#this is exceedingly long

[lisztful]

GO Season 2 and fandom history ramblings

Spoilers for Good Omens season 2 to follow:

I've watched the second season of Good Omens twice by now, and several days later I am still thinking about it. I know many people are delighted, pained, moved, and excited by the storyline, but that's not the only thing that I keep coming back to. For me, it's the novel experience of seeing the subtext become text, after countless years of existing in fandom without any possibility of that occurring.

For context, I've been in fandom for about 15 years, which is certainly not as long as many other folks I know. There are friends in my circle who collected Kirk/Spock zines back in the old days of fandom, who watched Starsky and Hutch as it was airing and read in it the love that dared not speak its name. Personally, I was one of many people of my generation who entered slash fandom via Harry Potter and LiveJournal, and began writing in the Merlin fandom.

From the beginning of my time in fandom, it was exceedingly clear to me that slash pairings for these shows were never, ever going to be canon. Articles about the Merlin tv series touted the parallels between magic and gay identity as early as the first season, but the show included straight romances for just about every main character. I tend to characterize fandom from around this era in the following buckets:

Deny, create straight pairings.

Token queer rep.

Cultivate queer subtext

Queer story arcs

Good Omens season two, apparently a category of its own

***often one show can be in more than one bucket at once, or moves between them as discourse evolves.

(More below the cut)

Deny the subtext, create straight canon pairings to dispel slash undertones, express discomfort with the very idea of slash pairings, and sometimes downright mock the idea:

The paired actors from Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural, LOTR, and Sherlock did this, repeatedly denying, expressing discomfort, and sometimes even mocking slash at conventions and in interviews. So too Merlin, the Harry Potter films, etc. Hugh Dancy of Hannibal expressed this discomfort in a number of interviews, though notably Misha Collins and Mads Mikkelson, speaking about Supernatural and Hannibal respectively, were more open to the possibility of homoeroticism. All of these pairings were given heterosexual romance arcs.

In many examples, as the writers became aware of the subtext, the characters were actually separated to try to prevent any potential subtext from being read into their interactions. In Teen Wolf, Hannibal, Supernatural, Captain America, and the Witcher, character arcs separated pairings who previously spent a lot of screen-time together, physically distancing them to reduce any opportunity for subtext.

2. In the next category, there are the creators who write in minor gay characters in the hopes of appeasing fandom or shifting their focus from the main slash pairing. See JK Rowling making Dumbledore gay, Felicia Day's character in Supernatural, Jaskier in the Witcher, etc. This kind of redirection is often an attempt to say, see, we're not homophobic, but also we have no interest in alienating middle-America cable viewers by asserting that a traditionally masculine lead could in fact be queer. See Watson's queer sister in Sherlock, even while the writers denied any queer subtext between the leads.

A more contemporary subcategory of this category involves giving a character a backstory that hints at or includes queerness, but doesn't show it on screen or allow it for the character's present day arc. I think the Loki tv show is an example of this, as is Valkyrie in the Thor films, although I haven't seen Loki and I think there was a cut scene with Valkyrie that made her bisexuality canon for the film verse. WWDITS does this a little as well, though I think it's much more self aware and also, is an unfinished story arc. The main characters are revealed to be queer but the pairing is not thus far canonical, though both Nandor and Guillermo are shown having on-screen queer relationships with other (or in fact the same) people.

3. The next category, which I believe begins to push the boundaries of fandom, are those shows that purposefully wrote in or allowed subtext to flourish, likely for financial reasons. Again, there was no chance the writing teams were going to make a slash pairing canon, but they would certainly wink and nod at it to appease fandom. And, largely, this worked. Fans noticed it, we liked it, we worked it into fic. Did we also feel mocked and disrespected by it? Certainly. But those liminal spaces were where our identities were allowed to live, and so we took those seeds and turned them into the vibrant culture of fandom.

One particularly egregious example of this comes from the Teen Wolf television show, which produced a viral video featuring the members of the slash pairing. The video showed the actors cuddled close on a boat, and opened with one of the actors saying, "We're on a ship, pun intended." The ad was intended to garner votes for an award for the show, and purposefully capitalized upon slash fandom to that end. However, the show also simultaneously wrote out the possibility of these characters having a romantic arc.

Some subtler examples have surfaced often during unscripted Q&A sessions with actors, for example Hannibal's Mads Mikkelson reacting humorously during a panel discussion in which Hugh Dancy describes Hannibal and Will's love as platonic, indicating that he disagrees. See also Misha Collins saying, "Also, Cas is gay" in an instagram post, after a canonical declaration of unrequited love from Castiel to Dean in Supernatural (or requited if you believe the Spanish subtitles, though there's still plausible deniability for this to be platonic love).

Hannibal I think begins to push the boundaries here, and some fans will say that the Hannibal/Will slash pairing is canon. While there is a ton of space to read that in the show, especially in season three and in creator Brian Fuller's statements since the end of the show, the show utilizes ambiguity both for artistic effect and (in my opinion) to avoid ever making the subtext into text. See for example this much quoted line from the second last episode of season 3:

Will Graham : "Is Hannibal in love with me?" Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier : "Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes. But do you... ache for him?"

We quote this scene all the time and say, it's canon! Hannibal loves Will! I am personally a gigantic Hannibal fan and I love the room for subtext in this writing, but note that while it certainly SEEMS like Bedelia is saying Hannibal is in love with Will, she does not explicitly say that it is romantic love. Also, Will doesn't reply! We can read many emotions into his facial expression, but we don't have explicit canonical confirmation.

Similarly, the show's climactic ending is often touted as a romantic embrace, but I would say it is not undeniably, explicitly romantic. I feel it has strong romantic undertones, but the writers chose not to make the subtext into explicit text. It's important to mention that this show aired on cable, and as such was beholden to network censorship and the need to target cable audience for ratings. The next category of shows is different.

4. As television production has moved into the realm of streaming services, there has of course been a rise of well-received queer television and film, Orange is the New Black being one of the early examples. There is of course a financial market for this stuff, and it's easier to tailor content to sympathetic audiences. I do think this stuff is also just becoming vastly more visible in general (in politics, on tiktok, etc.) and as such we've seen more and more representation from TV shows. These shows were all, from their inception, intended as queer stories. This category includes Heartstopper (a show much beloved by me), Gentleman Jack, and notably OFMD. I think Our Flag Means Death stands out because it took pains to dispel many of the characteristic elements of fandom queerbaiting, which while evidently unintentional on the part of creator and writer David Jenkins, was almost certainly an intentional choice from the overwhelmingly queer writer's room for the show. But again, though many fans were surprised to see the pairing made canon, it was intended from the original arc of the show. I think the remake of Interview with the Vampire also falls into this category of more fandom-aware, intentional queer stories.

5. And then there's Good Omens. In season one, I think the show fit into categories 2 and 3, containing queer and nonbinary representation and allowing a lot of space for subtext. Michael Sheen stated in interviews that he was playing Aziraphale as a person who was trying not to show someone that he loved them, but never explicitly stated this to be a romantic love. I know fandom read it that way, including myself, but technically it was never explicitly stated as romantic love. It seemed reasonably clear in the landscape of season one, and the other shows that were being made at the same time, that slash pairings do not become canon. Much was made of a line from the Good Omens book, reiterated by Neil Gaiman on tumblr that angels are agender. Several of the characters are in show canon only referred to by gender neutral pronouns, though not Aziraphale or Crowley. Much more still was made of Gaiman's references to conversations in which he and Terry Pratchett joked? discussed? the pairing living in a cottage in the South Downs together after the events of the book. There was a great deal of room left by Sheen and Gaiman's comments, and by the subtext of the show, in which to imagine a queer romance.

As I prepared to watch season two, I remarked to a friend that I was curious to see what, if any, impact fandoms like Hannibal and OFMD might have had on the series. Hannibal fandom seems to have largely convinced Brian Fuller of the viability of a queer romance, though he has been cagey about if it would happen in a hypothetical season 4 of Hannibal (I've seen several interviews in which Fuller states that it might not happen in season 4 because "Hannibal would want Will to be able to consent, and he would not be able to in the planned storyline for season 4").

OFMD's success seems to have paved the way for story-lines containing queer representation and romance that are not in fact centered around the experience of being queer. OFMD, in addition to showcasing many different kinds of queer relationships, worked hard to write a story that was not a Heartstopper style coming out story. So too, Hannibal and Good Omens season one are compelling as stories that happen to contain possible queer pairings, not as stories framed around the experience of being queer.

Additionally, through each of his recent television series but most notably with Sandman, Neil Gaiman made an explicit statement about including substantial queer representation in his work. He did not seem to be overly burdened with the requirements from the Terry Pratchett estate, or with any personal fear of writing queer narratives. If ever there was a moment to make a slash pairing canon, it seemed to be now.

As I watched season two, I felt much as I had watching OFMD - filled with a sense of disbelief that after countless fandoms in which there was no eventual queer arc, the subtext seemed suspiciously close to becoming text. I kept reminding myself not to get my hopes up, because that has basically never paid off in the past! I assumed the show would hint heavily but leave some room for ambiguity.

But it didn't! And not only did it deliberately and explicitly state that the arc was a romantic one, it also referenced and validated subtext from season one, which I suspect was before anyone had a serious intention of making this pairing explicitly canonical. I cannot think of any other example of a fandom that began a story without an intended queer romantic arc for its main characters, and ended up writing one in. If there are any other shows out there I would love to know, but for now Good Omens stands alone as the first fandom I know of in history to do this. What a time to be alive, and part of fandom! I can't wait to see what happens next!

#meta #ramblings #GOSeason2Spoilers #Good omens meta #Hannigram #OFMD #this is exceedingly long

[boilingheart]

"why is anduin 40" have none of you seen a 25 year old man before

#bheart talks #anduin wrynn #i'm so annoyed by the people over exaggerating his age bro he looks his age #he's about 25-26 given that there's no major timeskip between df and tww #guys my age look like that. sometimes just as disheveled cause that's what finals do to you i guess #no but seriously he doesn't even look exceedingly old y'all gotta chill out #anyways. i'm surprised at how enthusiastic i am at his new look. i mourn the long hair but this is GREAT for him tbh

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

I really really need Jon Snow and Jaime Lannister to meet at some point. Putting aside the many (anti) parallels they share, I need Jon to meet the man who was responsible for his bi awakening and just shut down. I need to see Jon having similar thoughts to Cat (had there ever been a man so beautiful?). And then Jaime just opens his mouth and Jon is immediately like “you know what, I think you should kys ❤️”.

#jon snow #jaime lannister #asoiaf #jaime is exceedingly attractive as long as he keeps his mouth shut #jaime when he meets jon: opens his mouth to say smth cringe #jon probably: you are by far the most annoying person I’ve ever met #theon in the distance: YESSSSSSS #briefly coming out of my hiatus to 💩 post #jon’s very srs no nonsense demeanor put against jaime’s very unserious nature - it would be rly good!

[sheppyscribbles]

SephiRoss

I'm not even sorry.

#luprand art #final fantasy vii #sephiroth #aerith gainsborough #bob ross #exceedingly long paintbrush #what is wrong with me #fort fucking condor

[nmpositive]

Exceedingly Long Hatsune Miku

#nmnpost #shitposting #hatsune miku #exceedingly long

[charcubed]

for a bunch of people who supposedly love supernatural, huge chunks of the fandom sure seem afraid to love it in earnest without adding asterisks to their own interest, considering how often people apparently feel the need to disclaim that it’s Bad or everything good about it was supposedly an Accident

society if everyone could just perhaps stop making posts about and/or giving hundreds of notes to posts about how much Potential the show had but how Poorly Executed it supposedly universally was. alas, technology does not allow me to mute a specific flavor of post so instead I must complain

but whatever, RIP to those people but I am different. as always I’m wearing a shirt that says “ask me about how supernatural is an incredibly unique piece of media that will never have an equal and that made television history; infamously stretched and played with the boundaries of various genres just because its creative team thought it’d be cool; was introduced as character-driven and maintained that to great success; and boasts a remarkably cohesive vision as a body of work that is testament to the skill and dedication of those who crafted it even though its creative teams transitioned through several shifts, adapted around industry uncertainties, changed the narrative in response to organic and noticed potential, and were limited by network interference”

#as always my hot take is that SPN is a good show actually. #chartxt #I didn’t actually mean to make this post this long but whoops! sorry I can’t casually talk about this ever #ok I need to sleep. my eyes hurt #also this isn’t only about destiel #SPN does a LOT of exceedingly cool shit and it does it well #and it’s also like..… how do I put this. #this is a post in and of itself for another day but: #it is a Story. it is aware it is telling you a Story. #the unfathomable creatures are put in small human bodies to tell you a Story. #ok actually I’m too tired to articulate that adequately tonight so let me stop while I’m ahead. a post for another time. goodbye #char writes things #thats the tag I use for long posts and uH. this got long so

[lily-orchard]

Love seeing a 10 page rant where someone screams at me how the story about the Avatar travelling with her sister is actually "Super toxic no really don't laugh" and then making up fanfiction about my childhood.

Like, dude. Just call me a slur and save yourself the trouble lmao.

#Can always tell when it's Courtney or Brittany's alt #Because it's an unsigned blog that goes on these exceedingly long tirades at the slightest provocation #Completely unhinged behavior

[wundrousarts]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—— What if it was a group effort?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—— We see this as well with this line:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— I wonder why he recognizes the song!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— War in Arc 3 pleaseeee

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

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

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

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

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

—— "Breath of life" ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— What does this all meannnnn

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

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

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

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

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

And finally (about 3k words later):

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

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

[milkweedman]

TDF DAY 20

This is what I've plied so far--130 yards (119 meters) of... well, it'll probably be a worsted weight once blocked ? Maybe light worsted. It's also not all of the singles.

I have these left, but I need to spin another half bobbin of the roving for the third ply. So, I'll do that tomorrow.

Anyone remember how many more days there is ? I should be able to finish it in time, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, it isn't what I was expecting, but I think it looks pretty cool. I was originally thinking 2 ply shawl when I started spinning this but now that it's a much thicker 3 ply (definitely spun the roving ply a lot thicker) I'm thinking hat ? Or mittens, but I'm not sure I'll have enough.

#spinning #handspun yarn #tour de fleece #tour de fleece 2023 #could use another pair of mittens... my current pair i knit with a strand of mohair held alongside the main yarn #(this was exactly when i learnt that the amount of stretch the least stretchy yarn has is the amount of stretch the whole knit has) #so they fit perfectly but i can hardly stretch my fingers #but they are exceedingly warm and water resistant despite being pretty loosely knit #so i really love them. but they are not super comfortable long term #anyway not that i need this right now #it is very very hot right now

[acoldsovereign]

{{ i realized I only posted about it once on the old blog, made a single post here explaining why I moved blogs/remade this account and then privated it because I didn't want to have that negativity hanging over said new blog but uh-

Hi, hello mutuals-- It's me, Tina, lol. I remade my blog and moved from @coldsovereign-a (which is archived now) to here-- @acoldsovereign. I did it because the old blog stopped feeling good to log into.

And, I didn't want to give up so easily. I love Maiz too much and I didn't want this singular, creepy ass, racist, jerk-hole asshat from ruining her/my RP experience. There were other irl/personal issues going on around the same time too and it fucked with my muse majorly. 😭

I apologize if I suddenly seemed like I "disappeared" (and then reappeared) without explanation! I wanted to move on from what happened to me quickly and in the process of that, I uh, forgot about common courtesy for a while. My bad. (Tbh, I just wanted a new home for my girl so I could fully enjoy her again. Glad to say I'm back in the swing of writing her, so the move did help!)

Anyway, more RP stuff coming soon. Yay!

#OOC: Out of Limits #{{ a conversation with a mutual just reminded me that I did NOT do a good job of actually saying what was wrong/didn't explain i remade- #{{ so yee. my bad. lmao. I'll be better about that. i feel a little better about the whole situation and other stuff now tho. #{{ but long story short i was way too accommodating to an asshole who didn't deserve it. #{{ and he like used my personal issues and turned it against me. all bc i wanted to be nice and patient and kind. #{{ i already forgave myself for not seeing red flags so this isn't about that. but the reason why i dealt with that is bc #{{ i have a complex around wanting so hard to not be a monster bc you know. sociopathy fucking sucks. i want to FEEL. and cry. and be kind. #{{ the latter parts are EXCEEDINGLY difficult for me and with my social conditioning as a woman it's hell. i want to genuinely be kind but. #{{ not to everyone. and women are given hell if we dare to be selfish and say “no”. having a hard life growing up helps none. #{{ but anyway-- like i said before i talked to some mutuals about it and i was told i did nothing wrong. so I'm okay. #{{ but I'll be stricter with who i want to interact with because of this event. until i can soften myself up again. and feel safe.

[designsdefiance]

day 19: danger

reasonably, she knows that m'kipfhi's been in the first longer than she's been gone from the source. she's not a baby anymore, she can handle herself. that doesn't make it any easier for m'seyli to watch her charge recklessly into danger like that!!!

#ffxiv #miqo'te #miqomarch #seeker of the sun #gpose #oc: m'seyli #oc: m'kipfhi #shadowbringers spoilers #it'd be exceedingly hard to watch regardless bc like kipfhi IS extremely reckless in the first. she's so eager to be able to do something #useful for once and prove herself to seyli that she doesn't need to be babied. not here at least. #she's spent so long just sort of awkwardly hanging around the scions and being too young and sickly to do anything so to be An Adult in #the first is groundbreaking for her. #but it's extra hard for seyli to deal with bc she didn't get to see kipfhi gradually grow up from the small scared child she knows into #this reckless battle-hardened teen who has done the bulk of her maturing in an apocalyptic hell and can hold her own against the sin eaters

[heyclickadee]

Weird confession, probably an unpopular opinion, but: I actually like a lot of the concepts and basic designs behind the costumes in the Rings of Power series more than I like the concepts and basic designs behind the costume in the PJ Lord of the Rings films (with the costumes for the rohirrim and the people in Gondor being the exception). Don’t get me wrong, the costumes in the PJ Lord of the Rings series look amazing. They’re gorgeous and, on the whole, better made than the Rings of Power costumes. It’s just that the there’s something very dungeons and dragonsy about the PJ Lord of the Rings costumes (especially for the elves), and I know that’s because there was a twenty year feedback loop where there was a slight DnD-ness to the PJ Lord the the Rings elf outfits which then just became standard Elf Clothes in LOTR fanart which then fed back into the people making art for the DnD handbooks, but still. And I’ll admit I’m biased—it just so happens that that aesthetic is one I don’t particularly like. So seeing the costumes in Rings of Power make a clean break from that was really refreshing. And they mostly look like clothes people would wear. And I love the ideas in the designs! Elrond’s brown cloak with the feathers? That’s a sweet little tribute to his mom. The gold dust makeup on Disa’s hands and her robe (which honestly looked better in action than it did in the promo shots)? Neat concept. Tar-Miriel’s crown (and all of her outfits, actually)? Stunning. I’m in love. I just wish the designers and costume makers had been given all the time they needed to really make every costume look as good as they probably looked in their heads.

#rings of power #a lot of them did look very nice on screen #some of them just needed a little more time in production #also you know what #I’m okay with elves with short hair #the shaving of the sideburns looks exceedingly silly #I’ll admit that #but elves can have more than one haircut #(I’ll admit that the long iron straightened half tied back in elegant twists look #is not an aesthetic I particularly like #either #and that I have kind of #weeeeeelll #ambivalent #feelings towards the PJ elves #I adore those movies but I do cordially disagree #with many of the adaptational choices #Tolkien adaptations #this is only tangentially related #but in my head Glorfindel has very long very curly floofy hair

[quietwingsinthesky]

something coming together in my brain about a SPN/Star Trek fusion with the vessels as trill hosts and angels as the symbiont

#is this just because the trill are my favorite aliens from Star Trek? yes. #but also… they’re joined. they’re one being. they’re two beings. they’re both at the same time. #this is also. To Me. about Sam being deemed an unsuitable host for a symbiont. #and then through a series of exceedingly insane events. getting Lucifer put inside him anyhow. #reluctantly perhaps. but maybe… maybe Nick. Lucifer’s last host. has died. is dying. and a symbiont can’t survive without a host for long #and Sam’s the only one there who can take him. reluctantly because he doesn’t think he’s earned it. because he doesn’t want to lose himself. #(and Lucifer is of course an unusually Old symbiont. with lots of lives he’s lead. a daunting thing to host.) #but Lucifer will die otherwise. and all those lives. all that knowledge. will die with him. #so Sam takes him in. becomes joined to him. and suddenly he’s Lucifer and Lucifer’s him and despite being told he could never have this. #he does. and Lucifer fits *perfectly*. #(i think following star trek rules this does technically make Sam’s name Sam Lucifer because symbiont reasons which is funny to me.) #(also gosh imagine if. I mean he’s obviously not Suppsoed to have Lucifer. so they have to hide that they’re joined.) #(maybe with the help of friendly ship doctor Raphael? here’s how Sam/lucifer/Raphael can still win.) #spn #lucifer spn #sam winchester #samifer #star trek

[biblicallyaccuratefaggot]

in a perfect world i think i would be a science teacher

#idk i was taught so much misinformation about science growing up and i know kids these days dont have it much better so i wanna make it so #kids can learn and be fascinated by (real) science as much as i was as a kid learning about dinosaurs and space #not how i was as a kid learning about vaccines and medicine #and i truly do think that a foundation in one science will make it exceedingly difficult to be misinformed in any other science #since they all operate on the same exact principles #idk i want future generations to be as fascinated and filled with wonder about *everything* that young me #because nothing is as freeing as learning how everything truly works #i want future kids to be as fascinated by evolution and space as i was #but also with any other field of science because i think the more the general populous knows how things work #the less shitty our societies will be #and countless people will benefit in the long run #i want to teach the future generations of a future sunrise that i will never see #i want people invested in every aspect of learning and bettering our understanding of everything #including empathy and learning to relate to your fellow human and also your cousin species #because literally everything in this fucking universe is related to eachother #we are all born from the same stardust that would form the most massive of galaxies and the most minute of organisms #we should be taught that life is a miracle and we should treasure every bit of it we possibly can

[savrenim]

........AND MY CAR HAS NOW BROKEN DOWN

#S C R E A M S #I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH A CAR IN MY HOUSEHOLD #LIKE I CAN SURVIVE THE 1HR20MIN PUBLIC TRANSIT EACH WAY EVERY DAY TO WORK I GUESS??? #BUT WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD WAY OF GETTING OUR STANDARD G R O C E R I E S #AND UNLESS I AM EXCEEDINGLY LUCKY AND CAN DRIVE ON WHATEVER IS WRONG #MY CAR CAN'T EVEN BE SEEN BY THE SHOP UNTIL MARCH 26TH #WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS FOR??? A FULL MONTH???????? #AT LEAST #BC WHO KNOWS HOW LONG REPAIRS WILL TAKE

[radmista]

We're really in it now, the combo of stress sleep deprivation and period are working against me, almost cried when the barista said good morning 😭😭 like it sure is a morning

#nearly passed out at the stables today 🤙 love it when my group decides to make us meet 45 min earlier than the assigned time #bc they're idiots who didnt plan accordingly to not have 3 animals to check in on before the test dau #like thats not my fault and do you have any idea how devastating it is making me get up even earlier #yeah getting up early for everyone sucks but idk how to put this without sounding exceedingly whiny #but getting up early is like having the worst period cramps sort of emotional and physical toll on me #ask me to stay up all night or do an exceedindly long overnight I can do that. night owl for real #i dont struggle doing that. ask me to get up at 5am ON MY EXAM DAY bc YOU fucked up your schedule. #after making me show up 30 min before the scheduled time all week #im so mad. the entire week ive pandered to their schedule bc their obnoxious 'if ur not early ur late' like fuck all the way off #im trying so hard and my studies have greatly suffered from the sheer exhaustion of this bs #screams