#both just in general but also I like how it draws a fun parallel between her and jackie with both of them struggling to form bonds with ppl

[arolesbianism]

I love how consistent Olivia's fondness of lil critters is even as a printing pod with no memories. Tiny baby living its happy critter life, thank god Olivia can't work directly enough with them to get attached, critter care would become the only thing she'd want to do

#rat rambles #oni posting #its very fun to me just how much more affection she shows to animals than the ppl in her life #both just in general but also I like how it draws a fun parallel between her and jackie with both of them struggling to form bonds with ppl #it gives the vibe that the two clung to eachother partially because they felt somewhat ostracized from most of society #just like in combination with them spending most of their college years and early careers studying time travel and manipulation #they likely werent taken very seriously by their peers and found a strong bond in being the only ones whod take eachother seriously #but after the temporal bow was made and ppl started taking them incredibly seriously rifts started to form between them #especially with jackie as the desire to aim big now that she can took over her thought process #olivia on the other hand didnt have nearly as much power and despite being a respected scientist still had chains in her ambitions #so its kind of understandable that she returned to gravitas despite everything because as shitty as jackie is she is more likely to allow #ambitious projects and also allows work with the various technologies that olivia herself helped developed #anyways I like to imagine olivia liked digging for bugs in her back yard as a kid #and also make routine visits to places with nooks and crannies that lizards and stuff like to hide in

[yukidragon]

Is demon SDJ an au or just a halloween costume? also do you have a headcanon for demon Jack too?

To my knowledge, it could be both. I believe it started when YummyPinkMilk got the idea to draw Jack as an incubus, which inspired Jambeebot/Sauce to draw their own version.

Later on, Sauce made a sprite version for fun with a slightly tweaked design, as we’ve seen on the official Sunny Day Jack twitter. After that, costumes for all the male leads were made.

It’s really cool to see both versions of the design side by side.

Whether or not the sprites are just fun Halloween costumes or something more to them remains to be seen. A lot of people enjoy playing with this design as its own AU though.

Also, as a quick aside, let me remind everyone to please not repost art posted privately on the SnaccPop Studios Patreon. Art that was posted publicly is okay as long as you remember to give Sauce full credit for it like I’m doing here. Please support them and this lovely game by becoming a patron, backing the official Sunny Day Jack kickstarter, or just spreading the word. As a reminder, there’s just a week left before the kickstarter closes!

As for headcanons, well... I do have a few thoughts that I could rattle off. It’ll go under the cut of course since we’re talking about a sex demon AU for an Adults Only game. Talk about spice is pretty inevitable.

Also, there might be some mature themes that go beyond sex. The implications of this sort of supernatural being can get pretty dark if you think about it too hard... which I’m oft to do. How dark? Hopefully no darker than my third headcanon post with the tragedy of [Redacted].

...Which is giving me ideas for this AU. Strap in, folks.

Oh, before I get started, I should tag @channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic​ &  @sai-of-the-7-stars. If you want to be tagged in my next headcanon post, please let me know!

Since these are my own personal headcanons for a demon Jack AU, I’m going to default to using my own personal version of the MC, Alice. However, I will do my best to make mention of when things could apply to the MC in general.

For starters, Jack is an incubus in this headcanon. It’s not because he’s a male sex demon, but because he’s a top. I’ve been inspired by this popular thread that looks at the Latin origins of incubus/succubus and divides them not by gender but by sexual preferences. An incubus is a top, a succubus is a bottom, and a concubus is a verse.

Of course, Jack is flexible enough to take the role of a concubus or a succubus if his sunshine wants, but his preference is overwhelmingly as an incubus.

In this universe, sex demons, shortened to ‘cubi, can shapeshift to some degree, mostly in terms of body type, sex organs, and their more “demonic” features (wings, horns, tail, markings, etc.) This means that they can better appeal to the exact tastes of whatever human they’re catering to, or simply their own. This means that technically they’re genderfluid, but like anyone they have their own gender identity. In Jack’s case, that’s male, and the above appearance is what he is most comfortable in. If he wanted to, however, he could make himself look like the genderswap AU version of himself, Jill.

Despite being known as sex demons, ‘cubi don’t actually come from some infernal underworld... at least not originally. Rather, they’re beings made from magic as the manifestations of desire, specifically to cater to the pleasures of those that summon them. In a way, they’re something of a mixture between tulpas and familiars, bound to a specific person to serve them in exchange for that person’s energy to sustain them.

You know, something kind of similar to Jack’s situation with his sunshine in the main universe.

Now, I’m not saying Jack in SDJ is secretly an incubus or anything like that, even though he practically lives to serve MC and feels more secure in his existence through having sex with them, but... the parallels are kind of pretty apparent.

Naturally, this sort of setup is pretty rife with unfortunate implications if these magical husbando/waifus happen to be thinking and feeling sentient beings rather than glorified magical sex dolls made just for the pleasure of their owner. What sort of awful person would enslave some poor soul to just use them like that?

Oh wait.

Now... while this idea can very easily go into non-consent territory, I don’t want to go there, not even in an AU. This is just the origins of the ‘cubi species that serves as background in this universe. At some point in the past, they broke free of this unfavorable state of servitude. They weren’t meant to be able to reproduce on their own or live unbound to their masters, but the ‘cubi figured out how to do both and became their own race. They’ve been engaging in a both symbiotic and antagonistic relationship with humanity ever since.

Typically ‘cubi are unable to feel love of any sort due to their origins, but like any species that grows and changes over time with each generation, eventually there will be anomalies. Jack is one such anomaly. Unlike the majority of his species, he longs to love and be loved, but for the longest time didn’t realize that’s what he was missing. Much like in the regular universe, his family didn’t love him, but the ‘cubi parents didn’t even pretend they did, as the concept is just dismissed as a “human” trait, and humans are just for “food and fun” to the ‘cubi.

Naturally, Jack had a hard time living with the ‘cubi. Much like the main universe, he was neglected and ignored by those around him as he was growing, and eventually there was a tipping point that made him leave them and never look back again.

Although ‘cubi are most well known for being sex “demons”, they can feed off of any human desire, and it’s strongest when it’s directed at them. Sexual desire is just the most favored way for them to feed, as it’s very potent and pleasurable. This means that a human just looking at them with lustful feelings can offer them some energy even without directly engaging in sex.

The ‘cubi that either don’t want to have sex or are too young for it get their energy from platonic sources of desire or have energy donated to them by other ‘cubi. We respect enthusiastic consent in this house, and only consenting adults should engage in sexual behaviors, even in a fantasy AU.

Of course, once an adult, Jack did engage in sexual behaviors. What he didn’t get from ‘cubi, he thought he could get from humans. The pleasure was great, but he was still wanting more. He wanted to be the desire of many humans, believing that’s what he was missing. This led to a hedonistic lifestyle and a lot of people desiring him, but no matter how much desire he consumed, he was never satisfied.

Naturally, there are people who have a huge issue with sexual promiscuity. There are also people who have a huge problem with non-human races, ranging from distaste to outright hatred. Combine the two with plenty of fear, and you get tragedy.

With Jack seducing so many people and desiring so much attention, it was only a matter of time before the wrong people found out. There are demon hunters in this world, as well as those who believe the ‘cubi are evil. Jack was labeled as a demon seducing innocent people and clouding their minds, tempting them to the path of sin, and other such excuses to hunt him down.

Jack barely survived being killed by the hunters, but was captured instead. In this world, familiars are summoned and can be sealed away if they get unruly. The person who caught him was familiar with the origins of the ‘cubi and how similar they are to familiars, and used that to seal him away into a magical box.

This of course resulted in a Jack-in-the-box.

Yes I am quite proud of that pun, thank you.

As you might have guessed, Jack is in quite an unfortunate position. That collar around his neck isn’t just because it looks kinky. Fortunately, the order that captured him weren’t going to use him for slavery, but the bad news was that he was trapped in a dark place, devoid of all feeling. He was buried like unpleasant secret, locked away and eventually forgotten.

Poor Jack gets to suffer a similar fate as he does in the normal universe.

Fortunately, sunshine will find Jack in this universe as well several years later.

This world is a fantasy setting similar to a lot of JRPGs, with magic creating fantastic technology, but it has a strong medieval feel in ways. There are monarchies and nobility as well as monsters and magical races.

Alice was born into nobility. Although her family is a very loving one, there were duties expected of her due to her bloodline. The life of nobility can be cutthroat, with those aiming to destroy other noble houses for their own political gain, or unite via marriages.

This is especially true if they are engaged to be married to the next crown prince.

Despite it being an arranged marriage, Alice and Ian were close. They grew up together, were friends, and fell in love. It was like a fairytale...

And, like many fairytales, this one involves a curse.

No one knows who cast it, but there were plenty of suspects. It could have been a rival family that wanted their daughter to marry Ian instead. It could have been a curse meant for the crown prince, but due to the royal family’s supposed divine protection, it struck his fiancée in his place. It could even have been just the cruel whim of a wicked witch.

Whatever the case, the results were the same; Alice was one day transformed into a beastly creature.

This resulted in chaos of course, but for the most part, to protect the dignity of Alice, her family, and the royal family, it was kept a secret. Alice was hidden away under the story of being sick while others searched for the culprit and the cure. Crown prince Ian swore he would do whatever it took to cure Alice. He loved her even in her hideous cursed state.

Unfortunately, the more time passed without answers or a solution in sight, unrest set in. The queen especially was repulsed by the idea of her child marrying a hideous monster, no matter how Ian protested. The king was at best indifferent, not dissolving the engagement over the incident, but he refused to allow the marriage to proceed unless Alice was cured.

The secret slowly leaked, as secrets tend to do when money and political intrigue is involved. Pressure was put to annul engagement so that Ian could marry someone else. Noble families sent their attractive and clever members of the same age as him to strengthen bonds with him as it were

At first, Ian resisted all temptations and arguments. He was determined to marry Alice, but as time slipped away and they spent less and less time together, it was hard for his attention not to stray.

Alice had to remain hidden away in her family’s manor. Ian could only rarely visit her, and they mostly kept in communication via magic and letters. It left them both feeling lonely and missing each other.

At first, Alice refused to let Ian see her in her hideous state, but with time he managed to convince her that he still loved her regardless. When she finally allowed him to see what had become of her, he was shocked and horrified, but he managed to reassure her that it didn’t matter. The only one he wanted to marry was her. He loved her.

Alice believed Ian. He was her prince charming who would save her from her curse. He would never forsake her.

I think you can see where this is going.

Much like in the regular universe, time apart, popularity, and temptations of the flesh made Ian stray.

Stricken with guilt, Ian confessed what he did... and Alice couldn’t handle his betrayal.

The engagement was broken. Even if royalty aren’t exactly known for remaining loyal to their spouses, Alice’s family loved her enough to put an end to the engagement for her sake. Ian did everything he could to apologize and make amends, but Alice refused to see him. His constant visits trying to see her, gifts, and messages just made her heartbreak worse.

As word of the engagement being broken spread, there was also a rumor that Alice was going to a distant territory managed by her family to recover from her heartache. This allowed her to not only get some distance from Ian, but to lessen the risk of rumors spreading about her curse.

The place Alice went to live was a distant home surrounded by woods, isolating it from the rest of her world. Being betrayed by the person she loved and trusted the most shook her faith in people, and she insisted on living there alone, save for the occasional delivery of supplies and visitor.

Alice could have simply languished away in that place lamenting her fate, but instead she studied. She had an interest in magic that she had once been passionate about, but had to turn into an idle hobby when she wasn’t busy taking lessons as the future queen and spending time with Ian. Now she no longer had to worry about such distractions.

Perhaps it could help her find a cure for her curse when all other mages and scholars failed...

Time passed as Alice focused on improving her skills with magic and potions. Although Alice didn’t want anyone to see her in this state, she couldn’t help but feel lonely. One day, she was struck with the idea of having a familiar as a companion. Familiars are made from their master’s magic, essentially a piece of the mage given life. It could never betray her.

While engaged to the crown prince, Alice has access to the royal treasury at times. Ian would surprise her with presents that he technically shouldn’t have given away, but he was young, in love, and she was so keen to learn more about magic.

Despite the way things ended, Alice took some of those magical trinkets with her. One of those objects was a box, a medium meant to take some of her essence and create the familiar when the right ritual was performed.

Things go a little bit sideways when the box is already in use sealing away a being that is only similar to a familiar.

Luckily or unluckily, depending on your perspective, Alice just wound up releasing Jack from his box and forming a contract with him, binding them both together.

It was pretty surprising to the both of them, to put it lightly.

When ‘cubi are starved and in a weakened state, their colors are faded, and their eyes and markings won’t glow. Jack looked more like Joseph when Alice let him out, but with her magic feeding him due to their bond, he was his bright and colorful self again soon enough.

A lot of the dynamics between Alice and Jack are similar in this AU to the game universe. Jack can’t do anything Alice doesn’t want, and they can sense each other’s feelings and even thoughts. However, in this universe, Alice is aware of this, since that’s part of having a familiar, which allows her to guard her thoughts from him, if not her emotions.

While the situation is less than ideal for Jack... at the same time he finally feels what he was missing for so long. Alice is warm after he spent so many years sealed away in cold darkness, and he feels things from her that he never did from anyone else.

A pact with a familiar isn’t easily broken. Jack was also afraid that if it was broken, he would just go back into the box. He was still technically bound to it even as he was also bound to Alice. After learning about the hell he suffered when sealed away, she couldn’t bring herself to damn him like that, not when she could feel how terrified and desperate he was to never go back in there.

Jack offered to give Alice anything she wanted. He was ready to seduce her then and there.

Alice barked out a humorless laugh and told Jack that wasn’t a funny joke.

When visitors came over, Alice would wear heavy draping cloaks and veils to hide her body. When alone, she has less, so Jack saw her cursed appearance.

Jack didn’t see an issue with how Alice looked. In fact, her warmth and gentle heart drew him to her. It felt... good, but Alice had already been hurt before.

Instead of accepting sexual favors, Alice tentatively accepted his friendship instead.

So the two of them live together. Jack flirts with Alice, using his typical tactics that worked to draw people in before he got sealed away, being cheeky and seductive... and he finds that she responds when he was sincere instead. They form a genuine friendship and, as they grow closer, Jack eventually realizes that what he’s feeling for Alice, what he’s been missing all of his life, is love.

Eventually the two do fall in love after enough time getting to know and trust each other. Somehow Alice gets her curse cured as well. Maybe fitting with the fairytale theme, it could be cured through the power of true love... expressed through sex, since this is a story about incubi Jack after all.

I guess in this universe you can say Jack is a monster fucker as well as a demon?

Speaking of which, here’s a couple more ‘cubi headcanons that are on the spicier side.

The bond between them leaves a marking in Jack’s colors on Alice’s abdomen. Yes, it’s a “womb tattoo” since having some of Jack’s glowing markings being left behind as a sign of their bond would be fun.

The ‘cubi ability to appeal to their partner’s tastes isn’t just limited to appearance. The flavor of their cum can be altered to suit their tastes in a more literal sense.

Needless to say, Alice does not expect a vanilla cream finish the first time she gives Jack a blowjob.

A ‘cubi has amazing stamina and sometimes will savor their meal. Needless to say, Alice is going to have a hard time keeping up with Jack.

Though with access to magic, Alice has ways of potentially getting in some fun payback.

This is pretty much about all the headcanons I have at this time for this particular AU. I’m still unsure of Shaun and Nick’s roles in the universe, but I do know Barry is a merchant trader that Alice sometimes sells her magic potions to for extra money. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my really huge ramble about demon Jack that turned into an alternate version of Beauty and the Beast!

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Fantasy AU #Headcanon Ramblings #Ask #Sauce-y Art #Incubus AU

[wundrousarts]

Various Wundersmith thoughts and things I've noticed after rereading the book for yet another time:

This one is significantly longer and a little bit more random than my recent Nevermoor reread, but who cares 🤷 the more the merrier!

There are things both serious (theories, thematic parallels, etc.) and silly (jokes, personal reactions). This time around I discovered the annotations feature in Apple Books and had a lot of fun with that, so I'll try to include the bits I highlighted when necessary. Enjoy!

— I don't mean to have a shippingbrain, but it feels impossible to view Jupiter and Israfel as anything but exes/folks that had a Thing in the beginning, omg.

—— Israfel throwing the "old friend" back at Jove..... my note for this one was "#gay"

— I like the interest Mog has in Bohemia, and I'm interested based on that one Silverborn snippet for her to return (and eventually explore other parts of the city as well)

— Jupiter referring to the junkies as "they're not patrons of the fine arts" feels like a nice little set up for the Museum later on. Thought of and admired as an art piece, but the rich folks at the auction don't actually care about the work put into it.

— Do you think the folks at Wunsoc that organize the little show that welcomes 919 are a little peeved that the Fireblossom's being reignited means that they can't perch creepily in them anymore lol.

— I wonder if the Wunsoc Oath has a pre- or post- Massacre origin

“The nature of Miss Crow’s unusual –" she paused, seeming to catch herself before calling it a ‘knack’ – "situation.” (Ch2)

—— Elder Quinn hesitates to refer to Mog's power as a knack, so I wonder if that's just a general thing of Wundersmithery being different, or if knacks are a post-Massacre categorization

— I love how this book really starts to solidify the theme of family in Nevermoor... Wunsoc, her Unit, the Deucalion, Wundersmiths, the Crows, her mother..... AAAHHHH!!! I can't wait to see where it all goes.

— A "note sealed with silver wax" from "the Celes-" ..... YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!! 😁😁😁

—— Likely about Cassiel but even that and beyond could tie into a lot of other Silverborn Theories..... Noelle..... The Silver District....... I will keep this all in mind

—— Also, updating my SIlverborn Masterpost posthaste ✍️✍️✍️

— It likely doesn't matter and will never be explained, but I wonder if the room between student's houses and their hometrain station is part of the Gossamer, and like a thin place between worlds

— Miss Cheery's first outfit is so y2k I need to draw her. It makes sense because she's like 20 in this book.

— The Wunsoc circle diagram has always interested me since I first read it. I wonder if the size of the circles ever means anything??

—— Could it relate to the probability (?) of the knacks? Mundane is the most common to occur, Arcane more specialized, and then Wundersmiths are very, very rare

—— Something I often forget is that folks in Wunsoc that weren't Wundersmiths have always existed. Were there more than 9 of them in each year? Were there always 9 non-Wundersmiths? Did the trials always exist? What was the relationship between non-Wundersmiths and Wundersmiths like?

—— On that note, did C&D only become the Wunsoc motto / purpose post-Massacre? Or did they do that before as well? If the motives of Wunsoc have changed over the years, has what they look for in students changed as well?

“Everybody at Wunsoc has a job to get on with – every junior and senior scholar, every graduate, every teacher, every patron, every Elder and every Master.” (Ch5)

— I am still forever curious about what Masters are, and why they are on the same level or possibly even slightly higher than Elders

—— Are they previous Elders? Are they people who excel in their craft? I'd like to say there could be a connection to Wundrous Apprenticeships but 1. those seemed like a natural given, 2. likely aren't really around anymore, and 3. I'm not really sure why they would have so much authority if so.

—— I like to headcanon that senior scholars do internships/apprenticeships

— Something that makes me laugh is that I will famously agonize over something, in this case the Wunsoc academic school year, only to discover upon a reread that it is explicitly stated how it works. lol.

— Brilliance Amadeo and her predecessors are referred to as "First-Line Wundersmiths." This likely relates to the chambers in the Liminal Hall in Sub-Nine that we see in Hollowpox.

—— Knowing Jess, I bet that either Mog or Squall are part of the Ninth Line

“Your kind are … all … dead," continued Professor Onstald. "And if they’re … not –" he blinked his watery eyes at her and took a long, rasping breath – "they should be.” (Ch6)

“My duty is not … to save you … from yourself. It is to show you … that you are … beyond saving. All of your … kind … are beyond …” (Ch6)

“If you were half the Wundersmith you ought to be by now, it wouldn’t be possible for me to tap into your power like this. (Ch24)

— I've had a theory post on the progression of Wundersmiths in society towards the Massacre in the works for awhile that I've postponed until after my Hollowpox reread, but:

—— What if it was a group effort?

——— There's a part in one of the books that's like, "Squall led his fellow Wundersmiths in a coup, and then turned on them" and as much as Wunsoc likes to spin and fabricate things, I think that this could also be true. What caused Squall to turn? That's a mystery we'll have to unravel later...

———— This book is heavy on Squall controlling and manipulating folks, both literally with Wunder but also mentally with words, so could be interesting if that played a part in the revolt

— Regardless, something spooked Onstald enough to turn from admiring and studying Wundersmiths and their ways to hating them, and I'll forever be interested in what happened.

—— I think there could be some slight truth in him viewing all Wundersmiths as bad, because some stuff, like Mathilde's Morbid Museum (lol), could indicate some darker inclinations by folks other than Squall

— Maybe I'm an idiot for not realizing this before, but I don't think it was Jupiter that got Mog/919 into the Maps class.

“I have dedicated my life to taming this monstrous city, and I love her with every fiber of my being.” (Ch8)

“Goodness. You’ve only been here a year? And yet you and Nevermoor seem to go hand in glove. It’s almost like this place was made just for you.” (Ch8)

—— So Squallish. I wonder if anything he said was coached.

—— Do you think this is how he got him on his side? Did they bond over both being obsessed with Nevermoor?

— I think a lot of Mildmay's problems would have been fixed if he had simply been more proactive about networking instead of turning to a life of crime. I mean, he's only 19, just out of school! Way to quit early, dude.

One bite brought on the specific sensation of bittersweet late-summer nostalgia … which sent Francis straight back to the test kitchen, as he’d actually been aiming for the carefree abandon of a mid-summer music festival. (Ch9)

— I wonder how much of Francis's knack/what he cooks/cooks with has a Wundrous origin. I'm also often reminded of the Smoking Parlor.

—— I like to relate it to my Communication "Art" but alternatively... does remind me of Israfel's voice. Curious about how Celestials and Wunder interact.

—— Alice Frankenreiter of 915 is mentioned as a shapeshifter..... how Masquerade-esque. Another point for the "knacks being related to Arts" theory?

——— I also have to point out how funny to me the "Franken-" is with the knack. lol. (makes me think about Frankenstein)

— There is a "noise like a thousand tinkling bells" when the Ghastly Market is revealed. This noise also shows up in the other two books during the Christmas Eve battle. In a world where magic by Wundersmiths heavily involves singing in order to use Wunder, I like the further comparisons of magic and sound. Will keep an eye out for more during Hollowpox.

—— We see this as well with this line:

Her fear and revulsion and rage swelled inside her like a symphony (Ch16)

which I just annotated as "music/art comparison. slay."

——— On that note, I feel like the connection between Wundersmiths/Divinities and the Celestials being explored more could be interesting, as both of their powers involve singing. I'm curious how/if their magic overlaps.

— The fact that the Loyalty Trial was from the Elders and thus they were the ones who asked Cadence to humiliate Baz will never not be funny

— Chapter 18 mentions a "Polaris Hill." Named after Griselda Polaris?

— Have to say: Between being excited about a killer flytrap and teaching 919 swears, an underrated Mahir trait is that he is actually very silly.

— If you've ever seen me call the Gossamer-Spun Garden the "Wundergarden", please know that the Murdergarden is 100% why lol

— I hope hope HOPE!!! we get some proper definitions someday for the Wundrous Act Classifications. Like Spectacle, Phenomenon, Singularity, etc... I hope we get to learn what they each are someday!!!

“To do just what a Wundersmith does," One corner of Squall’s mouth twisted into a quarter-smile.” ... "To grant your fondest wish. To give you the thing you want more than anything else.” (Ch19)

— I feel like this line is often overlooked and is an underrated hint at what a Wundersmith's role in society was like

— I'm a bit of a pessimist (SORRY) about the movie adaptation, and once thing about this book is that I'm mourning that it'll probably never get adapted.

—— I think that the idea of Nevermoor as a movie musical works so much better with Wundersmith because there's so much more magic and music and singing in this one, with both Israfel and the first Nocturne lessons. I could see it the integration of the non-diegetic (?) songs that the characters sing and the themes of the movie/books work better with this book than the first one just because of that.

—— Also the theatricality of characters such as Squall and Mildmay is off the charts in this book! I'd even throw Dearborn and Murgatroyd in there as well. I think they could make for more interesting characters in a movie musical than the general supporting cast of the first book.

—— I'd say that perhaps they could mix and mash stuff from both books 1 and 2 into a single movie, but I don't know if they have rights past the first book.

Squall cocked his head to one side, a deep frown etched into his forehead. ... Squall took a step towards her. He looked like he was remembering something. (Ch19)

— I wonder why he recognizes the song!

—— Curious if anyone else has their own theories on this they want to share. I brought this up in the discord a few months ago and have yet to make a proper post but here's my idea:

——— Squall's song and Mog's song are very similar in a few ways, so perhaps one of the songs was influenced by / is “descended from” so to say from the other, or they have a common ancestor.

——— Could explain why Little Crowling is familiar to Mog and Morningtide’s Child is familiar to Squall

... into the cold embrace of a capricious and unknowable city. (Ch19)

— This is like, baby's first comparison, but I do enjoy how this refers not only to Nevermoor but also Squall just a moment earlier. They are sooooo linked. I wonder if there's other moments like this in the book that I've missed.

— The Jemmity Park stuff is interesting to think about because I think Odbuoy is the youngest Wundersmith present at the time of the Massacre.

—— The idea of him being the youngest I feel then fits with him making the park only work for children, as that seems appropriately mischievous.

——— Because of my (outdated tbh) Eventide theories, I had a silly theory he was 7 when he made the park, but when you think about that more, it falls apart. A little funny to think about though, ngl.

— Anyone else think that the Elders should have told Jupiter about Sub-Nine in case he wanted a part in that? I feel like as a patron and adoptive father figure of a Wundersmith, he might want some access to Wundersmith history and culture. His excursions to the park and Cascade Falls really prove an interest and he could be helpful to the group.

— Morrigan compares Squall's Séance Synchronicity to Coven 13 in the Fright Trial... are these magics connected at all, or will we learn more about the different magics in the world at some point?

Squall held his hands out – palms downward, twisted into claws – and made his fingers dance like a puppeteer twitching strings. (Ch24)

— I find it so funny how the Puppeteering (also known as Marionette) parallels– the statue in the Elder's hall, the stunt with the Charlton Five on the platform, and this scene– were so obvious, and yet it took a solid 2 years after Wundersmith's release (right before Hollowpox was out!) for somebody to bring it up for the first time. And now everyone accepts it as basically canon lol!

— Wonder if the Wundrous Arts sign got changed to Wretched Arts before or after Squall's exile, in order for him to know about it. I have some theories on the timeline of all that that I'll share at a later date.

— I often forget and I think it's often overlooked that the Magnificub growing was Squall's doing, not just Mog's.

—— Wonder if he was stalking her that night as normal OR detected her intention and swooped in OR was there already due to the auction

— The way that Squall bows dramatically to tease Mog and then Mildmay does the same a chapter later is so funny.

“There are far greater monsters –" his eyes flashed – "and far greater dangers. Miss Crow, we have a shared enemy you could never imagine. If the Wundrous Society doesn’t take you off the leash, if you aren’t given the freedom to grow, to become the Wundersmith I need you to be … then terrible things are coming down the line. For both of us.” (Ch24)

— War in Arc 3 pleaseeee

—— It's interesting because it seems that Nevermoor/Free State has been relatively peaceful ever since restructuring… but the Wintersea Republic has had the same amount of time to build up! And now they’re looking to take the last slice of the pie…..

“There. That feeling. That fire in your heart, that spark of anger and fear. Focus on it. Feel it. The flickering, burning anger inside – THAT is Inferno.” (Ch24)

— What if each of the Arts are bolstered by an emotion? Doesn't seem so but 🤷 could be a fun AU idea perhaps

— A lot of the description of Inferno in this book– a flame or firework in Morrigan's chest– reminds me so much of Howls Moving Castle (2004) that it's on my eternal to-do list to draw.

— Between Mog's lessons in this book and Goldberry's circular breathing, I think it's interesting how much of Inferno relates to breath

—— "Breath of life" ?

—— Could relate back to music/singing, which is needed to summon Wunder

—— Do any of the other Arts (excluding Nocturne and Inferno) have any connections to breath that we know of? Or even are just aligned with a specific part of the body? If anyone has any thoughts on this, please do share!

— Anyone else like to think about the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow and the way the Hollowpox hunted? No? Just me? Okay

—— I think that Wundersmiths definitely probably have specialties– and these are based on natural affinities, NOT lineage– and Mog's is likely Inferno whereas Squall's is likely Veil

He took a deep bow, still laughing. (Ch25)

— My note for this line and the whole scene was simply, "🖕 WORST 19 YEAR OLD EVER" lol

“You saved my life tonight. I find myself in your debt." He watched her for a moment, pressing his mouth into a line. Morrigan could tell he wanted to say something more, but wasn’t sure if he should … or perhaps he couldn’t quite find the right words. Israfel breathed a deep sigh. "You’d do well not to mention that to the folks at Wunsoc. I shouldn’t be in your debt.” (Ch27)

— What does this all meannnnn

— Interesting how Jupiter mentions that he thinks Cassiel's disappearance is unconnected to all the Ghastly Market stuff

—— I've mentioned before (maybe not on here, sorry) that the timing could perhaps line up in order for Cassiel to be the Celestial that Noelle's knack is stolen from, if we want to go with that theory

— Mog saying that Squall said something funny, as in weird, yet Jupiter's first response is to ask if he said something "funny haha" is so funny to me. Why is that his first response.

— Folks have mentioned it before, but I'd love some more bonding between Mog and Lam based on the fact that they're both from the Republic

— Elder Quinn refers to Mog as "our Wundersmith" as in like, just another brother and sister in Wunsoc, but it could be interesting if that wording is ever brought up again to try to use Mog, or make her do something no one else can because of her powers, like in the days of old

And finally (about 3k words later):

— Lam is referred to as "the smallest of all of them" in terms of 919. Not to me! While I wholeheartedly believe she is certainly short, she's not the shortest for me. #ShortMogSupremacy.

#nevermoor #nevermoor reread #nevermoor theory #wundersmith #this is 3k words including the quotes so ummmm sorry lol. buckle in I guess! #if anyone has any thoughts after reading this or any theories of their own that they want to discuss: my inbox is always open! #I am insane about this series and you should be too <3 #incapable of ever writing anything that isn't exceedingly long and rambling though. and for that I am sorry. #I also feel like my reading(s) of the book(s) is often prob unintentionally biased bc it's filtered thru my own theories and headcanons #so I always love hearing what other folks have to say. esp bc sometimes folks will say stuff that have me realize that I'm wrong lol!

[smaller-comfort]

Some poorly organized thoughts, now that I have consumed a stack of Warhammer books about necrons. (Cannot thank @ocelly enough for sending them to me.)

Spoilers for the Infinite and the Divine and thr Twice Dead King books. I'm not talking about Severed because I am genuinely tired of bursting into tears! I have become a parody of a human being.

Orikan deserves it nearly every time Trazyn leaves him in a mangled heap somewhere. No forgiveness or quarter for breaking those pots during his initial theft of the astrarium! I mean, I get where Orikan is coming from; Necrons as a whole are slaved to their past and their inability to change will destroy them. But also, priceless ancient pottery, you raging douchebag. You also didn't have to break Trazyn's walking stick.

Executioner Philias deserves the chance to decapitate both of them, as a treat. And Sannet deserves a vacation somewhere quiet and restful.

I know Orikan tends to be characterized as a shrieking gremlin in contrast to Trazyn's laconic smarminess but they both engage in a lot of shrieking gremlin antics here.

I love how the rise and fall of Serenade's civilizations is used as a framing device for the whole story. I love the approach to time itself in the book in general, with the necrons moving on incomprehensibly vast timelines. Pauses in conversations take hours; three years pass in the middle of a brainstorming session between Trazyn and his staff. Orikan manipulates the timeline with wild abandon to occasionally disastrous and frequently hilarious ends. It's a very fun premise, and it drives home the idea of necrons as not just immortal, but also impossibly old.

(It feels like a treat to read something like this after some of the ideas I've chewed on in my Sea of Stars fic. It's hard not to draw parallels, and some part of me desires an entirely senseless crossover. Trazyn would have a delightful time getting to show off his archives to Resh'an, up until the Vial of Time starts breaking down the chronostasis fields in some of the exhibits. Whoops.)

Thinking about the curatorial/transformational dichotomy in fandom makes me want to contemplate an incredibly stupid AU where Trazyn and Orikan have been getting into flamewars with each other on gaming message boards since the early 90s. They have been banned from attending the same conventions and tournaments after getting in one too many fistfights with each other.

I'm not going to write that. (I'm not likely to write anything...but if I do, it's probably going to be porn where Orikan gets dismembered. *sigh* I'm always predictable to myself, of course, but sometimes the mortifying ordeal of being known weighs upon one's mind.)

I just picked up the audio book, so I may give my eyes a break in the coming week and give it a listen.

Zahndrekh's cameo in Ruin, followed by the revelation in Reign that he's wrapped up in the Carnotite conclave bullshit makes me wildly curious as to where Crowley is headed with these stories. Also the fact that Zahndrekh was as weird and off-putting to people when he was alive as he is when he's a necron is so, so fucking hilarious. He's just like that normally! Incredible. I love him more than words can describe.

I feel like if I were better versed in ancient Greek philosophy and Egyptian mythology, I'd have been picking up a lot more of the references and allusions in Twice Dead King. I've also never watched Battlestar Galactica, so I don't know how much the parallels between BG and Reign line up beyond the superficial.

(It may be Locked Tomb brainrot at work making me assume there are additional levels to the story that I'm missing. Not that there aren't already plenty of levels to the story!)

Going back through pieces of Ruin after finishing Reign makes everything hurt even more! Wow. Incredible.

Reading Ruin: Oltyx you absolute gay disaster baby, please get a grip

Reading Reign: wait no not like that oh god no

Yenekh gets to subvert the 'best friend who dies tragically to support the hero' trope because he's not the best friend, he's the love interest. Oltyx spends the first six chapters of Ruin waxing poetic about his dear friend's graceful curves and shining carapace, come on.

(Their reunion on the Polyphemus also made me cry, unsurprisingly. Love wins! Which is the central theme of course; Oltyx's salvation comes from the people who love him.)

Lysikor manages to steal every scene he's in, which is hilariously appropriate. He's just the distilled essence of that one thief in every D&D campaign who rolls way too high on his pickpocket checks. I have to assume that he's relying on his obsession with stealing shit to stave off his own descent into the flayer curse, since he is originally from Ithakas.

If/when he gets turned, he can go to Drazak and make out sloppy style with Oltyx while Yenekh looks on in horror before joining in.

...I mean I guess Lysikor doesn't need to be turned for that, necessarily. It's going to be an extremely messy endeavor, regardless.

Between The Locked Tomb, and Twice-Dead King, it feels like there's a lot of ritualistic cannibalism with skeletons going on around here. 🤷‍♀️

#nattering #necrons #warhams #the infinite and the divine #the twice dead king #i feel like an eddie izzard skit; 'two fandoms? no one can live at that speed!' #this may fizzle out but we'll see

[fimproda]

@cassianappreciationweek

Day Two: Gentle ⚔︎ When it comes to those he cares about, we all know Cassian has a big heart (and big hands). How do you think he shows his gentle nature to those around him?

I'll be surprised if I end up being the only one to say cleaning and cooking.

To be honest, maybe I'm projecting a bit: my dad spent a year in the military, back when men got drafted at 18 if they couldn't prove they were either still studying or already working, and then transferred to the Carabinieri police force (we're Italians) in which he's been serving the country for more than 30 years. And I swear, the military discipline, organization skills, and attention to detail he uses when cleaning and cooking are just out of this world.

(He taught me his ways, and on the rare occasion when mom is home and wants to clean—she works more hours than dad does—we're always annoyed with her methods, as they don't align with ours. We eyeroll at each other, it's fun.)

I know Cassian didn't have the same upbringing as my dad, but I can't help but draw some parallels between them, and picture Cassian as the kind of guy who dutifully makes his bed in the morning and makes it look like he's ironed the sheets because there's not a single crease.

Also, Cassian can canonically cook, and I'm hot for men who can provide for themselves.

I know that, in canon, he reaches out his hand to both Feyre and Nesta (and Gwyn, and Emerie, and the priestesses, and literally everyone) by offering to train them, but I can also see him doing the dishes after a dinner at a friend's house or cooking a takeout meal so his loved ones can have something warm to eat at work. I wrote a lil' piece about him stress-cleaning for shits and giggles (and because I thought I needed to add some filler words to a chapter which eventually ended up being 11k words long, but in my defense, I just had to slander Madja's medical malpractice), and now I can't chase that image out of my head...

(Nesta would totally dress him in a sexy maid outfit and have him parade around the house half-naked. Tell me she wouldn't.)

I'm never gonna stop saying that he's the most emotionally mature and emotionally intelligent male character in ACoTaR (or character in general, with no distinction of gender), and I'm tired of people labeling him as a big ol' stupid oaf, as one-dimensional, as comic relief, as undeserving of Nesta, as subjected to Rhysand's every whim as though he didn't have a brain, or all the other BS I've heard or read about him even in this appreciation week.

Cassian should be appreciated year-round.

End of rant.

#cassianappreciationweek2023 #nessian #cassian acotar #nesta x cassian #nesta acotar #nesta archeron #nessian fanfiction #read on ao3 #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #my writing #sarah j maas #sarah j. maas #sjm #sjmaas #acotar #acosf #a court of thorns and roses #a03 fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

[gideonnavtheninth]

Only the best for the Third House. Strap in, I get real deep in research for the titles on the Third here!!

Okay, Mouth of the Emperor has always been interesting to me. It doesn't align as cleanly as the other titles for other houses usually do, but I'd guess it has something to do with either the fact that they're a super gossipy house on the surface level, OR … their cannibalism habit. Now, I'm not saying that this might have to do with John's whole Cannibalizing-The-Earth-To-Achieve-Lyctorhood deal but I'm not NOT saying that. Anyway, "The Procession" is a fun one. This is a REAL symbol heavy one, so keep all your hands and feet inside the ride. First and foremost, this (X) article held my hand through this whole infodump, so read it if you wanna see where I'm drawing my stuff from. So, I googled "The Procession", and was immediately graced with the title "PROCESSIONS, TRINITARIAN" which, putting a word that has to do with the number 3 in the same title as the thing I am researching for the third house is.... pretty good, honestly. Anyway, unlike other houses, the third house is REALLY really into the 3 thing. Like, okay, third house has 3 members show up, cool, not on the nose at all. In the bible, you have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which as far as I'm aware don't really map onto the third house members, but they DO tie into the running theme of three with the Processions. Likewise, "the Holy Spirit is depicted not only as a divine power but also as a divine "person" speaking though the mouths of the apostles" also has to do with the "Mouth of the Emperor" thing (Double Plus, it ties into why the sewn tongue was between a ninth house member, being the house of the sewn tongue, AND a third house member, mouth of the emperor! not to mention the tie between the ninth house is also pretty interesting when you think about how even numerically, nine is three, three times. Just saying) The article also brings up another running trinity theme

triadic formulas that entail both distinction and equality among the three divine persons (e.g., Mt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:13; Eph 2:18; 3:14–17; 4:4–6; 5:18–20; Rom 8:14–17, etc.)

The article generally talks about the theological debate that comes about having your one true god being 3 gods in a trench coat, and what that has to do with monotheism, which I'm sure someone could tie into the locked tomb but I'm looking more into exactly what's up with this whole "Procession" thing, and we have not yet gotten there. We will continue to not get there, because of course, there has to be something else I spot. Of course, it's minor this time. "The Legacy of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Scholastic Theology." Okay, interesting. Augustine isn't even third house, but just a funny detour to have spotted. He always felt more Third house to me than Fifth house, but sure. Augustine pitches an interesting theory. Firstly, "the Lover, the Loved, and the Love" is really interesting and I would love to deep-dive on that, but I really feel like the "mens, intellectus, and voluntas" is the key thing here. I feel like you can map this onto Nona in a lot of ways, and not to get two books ahead of myself but the third is pretty prominent in NTN, just sayiiinggg....

Anyway, here we see something something procession all the way at the bottom. What's up with that, can we see finally what I was supposed to be researching this whole time? well...

I'm killing my brain with paragraphs of religious theory, but generally the procession ties into the concept of origination. It's separated into Transient Procession, a term existing outside what proceeds it (E.g. baker and his cookies) and Immanent (E.g. that story you want to tell that exists only in the confines of your brain). Now this is used to explain that the trinity is just products of the whole, that being the one god. I actually think there's a strong case to be made that this parallels Nona, Alecto, and possibly the Earth. All different states of the same being, in this case. I think you can probably tie in the resurrection beasts into this concept a lot too. We can also stretch this to mean the Third house is, in a way, either representative or tangibly an extension of the Emperor. And, this actually does have some substance when you think about the titles. All of the houses are SOMETHING of the emperors. Tangibly, they're his resurrected planets, but title-wise, they're his Strength, Mouth, Hope & Sword (curious that 4th house gets two and both the ninth house and eight house get none), Heart, Reason, and Joy. Of all of these, Fifth house and Third house are parts of him, his mouth and his heart. We also have the HANDS of the emperor, his lyctors. Everything else is either an emotional piece of the emperor, like his hope or strength, or they serve a physical purpose, being his sword or shield, or in the case of the Eighth and Ninth, both "keepers" (When we get to the Eighth, I'll circle back to this one) So it's possible we could specifically be seeing them as the Transient Extensions of "God" or John, as opposed to his Immanent Processions. Okay, procession other meaning is a lot simpler.

Now, we don't really see the third as a very orderly place, but it's entirely possible that they serve a purpose in order via a ceremonial force. They're probably the most amorphous in their necessity to John. We know he needs soldiers, we know he needs scholars, we know he needs warm bodies for the war, and we know he needs a spot to put his barbie vessel. But what really is the third to him? They aren't the masterminds of the sixth, but they're exceptional at blackmail, and information gathering. In this way, unlike any of the other houses, they're exceptionally skilled at keeping things IN line. This isn't the most conclusive answer, but it's the best I got. I'm sure there's a lot more here, but this is my surface level stuff! help me out here, drop your thoughts!

Crazy to believe we spent that long on just the MIDDLE title, but well, it wouldn't be the third house without an annoying amount of hidden complexity. Not to be outdone, the last title will have to garner it's own post! Still... Still on page 2 of the book. Hopefully the WHOLE reread isn't me writing paragraphs for every 3 words (... unless?)

#tltreread #gtnreread #tlt meta #the locked tomb #third house

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

What do you think a feline elf design would look like? Like an elf race that evolved from felines?

a very fun idea! to start, i know this is different, but i have a post on anthro lion anatomy which may be a helpful start for the general body plan and some skull anatomy in various felines.

I don't know if you're looking at any specific felilne ancestry, but for the sake of simplicity I'm going with a cougar for visual reference, since their skull shape is easy to adapt. Also because i just like them.

They're a lot more arboreal than some other big cats (and they're actually closer related to cheetahs than the "true" big cats. Which means they cannot roar and they can meow)

you may have already seen it, but I did answer the question about humanoid hands with retractable claws, it's over here.

to start, just some studies of cougar anatomy

(image description: simple outline studies of cougar skeletons and a few cougars in trees. The skull is short and rounded, the body and tail are long, and it's a very flexible and well muscled cat. Two of the skeletons show different poses, as if it is stretching or fighting. One of the cougars in a tree is climbing downwards. end description)

the other reason I'm picking a cougar as a good example for cat elves is because they're really good at climbing and have a pretty arboreal lifestyle, which fits some common tropes for elves. So now here are my sketches for how you might adapt this anatomy to make some elves.

(image description: three simple drawings of a bipedal skeleton and a close up of the skull. The first image is just the skeleton, which looks mostly humanoid but has no collarbone, shifts the neck bones further back on the skull, and has a tail as well as digitigrade legs. The skull is almost the same as a normal cougar skull, with a rounder cranium.

In the second image, the skeleton is a faded red and the body is outlined as an anthropomorphic cougar. they're furry and their ears are situated on top of the head, like a normal cat.

In the third image, the skeleton is white and the body outline shows a more humanoid facial structure and hair, as well as ears situated on the side of the head. the nose and feet are still very cat-like. They also have eyebrow whiskers. end description)

Eyebrow whiskers are fun. I encourage the use of any facial whiskers in fantasy people design, even though I don't put them in all of mine lol.

You can go more cat-like or more humanoid. Keep the digitigrade feet or flatten them. I'm leaving the neck bones further back like that so they can shift between a bipedal and quadrupedal stance, which will help them retain the ability to climb directly down a tree as shown in the previous images of real cougars. so here's a final design concept.

(image description: three flat colored drawings of feline elves, mimicking the poses of two climbing cougars and the fighting cougar skeleton. There is a line of fur down the backs of these elves, connecting to the fully furred tail, while the rest of their bodies remain hairless except for the head. they are all wearing simple clothes made of leather/hide with a lot of bone decorations and some feathers. The main dye colors here are red, brown, grey, and green. the elf climbing vertically downwards is able to turn his neck to keep his line of sight parallel to the tree, and both he and the younger looking elf clinging to a different tree are able to flex their ankles so they can use their feet to cling to the trees. end description)

this was a fun one, I hope that's all helpful! Of course, you do not have to use cougars as your base, this was just my choice. More fur would also allow for fun things like dyed fur patterns to convey things like social status, if you want a little extra culture flair. Feline elves would be obligate carnivores, most likely, and they'd probably stick with an ambush hunting technique.

Have fun with your cat elves!

#elves #felinid #cat elves #feline #accessible images #image description #accessible art #fantasy anatomy #non primate humanoids

[oh-wow-a-drawer]

I love your art!!

Opinions on angelbutter?

Thank you for the kind words!!! ✨💖3💖✨

As for the question, I think I should point some of the things out:

- First of all, the Frostpegg duo has incredible chemistry both on and off set and every scene including both of them just. looks GOOD bc they work together so well and their interactions are something else;

- Secondly, Hot Fuzz is a gay gay romcom. And it works! It's not annoying enough for me to hate the ship, which, to be honest, is rare;

- I am DOWN BAD for the "ah he's so tough and serious but he has a soft spot for the only special person in he life/ ah he's so dumb such a small little scrunkly but so cheerful and so cute" trope *coughs intensely, sliding my sketches under the bed simultaneously*

- simon pegg is a slut and there is no choice for me but to reach out to him with my filthy slutty hands and ship him with the lads;

So,

HF is a comedy, aimed, in general, to make fun of things, but Angelbutter stands out. I suppose Simon&co just went like "what if nick wins a stuffed toy for danny at the fare? oh yeah, let's make them watch movies and fall asleep together! etc etc" - purely random clichés just for fun, but they, in fact, worked! Worked because they fit the story and the characters - Nick doesn't get along with Danny just because they are in a romcom, but because he is naive, easygoing - an unexpected characteristics for Angel as he's used to boring, serious big city policemen(police officers, har har har), because he shows Nick that his job doesn't have to be his whole life, because Danny stands up for him, after all. Relationship is all about sharing the experience and the knowledge.

Someone has pointed out the parallels between Nick's relationship with his actual ex and his relationship with Danny - how different they are, and how much better does Angelbutter work because of how different Danny is.

I think what also works in Angelbutters favor is that they aren't actually canon, so their love line isn't stretched and doesn't look far-fetched or unrealistic - it's extremely lighthearted, as it should be, and it makes me believe in it, because they act like actual people would.

All in all- I love Angelbutter!! They are extremely sweet and boyfriends material, totally on my priority list X3

P.S. i don't draw them mostly bc danny's face is complicated, but these things take time and i'll figure it out >:)

#angelbutter #is #canon

[lady-byleth]

As we all know, I am a bit of an obsessive nerd. Not quite Silmaril hunting levels of obsessive but getting there

Today I shall use this power to draw up a few fun parallels between the most famous love story in Arda and Beren and Luthien (lol, I couldn't stop myself).

This is not going to be in chronological order because the parallels of the two stories don't happen at the same points and it might be a bit jumbled because I'm wicked sick with covid so bear with me

Let's start with the setup for both.

Broken down to its essentials, Beren and Maedhros are sent to retrieve a/the Silmaril/s from Melkor by a great elven King who happens to hate one part of the pairing.

Feanor is no fan of Fingolfin's line in general, Fingon being his half-brother's heir would not have been the most beloved person to Feanor. Thingol is also not particularly fond of Beren.

The difference is that Thingol is giving Beren this task because he deems it impossible and hopes Beren will either give up or straight up die while Feanor's sons swear the Oath so they can't stop unless they die.

In any case, the setup is quite similar at its core.

Of course they do not set off alone. Maedhros is accompanied by his family and the host of Feanor, sharing the Oath with his brothers. Beren meanwhile cashes in on his own family's good relationship with Finrod Felagund (himself a relative of Maedhros and Fingon) and gets his own company for his quest. Now we have an Oath of some sort on both sides and Finrod to connect them further.

Next we have Luthien and Fingon, who out of devotion themselves set off on a journey to follow their partner. Now, I don't quite remember where this comes up but Fingon, if memory serves, goes for two reasons: 1, cuz he too wishes to build something new in Middle-earth, a call to adventure if you will, and 2, because Maedhros is going. Luthien follows Beren when she senses he is in danger, so like Fingon there's a deep bond there that motivates her.

Maedhros and Beren both end up captured by the enemy (Maedhros after losing a significant portion of his company and Beren loses them while captured) and against the better judgment of just about any sentient being Luthien and Fingon both make the solitary treck to some of the most dangerous places on the planet to save them. Thangorodrim are three mountains/volcanos atop Melkor's stronghold Angband, teeming with evil creatures and magic. Dol-in-Gaurhoth belongs to Sauron at this point, where his werewolves make their lair. Incidentally, Beren and Luthien also head for Angband later on.

At this point, Luthien does manage to save Beren from Dol-in-Gaurhoth with the help of non other than Huan, a hound of the Valar gifted to Maedhros' brother Celegorm, again drawing a connection between the two tales that is not quite a parallel but interesting. We won't get into the logistics of how Luthien and Huan came to be a team but like her, Fingon also receives the help of a beast close to a Valar - Thorondor, King of the Eagles

How does Thorondor know to help? Well, Fingon manages to track Maedhros down by doing what every elf does when they are distraught: he sings. And Maedhros, by a small miracle, hears his song and answers, the same way Luthien found Beren in Angband because when all else fails, sing. Well, he sings. Actually they both do, at different points.

Anyway, Maedhros is weakened and in agony, and begs Fingon to kill him. And Fingon, because he sees no other way, raises his bow and prays to Manwe that his arrow might fly swift and true. And Manwe, despite all the bad blood between him and especially the Feanorians, despite the Doom of Mandos promising that everything the Kinslayers do ends in failure, and despite everything that went down between the Noldor and the Valar...sends Thorondor instead. Thorondor, who also appears to help Luthien bring a dying Beren back to Doriath, much like he carries Fingon and Maedhros back to Lake Mithrim.

Beren is currently dying because Carcaroth bit off his hand and poisoned him that way. His right hand, to be precise. Maedhros is in horrific shape because he was tortured for decades and then had his hand cut off.

So if I had a nickle for every time Thorondor carried someone on the quest for some shiny stones back home after they lose their right hand, I'd have two nickles.

Luckily both Maedhros and Beren survive their ordeals...until they both die with a Silmaril in their hands later on. But that's neither here nor there.

Luthien, in her grief, sings her sorrow to Namo, who consults with Manwe on her behalf. And Manwe hears her plea and does what he can do help her, like he heard Fingon's plea and helped him.

So, to summarize, dudes taller than most of their families set off (together with their respective companies, which include Finrod at some point) to retrieve Feanor's shiny stones because an elven King said so and end up captured by the bad guys. Pretty dark haired people follow them, against all odds find them (one of them even twice) and beg the Valar for help, who answer in unexpected ways. Tall dudes lose their right hands, Thorondor is there to play Great Eagle Airlines. Someone is found through singing. Both Maedhros and Beren end up dying very soon after reclaiming one Silmaril.

I hope this is halfway coherent because again, covid. It's probably jumbled all to hell but I think I made my point

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk

#beren and luthien #russingon #luthien tinuviel #beren erchamion #Fingon #Maedhros

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 11-12 Part 1

Hello Readers!

To enhance readability, I've decided to split my theories and analysis posts into two parts! I understand my posts can be lengthy, but they are designed to be comprehensive.

Eps 11-12 were a solid 100/10 in my book! I was truly amazed!! Some of my theories were completely off the mark, while others were almost spot on! I got the big picture right but got some of the finer details wrong. It's worth noting that this writer can be somewhat unpredictable. However, I find this unpredictability fun, as it keeps me interested and motivates me to dig deeper into the narrative so I can make more accurate theories.

For those who prefer to skip my general thoughts about the show, please feel free to jump to Section 2, where I provide an in-depth analysis of the events in Gu Won's past! I'll be posting part 2 of this post either later today or tomorrow!

Ok, thinking caps on! Time to analyze and theorize!

Section 1: General Thoughts

One of the biggest issues I have with this writer is how she tries to push her religious views onto viewers. "My Demon" almost feels like one big Sunday School session. I mean, look at the religious messages conveyed throughout this show. If you believe in God, you're promised both earthly and afterlife rewards. On the flip side, if you don't adhere to God's rules, you're destined for Hell. Even if you simply don't believe in God, the consequence is the same — Hell. How can this be considered a genuine "choice"?

It feels more like an ultimatum than a choice, where the alternatives are either conformity to a specific belief system or facing extreme consequences. The narrative doesn't allow for a nuanced exploration of diverse perspectives or individual beliefs. It's as if the characters are presented with an illusion of choice when, in reality, the options are quite rigid and the stakes are exceptionally high. This approach not only oversimplifies complex matters of faith and spirituality but also fails to acknowledge the richness of human diversity in thought and belief.

While I thoroughly enjoy the great acting, the comedic elements, and the chemistry between the leads in "My Demon," I found myself increasingly bothered by the writer's persistent attempts to incorporate and emphasize her religious views. The show's success in creating an engaging narrative is somewhat overshadowed by the writer's inclination to use the storyline as a platform for promoting specific religious beliefs.

This overt agenda feels not only unnecessary but also distracting. Instead of allowing viewers to appreciate the characters and the plot for what they are, it tends to veer into didactic territory, almost like a sermon disguised as entertainment. While I understand that personal beliefs can influence creative work, there is a fine line between subtlety and heavy-handedness. In the case of "My Demon," it feels like the latter, and it detracts from the overall viewing experience.

In sharing these thoughts, I want to acknowledge that these are just my two cents, coming from the perspective of an atheist watching this show. I appreciate the diverse range of beliefs and opinions that viewers bring to the table, and my intention is not to invalidate anyone's faith or enjoyment of the content. Rather, I'm offering my personal observations on how the heavy emphasis on religious themes affects my experience as a viewer.

Section 2: The Past

Section 2.1:  Rodion Raskolnikov of the Joseon Dynasty

If you've read my "My Demon" posts, you know I often draw parallels between the themes and characters in "My Demon" and those in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." The writer of "My Demon" takes many inspirations from this novel. Despite its title, "Crime and Punishment" doesn't really focus on the act of the crime but delves more into the intricate aftermath—Raskolnikov's internal struggles, guilt, and moral conflict. Similarly, "My Demon," particularly in Eps 11-12, echoes these themes.

In a nutshell, "Crime and Punishment" follows Rodion Raskolnikov, who commits murder believing it serves the greater good. However, his guilt intensifies, leading to self-isolation and nightmares. Raskolnikov's journey towards redemption begins after he falls in love with Sonya, paralleling events in "My Demon." Sonya's love becomes his salvation, as she encourages him to face the consequences of his actions by confessing to the police. Eventually, Raskolnikov is sent to prison, and during his time there, he finally experiences guilt for the murders he committed. It's this newfound guilt that marks the beginning of his journey towards redemption. Random thought: Even when Seok Min was placed in prison, he displayed no remorse for hitting the pedestrian, and to this day, he remains unapologetic for killing his own mother. It seems like there's little hope of redemption for him haha.

Raskolnikov and Gu Won had something in common — they both liked taking shortcuts and were a bit lazy. In "Crime and Punishment," a servant scolded Raskolnikov for being lazy because he wasn't working. Raskolnikov said his version of "work" was thinking deeply. He was basically a freeloader, benefitting from the hard work of his mother and sister without really contributing financially in any way.

Gu Won was the same. When he was human, he freeloaded off his father, without bothering to do any kind of work. Do Hee was on point when she called him "the most carefree freeloader." His mindset was like those people he signed contracts with — he thought geniuses didn't need to work.

Gu Won's personal philosophy centered on the pursuit of happiness and a strong inclination to take shortcuts in life in order to avoid challenges and pain. He was devoted to the idea of finding easy solutions to challenges, always opting for the path that led to immediate joy. A clear example of this is when Gu Won proposed eloping as a solution to the challenges posed by their differing social classes. Instead of confronting the harsh reality of their social barriers, he suggested fleeing and eloping with Do Hee. However, Do Hee, being the voice of reason, emphasized the importance of facing problems rather than evading them. Gu Won, driven by his hedonistic desires, preferred avoiding challenges to maintain a state of happiness, even if it meant taking shortcuts to get there.

Gu Won, being the sloth that he was, sought an effortless solution to overcome the class barrier that existed between him and Do Hee. He turned to Catholicism not out of genuine religious conviction but as a shortcut to bridge the social gap. His belief in the teachings of the Catholic faith was driven by the hope that, by adopting this newfound faith, he could persuade Do Hee their love could transcend social constraints, given that the idea of equality was central to the Catholic faith. Simply put, Gu Won only believed in God for personal gain and didn't have a genuine desire to commit to God's teachings and principles. He was just one superficial/self-serving mf. God was about to teach Gu Won a lesson though!

While the love birds were in their happy bubble, the world outside was still spinning. Political factions were fighting over power and using the threat of the rise of Catholicism to their advantage. Villages were getting destroyed as authorities searched for Catholics. The people in this village became fearful their small town would be next.

Gu Won's father thought he could use the matter at hand to his advantage. He obviously didn't want his son to marry a Catholic kisaeng so he suggested they sacrifice her for the greater good. For Gu Won's father, it was like killing two birds with one stone. He could eliminate Do Hee while protecting the village from ruins.

The idea of sacrificing one person for the greater good is a philosophical concept called "Utilitarianism" and was present in "Crime and Punishment." There are a lot of problems with utilitarianism (i.e ignoring the rights of individuals), but for the sake of brevity, I won't go into it here.

A question I would like to pose to my readers is do you think Gu Won's actions were justified? From my perspective, I don't think it was. Two wrongs don't make a right. Yes, it was wrong for the villagers to sacrifice Do Hee to protect their village, but it was also wrong for Gu Won to kill them all for it.

The way I see this whole situation is that Gu Won was one big privileged baby who didn't get this way and threw a temper tantrum (kinda like Seok Min). Since he never had to face any challenges or obstacles in his life, he never knew what it meant to struggle. In turn, this caused him to not know how to effectively handle negative emotions such as sadness, pain, disappointment, and anger.

This deficiency in emotional management is what prompted him to explode and kill all the villagers. It's a stark reminder of the consequences when one is shielded from life's challenges and lacks the necessary coping mechanisms. The ability to face challenges and navigate negative emotions is not only necessary for personal growth but also for developing the resilience needed to face adversity.

Rather than face the consequences of his actions (i.e killing the villagers) and the negative emotions stemming from the loss of Do Hee, Gu Won once again took the easy way out and ended his life. He thought he could run away from his problems and avoid being where God was, but he was about to be in for a surprise.

His declaration, "If heaven is where God dwells, I refuse to go there," now seems quite ironic. In the context of this show, God was depicted as being "everywhere", residing not only in Heaven but also in Hell. This notion was further exemplified by the portrayal of God living in a hut in the subway station, symbolizing the underworld/Hell. So, in a twist of fate, after Gu Won died and went to Hell, he ended up where God was too.

Section 2.2: Journey Towards Redemption Begins with Repentance

In "Crime and Punishment," Raskolnikov's punishment was twofold, encompassing both psychological and physical dimensions. The internal anguish and nightmares he experienced following the murders was a form of mental torment, a living hell of his own making. Additionally, Raskolnikov faced physical consequences as he was sentenced to work in a labor camp for eight years. This dual punishment, spanning the realms of the mind and the body, highlighted the profound and multifaceted repercussions of his actions.

Similar to Raskolnikov, Gu Won faced a dual form of retribution. Gu Won's transformation into a demon could be interpreted as a type of physical punishment, an altered state that separated him from his human existence. Simultaneously, the internal struggles he grappled with upon remembering his human memories represented a form of mental torture. In this way, Gu Won, like Raskolnikov, endured consequences that transcended both the physical and mental realms.

Much like Raskolnikov's journey, Gu Won's path toward redemption began with a pivotal moment of admission of the crime he committed. The turning point occurred when Gu Won, similar to Raskolnikov, confessed his wrongdoings to the woman he loved. This act of acknowledgment and vulnerability served as the catalyst for both characters, marking the beginning of their respective quests for redemption.

As I watched Gu Won's confession, it became evident he didn't feel remorse for murdering the villagers. Rather than directly acknowledging his wrongdoing, he framed it in the context of the villagers sacrificing Do Hee, suggesting he believed violence towards them was somehow justified. It was almost as if his moral compass was backward or flipped. Instead of recognizing that loving someone isn't a crime and killing people is, Gu Won seems to think the opposite. In his current state, Gu Won is clearly struggling to place his guilt appropriately. He redirects his focus onto something less severe, his feelings for Do Hee, as a way to avoid confronting the more serious consequences of his violent actions toward the villagers.

For Gu Won to truly grasp the gravity of murdering the villagers, he first needs to disclose to Do Hee that she was the woman he loved in the past. Doing this would require significant personal growth on his part. Based on the preview for Ep 13, it would seem Gu Won may not share this information just yet, perhaps due to his hedonistic and avoidant tendencies.

Gu Won's desire for present happiness seems to drive his choice to withhold the information. This raises the question – is the happiness they share truly genuine, or is it merely a facade built on secrets and omissions? True happiness requires transparency and a willingness to confront the complexities of one's painful past, a reality Gu Won seems to overlook in his pursuit of happiness. He also needs to realize you can't have real happiness without sorrow or pleasure without pain. That's life!

By revealing to Do Hee she was the woman he loved in the past, he would be able to forgive himself for what happened to her. Do Hee would probably tell him that just like in the present, she willingly chose to sacrifice himself to save him and that he shouldn't blame himself for her death in the past. Her reassurance that he shouldn't bear the sole responsibility for her death may be instrumental in Gu Won finally forgiving himself and, in turn, facing the reality of his violent actions towards the villagers.

If Gu Won doesn't want a repeat of their tragic fates in the past, he must make different choices and break free of his bad habits like taking the easy way out of things and avoiding pain. It’s only then Gu Won can be saved from his immortal existence as a demon devil (to be human is to suffer and suffering is great haha) and he and Do Hee can have a more positive fate in the present!

Section 2.3: Do Hee's Father's Contract With Gu Won

This section will be in the second part which I will post either later today or tomorrow! It will contain theories so stay tune!

#my demon #there are probably grammatical mistakes #do dohee #gu won #jeong gu won #song kang #kim yoojung #wolsim #yi sun #crime and punishment #do hee #jeon gu won #kim yoo jung #kim you jung #analysis

[orangebetel]

Thoughts on the ending of the novel ‘Hannibal’

I feel like I’m the only person in the world who’d only just read the Hannibal Lecter series but here we are. I finally got around to it and loved it. I’ve always liked the movies and now I realise how inferior they are. I know the whole world has decided whether they love or hate the ending of the series but I need to get my own thoughts in order lol. When I first finished it I had a major “what the actual fuck” moment but now I’ve given myself a day to construct an opinion and here it is:

(TLDR: I don’t think the end was out of character and it was inevitable from the start)

I think it was inevitable that Clarice starling and Hannibal lecter would end up together in some capacity and I feel like everyone knew that, even if they didn’t envision it happening in the exact way it did in the final novel. I’m gonna make a quick callback to the classic gothic literary technique of doubling for context: “Doubling refers to a multiplication by two, such as when two or more characters parallel each other in action or personality. It can also mean internal doubling, or division within the self to exhibit a duality of character.” Generally, there is an good and evil side. Jekyll and Hyde is an example. Lecter is the dark side of the double and Clarice is the good, moral side. It is clear in the novel that neither characters can live without the other. They truly are doubles; extensions of one another: both are orphans, both have suffered trauma in their childhoods, both are haunted by memories of their past (mischa and lambs) and both are considered outcasts (Clarice being a “white trash” female with an ill reputation in the FBI and Hannibal being… well, Hannibal). I think from the moment Clarice firsts meets Hannibal Lecter in Baltimore state hospital, that concept of doubling kicks into motion and they’re immediately intertwined by fate. Remember, this is a BOOK, not real life, and so the characters don’t have to stick to the guideline of what is realistic. From that point of the initial meeting onwards, they both drive each other. Clarice is driven by Lecter in the sense that he’s the only one capable of helping her complete the investigation which she believes will silence the lambs. He’s the ONLY one who knows about clarice’s struggles and I think she realises that he understands her more than anyone ever has. Each time she visits him she learns something about herself and I think anyone would find that exhilarating. Hannibal Lecter is driven by Clarice because he has nothing else that mentally challenges him in the present. He loves challenge and he loves fun, as is emphasised many times, and deconstructing Clarice is the only real fun he’s had in years. He’s found somebody to converse with who he realises is just as smart as him, and becomes oddly obsessed with her. Anyone who argues he isnt obsessed didn’t read the same novel as me: he spends his free time writing to her and drawing her and talking about her to Barney. Additionally, from that point early on I think he subconsciously makes that link between her and mischa which drives his obsession. When Clarice successfully concludes the Jame Gumb case and lecter escapes, you get the idea that both of these characters have achieved their ultimate goals. Harris could’ve wrapped it up there and had the two characters split ways but that would never have been believable because they’d become so dependent on one another over the course of the novel and also trauma does not resolve that easy. The lambs don’t stop screaming and lecter is unable to simply forget about someone who’s influenced him so much. In the Hannibal novel, we see that Clarice’s reputation is taking a major hit and her only motivation to continue working so hard for FBI is researching Hannibal Lecter and concluding his case. Lecter himself is free in Italy, living his best life, yet he still cannot shake Agent Starling from his head. Every motivation he has in the novel somehow links back to Clarice and you get the sense that his character will never be at peace until he can get closure with Clarice. Whether he wants to simply have a conversation with her a final time, kill and eat her or run away with her, we do not know yet at this point. All we do know is he is undeniably is attracted to her in some inescapable, perverse way. Oh, and to all the people who think it would’ve been more in character for him to eat her? Fuck off. He had nothing but respect for Clarice’s forwardness and courtesy and we all know he only eats those he finds rude. As for Starling in that novel, we get the sense she’ll never be at peace until she can wrap up her business with Lecter. He is her driving force even eight years on, as we can see in her obsession with him and the setting up of “Hannibal’s house”. It’s borderline a shrine to Lecter and Harris writes it that way deliberately. Think of the many, many chapters in which she dedicated to finding out about his tastes? In doing so she learned more about Lecter as a person than anyone had ever done. And so, the novel establishes itself as a very strange sort of slow burn(?) in which the climax is destined to be these two characters coming back together in some way shape or form. Skipping over the middle stuff and right to the end, it makes perfect sense that Clarice would independently seek out Hannibal at Verger’s farm. At this point she is working against Krendler and Verger and so, in a strange way, she is working for Lecter. She can’t just let them kill him because then she would really have nothing left and she’d get no closure about his intentions, about why he’s been keeping such a close eye on her in his own time. Her goal at this point is to capture him and incarcerate him. She treats him with upmost respect when she finds him tied up but still has that fiery spark that makes her such a good fucking character. She’s not afraid of him at all. Lecter loves this. He shows that it in the way he cheerfully and sarcastically translates her orders to his captors. This is all a game to him and Hannibal Lecter lives for fun. Then, of course, she is shot and the sequence that turned so many away from the novel begins. A lot of people think the ending of Hannibal is out of character for starling and I agree. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Of course she was out of character, she was under the influence of some major drugging and attempted brainwashing. People seem to be mad since they think that Clarice would never willingly stoop to the level of the man she’s sought to capture, they say she’d never eat brains with him and converse casually, but it wasn’t really her who did that, was it?

The whole end section feels like a dream sequence and… I’d be lying if I said I loved it. It was the only time I was ever disappointed with the novel because everything had been so richly described up until that point. I wish Harris had gone more into depth with the whole therapy brainwashing shit because I think, if he’d taken the time to better explain it, people would have been more inclined to enjoy it and accept it as feasible.

Hannibal Lacter is evil. He eats people. Of course he’d do something as insane as trying to turn the woman he’s obsessed with into a puppet unto which he can insert his long lost sister to deal with his unresolved trauma. It’s so unbelievably in character because he is insane. Sure, hes also an absolute genius but this genius is what makes him insane and, by extension, truly terrifying. I find it fitting that he’d try to do something as far fetched as brainwashing Clarice. People forget that he’s just as out of his mind as Starling is at this point. He realises eventually, though, that Clarice will never give herself up to his warped fantasy of becoming a vessel for Mischa. Starling herself is still in there somewhere and this is shown when she suddenly recalls the conversation Lecter had with the senator in regards to her breastfeeding Catherine. In that moment, she seems nearly in control of herself as she recollects what she knows about Lecter’s childhood and relationship with his family and uses it against him. She almost mocks him in that scene as she asks if he felt deprived when he had to share his mother with his sister, and then… that scene happens.

I know people say the sequence where Clarice exposes herself to Lecter is out of character and I did initially too, but after consideration I think me and all of those other people were still imagining Jodie foster’s version of Clarice and not the original, book-canon Clarice. The scene with her exposing herself to him reminds me of the earlier scene where she flashes Krendler. In both instances, I interpreted it as almost empowering. She’s not afraid to reveal herself like that, she understands her power as a woman, and I don’t see this as her character’s consistent strength and grit being tossed out the window by Harris. I see it as the very opposite, really. She takes power back in a way even though she is still under the influence of hypnosis. I mean, Dr Lecter gets to his knees before her which is terribly symbolic in itself. Remember all the past biblical refences he’d made in regards to her until this point.  There’s a big three year jump right after this and the next thing we see is Clarice living happily with Lecter and indulging in a fine, high-society life which is very different to her upbringing. A lot of people hated this and I did at first but then I thought about it a little more. I think the reason it felt so sour at first was only because of how abrupt it was. Again, if Harris had taken more time to explain the intricacies of the relationship and how things had gone between them when Lecter finally stopped giving her the drugs, I think it would’ve made perfect sense. I imagined it this way: Clarice starling had very few options. It’s stated that Hannibal stopped drugging her up pretty swiftly and once he did that I think Clarice realised how limited she was. She had nothing back home except for Ardelia. John Brigham was dead, Jack Crawford was dead, Paul Krendler was dead. She had nobody to cheer her on, nobody to look up to and nobody to work hard for out of spite. She could’ve always taken Lecter into custody or killed him but I think she knew that she’d never be able to go back to her normal life without him. If he was in prison she’d never be able to visit him or converse the way she had before and if he was dead she’d never be able to see him. That scared her, I imagine. He’d been her driving force for 8 years and to lose that so suddenly would leave her pretty helpless. Plus, it was very clear that the FBI had completely abandoned its respect for her. She hadn’t been considered as a kidnap victim by them but as a missing person / potential fugitive and rumours of her and Lecter being together romantically had been ruminating in the tabloids long before he took her away. And it was the same for Hannibal: his driving force had always been Mischa up until that point and it had now shifted onto Clarice. He’d simply be dysfunctional without her. I believe Clarice Starling running off with Hannibal Lecter was overwhelmingly in character for her at the time. If you’d put it at the end of the previous book it would’ve been genuinely absurd, but in this case it really wasn’t all that crazy. It’s just a shame we’d seen the jump from her wanting to arrest Dr Lecter to her becoming his enthusiastic, willing lover so abruptly. If Harris had inserted a sort of middle section or even just extended the end portion by thirty or fourth pages, it would have made a lot more sense. Opposites attract and they were undoubtedly doubles of each other: unable to exist peacefully without the other. That’s where I think a lot of readers went wrong. They spent too much time imagining Clarice and Hannibal as completely separate characters when in reality, they were written for each other. People who say Thomas Harris didn’t understand his own characters seem to forget it took him thirteen something years to construct that book and I think he knew exactly what he was doing. I do have to agree with anyone who says he rushed it or compacted the end too much. Do I think Hannibal and Clarice running off with each other is morally right? No, not at all. It’s all sorts of fucked up for many, many reasons. 

Do I love the ending of the book? YES, a thousand times!! It’s horrible and morally wrong and perverse… but this is a horror novel I think it would’ve been so disappointing if Harris had done the boring, predictable thing and had either killed Lecter, killed Clarice or had Clarice capture him and live happy ever after as an agent. There were only two options: either they both died together trying to destroy eachother or they both lived together trying to destroy everyone else, and Harris chose the latter because it was the most morally disturbing and thus fit the overall feel of the book. “We can only learn so much and live.”

This is all just an opinion and interpretation, I might have read it completely wrong but it makes sense to me and I’d rather have a positive outlook on the series than let myself feel dissapointed. Even if the ending sucks, you can’t deny it’s a really, really good series.

#silence of the lambs #hannibal #hannibal lecter #clarice starling #clannibal #thomas harris #red dragon #book rant #this was longer than i intended lol #it went from a short opinion to a full blown essay

[sskklvr]

WAIT DID ANYONE EVER ASK U ABOUT UR YURI ON ICE AU COS IF NOT PLS SPILL I LOVE SSKK AND YOI AND I SHOWED UR DRAWING TO MY BESTIE COS I WAS SO EXCITED I NEED TO KNOW MORE!!!!

AHHGHF SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, THE YOI AU IS A BIG INCOHERENT MESS SO I STRUGGLED TO PUT IT INTO WORDS <//3

THIS IS ALSO SUCH A LONG REPLY BC I JUST. RAMBLE. I AM SO SORRY IF THIS MAKES NO SENSE, IT IS ABSOLUTELY ALL OVER THE PLACE-

Okay! So I really really love the AU, but sadly there's no cohesive plot to follow if we're gonna be honest- I have a few points, like the banquet I changed up, and Akutagawa's appearance as Atsushi's coach is also changed, but other than that I really just have this to draw connections and put sskk in silly little YoI scenarios </3

I tried real hard to match BSD characters to YoI but it was just not working for me [I've been messing with this AU for like, a year after all] Even deciding between Akutagawa and Atsushi as who would be Viktor and Yuuri was a bit complicated, bc I personally think it has potential either way. The obvious, and generally more fitting choice is the one I went with ofc, but I think a version where Atsushi is Akutagawa's coach would be just as interesting!

Anyway, despite being mostly just for kicks, I still tried to put thought into it!

With how Yuuri was constantly surprising and surpassing Viktor's expectations, I figured Akutagawa's ability to surprise Atsushi with his actions would work well. [Also because I think the scene in the parking lot where Viktor tells Yuuri he'll resign as his coach if he doesn't make it to the podium is very reminiscent of the scene in s3 with the imagery of Akutagawa shattering from Atsushi's reckless words-] But again, Akutagawa as Viktor works just as well since Yuuri says in the very first episode that Viktor never ceased to surprise him, if we're going that route. As well as the fact that both sskk and Viktuuri learn from each other throughout their respective journeys together.

Like Atsushi's 2 costumes being based around his ADA design/The Tiger, and Beast, or Akutagawa having a lighter coat/his overall main design being a lot brighter to symbolize the change from yk, the Mafia in canon. I also threw in the Ch88 themed look for Akutagawa's younger version because I wanted to draw Akutagawa with longer hair, but the design itself is supposed to symbolize a sort of 'end' to his skating. Since Viktor begins to lose inspiration further down the line until meeting Yuuri, that's what I'm trying to implement with the design. If that makes any sense-

Since Akutagawa in canon had been searching for worthy opponents as a way to gain Dazai's approval, when he finally met his match against Atsushi he was practically thrilled [for lack of better words/to put it simply--] So I'm taking that idea and throwing it into this AU as Akutagawa gaining back his passion for skating when he sees the potential in Atsushi even despite his loss at the GPF. Speaking of, the banquet also goes a bit differently-

I figured stripping and pole dancing wasn't really Atsushi's style, I don't know how to explain it so I might doodle it sometime, but I have this old ass screenshot of me talking about this AU to mildly sum it up

And going back to Atsushi's 1st costume being ADA themed, I wanted that to tie into Yuuri's first program being about his career and life, and the love he has for the people who stuck by him through everything. The ADA is kind of a perfect example for that, I mean, Atsushi's entire uniform was given to him by each member so I figured it was a perfect parallel. Although there really isn't a tie between the Beast costume and Yuuri's Eros program though- That was just for fun, in a way.

I also definitely want the ADA itself to act as the hot springs that Yuuri's family runs, but I can't figure out which characters would be which person- I'm ALL ears for any suggestions for that btw, I literally only have sskk decided, everyone else is a toss up-

Ahg, there's so much more I'm forgetting, I'm sure, but I wanted to answer this somehow bc I've been dying to get out my thoughts for this AU

Anyway, thank you for the ask! And I'm sorry my response was super late and a full length essay- If there's any specific questions or curiosity, I'll do my best to answer </3

#this is peak keyramblings for sure #bsd #bungou stray dogs #sskk #shin soukoku #yuri on ice #keyramblings #the least fleshed out AU I have and I can still talk for probably hours about it- 😭

[scramble-crossing]

2 3 8 10 12 16

2. A headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like! Hmm. Hitting a roadblock trying to think of other people's headcanons (usually I like them right away or don't and they immediately slide out of my brain) so for my own headcanon I've gone back and forth on how I think Sho died between a long, complicated struggle with some sort of illness-possibly a lifelong autoimmune disorder-and suicide (though he doesn't see it as being suicide; he knows about the Game and is damn certain he can win, so to him it's more like "moving into a more exciting plane of existence." I also see Joshua as going out in a similar fashion, though he's more realistic about his chances and just doesn't care if he wins or disappears). I've always liked the illness route for how un-Minamomoto-like it feels for him to just quietly wither away, but the second parallels him with Joshua in a way I think is interesting (coupled with the theory that they could both see the UG when they were alive, they lived and died the exact same way, they were the same, so why can't Sho beat him?) But also if you're feeling really dark about it you can combine em. Sho knows he's on his way out anyways and takes matters into his own hands, fuck you I die when I say I'm dying.

I don't think this even answers the question. Whatever. Sho time.

3. A character that fandom has helped you appreciate I love seeing content of background characters in general like shopkeepers + sidequest guys :] it's always fun to see someone breath a little more life into them. I like Futoshi + Mick and even if I'm not too interested in them particularly I like seeing what people do with Mina and Ai and Eri in fics.

Also! Tsugumi's brother! I saw one design for him and it immediately fastened itself deep into my brain. He's definitely an interesting character and I'd like to see + write some explorations of him in the future.

8. You hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc) Sho and Neku's whole dynamic (both existing and potential) is so, so fantastic in the many ways in which they mirror each other in their limited, self-centred beliefs that are eventually challenged and soon reshaped entirely, changed merely by the action of letting themselves be changed, and how much fun it is that Sho's whole neo arc is essentially a failed-or at least faltering-version of Neku's (and by extension very much like Joshua's). In that sense they're capable of understanding each other like no one else can. And it seems like they do! Sho maaaaybe has some begrudging respect for the guy (as much as he can respect anyone, anyways) and Neku's sees the best in him in a way no other character does. It's a super fun narrative and also just plain sweet and I'm very attached to the idea of a bizarre post-neo ShoNeku friendship where Sho's like this mangy stray Neku somehow finds charming and slowly earns the trust of by plying him with sweets and reciprocal math-speak. I wish there was more fan content of them. But the crumbs sustain me.

Also. From the wiki:

Me and the bestie when we're cosmically connected by Monkey

12. Compliment someone else in your fandom

YOU

I LOVE your artstyle (big fan of that one shoka and sho catsiblings drawing especially. I don't know art speak but something something shoka and shos muted, mostly-black colour schemes set against the bright + colourful background is super pleasing to look at) and the shofutomicki get throupled idiot is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life and I'll treasure it forever

Also I don't think they have a tumblr, but shout-out to oddvector on ao3 for writing some VERY impressively-written Sho fic with mathspeak I aspire to be able to write someday. I haven't totally worked my way through their collection of works, but the ones I've read are some of my favourite fics (Minamimoto Turns Up to the Function in particular is everything I love in a Shofic)

Actually speaking of which, A New Friendship it's just you and me on this cold hard bitch of an earth (one of like 11 whole fics in the Sho&Neku tag. 2 of which are mine. one of which is nsfw. one of which is ShoJosh. horror show.)

16. A tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate Can we talk about what's going on between Sumio and Maito please I don't have the screenshots on me but there is something deeply troubling and possibly homoerotic going on with those two in neo. If you know you know.

#asks #really went from point A to point Z on this one #I think Sho killed himself. Anyways lets discuss the vaguely homoerotic undertones of the dynamic between Sumio and Maito #suicide tw #<- just in case

[kazz-brekker]

 hotd episode 10 thoughts

i was very much hoping to come out of this episode emotionally devastated in the best possible way and i am definitely am but i’m also. sort of annoyed about some of these adaptational choices? weird mix of emotions to be feeling. anyway!

that scene between luke and rhaenyra where she reassured him about being lord of the tides someday was really sweet but also made me very sad, rhaenyra clearly loves her kids so much and i’m devastated about it.

any time rhaenyra and rhaenys have a scene together i’m excited, can’t wait to see them be genuine allies in season 2.

i might be giving daemon too much credit as a person but it felt of weird to me that he completely abandoned rhaenyra when she went into premature labor even when she was calling out for him. like, obviously he’s a very morally gray person who does bad stuff, but hotd has taken pains to show that daemon genuinely does care about his family above all else and he was also very protective of rhaenyra in episode 8 so. idk. i really don’t think i’m being too generous to daemon when i say it was a bit strange?

why was jace being mean to luke during the training scene :(

that labor scene was very stressful but emma d’arcy was SO good in it.

i felt pretty convinced that this show was going to draw a parallel between rhaenyra wanting to name aemma’s child visenya in episode 1 and then naming her own stillborn daughter visenya and then they just. didn’t follow through on it? why add that in if you’re not going to do that!

this show has gotten me very invested in the sibling relationship between viserys and daemon and i SO wish that we had gotten to see daemon mourn his brother for more than 2 seconds. he didn’t even cry! it’s 2022 please let fictional men cry when they are sad!

i do like the idea of rhaenyra not wanting to absolutely destroy westeros in pursuit of the throne but i also feel like this episode was making it feel like she was pushed into war by a bunch of men.

rhaenyra’s grief in this episode was well-acted, but let her be angry too! “they murdered my daughter and stole my crown and they shall pay for it” is an iconic line of dialogue from fire & blood for a reason!

the crowning scene was very cool, i liked the idea of the funeral transforming from a moment grief to a moment of triumph. daemon crowning rhaenyra and then kneeling was great and so was rhaenyra and rhaenys looking at each other in solidarity.

rhaenyra looks better in that crown than her father ever did. i speak only facts.

i’m pretty sure rhaena and baela had collectively 1 entire line of dialogue in this episode which is such a waste, they’re both interesting characters who deserve more.

rhaenyra flying down on syrax when otto arrived for the negotiations was cool and a fun parallel to episode 2 but also, should she really being flying on a dragon if she JUST gave birth?

the call back to episode 1 with the torn page … oof alicent and rhaenyra never got over each other did, they?

daemon choking rhaenyra also felt a bit out of place. i fully admit that daemon is not a good person and their relationship definitely has weird and messed-up elements, but considering how they were portrayed in episode 8–raising their kids together, holding hands all the time, daemon beheading a guy for insulting rhaenyra–i was under the impression that this show wanted us to root for this relationship.

what were they trying to do with this moment? was this supposed to be a “gotcha, you thought daemon could be a good person but actually he’s bad all the way down” moment? has he done this to rhaenyra before? is this the first time he’s laid hands on her? why is it literally never mentioned again in the rest of the episode and the next time we see them they’re holding hands like nothing happened? idk i’m not saying that daemon is a good person (he’s not!) but it just felt very random.

i really liked the scene between corlys and rhaenys, especially corlys admitting that he was wrong about his ambition and rhaenys referring to jace, luke, and joffrey as her grandkids. functional marriage for the win!

i knew it was coming but the when jace said dragons are swifter than ravens, send us, i was like NOOOOO HONEY DON’T.

they mentioned cregan stark! and grover tully! and the riverland lords! and allies in the vale of arryn! black supporter characters incoming!

rhaenyra reassuring luke that his journey will be quick and he’ll be welcome at storm’s end … nooo stop i’m already sad.

daemon singing to vermithor in high valyrian was cool but i’m gonna be real if i had to pick another dragon to show on screen this season it would have been sunfyre or dreamfyre. we were robbed of them!

luke arriving at storm’s end and seeing vhagar, who’s literally the size of a castle, was extremely cool and very ominous.

that whole sequence at storm’s end in general had SUCH a great sense of building tension and terror.

despite the circumstances under which it was revealed i am clapping and cheering at the sapphire eye reveal.

aemond saying he wants to give alicent luke’s eye as a present … oh he is never beating the mama’s boy allegations.

the whole sequence of luke and arrax fleeing from aemond while he laughs was EXACTLY as terrifying as i hoped it would be, i especially loved seeing vhagar’s huge shadow. even though i knew how it was going to end there was so much tension and i really did want him to escape.

but listen i’m sorry, i think the idea of aemond losing control of vhagar and her eating luke and arrax against his wishes is incredibly stupid.

hang on need to write my two cents on controlling dragons. yes, dragons in asoiaf are portrayed as dangerous creatures with minds of their own and daenerys does have trouble controlling her dragons in the main series. they’re not mindlessly obedient to their riders at all.

however, there is exactly one instance that i can think of in fire & blood of a dragon deliberately disobeying its rider (silverwing refusing to fly good queen alysanne over the wall) and that was a weird outlier. this show has also not portrayed dragons as disobedient to their riders (and no, i’m not counting the “it’s an illusion that that we control the dragons” line, that wasn’t backed up with any proof).

vhagar is very powerful dragon, yeah, but she’s not untrained, and aemond has been riding her since he was a kid. if he could stop vhagar from killing him before they were properly bonded, then it makes no sense that he couldn’t stop her from eating luke and arrax.

also the implication that luke and arrax would have survived if they hadn’t fought back is … kind of bizarre? why portray it like that?

i do think that fire and blood portrays aemond’s murder of luke as very spontaneous (and partially motivated by maris baratheon making the worst-time dick joke in the history of westeros, which they didn’t include) and i wish that the show had just. committed to the bit. they could have had aemond give in to his rage and bitterness and the grudge he’s been nursing for 6 years, killed luke, then have his “oh god what have i done” moment. as it is, it feels sort of like they were afraid to have him do something actually bad on purpose.

i really wish they had included daemon’s iconic “an eye for an eye, a son for a son, lucerys shall be avenged” line, i was waiting all season to hear it. emma d’arcy absolutely ATE in that last scene even with no words but i think they could have done both!

still … even if i had some problems with the adaptational choices in that episode … that last shot of rhaenyra turning around with absolute vengeance on her face was amazing and i’m excited to see the dance start in earnest.

#pie says stuff #pie watches hotd #hotd #hotd spoilers #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #rhaenys targaryen #corlys velaryon #lucerys velaryon #aemond targaryen #jacaerys velaryon #vhagar #i have. many thoughts on this finale apparently #but i think i'm entitled to #considering one of my first thoughts when this show was announced was 'oh damn we're gonna see storm's end in live action' #maybe i will change my mind on some of them when i think on it longer but idk #either way! very dramatic finale! i was stressed even knowing how it was going to end!

[raayllum]

Yes, please, write the rayllum aspec meta. Aspec rayllum is one of my favorite head canons.

Will happily do so as it's one of my favourite headcanons. I'm also going to be talking about TDP and how it does romance in general in a way that I think is very refreshing and consistent, which is to say:

TDP Doesn't Rely on Blushing, And It Does Wonders

Now, I love blushing in my fiction as much as the next person. I am very fond of those pink circles or six italicized vaguely squiggly lines. It can be cute, adorable, and downright exciting. I’m also not saying that blushing and aspec people are like, exclusive — we can and do blush! So can aspec characters.

However, what I am saying is that blushing is one of the most prominent signs of feelings — physical feelings — characters will display towards each other. Yet until 3x02, Rayla and Callum never blush at each other, but many of us aw their romance coming well ahead of time (for reasons unrelated to “lead boy lead girl” trope, thank you very much). 

Also fun fact: originally this was going to be longer and I was going to talk more about Callum/Claudia as well as Janai/Amaya, so for once, I am actually shortening a meta response rather than lengthening it (although I’m sure this’ll also be plenty long). Mostly because I realized I’d rather focus on just Rayllum, as I have many thoughts on how this works for the other two couples, but not enough interest (at least right now) to write it down. So here we go!

However, we are still going to touch on Callum and Claudia when it comes to Callum’s body language, so they will factor in. After all, Callum’s crush on Claudia is made clear in her introduction scene — staring, smiling at her, wanting to impress her. Soren provides context clues as well. But even then, blushing isn’t a large part of their relationship. In 1x02, they share one of only two (2) blushing scenes the pairing has, both on Callum’s behalf.

We see this continued theme when Claudia and Callum cross paths again at the Moon Nexus. Callum is nervous and staring and even hyperventilating, wanting to impress her, holding hands, etc. But he never blushes. His flustered nature is shown in other ways, mostly in nervous gestures with his hands, like twisting his bag strap or even clasping his hands together.

There was also other body language, like rubbing the back of his head (in 1x02), gesturing to himself and pointing (2x02 both about Claudia and to Claudia about Rayla), etc. Obviously there are the big parallels, like Callum drawing both of them and seeing Rayla’s drawing in 2x07, the way Callum ultimately chooses to trust Rayla over Claudia, twice (1x03, 2x03), seeking out comfort from Rayla when he’s grieving on screen > Claudia (which either happened off screen or didn’t happen at all). 

However, the main thing the lack of blushing between TDP couples in general allows for there to be ambiguous feelings. Blushing can be an indication or confirmation, but we know Callum clearly likes Claudia in 2x02 even if he doesn’t blush at her at all in the episode and even if we (the casual viewer) doesn’t remember he even blushed at her in almost a season ago. 

What this does is give space for the audience to read between the lines and infer their own meaning onto more scnees. It’s why even two seasons (and three years later) Claudia’s ‘feelings’ for Callum in S2 still feel ambiguous. She certainly likes spending time with him and cares about him, but that doesn’t automatically translate into romantic affection. We can make an argument for her feelings for Callum (tucking away her hair, rubbing the side of her neck, enjoying his moon-eyed gazes and attention) but it’s also very easy, due to her lack of vested reciprocity, to dismiss those feelings as friendship and partial manipulation. 

But what does any of this have to do with aspec Rayllum? Well: Rayla almost confesses her love for Callum in 2x09, without ever blushing at him once, and with still almost two whole episodes to go before she’s going to blush in front of him in general. 

Think of this way — and spoilers for the comparison show / warning for personal preference regarding Luz and Amity from “The Owl House.” The first hints of feelings are on Amity’s side with blushing. There’s more than a few episodes where Amity, and only Amity, regularly blushes around Luz even outside of other flustered behaviour. Luz blushes at a couple of people before hand, but never around Amity until in very early S2.

Thus, the show convinces me that Luz catches feelings for Amity in early S2 — but no sooner, and certainly that Amity had an actual crush for far longer. Yes, Luz worked to befriend Amity, and enjoyed her company, but the wiggle room the show had to indicate Luz catching feelings any earlier feels moot because well — the show does rely on blushing to indicate romantic feelings, and Luz never blushed around her for multiple episodes. Amity has been blushing since episode 12/19, so almost 8 episodes go by with no reciprocal feelings indicated. And it works — it’s not a flaw, and I say be blatant with your queer rep, especially now that we can! — but it is a very different vibe.

All of this being a very long winded way to say that because TDP doesn’t rely on blushing for romantic feelings, it’s very easy to read romantic feelings and interest into Rayllum’s earlier scenes — and we know Rayla, at the very least, is catching strong feelings all through S2. This development is more subtle but definitely consistent on both sides, and I think it’s why so few people found the love confession out of left field in 2x09, because they’d been picking up (largely unprompted) on those vibes for a while now. 

If the show did rely on blushing, their dynamic would look very different. For starters, rather than a gradual (i.e subtle) buildup to those feelings, it would feel very fast very quickly (if Rayla had been blushing since 2x04, for example, or even sooner). Even though Callum is clearly also catching feelings in S1 and S2, leaving blushing out means that his Romantic feelings for Rayla don’t get factored in as an aspect of his decision of who to trust in 2x03, even if his overall bond with Rayla, does.

Which also plays into how the lack of blushing allows for Callum and Rayla to have sometimes flirty vibes, yes, but it also allows for their bond to feel deeper than Crush feelings. It gives them a strong platonic basis that would lend well to romance instead of a “I like you but we’re just friends for a while first” plot arc that many friends-to-lovers plotlines get handed. (Which I also like, but doesn’t give as much of an aspec vibe, y’know?) 

It also lends itself well to a slightly less physical vibe, particularly for Rayla, which also just encourages the demisexual headcanon I and many other aspec people have for her. After all, she falls head over heels for Callum without ever once being flustered or blushing around him (as that only happens when her confession gets interrupted). Yes, she’s touchy-feely with him and thinks he’s very cute/handsome, but she falls for him mostly because he’s sweet and brave and always gets back up again every time he fails. 

Her calling him her best friend is treated with the same swelling music, importance, and framing as either of their first kisses. She also still blushes less than Callum does, too (she has two, Callum has three). But at the same time, I think both Callum and Rayla blushing at each other is important for their relationship, particularly on Callum’s side. Now, his blushing operates as confirmation / reaffirmation of his feelings, as they were mostly heavily hinted until that point from 2x07 through to 3x01 (arguably starting in earnest in 2x04). 

But again, we know he’s been admiring and interested in Rayla for a while now. He thinks she’s awesome, he’s worrying about her, taking care of her, hugging her and grabbing her hand even when he doesn’t need to, choosing her over Claudia, etc. And again, none of this has to be read as romantic, but that flexible interpretation means that, just as he says in 3x04, he doesn’t think or do those things because he’s pursuing her or because he Likes her. He likes her because of all those things, and thinks just as highly of her regardless of whether or not she likes him back (see: Callum’s feelings in 3x04). 

However, I think Rayla blushing is more important to their romance arc than him blushing, which is to say: if the crew had wanted Claudia to blush at Callum at any point in their relationship, she would have. But Claudia’s feelings are purposefully more ambiguous, as we’ve touched on, and she definitely has less of them than Callum does. And one of the best narrative things about Rayllum is that Rayla’s feelings for Callum are even more intense than his for Claudia, and Claudia’s for him; she pursues and courts and kisses Callum, blushes around him and gets flustered, too. They have an equal interest in each other, and it does wonders.

TLDR;

By not relying on blushing as a way to show romantic feelings, the show creates a state of Alterousness / Ambiguity of both overlapping platonic and romantic affection for Rayla and Callum to exist in. Their affection is then primarily built on emotional intimacy and physical gestures of reassurance (hugs, shoulder touches, hands, etc.) as well as a certain amount of maturity. They may be teenagers, but theirs is not a high school romance built on infatuation or a lack of self and emotional awareness of themselves, each other, and the world. Even when one blushes (i.e. 3x03) the other may not, perpetuating this Alterous / Friendship first even throughout their more overt romantic development. All of this allows for the ship to feel as though it is built strongly on a foundation of friendship above all else, lending itself well to aspec headcanons and subsequently creating an aspec heavy shipping community. 

And I love it very very much.

#rayllum #tdp #the dragon prince #callum x claudia #parallels #tdp meta #analysis series #aspec rayllum #thanks for asking #anonymous #requests

[evilmageclub]

samsam gender thoughts

making a separate post rather than appending this to lrb in tags because this is is extremely unrelated to the actual real issues op is talking about, but the assumption about what genitals trans people have is something i think about a lot while trying to figure out how to tag my samsam gender headcanons on ao3 lol

in the end i generally tag my fics as 'trans samot' because i write him with a pussy and t-dick usually, and that-- or guys with phallo/meta-- is what the 'trans male character' tag generally seems to be used for. so while i headcanon samothes as equally trans, because i present him in a way that is indistinguishable from him having 'cis male anatomy' (apart from drawing him with symbolic top surgery scars sometimes) i don't feel justified in tagging him as trans also.

it's a little complicated because they're gods! samothes in canon is a self-crafted archetype of masculinity-- flawed and human in his personal realisation of that identity, but he did give himself that Artificer-Divine Patented Gender Affirming Surgery and forged his idealised body in a volcano at the dawn of time. this is as much of a conscious performance as samot's shapeshifting is; samothes defines himself by his identity as an unchanging paternal bastion, a caretaker, a man ingenious enough to perfect himself without input or influence (that last point is where he differs from galenica in the samsam and severea/galenica parallel. but thats another post)

meanwhile, samot is a being who took his selfhood from severea and still holds a great deal of embodied admiration for her-- he also very clearly holds samothes' gender as aspirational, but takes pleasure in subverting it even when he pays worship to it, which is one reason why i think he flaunts a disregard for gendered bodily norms as often as he can. because of the specifics of his and samothes' history, i think samot's relationship to being a man is inextricable from his (fraught but inescapable) relationship with godhood and kingship. i really don't think of him as 'afab', nor samothes as 'amab' at alll (samothes made the M. originated it. samot stole the F from severea, he wasnt assigned anything..) but i havent been too effective in communicating this in fic

in the end, samsam's contrasting relationship to gender for me is less a dichotomy between cis and trans (or masc and fem, which in some ways they are) than a juxtaposition between static and dynamic modes of self-definition that obviously plays out elsewhere in their story. i just think it is fun to think about but i feel like i often fall short of communicating it in stories where it isnt the focus.... you are free to ignore all this and think i have just given samot the same non-op trans man anatomy that i have myself because i find it sexy.

maybe one day i will write a fic that more explicitly addresses this and then will feel justified in tagging them both as trans going forward

#samsam #i am rambling sorry! #i truly feel like this is a reading very easily taken from the text of the show but i also know my perspective is refracted through fanon #if you headcanon one or both of them as trans in a different way i love and am cheering for you