#man i really want to post more illustration this year i think

[levia-san]

Posting this doodle because I finished the LNY drawing in time and had this saved as potential back up in case i don't finish it beforehand (cleaned up and with colours ofc) ofc i might clean it up after all, but who knows atp.

anyway look forward to the illustration lolol

#qijiu #svsss #yue qingyuan #shen jiu #this reminds me that i still ahve this one illsutration in the back of my files #that i spent an inhuman amount of time in #and its basically finisehd except for missing background #man i really want to post more illustration this year i think #not enough last year imo

[texasthoughtsaboutnothing]

EDIT: I have received several new pieces of information that I'm distributing throughout the doc that further reinforces my stance on this, and is valuable to know. Also, I have sections where I'm more clear on my stance after thinking on it for a while and following more discussions on this. I hope I don't disappoint anyone with my thoughts.

If any part of what I've written here resonated with you, I shamelessly ask that you spread it in your preferred manner, and if you feel there's parts that need work please let me know.

Still gonna regret writing this, I'm sure.

[Warning: Long. Like, really.]

Because of all the shit happening with Arknights, PM is under fire once again as it ties into the larger narrative surrounding Korea and its full on gender war (a real thing that's apparently happening).

For those who don't know, way back in July Limbus Company got the event for 4.5 that included swimsuit versions of Ishmael and Sinclair. The fact that Ishmael was in a full bodysuit while Sinclair was shirtless with a collar led the Korean equivalent of 4chan to accuse PM's lead illustrator of being a feminist, which I guess is a bad thing if you're drowning in Korean culture war bullshit.

Turns out the lead illustrator was a man so they pivoted to the CG artist Vellmori and invented a whole host of bullshit links between her and an extremist group to try and get her fired.

And in accordance with their wishes PM fired her. Except they didn't. Probably?

Most everything known from this point onwards is, bluntly, tainted. It's a lot of machine translated Korean posts or, one way or the other, hasty conclusions from people with agendas (including me, no one is immune to propaganda).

Did Vellmori reach out to a newspaper to whistleblow on PM's flagrant disregard for worker's rights? That was the story at first but follow-ups implied it might be a complete fabrication or an overstatement of her grievances (EDIT, I have received information that while there was a phonecall to Vellmori from PM, it was to set up a meeting to properly hash out next steps and any claims she was fired over the phone are incorrect, and the newspaper that reported as such quietly retracted that statement).

Did a labor union jump the gun on spreading this story to gain political capital without reaching out to PM for their side of the story? Maybe if PM's version of events is true, but that's assuming a lot of malice of an institution doing it's best (EDIT, I have received information that the people directly responsible for handling the PM issue acted independently and were later found in violation of several union laws, including allegations involving CP that I do not want to and will not get into).

PM's story is that once the harassment flared up and involved physical visits to the development office, Vellmori wanted to quit. (EDIT, I have received information that the wording of the various statements can be interpreted as Vellmori leaving of her own volition but also under encouragement; if you see claims that she was forced to resign this is what that claim references.) There was a rumor about her getting 2 years of severance pay, but I don't know if that was ever corroborated and is likely false, but she would have gotten something in accordance with Korean Law which they were found in compliance of.

Everything after announcing her termination of contract (not translating the initial announcement, framing it as a company policy issue, keeping quiet on it for months, constant vague threats of lawsuits) was supposedly a bad attempt at trying to quell the harassment by making it go away. Instead, it exploded, and now if you're a fan you'll have to deal with this coming up forever. I know there's fans who follow me that'll resent me for making this post as they just want to move on (or think I'm wrong or misrepresenting some details).

I resent making this for what its worth, and am trying my best to be accurate, but for me this is part of moving on, acknowledging the bad and the factors that mitigate it. And yes, I think there are several mitigating factors.

Why did Cassie Wei, lead singer of Project Mili who is both Korean and a woman, speak out in KJH's defense?

Why hasn't, to my knowledge, Vellmori said anything since and by and large just disappeared if she was so poorly mistreated?

Why have, again to my knowledge, none of the Voice Actors and Actresses spoken out against PM in solidarity?

Why do PM continue to have partnerships with progressive companies like Arc System Works?

Why did the labor union retract their statements against PM and apologize following an actual investigation?

EDIT: New info. Why did the labor union censure the people responsible for handling the PM issue, who later quit the group seemingly in disgrace?

Why did PM not bring their own lawyers to the meeting with Vellmori while she was allegedly encouraged to bring hers?

None of these questions completely absolve PM of wrongdoing, if you were set on condemning them it's not hard to interpret each in a very uncharitable way. For example, most of this is easily answered by the fact we live under Capitalism and we inevitably all have to swallow our morals and ideals to make rent. I could retort that maybe PM did the same by capitulating in any degree to harassment (which they have done historically as what happened with Ruina's ending) and not specifically endorsing any ideology or political belief (which is wild considering the actual content of their stories). But I think that ends with a circular argument that boils down to whether you believe in PM or not.

To be clear, even if you want to interpret all the Vellmori stuff as charitably as possible, PM undeniably fucked up and has labor issues in its history. The artist for the manga Leviathan, Monggeu, came out during the whole thing to speak on her treatment as a contractor; how she was given an impossible workload and the company denied her requests for delays, delays caused in part by suicidal depression caused by the workload. Though KJH personally apologized to her, she was let go over the phone and spoke out only after she felt the company now had a pattern of abusive work policies. The author of Wonderlab also deleted her stuff in solidarity.

That's all bad. Really bad. I stopped playing Limbus because I felt extreme disappointment with the company and managerial tendencies of KJH. Credit to a reddit user I won't name for pointing this out, but this information is far more concrete than anything involving Vellmori as Monggeu broke her silence independently months after things happened on her personal Twitter. However, there isn't nearly as much focus on this or calls for Justice for Monggeu.

This opinion is mine and mine alone, but her situation, which I must stress was awful and shameful on PM's and KJH's part, doesn't tie into a culture war like "Vellmori being fired for feminist tweets" does. It is a clear cut example of bad labor and managerial practices that lead to harm towards an employee, but its an everyday tragedy, not a martyrdom. And so I wonder how much the treatment of labor is actually part of this discussion, the more actionable issue than changing all of Korean society. I wonder if PM's supposed kowtowing to incels is highlighted above all other context because it casts PM as an enemy in a culture war.

I say the above because I've seen online culture war stuff happen before, and it scares me beyond just whether a company I like gets redeemed in the eyes of others. I have seen lives destroyed in the name of a just cause for nothing, including good progressive causes like feminism. If the only thing that would satisfy or lead to forgiveness is a revolutionary purge, do you actually want to build anything?

I digress, and I hope I didn't turn you off too much with my thoughts and fears there. It's important though, because there was ultimately an apology from PM.

In it, among other things, they laid out their flawed logic on how they wanted to handle the situation, addressed their treatment of both current employees and past contractors, and promised to improve and protect employees better. Since then, things seem to have changed at least from an outsiders' perspective. The game moved away from a strict list of deadlines and towards a more open-ended dev pipeline. The game is less buggy than it used to be after updates. They changed policies on content to make it easier to produce by limiting VA without any blowback from their VA's so we can assume proper talks were had. Translations don't have as many errors as they used to while the quality has been maintained even after losing a major translator (which is its own tale of baffling choices by the company in its own right). And they've kept all this up for Season 3 so far without any announcements of delays and, in fact, far more content than usual. All of this, to me, points to better management.

Maybe I'm naive to think so but I want to believe that the evidence points to the crimes of PM not coming from a place of malice and antifeminism but incompetence. I need to stress KJH didn't kill or rape anybody, nor was he verbally or physically abusive. He was a really shitty boss, and I understand how much it sucks to have a shitty boss, believe me. But a shitty boss can become not shitty, and my hope is that happened already, and that a company that produces good art that's worthwhile will thrive as a result.

I say all this because I actually care about this company and art it produces. If I didn't, last July wouldn't have hurt so much. If I'm cringe for it, so be it, but I believe constructive change should be recognized and rewarded, and it's for those reasons I came back after following the game for the rest of its second season.

To be clear, you don't owe a company your time or your money even if they improve their culture and policies, and if you felt that what PM or KJH has done is unforgivable you are well within your rights not to engage with it ever again or even tell others about your grievances, as much as I might disagree. But if you want them to suffer, to lose business, maybe even to go under despite how many other women work for and with them... I don't know. Please don't just think of these people as enemy units in the war against feminism? Ask yourself that if Vellmori broke her silence tomorrow and asserted she left of her own volition and condemned groups like the PMUA, would you believe her or immediately assume she's under duress?

This is not a cut and dry, black and white moral issue where a great evil needs vanquishing, it's a messy as hell moral and labor issue involving multiple people wrapped up in larger cultural and social issues no one initially involved intended. There are real people involved who stand to get hurt, not to mention who's been hurt already. Justice can involve other things than a firing squad. Please at least acknowledge that much. inb4 "No and kindly die"

EDIT, regarding the lawsuits. If you didn't know, PM is currently suing the labor union and a separate organization once called the PMUA (Project Moon Users Association) now called the KGA (Korean Gamer Association). I have seen unconfirmed reports that the former has ties to the disgraced Korean Ratings Board exposed by Blue Archive Fans for crypto bullshit. In addition, I have seen criticisms of how the PMUA used donations and their effectiveness in actual addressing PM and its labor issues, including demonstrations on days workers and management weren't even present and being the ones responsible for leaking documents that Vellmori allegedly wanted to be kept private. All of that supports PM's allegations that these organizations were in fact targeting them as part of political ploys and they never cared about any of the victims or ideals they touted as representing. For all the above, PM is suing for defamation, which is well within their rights by my reckoning. Regardless of my thoughts, this is where we are now.

Last and by no means least, feminism is good. Wanna be clear on that, I believe in equal pay, reproductive rights, that grip strength is a stupid metric to measure human rights by, that men are not owed sex and love by women regardless of circumstance, the whole shebang.

Also, what's happening in South Korea is scary and serious and bigger than just a terminally online culture war shitfest, more like an active bomb about to explode. I support the women who live there and their fight for equality, I just don't think PM fundamentally has anything to do with it and constantly trying to drag it into the line of fire feels like faux activism. I think the scope of the gender war is very far beyond the limits of gacha game discussion, or for that matter the actions of a single company of, like, 50 people.

(I swear to god if Vellmori makes a post tomorrow accusing KJH of SA or something after I wrote all this I will throw myself into the ocean.)

This will actually be the last time I talk about this unless something changes, I want to believe I was respectful the whole time and don't mean to belittle anyone for their beliefs or choices (unless you're an incel, please be better, also take a shower).

#project moon #limbus company #mysogyny #obviously this is a lot #sorry #was a draft i was gonna delete but this arknights thing popped off and I saw 2 posts linking Limbus even though it's tangential #guess I just want a better counternarrative to “PM is the evil antifeminist bad labor company” than “nuh uh” #because bad shit happened #i just also believe its gotten better and that many of the accusations are vindictive more than disappointed #anti-PM sentiment feels fueled by non fans getting news from other non fans sometimes

[mtkay13]

And yet.... another..... Face reveal illustration.

And of course, another long post, LOL.

More thoughts on the passage below!

This illustration is born from a hyperfocus of mine on this sentence:

Ah-Xu... [...] Did... did I tell you that I like men?"

他忽然发现，其实对方一辈子都不将那易容卸下来，在自己心里，也从来就应该是这样一副模样，如今看到他长得竟如自己想象中的感觉别无二致，就像是……已经认识了他很久很久一样。 [Wen Kexing] suddenly realized that, should [Zhou Zishu] have kept the mask on forever, this was the face he'd have pictured in his heart. Now, seeing this face that exactly matched the one he had pictured, it simply felt like.... meeting again with someone he'd known for a very, very long time.

This, to me, feels like the comforting familiarity of knowing, of understanding a friend, feeling at ease despite the years, the distance; the feeling of meeting a friend IRL for the first time despite knowing them for years, and yet everything clicks--

To me, the beauty in this passage is in how the mask... never really did anything, change anything. Wen Kexing became friends with the person behind the mask, felt this deep connection for this man regardless of what he could look like, and seeing him, now, his face revealed, is that comfort of, yes--I recognize you. It's you.

What I really enjoy in TYK is Wenzhou's companionship, the way they understand each other so profoundly, and their friendship. The fact that they liked each other as people first, that they connected so well despite the odds. This connection between them makes a lot of the feelings mutual, and I feel like this sentence above, part of it is felt by Zhou Zishu as well; and removing his mask, although it is for practical reasons within the context of the story, showing his face to Wen Kexing is a way to affirm trust, both ways. I trust you with my own face, but you can also trust me--because I show you, I welcome you in. This passage... almost feels like a greeting. "Hello again, friend." except they've been tagging along for a while, now.

I used to wonder if Zhou Zishu was nervous about Wen Kexing seeing his face, as I do think he's a bit self-conscious about his frail body and struggles to understand Wen Kexing's big declaration of attraction to him--sort of like, "will he still like me, what will he think of my face?". I don't really stand by that anymore, because my understanding of ZZS has changed since then. It really feels more like, it's fine, we know each other, we're friends anyway now whether I like it or not. I wonder, is he a bit happy that he gets to greet WKX with his real face? He mentions having counted on keeping his mask until he dies, but... ? It's pretty obvious that at this point in the story, ZZS is already deeply fond of WKX, so I can't help but feel like he is happy, deep down, that he gets to make that connection.

For WKX, it must be comforting, but also quite bittersweet. His appreciation, his growing love for ZZS, only comforted by this familiarity, this acknowledgement of companionship, of ease together, while he is so deeply aware that ZZS is condemned... I feel like at this moment, he must want to hug him, to keep him close, and think, I wish I could have him longer, I wish he could stay; for he's the only friend he's ever had, for he never connected with someone like that before.

Now to adress the elephant in the room and jump onto the next topic, I keep saying "friend", "companion". Needless to say that I am well aware that wenzhou have a romantic+ bond, but I just feel like this part highlights this aspect of their relationship that I profoundly cherish. And thus we reach WKX's very famous line:

It's hilarious, perfectly timed, but I especially love how I feel like, rather than highlighting how gorgeous or attractive ZZS could be, this is yet another way for WKX to lighten his own mood, to detach himself from the deeper feelings, the longing, the fondess, the comfort--given how untimely this all is. It hurts, to feel attached to ZZS as a person, because he's going to die soon, while joking about fucking and being gay always works, and it has the benefit to make ZZS flustered.

So yeah, point is, I'm obsessed with that scene.

Also, obligatory reference to the past versions, which I noticed make sort of a nice movement? haha.

I'm not really standing by the first one anymore, but it works in that context!

#wenzhou #tian ya ke #zhou zishu #tyk #wen kexing #wkx #zzs #meta

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

The common thread I've seen in a lot of posts about Ted's decision to return to Kansas is the question of whether he's happier there or in Richmond. Here's the thing, though: in my view, Ted's character arc is not about (or not only about) finding a place where he is happy, but rather learning to coexist with discomfort so that he can be present for the people and in the place that matters most to him.

When Ted is sixteen years old, his father commits suicide. His mother doesn't know how to process her grief or help Ted process his, so she pushes all her messy, painful emotions down under a blanket of cheerful optimism and Ted follows suit. He grows into adulthood unable to acknowledge his sadness or anger, which leads to the dissolution of his marriage. (Ted's reaction to Dottie during her visit illustrates how wearing this attitude would be from the other side.) Michelle asks for space, very likely intending for him to move into another house in the same city where he could do an equal share of co-parenting, and instead he moves halfway across the world to coach a sport he knows nothing about.

Ted builds a community in Richmond, because of course he does: he is very, very good at connecting with people. Part of that is because he's determined not to let anyone get by him who might be hurting, as he says, but he's also clearly a naturally sociable person — there is virtually no way he didn't have these kinds of connections in Kansas. While his life in Richmond seems more "real" to us, the audience, because that's the part of his life we see, for Ted, his "real life" has always been in Kansas. He misses Henry, obviously, but he's also intensely homesick: for most of the show, he fails to integrate to a degree that seems almost wilful; he only tells stories about his life in Kansas and the people he knew there; he goes to a terrible American restaurant in Amsterdam and the first thing he thinks of when he sees Van Gogh's Sunflowers is home.

All of which is to say that while Ted creates some deep and hopefully lasting connections in Richmond, it's not where he fundamentally wants to be. He wants to be present for his son; he wants to live in the state where he grew up and which he clearly loves — and that means facing his grief and anger at his father's suicide, and the fact that Henry will one day grow up and leave him, and the reality of his divorce and his ex-wife's new relationship (although I really, really wish they'd chosen literally any other man to be the new boyfriend if they didn't want to address the implications of Michelle dating their former marriage counsellor).

#ted lasso #ted lasso s03e12 #rolling up like three weeks late with my take on the ted goes back to kansas discourse #sorry this is so long i've never been succinct a day in my life #kvetch oc

[larkingame]

so, i don't usually crosspost these posts, but this week's update on patreon is available to everyone and I know I have a bit of a larger following on tumblr, and I'd really like everyone on the same page so I'm dropping all I have to say here too.

good evening friends!! i hope you're all doing well! welcome to the first update of 2024. momentous for me personally, because this is the year we finish larkin. i am making this post available to all patrons, (paid or not) because I'd really like to start 2024 on the right foot with everyone aware of the road ahead. i am so determined to get it done you have no idea. this is my year. 2024, i christen thee: the year of the vampire cowboy.

okay, so big things ahead, lets talk about the update, explore some of the features we have in the game, plans for this weekends release, the schedule and a couple other things.

so, if you've played at all with the new version of the game, you'll take notice that it's a little bit different than my first image of the game. at first larkin was just a straight interactive fiction following the likes of cog like games, with choices and avenues and split stats and the like. but now, as of 2024 (crazy) we're seeing a game that is more reminiscent of a ttrpg, like dnd or cyberpunk, with stats, classes and dice rolls. admittedly, the very first encounter of the game is well (it's a little rigged) the game, of course, could not really get started if the preacher gets cooked before they've even made it to nevada, so, the odds are a little bit stacked in the players favor this round, but at least, it gives you a little bit of a taste of whats to come. to dive into the specifics of what's important with this first encounter (or just, how to avoid getting your ass really kicked) these first few rolls give bonuses to players with high dexterity and athleticism—-but that's not to say you need to make your character beefed up in these departments. each stat will get their time to shine later down the line.

but let's talk about what i'm really excited to discuss: classes. so with the new version of larkin, i've introduced a system of classes that operate somewhat like your standard dungeons and dragons class, but with a little bit more of that classic background from the original ttrpg mixed in—coloring the way your character sees the world of the game, sort of how a race might effect a dnd character--(a dwarf player is going to have a much different worldview than say, an elf.) for this i was heavily inspired by games like dragon age origins and baldur's gate, and while I do have those original background ready to be dropped a little bit later on the game in relation to your character's perspectives on the abrams family, I really like how these have come to form.

in total there are seven new classes: con-man, outlaw, healer, thief, gambler, showman and slayer. each of these classes warps the perspective of the player character, giving them new motivations, dialogue options, and affects their relationships with the other characters in the game and the world around them. to illustrate this, I'm thinking of making a little bit more of an in depth explanation screen to be added to saturday's update to really get that point across, but I'm still toying with how I want to phrase the specifics of it. what i might do is something similar to baldur's gate with little pop-up tutorials that can be turned off/on depending on how you'd like to play.

to give an example of some of the more in depth motivations/choices each class offers lets talk about the thief and the outlaw classes. the thief class i am especially excited for, because like the con-man class and similar to a few others, it really allows your character to be very money/materialistically motivated. it opens up routes later in the game, like romancing one of the sokolovs—with motivations reminiscent of gold-digging (hehehe very excited for that—i think it will be very fun to write—because you have this idea of a cold hearted player who is entering into a relationship with them strictly for business, versus a cold hearted player who is in it for the cash but also. might be falling in love with one of the sokolovs? ((a lot of fun dynamics afoot here.)) the outlaw class is also one i'm excited to work with because it really puts something of a strain on the preacher and wyatt's relationship—-mostly because you see a strong division in terms of their ethics—the preacher in that case is very 'do what you gotta do to survive,' whereas wyatt believes (key word—believes) he's living by some sort of moral code—that he's failed to instill in the person he views as his child. so like there are layers here boys. layers of resentment, failure—to connect, to teach, to bond. a final tidbit about the slayer class before I move on: if you would really like to play into the enemies to lovers trope with one of the vampires, I would highly recommend giving your player this class ((that's all I'll say))

so: saturday, that takes us to the bar, where each class will get a unique scene, similar to how the scheming tactic section worked in the original game. we're gonna finish up the encounter with the first vampires, meet our guild pursuers and move to the bar. I'm planning also to implement the character customization here—(sort of a way to prep before the player heads out to the bar.) most likely won't get to all classes by saturday's code, but after that, I'm planning to release again on next wednesday, so we're keeping on track. I'd really like to give a full picture of customization for the player character, with all the original options for physical appearance (i might keep clothes vague for now though and let you dress your character later on, until you get a taste of the inventory/bartering system-—you have to deal with MY poor fashion choices for a little bit.) but that being said, about character customization, if there's something that's lacking here and you'd like to suggest an addition I'd be all ears. This is what I'm planning to implement so far:

skin tone

body type*

hair color

hair texture

hair length

hair style**

height

skin details (acne, scars, vitiligo, rosacea)

facial hair

make-up

piercings

eyewear (glasses, no glasses, eyepatch, prosthetic eye)

gender-affirming customization (for ex. use of binding)

* a note on the body type section, I kind of had this idea of digitally drawing some silhouettes of different heights, shapes and sizes, and allowing the player to click through arrows to select a rough estimation of what their body-type might look like. I'm going to do an art dump later this month, and I have a few sketches of what I'd kinda like to do with that, but I'm still toying with it, because even that could be a little limiting in terms of options. if any of you had thoughts on that, I'd love to hear them.

**I think it might also be cool to kind of have drawings of different hairstyles available to the characters, arranged in the card formats like the previous gender options in that same red colored sketch format.

speaking of art though--and this is purely tangential so I apologize, I'm sure you've taken notice of some of the art being repetitive--for the moment that's purposeful. I'm planning to commission some work for the cards to be implemented in a later update--so what you're seeing are just placeholders for now.

okay! with saturday's notes out of the way, plans for the rest of the week. I need to finish the timeline and then I need to make it readable to people other than myself. it is currently incomprehensible and of the few people that have gotten their eyes on it only one (1) could make sense of my mad ramblings. (shout out to friend of the game bianca from exiled from court if any of you are familiar with her or her stuff, we are  big bianca fans here.) After that I need to do some edits with the new update and such, and poke at the code.

Tonight after I post this, I'm specifically working on sending a few more emails to betas (know that sending emails is. my personal hell because of intense social anxiety. BUT we must persevere. emails will be sent tonight.) after that, I have to work on the phillip/kc/sam schedule + calendar for this month, just to keep the three of us on the same page. I'm in the process of looking at some stamps.com printers for sending out packages with this next round of physical rewards and ordering the merch (hehehe)

okay. super long update for our first one of the year, but I am so excited to get to keep working with you guys :) i'd like to thank you all for your continued support and I can't wait to show you more of the little universe i've crafted :)

until friday! i'm gonna be posting some cyrus asks/scenarios for you all to enjoy, so look forward to that! <3

#larkin if #devlog #patreon

[fangswbenefits]

The anons you've been getting... man does that illustrate why I barely post my own stuff anymore. I haven't updated my fic in over a year now because of it. That sense that they're entitled to our stuff because writing isn't as much work as drawing or painting, or the people that think what they want to happen in the fic is the only thing that matters.

What really gets me is also the idea that writing in an established universe lessens it somehow. One book I greatly enjoy is technically fanfiction - Phantom by Susan Kay, written in the Phantom of the Opera universe. Never seen anyone complain about it being a published work that you buy.

It's like they all forgot that literature is art, too, and that not everything is made for them. We're incredibly fortunate that people are so willing to share their work with us. But still we get people like that who just tear us down anyway.

I do both fanart and fanfiction and I'm so fucking tired of writing being somehow considered lesser. I write for a small fandom with little engagement but I was so excited to share my stuff, until I had someone like this say that it wasn't good enough.

Writers are artists too. No one is owed free work. And I'm so tired of the expectations around fanfiction. I want to write and share it, but it's left me with no motivation to.

I'm sorry, this is a bit more venting than I intended. The end point is that you aren't crossing any lines; that anon is sitting on a horse so high they'd need a ladder to get off it.

This is everything..... thank you for phrasing my thoughts and feelings more eloquently than I ever could 🩷 bless you 🫂

#answered ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

[jarenka]

Opera poser for @dreaminghour (tbh I suck at graphic design so it's more like an illustration)

I was thinking what I should draw for this request and if I need to come up with full new opera plot. No, I already have one! Actually in post-ROTJ au fic there should be (I don't know if I include it in the final version of the fic) an episode featuring one of the Anakin's favourite opera.

It calls "Celia" after the main character, and i thing you will easily recognise which real opera inspired me.

Here is the plot.

Celia is a canteen owner on a planet in the Outer Rim. She has a lover, captain Liim, who was military officer on his own planet before he met Celia and fell in love with her. He left military, moved to Celia's planet a bought a cargo ship to become a regular cargo ship captain on local inter-sector routes so he can see her regularly.

Once captain Liim starts to suspects that Celia is gradually losing interest in him. Celia sings and dances for him to show her affection, but captain Liim is still suspicious and jealous. Meanwhile Celia is introduced by her friends to Jasen Taal, emerging racing star. He is beautiful and charming, he flirts with her and promise to visit her canteen.

Couple of weeks later after winning another race Jasen Taal celebrates his victory in Celia's canteen. Captain Liim should be working, but he doesn't take orders from his clients and refuse to leave planet. He is jealous, he is afraid that Celia would cheat him when he is away. His crew is very unhappy about it, if captain Liim continues to act this way, they won't get their money next month and their regular clients will find another carriers.

Captain Liim visits Celia's canteen in the middle of celebration, he sees Jasen Taal flirting with Celia, and she doesn't stop him. Jasen Taal claims that he is completely mesmerized by Celia, he never saw a woman more charming than her. After the whole bottle of Corellian whiskey, in the end of the evening, captain Liim starts a terrible scandal, accusing Celia of cheating. He calls her slut in front of her employers and late guests. Celia is really mad. She says that captain Liim is a terrible person and she doesn't want to see him. Canteen's security guard kicks him out.

Next couple of weeks captain Liim drinks and tries to meet Celia to beg her for forgiveness. People are gossiping about him. And also he hears gossips that Celia is dating Jasen Taal now. He doesn't want to believe it.

One day captain Liim is able to find Celia in her home alone. Big annual race is coming, all the town is festive, and everyone is sure that Jasen Taal will win this race. Celia is going there too, but captain Liim doesn't know about it yet. He begs her to forgive him, he wants to be with her again. He tries to talk her into marrying him and stay with him on his ship. They will travel together. Celia finds his proposal utterly ridiculous and mocks him. Captain Liim accuses her of cheating again, Celia says that it's not his business. She doesn't want him. Captain Liim begs her to give him another chance. They were lovers for years and he thinks that deep down Celia still loves him. Celia doesn't love him anymore. They start to quarrel, Celia tries to get from her house but captain Liim blocks her way. She says that the race starts soon and she wants to see it.

"You wants to see you new lover!", accuses her captain Liim. She says that it's true, Jasen Taal is her lover now, and captain Liim should leave her alone because she loves another man. When he tries to claim her as his woman, Celia laughs in his face and says that she is her own woman and doesn't belong to any man. She tries to get past captain Liim again, but in his rage he violently pushes her away and trows her on the ground. She hits her head and when captain Liim, horrified by his own violence, reaches her, she is already dead.

So, Anakin watched this opera more then once in his youth, it's one of his favourite, it has really beautiful music and a lot of passion just like he loves. If he ever associated himself with anyone in this opera, it was Jasen Taal, charming racer. Also in Galaxy Opera House he was usually played by the actor who looked a lot like Anakin. He kinda despised captain Liim. When Anakin found out about Clovis, he mentally compared him with captain Liim.

He hasn't seen any operas when he was Vader, but later on Carati, he found a good recording of this opera from one of the local opera houses. At first he was a bit hesitant. The scenery was pretty simplistic, he usually didn't like this kind of staging. But when Celia appeared on a scene with her first aria Anakin was completely mesmerized by her. Actress had a beautiful deep voice and irresistible charm, it was very easy to understand how both captain Liim and Jasen Taal lost their minds over her. Anakin watched this pretty long opera in one sitting, but towards the end he became more and more uncomfortable. And when captain Liim killed Celia, Anakin was like: "Oh shit that's me. I was like that too".

#star wars #anakin skywalker #my art #post-rotj au

[honeyynymphh]

Wip Wednesday

tagged by @sucharide years ago

this is from a new story (one of many) that is very nearly finished. having so much trouble finishing things lately so I’m hoping by posting this into the void I shall be motivated to complete it!

it’s just the beginning so there are no real warnings but it is a little nsfw

Cardinal Copia x FemReader

summary: you’re an abbey maid that has the unfortunate pleasure of having to clean the most infuriating cardinal’s office and personal chambers.

You stare at the books in front of you and sigh, the wooden ladder you stand on groaning a little with the movement. Fuck, how you hated having to clean this damn shelf—well, shelf didn’t really cover it, it was an entire wall full of books and a few odd curiosities. Honestly, cleaning this entire office was exhausting. It took up most of your day, and then you had to move on to the inhabitants’ personal chambers. No wonder nobody else wanted to do it.

All those months ago when Sister Imperator had given out the timetables you’d been ecstatic to see you had fewer rooms to clean than the previous roster. The other maids had given you pitying looks but nobody had offered to swap with you, which you had dismissed as odd. How bad could one person be? You understood why now. It was because this room had to be cleaned thoroughly or you ended up back here, dusting and wiping while the owner of the room sneered out unhelpful and downright rude commentary on your methods.

But you were not going to be cowed by that uptight ass. You didn’t care if Cardinal Copia was nearly as high up as Sister Imperator or the Papas. If the man wanted his study and chambers to be cleaned, he would, at the very least, give you some respect. You were the only one who didn’t find him weirdly offputting—though he very much was that—but cleaning his office and chambers was much more pleasant than having to clean up the Great Hall after one of their decadent feasts or having to clean the rooms of the Papas. You never knew what would be in store for you whenever you entered a space that Papa Terzo had just vacated. And once you were done, it meant you had more free time. It was worth it, especially now that you’d grown used to the Cardinal and his acerbic tongue.

Cardinal Copia was exacting and his manners were non-existent but at least he was predictable. And he rarely made any mess—he certainly didn’t leave cream splattered on the ceiling. At least, you think it had been cream…Papa Terzo had mentioned something about cream pies.

Your eyes focus back on the books in front of you, most are all leather bound and organised neatly. Some have titles in golden lettering along the spines but so few of them are in English. You are nearly finished tidying them back up after having dusted and your eyes scan over them. The Cardinal had such a strange collection of books, and while many you could never read, some had intriguing diagrams and little illustrations in them. As someone not part of the church, just a maid, it was fascinating perusing through the strange old texts. You were sure the one you had leafed through last week had been about summoning actual demons.

One book catches your eye, it’s bound in deep red leather and the spine is decorated in gold embellishments. Your fingers run along the bumps and dips of the spine before you slip it out from the shelf and flip it open at random, your hip pressing against the top of the ladder as you balance yourself. Your eyes widen as you take in the illustration before you. It is…obscene! A woman on her knees in prayer, yet she is naked and bound. And her open mouth is not waiting for the communion wafer but for the cock of the priest standing before her, the rest of the congregation looking on without a care.

You flip to another page. This time, a woman stands upon a small plinth—a rope hangs from the ceiling and suspends her tied hands high above her head. A man stands next to her, ready to strike her bare ass with a wicked-looking birch rod. But there is also another man, on his knees before the other, his mouth clearly wrapped around the other’s cock—his own hard and leaking.

“Intrigued, Signorina?”

#wip wednesday #wip #cardinal copia x reader #the band ghost fic #my-writing #fic: lessons in pleasure

[mknight0000]

Cross-Dimensional Answers Prologue-Ch 2 (Last Legacy)

A/N: HOLY HELL IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING. I really do apologize for waiting over a year to finally post this. I don't really want to go into it, but it is finally happening. Anyways below are the proper credits and I hope you enjoy it.

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Word Count: 2,368

Warnings: Swearing, Potentail poor grammar

Creators: Dev (creator and writer), Ciel (sprites, cgs, illustrations), Hika (bgs, illustrations, gfx), Lulu (writer), and Grace (writer) 

-Carrd Link

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When I wake, a coughing fit rises within me. My lungs burn from the lack of air during the split second of paranormal emptiness. As my breathing becomes more steady, I am met with a cool breeze of earth and rain that flows through my partially undone ponytail. Despite the circumstances, my first thought is:

I feel like a mess.

I move from the ground, feeling the cobblestone-tile ground beneath my hands and knees, its smooth, but uneven texture set beneath me. I open my eyes to see endless firefly lights moving around me, the circles shining brightly. The whispered sound in my ears fades when another breeze blows past.

After letting my eyes adjust, I look around hoping to figure out what the hell happened. In front of me, I see a wide staircase leading up to a large, arched window. Crumpled stone walls surround me, exposing the open room to the forces of nature. I look past the walls into the…night sky?

Wait? What the hell? How is it already nighttime?

Still baffled by the sudden jump in time, I look upwards towards the sky to see clouds moving across the purple atmosphere, red-hued moonlight shining bright. As I glance around, I notice iron-chained chandeliers hanging from the parts of the room that still have a ceiling with faint light glowing from the lit candles.

Before I can take anything else in from the scene, a voice whispers close to me. It’s low and hoarse as if stricken by emotions of various kinds. 

“Five years I’ve dreamt of this day…When at last we would be reunited”

Whilst still on the ground, I look to see someone standing above me, looking straight at me. His wavy, dark brown hair blows against his tan skin, giving a clear view of his gray eyes, brimmed with tears. The stranger wears a dark brown, unbuttoned vest over what seems to be a white, peasant blouse paired with light brown trousers. A black, long, velvety overcoat, adorned with gold accents, is draped over his shoulder and a book is strapped by a belt to his thigh.

He looks slightly familiar. I think to myself, though confused about who this stranger is.

“Yet it seems neither fate nor the stars can keep us apart.” He continues, his breathing labored. 

The mysterious stranger approaches me, kneeling, taking my hands into his and interlocking them. My eyes widen slightly, thoughts of confusion still prominent in my mind. 

“I never stopped looking for you, I never gave up,” he says as he presses a soft kiss to my knuckles. 

My eyes widen even more as my face starts to warm, knowing very well that it is as red as a lowering sunset. Instead of the soft wind and his gentle murmurs, all I hear is my heartbeat, pulsing at a faster rate than before.

What in the depths of hell is going on?????!!!!!!!!!

“Oh! How I missed you!” he says with his lips quirking into a slanted grin, pulling me into a tight embrace. 

“What–Oh!” I exclaimed at the sudden action. 

I can feel his body shaking as I hear slight, silent sobs coming from the strange man. To comfort him, I pat his back lightly, but awkwardly, out of both confusion

and slight concern. In normal circumstances, I would’ve thrown this him off of me, but I can’t help but note the tone of great loss in his voice, leading my heart to pull just a little under the weight of the few words he has said to me. Though he is still sobbing, I decided now is the best time to intervene. 

“Um, I think there has been a mistake,” I say genuinely whilst also feeling him stiffen up as the words leave my mouth, “My name is Megan. I think I may have been teleported here with this staff thingy to wherever this is–honestly, I don’t know, just uuuuhhhhhh….who are you?” 

His face moves quickly, positioning himself in front of me. His slate gray eyes, rimmed with tears, widen, snapping to meet mine, and his brow jumps in shock at my statement.

“You-you're not Rime?” he asks, horror and desperation clear in his voice. 

I shake my head back and forth. After his realization sets in, he leans away from me, his face reddened in embarrassment. He buries his face in his hands, staying in that position for a while with his shoulders trembling with each breath he takes. 

At this point, I do not know what to do except sit there, resting on my knees, and stare at him in unrelenting confusion and worry, though, for some reason, not for myself.

….Should I say something?

As I open my mouth, about to attempt to comfort him, he groans, lifts his head out of his hands, and starts whipping the tears from his face. 

“Bloody hells,” he croaks. 

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“I’m fine,” he responds, “Now, what manner of void fiend are you then? Lich? Revenant? Behold with surplus eyes?”

Manner of void fiend? What is he talking about?

My forehead scrunches in confusion as I try to offer up an answer to his strange question.

“I’m a barista…if that’s what you’re asking.”

As soon as I answer, a flash of frustration passes his face. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he softly mutters to himself under his breath, his head slightly bent down. 

After about a minute, he looks back up at me. He’s no longer crying but I can tell he’s just…tired.  “It seems I’ve made a grave mistake,” he states, “Very well. Allow me to introduce myself.”

He shifts a bit further from me and stands. Before he continues, he offers his hand to me to help me stand up. I thank him as I grab it and get to my feet, though my legs wobble the tiniest bit when I initially stand. As I look back at him, he tucks the hand he offered to me behind his back, and bows deeply with a dramatic, noticeably practiced, flourish. 

“My name is Fleix Iskandar Escellun. House unaffiliated. Necromancer,” he declared as he finished his bow. 

My eyes widen at the mention of his last name. “Escellun? Like Magister Escell?!” I ask in bewilderment.

I can tell that my acknowledgment of his last name soured his mood slightly. His face darkens, and as soon as it does. I can see it. That salty glare that Felix is giving me is just like Escell’s! 

He looks off to the side and grumbles at me. “Tch, he hasn’t been called ‘Magister’ since before i was born.” 

“Wait, is he your father?” 

He stays silent for a moment, looking me up in down. He’s clearly sizing me up. 

“Yes, he is,” a hint of disdain in his voice, but then he looks back at me questionally. “How do you even know that name, barista?” he asks, “You are very clearly not from Astraea.”

My heart stops for a split second once the name of the magical land falls from his lips. I had to have imagined he said that.

“Astraea?” I softly ask him, because there is no way I am currently in the land I have spent countless hours in on a computer screen.

No way…If I am in Astraea, then that means that I have somehow been transported to the world of Last Legacy.

I honestly do not know how to react. I should be ecstatically jumping in the air, at least that would be the reaction of any superfan, but I’m not. Instead, my hands are clammy and my breath starts to falter. My heart is beating faster and everything around me starts to become slightly muffled. 

I cannot be in a different world. I just can’t. This is some sick joke…or maybe I’m just dead?

I gather up my courage and ask, “Is this the afterlife? Am I dead? Why does heaven, or wherever I am, look like a video game?”

Felix looks back at me in slight shock and amusement in response to my question. “Is this cesspool truly how you imagined heaven? Mildew, rubble, me–utterly humiliated,” he humors but his lips turn into a smirk saying, “Although, I suppose I should be flattered you discerned anything divine about me.”

His voice is laced with complete sarcasm, except I catch him shyly lowering his eyes. 

Still confused with this whole situation, I ask, “So are you saying this is more like limbo or hell?”

He turns slightly to the side, gets out his glasses, opens a strange book, and starts reading it. There is no way this book is new. Its frayed, maroon cloth cover is embossed with strange markings and a skull at the center. It’s worn with sand-colored pages that look like they’d crumble with one touch. It’s definitely not something you would find at your average book store. 

“Please. If this were a hell there’d be a great deal more fire and at least twice as many rats,” he answers. 

“Now, I must have mixed up my tals and pals when inscribing the spell circle…” he trails off muttering under his breath whilst flipping through the musty, old tome. 

“So to be sure, I’m not dead?” I ask, not knowing what else to say.

He looks up from the pages, his gray eyes looking straight into mine. I just can’t stop thinking about the similarities between him and his father. I can’t help to feel a tad bit intimidated by the glare. 

He responds to my question, saying, “Sleep, and death, and the void all share their similarities, but you are very much alive.”

“How poetic,” I respond as I look around my surroundings, still baffled at the jump in time. 

He smirks at my retort, “Take it from someone who has died once or twice before.”

My head turns suddenly in his direction out of shock, my eyes widening. 

My reaction makes him chuckle, but he returns back to his book reading what looks to be incomprehensible scribbles. I take this moment to try to calm myself down. 

Okay Megan. Remember those breathing techniques Sarah recommended. Breathe in for five seconds, out for five more. In for five, out for five. In…and out…In…and out…

After a few more rounds, my heart calms, and my breathing evens out. 

I may still be in a world full of wizards and mercenaries, but at least I am now calm…for now.  Now, to find a way back to the convention center.

“So Felix, if you brought me here, does that mean you can send me home as well?”

“Oh I can definitely send you back”

I release a sigh of relief, and a smile overcomes my lips.

“Wonderful! Now how-” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Well probably.” 

My face drops with disappointment.

“Probably? What do you mean probably? I can’t stay here!” I respond, my voice slowly climbing with anger. 

“Well first I need the Astrolabe–” he responds but cuts himself off quickly, “er, that ‘staff-thingy’ you mentioned earlier.

“That’s it? That’s all you need?” I ask, hopefulness laced in between my words, “Then you can return me home?”

“Perhaps. Now, where is it?” he questions, looking around for the Astrolabe. 

I shoot Felix an unknowing look.

“Oh well…um... “ I start, “When I went to pick it up it started glowing, but disappeared right after I touched it…so it may be somewhere around here.”

The color drains from his face at my response. Despite his face seeming still, his eyes fill with anger. He opens his mouth to speak, as if he's about to rip me a new one, but catches himself before speaking. 

“Ah. Well…that complicates things,” he states as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“What do you mean, ‘complicates things?” I werrily ask. The wind blows my partially undone ponytail, causing a chill to run down my spine, uneasiness filling my stomach. 

Felix whips his head around, facing the door.

“I’ll explain after we’ve shed those pesky guards,” he responds hastily. 

“What guar–” I start, but a loud bang interrupts me, causing me to jump.

I look over at the nearby chestnut-hued door as it buckles violently. The only thing holding it together is a few rusty, wobbling bolts. 

“Damn it all. My summoning may have drawn some unwanted attention–Oh and did I mention we may be trespassing?”

I shoot him a glare, “Maybe you could’ve brought that up earlier!”

Felix merely looks at me and takes a deep breath, before making an arc gracefully in the air with his right hand. Seemingly, out of nothing, a black oval appears in midair. Though ripples emerge from the inky black center, there is a faint, but unclear, image that lies within. 

“Hie thee through the portal,” he quickly remarks, making a shooing motion toward the obsidian entrance. 

I stare back at him incredulously, “You want me to get into that? Where does it even go?”

Suddenly, the rickety door splinters and bows as it continuously keeps getting bashed in. One of the rusty bolts springs free, following onto the stone floor. I am fully aware my options are very small at the moment, but I don’t know how much I can trust this man.

“Somewhere safe,” he responds, “Or rather, to someone safe. Now, I’d appreciate it if you hurried. Holding this open is harder than it looks.”

Though every bone in my body is saying to run, there’s something in his voice that seems trusting and if I don’t listen, I may be in more trouble than I can handle. 

As I take a step forward, Felix holds a hand out. My black backpack dangles from his hand by its strap. My heart lifts a bit at the sight. 

Felix can see my apprehension when he states, “Fear not, barista. I won’t let any harm come to you.”

The guards had persevered in their efforts to break down the door, seeing seconds after Felix’s statement, a group of armored individuals bust into the room with a loud crash. There was no hesitation as I hurled my body into the dark portal, plunging into the unknown darkness. 

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Cannot wait to start the next part....Anisa my darling.

#last legacy #fictif #sage lesath #felix escellun #anisa anka #writing #oc x sage lesath #cross dimensional answers #my ocs

[avaroenel]

I ordered a really cool book (long)

I know it's Julius Ceasar day but I just got this book and I'm really excited about it!~ I just received it and I'm very happy to have it in my hands. I'm planning on (carefully, gently) photographing the pages for archiving

It's called "Life of General Warren; To Which are Added Sketches of the Lives of De Kalb, Wayne and Morgan." Published by Nafis, Cornish and Co. in 1847.

The box it came in was neat, a box for cable staples. It was nicely packed with styrofoam cut precisely, so that the book didn't shift around at all during transit. It was also tucked into a small plastic bag taped shut, the person who sent it to me took care for the safety of the book. The book itself is really little, it makes all the people in the drawings so itty-bitty. It's reeally cute

The cover of the book is worth noting - the back half is right-side-up, but the front side is upside-down. There is a little man that was once embossed in fake gold, but it's since been rubbed off. You can tell a little around the edges.

The same design is on the back cover, with no gold embellishment. That's the only place on the book where I could find it. Like most other old books I've found so far, I don't have a lot of experience outside of my grandparents' collection, the spine is cloth and has nothing on it. It's bound with glue, so some of the pages are loose and falling out. Not all of them, though. I think this little embossed man is the same design as the one on the color page (plate?)

Here's the other color 'plate'

It's featuring the Battle of Bunker Hill. Famous, bloody fight that scared Howe, but not to make him quit. The colors here are red, blue, yellow and green. Wonder what ink they used for the pages? It's still very vibrant after over a hundred years. The faces of the little people are hard to see with my phone photo, but they're actually very expressive, and tiny. I think up there is Clinton? With the two Epaulets. Could be wrong though

There are more illustrations inside, these are the only two color ones. On the first two pages, someone wrote down in ink advertising them. There's also some writing here? The "twenty-two dollars" must have been written later in pencil. Nice cursive practice, didn't expect the ink to bleed on this paper, did you?

Someone also wrote down a recipe on the back of the front cover...can't tell what for. Something about 1/2 cup tea?

Lastly, someone's name

Nice to meet you, William. I think on the next pages it says 'his book' in pencil, but it's faded.

I think he liked doodling.

A few more notable mentions : studying medicine. He looks so bored of it. My favorite besides his wee cunty expression is the simple house outside the window

stop! i know you might be confused here, but this is page 56

not to be confused with

anyway here's cowpens. tarleton isn't in the drawing because he didn't want that shit illustrated, he got his ass beat

i'm close to finished Lock, Stock and Barrel, but when I do, I'll probably purchase that book and do a little review on it before reading and posting about this one. I'll need a whole day off for archiving it

UPDATE : I started reading and it turns out that a few pages are missing from the front of the book, with the first few loose from the binding. The rest should still be intact, but it leaves out some information that way :(

#General Warren #antique #antique books #18th century #revolutionary war #american revolution #history books

[warrenwaskilledbyadeer]

Okay when I was like 14/15 I was REALLY obsessed with Into the Woods since the Disney version had come out recently, and I was ALSO obsessed with Ever After High since the series was at its peak at that point

You can see where I'm going with this already I'm sure

I had this whole scenario in my head that I adored, where Headmaster Grimm wanted to illustrate to the students the dangers of going off-script, and so mandated a performance of Into the Woods, that he cast and directed himself

So to start with our main two girls, Grimm casts Raven as the Witch, so she can practice being evil and doing evil magic, using people to get what she wants, and because of the Witch's relationship with her mother. Apple is cast as the Baker's Wife, the leading lady who is kind, clever and caring (but also has a thing for Cinderella's Prince)

The Baker, main man, is played by Hunter, since part of what the Baker does in the story is save Red and her Granny from the Wolf. Cinderella is Ashlynn of course, as well as Jack being Jillian and Red being Cerise. All self-explanatory enough

Cinderella's Prince is Daring, and Rapunzel's Prince is Dexter. The two Charmings playing the story's two Prince Charmings. Daring is more full of himself and cocky, and gets to have a fling with Apple's character. And Dexter is more sincere and not really invested in the stakes of the main events, just trying to pursue his and Rapunzel's own happily ever after. Also, these two singing Agony together would just be hilarious

I always thought Rapunzel would be played by Holly until the Witch cuts her hair, then it would switch to Poppy haha. Also the Wolf used to be Sparrow until they added Ramona as a character. And of course Grimm would cast Ramona as the Big Bad Wolf, but Sparrow as the Wolf was so funny

Ashlynn's step-cousins will play her stepsisters, and Farrah will be her mother's spirit who makes her ballgown for her. And Tiny, of course, will play the Giant's Wife.

At that point we've covered everybody whose destiny plays a part in Into the Woods so the rest of the roles go to whoever would play the part best! Duchess is cast as the Stepmother, because I think she would just be great in that role. Same with the casting of Lizzie as Jack's mom, I think she could make that really really funny

Briar could also be funny as Granny, and Alistair I think is the only guy left who could give an even somewhat emotional performance as the Baker's Father. Sparrow is relegated to Cinderella's Prince's Steward, which is a great hateable character that Sparrow could make comical!

I saw a production of Into the Woods where the Narrator was a separate character that had a little spotlighted podium just off-stage. After Rapunzel gets crushed by the Giant's Wife, the characters all suddenly become aware of the Narrator and realize if he hadn't started telling the story none of this would have happened. So they grab him, drag him onstage, throw him under the Giant's Wife's foot, and then come up with their plan to take her down themselves, knowing they're really the ones who are coming up with it. If Ever After High decided to go this route with their production, I think Maddie should be the Narrator, since Brooke can't actually appear at the school.

And last but not least, Milky White will be Humphrey Dumpty in a cow costume

There are so many little tidbits and moments from the EAH production of Into the Woods that have lived in my head rent free for like 8 years, but this post is already long enough so I'll leave it here! I hope this is entertaining to somebody out there

#eah headcanons #is this a headcanon? #i think so #ever after high #eah #long post #just me rambling #i scream into the void

[joannechocolat]

The Final Chapter

A review – well, sort of – of Chris Fowler’s WORD MONKEY.

There are books that you never want to end. Sometimes it’s because of the thrilling plot; or the fantastic world of the story;  or that the central characters are so engaging that it’s hard to say goodbye. Whatever the reason, it has taken me a very long time to reach the end of my old friend’s final book. Not because it was dull – quite the reverse; it may be the finest, funniest, most sincere, the wisest thing he has ever written – but because I didn’t want to reach the final chapter.

This is the memoir Chris Fowler always spoke of writing. The first instalment, PAPERBOY, was the story of his childhood; a life dominated by books, films and comics in a working-class household where no-one understood his passion. The second chapter, FILM FREAK, was the account of a young, ambitious gay man at the start of his career, obsessed with the movies, desperately seeking work in a collapsing industry. The third, WORD MONKEY, was to be the story of a successful career in books, his advice to budding writers, his thoughts on the industry, all presented with the same joie-de-vivre, keen observation, hilarious wisdom and lightness of touch that characterized the previous two. And it is – it’s all those things, and more. More, because it’s also the tale of the final chapter in a life, the last pages of which I read in real time against the backdrop of the pandemic and everything that came with it, including Chris’ diagnosis with terminal cancer and his final, dazzling flare of creativity before the end.

Before I go on, some context. Chris and I were friends a long time – over 30 years, in fact. It began with a letter I wrote as a very new author, thanking him for my only review. From there it developed into a regular correspondence (I still have a stack of those letters, many of them detailing things that later appeared in the books, always funny and generous, and illustrated with little cartoons); and then a growing friendship. We were different in many ways, but we shared a love of books and films, and it was in Chris’ nature to help other writers whenever he could. He saw the rise of my career from teacher to bestselling novelist. He was there at my highest and lowest points. He found me my first proper agent. His company did the advertising campaign for the movie of CHOCOLAT. When he moved from Kentish Town to King’s Cross, I bought a pied-à-terre down the road, and we met up whenever I was in town, usually for a breakfast that would go on till lunchtime.

At the beginning of lockdown, both of us were diagnosed with cancer. They found mine early. His, too late. Over the next three years I tried to come to terms with his terminal diagnosis. I didn’t really believe in it; he was still so full of life, so upbeat, so creative. We corresponded by e-mail and text from our respective chemo chairs; he told me funny stories about his life and his doctors. When lockdown ended, we met up again for our usual breakfasts in King’s Cross. I think I expected to see a change; but he looked and sounded just the same; and he was still writing furiously. In December 2022 he finished editing his memoir; by then he was unable to leave the flat, and I went to see him at home for the last time. I didn’t know it would be the last time, of course, but it’s rare to know these things as they happen. He was getting frail by then, but mostly he was just the same; clever and funny and cheery and filled with stories and book recommendations and accounts of obscure European films that I absolutely had to watch. And he was still writing furiously; short stories, blog posts, tweets, even a new Bryant and May book (he joked that it would have to be a short one). I told him I loved him. He said it back. That was the last time I saw him, although our correspondence went on right up till the end, in March, just weeks from his 70th birthday.  

I still find it hard to believe he’s gone. His voice is still so clear in my mind. And I still see him all over King’s Cross; in bookshops and theatres and cinemas. In the comics and record shops we visited together; in countless breakfast places. And it’s here, in this book, the final chapter of a life well lived, a quite extraordinary life, crowned with achievements (which he typically downplays) and filled with humour and stories. It’s all here, and it’s wonderful, and it fills me with admiration at the talent of the writer, as well as the courage of a man who can take something as bleak as a terminal cancer diagnosis, and work it into something like this; a celebration; joyous, true and filled with unflinching insight.

I don’t know why I feel surprised. I always knew how good he was. But this is more than just a dazzling piece of writing. It’s a testament to the power of words; a reminder that through them, you can shine even beyond that darkness; that life is short, and love is long; and stories can live forever. This is why we write, after all; to push away the shadows. To connect with each other across the years. To celebrate what brings us joy; to prove that we are not alone. So read this book, and read the rest of this astonishing trilogy. And be inspired – as writers, as readers – by the boy who dreamed of the stars, and learned to live forever.

#writing #books #memoir

[marshmallowprotection]

I have a feeling that for this year we're going to have illustrations based on the AE's of every Mysmes character, omg.

I am praying with every fiber of my being that we get some illustrations based on the After Endings.

The possibilities are endless in this situation especially for the characters who haven't had much representation in terms of that specific content, which means I am praying on my hands and knees for the Casual Story romances.

Our long haired Jaehee? I would pay any money to see more of her actualizing her dreams with MC. I would die on the spot, but, unfortunately, we have to wait for the end of the year to see that. Seeing Zen shine on stage with MC at his side? Seeing him be his best self without holding back? That's great. My God, that would be amazing! I'm floored that we get to see more content with our boy Yoosung as a vet, too.

According to their announcement they posted for Yoosung's Birthday, we're supposed to be getting illustrations at the end of every month, and I think this image below is a preview of what we can expect out of the title screen for Yoosung. They did describe a scene with puppies so I think that's what we can expect the last Thursday of this month.

Did you guys see our dear Yoosung via Cheritz' bot Twitter?

I will admit, I don't know what they're going to do for the twins because we haven't had much content with them separately in a few years. I want to see Saeyoung's dream. I so desperately want to see him make good on that toy shop dream and if they could do that with his mc, I would die on the spot.

For GE Saeran, it's a lot easier, because I can see him flourishing in a greenhouse with his MC. I just want to see something sweet for my brother-in-law LOL.

I'm also praying that Jihyun doesn't get the short end of the stick as he often does. I want to see that man paint, decorate a cactus to make it look ridiculous, or even just enjoy the scenery cuz that man likes to hike. If they could give me any of that for him I would be greatly pleased.

Jumin? There's a lot of things they could do for him, but I'm not going to lie, I want to see him baking and cooking with his MC because I particularly like that aspect of his love. But, if they really wanted to do me a favor and give us some fan service, give that man Something magic related because for too long, people have denied his interest in the occult.

Rika could be awfully tricky. There are a million ways they could take her character, and I'm interested to see how they do her since I never know what to expect every year. I suppose if you ask me what I would want to see, I think it would be sweet to do something with Sally again if they don't do anything with the MC. I don't have any guesses as to what they could do with MC, so I'm going to keep my mind open to the possibilities in that realm.

#mod kait #ask #mystic messenger #anon #mysme #mysticmessenger #mm

[the-owl-house-takes]

tw: transphobia, homophobia, queerphobia, sexism, suicide mention, racism mention. Long post!

https://www.tumblr.com/the-owl-house-takes/732087162542096384/for-those-who-say-belos-has-never-been-canonically?source=share

Hi! History major here. You are correct that Puritans were homophobic (mostly in regards to gay men - lesbians were generally excluded from persecution; however, this is not acceptance, so much as it is casual sexism. Keep in mind, the targeting of gay man while largely ignoring lesbians is very common practice, even to this day!) Puritans' biggest issue with gay men was that they were firm believers in God's law, and homosexuality contradicted their "one man, one woman" worldview laid out in the Bible. Gay men also might not produce children - and keep in mind how important fertility is for fledgling colonies!

HOWEVER, while Puritans did enact laws against homosexuality (called "sodomy" laws), it's a mistake to claim they were always strictly enforced. Speaking generally (and this is consistent with most - if not all - historical civilizations), Puritans didn't give too many shits about gay men unless they were public about it, or if an accusation was politically convenient.

Your other statement that Puritans were transphobic is a little more complicated to unpack. First off, it's important to note that the idea of people being able to be "transgender" wasn't really a thing until very, very recently. Trans individuals certainly existed historically, but they did not have the language to describe themselves, nor the tools / resources to define themselves, and so they remained isolated cases: community 'oddities', scandalous news segments, and - in the case of intersex individuals - legal dilemmas.

Similarly, transphobia is even newer than transgenderism. Just like the Puritans with homosexuality, as more trans people began to come out in the late 1900's and early 2000's, within America at least, there were not many people who actually gave shits about it unless it was public or convenient for them. It is only within the last couple decades, and even more intensely in the last few years, that we have gotten our more traditional anti-trans bigots - the person you think of when you hear "transphobe", essentially.

Reasons for transphobia are more difficult to pin down than the history of its existence, but I think it's super important to note that it doesn't exist just for the sake of existing - there is a very practical reason for transphobes to be hateful. Ever heard of the "Southern Strategy"? It was a mid-1900's calculated move on the part of Republicans to gain votes by appealing to racism against African Americans. It pushed a lot of white voters further to the right. We see this again now with transphobia. People's discomfort with transgenderism is being used, as I write and as you read, as a political tool to gain votes. It's pushing formerly moderate Republicans or even voters on the fence deeper into conservative right-wing territory.

That was a lot of modern information, so let's move back to the Puritans. In this time period (the early/mid 1600's) they still have no conception of what or who trans people are. Thus, they have no clear enemy to give a shit about. Hopefully now it's a bit easier to understand why it's at best inaccurate to label Puritans transphobic.

I think it also might help to illustrate the point with a thought experiment. Present a trans person to your traditional bigoted conservative in America, and what are the arguments you'll generally hear? (In between the streams of vitriol, I mean.) More likely than not: "It's unnatural" (who cares), "it's unfair to put this sex with that sex on a sport's team" (not how that works), "children are being forced into permanent changes" (they're not), "it's not what Jesus would want" (who cares), "it sets a dangerous precedent" (it doesn't), "predators will use it to enter women's bathrooms" (not how that works), "people regret transitioning" (they don't), etc etc etc.

Now, present that same trans person to a Puritan. Too bad trans people didn't exist then so we can only speculate on what a Puritan might have - oh wait they existed then and we have a whole Wikipedia article on one such individual: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas(ine)_Hall. Hall lived in colonial Virginia and was intersex. They were not systemically persecuted in the sense that laws were already in place to deny them rights; in fact, they were brought to court because they were confusing their neighbors so much! Jamestown ruled they were "both a man and a woman and must dress in male and female clothing simultaneously". The article has a lot of information on them - I encourage anyone interested to give it a read.

But that's before we got ways to transition effectively, you say, so how would your average Puritan react to a modern trans person? We have to assume they'd default to the way they treat gay men: first off, a gander through the Bible to establish precedent. Oh wait, there's nothing in the Bible with explicit laws against it, they would realize. But, they might catch on to: "Male and female he created them..." and feel that trans people are therefore contradicting God's will (just as how gay men contradict God's will that people "be fruitful and multiply"). Then, a Puritan would assess the situation with regard to what would benefit their colony the most. Are trans people producing children? Well, sometimes, but often no. Are they causing confusion and disordering society? Hell yeah! Conclusion? We'll discourage them, but also will probably just ignore them so long as they're mostly quiet about it.

Great, so that was a whole lot of boring historical word-vomit, but what does this mean for Philip Wittebane, you ask? My answer: given how queer-coded he is (this deserves its own post), and given general Puritan attitudes, I'm inclined to believe he does not give any shits about queer people. The most I could see is that he might be uncomfortable with the idea of gay men, and confused by trans people. But, again - on a meta level - his depiction as a character makes this an unlikely stance for him to take.

Lastly, I'll end this by complimenting your take that he is going along with LGBT life in the BI for political convenience. As it is with businesses, so it is with politicians - they'll sign off on anything so long as it nets them popular support! This tendency could be attributed to Belos being a manipulative person, but also keep in mind that sort of opportunism is common practice wherever power can be found.

I hope someone out there found this interesting :)

-

#long post #homophobia mention #transphobia mention #racism mention #the owl house #toh

[gonerboy]

Delta Experiment - Update (+ Survey)

“...what, never seen a banana phone before? yeah, ripe.”

(Survey at the end of post)

Hello, everyone! GonerBoy here.

I have some news. Not really good news, and not really bad news, either... but some news is generally better than no news, so I figure you all deserve the truth.

My mission’s been going well. It’s been over a year since I officially started, and I plan on finishing next fall -- so, about another year from now.

Delta Experiment is a fun series. But, it’s also one that takes a lot of time and effort to put together... and I just don’t have the time to devote to such a massive project at the moment. And being honest, I’m not sure if I ever will.

What I’m trying to say is, I don’t think this project would ever be fully finished if I tried to keep going the way I was before. And by the time I did finally get to the later parts of the story, more official Deltarune content would have been released, and I might end up questioning the use of continuing in the first place.

Not to mention the fact that I have other plans for projects -- some of which even have to do with Deltarune!

So: What does this mean for Delta Experiment?

Well, even if I don’t think I can ever finish the series properly, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to share my thoughts with everyone. I do think a lot of things about the series would have been worthwhile, and I would be devastated if I had to keep them all to myself forever.

So, what I’m thinking of doing is creating Chapter Outlines for the remainder of the story. They would give basic overviews of the plots and themes of each planned chapter, along with some sketches, illustrations, and dialogue for important scenes. They would release one at a time, and likely have some time between each installment.

This way, no one will be left on a cliffhanger, and some moments can still be shown in full - just, without all the in-between bits that take so long to get through.

Please keep in mind that these will take some time to complete -- I haven’t even started yet, and there are 7 more chapters to get through... ^^;

What will I do, now that Delta Experiment is gone?

Well, uh... you could always follow my personal blog! *Cough* shameless plug...

I haven’t been too active there yet, but I’m slowly trying to change that. I do a lot of things on there, such as...

OC Designs!

Cinnamon!

Divertino!

Zumans!

(Huh, these guys look familiar...)

Fanart!

Collei - Genshin Impact

Dess - Deltarune

“Chris” - Deltarune

Roll, Blues and Tempo - Mega Man

Comic shorts!

And some longer-term projects, like...

Sonic: GUNShot - What would have happened, if the raid on the ARK went a little differently...?

...

gonerworld.

(and more...?)

Again, please consider following @gonerboy​. It would mean a lot to me to have the support of the people who enjoyed my previous work.

I’m sorry to anyone that is disappointed by Delta Experiment’s end - I really enjoyed spending time with everyone, and I’ll always treasure those memories. With any luck, knowing how the story would have gone will help bring some closure for all of us. Keep an eye out for those Chapter Outlines.

You know what they say: Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. And on the bright side, this means I can share lots of hidden things that would have been spoilers otherwise!

If you made it to the end, here’s one last survey.

Thank you. I really can’t say it enough.

Stay awesome.

-GonerBoy

#blog #update #Delta Experiment #gonerboy #deltarune #deltarune comic

[chacolacereal]

Something interesting about watching the Dungeon Meshi Anime

So this is the first time I've ever watched an anime adaptation *after* reading the source material. Anime, to me, was always an introduction to stories I wanted more of after it ended, so I would hunt down the manga afterwards. Everyone who loved Dungeon Meshi before the anime got announced posted about it so often and I had adored the small snippets I did see, so I eventually went and read the whole thing. I loved it so much I am in the process of hunting down the physical versions online. But something that has been strange to me after reading through it, getting excited about Trigger's adaptation, and watching the first 2 episodes...... is that the characters sound completely different.

Now don't get me wrong, the casting is perfect and I love all their voices. I'm the kind of person that likes authenticity in voice acting so I tend to watch things in their original language more than dubbed.

This isn't an argument to say sub is always better, there are tons of dubs I really like that are done in a way that enhances my enjoyment of a work. The main thing that was weird here was, that authenticity, that original language of Dungeon Meshi.... was in English. This is, of course, factually and undeniably incorrect. Dungeon Meshi is written in Japanese. But all the characters were already voiced in my head in English because I read it that way. So loading up the first episode, enjoying the characters I couldn't shake that off feeling. This isn't the only weird thing, the other thing is pacing. This is a discrepancy that oddly doesnt happen when reading a text-only work first and then watching the show or movie. Perhaps, in that case, there's so many changes in that sort of adaptation (ie. visuals, sounds, cut or added scenes) that makes the audience more inclined to disassociate the adaptation with its written origins. The two things remain linked yet separate. For this scenario, where the original form relies on both writing and visuals to tell a story, the adaptation shares more in common with it. Maybe that makes it harder to separate the two, makes it harder to not compare, harder to not notice some key thing has changed. And the key thing with reading something instead of watching it is the presence of a major component to the story telling.... you. When you read something, especially something with a complex feature such as panel placement and other illustrative visuals, the speed is hampered by how fast you read. You pause to laugh at Marcille's face in the background, you take in the impressive hatching in Guts' cape, and you deftly flip away from the throwup panel in Chainsaw Man. Everything is timed exactly to how long you want it to. So when watching Episode 2 of Dungeon Meshi and seeing the nutrient chart for the new food they were about to make, I was shocked by how fast it went by. (A little miffed that they hadnt bothered to subtitle the chart but it's Netflix subtitles so...) And the thing was, nothing was wrong with the pacing. It just seemed fast because when I was reading that very same part in the manga I had stopped to look and think about the chart. I do wonder if this effect would be as strong if I had read the manga years before watching the anime. There are many series where the anime had stopped, I read the manga all the way through, and was excited to see the anime continue and do those parts I loved. But thinking back to that, I'm sure it took more than a year for those adaptations to get there. And by that point, I had forgotten the tiny details, I had no idea how long I looked at the champagne glass tower drawn on paper, and I'm sure I wouldn't remember how sad Phos looked exactly if that ever gets a season 2. And I think that's what made those adaptations even better. It's a little unfortunate that Dungeon Meshi is so fresh in my head, but I'm sure none of these problems will matter next year when I watch it again.

#long post #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #just something i noticed less about the anime and more about my experience