#well i am a mythology gay. the best kind (sorry)

[cyberr-v0id]

Could you tell me more about yourself?

It is for something important.

Oh yeah sure!

I’m cyberr, I go by a lot of names, currently my favourites are Phoenix, Leonardo, and Jackdaw. I use any pronouns and I am asexual.

I have numerous skin conditions, feet bones in the wrong place, and a really bad back at the moment, as well as chronic daily headaches . So uh. You could say that I am as fit as a fiddle, if the fiddle in question is the one in my garage, which has all its strings snapped.

I really enjoy reading, and have done since I was seven. I’m currently reading the reappearance of Rachel Price, as well as the Iliad. Some of my most favourite books include: the wizards of once, how to train your dragon, murder most unladylike, all about romance, Sherlock Holmes, and treasure island.

I’m also a writer, I’ve been working on this one story for five years now. Hopefully I’ll finish it one day. I write a lot of poetry.

I love mysteries and have been apart of numerous mystery solving groups, several founded by me.

I’m an artist, of course, and my top three mediums are pencil, watercolour, and digital. I’m not the best at digital tbh. I hate acrylic and acrylic hates me.

I usually do a lot of sports but right now because of my back I can’t do a few of them. I can still do swimming, archery, rounders (tragically:/), stand up paddle boarding, and roller booting. Because they don’t involve as much bending down.

I’m gay

I’m a part time goth, which is to say I listen to goth music (my favourites atm are fields of the Nephilim and all about Eve) but only sometimes dress goth, and in varying degrees of goth. I am the most inconsistently dressing person I know, and right now my catchphrase is ‘the duality of man’. For some reason.

Music wise I listen to a lot. One day I will truly be able to say that I listen to everything. But not yet. My most favourite band is the crane wives

I want to be a marine archaeologist when I’m older, or, failing that, a famous actor. Let’s be honest here, unless I do become a really famous actor, neither career path is likely to pay well. Marine archaeological, or maritime archaeology, is all about ships wrecks, and how cultures of the past interacted with the ocean and other bodies of water around it.

I like all the animals. Genuinely there is lot a single animal that I don’t like. Well- I’m not too keen on bugs but I wish them all the best, and may many of them please stay away. I have a severe phobia of moths, and slight arachnophobia that depends on how I’m feeling and what the spider is. Tarantula? No problem, big and hairy enough to be a kitten. Now let’s move away from it in case it sprays its hairs. Brown garden spider? Bloody Mary on a motor bike get it Away.

My attention span is low. I am a theatre kid. As I type this is have a musical going in the background.

. I’m so sorry I’ve kinda made this really long, idk how much information you need

Fandoms: rise: tmnt, Percy Jackson, the owl house, the dragon prince, httyd, the inheritance cycle, red wall, Sherlock Holmes, mythology, epic the musical, so much more I can’t think of right now

I love the ocean

Lmk if you need anything else, hope this has helped, and uh. Yeah it’s kind long winded

#cyberrs asks

[godborn]

i’m gay and can’t resist the opportunity to be sappy so here’s a january 1st post to let all of my mutuals know that you are loved by me whether you like it or not and that i’m grateful for every single one of you and am looking forward to getting to know you more in 2024!

when i returned to this rpc after a year long hiatus where a lot of stuff was just going wrong in my life, i was a little nervous that i’d have trouble finding interactions and building relationships both ic and ooc. it was a little difficult at first, but i’m so thankful i stuck it out because right around the corner were some very cool & special people who are not only talented writers and masters of characterization, but genuinely kind & fun people to talk to & get to know.

this post is dedicated to all of my lovely mutuals whether we’ve written together for months or u just followed me today, but there are a few people i want to be gay toward individually under the cut 🥳🏳️‍🌈🩷

@vialaviolenza / @valoroso : my beloved mortis!! you were my first new friend that i made upon the end of my hiatus & i adore you to the moon & back. i knew you were special from the moment i found out you basically live a stone’s throw away from me lol but more than that, you have been such a blessing to me. you’re always willing to listen to my ramblings & crazy ideas & our threads are always fuckin based, so you genuinely have it all & i’m excited for us to become closer in this new year!! 💚💚💚

@lovesigned : bella, i’m kissing u. i remember when you first followed me and we messaged back and forth about how we loved each other’s writing and were fucking nerds about classical allusions & mythology & all that. even now i’m still in awe of how beautifully your prose reads btw. but beyond that you’re probably the funniest person on this website & going absolutely feral with u is always a good time lmfao. i love everything we’ve ever plotted and written and i will love everything we will plot and write in the new year. u are so sexy and cool mwah

@blueshiftting : MEME MY BELOVED u are genuinely the sweetest person ever in the world and you deserve every good thing ever in the new year. not to mention cordelia is a baddie & the immaculate energy you have created for her is untouchable, truly one of the most well-written ocs i’ve encountered. i owe u my life for making the fuckhouse server because it’s always such a vibe in there & it’s been great getting closer to everyone in there, including you.

@rejectshumanity : the coolest person on this website actually,,, but also a total sweetie that i’ve loved every second of talking to. dani when i say i stan you heavily i mean it you genuinely have Thee best take on dio & manage to blend the serious & unserious parts of his character immaculately. i’m excited for when ur inspiration returns to you because i think we all want to see how you will absolutely kill it in the 2024 season lol. either way, you’re a gem & i’m looking forward to growing our friendship in the new year!!

@praeteritus-memories : lu … u are my homie fr like the only constant thing in my life in this rpc for the past 3 (ALMOST 4???) years. coming back to writing with you again has been like returning to a warm hug which i really fucking needed after everything i went through in 2022-23 😭 i love everything we do together & everything we explore in our threads, they’re always a blast & i’m relieved we cannot always pick up where we left off without things being awkward lol. i hope this year treats you kindly, you deserve it luv 🩷

@ironleonine : GEO MY LOVE IM SO SORRY I KNEW I HAD LEFT SOMEONE OUT THIS IS LESBIAN ON LESBIAN CRIME . anyway you are the literal sweetest, kindest, most fun person to talk to be it ic or ooc. i will start 10 million different threads with you and idc i will love every single one. you have such a talent for bringing your characters to life, i will never NOT enjoy writing with you wtf. our chats are always the best even if they’re full of the most random shit lol i feel like you really understand me & the chaotic chemical soup that is my brain. when i marry you in 2024, what then?

#[ 春 ] : 🌸 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 › out of character . #happy 2024!! i am wishing all of you health & happiness #i feel like the last 3 years have just been a collective nightmare for everyone so let’s have a little hope that we’re turning a corner lol #i wasn’t going to make this post initially but i changed my mind because u know what . starting the year off with gratitude & positivity #is never a bad fucking idea #i hope you all have had a great start to the year so far 🩵🩵🩵 #giorno & i are sending u lots of love uwu

[maddipoof]

I’M BACK AND I WANNA SEND SOMETHIN’ IN YOUR EVENT!! Can I pretty please get a Coraline ship for Ted Lasso with no gender preference??

Some stuff about me:

So, my name is Dolly (you knew that), and I’m a panromantic asexual person. My gender is… weird (😂), because really I think gender is an odd social construct and I don’t really care what people refer to me as. I’m also autistic, and some of my special interests include musical theatre, books, true crime, superheroes, and mythology of all different kinds and cultures. I don’t get the opportunity to talk about my special interests a lot, but once I do, you’ll have a hard time getting me to stop talking.

As for hobbies, I spend most of my time either reading or writing fanfiction (and sometimes original short stories), listening to music, and watching movies or TV shows. I mostly like all kinds of music, but I’m not really the biggest fan of rap. I’m also really into true crime podcasts, and I have a love for older TV shows, such as M*A*S*H and The A-Team, as well as all the Marvel and DC movies and TV shows. I’m also a pretty decent singer, at least depending on who you ask. I really love books, and my ultimate career goal is to be a librarian (although if you asked me my absolute dream job, the answer would be a voice actor). I’m also a half-decent singer, at least depending on who you ask.

Appearance-wise, I’m pretty short and kind of chubby, but I have freckles in the summer which I love. I have brown hair that I’ve had in a pixie cut since I was in fifth grade, as well as a gap between my front teeth that I have kind of a mixed relationship with. My style is very relaxed and all over the place, but I would love to wear more cute dresses and skirts and cute pale pink clothes.

RPersonality-wise, I kind of cycle between being bubbly and cheerful and quieter and shyer (a textbook ambivert, me), but no matter what, I always do my best to be a good listener and to make my friends (which includes you!!) happy, because I am very loyal and I love them a lot.

Sorry, I know this was a lot (😅). But thank you in advance, my love, and I hope you’re doing well!! ♡♡♡

(i was going to just type alright alright but then i read it in his voice and i had to add the gif)

This was a difficult one because there’s just so many of them that could work and they’re all so precious and lovely, and you’re so precious and lovely, but honestly I’m going to ship you with Isaac.

He’s very protective so if anyone tried to get on you for being queer or neurodivergent he wouldn’t stand for it at all, and he’d also be there for you if it ever got to you. I think if you met after Colin came out, and he was learning and becoming more knowledgeable about queerness and everything, he’d ask him questions but not in a weird “you must know everything about all the gay, you are the gay” way, but endearing like “you might know something about this and if not you can point me in the right direction of where i can learn” way.

And if definitely gets really excited to introduce you to the team, he doesn’t show it though until he calls a team huddle after their practice and he’s like “Oi, my partner (i like the term joyfriend but i know it’s not for everyone) is coming to the next match, and i’m a bit nervous, so we play our best, and you be on your best form.” so he introduces you to Keeley first, and then she brings you to her seats with Rebecca and it’s lovely and they win (some reasonable score because i don’t know soccer)—nil. And when you go out with the team to celebrate the win they’re all so kind to you and it’s lovely and wonderful 💕💕💕 and if you get overwhelmed he’s completely fine with going outside for a minute or going home completely. He wants to do whatever makes you most comfortable and happy and he won’t listen to you if you say you’ll go somewhere just to make him happy if it means you’ll be uncomfortable. He knows you’ll tell him you’ll go to make him happy, but what really makes him happy is when you’re having fun.

And BOOKSHOP DATES!!!!!!! 1000000000%

And when you move in together he wants you to fill all the shelves but he doesn’t tell you, he just takes you to a shop and says get whatever you want and you just go crazy getting anything that looks interesting from history books and encyclopedias, to fantasy series and mysteries

#mara’s moots #dolly my garden fairy🧚‍♂️ #mara’s inaugural celebration✨

[hansreviewsstuff]

Rolling with the LGBT

I've learnt that buying books just because they have gay people in them isn't always for the best, but here are my reviews of two queer books that I read recently(ish) and enjoyed. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller (I am a sucker for trends and booktok ok) and Afterlove by Tanya Bryne.

10/08/2022

The Song Of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

3.5/5

I have mixed feelings about this book. As someone who knows next to nothing about Greek Mythology, (I've listened to Achillies Come Down, and that's about it) I went into this book completely blind as to what to expect. I'm assuming the story was quite traditional and similar to the myth, so I can't really critique it? I don't know? Sorry. I vowed to myself to explain more of the story and my thoughts about it in these reviews but I've kind of forgotten this particular book's , and I guess that means it wasn't very good. At least to me! Miller is a beautiful writer though, and descriptions were done with quote-worthy style. The ending was sad, and looking back it reminds me of Merlin quite a bit. Nice and devastating. What is it with MLM and devastating endings?? Achilles and Patroclus were both idiots, but it added to their charm and sometimes characters who don't do what you know is the right or most practical thing to do are most interesting.

I feel like I dipped my toe into something I had no idea about, and came out rightfully confused. But if you like Greek Mythology, go ahead! (Although my guess is you've already read it!)

Favourite character: Brises

Would I recommend this book: Like I said, if you're a fan of Greek Mythology, a MLM love story, and beautiful descriptions you can lose yourself in, please go ahead. Honestly, it's a good book, but not really my thing.

04/11/2022

Afterlove

By Tanya Bryne

4/5

I remember this book more! I didn't give it more than a 4 because the tension, suspense and plot twists that I love in books were quite minimal, although I can't really think of where there would be a place for them. Some really beautiful, peaceful passages before everything goes wrong surrounding WLW love and just love in general, which weighed out the reduced tension. I like both soppy and dramatic tales!

On the surface, the story was about a girl falling in love, dying, and then trying to find her love again as this grim-reaper type character. But more deeply, it was about the affects of early passing (see below my favourite extract about this- one of my favourite extracts ever!) , the affects of death on loved ones and the beauty of the cycle of life. I really enjoyed it, although it deifnetly ignited lots of my fears about dying! A beautiful tale, if a bit quickly ended. Clearly the writer did not want a sequel.

Favourite Character: Poppy probably

Would I recommend this book: Absolutely. A beautiful tale, with a deep meaning behind. Creative as well, I had never seen life after death put in that way (and life after death is something I'm very interested in) Read it!

It's a bit long, I know, but beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed these reviews, super old reviews now. I've read a bunch of books recently, and the two I want to cover are Legendborn and How To Kill Your Family. I think I'll clear the list I wrote on the last post, as I have no memory of most of them. Oops.

See you,

Hans

[moonlitdiane]

Hello! I moved from my old blog, @dianethus​ to here, you can probably call this a re-intro!

Diane | 18 | Filipino-Chinese | She/They | Pansexual | Scorpio | xNTP | Neurodivergent | Psychology Major | Graphic Designer | Practicing Wiccan

I’ve been trying to write since I was around 12 years old with silly little k-pop and percy jackson fanfics. Even though I cringe now whenever I think about the things I wrote, I still believe it was a necessary phase that all writers have to go through to become better.

I mainly write for the #OwnVoice movement that focuses on the South East Asian experience and especially the experience of being queer in an Asian environment. I aim to give the queers of Asian history whose stories never got to be told a voice. I write to expose the world to Philippine Mythology and the stories passed down from ancestor to ancestor. I also aim to conjure up nostalgic imagery in the readers' minds.

low fantasy. I'm not that really good at world building but I'm in love with the idea of everyday magic.

supernatural.

historical.

angst. I'm SORRY but writing and describing pain is a different kind of joy for me.

found family. I'm gay.

cosmic motifs.

enemies to lovers. oh for someone to see all my worst parts and still fall in love with me. also consider: childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

religious trauma & guilt. I went to a catholic school what did you expect?

The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified.

Evil Is Sexy.

Trapped In Another World. I want to be Isekai-d so bad.

Song Fic. Most of my titles are actually song lyrics or my basic outlines follow the structure of a song.

“Slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl,”

Somewhere In Limasawa Street is a queer historical fiction story set in 1898 when the Philippine-American war is just beyond the horizons and 19 year old mestiza, Lucena Candella is in the middle of a war with herself. Sheltered and painfully aloof, she meets brave but brash, Urduja Kalangitan, who is as emotionally aware as a rock and who happens to be the Revolutionary Army's best gunman—maybe that's what pulled quiet Lucena to her.

Between paper planes, porcelains, and battle scars, Lucena slowly learns to love, and that scared her. It scared her because she wasn't allowed to love that woman with the scarred smile and wild hair.

This is my main WIP and my passion project. I really wanted to write something that I can dedicate to the queers of history, the indigenous and people of color whose queerness is never told.

The title is a reference to Limasawa Street by folk pop band, Ben&Ben, I actually used the album and a few singles as inspiration for the plot. 

WIP Playlist. This story will be unapologetically Filipino.

“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil,”

The Devil’s Choir is a low fantasy story following the adventures of seven unlikely friends who just want to go apeshit and run away from their shitty town. That is until they’re thrown into a you-need-to-save-the-whole-world mess without their written consent. Lucifer and Dionysus show up at their door step, dragging them head first into an abyss that even the Gods refuse to fall into. A war between the golden age and the future, it’s now up to this peculiar gang to save the world from the real threat.

The seven deadly sins but make them moody teenagers. this story has gone through so much revising for years! Found family, enemies to lovers, and unwilling heroes? check.

Unintentionally a copy of American Gods. It was too late until I realized the plot was kind of similar to American Gods. Help. 

WIP Playlist. I smell chaos, don’t you?

“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”

Manila Encounters is a paranormal urban fantasy story unfolding right in the pearl of the orient seas. When the clock strikes 3 AM and the lights of the skyscrapers turn dark—when the city sleeps, the monsters roam free. Deep between the alley ways of Manila city, look out for kids with a certain glow and bite behind their smiles. Look for the ones with sunkissed tans who speak in tongues. Look for the ones whose feet barely dip into murky bay waters and fingertips grazing moonlight. 

A dummy’s guide to Filipino folklore. Manila Encounters was inspired by a hashtag on Twitter of the same name where people wrote their own twist to Filipino urban legends and folk stories.

Oh great, another Percy Jackson rip-off. the main characters are demi-gods or descendants of Gods. Original, I know.

WIP Playlist. driving at midnight sort of vibe.

"You may forget but let me tell you this: someone in some future time will think of us."

And I Love her is a queer romance story about a girl who just recently moved into an old but well maintained cottage in some seaside town in Europe—and she finds in the middle of dusty furniture and underneath cobwebs, a rotary telephone sitting there unused for decades. It rings unexpectedly one day and what greets her is a soft voice belonging to someone who lived 60 years ago.

a dreamnotfound fanfic inspired this. and the South Korean horror film, The Call. 

gay yearning agenda. so much yearning. so much. I’m projecting.

WIP Playlist. My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine, but it's been promised to another

A selected list of fics from my AO3 account. It’s gay.

I drowned a long time ago. Sakusa Kiyoomi isn’t in love. He’s devoted. Serial Killer AU.

Maaaring bang magkunwaring akin ka pa? A Tagalog Haikyuu fic based on the movie, Camp Sawi.

Marupok na puso ko. A Tagalog Haikyuu fic where they do the Filipino thing and get drunk.

My good puppy. My first try at writing smut. Jesus Christ.

Be my mistake. Where Kuroo Tetsurou calls up Tsukishima Kei one last time.

Make it hurt. The two times Atsumu Miya saw the entire universe behind Sakusa Kiyoomi’s eyes.

I still have a lot of stories that I hope to finish, I find it hard to discard or erase story ideas. So I hope one day, you can all watch me finish this list.

We Don’t Belong Here / Viva La Filipinas / Luna De Sangre Conspiracy / Lilith and Lysander’s Guide To Immortal Godparents / Lonely Hearts Club / A Lady’s Guide to Princes and Principles / Attack Block / Empty Thrones /  A Double Take / Stupid Cupid / Idle Town / Alice? / The 30 Day Deal / Lost Stars / The Apocalypse Program / Heartstrings  / Disastrously Danae

#Writeblr intro #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #about me #introduction #writeblr wip #intro #HI #PINNED. #wip intro

[qvuki]

sorry! this post became a bit long!

who am i? ➡

hey there! i’m qvuki, or you can call me vu. i’m 17. i go to a non-stationary upper secondary school (second year).  i’m autistic. i’m a closeted lesbian (only out to 1 person irl lmao.) and extremely closeted nb (no one knows irl ). i use primarily they/them, but she/her works too (most of the time.).  

i live in a shitty northern european country that’s hella  homophobic, transphobic, racist and xenophobic. i’m not a native english speaker but my mother tongue language skills are even poorer. 

because of my country being shitty that’s why my current wip has subtle hints for the Gays to understand these characters are lgbt+, and  for Straights to leave me alone.  it’s certainly not ideal but i’m not outing and risking myself for a story, lol. 

what do i write? ➡

common themes: symbolism (flower language), PLATONIC soulmates, dynamic duo, bromance (best friends loving each other as best friends)  best friends to enemies to lovers (whenever i decide to write romance that is), wlw romance (whenever i decide to write romance), loneliness, small towns, (im)mortality, complex morally grey characters, crime, mystery, supernatural/mythological beings, animal companions, lgbt+ characters  ... (can’t really remember anything else lmao.)

current wip:

[unnamed as of 16/11/2020.] - planning (a very ROUGH idea)

a crime/mystery novella (?) with mythological creatures that takes place in a small town. (can’t really write a good synopsis if i have like 0.1% idea what’s going to happen lmao.) 

themes (for certain): symbolism, dynamic duo,  bromance, loneliness in a small town, being lgbt+ in a small town (very subtle), animal companions,  crime, mystery, supernatural/mythological beings

note: this is for a mandatory thing in my country (for school). so my english teacher will be my main advisor. that’s why i’m making the lgbt+ hints subtle. </3

why did i make a writeblr? ➡

to help motivate me to finish my novella as well as make writer friends! i need me some writer friends. i love talking and listening to people about original characters! my asks and messages are always open to ramble about your characters/story! :)

also this is to help not lose my sanity by pretending my characters aren’t gay irl.

i think once i’ve kind of settled in and got more comfortable, i will be interested in joining discord servers. (not sure if i will make an alt for writeblr which will be a hassle, but then again i have bad trust issues lmao.)

i’m very open to following anyone; especially if they share some common themes with my stories. just reblog or like, and i’ll check your blog out! :D

#writeblr #new writeblr #writeblr intro #writeblr introduction #wtf do i tag this #not writing #about #god i havent been on tunglr for a while... #here goes nothing

[thefudge]

Do you have any Romanian (language or just content-wise) media recs? Particularly novels and poetry but really any must-sees/must-reads are welcome!

uuuu! 

my brain is too fried right now to do any kind of exhaustive list so i’m gonna rec a few things that i know you could get your hands on/available in translation:

for two thousand years, by mihail sebastian - really heartbreaking yet also lucid, adventurous and darkly humorous memoir of a Jewish writer in his youth at the height of nazism in romania (there’s even a Penguin classic of it)

diary of a short-sighted adolescent by mircea eliade - a funny and bittersweet bildungsroman about a bookish teenager who wants to read everything now and be the cleverest person alive while also struggling with being super lazy and unmotivated because he’s young and restless, it’s very #relatable. but it’s also fascinating to read this in opposition with “for two thousand years” because eliade entertained legionnaire nazi sympathies at one point. (also, you should check out his novellas too, especially the fantastic ones)

anything you can find in translation by gabriela adamesteanu - just lovely, delicate prose about growing up, being an adult, inhabiting your body and your feelings in an oppressive world 

the hatchet by mihail sadoveanu (apparently, there is a translation) - a lot of people give this novel flak, mostly because we had to read it in high school, but it’s a great and deceptively simple little novel that says a lot more about people than it cares to admit. the action takes you through several villages in the East-Carpathians, where a peasant woman goes in search of her missing husband. it’s a fascinating mixture of crime and folklore and mythology. 

any novella by costache negruzzi, but especially “alexandru lapusneanu”, another classic we had to read in school and which gets a lot of flak. it’s so bonkers and #quality-trash. let’s just say there’s a scene where the power-hungry voievod/prince lapusneanu enacts a red-wedding situation and builds a pyramid of freshly severed heads to impress his lady wife *swoon* 

the forest of the hanged by liviu rebreanu - i know people argue this isn’t his best novel, but it’s got the most heart. it’s the story of a soldier/philosopher in WW1 who falls in love with people again. that’s it. he falls in love with people, and the war and everything in between doesn’t matter anymore. or it matters only as it pertains to people, and people alone. 

gallants of the old court by mateiu caragiale - a bizarre gem of early 20th century Romanian nightlife, a wonderful, orgiastic fugue, feverish and infuriating. it’s mostly about rich men and social-climbers getting into existential trouble, but also into real trouble. normally, because the action takes place right before WW1, this would signify the end of an era. but we don’t really have a beginning or end. we are part-balkan, part-french imitators, part-whatever-sticks. nothing moves us, and everything does. and that’s why it’s a sort of love/hate letter to romanians 

in terms of poetry, some personal faves:  nichita stanescu, ana blandiana, monica pillat, marin sorescu,  a.e. baconsky, lucian blaga, emil brumaru, nora iuga, marta petreu, nina cassian. and yes, mihai eminescu, our national poet, though i’m often in two minds about him.  

poetry in translation is really hit and miss because of the “untranslatable”, so here’s two lines from a poem by nina cassian, because i want to show you what i mean:

            De când m-ai părăsit mă fac tot mai frumoasă             ca hoitul luminând în întuneric. 

this roughly and poetically translates to:

          Since you left me I’ve grown more beautiful

           like the corpse lighting the dark 

and this is sort of lovely on its own, but you’d need to know and hear and taste the word “hoit” in romanian to really feel the abjectness, because “hoit” is a smelly, ugly yet also alluring, already decomposing version of “cadavru” aka cadaver/corpse. also “ mă fac tot mai frumoasă” cannot be accurately summed up in “i’ve grown more beautiful”. a literal translation would be “I make myself more beautiful”. in romanian, this is obviously idiomatic and not literal. and yet, these strange self-reflexive valences make these lines strong and eerie, as if the speaker were authoring her beauty, shaping it out of clay and darkness and “hoit”,  like a butterfly cracking the corpse’s shell to get out, but also retaining some of its mesmerizing stench. why did i pause to do a close-reading of romanian poetry??? anyway, you catch my drift

in terms of movies, a recent one i really loved was sierranevada by cristi puiu, which is a neurotic family drama that drains you but also lifts you up 

and yeah, the hype is real, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days by cristi mungiu really is that good (about two young women trying to get an illegal abortion in communist romania. it won the palme d’or for very legit reasons. it breaks you in small ways. the very last shot of the film you’ll carry with you forever). i also liked graduation by cristi mungiu, where a young overachieving girl is about to graduate high school and go on to study abroad, until a terrible event unmoors both her and her family. the movie turns almost hallucinatory at one point, filled with ambiguity and a kind of sleep-walking quality 

tales from the golden age by cristi mungiu (him again!) is also fantastic for anyone who wants to get a taste of communist romania and the sad-funny absurdities of everyday life. this movie is split in 2 parts and the format is that of an anthology, almost like watching several short films at once. and there is one film in the anthology that always turns me inside out, and it’s really silly, it’s this bonnie and clyde type story about this girl and boy who meet at a party and devise an ingenious get-rich scam and just run around a few neighborhoods trying to put it into practice and it’s...the sweetest, most incomplete thing. there is such a strange, lovely connection there that never gets realized, and there is a MOMENT between them where he helps her step down from this ledge and he holds her briefly to him and i remember being in the cinema and thinking THIS, this is THE MOMENT where i felt these people were real. it was such an honest, lovely moment. like the equivalent of this song. ANYWAY, why am i rambling so much??? this ask was supposed to be SHORT. 

aferim! by radu jude is also a really neat movie and provides a look into the historical romanian/rroma relationship and why it’s so messed up, yet also so organic

the death of mr. lazarescu by cristi puiu is also a great little film about a man who gets sick and goes to the hospital. and...dies, as you can tell from the title. on the surface, he dies because of institutional ineptness and a broken healthcare system. at a deeper level, he dies because we no longer know how to help people. various hospital staff in the film do try to help him and fail for various stupid or quietly heartbreaking reasons. it’s a movie about being physically unable to care. there’s indifference, sure, but also this great exhaustion of the human spirit. but the movie is also darkly funny. might not be a great pandemic watch, but then again it might be exactly what you need 

there are soooo many other classics in terms of books (morometii by marin preda, for instance, about a patriarch in a small village in the South who slowly realizes the world he used to live in doesn’t have room for him anymore, and maybe it never had) but i’m gonna end on a quote from ion creanga, one of the most cryptic classics of romanian lit:

“Şi eu eram vesel ca vremea cea mai bună şi şturlubatic şi copilăros ca vântul în tulburea sa”

my translation: “and I was cheerful like the best weather and frolicsome and childish like the wind in its cloudiness” 

and again, the words in romanian and their particular sound and bite (”şturlubatic”, “tulburea”) immediately take me elsewhere. creanga writes about childhood, but it’s never really childhood. he writes as an adult who, in my opinion, was never really a child, but a weird, small god of the land. i mean the word “tulburea” can mean both “turmoil” and “muddiness”. the wind can be anguished, but also just a little cloudy, just a little hazy, shrinking its agony, howling it in the child. it’s eerie and gorgeous. so, that’s what he does: creanga writes about children as if they were wind-like spirits. he writes stories about devils and the peasants who trick them and school books filled with spit and flies, and warm eggs stolen from nests and fairy-tales of a world that is buried somewhere inside us, but not too deep, things hidden under our clothes or nails or even in our hair. and it’s all so physical and convoluted, just like his prose. and i don’t think anyone will ever make sense of him and that’s what makes him so discombobulatingly great.

anyway, this was supposed to be...like, really short! and not gassy! i’m sorry. i love waxing about all this gay stuff. i’m so gay about it. 

realistically tho, the nearest thing you’ll find in your local bookshop is probably books by famous ‘theater of the absurd’ playwright, eugen ionesco, or novels in translation by contemporary author mircea cartarescu. both are pretty good, so go for it! (if you want to start small, i’d recommend REM by mircea cartarescu, because it’s so trippy and meta and captures that summer holiday eeriness so well. it goes well with this romanian song sung in english)

okay byeeeee 

#romanian lit #recs #romanian literature #reference #my thoughts #romanian cinema #i hope no actual romanians come across this list and eviscerate me haha #im sorry this is such....MUCH

[unforth]

So I have no idea what The Untamed is, but I keep seeing it show up on my dash. So I kinda want to check it out. Can you tell me if there's actual queer representation in it? Or is it more of a destiel kind of situation right now? (Love your fanfic btw)

ALRIGHT ANON I hope you’re ready to listen to me go the fuck off cause I’m so gonna because I fucking love this show!

Right off the bat, to answer the “is it more of a destiel kind of situation” the answer is absolutely fucking not, nor will it ever be, because The Untamed is 50 episodes long and complete, so where it is now is where it will always be. And where it is now...okay, so The Untamed is based on a novel called Modao Zushi (variously translated but the most commonly accepted is “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation”). MDZS exists in five different versions - the original novel (complete), an animation (in progress), a comic (in progress), a radio drama (...actually I have no idea if it’s done...) and The Untamed (the live action TV show). 

What it is...it’s originally a Chinese BL danmei (a novel, in this case published serially on a subscription website) by an author who writes under the pseudonym Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s xianxia, which is a genre of Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology, religion, martial arts, and all kinds of other stuff...as a Westerner coming in with no experience, it’s been a LOT to learn the genre tropes and I’m still getting the hang of it, but you don’t need to know anything to appreciate the show - I didn’t, and nor did many of my friends, and we’ve all loved it. It has a wonderful ensemble cast (...okay, well, full disclosure, it has a wonderful male ensemble cast, the women in the novel leave something to be desired, they’re much better fleshed out in The Untamed but I could still wish for more in that regard...) with tons of side shipping potential...like, my favorite character isn’t even one of the two in the main ship, and I’d honestly be hard pressed to even name a top five because I love them all so much, and there’s a side ship I love almost as much as the main ship, and is also so close to canon as makes no difference, at least imo. The plot is pretty well fleshed out (or at least the points that are nonsensical are surprisingly easy to ignore...if you’ve seen Jupiter Ascending it had some of the same feel in that regard, like “parts of this writing are a trash fire but I’m enjoying the overall effect so much that I don’t even care any more”). The sets and the costumes are absolutely fucking gorgeous and if the CGI for some of the monsters made me want to weep it was so bad...well, I was a fan of Hercules the Legendary Journeys in the 90s so I’m prepared to forgive a lot to watch hot guys kick some ass, and speaking of the hot guys...

The main ship is composed of this guy, Wei Wuxian...

He is a quintessential disaster bi and I love him and would die for him. The novel is told primarily from his PoV and even The Untamed tends to focus more on his angle than others.

His other half is this guy, Lan Wangji...

(okay the glasses are NOT canon but how am I supposed to resist that line??). He is rule-following, law-abiding, and I totally didn’t get him at first and now I adore him.

This is full enemies to lovers in the best possible way.

From a Destiel PoV, I basically write Wei Wuxian the same way I write Dean, and I basically write Lan Wangji the same way I write Castiel, and people tell me pretty often that they love my characterizations so...the personality parallels, they are strong.

Their ship is most commonly called WangXian. Are they canon? In the novel, yes. They are canon. They are literally married. They have actual explicit sex that you can read in all its glorious detail (actually I shouldn’t talk it up that much I didn’t personally enjoy the canon sex all that much but that’s a totally different topic). They are the most canon of canon, no holds barred, mano-a-mano, god I wish they’d use lube, I can tell you who canonically tops and bottoms and what their main kinks are, and they are so in love and there are ridiculous declarations at the worst possible moments and there’s a wedding...it’s canon. 

Now, China has some pretty crazy censorship laws that include making it an arrestable, punishable offense to make the queer explicit in the TV show. Thus, there is no explicit moment where, in The Untamed, they say, “yes we are a couple and we are in love.” However, the following things are canon:

-they are soulmates (link to gif set by @ohsesuns - the source for these two gifs, I hope you can forgive me just embedding them but someone asked me for a guide and I think just linking might not get the point across/require too much expectation of people clicking through...)

-they have their own theme song...which is called the portmanteau of their ship name (link to gif set by @wangxiians, with two used for demonstration purposes...again, my apologies for embedding them like this, I’ll pull them if you’d prefer) And mind you, in this scene, Lan Wangji just sang their song out loud while a montage played of important moments in their relationship with each other it is the gayest most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.

-THIS IS LITERALLY HOW THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER

-neither has a female love interest or any other romantic subplot or any kind of “fake out” and this is the way Lan Wangji looks every time Wei Wuxian is like, “you’re never gonna get a girlfriend with that attitude” (labeled as by someone named mabomanji on a website called tenor that I’ve never used before...)

-DID I MENTION THIS IS HOW THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER

-oh and they have a son...sort of...close enough...okay it’s way more complicated than that but whatevs I don’t want to spoil all the fun...

-OH MY GOD I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION THE HANDFASTING? Lan Wangji constantly lets Wei Wuxian touch the “sacred headband that only family members and loved ones can touch” and at one point to protect Wei Wuxian he wraps it around each of their wrists (source for this screen cap is a set on twitter by krayziewes)

I’m sure at least three people will look at this and be like HOW DID YOU LEAVE OUT THIS OTHER THING and all three things they name will be DIFFERENT because the show is just that fucking gay.

So you ask me, is it like Destiel?

With Supernatural, with Destiel, the show writers, producers, everyone, strings us along, giving us just enough to think we’ve got a chance. The only risk they face in making it canon would be a drop in rating and alienation of some of the fanbase and yet they refuse to do it. I do not believe and have never believed that Destiel will be canon, and my reaction is constant disappointment, because seriously, what would it cost them to show it? Absolutely fucking nothing, especially now that it’s ending now, but they won’t. (okay, that’s just my opinion, I guess the last few episodes will show...but I at least have zero hope.)

With The Untamed...with Wangxian...literally everyone involved in The Untamed risked being disappeared by the Chinese government and actual imprisonment to make the show as gay as humanly possible without quiiiiiiiiiiite crossing the line into explicit queerness. Behind the scenes footage makes it clear that the entire cast and production crew have read the novel. The crew jokingly refers to Wei Wuxian as Lan Wangji’s wife (yeah, sorry, there’s some splashes of misogyny especially in the novel) and the looks on any of the actors’ faces when they’re interviewed and asked about (female) love interests are honestly fucking priceless...but no one can say it out loud, no one can make it explicit in the purest sense, because they risk their livelihoods, their families, their futures, their lives, if they say in reply to that interviewer, “um are you a fucking moron didn’t you realize there WAS a romance in the show and it was between two men?” But everyone with a half a brain knows. It’s not subtle. It’s not a secret. My straight cis male friend who is watching keeps screaming at me about how gay it is and he’s only on like episode 10.

Would I kill for a canon kiss or an actual traditional love declaration?

Yes, of course, I’d love that. 

But do I think WangXian isn’t canon in The Untamed just because it isn’t shown in those most simplistic terms?

Oh my god it is so canon WangXian are husbands and they are in love and they live for each other and it’s amazing and I adore theeeeeeeeeeeem. 

Wangxian. Are. Canon.

#unforth rambles #the untamed #wangxian #i don't even know how to tag this #i hope you're prepared for my love letter to canon anon #because I seriously could not love these two more #Anonymous

[dr-who-said-lgbtq-rights]

i, a fan of superwholock, dissect and give my opinion on the individual shows

idk i thought this would be fun and i currently have 4-5 hours to kill soooo

let’s start with

doctor who

(only new who. i have not seen the older stuff :( )

k. so. i have been a fan of this since i was pretty young. honestly i think i was a little too young to be watching it when my mom first showed me it but that’s beside the point. basically: i really like dr who

this is probably the best show out of superwholock, both in my opinion and in general. however... i am going to be nitpicky bc why not

1. the canon. 

(yes the example is abt a dr who episode)

in short, the canon is comprised of a) retcons and b) contradictions. im not an avid follower of canon with any media but good god nobody can keep up with dr who canon

(i am blaming moffat bc i hate him and i think a lot of it is his fault anyway)

2. representation

honestly, the representation isn’t bad. however, i would describe it less as “good” and more as “a good starting point.”

for example, there is quite a bit of queer rep, POC rep, and a lot of characters are women. however, while this is nice, the show could still use a lot more rep, and the rep it has currently should probably be improved upon (for example: jack harkness is NOT straight, but he falls under the “multi-spec person wants to screw everyone” stereotype (i have not seen torchwood so this may be amended in that i just needed an example off the top of my head)).

3. story

some people yearn for romance. i yearn for the days when the doc would take their companion to some party, flirt with a tree, the companion almost dies while britney spears is playing in the background, etc. etc.

basically, the story starts out nice. just a bunch of goofing off, maybe a “big deal” thing here and there. life was fun.

then, the story changes. (this happened specifically from eleven onward, so yeah you can bet your ass im blaming moffat ‘cuz it’s his fault) things gradually became less fun. conspiracies ran amok; just when you thought it was over, turns out there’s an even bigger part of this plan that what you just defeated. the doc actually started caring about the timeline (what happened to time being wibbly wobbly?) sure, there are still fun episodes where the doc and the companion(s) go out for funsies but it’s just not the same as it was. 

4. morals

morals are good. basically:

you can have a dark past but still have a bright future, and

be kind

bonus 5. cowardice

at least one of the doctors played by one of the male actors should have worn a dress. there were plenty of opportunities but noooooo there’s a gender binary or something (like,,, they’re an alien????? if gender on gallifrey is the same as gender on earth i am going to fly to britain and drop kick some writers)

OVERALL

needs work, but p good and enjoyable.

~~~

now it’s time for 

sherlock

just. um. ohhh boy. basically

but i am going to do my best

1. representation

eugh. representation was baaaad in this. like, i think the only POC in the entire show that had any significance were the Chinese gang members and that is like,,, incredibly poor rep. i think the innkeepers in thob were gay but that’s as far as queer rep goes. there were a few women, i would die for all of them, we need more women. also the “im a high functioning sociopath” line makes me cringe everytime

basically this show had shit representation

2. john

okee he’s a great character right??? the common sense of the operation right??? wrong

he cheated on mary??? and we don’t address it like,,, at all??? it made me so fucking mad. 

(again fuck you moffat and gatiss probably had something to do with it too so im mad at him as well)

3. sherlock

classic “let’s make him a bitch” mistake. needs the stick surgically removed from his ass

4. story

story’s actually not that bad. it’s not like, great or anything but i enjoy it

bonus 5. ending

i just want to address it. i think the ending was p good and yall tjlc-ers are just upset that they didn’t bang or anything. they’re literally living in the same [two-room] flat??? and they’re raising rosie???? TOGETHER???? like what more do you want

anyway sherlock’s ace soooo

OVERALL

eh. needs LOTS of work. i love mrs hudson tho, she’s beautiful

~~~

and finally

supernatural

ohohoh. boooyyyy.

(plz forgive me this is so shitty but i threw it together in like,,, a minute)

1. story

aight so the first five seasons? p good. not much to say there

the other ten? the skill level of the writing went wayyyyyy down but i still enjoyed it

2. representation

this show is notorious for bad rep and for good reason. kevin, our beloved prophet and the only recurring asian-american character? dead. charlie, so nerdy and fun and also a lesbian? dead. castiel, the angel who was totally gay? dead. basically: if you find yourself in spn and you are not a straight white man, etc etc, you are going to a) die or b) die but in a worse way

3. mythology/treatment of religions

okay so. a while back i had a wicca/witchcraft hyperfixation which was closely followed by a general pagan religions hyperfixation, so i know some stuff here and there abt religions.

and good golly does this show make me MAD

why is christianity the central and most powerful religion? (i know why, it’s a rhetorical question) why do you demonize the other religions?? (again it’s rhetorical)

one thing that really annoys me is when they say something is a “pagan god.” like,,, do you know how many gods that contains??? if you didn’t know, a religion is considered pagan if it isn’t under the abrahamic religions umbrella. what are the abrahamic religions, you ask? well, they are christianity, judaism, and islam. literally every other religion ever is a pagan religion. so, when they say “it’s a pagan god,” i cry.

back to demonizing... they literally made a greek muse eat someone. my greek mythology phase ended a long time ago and i didn’t really get into the muses but i am p sure they didn’t eat people. also the fact that it makes hoodoo look dark and stuff when it’s actually more abt peace and healing... i bet ten dollars it’s because hoodoo was created by enslaved african americans

there are so many examples of this show disrespecting religions... i just can’t

4. general notes

(for you himym fans: *saluting* general notes) (sorry i couldn’t resist)

-the filler episodes/episodes where random shit happened were the best

-the finale memes are *chef’s kiss*

-god there’s so much abt this show that i can’t even choose bc my brain is overloading

-am i glad amara wasn’t ganked at the end of s11? yes. am i happy about the dean/amara kiss? gods no

-john winchester 🤝 steven moffat: getting a spot on my “fuck you” list

OVERALL

there is just. so much improvement needed. however if there is an absolute shit show with likeable characters i tend to gravitate to it

~~~

and for funsies let’s talk abt superwholock as a whole

-honestly im a sucker for crossover fandoms. if you scroll far enough on my blog you may find my rotbtd fanart. 

-it’s honestly just a fun idea

-there’s a lot of ways you could make it happen and all of them are fun

-great opportunities for rarepairs so rare no crackshipper has thought of it

~~~

aight that’s it. thank you for reading! if you have any questions abt my opinions abt other aspects of the shows just ask, i like talking abt this

#dr-who-said... something #as a side note: if you wanna hear abt pagan religions just ask #i may not be fixated on it anymore but i still find them interesting #superwholock

[viltrumitesuperboy]

“I’m Spider-Man” (Peter Parker x Male Reader)

It’s Tom Holland’s birthday and I (finally) finished something yesterday.

Partially requested by: @rklf001

Peter tries to tell you that he's Spider-Man.

Word count: 1537

"I'm Spider-Man. I am... Peter. I. Am. Spider-Man. I am Spider-Man. I'm... gay. I'm bi. And I'm Spider-Man."

Peter groaned and hit his head on the mirror, sighing as he pushed himself back from it. He stared at his face in the mirror, sighing and trying a few more times.

"Peter, dinner!"

He left his room in defeat to wash his hands then went back to the kitchen to help set the table.

"Peter, are you still trying to talk to that friend of yours about being in love with him?" Aunt May asked with her hands on her hips.

He jumped, almost hitting his elbow on the counter as he was grabbing forks and plates.

"What? No! May, of course I don't like him that way," he sputtered out, rushing back to the dining table mostly to hide his face.

"I know you do. And I heard you in there," May said, placing a bowl down in the middle of the table. "You're trying to tell him you're Spider-man? Why?"

"I just... he's one of my few... only friends and I want to be able to trust him with that information. Ned already knows, I just have to tell (Y/N) and MJ," he said.

May smiled and put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb on his shirt as he looked away.

"Hey, look at me. Would you rather he found out the way Ned and I did? I mean, it was kind of funny but you know that you'll have to explain a lot more. And I'm sure he'll still be one of your best friends."

Peter started to smile and gave her a hug.

"Thanks, May."

"Take him to a museum."

"May!"

You and Peter were sitting on a large rock overlooking northern Central Park. The sun was up, and it was still morning. Families were playing together on the large patches of grass.

"Look. That kid just did a backflip!" you laughed in awe. "That's so cool."

Peter shifted, giving you an awkward smile when you turned to him.

"What's up?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, and turned your body to face him more.

"(Y/N), I... I am-"

"In love with me?"

His eyes widened as he stared at you in shock.

"I- no, that's- no!" he stuttered. "I mean it's true but that's not what I wanted to tell you!"

You laughed and put your hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine. MJ and Ned kept telling me and I didn't believe them. But then you started saying something that sounded like that so... I'm sorry," you sighed, putting your hand down and giving him an apologetic look.

"Do you wanna go to the Met?" Peter blurted out.

"Like, as a date or...?"

"Yeah."

"Then let’s go!"

"Peter, look at this!"

You pointed at a piece of armour and started to explain it.

"So, the Japanese were the first ones to use leather armour. It was much lighter than the metal armour the Europeans used, and it's tough so you can't get a sword through it that easily. And over here is the longbow the Mongols used! So much more efficient than crossbows, obviously with skill. Also, their system made a lot more sense. Europeans had a monarchy, but these guys did it by how useful with battle skill they were."

Peter listened to your rant and followed you as you speed walked to the different objects through the entire museum that caught your eye. You kept going through about four different sections before he stopped you.

"Sorry, but we've spent like 3 hours in these 4 sections. Do you wanna go get lunch and then come back?"

You checked your phone before awkwardly laughing, agreeing with him as you headed for the exit.

"I got carried away, I'm sorry," you said.

"No, it's okay. It was fun watching you get so hyper. That was like me when I- when I, uh, helped Ned with that Lego Death Star set," Peter replied.

"You hesitated."

"Wha- I mean it though!"

"Whatever you say, Peter."

After a lunch you shared in the park, you went back to the museum, this time on the left side. Once again, you were giving him just some of your knowledge of the historical subjects until you both reached the Greek and Roman sculptures section.

"I've read all the Percy Jackson books. I got this," you bragged, holding a hand out to Peter.

"I've read them multiple times through," Peter retorted. "I bet we don't even have to look at the plaques."

You both gave each other knowing glances before beginning at the first piece of art, immediately naming the Greek mythological character in it before giving each other a high five and laughing.

"Oh my god, we're actually nerds," you laughed.

"This could only be worse if we played Mythomagic," he responded, moving to the next piece.

"Maybe someone should make that game," you mumbled.

"Dionysus!"

"Dude, I was distracted! Not fair."

You both burst into another fit of giggles but moved on quickly when people around you began staring. As you continued through the many sculptures, Peter's hand found yours and you smiled just for a moment. Then he pulled you along and you couldn't stop smiling as you both continued to compete to name each character.

Once it was about 5 PM, you both exited the museum to the subway, hoping to get to Peter's place to hang out with Ned and MJ.

"Hey, uh, (Y/N)?" he suddenly said once you were both seated in the train car.

"What's up?" you answered, leaning in a little closer to hear him talk over the train's noise.

"I didn't meant to tell you that I really liked you romantically and that I wanted to take you out on a date. I mean, not today. I was planning to tell you that I... I am..." Peter trailed off.

He opted to take both your hands and fumble with them.

"Peter?"

"Well, first, I just want to say that today was really, really nice. And you were really cute today just talking about all the history and art stuff you know, not that you're not always cute. I just don't want your view of me to change when I tell you this one thing."

You furrowed your eyebrows before giving him a reassuring smile.

"You can tell me," you said quietly, squeezing his hands.

"(Y/N), I'm Spider-Man."

The rumbling train hid his voice from the rest of the world, but you heard him clearly.

"I-I'm sorry, what? You're joking, right?" you asked in shock, studying his face for any sign that he was lying.

"That's what I wanted to tell you earlier but you cut me off," he admitted, giving you a guilty look.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I mean, I guess I believe you? I don't really have proof for why not."

The train stopped at your station and he let go of one of your hands for both of you to leave, and you smiled at the fact that your hand was being held by a boy you had a massive crush on before remembering what you were just told. You both did a bit of a speedwalk to his apartment, all the while you peppering him with questions about being Spider-Man, his powers, how he hid his identity (to which he answered "I don't know" and he quickly pulled you into his room and shut the door.

He opened his bag and took his clothes off, everything but his boxers.

"What the- Peter!" you scolded.

He pulled the familiar red and blue outfit onto his body. It was extremely loose and seemed to just be a bad cosplay, but then he pressed the center and it tightened onto his slim body. He then reached in and pulled out two cylindrical objects out and the famous mask.

"You... I guess you are Spider-Man," you mumbled.

"I guess I am."

You took the mask, inspecting it and seeing the "face" of the person who had saved hundreds of people ever since he first appeared.

"I just wanted to be able to trust you with this. Ned found out by accident and so did May, so I wanted the person I really, really liked that I am, uh, Spider-Man," Peter quietly said, fumbling with what you figured were his web shooters. “By the way, I can do a backflip.”

"Well, I'm glad you told me. All those things."

You pulled him into a hug, enjoying the embrace of someone you cared about deeply.

"I should take this off. MJ and Ned are coming over and MJ doesn't know."

"Right, right."

You both reluctantly pulled back and he put his regular clothing back on, shoving his suit into his closet as you both smiled at each other. The ringer that let you know someone was downstairs rang and he suddenly leaned over and pressed a kiss to your cheek. He rushed out his room to answer it, and you blushed as you watched him leave. It seemed that you needed to go on more dates with him if you wanted more of those kisses.

#male reader #peter parker x male reader #x male reader #peter parker x male!reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine

[amwritingmeta]

21 Supernatural Questions

I was tagged by @deletingpoint - thanks for the kind words, girl!! Made my day! You rock the block! And yes don’t mind if I do join in, this looks fun. :P

1. When did you start watching Supernatural?

I’d seen stray episodes before - I’ve absolutely no clue which ones - but then I binged S1-6 in 2013 while being ill with the flu and I was hooked before it came up, because I loved S1-3 and the brother dynamic and thought it was a really awesomely well-written piece of television, but when they introduced the will-they-won’t-they-make-this-uber-masculine-guy-be-into-guys-and-specifically-the-guy-with-wings I was pretty much gone for. So I caught up on the show and watched it until a few episodes into S9 (don’t judge me, I was surface watching and couldn’t get with the program at the time because why wasn’t Dean gay already??) and then I quit watching for a few years because I couldn’t stand the grey area and the uncertainty. I also wasn’t invested enough to stand it, tbh, and felt, naw, I’ll get back to this if it ever seems like they’re actually gonna do anything with this thing they’re hinting so strongly at. Picked it back up while S12 was airing and here we now are.

2. Who is your favorite in TFW?

But the other two might get jealous!

(okay, it’s Cas)

3. Who is your least favorite in TFW?

They’re the holy trinity and none of their character progression works without all of them taking up their allotted space in the narrative and how can you not love them all what is wrong with this question why am I hyperventilating why aren’t they beloved equally gaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

(but Cas is my favourite)

4. Tag your top 5 Supernatural blogs!

I sincerely can’t, but I can tag a few people whom I very much appreciate and whose answers to this questionnaire I would be intrigued to see: @godshipsit​ @charlie-minion​ @mad-as-a-box-of-frogs​ @waywardliliana​ @natmoose​ @purgatory-jar​ @myed89​ @inacatastrophicmind​ @rustling-pages​ @angelneedshunter​ @nerdylittleshit​ @obsessionisaperfume​ @assbuttboyfriends​ @misskittyspuffy​ @starsinursa​ @postmodernmulticoloredcloak​ @casismybestfriend​ @mittensmorgul​ @elizabethrobertajones​  - you’re all like bursts of colour and glitter glue and I’m happy you’re around! :) (btw I always find it awkward to tag specific peeps because there are so many of you lovelies that I would honestly tag so just know that this most likely includes you) (yeah that’s right) (YOU) <3

5. Who is your favorite character (not including TFW)?

Jack

6. Who is your favorite woman in Supernatural?

Rowena

7. John or Mary?

Mary

8. What were your first opinions of Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack?

Sam: my first impression of him was very coloured by my impression of Jared as Dean on Gilmore Girls, so to hear someone call Jared Sam and then this Sam call someone else Dean was a bit jarring while watching the pilot. My earliest opinion of Sam was that he was kind, good with people, skilled, independent and, yes, haunted by past choices.

Dean: Immediate impression was oh, he’s one of those guys, and then almost straight away that first impression was blown to bits and everyone knows that he’s very, very easy to fall in love with quickly, so my love for him grew strong within a few episodes, for sure. First opinion formed holds until this day: someone who’s lost and who’s searching for a way home. In every sense of that sentence. 

Cas: Holy shitballs, who’s this now?? was pretty much my first reaction to Cas’ entrance. It blew me away. It was an absolute game changer. It made me sit up. It made my brain go... are they... are they going to make Dean Winchester... is Dean Winchester into men?? And because on my first watch I’d not seen the little hints of this that now are so damn glaringly obvious, the chemistry between Dean and Cas literally made a lot of shit click into place for me regarding what I was potentially actually watching, and raised my emotional investment sky high considering the possible social commentary baked into the overall message of family and identity, and yeah, that still holds true to this day.

Jack: I was ready to fight tooth and nail for him after 12x19. That episode is still one of the best 42 or so minutes of television I’ve ever seen. The plant of Jack as a needed push for Cas’ progression hit me in the heart, and once it clicked that Jack represented the holy trinity of Heaven, Hell, Humanity, and how he might narratively prove a knitting point for TFW, something for them all to rally around, well, I was pretty much done for.

9. What’s your favorite season?

This is a really hard question because watching a season from start to finish means taking all of it in, and all of them - when start-to-finished - I feel are rather outstanding, but twist my arm and I’ll say: S1 or S4 or S5 or S8 or S9 or S11 or S13 (I can’t narrow it down to just one season alright?) and S14 and looking at what we have so far with this unfinished season I’d name S15, definitively.

10. What’s your least favorite season?

Oh, man. Make a girl sweat. So, here’s the thing, I genuinely see each season as adding something valuable to the whole, you know? I suppose S6 drags a bit, but I really like the tone and the noir sensibility of it, so I wouldn’t really call it my least favourite, but if I were to choose one season to binge over a weekend, S6 wouldn’t necessarily be first pick.  

11. Opinions on Destiel?

Ah, yes, the obligatory essay question. Please see attachment. *points to blog*

12. Do you believe Supernatural queerbaits?

Look, to my mind, the reason Dean and Cas aren’t together yet is character related. They need to get their fucking ducks in a row. (and then those ducks will hopefully be fucking all over the place) (okay that’s graphic bird sex but you know what I mean) (not literally Dean and Cas dressed up as ducks and fucking) (but like... good stuff for the eyes will be happening that isn’t necessarily fucking feather related) (wait) (oh ffs brain!!) (you HAD to go there didn’t you??) (moving on) (or rather answering the question) --> I don’t believe they queerbait, no. 

13. Seasons 1-7 or 8-14?

8-15x03

14. Favorite villain (plot wise)?

*chills are multiplying* 

I love Chuck as the Big Bad, sincerely, but oh mannnn Michael.

15. Do you think they should end the Lucifer plot line?

Yeah, this questionnaire has been in drafts for a while now so um... I mean, the Lucifer plot line as it pertains to SAM should reach a satisfactory conclusion, but as it pertains to Lucifer’s play for Jack and breaking God’s toys etc. yeah, no, done.

16. Who do you think has gone through more trauma (Sam, Dean, or Cas)?

That’s too relative to their highly linked, and yet wholly individual relationship with their past and lingering sense of trauma. I think @deletingpoints reply was something along the lines of: Can you measure trauma? And I agree. They’ve all been deeply traumatised at different stages of their life and they’ve all dealt with their individual trauma in different ways. 

17. What’s your favorite Supernatural episode?

I’m sorry, what? I thought you just asked me to pick one favourite episode out of 3678916236363487236783 times infinity. This is mathematically impossible and since I’m sadly not fluent in math and have absolutely no access to any type of calculator or abacus or, I don’t know, a neighbour who happens to make amazing fucking latte and dresses in knits and is attractive in a non-conventional way and also happens to be a math genius, I must reject the question outright and plead the 105th. (i.e. I cannot possibly)

18. Do you like case episodes?

Where’s that gif of Dean going Dude Yes?

^^^

19. Who do you relate most to in TFW?

Darling Cas. Socially awkward and lost but growing into his own skin Castiel. My God, I love him so dearly. There are not words for how much I relate to him, or for what he’s done for my personal self-reflection, or how much I’m now re-relating to his need to push himself out of his comfort zone and dare. I owe him. *hugs into oblivion*

20. Why do you like Supernatural?

Ohhhhh, goody, one of those multi-choice questions. Is it:

a) because of the absolutely stunning character journeys 

b) because of the absolutely smashing world and all its mythology 

c) because of the underlying social commentary and the intricate use of subtext to effectively, though subtly, bring ideas linked to the conscious/unconscious sides to us into not only the use of already mentioned mythology, influencing the world building, but also wholly guiding, impacting and giving momentum to the already mentioned stunning character journeys

d) all of the above

e) all of the above, and a little bit more that would take an actual book to relay

E. It’s E. All the way the answer is E. 

21. If you could bring back one character and kill off another who would they be?

I’d bring back Eileen and holy moly Shoshanna is coming our way. And I don’t have a character to kill off tbh. Let them live, I say. :)

I genuinely tag EVERYONE. Go on, everyone, you know you wanna!  :) xx

#tag me if you decide to #tag along #:D

[trustandblasters]

So wait, you mentioned making a channel about paganism/witchcraft. Do you practice? What path are you on if you do? Why don't you talk bout it more, it's really cool

Ehh, sorry for the late reply, i’ve been struggling with how to answer this.

For a short answer: Yes, I am a practicing Witch and follow a Pagan Religion. My path is an eclectic mess tbh, though is heavily Celtic and Wicca in leaning. The Pagan Community tends to make me want to keep quiet?

To be more in depth, yes I am a practicing pagan witch that works on spells and rituals with the occasional observance of a Sabbath (when work doesn’t keep me to busy) that follows a personalized path combining leanings from Wicca, Celtic Reconstruction, Norse Folk Traditions, and a few elements that come from my Christian background/childhood. The path is entirely my own though I do a lot of research on mythology, history, herbalism (it isn’t a substitute for medicine, go to a fucking doctor), crystals, divination, ect. I am open to questions, no you can’t see my Grimoire/Book of Shadows, I’m not interested in students, yes I am open to discussions on various topics concerning it. 

For the why I keep quiet part it is generally because, especially on Tumblr, I find the Pagan/Witchblr community to just be... very... out of touch with reality? That is probably the most polite way to say it. Now, I won’t sit here and take potshots at people that claim kin or godspouse stuff. They aren’t hurting anyone and I believe in the concept of reincarnation so for the most part I am good with all but Fictionkin (and specifically only ones that claim to be characters from anime/manga/video games/ect), Godspouses I take a huge issue with but again, they aren’t hurting anyone so if it helps them then You do You Boo. 

Now, to be a nitty gritty type thing, I will say this before I continue: I am aware that some of my views on Paganism, Witchcraft, Magic, and Occultism is something that will likely piss off some people in the Witchblr community. If you are apart of this community and anything in this post offends you? Move on. I genuinely don’t give two fucks this is my own opinion and path. I will answer to my gods when I die, and so will you so before you start any sort of hateful comment or message remember it isn’t your place to judge or condemn me, especially if you preach Tolerance to others. 

Now on to why I specifically don’t like talking about it: I find most of Witchblr in general to be slightly out of touch with Reality at the best of times and almost fully insane at worst. What I mean by this is that, while I follow a mystical path and practice magic I tend to keep things firmly rooted in what is actually possible concerning the Laws of Physics and Reality. While a spell that can call upon a Massive Thunderstorm that takes months to prepare and weeks to cast looks amazing and will likely get the caster to release a lot of energy by the end of the day a human can’t pull a Massive Thunderstorm out of absolutely nothing. 

Spells and rituals to get your dream job are all well in good but without some foot in the door already you aren’t getting that job. I won’t use the anology about submitting an application because I personally know that somethimes, someone can get a job without one. 

What I mean is, regardless of that spell, for you to get that job means that someone in the Hiring Team needed to already know you in some form. Maybe another person in the company with a lot of power suggested you for the position (this happened to me), maybe you personally know someone on the hiring team and they hooked you up, maybe you were well known in the company for a completely different reason and they offered you the position. All possible reasons for you to get a job offer without needing a resume/application. 

Because at the end of the day, no spell can magically put your information in a completely unknown company’s system so they know you are employable potential. 

I’ll see posts in witchblr about spells that promise a lot of effects, and while I am all for using magic to help get what you want I am fully against the idea that you can just Magick things your way with no mundane effort. A spell can help you get a job but without some effort you wont get it. A spell can help encourage a storm, but if it/s 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky chances are the spell isn’t going to work. 

I also tend to get really weirded out by witches and practicioners that claim to have these supposedly really deep connections with their gods, to the point that they claim they always feel their presence. Now, history and mythology has shown us that sometimes deities can favor a mortal for really odd or nonsensical reasons but I tend to side eye witches that claim to have these deep connections with gods that for all intents never had any historical or mythological backing for even liking mortals. Let alone working with them. (A lot of Deities that could be classified as ‘Evil’ or ‘Chaotic’ in particular, but most of the time when this topic comes up it is usually for a lot of ‘mainstream’ gods like Thor, Loki, Odin, Poseidon, Zues, Anubis, ect).

I’ve worked with otherworldly energies, usually those of the Fair Folk/Fairies. Occasionally I have felt the energies of what I would consider a deity, but from a personal perspective I tend to find it some what showing in the other witch’s hubris when they claim a particular God/Goddess ‘Chose Them’ and they have this deep connection (and it is always a very popular Pop Culture God, and the Witch is usually young and female or young and gay)

Maybe I am wrong on this, and maybe many witches do have this kind of deep bond with their gods. Perhaps it is my own self-worth issues that make me see working with the energies of gods to be something to above someone as mundane as myself. But it is something that weirds me out. 

I also find the Witchblr community to be too full of SJWs as well. Now, I understand the concept of a Closed Religion. Certain areas of the Pagan Umbrella are areas I myself cannot go because of my bloodline/family history and thus I respect the fact these are closed religions and I cannot practice any of their concepts (Native American practices and Hoodoo/Voodoo are big ones here).

But I find Witchblr to take it to full on hysteria and purity culture. It genuinely concerns me that they police each other in so much fine detail that you could post something as mundane as ‘Rose Quartz can be used in Self Love Spells’ and chances are someone will send you an ask or anon ripping you a new one for getting some part of that sentence wrong. 

Going from there, a lot of spells I see posted also look to.... I guess ‘Fluff Bunny’ to me. For those who aren’t aware, in the Witchcraft Community, a Fluff Bunny is one who isn’t actually a witch but claims to practice witchcraft for the Aesthetic. Generally most of what they say is inaccurate and there is an 80% chance they will try to sell you a crappy essential oil and colored glass with some fruity quartz label and say it can cure some ailment. 

Now, for the most part spells are used to bring about a desired outcome by using ingredients and items with the desired attributes to attract that outcome. Quite a few spells on Witchblr follow this but most i’ve seen are making a spell more for the Aesthetics of Witchcraft rather than an actual spell. 

This might be somewhat rambly, but yeah. I don’t talk about my religion a lot due to me finding the Pagan community on tumblr to be just to out there for me. Hope this helps?

[thecasualinsomniac]

Rollercoaster Dancer

Everyone needs some dancing Virgil in their lives, right?

Pairings: LAMP

Warnings: broken hand mention, hospital mention (nothing serious)

Song imagined/listened to whilst writing this piece because it’s what I’ve had on repeat for the past three days because I love it: Rollercoaster by Bleachers

I’m dead tired and wrote this in one go, who needs editing? Psh. Anyway, enjoy this thing that wouldn’t let me sleep until I wrote it. I do not dance, so I’m sorry I can’t actually describe dancing, but I gave it my best. Listen to the song

——————————————————————————————————————————

When Roman, Patton, and Logan decided to go get groceries in order to restock on cookie dough, pancake batter and crofters, they of course invited their fourth boyfriend Virgil to go with them. 

It had started with Patton and Roman, constantly flirting and blushing. While both were sweet on their own, it was saturatingly overwhelming for Logan and Virgil, their roommates, to be around them. Especially since Logan and Virgil were also in love with Roman and Patton. A month passed of Logan and Virgil spending less time around the pair before they asked Logan to be their boyfriend as well; they wanted to ask Virgil too, but they barely saw him enough anymore to catch him for a minute to ask him before he was back out the door. 

It was agony for Virgil to be around the happy trio. 

Golden Patton, with rounded edges, freckles, bright blue eyes and plump pink lips that practically begged to be kissed. Kind Patton, who made sure he ate and left cookies outside of his room when he was having a bad day and cried anytime Virgil cried. Gentle Patton, who’d made Virgil’s patchwork hoodie by hand for his birthday when Patton found out Virgil had never gotten a birthday present before, the hoodie that Virgil was now rarely seen without, a constant source of comfort and feeling of love. 

Elegant Roman, with green eyes, dark red hair, high cheekbones and a smile that could dazzle anyone, straight or not. Protective Roman, who declared his love for Patton and his friends in grand threats toward imaginary foes and annoying homework, who once decked a man for insulting Virgil and promptly broke the guy’s nose and two of his own fingers. Virgil helped Roman decorate his cast when they got home from the hospital. 

And, of course, brilliant Logan. They’d been friends before meeting Roman and Patton in college. Logan, with his honey brown eyes and dark skin, curly black hair, and deep voice that melted Virgil like nothing else. Passionate Logan, with his unending desire to learn, everything, about anything, with his particular adoration for the universe and astronomy and all things space, who can name all of the constellations in the night sky and tell you the mythology behind them. Mindful Logan, who may be convinced that he feels things less than other people and is entirely too socially awkward, but is the first person Virgil can turn to when he needs to be talked down from a panic attack. 

Virgil was happy for his friends, he really was. They all deserved to be happy and in love, and he knew all three of them to be the most incredible people in existence, objectively. But to be around them together was not healthy, and so he filled his days with other activities. 

They finally managed to catch him at 3 am on Friday night, stumbling in as if he were drunk but was truly just honestly exhausted. He knew they were having a movie night tonight, and so had intentionally stayed out as late as he could, not wanting to be around his best friends as a group but not wanting to be alone in his room while they snuggled on the couch. It had been months since they had all hung out as a group, and each of them was aware that Virgil was avoiding them. After many discussions, they hoped they had figured out why, and intended to remedy the situation as soon as they could get Virgil to sit still for more than a minute. 

Logan woke up on the couch when Virgil came in, and quickly woke the others and Virgil silently slipped out of his shoes beside the door. Logan flipped the switch on the lamp beside the couch before he could leave. Virgil jumped and muffled a scream.

“Virgil! I apologize sincerely, I did not intend to startle you, merely provide some light so you did not trip in the darkness,” said Logan. He noticed Virgil’s hands shaking; pushing the waking Roman and Patton off of his lap, he quickly went over to Virgil. “In for four, hold for seven, out for eight,” he said quietly. Virgil just nodded, breathing with him. Logan watched, relieved, as Virgil slowly stopped shaking. Patton and Roman smiled as Logan sat back down with them on the couch.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you guys up, I’ll just go back to bed now,” Virgil said, starting to walk away before Roman caught him.

“Hold on for a minute, dark and stormy, we wanted to talk to you for a minute,” the princely man said. Virgil looked anxious again, but sat down. “Don’t fear, dear darkling, if it were anything bad I would of course protect you immediately,” Roman was quick to reassure him.

“We know you’ve been avoiding us, Virgil,” said Patton, grabbing Roman and Logan’s hands. “We think we know why, and we wanted to talk to you about that cause we think we finally figured out why.”

“Virgil, we’ve been friends for a long time,” said Logan. “You have always been someone who was important to me. Before we were friends, I was worried I would never be able to trust anyone, much less love them.” Virgil’s breath caught, his hands shaking slightly again.

“We’d like you to be our boyfriend,” said Roman, nervously. His legs twitched, and he fiddled with Logan’s hand. “I know we didn’t have a great start as friends, but you keep me grounded and my head from going too far into the clouds. I love Logan, but he’s not nearly as good as you as debating the good and bad qualities of Disney movies with me,” he laughed. 

“It’s ok if you want to take some time to think about it, kiddo,” said Patton. He looked at Virgil hopefully. “But you really need to know that you mean the world to us, and it’s made us really sad not to have you around. We need you with us, like Roman said, to keep us grounded, but also because you’re you. You make sure we turn the oven off and lock the doors at night. You text us when we go out to make sure we get there and back ok. You’re so incredible at everything you do, and we would be so incredibly happy if you do want to join us. If you don’t want to, though, that’s ok too-“ he was interrupted as Virgil lunged forward to hug the three of them with a breathy YES. They slept all together on the couch that night. They all woke up with back pain, but it was totally worth it to see Virgil’s smile in the morning when they all kissed him when they woke up. 

It had been three months since then, three glorious months of love unlike anything Virgil was ever aware was possible. He loved being around his loves, his best friends, his boyfriends, but found himself missing some of his hobbies from when he spent most of his time alone. Well, one in particular. 

Which is why, when Roman, Patton and Logan invited him to the grocery store with them, he declined in favor of having the house to himself. 

It took ten minutes just to clear away all of the furniture in the living room, enough space for him to move freely. It took another few minutes to shed his hoodie and other clothes, down to a tank top and leggings, and connect the music to the speakers. He cranked the volume, and got into position as the first notes came out, and he was off. 

The grocery store was closed for renovations, so Logan decided that they would go back into town the next day to go to the other store, which wasn’t open on weekends. They headed back home, and in the garage heard the music from the living room. They looked at each other a little confused, for Virgil usually just listened to his music on headphones. 

They cracked open the door, unsure if they should be concerned or not, only to slip into the kitchen and look into the living room in shock. 

Virgil flew through the air as if gravity was nonexistent. They realized, each individually, that they’d never actually seen him without baggy clothes and a hoodie on, and each individually realized how extremely gay they were for their boyfriend. 

Long and lean, defined muscles showed through his tank top and leggings. He’d danced for years, stopped in college, then got back into it before joining his boyfriends. It was his favourite way to burn his anxious energy, whipping into spinning circles and flowing with the music. He’d mainly studied ballet, but had spent his downtown just dancing, and it showed how much fun he was having just rocking out to the 90s sounding song. 

When the song ended, he was panting and covered in a sheen of sweat, but he was happy. It felt good to dance again. He looked up when Patton clapped; Roman and Logan just looked at  him in awe. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve panicked and immediately tried to hide, but everything just felt too good not to just stay. He smiled at them, and held out his hand, inviting them to dance as the song started over. 

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #lamp #dancing #cuteboyfriendsbeingcute #rollercoaster #bleachers

[harusha]

I just saw your post about PJ and I'm wondering, do you have any book recs?

On mythology specifically or overall? I’m gonna do both since I’m not sure. Also sorry for the relatively late reply, I had to think about this, and I just got back from dinner.

The Count of Monte Cristo- Fantastic page turner, and a genuinely good “revenge” tale. It’s actually one of the first of that kind (or at the very least, one of the most popular ones). It’s also a book that a lot of people cite as the one that changes their mind on classics as “boring.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Somewhat of a controversial pick (both because of its subject matter and because it’s often “required high school reading,” ie “boring” to a lot of people.)

Huck Finn is an exceedingly complex character, and his friendship with Jim is really good. Pay attention to what Huck Finn does and says; he’s an unreliable narrator due to how he was brought up, his age, and his illiteracy. There’s also a lot of symbolism and other literary devices at play in his character (ex. notice his fixation with death and how it colors how Twain writes him). It’s very much a book I recommend if you want to study the unreliable narrator as a trope, the  Naïf version of it.

As a side note, it’s very poignant because of how Huck learns to condemn his racism. One of the messages you can get from this book is “If this uneducated poor white boy can learn to overcome his prejudices, so too can someone who has been educated, has money, etc.” It is a brutal condemnation of racism (though you do have to consider the time period, the “lens” of which you have to view through.)

Lolita- Another controversial pick, and one I’ll upright say as a lot of trigger warnings attached (google the summary, and you’ll see what I mean).

Beautiful prose (some of my favorite in literature actually) and a monster of a protagonist. When you read this, remember how Humbert Humbert is framing it. He is telling his tale to a court; he is unreliable and will frame events to make himself appear sympathetic. One notable factor of the author’s skill is how often Humbert gains the readers’ sympathy despite the atrocious subject matter. I personally felt viscerally uncomfortable reading his thoughts, and this is one of the few books that has ever made me feel that way. I didn’t fall into the sympathy trap, but look at any discussion of the book, and you’ll see what I mean.

I also recommend this author’s (Vladimir Nabokov) other works.

Franz Kafka’s literary works- Kafka is one of my favorite authors because he really showcases the isolation (both due to WWI, technological advancement, and the “beginnings” of modern capitalism) of the beginning of the 1900s, and he’s one of modernism’s premier authors. His works often deal with the themes of isolation, judgement, and outcasts. 

In particular, I’m fond of “The Metamorphosis” (cliche pick I know) and “In the Penal Colony.” The former is a short story so quick read if you just wanna try his writing style + it’s very influential (See Part 1 of Tokyo Ghoul for one example).

Also know that Kafka had a very strained relationship with his father and a conflicted relationship with his religion. I recommend reading “Letter to his Father” first to get an understanding of Kafka’s psyche to truly get pass the “nonsensical” nature of his works. It, like the title says, is a letter he wrote to his father, but his mother never delivered it.

If you want even more info on Kafka to understand his works, I recommend Kafka: Judaism, Politics, and Literature which covers a lot more (and in more succinct words) than I can on his works and life. As a fun fact, Vladimir Nabokov also placed him as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. On Kafka himself, he thought he was a failure of a human being and writer, and now look at him. He’s up there in the Western Canon with Shakespeare.

Paradise Lost + Paradise Regained- If you’re interested in Lucifer (or Samael if you subscribe to that theory), this is a must-read. Beautiful, haunting, and with a very charismatic figure in Lucifer. Alongside the obvious Divine Comedy, this work has influenced the portrayal of Lucifer and Hell quite a bit imo. Namely, the “sympathetic” portrayal you find in works such as Supernatural. It’s also an epic poem so it’s best listened to imo rather than read.

No Longer Human- Osamu Dazai’s work if you’re into that one show. An incredibly depressing book that’s often thought to be semi-autobiographical. It’s a haunting book that I don’t recommend for prose, but for the mood it evokes. I don’t recommend this unless you’re in a decent state of mind.

The Catcher in the Rye- Mildly controversial pick in that you either hate Holden or love him. It’s a book where you have to be in the “right” state of mind to appreciate Holden. For example, the period of moving away from home for college  This work deals with societal isolation and human loneliness and features an unreliable narrator.

It’s just a very particular feeling you have to be experiencing to appreciate Holden. I think anyway.

The Epic of Gilgamesh- Not super fancy or a reinterpretation of whatever. Just the oldest known written work of mankind. I like it a lot, but I like Sumerian myth so YMMV. It’s still missing a few tablets last I checked, but still a good read.

Also the related Enuma Elish, you get the creation myth.

Vampire Chronicles- I recommend the first three or four so books honestly. Afterwards, Anne Rice just goes off the rails. Prose is pretty, and Lestat is a terrible person but fascinating to read about. I am partial to Armand though tbh.

Dracula- I think this is another page-turner. I certainly enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s as scary as it would be in its’ published time period, but it is a classic Gothic horror. The unabridged version may look intimidating, but like Monte Cristo, you’ll sweep through it rather quickly.

“A Rose for Emily”- One of William Faulkner’s short stories. I think it’s a lovely piece and showcases the Southern Gothic (crumbling house, decaying and failing tradition and the southern nobility, etc.) There’s a theme of decay and time passing throughout this work.

As a side note, I actually enjoy Faulkner a lot, but he’s a difficult author imo. It’s not as apparent in this work, but more so in Intruder in the Dust (the first racial thriller) and especially The Sound and The Fury.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- A play that deals with repressed homosexuality (maybe, it depends on how you interpret Brick’s dialogue and actions), loss, and denial. I quite like it a lot, and Tennessee Williams actually was gay (was because he’s dead and all). I read it, but tbh I feel like it would be better watched if you can find a performance on Youtube.

The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde’s most well known work imo. I enjoy the prose and the themes of corruption and indulgence present throughout the novel. There’s also a lot of allusions to Faust in it if you’re interested in that.

Peter Darling-a more modern choice but it features a trans and gay protagonist. Part of what I enjoy is how it’s not browbeaten into you that the protagonist is trans. It’s interwoven into the character where it’s an important part of him, but to where it doesn’t overwhelm his entire character. However, this is a novel where I feel the beginning and ending are great, but the middle is so-so. It’s a retelling of Peter Pan.

The Tain- Focuses on Cu Cuchulain and his cycle.

Poetic Edda- A must read if you’re interested in exploring Norse myths outside of Marvel. It’s basically a collection of tales.

Arabian Nights- Scheherazade is one of my favorite female figures from literature. She’s daring, clever, and particularly resourceful. It’s a frame narrative sort of tale so you technically won’t be seeing her as much since she’s telling each story, but it’s a lovely piece and perfect for a bedtime read because of its collection of tales. A lot of them have been referenced in media and related as well.

The Book Thief- Classic YA novel rec. It’s set in WWII and one of the novels that really showcases what YA could be. Basically a classic gem in the rough pile.

John Keats- He’s a poet, but I love his poetry because of how haunting and dark it can get; he often deals with themes of mortality.. Ode to Nightingale is particularly good.

China’s Four Great Classical Novels (Journey to the West, Dreams of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms)- I decided to clump them here since this is already super long. Each one is incredibly well-known in Asia (and obviously China), and you can find allusions everywhere to these four novels. Each novel is rather long and expensive though (I paid like 40 USD for each set). Journey to the West follows Sun Wukong, unarguably one of the most well-known figures in literature (at least in the East; he’s super influential, but somewhat less so in the West; keyword somewhat). Dreams of the Red Chamber has some very pretty poems, but it’s often thought to be the semi autobiographical work of the author (it deals with the rise and fall of his family and the dynasty).

Daiyu’s flower poem is one of the most memorable for example.

The blossoms fade, the blossoms fly,  the blossoms fill the sky. Their crimson fades, their scent dies out,  and who is there to pity?  Drifting threads gently twist together  and float past the springtime lodge;  Falling willow floss lightly sticks  and strikes the lady’s window drapes.

Water Margin is a bit “bawdier” than the other ones imo, but it’s a good tale and has many notable figures and scenes. On Three Kingdoms, it’s the one I’d recommend to start with if you’re interested in military intrigue and battles.

I also have a Goodreads where I organize everything by shelf if you prefer to look at that. I do need to update it though tbh.

https://www.goodreads.com/Mahariel

#long post #books

[mattyofthelongfields]

1 to 20 with 20 being, "why do you like Xena"

Thanks for the numbers, hon! ya know, even if I was supposed to answer 21 and not 20... I’m still going to answer both cus I’m fun like that! Also sorry this took longer than expected!

1: what was the first movie you can recall ever watching?

oh man... To be honest I have early memories of my older sister watching Starship Troopers while she was babysitting me and I caught a glimpse of one of the gorier scenes (I was supposed to be napping) and I had nightmares for days... But I didn’t watch the whole thing so I guess it doesn’t count. So the answer would most likely be Homeward Bound.. which I kind of watched over and over because I was obsessed with dogs ^^’

2: what’s your least favorite holiday?

Probably Easter. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that my family have never really celebrated it (except maybe family lunch during the recent years and of course Easter eggs)

3: are you an auditory, visual, or tactile learner?

I guess out of the three I’m more of a tactile learner. I have a really big problem with focusing and taking in information and visualizing how things are supposed to be done. For example when I’m sewing and reading the instructions I can’t visualize what they mean, but if I’m shown how it’s done and walked through it, it becomes a lot easier.

4: do you have allergies?

We’re not 100% sure because it’s rare but for the last 11 years we’ve been pretty sure that I’m allergic to carrots. But if I am I have a very late reaction (several days) which happens but is again very rare. I never took any tests to be sure though. But I’ve had so many reactions that I refuse to take more chances ^^’ Also I used to be allergic to milk but grew out of it when I was around 10.

5: happiest memory?

When my friends threw a surprise party for me (which I was even late to!) and gave me an original replica of Xena’s sword! Also when I first met Renee O’Connor... and when I met her again next year along with Hudson Leick and she even recognized me. I may have cried....

6: how often do you use chapstick?

Only when I have an allergic reaction (chapped, itchy and bleeding lips. yes what a lovely image) because it helps sooth them. Though I use only two special brands because they’re the only ones that actually helps. at least so far

7: what subject do you wish you were an expert in?

Ancient History. I LOVE ancient history and mythology but since I can’t focus properly and take in information like most I don’t really know as much of it as I’d like... or more like I know some trivia and tidbits but I can’t go into details about it or discuss it because that part is all blank. though I find it really interesting! 

8: would you travel to another planet?

As long as the journey is proven to be safe then of course!

9: if you could make any job you want, what would it be?

Well I’ve wanted to be everything from writer to actress to director but I would really love to work as a costume maker and/or propmaker. My dream would be working for Weta Workshop

10: your scariest story?

Honestly I don’t have any good scary stories ^^’ 

11: favorite 2018 trend?

uuuuuhm well I don’t really pay attention to trends 

12: scarf or hat?

I would love to say hats but I get the worst hat hair and cats just don’t suit me at all ^^’ So I guess scarf. Though my sister sometimes has to force it on me hahah

13: what was your favorite year in school?

I guess my second year in Lower Secondary school, it was before everything went to hell to be honest, and it was also when I gained my closest friends and when I was still making pretty good grades.

14: preferred weather?

sunny with clouds and a bit of a breeze. 

15: do you remember your dreams?

I remember one dream from when I was like 5 and it’s the only dream I remember vividly. I was hiking up a mountain with my mom and baby brother (who was in a stroller) and we were following this trail that for some reason was at the very very edge of a cliff. and because my brother had to be protected my mom walked with the stroller furthest away from the cliff-side while I had to walk on the very edge. And then suddenly I tripped and fell off the side of the cliff and my mom didn’t even notice I kept screaming for her but she didn’t turn around, just kept walking away. I kept falling for what felt like hours and when I hit the ground my elbow hurt and I woke up having fallen out of my bed.

16: favorite song you’ve recently discovered?

High Hopes by Panic at the Disco turned out to be really catchy and also Wake Me Up cover by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie

17: book/movie that you would never read/watch again?

The Divergent movies, the Twilight movies (though my friends and I have considered doing a marathon while drinking and turning it into a drinking game) and 50 shades of Grey. oh and the goddamn movie adaption of Darren Shan: Vampire Assistant! Fuck that movie. As for books.. I rarely ever finish books I don’t like

18: someone who’s changed your life?

My best friend Kass

19: least favorite breakfast food?

I’m actually not the biggest fan of omelets 

20: why do you hate ____? (your choice) "why do you hate me and keep eating canned spaghetti?"

I don’t hate you! I just unintentionally dishonored you and your entire family line with my questionable taste in food and cooking skills :P Also I haven’t eaten the dreaded canned “spaghetti” since I finally got my oven fixed ;) it’s really cheap though and was a (disgusting) lifesaver :P

21: why do you like ____? (your choice) "why do you like Xena" 

I don’t just like Xena, I love Xena. And there are many reasons as to why. For one thing, it’s an incredibly empowering show that is beautifully written at its best.. and maybe extremely cringy at its worst but lets focus on the good parts. Although both Xena and Hercules really took some EXTREME liberties with history and mythology it’s still got me interested in mythology. 

I got into video editing and Photoshop because of it. I originally studied to become a TV director because I wanted to work on shows like Xena and Legends of the Seeker. When I got into editing videos, it introduced me to many amazing people and friends online and around the world. I also got my best friend hooked on the show very early into our friendship and I believe it is exactly why we became best friends.I traveled to my first and second convention abroad because of Xena, because I wanted to meet some of the women who inspired me so much! Xena to me was the hero I needed during the dark days, and she still is. There’s really nothing like wrapping myself in a warm blanket and put on my favorite episode on a rainy day. The tattoo of the Chakram on my arm is a reminder for me to keep fighting when things get painful. In the end, Xena changed me and it saved me. It’s so campy and fun, beautiful and devastating, empowering and messed up, so really, the question is, how can you not like it. Also it’s really really really gay and it’s basically what made me realize that I really like girls.

thank you again!

[runningwolf62]

@wardencommanderrodimiss @pachelbelsheadcanon

The new chapter is here featuring emotional whiplash and allegiances finally.

On AO3

What happens next is a series of incidents so coincidental and yet so perfectly aligned Larry would be tempted to call it fate. He had headed to a book store to chill and he would swear he’d just gone in to look for a book for Nick or Edgey as a Christmas present. Nothing dramatic, he’d just been caught up on his word count for the day and he’d wanted to shop and treat himself and get things out of the way so he didn’t come out of December confused and lacking presents for anyone.

And while he was there he’d remembered his promise to himself to get Tallstar’s Revenge, after WolfDragon had recommended it. So there he was in the children’s section, looking through the Warrior cats section - which he had half a mind to sort because someone respected neither series nor numbers and honestly it was a disaster trying to find anything, was this supposed to be alphabetical, because he was not going to find Tallstar’s Revenge at all like this - when the book caught his eye.

The Magic Bottle.

A simple title really, but the art on the cover was beautiful. Larry abandoned the Warrior Cats books for a moment to pick up this one, whoever the cover artist was they were fantastic at their job because Larry was for sure curious now. He flipped it over to scan the back, and cracked it open.

Well it turned out Elise Deauxnim could both write and draw, and Larry was enthralled. God where had she been when he was a kid, this shit was fantastic. He ended up buying it and after asking a worker, maybe making an excuse of shopping for a niece (listen that was the simplified version of what Pearl was and if he liked the book this much he might tell Nick to get it for her for Christmas so you know, valid) he also got Tallstar’s Revenge.

Now Tallstar’s Revenge was great, especially by Warrior standards, but he kept coming back to The Magic Bottle, the art, the characters, the pacing, it was fantastic. It made him want to write kid’s books.

Why not? You’re a really good writer and it’s not like you’re unfamiliar with kid’s lit

Thanks!

But she’s super good and I wouldn’t even know where to begin!

Stripes stop selling yourself short you’re a fantastic writer

Stripes?

I’ve mentally called you that for years deal with it

I guess it beats Orange.

“Graypaw what have I told you about talking to basketballs”

What?

Okay I’m sending you that parody as soon as I find a link to it but you should go for it! You’re talented currently inspired also unemployed

Thanks

Hey, I meant now more than ever is your chance

So what should I do?

Google this author see what else she’s written and maybe write her some fan mail

“Hi I’m a twenty-something dude, huge fan”

Look Mr. smartass if you don’t want my help

I’m just worried I’ll come off as weird!

Then lie, say it was for a nephew or something and you were really impressed too and it made you want to try writing children’s lit, how did she get started

Think she’ll answer?

She might

Worth a try

Well I did read it so only fair I review it.

Atta boy, go get ‘em

Larry grins to himself and does exactly as Wolf suggested, googling Elise Deauxnim to find that she had a PO Box. With some help and a little more encouragement from Wolf, he sends off the letter. Then he tries to calm down by focusing on his NaNo, which is mostly just him writing oneshots and a chapter or two of the fic. He hasn’t brought in Godot yet because he’s not sure what the absolute hell is going on there and he doesn’t like thinking about that day in court. He keeps sending out his resume but after how he lost his last job he’s thinking it’s a good thing he has as much in savings as he does, and he’s thinking about emergency commissions.

Until the letter arrives. He’s not sure he believes what he’s seeing but a photo sent to Wolf on discord proves that not only did Elise Deauxnim not think he was a creepy loser, she was encouraging him. She wanted to see some of his art and writing so she could tell him where he might find some agents interested in him.

DUDE

RIGHT I’M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!

AGGHHHH!

That’s amazing!

AGGGHHH!

I told you you were an amazing author

OH GOD WHAT DO I SEND HER

Not the Warriors Fanfic

OBVIOUSLY

Look, take a deep breath, and like, think of a story

Doesn’t have to be great, just some kids story thing

Do some art with it

Oh god, dude that’s terrifying, every idea I had just vanished.

Alright, listen you don’t have to write the damn thing just the first three pages of something

Uh, what are kids into these days?

Great question

I’m super good at drawing cats, what do I do with that?

Write Warriors but gay

Don’t we call that Wings of Fire?

Shots fired

More seriously, what do I do with that?

Well you’re good with a very open world series with a set of rules that is easily adapted to a setting

And cat anatomy

So I’d take those elements and make it into something

That’s a horrifying Chimera.

…

You know, that could be a plot hook

What?

Well like kids love monsters right?

Write a series with a Chimera as the main character, it’s part lion

Dude, you’re a genius, I owe you my life, and the response of “no thanks I’ve seen it, I don’t want it” is probably valid

Well get to it writer-boy, you’ll do great

What he ends up with is a book series about various mythological monsters on an adventure, and an offer from Elise Deauxnim to be an apprentice under her. He says yes, of course. He moves out of his apartment and to a smaller and cheaper one closer to where she works.

It’s awkward at first, on both ends. He can tell he’s not what she expected but he tries. She helps him with his writing, telling him what his strengths are first and then slowly moving to where he needs some polishing. It’s still strained though.

The breakthrough comes one afternoon, when Larry’s phone alarm goes off. He reaches over, swipes it off, and then flips the sketchbook page he’s on to start drawing something else.

Elise, - she insist he call her Elise which is weird to him but she’s a firm but matronly woman and so he obeys – looks up at the sound.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he offers a quick sheepish grin but she only looks more confused.

“Did you force yourself to get a drawing complete in a certain amount of time? You know that won’t make it turn out well.”

“Oh, no,” Larry flips back to the previous drawing to show her that it’s far from complete, “I got art block so rather than sit here and think about how I had the perfect image if I could only draw it for the next hour I worked on something else for ten minutes.”

“You’re quite talented at drawing cats,” she remarks, and Larry grins.

“I’d hope after how long I’ve been drawing them.”

“So this ten minutes of drawing, does it help?”

“Kind of yeah,” Larry pulls his sketch book back to him, looking at the sketch of Cherrywing and Spiritstar, he should draw Maya and Mia sometime. Maybe- no probably not for Christmas but at some point he should. “It forces me to relax and focus on something else, and get the creative juices flowing while I work on something that’s just for me so there’s no pressure or anything. That’s why I can only do it for ten minutes or I’d never get any actual work done!”

“That’s very clever,” she’s focusing on him now and Larry can only shrug, it’s just something that’s worked for him.

“Are those your cats?”

Oh no.

“Uh no, they’re-” he scrambles for a moment, “they’re just cats.”

Elise looks at him with a look of doubt but doesn’t press, instead she turns her focus on the picture, her eyes softening as she looks at Spiritstar and Cherrywing sitting together, “you have a real talent for capturing the emotion of a scene, there’s something very peaceful and loving about it, even for a sketch.”

Larry blinks in surprise, “thank you!” That was very much what he had been going for and he was pleased that he had succeeded at such.

Elise smiles at him, “you have such a talent for landscapes too, the nature looks natural while still framing them.”

Larry rubs the back of his neck with a grin, “now you’re going to give me an ego,” he jokes but he hopes she understands how grateful he is.

By the way she looks at him she does.

-

Merry Christmas Nick!!

merry xmas

 Hey Maya, Merry Christmas!

Message failed to send.

Figures.

Message failed to send.

-

You okay man?

I

I appreciate your concern Larry but yes, I am fine

If you need to call just let me know

Before you joke yes I’m single this Christmas

That’s a kind offer but I am with my sisters

THERE’S ANOTHER ONE?!?

Her daughter has a dog named Phoenix

Holy shit

Quite

-

Merry Christmas Stripes!

Merry Christmas Wolfman!

-

Larry has to say, having your mentor frame and hang your finished and signed piece because she likes it so much is like having your parents hang art on the fridge but somehow a thousand times better.

They spend the winter working, her on her story and on helping Larry grow as an artist and writer and working on her own story.

Larry helps where he can with that, mostly by trying not to bother her when she looks busy but she does ask him to do some illustrations for her, citing his abilities with landscapes. He accepts and pours his heart and soul into it.

SHE’S GOING TO HATE IT

NO SHE WON’T JUST GIVE IT TO HER

AAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHH

Dude

Fine! Fine!

You’ve got this, you’re a really good artist and you’ve said she’s proud of you

As she should be

So you’ve got this

Thanks man

Go get it writer-boy

You gonna buy my book Wolfman

Of course

Larry can’t help but smile at that.

But you’ve got to publish it first

Rude.

Larry tucks his phone into his pocket and hands the portfolio over to Elise. She accepts them with a smile and begins to flip through them, seeming oblivious to Larry’s nervous shuffling. She pauses at one and studies while Larry does his best to not explode or start nervously babbling.

“These are beautiful,” she remarks and Larry can feel his shoulders sag in relief, “you’ve done fantastic work.”

“Thank you, I went to the park a lot to try and get all the details right.”

“It shows,” she continues to leaf through them, Larry feels more confident so he begins to point to details he feels proud of or wants to make sure she notices.

“These are just the illustrations my book needed if you’ll allow me to use them.”

“I, uh, yes!” Larry stares at her eyes about to jump out of his skull, wait until he tells Nick! He’s successful now, look at him!

Elise laughs fondly and hands them back, “hold on to these and let me talk to my agent but that’s exactly the kind of work I couldn’t find anywhere else, your watercolor style is just what I needed.”

Larry is going to cry and just manages to thank her long enough for him to slip out and tell Wolf everything.

I’m proud of you Stripes

I’m proud of me! I feel like I’m really making myself a new person!

He’s tempted to also tell Nick but he decides to wait. To drop the book on Nick’s desk at his office. That’s how he’ll do it.

Okay so get this

Yeah?

Apparently my last name “can’t be taken seriously by publishers”.

And I thought elementary school kids were hurtful.

Oh my god

So she’s going to have me use her last name.

WHAT

Her publisher loves the idea too.

Makes me look like family.

Which sells or something?

Hey I’ll take it, I’m getting paid.

So what name should I keep an eye out for

Larry pauses, they’ve never told each other their real names, years of being Wolf and Stripes and now occasionally Writer boy and Wolfman on top of having internet safety drilled into them has always stopped them.

Look for Laurice Deauxnim.

As your number one fan I want a signed copy at some point

-

“Larry,” he looks up from his typing craze at the sound of his name, he’s made a lot of progress on this chapter and with Elise’s help he’s hoping to get it done and sent to publishers by May. That’s his new year’s resolution, getting published this year.

Elise pauses her typing and he hears her sigh. He looks up to her, her face is set and determined but when she looks to him he thinks he sees regret.

“Larry, I’m afraid a situation has come up and I know it’s very last minute but unless you want to come to a monastery with me I’m afraid you’re going to have to spend the next week or so without me.”

“What?” Larry feels a surge of panic not unlike the time he discovered he hadn’t saved in an hour, “a monastery? Why are you- where are you going?”

“Hazakura Temple,” she replies with a pause, Larry has never heard of it but he pulls it up on google quick enough. A teaser for an upcoming edition of the “Oh! Cult” Magazine pops up with some lovely images. Looks cold but interesting.

“Sure I’ll come. I’ve had art block for the past week maybe trying to do some temple scenes will help!”

Elise pauses and smiles kindly, “if you really want to…”

“I need some winter scene practice too,” Larry is not looking forward to wandering around the cold but Elise was going there for some reason, maybe he’ll find a muse there as well.

He flicks his finger over the picture hanging on the wall, the one that still made him smile to see there, “and I’ll give you a winter scene to compliment the summer one.”

Whatever hesitation Elise seems to be having vanishes as she laughs softly, “alright. Make sure to dress warm.”

And in honor of @pachelbelsheadcanon‘s fantastic art, here’s a list of the allegiances. 

SpiritClan

Leader

Spiritstar – a cream she-cat with darker paws and face

Deputy

Darkleaf – a dark brown tom

Medicine Cat

Cherrywing – a cream she-cat with darker striped paws and face

Apprentice: Splashpaw

Warriors

Firebirdstorm – a bright orange tabby with spikey fur

Orangestripe – an orange tabby tom with scruffy fur

Beetlelight – a brown tabby tom with a white chin

Apprentices

Splashpaw – a white she-cat with brown paws and face

 Demon’s Group

Demon – a dark gray tom with thick fur, especially on his chest, formerly Sharppaw of SpiritClan

Viper – a gray she-cat with cold blue eyes, formerly a rogue

Timber – a brown tabby tom with messy fur

Bird – a calico she-cat with mostly dark red patches

Wolf – large thick furred gray tom

#Ace Attorney #Thank you now I get to rewatch Bridge to Turnabout and probably cry #Larry Writes Warrior Cats