saved a life

-BL tropes on maxxx

-some angst was starting to unravel but series was put on hiatus so we'll never know

Lantis/Hikari/Eagle(4.0 angst points)

-canon poly go brrrr

-a bit rushed

-power of love saved the world

-is it better if I don't ask about age gaps?

'Prepare tissues, tears might be incoming' category

Hideki/Chii(4.8 angst points)

- your dick was tricked, get prepared for feels

- very sweet and innocent

-psychological questions in background

-more than you bargained for

Clow/Yuuko(5.0 angst points)

- love so strong it fucked up time and space

- idk where to put them since there's no backstory but enough hints to indicate there was some (probably tragic) backstory

- bastard man pulled best woman in the universe

-if you stumbled upon TRC after CCS, my condolences in advance

Syaosaku (TRC) (5.6 angst points)

- angst kicks in from first chapter and inky get worse

-"i'll sacrifice myself for you so you don't suffer" *processes to make other one suffer*

-feathers are problematic in this one

Kurofai(6.6 angst points)

-litetally married couple with 4 and half kids

-opostites attract

- one beated another into going to therapy

-could have ended tragic but instead it became slow burn healing couple ❤

Sorata/Arashi(6.6 angst points)

-flirting, teasing, flirting then bam - they fucked

- X couple so ofc they're have 0 common sense

- very sweet and fun couple and then angst kicks in

- silver lining of X being on hiatus is that Sorata is still alive :')

Zagato/his princess with name I'm unable to spell (7.0 angst points)

- starts off as cliche not even a couple but then plot twist twists you

- and you're on the floor bathing in own tears

-Clamp's casual angst

-'I don't want to live without you' type of couple

-self destructive

'Are you ready for pure pain and suffering?' Category

Douwata (7.4 angst points)

-'I'll always love you' vibes

-pain of loving someone who's self sacrificial and lacks self worth

- pinning phrase lasts for century

- eggs are problematic in this one

- eyes too

Yasha/Ashura(7.9 angst points)

-tragedy seen miles away

-the amount of hair in this ship, it's unparalleled

-very devoted and touching

- 'happy ending' but at what cost?

Kazuhiko/Oura(8.3 angst points)

-alright, we all knew beforehand she was dead but amount of feels that hit, I wasn't expecting that

- one of rare instances of non-chasity couple

-songs hit super hard

-actually whole manga hits super hard

Souma/Kendappa(8.8 angst points)

- Shakespeare wishes he wrote them

- tragic lesbians. Clamp pls let lesbians be together at least once

-kendappa why????

-again, plot twist twisted us all ;-;

Fuukam (9.0 angst points)

-very sexy, very fucked up

-were a very sweet couple then plot kicked in and one turned into antichrist

- you're minding your own business and bam:fuukam feels hit you like bullet train

- ending was meant to be so tragic even editors said it's too tragic

Taishakuten/Ashura ou(9.8 angst points)

- Shakespeare wishes he wrote this one as well

-proposes a solution to how never part from your lover

-you've heard about Clamp's eye loss trope, now prepare for Clamp's eye gain trope

- not much is seen about them but from little we've seen they're tragic on steroids and lack common sense

-at least they're happily married teachers in shoten

Seisub(+∞ angst points)

-it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye

-extemly messed up. No therapy can fix them

-canon but at what cost?

- "I got feelings for first time in my life so there's only one logical thing to do now:die"

- there are many universes out there but not in one is seisub happily together. Really, even in Shoten Seishirou is a serial killer

- at least we're not Subaru

#thanks for ask! #i hope i haven't forgotten any too important couple #clamp #syaosaku #kurofai #douwata #seisub #fuukam #clow/yuuko #touyuki #and the rest I'm too lazy to tag

[arcane-abomination]

Let’s Talk Otherkin

I’ve been questioned more than once about this…even have people I barely know swearing that I’m an otherkin because “they can tell” and I can’t help but feel very disheartened by the thought that someone has the audacity and entitlement to push their way into my life and try to control my headspace in such a way just to validate their own beliefs. Inquiring of my views on the matter of my own making is fine, I haven’t a single problem with that but assuming you know me better than I know myself is another matter entirely.

First of all, to be otherkin often implies the notion of a life before this one. A time which you experienced and lived in a different form. But that is not me. I’m not an old soul seeking to pick up a broken past and piece it together once again. On the contrary, I am a new soul. A brand new being that is only just now making its journey. I have no past, therefore I just am. How do I know? It’s common for old souls to be drawn in to self discovery of their past lives. The need calls like a desperate voice longing to be realized, but that’s something I don’t have the pleasure of hearing. Nor do I feel even the slightest nudge to do anything in regards to a past life. The thought seems completely pointless to me. Which tells me that there’s nothing from a past seeking to find me. I’m alone…new…pure.

Secondly, how I view the spirit/soul/etc can negate otherkin for the most part, or at the very least altar the view on how it presents itself. I feel that the soul is a formless thing, no gender, nor physicality to speak of. It’s our perception that gives us form, that molds us into something we can find useful for whatever reason. Our soul is as fluid as water and our perception is the mold it’s poured into. With that understanding, once we detach from our living vessel (death) we become formless again and we recognize our true nature once again…our fluidity. From that we can reconnect to a living vessel if we so choose and that’s where the path of multiple lives comes from. However, because we are a limitless being without form, we can take on any new vessel, not just what we were prior. (It’s uncertain if we get to choose this new vessel or not.) But I do believe these other lives and other forms taken can continue to present themselves within our minds. Our comfort of the form that life on once took, still exists within us and we subconsciously seek out that comfort again…That’s why we tell ourselves we are otherkin. A being beyond the human body we are now.

This psychic memory can be very insistent sometimes and perception, a reality that already easily fools us, can only add to the confusion. Most otherkin (at least lots of the ones I’ve conversed with) often talk about their memories of that past life and insist on their soul feeling like it’s a different form. In my eyes this only further proves my point. Memories of a form from the past that the perceived reality hasn’t quite let go of. Only when we remember we are formless do we finally feel at peace, as or soul begins to reform and shift into the current fleshy mold we inhabit. It’s a lot like trying to shove an ice cube into a round hole. But instead of giving up it’s been jammed in, forcibly making it fit which is why many otherkin describe their current form as feeling unnatural. But recognizing the limitless that we are can help us to accept the change and allow us to alter ourselves from the cube we were convinced we were to the sphere we need to be right now.

Now there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be something else and as I said, we are formless beings. We can make ourselves into whatever more comfortable form we like after we die. The astral as well can serve as a momentary burst of freedom in that way, as our astral bodies act a lot like our souls do. They are moldable formless beings, but fitting the mold you have in the physical can help to bring ease where there isn’t any. Can help to calm the restlessness many otherkin feel they have.

Now I recognize that there maybe a lot more nuances to the otherkin then the surface level I’ve scratched. And that there will be many that disagree with my thoughts on this whole subject and that’s perfectly fine. We each have different beliefs that take us to different realms of what we view as reality. And personally I’m not one to deny anyone their own personal reality if they aren’t hurting anyone and it brings them joy, understanding, and a love for themselves along the way. They have a right to live it and think however they want and I will always defend their right to do so. This is just how I believe and how I see the evidence the universe has sent to me. It is only my intention to share this perspective, not control how others use theirs.

EDIT://

I forgot to mention a crucial detail. As I mentioned our perceived reality (our perception) can often play tricks on us, and tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. So it can also be possible the thoughts of otherkin could be nothing more than wishful thinking. A response to anxiety, depression, even trauma brought on by feeling less than, or being either neglected or bullied. It’s common to withdraw inwards and create a safe space for ourselves and make ourselves feel important in some way. Especially when that feeling of importance is something we’ve desperately been craving.

The mind can be a cruel beast. Because our true nature is formless it can often unconsciously hold the mentality “I think therefore I am” And it’s this mentality we can often fall victim to, especially during periods of loneliness and stress. Our subconscious side doesn’t always consider our limited mold but rather continues to treat us as if we are still limitless. I think therefore I am, only works when in a limitless state and as I mentioned that is either the astral or death. We need to teach our subconscious minds the difference. Train them not to over fill the mold and let it spill over, creating a shape that doesn’t fit the way it needs to while in our current fleshy prison.

#paganism #witchcraft #pagans of tumblr #chaos magician #chaos magick #witches of tumblr #chaos witchcraft #otherkin #death witch #witch #pagan witch #witches

[abitofafreudmoment]

HELLO IRL FRIEND OF NICO

i have noticed that you are into discworld and would like to hear more about it bc i am interested in reading it but am incapable of getting into anything unless it's been hyped up to me enough and you seem like you'd be willing to ramble lovingly about this series so uhh. favorite characters? what's it about? themes? fun tidbits?

(no pressure though and sorry if this is a weird way to introduce myself hi im luce)

lol no worries Luce! yes I'm very happy to ramble for you. (post-writing here, this is so all over the place sorry for like not sticking to one area but hey it's defos a loving ramble - kinda just talked about vague stuff, but I can 100% go into specifics).

So. . . where do I begin?

40 books in the series, he wrote right up until his death. NOT a continuous plotline through all 40. In fact, I recommend not starting with the first one (two actually)as it's not spectacular (that being said, it is still worth reading once you're in the series, good for the overall worldbuilding if memory serves). below is a sorta ok guide to how they connect - I have my issues with it but it's the best I've found.

I wouldn't recommend starting with Sourcery, but that's cuz Rincewind isn't my favorite character - I'd start with either equal rites or Lords and Ladies or Mort or The Truth or The Fifth Elephant or just wherever really as long as it isn't the Colour of Magic or the Light Fantastic.

A few crucial ordering things - READ THUD AND SNUFF (and ig Making Money and Going Postal) BEFORE RAISING STEAM. READ THIEF OF TIME BEFORE NIGHT WATCH. Those are the really imperative ones that you gotta order right, generally do it vaguely chronologically and yeah. Have at it.

The Hedgehog Song - this is a tidbit that shows up a lot in the Witches books as a very rude song that Nanny Ogg sings, BUT WE NEVER GET THE WORDS and I so want them.

Because it was written over 32 years, there are so many characters that just like slowly worm their way into it and I love watching a character turn from like a single footnote into a fully-fledged, important-to-the-plot character (I'm looking at YOU, Cassanunda)

SPEAKING OF FOOTNOTES OMG the books are riddled with them and. . . chef's kiss they add So Much to the series. They're so funny.

Pratchett is actually just like so funny as an author in general, but wittily so. Not saying he does pure comedy - he doesn't. Many a time have I cried over a Pratchett book. He's also great at taking stuff and . . . twisting it ig into something brilliantly new - Take, for instance, Maskerade, which is the Phantom of the Opera but Pratchettifyed (New word! yay! I'll be using it a lot I'm sure.). or like just what he does with Fairy Tales in general (Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies sorta)

Also his MAGIC omg - soft magic system done right. I also love like the different approaches to magic that the witches and wizard have to it. Also how like the Creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions get [spoilers removed]

The gods man. Love them. They exist, they feed off of raw belief (Small Gods' premise is that people start believing in the institution formed around a god as opposed to the god itself and then that god like almost dies cuz no-one believes in him. (surprise surprise it's a commentary on the Church)) and they play games with the lives of men (the Last Hero). Love Granny Weatherwax's opinion on them which goes smthn like this: "No use believin' in 'em, it only serves to encourage 'em." <-- As a concept belief is not simply tied to the gods either. He does a lot of stuff about how what people believe to be true can affect how they perceive things around them.

THE FOOLS. Pratchett understood the tragedy of clowns and as such his fools are so insanely sad - the Fools' Guild is the least happy of all the guilds. I love them so much

Speaking of guilds: the Guild of Thieves. is a legit guild set up by Vetenarii to do crime to the socially acceptable level and no higher - I'm doing a bad job explaining it but it's ingenious.

Vetenarii is probably one of my favorite characters in the entire series. He, above all else, understands how humans work and he uses that skill to get people to do what he wants.

Pratchett does not pull the punches when it comes to messaging and such - very anti-war, anti-racism, anti-sexism etc. Also love what he does with People and how they can/can't be controlled (The human condition as a whole ig) - one of my fav quotes from the series is Vimes saying "They're scared. You can't expect much from people when they're scared."

My personal fav book is Monstrous Regiment, which is relatively standalone. Very good. Very "horrors of war"-y with a touch of the classic [redacted due to spoilers].

I could go on, but this post is getting very long so if I do continue I'll do it in another post.

TL;DR: Pratchett = FUCKING BRILLIANT

#discworld #ramble

[f3mcelbambi]

my essay on why this was the worst thing EVER to say to me

codenames: the person that wrote this - septum the girl this is about - first love

so for context, septum has proven themselves as a bad person for YEARS i mean several years, this is not the only reason why they are bad. the whole background with me and first love is LONGGG however the important part is that yes, i fell in love with her. and as it says in her name, she was the first girl i ever fell in love with. but i fell in love with her in a way that transcended the bounds of wanting a romantic relationship. i’d never felt love more pure and innocent in my entire life. i didn’t want to date her. i loved her as an individual. i loved exactly how we were as friends. i wanted nothing to change

to break down what she said into parts we’ll start with “we all know first love is straight and you had no reason to be liking her for this long”. i personally think this is an outrageous sentence and nobody understands what it’s truly like to have feelings for anyone. and it’s funny that from the opening statement, after already explaining to people how i felt about first love, i still managed to be misunderstood. “we all know first love is straight” name one time i have said i wanted to date her. NAME ONCE. the amount of times i had to repeat myself to people and they didn’t get it??? i think the way she phrased that as well “we all know…”. the tone is giving “duh luna you idiot”. which plays into the YEARS of bullying i had to go through from this girl because omg??? she would always try to make me seem like dumbass in front of people. trying to put me down and make me seem inferior. she was insufferable. then the next part “you have no reason to be liking her this long” first of all i was in love of her. second of all i can’t control my feelings. third of all it wasn’t even that long. the point i wanna talk about tho is that second one. you can’t turn off feelings with the flick of a switch. in high school i feel like i was surrounded by a lot of emotionally dense people who had never felt the freeing feeling of love EVER in their lives. it was such a reductionist thing to say. like WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN LIKE ACTUALLY? my reason for “liking” her for that long was because i was madly in love with the girl? like i don’t get it. it’s just such a childish and small minded thing to say. i didn’t choose to fall in love with her like i don’t get to choose when i fall out of love. that’s not under my control. and from the person it was coming from, i knew she’d never understand that

moving on to the last part which hurt me the most “the way you feel for first love isn’t normal” that sentence was the beginning of when i started to feel like a predator for having feelings for girls. i also think that sentence was rooted in homophobia because using the word “normal” is very odd. septum is also bisexual i may add however VERY homophobic (somehow). for the longest time i had always seen how i felt about first love as something with no foul intentions. in fact no intentions. there were literally no strings attached. first love would just exist and i’d be there like ❤️🙂🧍‍♀️. i didn’t want her. i loved who she was and i loved our friendship. that was all. so be told that it wasn’t “normal” to feel that way, as someone who’s quite impressionable, it altered my mindset on what was the right way to feel. it made me feel wrong and disgusting. then slowly it wasn’t just about having feelings for first love. but having feelings for girls in general. i also realised that in my high school, there wasn’t a lot of lesbians. and there were basically no sapphic relationships. or crushes. or anything. sure there were sapphic people but they were less open. i was one of the only people who were open about these things. and the only one told that they were wrong for feeling that way. obviously i wouldn’t have chosen to go for a straight girl but it doesn’t matter because it wasn’t my choice. i fell for her because that’s what my heart wanted. i found her beautiful and that’s not wrong. i found her smart and that’s not wrong. i found her funny and that’s not wrong. i loved her in a way that i struggled to define for years. in ways that people didn’t understand. and there isn’t anything wrong about it.

the guilt and the shame started then. upcoming from being outed by some bully. people constantly coming up to me asking me homophobic things for years. being seen as disgusting. my own mother telling me that it was right for me to be be bullied and have no friends if i was a lesbian. the girls changing room being a painful experience. i was too scared to look anywhere because i was afraid of being accused. when i used to lie to people saying i turned straight then being praised for it. i remember when this guy asked me if i still liked first girls and i lied and said no and he gave me a high five. told me i was too pretty for girls. this negative connotation that liking girls is this dirty gross disgusting thing embedded in my mind for years and years. then at last being told that the first time i was truly ever in love “wasn’t normal”. of course that damaged me. knowing who it came from. someone in my own community. someone who bullied me and shamed me for years.

and then ending too?? i need help?? you care about me?? we weren’t even friends at that point so that’s bullshit. septum is genuinely is so horrible. she was horrible to me. she was horrible to her friends. people literally used to run away from her and AVOID her because they couldn’t stand her. she was always so deathly negative about everything that people were drained to be around her. she’s probably the most toxic person i’ve ever met. and i used to think i was delusional for thinking that until i spoke to someone else about it and they told me about their experience with her, which was arguably worse than mine

tldr: the bitch is horrid because she made me seem evil for having feelings for a girl

[radiosummons]

Not to compare apples to oranges or whatever in regards to fictional characters' trauma, but Anakin wouldn't have been able to handle even 1/4 of what Obi-Wan went through.

Look, I’m an Anakin stan myself. He’s not my number one blorbo, but I do adore him and purely for the fact that he’s a goddamn fucking mess. But I can’t help but feel like some of the more extreme Anakin stans keep missing the point of the prequels/Clone Wars as a whole. That being: Darth Vader could not exist without Anakin.

I only bring up Obi-Wan because a lot of the takes I’ve seen from people trying to defend Anakin from any speck of criticism tends to almost always revolve around his trauma/shitty life experience. And, like ... he’s not unique in that aspect. If anything, Obi-Wan shares a very sad, almost mirror-like amount of experiences with him.

For example:

-Obi-Wan was a slave. A lot of characters in the Star Wars universe were slaves.

Anakin was a slave!

((Update to the above: someone asked for clarification on this point, and I made a lengthy response in my reply/reblog. If my reply is too difficult to find down the road, I can add that bit here. Otherwise, the short version of the above isn't that Obi-wan's trauma is more valid than Anakin's. Just that 1) Anakin being a slave is not unique in the world of Star Wars and 2) Obi-wan and Anakin do share similar traumas but react very differently to said traumas)).

-Obi-Wan’s father figure (Qui-Gon) died in his arms.

Anakin’s mother died in his arms!

-Obi-Wan lost the love of his life. Who also died in his arms. Who also, strangely enough, did not die because of anything he did.

Anakin lost the love of his life!

Anakin was criticized by the Jedi Order for his inability to let go of others!

-Obi-Wan was criticized by the Jedi Council and his peers for his attachments to Qui-Gon, Anakin, Ashoka, Quinlan, Satine, etc, etc. The Jedi did not condemn him (or Anakin) for forming these attachments. He learned to let go of those he loved when their time came, no matter what form that took, i.e. death or simply them choosing to take their own paths without him in their lives.

Anakin had anger issues that made it difficult for him to form proper relationships!

-Obi-Wan had horrendous anger issues. Qui-Gon initially refused to taken him on as a padawan specifically because he had a horrifc temper. He learned to control his anger so that it would no longer control him. 

Anakin was being targeted and tempted by a Sith!

-Obi-Wan was directly targeted by multiple Sith at multiple instances throughout his life. They all at one point or another tried to force him into using the Dark Side (Maul, in particular), or tried to convince him to leave the Jedi Order and become a Sith (Count Dooku, mostly, but also Asajj). He didn’t. 

Palpatine manipulated Anakin!

-Obi-Wan was also manipulated by Palpatine. Everyone in the fucking galaxy was manipulated by Palpatine. Anakin is not special. 

I could go on and on and on. This is just a small list of one to one comparisons, but like ... this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the absolute amount of horrendous shit that Obi-Wan has gone through, even prior to Order 66. I’m not saying that Anakin’s trauma isn’t valid, nor am I trying to say that Obi-Wan is a better character than Anakin because of how much more he has gone through in comparison.

My point is this: At no point, did Obi-Wan give into the Dark Side or become a Sith. Despite the actual living hell that his life was, he never ever ever turned to the Dark Side. A lot of people like to say he came close when he faced off against Maul during the episode “Revival,” and I can definitely see where people are coming from. But he didn’t.

In the grand scheme of things, Anakin does not have a fucking excuse for becoming a Sith Lord. Not that he (or any other Sith for that matter) ever had a valid excuse to begin with. But holy fuck, my guy. If someone like Obi-Wan, who literally has not known a single day of peace, can still somehow manage to keep themselves from giving into the temptation of becoming the emobiement of all things evil, especially in response to great emotional pain ... like, my guy, there really is no fucking excuse. 

#star wars #star wars meta #clone wars #prequel trilogy #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #not anti anakin #not anti jedi either #pro jedi #i just have some thoughts #i actually think george lucas and the clone wars team did a great job #of showing the differences #between obi wan and anakin #and especially in regards to how obi wan's choices #were by far the kinder and more mature ones #in comparison to anakin's purely selfish decisions #it's great storytelling #i promise i'll stop talking about anakin soon #i can't help that he's my problematic fave

[theneighborhoodwatch]

something i’ve been thinking about with the discovery of the ywxvoe pages: previously, many people (myself included) assumed that the audience was of the utmost importance to wally, something he was willing to jeopardize every single one of his previous relationships to maintain, something he revered as a god. and i don’t doubt that having an audience is still important to him, or that he's willing to resort to some underhanded methods to keep things on track - but in the january 14th update, and even in some instances beforehand, he’s a lot cheekier than most would be in the presence of god, isn’t he? his responses to people attempting to pry into what he’s doing or what he is are total non-answers more often than not, and when they aren't, it's because he straight up ignores them. even in the (very likely) event that said cheekiness is unintentional, the few times he verbally acknowledges the audience in the ywxvoe pages, his tone is more conspiratorial than anything else. he clearly holds some genuine fondness for the audience; they are the tenth neighbor, after all. but he seems to treat them as more of an accomplice than as a figure of worship.

home, though? wally absolutely worships home on some level.

he sings to them, takes it upon himself to interpret their creaks and bangs, writes for them when they cannot. according to stream trivia, the closest thing the neighbors have to a common spiritual belief is that every house is alive, with home being the apex of that vitality. one of the first easter eggs ever made for the site is wally on his knees with one arm outstretched to home's watchful eye, who looks down at him through the cross of their window frame. not only does the visitor get the impression that they're more of a co-conspirator than a figure of worship throughout the january 14th update; they begin to get the idea of what - or rather, who - wally's actual top priority is: home. the character, the place, the very concept - does it matter, when there seems to be such little distinction between them?

of course, not all of wally's behavior towards home has to stem from idolization. it's natural to want to make sure the people you care about are comfortable, and to help them with things they might struggle with, which brings me to my next point: welcome home itself may be shrouded in mystery and foreboding, but the relationships between the characters on the show so far feel remarkably genuine, even from what little glimpses of them we see in behind the scenes material or in how clown talks about them. in contrast to its pre-2020 incarnation, where every piece was something vaguely to overtly ominous accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek caption (and don't get me wrong, i love that shit, too) post-2020 it feels like for every piece of horror art clown puts out, there's five more of the cast just hanging out and having a good time. even in the case of barnaby, where his character bio implies that him and wally being best friends was something that had to be continuously reinforced, the way clown himself talks about their friendship from time to time seems to suggest that they at least know each other on a level that the other neighbors do not. the sweeter elements of welcome home being treated with just as much sincerity as its dark underbelly do little to diminish the dread of waiting for the other shoe to drop, though; if anything, i think it adds a lot more than it would if we had instead gotten the impression that the neighbors were essentially just coworkers before The Bullshit kicks in.

to get into purely speculative territory, i don't even think wally's relationships are the only examples we could be getting of this. really, i think it's something with the potential to apply to the whole town, but let's narrow it down to one other example and take a look at, say, julie and frank. their friendship certainly seems a lot more organic compared to wally and barnaby's, both in their character bios and in behind the scenes/social media. at the same time, clown has said in multiple livestreams that they were designed as a "couple", albeit with oddly vague wording. by contrast, one of the only things about frank's other relationships that seems to be set in stone is that he and eddie become romantically involved at some point. these two observations in conjunction with each other already raise some concerns, but add in the fact that we currently have no reason to believe frank and julie's friendship isn't genuine and suddenly it's like watching a car crash in slow motion. how do you begin to reconcile the fact that you were created to both bring out the best in someone and keep each other shackled to someone else's incomprehensible idea of normalcy? how can you be so sure that the other isn't just following a script once you find out? how do you carry on like nothing’s changed when suddenly every good memory you two have shared can be taken as sign of admission that the people responsible for your situation were right all along? or as an invalidation of your other relationships? you could try to sidestep all of this entirely and just keep being friends - but how do you know there won't be consequences for that, or if you even can? you're just a couple of puppets, after all.

and that's just one way to tie those two pieces of information together. one speculation for one subplot out of who knows how many; like i said, i'm not the one writing welcome home. when/if we get to any of the points i've mentioned in the above paragraphs, there's a huge possibility that they will look very different from what i've described. but i think that that no matter what form it takes, the base idea of the Horrors of welcome home being amplified by the fact that at the center of this is a group of people who genuinely care (or, at least, cared at some point) for one another will remain. something something hell is other people but so is heaven. or whatever.

#welcome home #wh speculation #public notice #i've got a few asks in the inbox still #i'll get to those tomorrow. i just wanted a non-ask post first

[rozieramati]

Do you ever worry about being so active as a diy artist on social media? Like, that it deprives you of the mystique that artists of past generations have thrived off of? Also what advice do you have for someone who struggles to cry

this is something i think about a lot. i have tons to say on it.

the answer is sometimes, but then i remember all the artists that became famous off of myspace and how everyone forgot. frank ocean used to be active on twitter and tumblr, the weeknd, tyler the creator used to troll the internet incessantly, but people forgot. tyler especially, i feel like maintains a sense of mystique and public- perception renewal despite his past.

i view it like this, people can have access to this time in my life, in the small ways i allow them to, for the sake of the music and being able to create a career in my favor. the industry is terrible right now. the only way to generate any fan base is if you're rich and have connections, or if you find a way to promote your stuff on social media.

regardless i think generally people forget. i also see this time of my career as an opportunity to be as active as possible before i can't anymore. i haven't released a project yet and only started releasing music last year. i'm a baby in the grand scheme of things, i have the rest of my life to be mysterious. though, i think the first step in ruining mystique is trying to be mysterious in the first place.

it's pretty interesting though, despite putting myself online people still seem to maintain that i'm a "mysterious" person in real life. i don't know what makes me mysterious to the people i meet. social media, to me at least, is very un-real. no one knows the real me even though i am online so much. i do keep a lot to myself. i think if anyone wanted to get to know me i would have to write them letters consecutively, or they would have to read my diaries, or listen to my album with the deep intent to understand me. even still, i've only been around one or two people in my life that i feel like really know me.

mystique is more of a natural energy that one gives off, in my opinion. anyone can create mystique simply by inviting confusion into the equation. most of the songs on my album are pretty experimental and forward-thinking. that mixed with the social media presence tends to confuse people. i could very easily shut up online and instead assume a position of importance. but i really don't care to, at least not right now. the reason i make music at all is to connect with people. i think the only way to real true success is to give to the people who are the foundation, the people at the beginning. my beginning is now, so i intend to give now.

when artists get so caught up in being mysterious, i find it's more of an ego battle than it is anything else. the people that had a mystique in the past gained it by pure circumstance, and usually at the expense of their art. exhibit A: jai paul's first album being leaked. exhibit B: frank ocean having to release his first album, nostalgia ultra, for free because his label wouldn't clear the samples (which generated chatter.) it was never on purpose. artists these days are so caught up in being mysterious that it often brings them away from putting themselves out there, thus ruining their chance at achieving anything at all. you have to put yourself out there whether you like it or not. frank ocean would take action behind the scenes from what i know. he was a socialite, out at events and networking.

mystery comes with a price. i think once it's all said and done though, my digital footprint will contribute to a mystique in a way. i've had many phases on the internet. people re-discovering it all, if they do, will only add to the lore and make things more interesting.

if you struggle to cry, write a two page diary entry everyday for a week. write the most horrible things you can entertain, everything you hate about yourself, everything you hate about your parents, family, childhood, past friends or partners, write about everything you wish was different in your life. then, on the seventh day, chop five onions, wipe your eyes with the residue, and read it all back to yourself.

[marimbles]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @jattendschaton<3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

29

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

283,369

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mostly miraculous ladybug and a bit of owl house! potentially a couple others in the future

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Why Are You Like This?

tell me something i don't know

lucky (we're in love in every way)

some truths are loyal (as the shadows we lead)

two idiots and a hamster

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try to! it means a lot to me that people would go out of their way to leave their thoughts. sometimes it's a bit hard to keep up on multichaps though if the updates are frequent enough so i really fell off the bandwagon and currently live in shame with an overflowing inbox;; trying to do better from now on!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

tbh i don't really do angsty endings bc i want the ending to be happy lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

like i said, all my fics have a happy ending but i think lucky is probably the most like extra-fluffy happy ending. and then tell me something i don't know is probably the most cathartic happy ending purely for the dramatic 100k+ buildup lol.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really, no! maybe a sort of disappointed comment here and there

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nope and i don't read it either haha

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

nah

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

haha i hope not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

a few in russian and one in spanish (the beginning of it, at least)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yep! @botherkupo was my collab partner for two idiots and a hamster and i had a blast writing with her!! kim is such a good writer and sooo clever and funny so it was really fun to try to match her energy and bounce ideas off each other to make it as silly as possible

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

love square and in particular marichat is my weakness<3 also big shoutout to huntlow. and also zelink. and also recently tamaharu. aklsjf

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

at this point im not sure i will ever come back to i wanna tell you (but i don't know how) … it's an owl house fic that i started during season 3 but the direction i had planned doesn't feel very relevant anymore now that the show is over

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think dialogue bc i really enjoy writing it and it typically comes most easily to me! i would consider humor a strength too bc i have a very good time being silly

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

big one is speed. I'm just very slow 😔 the writing process is fairly painstaking for me, and it takes a lot of time and effort even to write things that are pretty short and simple! agonies

for the writing itself, i consider myself a pretty simple writer with a pretty simple writing style—which works well for me most of the time, especially since I tend to lean toward humor. but sometimes it feels like a weakness when i read a story with really rich, beautiful prose and i wish i could emulate that a bit more! when i'm trying for something with a more serious tone it takes a lot more effort for me to convey the appropriate level of depth I'm going for and i worry about going overboard and coming off as overwrought or cheesy sounding lol. along the same vein i feel sometimes that my characterization is a bit two-dimensional and i find myself wishing i could add more levels and depth to the characters. there's just a lot i try to balance in my writing and i don't feel like im quite striking that balance every time. which is fine because no one's perfect ofc! i hope this is all stuff i can learn to be better at.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i generally prefer keeping everything in english since im writing in english. it just feels a bit smoother for the POV if there would be no distinction for the character, and i don't want people to be pulled out of the story if they need to google something

19. First fandom you wrote for?

hunger games, i think

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

tell me something i don't know C:

tagging (if you want to!): @fairytales-and-folklore @lollytea @bahbahhh @sha-nwa @botherkupo @taliaxlatia (or whatever blog u wanna do it on lol)

#tag game #mine

[ncisfranchise-source]

It’s almost hard to believe, but the NCISverse reaches quite the milestone with the April 15 episode of the mothership, and to celebrate that, Entertainment Tonight put together NCISverse: The First 1,000.

The special both looks back at the very beginnings of NCIS—introduced as a two-parter on JAG—as well as the spinoffs that already exist, and ahead to the 1,000th episode itself and the two new shows still to come (the prequel Origins and the not-yet-titled Tony and Ziva series set in Europe). NCIS is currently in its 21st season and Hawai’i its third. Sydney is coming back for a second. Los Angeles aired 14 seasons, while New Orleans ended after seven.

Below, we’ve rounded up all the fun reveals from the special.

Cast’s Most Shocking Moments

Over the years and across the shows, there have been some unbelievable moments, from deaths to big relationship steps to major returns. And just like fans, the stars have the ones that surprised them the most.

Both Sean Murray (McGee) and Brian Dietzen (Dr. Palmer) name Kate’s (Sasha Alexander) death at the end of Season 2. “No one saw it coming—except if you go back and you look at the actual footage, you see Michael Weatherly [flinch] before she gets shot because he knows a burst of blood is about to hit his face,” Dietzen adds.

CBS

Rocky Carroll (Vance) says his character’s wife being killed off, while Noah Mills (Jesse) points to Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) getting her arm broken in the Hawai’i Season 2 finale.

For Diona Reasonover (Kasie), hers is probably the same as many fans’: Ziva’s (Cote de Pablo) return in the Season 16 finale after she’d been presumed dead. “They didn’t tell me. I found out with America, and boy was I surprised,” Reasonover recalls. “I literally pulled the script up on my phone and was like, ‘That’s not supposed to happen.’”

Mark Harmon Made It All Possible

ET‘s Kevin Frazier, who hosts the special notes, “None of it would have been possible without the distinguished service of this man, who seemed to know right from the start just where the series was going.”

Gary Cole, whose Parker has taken as team leader following Harmon’s Gibbs retiring to Alaska, says, “He’s the reason the show got on the air, pure and simple. Solid movie career going. He was a go-to series lead actor.”

Weatherly (Tony) recalls the first thing Harmon said to him: “‘You eat lunch with the crew.’ And it wasn’t a question.”

In a 2003 interview, shown during the special, Harmon said, “This show will work as a team or go down as a team, and that’s how I’ve always looked at it.” (We’ve seen how true that is over the years with the various cast changes.)

NCIS‘ Early Days, Starting With JAG

Weatherly notes that he did over 300 episodes of the mothership (he’ll be returning in the upcoming Paramount+ spinoff about Tony and Ziva) and what stuck with him from his first day on set. “In the middle of my first paragraph, [creator] Don Bellisario walked onto the set and said, ‘What are you doing, modeling? Don’t just stand there. Surprise me! Entertain me!’ and I just changed my simple thing, which was I didn’t care who found me entertaining. I just entertained myself, and I’ve been doing that ever since.”

Two JAG Season 8 episodes introduced the characters of Gibbs, Tony, Ducky (the late David McCallum), and Abby (Pauley Perrette), who would go on to be part of NCIS. They were joined by Robyn Lively as Vivian Blackadder, who didn’t make it to NCIS—and is the role that Jennifer Aniston had been considered for. (Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Bacon, Andrew McCarthy, and Patrick Swayze‘s names were all brought up to possibly play Gibbs.)

Harmon reveals that his character almost had a different name. “I read Leroy Jethro Gibbs and I said, ‘Wow, I like that name.’ Then for a brief second when I’d decided I really liked the idea and the project, the name changed. All of a sudden it was Bob Johnson or something like that,” he shares. “I just went, ‘What? No, it’s gotta be Leroy Jethro Gibbs,’ and the creator said, ‘No, you can’t play a guy named Leroy Jethro Gibbs.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ Then it went back, so I was happy about that.”

Originally, NCIS was pitched as Law & Order in the navy, half case and half courtroom, according to Frazier. But the investigation part tested best with audiences, who were also impressed with Harmon.

“Because it was two episodes of JAG, it wasn’t really a proper pilot,” says Weatherly. “And even when we started airing, they called it Navy NCIS, which is Navy Naval Criminal Investigative Service. You can’t make that up.”

Remembering David McCallum

NCIS Season 21 paid tribute to McCallum and his character with its second episode, which saw a surprise return from Weatherly, reprising his role as Tony. “That was a very emotional day, seeing everybody,” Weatherly says. “Not a dry eye on that set.”

According to Carroll, “David McCallum was 70 years old when the series started, 21 years ago. And the story goes he told his wife, ‘I’m 70 years old. What if this show goes seven years? That’s a long time.’ And he ended up being with the show for 20 seasons.”

What’s to Come in Episode 1,000, Prequel Origins & Tiva Spinoff

First of all, the good thing about the ever-growing franchise is that characters from shows that ended could easily come back; LA‘s LL COOL J is currently recurring in Hawai’i Season 3. Eric Christian Olsen (Deeks on LA) does point out in the special, “I’ve always said that Marty Deeks ain’t dead. I think there’s plenty of room for these characters to come back.” And Harmon acknowledges that he’s asked “a lot” about returning.

Harmon is returning to the franchise, in a way—as narrator and executive producer on the prequel Origins, following Gibbs beginning in 1991 as he starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.

“I think seeing Gibbs coming up as a young guy is going to be fantastic,” says Murray. Weatherly suggests, “maybe Mark Harmon can play Gibbs’ father.”

As for the Tony and Ziva spinoff coming to Paramount+, they’ve been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them, and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

“Cote de Pablo and I are also getting ready. Moving to Budapest for the summer of 2024, and it is Tony and Ziva now trying to raise their tween daughter and save the world. What could go wrong?” Weatherly asks. “We’re incredibly happy to be making something for the streaming platform because it gives you a little bit more latitude and shooting overseas.”

But first, there’s the 1,000th episode of the franchise, NCIS‘ “A Thousand Yards,” NCIS comes under attack by a mysterious enemy from the past. Also, Vance tries to mend fences with his estranged son by explaining why, despite the ongoing dangers of his job, he still chooses to stay at NCIS.

“All of NCIS is suddenly put under attack, so now you get to see NCIS: Hawai’i, NCIS: LA, NCIS: Sydney coming in to help,” teases Katrina Law (Knight). We already know Lachey and LA‘s Daniela Ruah (Kensi) are guest starring.

#ncis #ncis la #ncis hawaii

[decepti-thots]

I'm having mild A Few Days (Or So) Later Anxiety™ and wanted to add a disclaimer to my comment on the post where you talked about MTMtE/LL being regarded as fanfiction about how I defo think its done to de-legitimize official works (purposefully or not), but that I defo don't think fanfiction isn't a legitimate form of art/writing also? I dunno, I probably have nothing to worry about, but anxiety is Like That sometimes haha. (that said though, your thoughts that you mentioned would be interesting to see I think!)

Haha, well, I'm the one who made the post, so nothing to worry about there, I promise! I don't think you came across as dismissive of fic at all. As you say, talking about how that's why people use that 'accusation' doesn't necessarily mean you agree with the underlying logic.

As for my thoughts…

One thing that frustrates me whenever I try and discuss this is actually something you hit on the head here I think inadvertently- people who write fanfiction (like myself!) often tend to respond with a kneejerk reaction whenever someone says [xyz] isn't fanfic, because we assume, often incorrectly, they must mean 'it's Too Good to be fanfiction'. But that's not the case! Fanfic is as unique as any form of creative work, and saying something like MTMTE isn't fanfic is no more an insult to fanfic than, say, pointing out the Mona Lisa isn't a watercolour painting is an insult to watercolour artists. It's just an observation around what a work is or is not.

I get it- fanfic is often very specifically looked down on just for being fanfic, and we tend to get defensive over things we care about. I've been writing fanfic since I was eight, so over two decades now; it's a huge part of my life and one I don't like people to be unfairly dismissive of. But one of the things which I love about fanfic is that it does certain specific things that other mediums don't or often even can't, and I think describing every bit of remotely transformative work as 'fanfic' really robs us of that nuance.

MTMTE is not 'officially published fanfic' because it is subject to certain editorial requests and constraints that fanfic just… isn't. And this fact massively impacts how it unfolds as a work. The fact CDRW only gradually reveal themselves as a romantic couple is a very blatant example of this. Roberts had to ask IDW's permission to have gay characters. Who in turn had to ask Hasbro's permission. The result is a very gradual amping up of the subtext, and that means the serialized storytelling functions differently than if MTMTE was just his fanwork or whatever. The annotated scripts and notebooks he's given us make all of this very clear- there are numerous points where he's like, 'and then Barber asked me to cut this', etc. In turn, MTMTE received editorial scrutiny and support no fic is likely to, even with the most dedicated beta reader, and is in conversation with other writers' ideas in ways that it can use to its advantage. It is a different comic than a fancomic might be in ways that relate to it being published, and what the process of publishing a comic looks like.

But even beyond that, there are things like what I brought up in that post about 'original characters', for example. In fanfic, the understanding is that OCs are an indulgence in most cases on the part of the author. This isn't always true- but often it is! And that's a good thing, because fanfic is something people should enjoy and be self-indulgent with. But like. In a work like MTMTE, characters like Rung are not introduced purely because the author wants to make a mark on a pre-existing canon or insert themself into the story. They are usually introduced because they are needed narratively speaking. Rung is required for the narrative that Roberts has planned from the very beginning, and he cannot be a pre-existing character within that framework without it fundamentally changing the way the story reads. Similar to, say, characters like Tarn. So when people talk about these characters like they're OCs he somehow snuck into Real Transformers Canon TM, we lose a lot of interesting discussion about what those characters do as pieces of the story, because the assumption becomes 'they are there because Roberts wanted to make his OCs canon'.

And finally, we have this odd feeling that somehow MTMTE isn't 'real' Transformers canon because even its fans treat it like fanfiction turned official and see just the 'fanfic' part of that idea, not the 'official' bit. So suddenly, the only way any of it can be implicitly legitimized is by having stuff show up elsewhere. Like hey, Tarn showing up in Cyberverse was GREAT, but Tarn was a 'real Transformers character' before that. Y'know? Again, fanfic NOT being 'real canon' is literally a part of what makes it great- fanfic, far from being lessened by its non-canonicity, is enriched by the way that changes how it reads to its audience contextually and what it can do. But trying to read MTMTE through that lens makes no sense, and tbh, it feels very much like people are being almost… defensive about liking it in a way I find unnecessary and self-defeating.

And it is reeeeeal telling to me that exRiD does not get this treatment. Aileron is not 'Barber's OC', people do not hedge their bets on its appeal to the broader TF fanbase. You know? Some combination of knowing Roberts used to write fanfic and its content being seen as somehow 'fanfic like' (read: character driven and heavily interested in romance and interpersonal relationships) drives us more towards that view for MTMTE as a fandom.

And just to finish off: I've read a lot more of Roberts' fic than a lot of people in this fandom, I suspect. I can tell you right now, his fanfic and his MTMTE work honestly… don't overlap that much. There are things you can point to, but MTMTE is a completely different ballgame in almost every way. I know it's beating a dead horse and this point to say, but one would not necessarily recommend Eugenesis, for example, to a MTMTE fan. To put it lightly.

[oonajaeadira]

ADIRA DID U WATCH THE FIRST EP OF TLOU

Hey there, frand!

I didn't actually play the game--I am not really good at games that require a lot of stealth and aim. Add in a horror element and I lock up real hard. But my SO played it and I watched a good portion of that. And then when I heard Pedro got the role I watched the cut scenes. @something-tofightfor clued me in that a lot of the story actually takes place during the gameplay, that there's a lot of things said or done that really cement the characters' bond, so I watched an entire playthrough. (I also watched a TLOU II playthrough, but I have a lot of issues with it, so if I ever write fic, that second one will not exist for me.)

So I knew what was going on. And it's been really fun having folks around me at all levels of experience with these characters. The SO has spent hours with them in the game (and I believe he's played it twice), and my BFF knows almost nothing. Hearing both of their reactions to the first episode has been very interesting. And, of course, knowing how much this show overlaps loves for Rachael (something-tofightfor) and watching her enjoy this all come to life has been a fkn joy.

My own reaction? Has been puzzling. Thank you for asking my opinion, because it gives me a moment to dissect and figure out why I'm feeling the way I am.

I will start off by saying that I love the show. I love the aesthetic and the acting. I love the changes they made and think there are some clever enhancements to the story. I wasn't looking forward to Tess but I am surprised at how much I love her character in this show and how much her character enhances both Joel and Ellie's. Bella of course is brilliant and is Ellie.

Weirdly, the issue I'm having is with Pedro. Kind of.

(cut for minor spoils)

He is rocking it. He is amazing. Like everyone says, he is doing award-worthy work.

But I'm not connecting. I'm not falling in love. And I can't figure out why.

Possibility: this is the first time I've gotten to witness so much behind the scenes stuff while the show was being filmed while I was also a fan that maybe I'm having trouble separating Pedro the actor from Joel the character.

Possibility: I've been waiting so long for this that nothing can possibly match the expectations I've built up.

Possibility: Maybe I should have gone in with less knowledge and let myself be moved organically.

Possibility: I knew that they'd have to make Joel more vulnerable, but I didn't realize just how very broken this version of him would be. And it makes me S A D. Maybe because we saw so much of him in 2003 that the hard switch to this very numb man holding onto his pain feels so far beyond the reach of the heart that I can't find a softness foothold in him and I just slide off him. At least game Joel had the tiniest bit of confidence and sparkle at the beginning--and he needed to be that in order to move through the game. But Pedro's Joel is just barely surviving. And it hurts. And it's brilliant.

And it's this last possibility--if I know myself--that I'm assuming. Because I know what's coming. And I know that Ellie will wear away at that numb exterior and reveal those footholds. Just like Din, Pedro's gonna start us off with someone impenetrable and then show cracks under stress, cracks that let the light through. Just like Din, I will find Joel amazing and compelling at first, someone I love to watch but don't hook into...until the armor comes off and the heart is revealed and then I'm gonna fall really R E A L L Y hard.

And this may be why I'm not drawn to any of the fanfic just yet. I am a soft, soft girl and I can't just go straight to the sex. Especially not the hard sex. I am not someone that wants a dude to treat me rough and dominate me or treat me like a toy or object, I don't want to be the receptacle for hate or anger or pure stress relief without emotional connection. Nor can my heart handle pure, concentrated angst without the possibility of it paying off toward a happy or hopeful ending. (SPOILER: Yes, I know where this show is going, and I still find emotional hope and happiness in the ending. It counts.) And the Joel we know right now seems built for those preferences. To all those writers and readers, I am beyond thrilled for you because fk, Joel is Fertile Ground™. (This is kind of the opposite of me just rolling in the soft gold that Javi G gave us 😂)

But I do love that this Joel is custom built for a more mature girl and reader characters of his age range. I will echo Rachael's opinions that with his paternal instincts toward very young women, I don't think he's an age-gap kind of guy. And neither will he put up with anything less than common sense. And I find that very, very attractive.

What I can't fall in love with is someone devoid of emotion or someone saturated only with sorrow. My heart isn't built that way.

Thankfully, I know that Joel will evolve.

And I really really can't wait to see the scene that opens up and swallows me. That's what I'm excited for. This series has expanded on the story and adjusted Joel just enough that I don't know when that's going to happen or how intensely....and I'm so looking forward to it.

In that way, it's not a problem at all. I kind of love that I'm not falling for Joel just because it's Pedro.

And I think that is the stamp on his talent. That even thought I love our boy, he has done such a phenomenal job at bringing me away from that love and back to the starting line with Joel, starting his character not at an easy place where we love him already, but one that has to be earned.

I think....I think Pedro might break me really hard with this one....

Okay. I'm gonna go cry now.

#tlou spoilers #the last of us spoilers

[chain-link-smut]

Hello all of you beautiful smut hungry beasties!! I'm Shade and welcome to the purely Naughty side of my blog! This is a place for all smuts of different kinds and levels to be explored. Like any NSFW blog there's rules, some do's and don't's.

1.) 18+ only! I will block you if I suspect you aren't or if you have an empty blog.

2.) This is a safe place! Comments that are negative or harmful will be deleted and you will be blocked. I don't tolerate hate.

3.) I accept questions, comments, requests, your own writings and art (as long as it meets Tumblr requirements). If you do have a writing request: give a scene set up and the characters involved in the scene.

4.) I allow all types of smut: Reader/Character, Link/Link or Linkcrest, Alpha/Omegaverse, Yanderer, BDSM, Stockholm Syndrome, soft smut, rough smut, sex toy play, polly, multiple characters at once, overstimulation/denials, aftercare, ect. Fierce Deity🩵, Dark Link🖤 and Ganon❤️ are so very welcomed!! Just be sure to add tags to the beginning.

5.) I do not allow anything with Wind in it! Hes 12 or 14 depending on the fics!! No phobias/philias/fetishes. That includes beastiality. No Wolfie shit! Twi's smell and hearing being heightened because of his wolf side, sure, but no actual Wolfie stuff.

6.) I know on Ao3 there's a lot of transgender Wilds/Legends/Hyrules. If you wanna send that here, go for it! I won't write it myself due to the fact that I don't want to piss people off that are trans and I'm not. ~Omegaverse is different.

7.) My Reader writings will be written as they/them or you/I. If it's a non-request, Reader has female anatomy, primarily because I'm female.

8.) I know I said rough smut is okay and it is. It can be to the extreme, but there is a line where it is starting look more like rape and you will be blocked. If you want that shit, go to Ao3.

9.) Dialogue is great and I'm okay with some downgrading stuff, but keep it classy! That goes for actions too. No spitting or vomit stuff! Blood is cool if it's from biting and that kinda thing, but nothing real raunchy.

10.) Anons are allowed here!

11.) Most importantly… have fun! Let your naughty side out!!!

Current Anons: 🩺, 🖤, ❤️

If there's anything that doesn't seem clear or not shown above, feel free to ask.

[inkstaindusk]

Hi! I was wondering, if you wouldn’t mind telling us: what are your favorite villainess stories, and why those ones? Have a good day!

I love talking about my favorite stories so I don't mind at all!

It's Time to Change the Genre - A woman transmigrates into a revenge novel as the negligent aunt of the protagonist. She vows to take care of her nephew until the plot begins, but then all of a sudden he refuses to leave her behind. Currently this is the one I'm following closest! It's got great characters and they're all hilarious. There's prominent romance, yes, but it doesn't overshadow the family content, which I like. A good draw to this one, I think, are the twists, which I did admittedly spoil for myself. If I hadn't, I don't know that I would have kept reading, but I still do very much like it. Also, the art is gorgeous!

Endo and Kobayashi's Live Commentary on the Villainess - Two high schoolers stan the tsundere villainess of an otome game. One day their voices are heard by the main love interest, the prince, and from there they try to give commentary of the game to give the misunderstood villainess a happy ending and make sure everyone comes out of the plot alive. This is a good read for when you just want something non-stressful. Tsundere characters can be questionable, but I love Lise. I found the ending of the webnovel to be a bit lackluster, but overall it was enjoyable and I like to reread it on occasion when I want to feel good. I think the romance was also fairly well-done, and the side romance also has pretty fantastic moments. Plus, it's getting an anime soon! Very excited for that.

Roxana / The Way to Protect the Female Lead's Older Brother - FL transmigrates into an R18 reverse harem novel as a daughter of the cruel, bloody family that captured and killed the heroine's older brother. In order to save her own life, she becomes the older brother's "owner" while she devises a way to set him free. Okay. So this one is a bit of a doozy and I cannot, in good conscience, talk about it without warning. Trigger warnings include: body horror, self-harm, death, torture, mentioned rape, drugs, captivity, I think implied incestuous feelings (which FL does not return but does use to her advantage), and probably other things that I'm forgetting. This one is not for the faint of heart. That being said, I love it. I love fucked up women in fucked up situations. The FL was a normal girl who was forced to become cruel in order to survive and it's terrible, but wonderfully done. I mentioned the incest (ugh) in the warnings but she does have one sibling who loves her as a sister in a normal, platonic way and I actually really love their relationship! Again, only read this if you're prepared for it, but I like it a lot for when I'm interested in reading something just, completely fucked.

I Became the Hero's Mom - FL adores the protagonist of a certain novel and transmigrates into a time when he's still a child, long before the novel begins. She supports him as his biggest fan from afar, but ends up getting the attention of his father, who assumes her attention was actually for him, and he accepts her "feelings". On the bright side, she gets to stan her fave from up close! This one's not actually villainess which is why it's at the bottom, but I'd be remiss if I didn't add it for the transmigration aspect, also just because I love it and want to talk about it. It might actually be my favorite het isekai romance, but the translators stopped translating a while back, so I kind of lost track of it for a bit and have yet to catch up to the official tl (which I think is on tapas? Gonna have to check tho). Even so, it's the best. The family content is so pure and wholesome, Abel the hero of the novel FL read is simply adorable, and there is no ML like Hades. Once you meet Hades you will never accept another shitty emotionless conceited son-hating love interest ever again. I mention Hades a lot whenever I'm complaining about MLs because He Is The Standard, my friends. Get you a man who loves his wife AND his son. Also, there's plot! There is a truly astounding amount of plot and it's making me lose my mind! FL is doing her best and I just want her to be happy. Read this one, you won't regret it.

Now, you may have noticed, hey! Only Roxana is actually evil, what gives? And the reason for that is that it's very, very hard to find a villainess story I like that also has a truly villainous protagonist. Reverse the hourglass started out strong but at some point I got bored, beware of the villainess was also good but pushes way too hard without committing to the implications that the heroine likes the villainess, and various others lose points for similar reasons or just because they're too long. That is, if the FL is even truly a villain in the first place. Also bad love interests will ruin my enjoyment entirely, no matter how much I like the FL.

So yeah. Technically these are my favorites as far as what's currently published in the genre, but they're not actually what I would call my preferred villainesses. (Hero's Mom excluded because she's not supposed to be, she's just here because I want her to be)

#asks #anon asks #v lb #recs #...once again got sidetracked by my many thoughts on the villainess genre