#but i like how her story dives into the theme of 'do you carry the sins of your father'

[blackautmedia]

Tears of the Kingdom and the use of Hands

It's frustrating how well Tears of the Kingdom incorporates repeat imagery of hands in some form. It has a lot of this great concept with it, but never really capitalizes on it or uses it in any thematically interesting way since the storytelling is so underwhelming.

From the start of the game, Link's separation from Zelda shows him reaching out and trying to grab her hand and failing to make contact, a scene that's mirrored at the end of the game when you have a moment to dive after Zelda and make the catch you failed to do at the start. The game makes sure to have a button prompt section specifically for touching her hand.

Link of course loses his arm and gets...magic emergency surgery (the disability lens of how Link is portrayed in Tears is an entirely separate conversation. Hoo wee...) and from the beginning of the game Rauru and Link are bonded together with Rauru's arm fused to Link's body. My issues with the Zonai as a race aside, this is still another part of the motif.

During multiple conversations between Zelda and Queen Sonia during the memories, they deliberately draw attention to having Sonia reach out and hold or touch Zelda's hands to emphasize the sincerity and love she's expressing. Sonia verbalizes the connection she feels not just as family but even notes how she can sense the similarities in Zelda's powers.

Honestly, for all the issues in how underwhelming Totk's storytelling is, I genuinely love these little moments with Sonia. I think they likely did it to get around possible limitations of creating nuanced facial expressions they couldn't capture easily, but I still found it very effective by helping the player relate to the sense of touch.

The completion of each temple is marked with a show of loyalty with the newly awakened sage and some variation of handshake or hand contact.

All of this makes it more of a wasted opportunity that they had a scene where Mineru is touching her late brother's hand for the first time after being in slumber for ages and they do nothing with it. You could have her tense up, maybe have her run both her hands across the top of Link's hand after getting to experience some form of touch from her brother for the first time.

There's also the fact that Mineru and Link both have the unique experience of altering their bodies and selves in service of being kept in slumber for a long period of time to carry out the responsibility of saving the world. Both of them carry the emotional weight of having to leave behind their friends, family, and the world they knew all in service of this grand plan with Zelda behind it all and yet they never capitalize on any of this. Pretty much nobody else can really relate to this situation and it'd make a great storytelling point to focus on her.

Back to the hands though, we all know the most iconic enemy in Tears of the Kingdom are the gloom spawn, which everyone calls the Gloom Hands.

The end of each shrine you're met with a Statue of Sonia and Rauru greeting you with hands held together as they stand as one.

Hands and the constant element of contact to convey significant moments would be effective in a story about community and the connection and strength that comes from cultivating it and organizing. There's also the obvious connection of unity.

TotK kind of have an aspect and theme of community care or try to lean in on that idea, but it's also messy and undermined when taken with *gestures at everything else*

I dunno. I think the repeat imagery of hands is a really thoughtful choice to convey climactic moments of these scenes. I just wish there was more actual meat to the story to give it some weight.

I've considered doing an addendum video to my Gerudo discussion talking about TotK's storytelling and maybe some of the things that come to mind with the portrayal of Ganon and the Zonai, cuz boy do they have some...implications.

#tears of the kingdom #totk critical #totk spoilers #legend of zelda #princess zelda #queen sonia #king rauru #totk rauru

[luis-block]

Can you do some bishop x follower!reader headcanons?? A little nsfw if you want ;)

I got carried away with this lol It is over one thousand words overall. I did put the NSFW content under the cut. And thank you for the request! (this post is tagged NSFT instead of NSFW as it actually shows up)

Warnings: Suggestive themes, Canon typical violence, Naughty stuff under the cut

Bishops x follower!reader headcanons, with NSFW 🔞

Shamura

Depending on your height, they may insist on you sit on their shoulder when out of the temple.  They aren’t undermining your capabilities to defend yourself, but they just worry about you. The upside is you get spoiled AND get to cuddle into Shamura’s shoulder all day, such a win.

Loves to tell you stories when you have trouble falling asleep. They are a master storyteller and can make the readings from the Old Faith’s scripture interest even the biggest of heretics. Their voice lulls you to sleep every time.

Likes to make sure all your needs are met. Whether it be that you have plenty of nice clean robes that match their own, having handmade meals for every meal, or even that you have a piece of jewelry that has their symbol on it, so others know that you are taken.

Kallamar

Being a swimmer is a MUST. So if you don’t know how to swim he will be more than happy to help. It is one of the biggest bonding activities you both do. You will free dive as far down as you can with Kallamar swimming down, collecting shells and bones from dead followers all the same.

He likes to hold you as you two dance. With your stature being smaller than his (even if you are a follower with a tall height) it just makes it easier for you both.

Even if you are out with him, he makes sure you have a weapon on you. What if he lost you and you got attacked, huh? It just gives him a piece of mind that you can defend yourself. It is one of the things he will not let slide.

Heket

She loves it when you collect flowers for her. It is just such a simple act of affection that she will never get over. You have tried to collect enough flowers to make her a flower crown that would fit her. You got a fourth of the way done before it got caught in the wind and blown away.  The sentiment was still there, so it was ok in the end.

Heket likes to walk with you in the fall weather in Anura. The brisk morning air is always refreshing, and watching you jump into leaf piles whenever you pass one is also a big bonus.

Will commission matching jewelry for you both. Part of it is that is to show your strong emotional bonds and deep commitment to each other. The other part of it is to let new and current followers know that you are taken. Some still seem too dense to get the memo, but it has gotten better than it used to.

Leshy

Leshy has a mean game that you both play on the other followers. He asks you if you would like something, you say what you want, and he makes a random follower go and get it! Most of the time you have pity on the follower and ask for something easy to acquire. But if it is a follower known for being an ass to others or has wronged you in the past, you will ask for something impossible for their skill level to achieve. Coming back empty-handed results in an impromptu sacrifice.

 You will get ahold of his leaves that shed from his body and make shawls for yourself. He thinks it is genuinely the cutest he has ever seen. He will collect the leaves he notices falling off and bring them to you so you can make more.

Will not admit it out load, but he has the biggest soft spot for you. Has the biggest crush on you even when you are together. He likes to find cool precious or semi-precious rocks for you. Is still kind shy about it, you blush and giggle every time he does it.

🔞⚠️ NSFW under the cut ⚠️🔞

NSFW headcanons!

Shamura

They are a service top all the way. Wants to make sure you are satisfied. (Or overstimulated, whichever you like more) They will be willing to bottom but prefers to be the one pleasuring you.

Shamura likes to hold you in their hands when you two are getting nasty. It is incredibly intimate  for them and makes them feel close to you. It also feeds you size kink, which is also delightful.

They haven’t mentioned it to you directly, but they love it when you are vocal. You’re not sure if it is a dominants thing, but they want everyone in the temple to know who’s you are. They will often egg you on to be louder if you are ok with it.

Kallamar

Kallamar is a switch that is more comfortable being a bottom. He is worried that if he is on top, he might hurt you, at least that is what he says. He truly revels in that fact that someone who is (or technically was) a follower is having their way with him.

Will do whatever position you want him to do. This man will do the banana splits if that’s what you want.

Would be shy about it but would love to be pegged. Not being in any sort of control would be euphoric for him. And he would be like putty in your hands. Just don’t tell any of his siblings, ok?

Heket

Heket is also a switch but is usually the dominant one. She loves making a mess out of you and will make you say your darkest desires. This is especially true if you show embarrassment, she will double down and she will know by the end of the night.

She isn’t mean in bed but won’t deny that she can be a bit of a bully. Heket can say the nicest things while forcing you to your knees with the best bedroom eyes you have ever seen.

Will call you a “Good little follower” if you are into that. But that also means you will be required to call her your Mistress. But that isn’t really a bad thing in your eyes.

Leshy

Leshy is a top. He has trouble being the bottom, due it his wandering hands that can’t stay to themselves. He also can’t help that you are so attractive to him! You are his kryptonite, in more ways than one. He is also a notorious tease in and out of bed.

His favorite place is in the baren parts of the Darkwood forest. He has an exhibitionist streak that simply can’t be ignored. He is a bit more primal due to him being a bit younger than his other siblings. So, he likes to be more in the open when you too are intimate.

Out of the current Bishops, definitely has a breeding kink. If you don’t want kids, he will respect that. but if you would at least roleplay it with him, he will be a goner. And if you do want kids? Be prepared, you are in for a ride.

#cult of the lamb x reader #cotlxreader #cotl x reader #cult of the lamb reader #cult of the lamb follower #CotL Leshy x reader #cult of the lamb Leshy x reader #Leshy x reader #cotl Heket x reader #cult of the lamb Heket x reader #Heket x reader #cotl Kallamar x reader #cult of the lamb Kallamar x reader #Kallamar x reader #cotl Shamura x reader #cult of the lamb Shamura x reader #Shamura x reader #cotl bishops x reader #cotl bishop x reader #cult of the lamb x follower!reader #cotl follower reader #nsft #cotl nsft

[mlsofh]

Theory Eight - Alastor Will Die

Hello Wayward Sinners!

Before we get into the theory, I wanted to say I have a Kofi to start funding the inevitable Youtube channel! The youtube channel will be dropping on Valentines day this year! I've been trying to make a career out of theories and stuff. It's harder than you'd expect. But I have the analysis skills to do all of that! I'll also be having a twitch where I talk to you all via discord call, podcast style, while we dig into theories together! 

Click Me! for the Kofi link! !!SPOILERS FOR HAZBIN HOTEL FROM HERE ON!! Now, lets get into why the name Alastor foreshadows possible death! Firstly, there are so many meanings for the name Alastor. Two of which being defender or avenger. The others are all based around mythology.

"Alastor, a Pylian soldier who fought under their leader Nestor during the Trojan War.[13] He remembered for having, together with Mecisteus, carried the wounded Teucer off the battlefield as they later did also with Hypsenor.[14]" "Alastor, an epithet of the Greek God Zeus, according to Hesychius of Alexandria and the Etymologicum Magnum, which described him as the avenger of evil deeds, specifically familial bloodshed." "Alastor, a Lycian warrior who was a companion of Sarpedon. He fought in the Trojan War and was slain by the Greek hero Odysseus during the battle.[11]" -Wiki On the name Alastor

So, lets dive into why his background could be very telling for the cast of the hotel. Alastor, the Pylian soldier who fought under Nestor. Nestor was known for the things Charlie is known for, her bravery, speaking abilities, and her advice to sinners. She could also be represented by Teucer, who was naive about the world and was the kings son. But he was skilled too and survived through determination. Alastor in the trojan story dies by Odysseus who is known for similar things Adam is known for. Adam is known for his hubris, strength, courage, nobility, a thirst for glory, and confidence in his authority. Hubris for my audience that doesn't know what that means, "Hubris is over-bearing pride that leads to the suffering of a hero, those around him, or both." For Hazbin Hotel, Alastor is very clearly important to the plot, and we can almost guarantee that Alastor has connections to Lilith (but not Lucifer, which is interesting.) and we know he is now positively affiliated with the hotel. Alastor dying to Adam while he protects the hotel isn't actually all that far fetched right now. I think Adam also has a chance of dying. If Alastor is protecting everyone, Charlie may get violent and try to help. This could cause Alastor to tell Husker and Angel to drag Charlie off the battle field. We now know Charlie is willing to get violent at other demons in the name of the ones she cares about, as seen by episode four with AngelDust and Valentino. Maybe she'll try to protect Alastor and be too late. She will be carried away like Teucer was. Alastor working for Lillith and protecting the hotel, then dying in the process, possibly in a very heartfelt way doesn't seem impossible. Showing he was Charlie's "guardian angel" of sorts. Alastor protecting the hotel, possibly while everyone gets away, he dies by Adam who sees him as a genuine threat in the moment. Something that I notice is that in the fixed Hazbin Hotel card, there is no radio tower.

There's Husker and AngelDust themed sides, but there is nothing suggesting Alastor stays. This card confirms for me that AngelDust and Husker live through the first season, but that Alastor may have a different fate. It doesn't seem good for Alastor, due to the nature of the show and how they seem well thought out with names and background. I think Alastor will be meeting a poor fate by the end of the season, or by the end of the series. That's all I have for now, what do you think? Comment and reblog! Stay Tuned!

#hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel theory #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lilith #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel husker #hazbin hotel cards

[hiveworks]

Vampires, Witches, and Magic

Interview with Eric Lide and Angélica María

October 2023

Solstoria by Angélica María (aka: @charmwitch) and Ozzie the Vampire by Eric Lide (aka: @ericlide) are celebrating their 10th year anniversaries! We're diving into these absolute webcomic legends to learn more about their creative process in a joint interview with María and Lide.

Ozzie the Vampire is a webcomic about a vampire gal named Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy who find themselves protecting the town of Gloomburg, New Jersey, which seems to always find itself under the constant assault of demonic forces from the underworld. Sometimes they even learn something!

Solstoria is follows a girl named Samantha and her brother, Lawrence, who carries the weight of protecting his family on his shoulders. When he goes missing, Samantha embarks on an adventure to become a knight.

For a look behind the scenes at these two webcomic series, read on!

It's spooky season, and both of your comics have themes of the supernatural. What kinds of creepy or magical energy do you bring into your comic?

Eric Lide:

I think the demons in Ozzie the Vampire bring the creepy energy for sure. A lot of them have bizarre and impractical anatomy, and they’re pretty enthusiastic about eating people.  Magic is a constant presence in the story as well, mostly through the spells Kimmy and Grimsley use to help Ozzie fight the bad guys.

Angélica María:

To start off, let's talk about the environments! There are certain areas and themes in Solstoria based around my love of Halloween! I'm not from the continental United States, so I've always loved the idea of a spooky air, or of pumpkins and ghosts. The Wayward Lands and Farmlands, two prominent areas spoken about in the story, are themed after the fall season in the United States. Besides that, witches carry a great importance in the story. They are magically gifted individuals of any gender, who purify the air and specialize in magics that are of help to the greater good of society. A witch is someone who can tame ghosts, calm uneven levels of magic in the city, and provide useful trinkets and charms for the everyday chore. They're just neat! Pointy hats are all the rage, too.

Which character in your comic would survive a horror movie?

EL:

Well Ozzie is more or less immortal, so she could probably sleepwalk her way through any horror movie scenario…

AM:

Oddly enough, I feel like Samantha and Oksana (eventually) have the calmest head on their shoulders. Most of the adults would probably be fine, Huxley would serve as a great merchant in between sanctuaries, but as for the rest… Actually, who's to say Solstoria isn't secretly horror…

A decade is a long time to be telling a story! Congratulations! How has your comic changed over the course of its publication?

EL:

When I first started out, I was just kind of drawing whatever and not thinking too much about the future. At that time, I was just trying to cram in as many fight scenes or gags as possible. Over the years though, I’ve come to love these characters and I think about them nonstop, so I’ve been writing more scenarios that challenge them on a personal level. There’s even a bit of romance coming up, which would’ve been unthinkable to me ten years ago.

AM:

Thank you so much! I burnt out for a few years, so you can definitely see my art style and narrative changing. I hope it's not... toooooooooo drastic of a change, but I always told myself to experiment on my pages and change things as I saw fit. If you re-read Solstoria, you will simply see my art evolve with no care of consistency. I apologize if this is glaring, but honestly- it's fun! One of the biggest changes now that I'm working on the story again is that we've swapped protagonists! Currently, we're seeing the story through Lawrence's eyes. Samantha's elder brother is possessed by a crow god, but he still thinks of his family first. Hopefully, they can figure something out together though!

What motivates you to keep going?

EL:

I’ve always been drawing comics since I was very young, so it’s hard to say. I think once a story is in me, it has to come out in some form, even if it takes forever or no one is interested in reading it. That said, comments– audience response of any kind, really– is always a huge boost for me.

Solstoria has an electric 2010s anime flavor. What kind of series inspire you? Do you have any manga or comic recs?

AM:

Oh, I appreciate the comparison, but I wish to counter it- Solstoria is heavily inspired by Japanese RolePlaying Games! Specifically, games created by Capcom, GameArts, Square-Enix, and a few others on top of that! I do have a few anime I quite enjoy, like Princess Tutu formulated my brain intensely. I highly recommend watching this show if you want to experience a masterpiece! If you just want a good time, I also quite like Slayers! As for video games, I have so many to recommend! I love Fire Emblem, Breath of Fire, Star Ocean, LUNAR, Lufia... and so much more! All of these games are close to my heart, but stylistically, I think the Disgaea series has a lot of visual influence on Solstoria.

Ozzie the Vampire has a cool punk flair that reminds me of webcomics I liked from the 2000s. Where do you draw inspiration from? Do you have any zine or webcomic recommendations?

EL:

Music was a big influence on Ozzie! There’s a lot of references to my favorite punk and metal records throughout the series, some obvious, others not so much. I always wanted the comic to look something like a scrappy punk zine. I don’t get to read many webcomics these days, but Boxcar City Rush has been a recent favorite.

What can fans of your series look forward to in the coming year?

EL:

More updates, hopefully. This year was a bit sparse due to working on my debut graphic novel, The Champion of Draeland, but I’ve been wrapping that up and eager to dive back into Ozzie. I have many other graphic novels on the way though, so balancing both worlds is going to be an interesting challenge.

AM:

I'm very ahead of schedule, so I hope I can keep the momentum going. We're learning quite a bit about Samantha's brother, Lawrence, but we will also learn soon about another character who is pivotal to both siblings. He's a quiet, gentle person who tries to take on things on his own, and it doesn't go his way. Also murder. There may be murder.

What is the best way for fans of your series to support you?

EL:

Leaving comments, reblogging and sharing updates, all that stuff really helps for sure! Fan art always brightens my day. I have a Patreon as well where I post early updates and behind-the-scenes material for only $2 a month. And of course, supporting my graphic novels once they release!

AM:

Honestly I really just love comments and tags on tumblr and twitter! If you wish to support me, you can always see early updates on Patreon! Thank you so much! But honestly, I just want to hear feedback from people and hear their thoughts and feelings about my work. It makes me so very happy.

Read Solstoria and Ozzie the Vampire for free and follow @charmwitch and @ericlide for updates!

#comic #webcomic #vampire #witches #hiveworks #solstoria #ozzie the vampire #blog #interview

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

ʚ Pairing:  Prince Nuada x Female Reader (First person POV)

ʚ Themes: Soft | Fluff | Supernatural | Slow Burn

ʚ Warnings: Kissing | Mention of creature death / euthanasia

ʚ Disclaimer:   I don’t own the original image in this edit.

ʚ Author’s notes: Elven year Elven thousand and fifty three (Our year 2020. I just made this up for the story.)

In the elven year of eleven thousand and fifty-three, a great war raged between mortals and the children of the earth. This war was terrible, for it brought with it the awakening of the Golden Army. Seventy times seventy strong, these mechanical warriors hacked and slashed through the armies of men until King Balor, thinking there had been enough bloodshed, called for a truce before unarmed civilians fell under the blade of his army.

The agreement, mediated by members of BPRD, went like this: Humans would stick to their cities, and the forests would be allowed to flourish for the children of the earth. This was later extended to include abandoned tracks and parks. Only the threat of the Golden Army kept the humans from breaking the truce, and lasting peace was finally achieved. Part of this agreement also included an exchange of hostages to live with hosts on the other side.

I, y/n, was part of the exchange, and I had been sent to live with Crown Prince Nuada. The prince balked at my presence, begrudging even the food I ate, muttering barbs just loud enough for me to hear and avoiding me as much as he could. It hurt, but there was nothing I could do but wait out the allotted five years, and you had barely been with him for two months. Not knowing what else to do, I stayed out of his way, only leaving my rooms when I had to eat or go to work. Mister Wink, bless him, accompanied me to and from the office. Truth be told, I found him to be better company than his more eloquent friend. Mister Wink was fascinated by everything above ground, from hawks dipping and diving between buildings to the phone I was holding. While I was reading on the subway, I noticed him peering over my shoulder. I brought books to teach him to read after stopping at a nearby bookstore.

That’s when I noticed the first change in Nuada, after I bought those books. I’d feel his eyes on me whenever I taught Mister Wink how to read, but he said nothing, preferring to stick to the shadows while the two of us carried on.

A second change came not long after that. The prince would now have a greeting for me if I ran into him in the corridors. He even joined me and Mister Wink at the kitchen table for meals, but I kept my head down every time. That second shift gave way to a third, and that was something I didn’t notice until I was in his library one evening.

"Y/n."

The prince had been behind me, watching me while I was studying a stone table in its very own glass case. I mumbled an apology and moved to the side, hoping he wasn’t provoked by my being here. After seeing all the artefacts, books, and paintings in this room, I was starting to understand why he didn’t want anyone in here.

There were no scoldings. No reprimands, just a simple: "There is no reason for you to apologize." Nuada tilted my chin, his grip surprisingly warm and gentle. He then gestured for me to go back to the tablet. "This was from the library of Alexandria." He pointed to a seal at the bottom left of the tablet. "It is one of the last edicts of Cleopatra. The Cleopatra."

Woah. The Cleopatra he said. "Did you meet her?" He nodded. "What was she like?"

"Ordinary looking. Place her here, in modern clothes, on a busy street in New York, and you would not be able to make her out from the crowd. But," Nuada paused for effect. "She more than made up for it with her wit and intelligence."

I go back to the stone table and think. Nuada was over eight thousand years old. How much would he have seen in his long life? "But she backed Mark Anthony," I said, "and not Caesar’s rightful heir. That's not very smart."

He simply shrugged. "She was a mother looking out for the interests of her child. The dearest friend of Caesar was her best bet. Octavian had to kill Caesarion to protect his own claim. That was how it was back then."

"If you ask me, it seems like a very violent time," I shuddered.

Nuada thought otherwise, he had seen enough to do so. "Has much changed since then? Look at your news." Nuada gestured to the door and, beyond that, the little room Mister Wink used to watch TV. "Violence and bloodshed, pain and suffering, sometimes caused by people simply for the sheer joy of it all."

That gave me pause. "We haven't changed much, have we?"

"No," Nuada said. "Neither have we." He looked back out, to the little TV room. He grinned when he heard Mister Wink laugh at something. "He speaks very highly of you, our Mister Wink. He says you are very nice to him." 

"Not many people are nice to trolls?" I’d heard all the stories, about how trolls were treated as just hired muscle with very little to commend them, and how the prince was one of the few to treat them with any decency. He and his twin, of course.

Nuada shook his head. "Many see his kind as the, what was that mortal word?" He stopped to think before his eyes lit up. "Oh yes. Knuckle-draggers of our races. As simple-minded savages, remnants of a primitive time, and nothing more than that."

That was indeed a horrible way of thinking, but then I remembered how he behaved towards me. "But you're no different from them," I said quietly. "Remember, the things you called me during my first few days here?"

Nuada bit his tongue and nodded. He had been cruel, as his sister made it clear when he called on her to ask her advice on an important matter. She said that nothing was going to happen in his little quest unless he changed. "And I have no excuses for it. Only a sincere apology. You were frightened and dependent on me, and I was just a boor to you. Y/n," when I backed away, he reached for me like I was a skittish horse, contenting himself with holding my hands. "I am so sorry, for everything. Could this be a new start for us? I promise to do everything within my power to make amends."

There was strength in those hands and a great deal of gentleness too. Strange that these hands, hands that have spilt a great deal of blood over the centuries, could be so... so... soft and tender, as if they only moved to protect, not to hurt. And that apology. It was simple and may not have meant much to others, but coming from someone as proud and cold as him, it mattered a great deal. He wanted another chance. Should I give him another chance? Or should I walk away, and fight for reassignment elsewhere? Surely the BPRD would consider it.

Fingers brushing hair off my eyes sent a jolt down my spine, made my skin tingle and my mouth go dry. Then there were his eyes. They were looking at me in a way they had never done before. There was something there, something I couldn't put a finger on, but it drew me in all the same. When I moved, he moved on instinct. "Please, y/n." Nuada was just a hair's breadth away from me. If he moved any closer, his lips would be pressing against mine.

Would that be so bad? Him kisisng me? "Yes?" I felt a little light-headed and dizzy, and I didn’t know what to make of it, until my eyes moved to his. The way he was looking at me, my mouth. "One chance." He didn’t move any further than that, but he bit his lip, as if lost in thought. "Please."

I think, and think and think. I wanted to say no, but something was stopping me from saying so. I wanted to shake his hands off and walk away, but my feet were rooted to the spot. My gut was practically screaming at me, to give him a chance. That I won’t regret it.

Oh, to hell with it. I nodded and said yes, and he smiled, really smiled, his face radiant like the sun.

                                                       ✨✨✨

Things grew easier after that. He’d ask me about everything, listening to what I had to say. He wanted to know about my work, my friends, the boss who was obsessed with mythology, and my favourite coffee shop down the road.

He’d talk about his family in turn, his sister especially, and his father. King Balon was busy, but he always found time for his children. Even the simple notes he sent held so much love in each word, and Nuada had saved everything.

He joined in on the English lessons, helping me and calming Mister Wink when he complained and called it a language from the bowels of hell. He’d take me to the troll market, buying little trinkets for me, rare books. He took to reading a chapter to me every night after dinner, and I looked forward to that, listening to him. I realised I could listen to him for hours. Sometimes my mind would drift to the day he apologized and how close he was to me. What if he had actually kissed me? Simply pressed his lips to mine and pulled the breath right out of me. Nuada would see the wistful looks in my eyes, put the book away with a grin, and I’d blush before groaning and curling into my chair. Nuada said nothing, but he’d escort me to my rooms and kiss my hands before vanishing. I’d be left standing there, my skin still warm where his lips touched and a sigh escaping my lips.

My dread of him gave way to something else, something gentler and sweeter. It was there when he greeted me in the morning and again in the evening, when he searched for me after coming home. It was there when he read to me at night or when he took my hand in his. This feeling  grew and grew, like a wave that threatened to drown me.

One night, when I went to call him for a late-night coffee, I found Nuada in the sparring yard, training. He moved lightning quick, so fast I could barely see him in the flickering light. A spear glinted menacingly in his hands. One strike and ropes as thick as arms were severed like thin strings. A second, and a puddle was struck. A third, and some of the water droplets that were flung into the air were sliced clean through the center. Nuada was lithe and deadly, like poetry in motion. I thought he looked magnificent.

"Y/n," he paused before tossing his spear onto a nearby rack, a shy grin tugging at his lips. This was the first time I had seen him train. "This is a pleasant distraction."

“I just came to say coffee is ready." My eyes lingered on the scars that were all too visible on his chest. Nuada’s life had been one of war and violence, and I was seeing the evidence of it for the first time. Beyond that, he was incredibly handsome, the sort of handsome I’d only hear of in poetry and song. My cheeks grew hot when I realised I had been staring. "Sorry."

My chin was tilted so my eyes would be level with his. "There is nothing for you to say sorry for."

He looked at me, a finger of his tracing a line across my cheek. There’s something different in the air, something different in me, pulling me to him, making me stand on the tips of his toes. I heard a soft outtake of breath, and then he leaned in, his lips brushing against me like soft feathers. When my mouth opened to his, the sweetness of him poured down my throat, threatening to drown me and sweep me away with the tide. It brought out a fire that frightened me, but when he held me, all my fears melted away in the strength of his embrace. My name came out like a whisper and something took root, something I couldn't explain. When he pulled away, he left me stunned and breathless. That’s when I heard coughing. Someone had walked in on us both. "Mister Wink," Nuada said, his arm still around my waist, his face half buried in my hair. If he didn't care about being found out, then I wouldn’t let it bother me either. "Are we late?"

There was a series of grunts and snarls, something to do with a tooth fairy trying to turn the kitchen into its personal hotel. "Have I lived here too long?" I listened to what the troll was saying. There were more complaints about said tooth fairy trying to force open the deep freezer so it could get at the spare ribs Mister Wink had been saving for a midnight snack. "Because he’s starting to make sense."

His chest rumbled when he chuckled in my hair. "Mister Wink makes perfect sense." Nuada grinned. "But only if you care enough to listen. Wait here. I will not be long."

When it comes down to it, anywhere away from the direct range of a tooth fairy was perfect for me. "I’ll stay right here."

One more kiss, and he was gone.

And within a few minutes there was an epic commotion, lots of yelling and swearing, of pots falling and plates shattering. When it finally grew quiet, too quiet for my liking, I gulped and made my way back inside, to the kitchen.

It looked like a hurricane had gone off. The entire kitchen was a disaster. Bowls were upturned, fruits were scattered all over, and there was Mister Wink, holding onto a trap cage for dear life. The cage rattled violently while its occupant fought hard to escape. "Here." Nuada came over with a thick towel that smelled of something strange. "Wrap this around the cage."

The rattling stopped as soon as the towel went around the cage, and they breathed a sigh of relief. "Such a tiny thing and such a mess," I murmured as I surveyed the damage. The tooth fairy may have been tiny, but the destruction it caused was something else. If one of them could destroy so much, what could hundreds do? "Is it dead?"

Nuada peaked inside. "Just knocked out. Mister Wink will take it to the BPRD. They will handle it."

Tooth fairies were too dangerous to be released. The wars resulted in them developing a taste for human flesh and bone, and all captured fairies were sent to the BPRD to be euthanized. "Of course," I said as I knelt to peer into the cage. I had never seen a tooth fairy befor, all I had were horror stories from survivors. "Not too close." Nuada held out a hand, holding me back. "The smell of you might wake it up."

I stayed where I was and looked in. Sure enough, the tooth fairy was knocked out, a piece of meat still in its hands. "Better in there than out here." I shuddered as I stood up. "And they can just get in?"

"If there is a way in, yes." Nuada took the cage, with the towel still around it. "Take this to Abe." He told Mister Wink. "Check the vents for any holes when you get back. And leave this mess." He gestured to the disaster zone that was the kitchen. "We will clean it in the morning. Let the others sleep."

"Is Mister Wink alright?" I kept a safe distance from the cage. "Are you alright?"

Nuada brushed off paint chips that had fallen onto my hair. "More than all right. Come with me." He took my hand and led me out of the kitchen. "There is something I would like to show you."

                                                        ✨✨✨

On and on we walked, through winding passages and corridors, through one doorway and onto the next. There were torches everywhere, but the rooms and hallways grew barer and rockier and darker the further we went. It felt like we were going deeper underground, but to what?

"And here we are." Nuada stopped in front of a pair of thick teak doors, twice the height of even Mister Wink.

There was a loud creak when the doors were pushed open. "Where are we?"

He lit a torch and led the way in. "You will see."

It was too dark to walk around. I followed the light, watching Nuada as he lit tapers and little torches built into thick rock walls. There was moonlight seeping in through cracks I couldn’t see, but their light wasn’t enough. Then I turned around, my breath nearly dying in my throat.

It was a large indoor garden, the likes of which I had never seen before. Flowers. There were flowers everywhere, all rare and unknown. The floor was covered in soft grass and moss, and there was an actual rose tree in the center of the cavernous room. "What is that?"

"That is the crown rose tree." Nuada led me to it, let me walk around it. "The emblem of my clan. There are only three of these trees in existence."

His was the youngest, he said. The second oldest was at his father’s court, and the oldest, the mother tree, grew wild, deep within the caves of Bethmoora. Even the presence of the Golden Army did not affect it. The elves saw it as a good omen, he said, and that it meant their kind would endure no matter what befell them. "Vows made beneath this tree must never be broken."

"All vows?" I was too busy admiring the tree to notice the way he was looking at me. The flowers looked like crowns from certain angles, all gold with delicate veins of red. The tree and leaves themselves were a rich bluish black, making the roses stand out even more.

"Yes." Nuada was right behind me now. I could feel his breath in my hair. "Especially vows of love."

Especially vows of love. It is an interesting choice of words coming from him.

There was that feeling again, strong and persistent now. "When you mean vows of love," I said nervously, wondering if Nuada was saying what I thought he was saying. It can’t be. My flights of fancy had run riot again. Nuada was an elf, and the Crown Prince of his kind. His father would have expectations, standards, and a human being would fall well short of all of them. He might even be disinherited if he got involved with someone his father deemed unworthy. "Do you mean vows in general, or vo--"

Nuada leaned in, whispering something in the language of his people before moving in front of me. I had been around him long enough to pick up bits and pieces, but what he just said, admitted to me-- No. It can’t be. "I’m not sure I understand what that means--"

"Yes you do." Nuada inched closer, his broad shoulders blocking out the tree behind him. "Do you--" He was pained by the thought of my rejecting him. "Do you object to me? Was it because of how I behaved in the beginning?" 

"Yes! No! It’s not about how you behaved at the start! You don’t understand!" How could I make him see, the price he would be paying for my sake? "You’re an elf, I’m-- I’m me," Didn’t he understand the gravity of the choice he was making? Of all the trouble he could bring down on his head by choosing me? "I’m human, Nuada. Human. Your father would never agree to it and--"

He kissed me again, this time hard and frantic, his hands all bunched up in my hair. I was trembling too, my body melding with his as my lips parted for his tongue. "My father approves of you," he whispered into his kiss. "He has already given me his blessings. As for you being mortal--"

Here I stop, panting, my heart racing like I have been running for miles. "Yes?"

"It makes no difference to me." Nuada’s lips captured mine again, his breath mingling with my own. "So long as I can call you mine."

This time it was he who stopped, and waited, for my answer. I didn’t need to think long and hard this time. The prince loved me, and I? I had fallen in love with him. When I kissed him this time, he knew what my answer was going to be. There was that smile again, all radiant and glorious.  Mine, he whispered.

#nuada #nuada silverlance #prince nuada #nuada x reader #hellboy #reader insert #reader included #fanfiction #creative writing #writing #am writing #writeblr #a world of whimsy writes

[atanx]

Since I've been replaying Subnautica recently, I've been thinking more about Below Zero.

From what I've seen, people tend to give Below Zero more shit than I think it deserves. Now, out of the two games I would very much say that Subnautica is my favourite, but I think comparing the two games is a bad idea in general because of how fundamentally different they are.

The premise of Subnautica is that you're a janitor whose spaceship crashed on an alien planet, leaving you as the only survivor when you wake up 8 hours after the crash. You aren't prepared for this. You're all alone. And you have been infected by a bakteria with a killcount in the billions. You know nothing at all about this world. This sets up real terror, helplessness and the knowledge that even if someone were coming to save you, they would experience the same fate as the rest of your ship's crew. You're not stranded on 4546B BY CHOICE.

Below Zero however, is drastically different. You have gone to great lengths to willingly smuggle yourself onto the planet to find out just what happened to your sister to cause her death. You come very much prepared and you're more than willing to face all the risks. You can also theoretically leave at any point. All you'd have to do is show yourself to Alterra and they would probably escort you to a prison themselves. You do not get infected. You are also not alone.

This willingness and initiative in Below Zero is a huge detractor from the terror of it all. And it is why I think a comparison is unfair.

(Also, you have a Truck. In Below Zero. And Truck-kun is there, ready to deal massive damage for you! Honestly I think it's way too OP. Fucking Shadow Leviathans become nothing more than a NUISANCE. But well, it fits with the theme of the game.)

All in all, Below Zero had nice environments, nice creatures, nice gameplay, a better base building system and some pretty intruiging storylines!

In my opinion, the endgame is pretty lacklustre. Any terror I felt regarding leviathans or the like abated very quickly, even though I have barely 30h in Below Zero. Meanwhile, going to the Aurora in Subnautica still scares the shit out of me 80h in.

Although I have to mention here that some of the familiarity you build up in Subnautica carries over. You can never get the same experience as playing Subnautica for the first time ever again. Because now you've already experienced it once.

Below Zero isn't really a worse game for not being able to do this, though. It's a good game, it's just... not as memorable. Because Subnautica is truly special. From its stellar soundtrack to its satisfying gameplay and moving story and setting, Subnautica is a fucking masterpiece. Sure, it has its flaws, but they're more charming than detracting. To me.

And it's unfair to expect anything else to deliver the same experience. Because nothing can.

And when comparing Below Zero to Subnautica, so many cool things lose their shine in its shadow. I still vividly remember jamming out in the seatruck to Diving In Too Deep from Nerdout. The story of that one old wreck that managed to survive by distracting the big gun was some really good writing. The frozen leviathan terrified me so hard even though I knew it wasn't going to come alive. Robin and Al-An's conversations are genuinely interesting an entertaining. The kelp area is really cool and the oxygen flowers are such a good gameplay change! Sam's storyline hit me right in the feels! MARGUERIT. The ice worm hit me straight off of my snowfox and down a cliff so I had to run the rest of the way. The research crew are also lovely characters!

There are a lot of things to love about Below Zero and we shouldn't let them pale by judging the game with standards Subnautica lifted to the fucking moon <3

#subnautica #below zero #atanx.txt #yes im aware bz came out like 2 yrs ago but ive been replaying subnautica and its just BEEN ON MY MIND SO MUCH AHHHH #also this is tumblr so who cares #and if you havent played the game(s) and somehow stumbled on this post: theyre really worth it #and i havent really spoiled much of anything #SO GO PLAY IT its so much better when ur playing it blind!! #if you have to choose one go with subnautica tho because its just so good #lolol the whole point of this post was to say dont compare the two yet choosing between them is a comparison of sorts XD #hey i never claimed i was consistent :P #but fr i love the characters in Subnautica. my little blorbos <3 theyre all dead but hey! fanfiction exists :333 #THE SOUNDTRACK IS SO GOOD AKCKQLC IT GAVE ME FEELS AND THEN I WROTE THIS POST

[j-nipper-95]

An ask game for writers to procrastinate working on your WIP(s)

Thank you for the tags @artsyunderstudy @iamamythologicalcreature @aristocratic-otter @shrekgogurt @wellbelesbian @theearlgreymage and @ic3-que3n

I am definitely procrastinating on both my WIPs at the moment. Trails is back in limbo, and ASR has taken up permanent residence there recently, and I desperately want to get back to both of them. Here's hoping this will kick start something in my brain! I do love a good Q&A, so let's dive in!

1. 🦈 Tell us the name of your/one of your WIP(s):

I have two WIPs I am actively writing, and one I haven't started on yet, but desperately want to. The Trails We Blaze was my Carry On Through the Ages 2023 fic, and is a The Road to El Dorado!au. Then there's my original novel, A Survivor's Revenge, which I've been writing for far too long and it definitely needs to be published soon!

2. 🍄 Describe your WIP/one of your WIP(s) in the format of "___ + ___ = ___"

Ok, this is much harder than I thought it would be, there's so many elements to each of these WIPs, so bare with me.

Trails: con men in 1920s London find map to Atlantis + WW1 trauma + gang warfare + repressed romantic feelings = friends to lovers action, adventure, and chaos across western Europe that's probably been too intensely researched for the sake of historical accuracy

(Side note: this isn't how I thought I'd use my degrees in history and archaeology, but here we are!)

A Survivor's Revenge: marvel cinematic universe + James Bond = ASR

or - what would happen if Bucky wasn't brainwashed by Hydra and sought revenge on the scientists who experimented on him, was a 14 year old school girl instead of a grown man, and had elemental powers + MI6 super spies and the general aesthetic of a Bond movie = a stab first/ask questions later FMC willing to do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe (and I do mean whatever it takes - Lauren hasn't baulked at anything I've thrown at her yet).

3. 🌍 What tags or warnings will one of your WIP(s) need if you intend to share it.

ASR will definitely need some trigger warnings for violence (if only because of Lauren's penchant for it), and if it were being posted to AO3 the series as a whole would probably require a 'main character death' warning. This is your formal warning, no one is safe in my writing.

Trails is rated M, so there's not going to be anything too graphic or explicit, but it does have a PTSD tag, as the fic tackles both Baz and Simon's trauma from living through the First World War, and specifically Baz's claustrophobia. So I would probably warn about the panic attacks and discussion of how Baz became claustrophobic.

4. 🧭 An alternative title to one of your WIP(s)?

Neither of these had alternative titles other than my save names (Spy Novel and SnowBaz fanfic) before I decided on anything. I'm useless at coming up with titles, and I can't really claim full credit for either. A friend from uni came up with A Survivor's Revenge, which is really fitting, as revenge is a major theme in the book. And The Trails We Blaze is a reference to one of the songs from the movie The Road to El Dorado, and was Ashton's suggestion when we were bouncing ideas back and forth last year.

5. ⚠️ Which WIP you're most likely to finish or update next?

Trails will definitely be finished before ASR, purely because ASR is going to be published as a proper book, and I don't have the cash to do this independently, or the publishing deal to do it traditionally. So I know this will take time. But I am currently working on the next chapter of Trails, so hopefully it won't be too long before I can post it.

6. 💾 What is your document of your WIP/a WIP called? (not the stories actual title but what you've saved it as)

I have so many variations of both WIPs it's ridiculous. I swear there's been 100+ iterations of ASR over the years, all with variations on either A Survivor's Revenge/ASR or Spy Novel as their title.

With Trails I have my base document, which is where the rough first draft happens, in Scrivener: the trails we blaze - draft copy. And then I also have my final document in pages, where I fix the formatting ahead of exporting to AO3 (because AO3 hates it when I do it straight from scrivener and gets rid of all my italics!): the trails we blaze upload copy.

7. 🖍 Post any sentence(s) from your WIP.

This is probably one of my favourite exchanges in the first ASR book.

“Just like old times,” Lauren said. “Tell me, did you consciously decide to make my PTSD worse by assigning him to me, or was that a happy accident?” “What’s the diagnosis?” Vanessa asked, ignoring Lauren. “Fractured ribs, minor internal abdominal bleeding, concussion, and three broken fingers. She needs to rest for at least a week,” Todd said. “She has a name,” Lauren muttered. “The internal bleeding is minor for the moment, but won’t be if she doesn’t rest.” “Who’s ‘she’ in this, the cat’s mother? I am here, you know.” “Yes, and whilst I would love to trade witticisms with you, I do actually have a job to do. Part of which involves divulging a diagnosis, and pardon me if I feel certain people in this room are going to be more receptive and actually take my advice when I give it.” Lauren glanced at Vanessa. “Is he always like this?” “Just with patients. And most of the people who work here.” “So, everyone?” Vanessa thought for a moment, then bobbed her head from side to side in a movement that said Pretty much, yeah. “If we’re quite done discussing my conduct, I do actually have other patients who need my attention.” “Poor sods.” “Yes, of course,” Vanessa said, ignoring Lauren’s comments. “Have you got a treatment plan sorted?” “I’m nothing if not professional.” “Did someone switch the definition of ‘sarcastic asshat’ and ‘professional’ in the dictionary when I wasn’t looking?” Todd twisted ever so slightly away from Lauren, instead focusing entirely on Vanessa.

8. ♻️ A scrapped idea for your current WIP.

Initially in ASR Lauren was framed for the murder of a student, alongside releasing the main villain from prison (not a spoiler, it's literally in my synopsis, no worries there!), and afterward she was forced to go on the run. Essentially, it made the heads of MI6 and Lauren's best friends into her enemies for a few chapters of my drafts a couple of years back. I loved this idea, and genuinely want to implement something along these lines again, because it was an interesting position to put the characters in, but I also really love where the plot is taking them currently, so we'll see if it truly ends up remaining scrapped or not.

9. 🤔 What's a story you'd love to write but haven't even started yet?

Another original novel, this time firmly rooted in science fiction (no superhero/light fantasy elements here), where time travel is possible, but the super anxious MC refuses to use his powers to travel back in time because of the side effects of said power. Gay romance, anxiety, angst, all the good stuff!

10. 🤡 How many WIPs are you actively working on?

I'm not too active on either of my WIPs at the moment. Work's been crazy lately, and I flip between feeling super burnt out creatively and being too tired to do much. But Trails and ASR continue to be my most active WIPs.

11. 🛠 Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now?

In Trails I've hit an intimate scene, and my little ace brain doesn't know how to approach it! Plus, I don't know how far I can stretch the M rating before we enter E territory.

12. ❤️ Not a question, just a second Kudos to send.

All of the kudos to everyone! I wish there was a way to leave it more than once, because seriously, the CO fandom is so unbelievably talented, my God!!

Tagging (sorry if you’ve already done this):

@blackberrysummerblog

@orange-peony

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe

@palimpsessed

#wip tag #q&a #a survivor's revenge #original fiction #the trails we blaze #snowbaz #fanfic

[e-the-village-cryptid]

Goncharov the Musical (1985)

with all this goncharov posting I still haven’t seen anyone mention the musical adaptation! granted, if goncharov is a lost movie, then the musical is fricken atlantis, but the little-known adaptation did in fact exist, if very briefly. as far as I’ve been able to find out, there were only two showings and somewhere between 5 and 10 previews before it was shut down for good. 

just as goncharov itself is full of bitter ironies, so too is the story behind the (partial) recovery of this musical. Cranston Park Theatre, where the musical was staged, suffered flooding in September of this year, forcing the theater to close for repairs. in clearing out their flooded basement, a few discs from the goncharov production were discovered, but not before the long submersion in water highly damaged them. yeah, the same flood that led to the discs’ rediscovery also ruined large portions of them. the irony is flawless, but I’m still mad about that lost history that may never be recovered. 

however, we do have a mostly intact rendition of the first two numbers, which are, as in most musicals, an ensemble opener and an “I want” song. (many thanks to the Cranston Park Theatre employee who got permission to post the recovered clips to youtube!) the song titles are lost to time as far as I can tell, but we have some footage and that’s what’s most important. let’s dive in!

the ensemble opener: it’s very militaristic, which is an interesting choice. the stately march-style opener evokes the mechanical, grim themes present throughout much of the film— or, at least it would, if the costumes weren’t so ridiculous. despite the attempted seriousness of the number, the set and costumes come off as quite campy— perhaps this was an intentional mockery of the militaristic march, to emphasize the existing irony of comparing mafia and gangsters to soldiers? my favorite part about this number is that the strong, steady beat is exactly 60 bpm— one beat per second, like the ticking of a clock. say what you will about the directors of this musical, but they knew their motifs for sure!

the “I want” song: usually the second song of a musical would be given to the lead to sing their “I want” ballad— think “Waiting on a Miracle” in Encanto where Mirabel just wants to be special like the rest of the family, or “Carrie” in Carrie (a musical from around the same time period that suffered a similar fate of early cancellation, but that’s a parallel for a different post), where Carrie longs for her classmates to stop bullying her and see her for who she truly is. now, in Goncharov, this song is given not to Goncharov, but to Katya. this is fascinating! the narrative is essentially establishing Katya as the central character, of equal or greater importance than Goncharov himself. I wish so badly I could make out the lyrics, but the recording is too damaged for me at least. the tone of the ballad is emotional, though, and Katya can be seen gesturing to Goncharov, who is staged out of reach and out of earshot. At another point, she also gestures close to the wings, where there appears to be a figure? the video quality is very grainy but at least in my mind this has to be Sofia. (oh how I wish the lyrics were audible here!)  and of course, the centerpiece of the number (and the whole musical, really) is the giant clock tower in the square, which the choreography and Katya’s movements places as an important element of the song. the song ends with the tolling of the clock bells, setting the characters into a hurry about their business as if the spell is broken. ok, a little heavy-handed at this point. oh well, I honestly enjoy it, this song strikes the balance between sincere and campy— the choreography could be considered over-the-top and even a bit ridiculous in other circumstances but weirdly it worked?? one of my favorites and definitely the one I wish the most that we had a better recording of.

I’ll keep the analysis to just these two songs for now, but if anyone on some off-chance has found any better recordings of this musical please share them! not much is known about this musical’s history since it fell apart so quickly, likely due to budget and conflict between several of the lead actors and the director, so it’s entirely possible they performed at some other smaller theatre or at least rehearsed there. let’s piece this musical back together!

#goncharov #goncharov the musical #unreality #an e original

[duckdotimg]

hiii i'm the last anon, honestly i'm very interested in the whole story. who's lucia, how and when has she become a serial killer, why and when did she decide to have a child, etc. i'm also extremely interested in what happens to aiden, as i've seen you have an older design of her where she lost an eye, which i assume is due to something that happened with lucia? i'd love to know it all tbh!

i'm happy that you're interested anon! i'm not good with words but if you're curious about a "deeper" dive, here's the folder for the story on my toyhouse with all of the characters involved in the story (main installment and 2012 installment).

the long story short is that i wanted to explore a story where lucia, a mixture of norman osborne (the green goblin) and patrick bateman, decides that other than being a slasher she wants to bear the perfect heir to carry on her legacy of murder. with the aide of the cursed office building that is cursed on its own, not due to her doing.

it's hard to explain the story well since i haven't "structured" it, i only have vague strokes... lucia had a child because she just could. she was a wall street broker of high regard when she was 25 and had the money to go for artificial insemination, so she did. her being a serial killer is not a very deep thing tbh: she's a slasher as many can be, and like i said as she is inspired by the likes of patrick bateman she essentially started killing because it initially made it easier for her to go through the "ranks" by directly eliminating her rivals. with the years, it became something unnecessary that she kept doing because she liked doing it. hence why in her 40s (at the time of the story) she's still terrorizing her office workers and slaughtering them, despite being the CEO of a high-end investments company.

as for what happens to aiden, it is implied through her profile that indeed an accident happens between her and lucia. i don't want to "spoil" it for the sake of "what-if-i-make-it-a-comic"-isms, but i will say that lucia does indeed die and she does indeed give aiden that permanent injury in the process. as a reminder of whose daughter she is, and her "true nature" (bs like that)

there's definitely more to it as well since it mainly focuses on aiden but i like sometimes thinking about how comically truly twisted lucia is, but it is done on purpose, since i ended up developing her to fall between the lines of a kind of serious, yet also hilariously evil main antagonist. like she's so evil that it's almost ridiculous.

it is important to note, however, that lucia nurtures a twisted but very genuinely motherly love for aiden, even if the injury aiden has later on might make you think otherwise... hard to explain but i love the theme of a twisted mother who is inequivocably evil to everyone but their children, for whom they feel unconditional love and would support them through thick and thin. in her own bizarre, contorted way, this also applies to lucia. the way abuse is relayed onto aiden is less directly malicious than one would imagine (doesn't make it any less fucked up, tho)

i hope this eases some of your curiosities!!!! thank you for being interested :-))))

#skipping and jumping.... #duck asks #oc talk #my mom is a serial killer #as always if there's more q's feel free to send an ask hehe :D

[wetcatspellcaster]

Hello my darling!

8 & 15 for pieces and an honest lie pls 💜 your choice on whether to write one for each or just one and one

Thank you for the question, lovely!

8. What inspired the title for this fic? Is that how you usually choose titles?

An Honest Lie - I wanted something that sounded like it fit stylistically with 'A Bleeding Heart', and this was the one that sounded best in my brain. I think I had something like 'A Broken Mask' as another possibility, or 'Heart on Your Sleeve' as another way to reformat the convention? But both of those felt pretentious or vague, so I ended up with the one I liked best!

Pieces Still Stuck in Your Teeth - I have a lot of reasons for this one. Obviously, it's a song from the latest Hozier album, because that is what Hozier albums are for: fic titles. I started with a working title which was a line from 'Eat Your Young', which I think is peak-Ascendency core tbh. but as I realised how much the fic would be based in Rosalie's perspective and the implications of her 'tragic timeline', and how that would effect the themes/tone of the story, I realised that 'Unknown' was a far better fit, as it was more about loneliness and messy divorce feelings, not to mention the morality underlying the love throughout.

I went with Pieces Still Stuck in Your Teeth bc. teeth. vampires. (also it's a lyric referencing a heart, which is some nice continuity with the series overall)

Other lines that were relevant to the content of the fic but didn't make good titles:

'You know the distance never made a difference to me I swam a lake of fire, I'd have walked across the floor of any sea'

(this refers to the separation, travelling the hells, and Rose living on an isolated island)

'Funny how true colours shine in darkness and in secrecy [...] Where you were held frozen like an angel to me'

(this links to Cania and the 'truth' hiding in the House of Peace)

'It ain't the being alone [...] it's more the being unknown'

(both Rosalie and the Ascendent have been alone and isolated, both of them feel alienated from their true selves and wonder if romance will fix it. they miss the one person they felt understood them.)

Do you know, I could break beneath the weight Of the goodness, love, I still carry for you That I'd walk so far just to take The injury of finally knowing you

(I really did this to my silly little wizard. I really did this. Anyway, how we feeling about Act 3?)

15. Was there anything you had to research for this fic? Do you usually do a lot of research?

An Honest Lie - lol nope. I just played the game man.

Pieces Still Stuck in Your Teeth - I guess a little? There have been multiple times when I've used D&D lore or spells as story prompts. There have also been times when I've had to research a spell deeper than usual to make plot work (True Polymorph, for instance, also did you know that Mage Hand doesn't take concentration? that fucked up a large part of Act 3 for me lmaooooo).

I also. read. so much smut. 😌😌😌😌😌

But generally, I don't really tend to research! Fic is something I write for fun, and I don't tend to find research fun as it's also my job. Deep dives on D&D lore don't really count in my brain, that's just more of the hyperfixation fuel.

behind the scenes fic asks!

#asks #mutuals #ask games #wip: pieces still stuck in your teeth #wip: an honest lie #behind the scenes

[daintyduck99]

My Jatp Fics: Greatest Hits

It's my birthday! It's also roughly the two and a half year anniversary of me joining this Fandom, which feels like a milestone.

As of now, I've written 75 works for Julie and the Phantoms. 75! That's crazy. Sure, I'd say a lot of my strength lies in exploring small ideas, or in condensing a concept into something short, but... 75!

If you're reading this, I love you! There are so many amazing, talented people in this Fandom and to know you even tangentially is a blessing ❤️ I doubt I would've ever written so much if I wasn't surrounded by so many other passionate creatives.

I do have to give a special shout out to the rest of the Rulie canoe crew. ❤️💜 I love y'all and I'm glad we're friends🥰

In celebration of all of the above, I've compiled a top ten list of all of my fics that I'd most recommend, so if you'd like to show my stories some love (and don't want to wade through all 75), here are the hits:

the sunflower series

Reggie/Julie, QPR Reggie & Luke & Julie, Luke & Flynn

This one is about summer love and how it shines. It's about diving headlong into the surf while your friends cheer you on and holding hands with your ghosts. It follows the echoes of those scorching summer feelings, and the sunflowers that sprout in their wake.

Mutual Pining, Fluff, Slice of Life, 33k, Rated T

what if i fall (but what if you fly)

Julie/Kayla

What if Kayla came to talk to Julie during the dance instead of Nick?

Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Julie-centric, 2k, Rated T

one more try (to feel alive)

Reggie/Julie, Julie & Rose

"Get a grip, Reginald. There's no such thing as cute ghost girls."

Fluff and Angst, Role Reversal, Ghost Julie, 1.4k, Rated T

Kept On Climbing 'Til Our Stars Collided

Luke/Bobby, Reggie/Julie, pre-Luke/Bobby/Reggie/Julie

Bobby rubs his eyes.

He must be more screwed up from the dopamine than he thought, because—

There’s an angel in the kitchen.

Fluff and Angst, Pining, Friends with Benefits, Morning After, Jealousy, Awkward Conversations, 2k, Rated M

I'll Be Your Tangerine, You Can Peel Me With Your Teeth

Reggie/Julie

"Don't worry, tesoro. I won't bite. Unless you're into that sort of thing."

He’s pale, far too pale for someone who spends much time at sea, and his blush betrays him.

Pirate AU, Smut, Bonus Romantic Fluff, 4k, Rated E

Our Luxury (A Love Like Stars)

Reggie/Luke/Julie, Luke & Emily, Luke & Ray

“So, I bought a ring,” Luke says, casual in the way that usually Reggie would realize is nowhere near casual and much closer to freaking out, but he’s a little busy choking to death on his lunch.

Fluff and Angst, Established Relationship, Misunderstandings, Proposal, Romantic Gestures, Happy Ending, 13k, Rated T

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Feel Alive

Reggie/Julie, Reggie/Luke/Julie, Julie & Rose, Julie & Ray

Julie has several heart-to-hearts as she tries to figure out how to love a ghost (or two).

Fluff, Queer Themes, Love, Grief, Magic, Series, 7k, Rated T

It Was Only A Pick

Luke/Reggie

God, Reggie thinks as Luke smirks up at him, adorned in the fanning halo of his dark brown hair and the amusement that shines from his eyes, amplified blue from the proximity of the pick, he’s beautiful.

Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Misunderstandings, Music, Confession, Happy Ending, 4k, Rated T

Of Hearts Borrowed And Blue

Reggie/Julie

If anything, Julie’s even more of a grinch here that she would be back home, because she stuffed all of her grief into a battered suitcase, and she can’t just pull it out for every single stranger trying to get her into the Christmas spirit.

Hallmark AU, Fluff and Angst, Strangers to Lovers, 18.3k, Rated E

I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

QPR Reggie & Julie, Luke/Reggie, Julie/Carrie

Everyone thinks Reggie and Julie are dating. It's a problem, because they're both pining over other people...but they also don't know exactly what they are, or how to reconcile their relationship with the romantic ones they want. They try to help each other, though.

Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Pining, Jealousy, Queerplatonic Relationship, Friendship (Too Many To Tag), Love, Practice Kissing, Kissing, Friends to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Mild Sexual Content (They Are V Much Horny Teenagers), 13.8k, Rated M

#milestone post #fic rec list #peterpatterlina #rulie #jukebogs #peterpatter #jayla #jatp jewelry #qpr jatp #fics with ash #happy birthday to me lol #julie and the phantoms

[loregoddess]

Reverse Unpopular Opinion for Faye and Rinea!

Okay, well first of all both of their designs are really good. Like, I know I'm biased because Hidari is one of my top-favorite illustrators and I think all Echoes artwork is excellent, but Faye and Rinea's is like, especially excellent. Like, we have Faye:

This is the most generic "local girl who lives in a fantasy faming village" look and I mean this in the best way possible. Of all the Ram kids, she's the only one who actually looks like she could have been someone who just hung around some little farming town, and I especially love the little touches that the apron and satchel add. And the color palette is really good, which isn't something I say a lot for FE, and her being dusty blond and paired with lots of browns and whites could have made her look like a sepia photo, but nah, everything's balanced well enough that this looks like a legit.

And then we have Rinea, and just:

LOOK at the amount of thought that went into that dress's design! I'm no seamstress nor cosplay artist, but I do love me some clothing designs where the artist thought out how the clothing might work. And while all the layers aren't broken down, enough are that I can imagine how the dress works, which also makes it easier to draw for me for whatever reason. And again, this is a fantastic palette! Granted, blues and whites with some off-blacks is actually a pretty safe palette to go for and really hard to mess up, but even how the colors get divided is nice, since most of the whites (the "lightest" colors) are at the top of her design, and the black stockings (the "heaviest" color in her palette) are at the bottom. Rinea's color palette looks like glacial, snow-capped basalt mountains, and I love it.

Also like, in line with Echoes' strong emphasis on the divide between the nobility and the commonfolk, we can really see those themes in these two designs. Faye's just a girl from a small farming town, and while she's clearly very trendy and conscious of her appearance, given how she wears cute little bows and has decorated her satchel, there's still something very humble and utilitarian about her outfit. Whereas Rinea's a noble, and her outfit shows as much with the incorporation of more complicated sewing patterns, and the addition of metals as pretty--but essentially non-functional--decoration. Everything about her outfit looks more expensive to produce, and really helps to illustrate her status as a noble engaged to the heir of Rigel. It's such a small detail, but I've seen a lot of fantasy stories where the character designs get a bit carried away and you can't actually distinguish things like social class, or even trends from different geographic areas.

Aside from how much I love the designs, Faye is also one of my favorite units in the entire game. Like, when I did my run of "I'm actually going to try and complete Thabes instead of ignoring it", Faye was front and center on my dungeon-dive team. She's so versatile too! I had her as a pegasus knight my first run and not only was she able to keep pace with Clair, she outpaced the pegasi trio (which might have been lucky rng for the stat growths, but still!). I had her as a cleric for my second run (the Thabes run), and again, she was super useful. Her early access to Physic is very helpful, and while I don't normally use dancer classes, her unique spell Anew ended up being really helpful for my Thabes dive (and also helped me figure out that I didn't dislike the dancer class and its support skill, I just didn't want an entire unit tied up in one type of support only). Also, since Nosferatu can bypass Duma's godshield, I wanted to see if it was possible to get Faye to land the killing blow. This was not a feat I achieved, given that she could only deal a total of 12 damage (although if I decide to buy the DLC before the eShop goes down, I might be able to achieve this feat with an overclass), but 12 damage was the highest not-Alm damage dealt by anyone I had in that battle, which was neat! I think if I ever do another run, I might put her into cavalier and see if she can outpace Mathilda (and then I can give her Gradivus, aka my favorite weapon in the entire series).

Anyhow, I actually have a lot of love not born of spite for these two, and for FE in general, and could probably go on but we'll call it good for now.

#fayeslingeringwill #listen I LOVE these two and I will fight on that hill #I didn't even get into FEH stuff bc I don't actually play the game but like FEH stuff for these two is good as well! #fire emblem #FE15 #faye #rinea #ask meme #I still don't have an ask tag

[agentrouka-blog]

It feels like an underlying supposition of the text is that beauty makes people less likable because they’re not ugly rejects of society, while simultaneously there is a huge appreciation for beauty too. Hence the ugly duckling turned swan fantasy. While an ugly duckling the character gets our deserved sympathy for suffering as a reject, but then is rewarded later with the beauty they always hoped for (and earned, because the suffering apparently turns the beauty from a bad thing to a good thing? Differently coded beauties for differently coded characters? An illogical cycle where you can’t tell if the chicken or the egg came first?).

Hi anon!

I can't say I would agree that the books support such a reading at all.

For certain subsets of the fandom this might be a popular interpretation, but in the books natural beauty is not portrayed as inherently unlikeable. How do you even “earn” beauty? Characters like Myrcella or Lyanna are unabashedly described as beautiful with absolutely no malignant undertone at all, as are many other characters. 

Beauty is not a signal of villainy to the reader, no more than ugliness is a signal of virtue. There's an ongoing theme that beauty can be treacherous. Outward beauty does not reflect on the quality of a person's character one way or the other. But nor does ugliness. There are plenty of ugly people who are so inside and outside. 

The Hound and Brienne are both considered physically unattractive by society at large, both are outcasts in a way, both carry trauma, but they are complete foils in practice. The Hound is a villain, Brienne the closest thing to a pure hero the books can boast. Their looks are relevant, in that they inform their stories, but they are not authorial signifiers of worth one way or the other. And no, Brienne isn’t getting prettier to reward her. Quite the opposite. Does that mean her sacrifices are meaningless? Hardly. It simply means physical beauty doesn’t have a moral dimension. 

You could even argue that the status of an outsider and the inherent downsides of that can obfuscate a character’s inner darkness for the reader. Just take Tyrion. He is not only disabled, he is described as ugly, he is mistreated and excluded for this, - and he is revealed to be a horrible person, if you judge him by how he treats other people.

If the books reference the Ugly Duckling (text of the fairytale at wikisource), they probably do so with a more sophisticated angle than the idea that his beauty was a reward for his suffering. Because that’s not the story.

The "duckling" was only "ugly" because he was pressed to be something he was not: a duck. The duckling did not know itself and no one saw it for what it was. 

The society in the farmyard was rigid and judgmental of anyone, Andersen takes care to depict, and the duckling became its principal victim because it was so different, and they never tried to understand why. But even when he leaves, that doesn’t equate to knowing himself. 

One evening, just as the sun set amid radiant clouds, there came a large flock of beautiful birds out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen any like them before. They were swans, and they curved their graceful necks, while their soft plumage shown with dazzling whiteness. They uttered a singular cry, as they spread their glorious wings and flew away from those cold regions to warmer countries across the sea. As they mounted higher and higher in the air, the ugly little duckling felt quite a strange sensation as he watched them. He whirled himself in the water like a wheel, stretched out his neck towards them, and uttered a cry so strange that it frightened himself. Could he ever forget those beautiful, happy birds; and when at last they were out of his sight, he dived under the water, and rose again almost beside himself with excitement. He knew not the names of these birds, nor where they had flown, but he felt towards them as he had never felt for any other bird in the world. He was not envious of these beautiful creatures, but wished to be as lovely as they. 

Long before he grows up to be a swan, he recognizes something about himself in the swans. He longs to be as they are - because he is.

The "duckling" survives many hardships and the privations of winter - which the other swans do not have to because they flew south. They did not earn their swan-like beauty by suffering. They are as they are because they are swans.  Just as the duckling was always a swan. He simply wasn’t in the right environment to encourage his own unique qualities. 

Then he flew to the water, and swam towards the beautiful swans. The moment they espied the stranger, they rushed to meet him with outstretched wings.

“Kill me,” said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water, and awaited death.

But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. To be born in a duck’s nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan’s egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer, and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.

The swans welcome him, he belongs. This could have been his life all along. His suffering only enables him to appreciate it more, now that he finally recognizes himself for what he actually is. 

#beauty #the ugly duckling #asoiaf

[pridepages]

Crossing Lines: Ace of Spades

I just finished Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. I have thoughts...

Here there be spoilers!

Any good horror story--or psychological thriller--is all about tapping into the unspoken anxieties that hum in the back of our brains like ambient noise. We become so used to their presence that we stop actively noticing them until someone points them out. 

But a great horror story shames us with that failure to notice. It throws that ugly truth we accept back in our face and demands: how could you ever look away?

In this respect, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades is a great horror story. I don’t want to spoil too much here because part of the experience is watching how deftly suspense builds in this book. I tore through the chapters caught between the various theories of who was behind the mysterious, villainous alias ‘Aces.’ To fully appreciate the skill of the narrative crafting, it’s better to come in blind. But I will say that the elevator pitch here is: Get Out meets Gossip Girl. The story is narrated in two voices: Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo. They don’t have much in common besides both being gay and both being the only two black students at their high school--a fact that they have accepted as so ‘normal’ while living in a society built upon institutional racism that they don’t recognize it as a warning sign.

The novel does a deep dive into the many symptoms and causes of institutionalized racism and how it warps the mindset of every person living in the community. One post couldn’t cover them all. So I’m going to focus on one particular theme: intersectionality.

This story is all about the ways that Devon and Chiamaka cross lines just by existing. The obvious one is that the agenda of the unknown ‘Aces’ is to shame and ruin the only two black students because they have dared to reach for privileges jealously guarded by white people. Devon and Chiamaka have very different responses to this. The deeper they get into it, the more Devon wants out. He resents “how they have the power to kill my future, kill me. They treat my Black skin like a gun or grenade or a knife that is dangerous and lethal, when really it’s them.” He believes--quite reasonably--that tangling with these people is a dangerous mistake. Meanwhile, Chiamaka sees this and wants to fight--to engage in direct confrontation. “I feel powerful because I’ve taken my voice back,” she says during her Final Girl moment. The novel doesn’t pass judgment on either for how they feel or respond to the active realization of their oppression. But it shows that daring to cross that line, to push back against white gatekeeping, has real consequences for black people. And that black people are the ones who are forced to carry the burden of those consequences while the oppressors move through the world unencumbered.

There’s another set of crossing lines in this novel that merits attention: the intersectionality between blackness and queerness. For Devon, these two crossing identities are often locked in struggle against each other. He’s in love with his best friend--a boy he’s grown up with in his neighborhood--but the culture of their neighborhood is homophobic. Being out risks their physical safety--Devon was actually gay bashed as a child--and it can risk their security by social ostracization. Where people live hand to mouth, they often rely on friends and neighbors to help them on a practical level to survive. Without that support, which they know they would lose, Devon and his erstwhile boyfriend Dre might not be able to make it. So Devon’s struggle becomes one of toeing the line: figuring out when and how he can safely be himself. “I’ve known I’m gay for years...and I got comfortable with it--but at times like this, when I know life could be easier without my sexuality, I wish I hadn’t been born with the burden.” 

It’s easy for out-and-proud white people to say that coming out is beautiful, that everyone should do it, that hiding away is pandering to homophobia. But it’s not that simple when you find yourself a potential outcast on one side because of your race and a potential outcast on the other side because of your sexuality leaving you in constant threat of being stranded in no man’s land, left with nothing and no one at all.

Chiamaka’s experience is rather different. For her, crossing that sexuality boundary is actually...shockingly banal. “From watching TV and reading books, I always got the idea that a girl liking someone who isn’t a guy is meant to be a big deal and that there should be this pressing self-hate that comes with it. I feel almost weird being this okay.” I wonder if this says something about how class privilege plays into homophobia. That is to say: does self-hatred come primarily from the fact that we fear losing the safety net of love and support we need for survival? Devon certainly did. He feared that everyone from his mother to his boyfriend to his neighbors would turn on him if he came out. That would leave him with no home, no plan, and no one to turn to for help. But Chiamaka comes from wealth. It doesn’t exempt her from racial oppression, but she does not seem fixated on the idea that she could lose her parents, home, or comfortable lifestyle if she came out. So for her, crossing the border from ‘presumed straight’ to ‘openly queer’ could just be an incidental part of her life rather than a monumental event. 

This isn’t meant to pass judgment--all experiences differ from person to person. But it does provide some food for thought about the ways that certain circumstances can change our perceptions of ourselves, our communities, and our identities.

All in all, Ace of Spades is a gripping, entertaining, and important book--particularly as an addition to YA canon. I do think that the solution to the mystery becomes more about the metaphor and less grounded in narrative to the overall detriment of the story. But that doesn’t make it any less boundary-pushing...or necessary.

#ace of spades #faridah àbíké íyímídé #wlw #mlm #sapphic #gay #lgbt reads #queer lit

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Elven medicine

January Trope Roulette Challenge courtesy @fellowshipofthefics

Pairing: Legolas x Fem. Reader (Elf / third person POV)

Themes: Soft | Fluff

Warnings: Mentions of pain and injuries | healing procedures

Summary: After being stabbed by a Morgul blade, Legolas is a brought to a healer for help.

Word count: 490

If you’d like a reader insert based on this challange, do follow the instructions given in the challange and send me a request. I will be doing two based on this challenge.

Want to be tagged? Want to know the rules? Read all here.

If you like this, please consider giving it a reblog. Scheduled posts, rules and spicy levels for reader inserts can be found on my pinned post. 

He had never experienced anything like this.

He'd heard stories about what it was like to be stabbed by a Morgul blade from others, including his own father and Frodo. Hearing such tales, however, and experiencing them happen to him were two different things altogether. The slash that cut into his flesh stung, but the pain that came afterward... Legolas would choose an early death a thousand times if it meant never having to bear such pain again.

Legolas experienced other things too: being carried, worried voices talking to him, and trying to keep him focused and awake. He heard the sharp rip of his tunic being torn apart and barely felt a damp cloth gliding over his wounds and making him wince in pain. He forced his eyes open and looked around before settling his gaze on the elleth who was cleaning him up.

Y/n felt it, him staring. She didn't have time to stop or even talk. The broken tip of the blade had to be taken out, and he had to be healed. And she didn't have much time, for the change was coming upon him. She picked up an implement and said, "Hold him down. If he moves too much and flails, I could hurt him even more."

His legs were restrained, as were his arms and shoulders. "Forgive me for this," she said apologetically before clicking the tiny tong-like instrument she had in her hand and diving in.

If the pain was excruciating before, it was nigh unbearable now. Immobilized, his screams frozen on his tongue, Legolas could only watch helplessly as y/n carefully poked and prodded, searching and searching, before she stopped. She had found it, held on to it, and apologized a second time before carefully extracting the broken piece. When she pulled it free and held it under the light of a taper, she almost smiled. Almost. 

She had completed the easy task. Now came the difficult part: healing the wound. Y/n carefully placed Athelas over the blackened cut and chanted, her voice growing softer, almost echoing, as if it came from another place. Legolas felt the pain slowly ebb away and sighed as warmth washed over him like a gentle wave. He could breathe easier. It no longer hurt to move. He could feel the wound slowly seal itself shut. Finally, when y/n's chanting reached a crescendo, the pain washed away for good. When he blinked his eyes and looked at her, it felt like she was cloaked in the light of the stars. It even looked like there were stars woven into her hair. Legolas swallowed. All his life he had seen the wonders of Elven healing being performed on others, and this was the first time he had experienced it for himself.

He then turned his attention to the one who healed him, wondering how he was going to repay her for saving his life.

#legolas #legolas x reader #legolas x y/n #legolas imagine #LOTR #fotfics #january trope roulette

[alagaisia]

I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions, but I have been already working towards this, so I’ll offer it up anyway: I’m trying to read more. As a kid I read almost constantly. And then I started high school and college and I didn’t have the time or energy, and got out of the habit.

But in the last couple of months, I’ve been reading more. In my current job, which I only get to work about every other weekend anyway, I sometimes have twenty or so minute of down time at a time, often multiple times a day, between calls and tours, and it’s not retail so nobody minds if I’m reading my book since I’m also fully getting my work done. So I can put books on hold online at the library, and then when they’re ready, stop by and pick them up in the morning on my way to work.

And it’s been incredible. Because I love reading. Not even just the stories themselves, and I admittedly don’t do a lot of deep analysis of themes or anything like that while I read, because I just so enjoy even the act of reading, diving into a whole new world and losing myself in it a little bit.

I’m a very quick reader and as a kid I would bike to the library with my sister and we would come home with a dozen books each, almost more than we could stand to carry in our backpacks, and then we’d go back the next week. I am quite sure that there are more books that I read in their entirety and remember absolutely no details from at all, totally and completely wiped from my mind as if they never existed, than many people have read ever. And I loved it. When my mom put her foot down and said we could only bring home eight books each, I would decide between books based on how big they were.

I’m more selective now, but I’m still a quick reader. When I pick up a book in the morning and bring it to work I almost always finish it that day. And I’ve read so many good books! I finished Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series. I read a couple of Dara Horn novels that I really enjoyed. I absolutely devoured Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut books (and then received the full set for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, because I loved them so much I had to have my own). I’m two books into Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy, which is fascinating, and does have such an interesting and different flavor from a lot of European fantasy that I’m sure a reader more interested in analysis than I am would be able to pin down in better words but which I’m just enjoying the ride with.

I can’t tell you how good it feels to be reading again. It’s like a return to my old self. Like coming home. So my New Year’s resolution, of sorts, is to continue that. I considered trying to say I’d read a book every week, but that’s a little too concrete for not liking resolutions, and also if I get a full time job, which I sure would like to do, and my routine changes, it’ll be harder to keep to a schedule, and it will feel more like work, which of course is not what I want.

But maybe I’ll try to keep up a list for tumblr or something. Not like reviews or anything, probably, because trying to think about talking to other people about aspects of a book takes me out of the experience (yeah, I did occasionally struggle in high school English classes, lol. I would get so caught up in reading the books that I would forget to think about discussion questions or whatever. But boy did I like reading all those books!), so, not a good resource for my newfound handful of followers, unless your criteria for book recommendations is “a tumblr user mentioned the name of it once,” but something. Not holding myself accountable exactly because again who cares about resolutions, but like, a dedicated place to share what I’m up to in that realm and keep the momentum of the enjoyment up a little bit, if that makes sense.

TL;DR, Happy New Year? ❤️

#mine #personal #long post #sorry lol #I do also want to start working out again #it’s not a diet thing or anything #it was just something I tried for a while. it’s actually probably been almost a year since I was doing it regularly #but I was working out a couple of days a week for about six months #and it was very cool to like see myself building a little bit of muscle mass and getting stronger #and I did actually enjoy doing it a lot #just got bored and fell out of the habit and didn’t get back into it #but I would really like to get back into it. it felt good. empowering