I've been memeing. Enjoy.

I've been memeing. Enjoy.

TLH/TDA Cover Parallels and Analysis

The TSC cover poll by @kaitcreates made me realize how the TSC covers are so well intertextually connected between each other, especially the TLH and the TDA ones. So, I analyzed them.

We have Cordelia on the cover of Chain of Gold, while Emma, who is her descendant, is on the cover of Lady Midnight. The tone of TLH is warmer autumn colors compared to the blue and green (like the sea, an important symbol of the series and LA) hues of TDA. Also, the way the characters pose is different: Cordelia is standing before a palace's gate, supposedly, the London Institute, and she's starting her new life, Cortana ready to slash whatever comes her way. Emma, on the other hand, seems like drowning and Cortana is slipping from her hands. At some point of the story, both had to give up on their precious weapon.

Chain of Iron features Lucie facing a forest at night which has colors I associate with winter, the season in which it should be set. The moths are a symbol of change, mystery of the night, and death/endings and you can understand why they were on her cover. Coi ends with Jesse's soul disappearing after Belial is cast out of his body. But it's also a beginning because Jesse comes back to life by the end. And it all matches perfectly with the cover of Lord of Shadows, with Julian on it. I think we can safely say that Julian is Lucie and Jesse's descendant. The mood is very dark and he's also underwater like Emma. Water is a symbol of life but also of chaos and healing. In LoS, Julian turned off his emotions in order not to fall deeper for his parabatai Emma and endanger both their lives because of the parabatai curse. He holds the Blackthorn sword which we know it's destroyed in CoT, while Lucie holds the Blackthorn locket. The LoS ending matches the CoI one because in the former Jesse comes back to life, while in the latter, Livvy dies. She was the Blackthorn character that until her death wore the Blackthorn locket, which was worn by Jesse before he gave it to Lucie. Full circle, again with the descendants!

Cordelia faces a pretty London palace on CoG. Lucie faces a dark forest full of unknown creatures. On the Chain of Thorns cover, Grace faces a place in ruins (Blackthorn Manor?). The colors of this cover give spring vibes and in fact, if we consider the epilogue, it ends in spring, the season of new beginnings and where everything blooms again. While Emma and Julian are in a place underwater where they can be saved (they aren't too deep), the last character featured on the Queen of air and darkness cover, Annabel Blackthorn, has pretty much sunk to the bottom of the ocean and she is beyond saving. We can tell from the Titanic-esque ruins behind her feet that she's hit the bottom, literally and figuratively. Annabel was angry because she was brought back against her will, and in her fit of anger, she ended up killing Livvy and she lost her life for good after. Grace has the opposite features as Annabel, and for good reason. While Annabel can only go back to the world of the dead, Grace has a change at getting her life back and start anew. We can say both Annabel and Grace shared a similar fate: their so called Blackthorn "parents" manipulated and abused them and they both lived half a life. Unlike Annabel, who, I said, is at the bottom and is hopeless and gone for good, Grace facing the ruins of the place were she used to live also means starting anew. Starting from the bottom, from the ashes, but in the hopeful way. It means finally living the life she wants to live.

I know that "the last hours" is taken from Great Expectations and is also a quote Magnus says. But this quick analysis also brings to the surface how the last hours could indeed be the last moments of sadness and desperation, before getting through and making it out alive. In comparison, TDA's tone is darker but it also shows that humans are able to survive the worst and going above water to breathe again after tragedy and tough life choices they have to face.

Well, they're admitting it's a toxic trait, so that's progress, I guess? But still, they're wearing their toxicity like a badge of honor.

And when they say they'll throw everyone under the bus for a fictional character, they don't just mean other fictional characters. They mean real people that they will relentlessly harass and bully for not kissing the feet of their beloved dragon queen. I know this due to my own unfortunate encounters with these cultists.

All I needed was a simple Google search to confirm that Daenerys Targaryen stans behave like a cult.

Telltale Signs of a Cult

• Extreme obsession with the group/leader, resulting in the exclusion of practical considerations (i.e. Daenerys's flaws as a leader, which stans conveniently ignore in favor of declaring she's worthy of the Iron Throne)

• Blurred lines between individual identity and group identity (i.e. those who make stanning Daenerys their entire personality, only interacting with those who are just as obsessed with her as they are)

• Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned, it's characterized as unwarranted persecution (i.e. declaring anyone who criticizes Daenerys is sexist, misogynistic, pro-slavery, or lacks reading comprehension)

• Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought (i.e. declaring the victory over the White Walkers was 100% thanks to Daenerys and her dragons, arguing that the people she caused to starve and suffer were actually helped by her)

• Belief that anyone outside group is at best a negative influence and at worse evil (i.e. dismissing or blocking anyone who doesn't worship the ground Daenerys walks on)

• Anything the group/leader does can be justified, no matter how harsh or harmful (i.e. "I stand by Daenerys," "Daenerys did nothing wrong," etc.)

Down a Rabbit Hole I Went

I screwed up. I didn't think that using an ancient language on a piece of tumblr merch was necessary but I forgot what site I was on :) . This is tumblr, of course it has to be in linguistically accurate cuneiform. I went and hired an expert on Ancient Semitic Languages and Cultures. There aren't as many as you'd think that are willing to translate text for an internet gag so I'm so happy I found Paul.

Notes on the translation from the translator:

I used the ventive suffix on the imperative "give (rib+am)" which is a special feature of Akkadian that indicates the motion of direction. It makes it a little bit more authentic. The longer version actually includes the words "to me (ana iasim)", but a typical Akkadian speaker probably wouldn't have needed to say that.

Also, for the word "money" I used the Sumerian (KUG.BABBAR) instead of spelling out the Akkadian, because that was a common feature in Akkadian scribal writing. For the font I was happily surprised that Google has a Cuneiform font, so not only is it correct but it looks pretty neat too. Right now you can buy both versions in the shop but cuneiform version won't ship for a week or so as I have to order new stock with the new design.

Have you pre-ordered Welcome to Effham Falls yet?

My story "The Family Graveyard Shift" is included in this anthology of tales set in a fictional Midwestern town with a hidden supernatural underbelly.

Get your copy today! The release date is the 31st!

Here's to Quannah Chasing horse, who yet again has won this year's Met Gala theme. And to everyone who wore pink, showed off curves, and embraced styles antithetical to the racist fatphobic myoginist the event was themed to honor this year. Memes by ennan.

one of the hardest things about accepting my autism since burnout is losing the ability to please everyone.

i spent my whole life making sure i made my family, teachers, and bosses proud, no matter what that meant for me. even at the cost of my health. because i care so much what people think of me. straight a’s all my life, honor roll, valedictorian…all to flunk out of college because of (what i now know was) intense autistic burnout. i haven’t been the same since. i can’t mask like i used to.

i can no longer go back to school to finish my degree. now, im choosing between a retail job and possibly working in a library (which i’ve done for years and love). BUT…i love the people i work with at dollar tree. they care for me, and when i need to call out bc of severe anxiety or a meltdown (even if it’s multiple times within a week), they understand and make it work. basically, working my retail job is better for my health. working at the library is better for my ego.

i don’t judge adults who work retail, so why do i judge myself? yeah, no matter what, my family or loved ones might be judgmental of my lack of degree and retail job. so what? if i’m happy and healthy and able to take care of myself and be the best version of me, why should i care? we don’t take people’s opinions of us to the grave.

when i am happy and healthy, i am kind. i am gentle. i can be there for the people i love. i think being looked down upon for my life path is worth being the best version of myself. now i just need to put my thoughts into action.

tldr; do what is best for you and your happiness and your health, despite what society tells you is “right” or “good.” we are not all meant to follow the same path, no matter what the world tries to tell us.

@@immigrant kids!!! there’s no reward in being a trophy child. sneak out, do what you want, pick out your activities and your major!

Develop yourself. You’re more than a repository for your parents’ ideas

Reblog if your blog is safe for trans followers.

Folks, friends, y’all…. esk*mo is a slur. I understand a lot of people don’t know that, I don’t want to be a dick about it, but I’ve been seeing it in fics. Wanna write “esk*mo kisses”? Just say “nuzzled noses” or something.

I’m not here to call anybody out, it’s been in multiple fics, I’m not vague posting. This is just a psa. 👍🏻

Normalize disabled people needing support.

Normalize us needing to live with our parents for longer—without accusing us of being “giant children,”. Relying on friends and family to help us with basic tasks like cooking, cleaning, driving, time management, etc. without accusing us of “weaponized incompetence,” or “leeching off others,” and without telling us “your disability isn’t an excuse to burden others”.

The amount of times I’ve seen “well if you can’t do that on your own you’re never gonna make it in the real world.”

Buddy, I have friends and family in the real world. They love me and, believe it or not, don’t wanna throw me to the wolves because I’m disabled.

And actually, lots of disabled people with my same needs and less privilege die or go homeless. So your “you might as well just die 😊.” Eugenics take isn’t as cute as you think it is.

Disabled people are allowed to need help.

Edit to add: Actually, normalize everyone needing support. Because life is hard and supporting each other is important. Hyper-individualism is toxic.

It’s important to talk about how vaccines don’t cause autism, but can we please also talk about how much people must hate autism if they’d rather expose their child to polio, measles and chickenpox than autism?

I wish more people would realize both the animated version and live action version of The Little Mermaid can both exist in harmony and peace without one being considered better or worse than the other. Please people just accept that both versions are valid and two separate universes/continuities. 

The animated film is still there for everyone to love and Disney will still release content and merch related it for years to come. Redheads can still feel represented by and connected to the animated Ariel at the same time that black people feel represented and connected to the live action Ariel.  Nobody has to feel like they are losing something or that something is being erased. Really what is happening is that we are gaining another version of a beautiful story and more mermaids to love.

Ancient mythologies played fast and loose with gender all the time. Yet transphobic bigots would have you believe "gender ideology" is new and threatening.

As a cis woman, this is how I show my support and solidarity for the trans community: I research trans folk throughout history and post about them on Twitter.

And let me tell you, I learned about some pretty incredible people.

The First 10 Werewolf Movies Ever Made - HubPages

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/The-First-10-Werewolf-Movies-Ever-Made

Hello, hello, I wrote a new article! All you werewolf fans out there can rejoice!