#I am still talking about a regular sword
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Finally, I have started the clean-up process! I'm almost done with all of Circe's solo shots. I'm saving the part where she is stroking the sword for later use......
#I am still talking about a regular sword#tw slight nudity#epic the musical#epic the circe saga#circe#animatic work in progress
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currently thinking about how Johnny was like. Never like this in past games. Past timelines would be too arrogant to just give away something that cost THAT much. Like even if his life was saved. Maybe Mk11 Johnny, but Mk9 & MkX? No fucking way would he give away a sword he dropped 3mil on.
But in Mk1, not only does Johnny have such a visceral reaction to Kenshi getting blinded, but his first thought when he wakes up in Shang Tsung's laboratory is Kenshi. Like the tension between Johnny and Kenshi fuckin dissipated in that moment. Sure, Kenshi like loosens up a bit to Johnny, and Johnny's just being his regular ol' "witty" self. But literally in that moment they switch from tip toeing around eachother to something more like. Intimate? Not in a romantic sense (yet), but. Suddenly Johnny doesn't care that he's broke, that he's a struggling actor, that he's going through a divorce, and to be honest I don't think he cares that this whole thing will bring him back up. He could care less that the sword he spent 3mil on that could very much save his wallet is going to a blind man. I don't even think Johnny is aware that Sento would've given Kenshi his sight or telepathy. NOT TO MENTION Johnny was the ONLY one who was against confronting Quan Chi!!! FOR Kenshi's sake. He was so goddamn worried about Kenshi it genuinely hurts.
ALSO! The scene in the Wastes, before the whole Tarkatten colony. Absolute tension. Kenshi's like so fed up with Johnny. That entire thing before he gets blinded, really. And then in the Living Forest they're just chatting away?? Like Kenshi hasn't been hounding and hounding Johnny for Sento for MONTHS. To be honest, I assume Kenshi was kind of resentful of Johnny since he refused to give up Sento, which to Kenshi, was kind of the key for true honor. Yet he still saves Johnny, which I think is just Kenshi's nature. And there is no mention of Sento before the whole Quan Chi sitch. Absolutely none. Johnny's talking all about how Kenshi saved his life and I am so sure he feels so truly guilty about Kenshi loosing his sight but I also think Johnny was trying to justify feeling something so strong for a guy who broke into his mansion RIGHT after his wife left him, in the middle of one of his worst moments in his life.
I really believe that in the instant Kenshi was blinded a switch clicked for both of them. I think Kenshi really only dealt with Johnny because he had to, but also because he thought there could've been a chance to actually get Sento back from this arrogant asshole. But after Mileena, you SEE that he's just given up on it. He's blind, he thinks he's useless, and he's better off dead. There suddenly is no need for Sento. He's failed his clan. Like the lowkey suicidal ideation in that. Ugh. But Johnny doesn't give up on Kenshi. He's so focused on getting him home and safe and you can tell he's thinking about all sorts of ways to repay Kenshi. Only AFTER the fact that the group still goes ahead to attack Quan Chi is when Johnny lands on giving Kenshi Sento.
Anyways. Johnshi is Canon and these two middle-aged bastards are in love with eachother and it is so definitely a lot more than "they're just best friends". THEY ARE GAY LOVERS
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I finally finished my Utena re-watch yesterday, binging the last three episodes and Adolescence in one evening, and I am Having Thoughts. Mostly about the story from Akio's perspective, surprisingly.
I don't know if I've ever read anyone's exploration of the story from his pov, so I'm going to brain-vomit about it.
From his pov, he's the one who's trapped. The Rose Bride sealed Dios away from the world, whether for his own good or to keep her brother to herself, or both. The princely part of him, Dios, is trapped, leaving only the human part of him, Akio, out in the world, trying to regain what he's lost and cope without what he sees as his 'real' power. 'The power to revolutionise the world' is, for him, the regaining of his heroic princely aspect that made him something close to a god among mortals, a natural leader, the greatest warrior.
So what is he left with? What does a regular human man have with which to find his place in the world? What is his role, if not a prince? Is he a ladies' man? An intellectual? A fighter? A logical realist who denies the 'miracles' the prince could perform to keep people safe?
It's clear from the Black Rose arc, and from the final scenes, that Akio has repeated the duels in some form many times, assuming that he needs the right sword to open the Rose Gate and access his old power. He holds this 'might makes right' belief that physical strength or a warrior's weapon is the key to power. When Utena, just a girl, succeeds as the winner of the duels, at first he tries to persuade her to stand down, because how could a girl's sword possibly be strong enough to open the Gate? I wondered, during this watch, if this cycle was the first time that any girls had taken part in the duels, and whether that was by design or accidental. In the Black Rose arc, it's 100 boys who are drawn in to find the power or the eternal something. In this latest cycle, it's the student council, a power structure that represents intellectual masculinity: Juri, as a lesbian in a uniform closer to her male counterparts than to the other female students, might possibly have been the first girl to join the duels, an unintentional outcome perhaps inspired by Mikage, who was more easily tempted by a boy than by that boy's older sister. She still represented an aspect of masculinity in her own way, as the logical realist who denies miracles. Likewise, Nanami joins the duels initially to stand in for her brother, and leaves when she is confronted by how damaging the system is to the very people it's supposed to protect.
I wondered if perhaps Utena was never meant to join the duels. If Dios had meant to find Touga and Saionji on that particular day, and stumbled on Utena because they did. If Utena joining and winning the duels was never part of Akio's plan, and that's why he, and all the others, are so perplexed by her and never figure out how to get the better of her. Akio tries to force her into the role of 'Girl' because all he knows is playing the role of 'Man', and what else is a man supposed to do with a girl besides protect her or seduce her?
Utena succeeds because, for all her talk about wanting to be a prince to rescue girls, she gives up that roleplay and acts of of genuine love and compassion. She succeeds in besting the Rose Bride's curse because she doesn't approach it like a man, trying to seduce, fight, or logic her way through, but by loving Anthy and by having the compassion to want to end her pain.
Utena is still very much about smashing the patriarchy (literally in the case of Adolescence), but in its own way it also artfully deconstructs the ways in which patriarchy hurts men too, by limiting the roles available to them. Utena offers an alternative to the masculine roles of warrior, lover, intellectual and cynic, as well as to the feminine role of princess. The student council recognise it in the end, but Akio never does, because he is so utterly stuck in his role. That's why Anthy gets to leave at the end, telling him he's the one that's trapped, because Utena showed her that she, and we, can choose our own roles.
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UraIchi Week 2024
Monday, July 1st, 2024 - Sunday, July 7th, 2024
AO3 Collection
Full Prompts List Submitted This Year
(Click images to enlarge. Alt text under the cut.)
What is UraIchi Week?
It’s a week-long fanworks event to promote the Urahara Kisuke x Kurosaki Ichigo ship. There’s no sign-up, it’s just for fun, and everybody can participate. Completed works and wips are both acceptable, and any type of fanwork (fanfic, fanart, gifsets, etc.) is welcome. NSFW and/or potentially trigger-y content is allowed, although please remember to tag your works properly.
The ship itself can be written romantically or platonically, as lovers or friends or even enemies, so long as it stars these two characters together in some way. Poly ships are also fine so long as Ichigo and Kisuke are still the focus of the fanwork. And crossovers and fusions are also allowed even if it isn’t one of the given prompts for the event. Basically, anything goes, and the only criteria is that it has to be UraIchi-centric.
Posting:
UraIchi Week is hosted here on Tumblr and on AO3. For posts on Tumblr, remember to ping @uraichievents and tag #UraIchi Week 2024. For AO3, you can add your work(s) to the collection linked up above. You are also welcome to join the UraIchi Discord server if you haven’t already and come and talk about what you’re working on!
Themes:
July 1st, Day 1: i've met you before / i'll meet you again / this is the first time we've met.. right?
Time Travel / Dimension Travel
Identity Porn / Hidden Identities
“I've suffered from traumatic dreams of my past lives since I was a child, and I'm just now realizing that coming up to a beautiful stranger who looks like someone I've seen die a thousand times in a thousand different ways at a bar and asking if we've met before sounds a lot like a come-on haha no wait come back that doesn't mean I'm not desperately attracted to you please kiss me again” AU
July 2nd, Day 2: It's fact that killable problems are not real problems.
Murder Husbands
Ichigo is Deadpool / unbreakable / any other accidentally immortal being who is really kind of annoyed about it (because it’s boring, and he’s still young enough to be within his lifespan, but it sure takes the fun out of fighting).
All the times Ichigo died, he ACTUALLY died, he just came back. Every time he comes back, he comes back Wronger.
July 3rd, Day 3: Things I Should've Told You / Things I Don't Tell Anyone Else
The skeletons in your closet are about to overflow. Would you like me to tidy it up?
Ichigo is experimenting with self-expression, a hobby, etc., making up for lost time as a regular teenager. Urahara is always the first one (sometimes only one) to see or hear about a new idea.
“The person I trust most is you.”
July 4th, Day 4: Sword and Shield
I am yours to command, use me as you please.
Shiba!Ichigo and Second Division!Kisuke
Summoner/Mage AU: Paired summons who are good apart but unmatched together.
July 5th, Day 5: That One is Mine
Hollow Instincts / Feral Protective
Possessive!Kisuke: He stepped aside for Sui-Feng because Yoruichi was always master first and friend second and love interest never, and because Yoruichi wanted her in a way she's never wanted him. But Ichigo is different, and everyone soon realizes that when Kisuke truly wants something, he always gets it in the end.
“Death can’t have you. You’re mine.”
July 6th, Day 6: Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some are born, some are made, and some decide being a monster's pretty fucking cool.
Visored!Urahara Kisuke AU / Vasto Lorde!Kurosaki Ichigo AU
“Ichigo forges a friendship with his Hollow in the Shattered Shaft” AU
vs. Gotei 13 AU: Ichigo time travels back from a future where he was chained to the throne as the next Soul King by the Shinigami.
July 7th, Day 7: Creator’s Choice!
As always, the above prompts are all optional, and you’re free to come with your own ideas. You can also find an excel sheet with all the prompts submitted this year linked up above, so feel free to look through that if you want, and you can also make a copy for yourself.
And that’s it! We’re looking forward to what everyone comes up with!
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Not-very-spoilery thoughts on the movie release of Pillar Training (+SSV conclusion)
Behind a cut anyway just in case!
--Very nice to hear familiar background music brought back--Yuukaku themes when Uzui & his wives appear, Mitsuri's "Koi Kogare" BGM when she has a good batch of lines, Giyuu's BGM as he's like, "bye"
--I am very happy with the new OP, both sound and imagery-wise.
--One very short clip in particular made me, a fanfic writer, very very happy, but then there was more gratuitous focus that reminded me of another one of my best fanfics. The rewards of writing fic as closely based on canon as I could get them gives me the satisfaction of feel liking like canon-based imagery honors my fics by extension.
--Speaking of imagery in general, Ufotable is finding lots of ways to try to harp on the idea that everyone's wishes to destroy demons find their accumulation in Tanjiro, the Sun Breath user and first person in centuries to unlock the Mark. It is perhaps a little clumsy at times, but hey, that's a theme I like in this series.
--I was sad that Suma sounded so different, and had to look up afterward if she still had the same seiyuu. She does, but I think they might have given her totally different vocal direction so that she wouldn't sound too similar to Mitsuri
--Japanese crowds tend to be very quiet at movie theaters, but people could not contain their giggles at many of Mitsuri's lines
--I had the honor of sitting next to a huuuuuuuge fangirl who before the moving was saying stuff to her friends like, "(Hanae) Natsuki-san was at USJ the other day, and since it's a VR ride, you know, you have to wear the goggles, and I think, what if I wear the pair that he wore??? You know?? Our faces??? Would be so close?????" and then at the review of previous seasons at the beginning of the show, she started crying the instant the Mugen Ressha part started. Not loud crying, but crying.
--You can tell everyone was waiting for the "welcome back" scene, and although I thought Zenitsu would steal the show in that scene, it was indeed Nezuko. In the seiyuu greeting that was broadcast across all Japanese theaters on the opening day, Shimono-san noted that he thinks the audio was turned down on his performance of that scene. I think it was probably was too.
--So much happy daily life in this episode. If you have any friends who complained about last year's theater showing being a let-down because it was just regular anime episodes instead of a Mugen Train style movie, please tell them to just sit this one out and spare us their complaints. Most of this showing was just Tanjiro having a nice time after having a panic attack over Nezuko (oh, and like, killing Upper Moon Four, that too).
--Shinobu's hair seems distinctly longer. Giyuu's hair seems distinctly fluffier.
--Ufotable has put a lot of touches into humanizing Amane
--I wish Ufotable would stop trying to drive the "Zenitsu thinks Aoi is happy to see him (just because Aoi is a girl)" point. First off, yes, Zenitsu being a creep to girls is played up a bit in the anime. Second, the first fanbook states that the only kind of girl who is not so much his type is the Aoi-type.
--Also, on the promo art, I like the design they gave Shinobu's sword, but that's ignoring the fact that the four engraved kanji characters are on either side. Go ahead, Ufotable, hire me as your canon double-checker. EDIT: Oh wait, that is its sheath. Lovely, carry on.
--That said, the original filler they gave us? Gold star. Excellent. So happy with it. One... well, two tiny nitpicks that don't bother me much but stating it here would spoil it.
--One more non-spoilery thing to say about that filler: the people at Ufotable were probably like, "our fans are nerds. We already give them this, this, this, and that to nerd over. You know what else they are probably nerds for? Yeah. Let's give them that." Thank you, Ufotable. This nerd accepts and loved it.
--Tiny Nezuko filler as they set the stage talking about Muzan is probably looking for her? LOVE THAT TOUCH, at every level.
--Shinobu does have multiple goldfish, but they look a bit different?
--Genya's makes the best face in this whole episode
--Speaking of Genya, in the seiyuu greeting they had actors in big chibi costumes of the Kamaboko gang come out... PLUS GENYA. Giant chibi grumpy Genya was so, so, so, so freaking cute. Also, his seiyuu Okamoto got to join the stage with everybody and was talking about how he always used to scroll through his social media seeing the other seiyuu at KnY events and he was like, "sigh... sure looks like everyone is having fun..."
--Hanae Natsuki and his wife are big Genya fans, though, it seems
--Okamoto had a lot of trouble performing young Genya in the flashback, especially the emotional screaming. The desperation Genya always displays as he fights? That was Okamoto.
--Meanwhile, Matsuoka always looks very overwhelmed at these things. I think having to embody the spirit of Inosuke terrifies him.
--IT WAS SO GOOD TO HEAR INOSUKE AGAIN
--Those actors in chibi costumes? The Zenitsu and Inosuke ones embodied them SO WELL. I don't usually care for those giant mascot character costumes, but these were legit so much fun to watch, like with Inosuke going right up into the cameras and Zenitsu trying to pull him back and then the two of them pushing and shoving. Zenitsu acting like he is being bullied and Inosuke showing off his muscles. I loved them. I am very sad that I will not be in town when they travel across Japan and come to my area.
--Also, the baritone voice of Oyakata-sama's personal crow? LOVED IT.
--Himejima at the the Pillar Meeting is such a statement. The new promotional material has a tag line that prominently uses one of the kanji in his name ("cry out"), and I feel like this is set-up for him to have a lot of impact later on in this season. Here's hoping!
--I am probably gonna go watch it again in a couple weeks, ufufufu
--Which is worth it for that KIZUNA NO KISEKI REMIX WHICH SOUNDED SO COOL IN SURROUND SOUND, OH MY GOSH
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The Nine Houses
Worldbuilding/Lore
<< Previous: Masterpost
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The Nine Houses refer to planets, named, presumably, in order of colonisation. I'm befuddled as to which one is which planet, if we're going on the assumption that this is the solar system. This is what I've extrapolated from reading:
First is Earth.
Second is most likely Mars - gathered from the fighting energy of its house, proximity to Earth and viability for terraforming, and also this:
"[...]Each Beast is different. I have fought numerous now, and each Beast is quite unlike any other … Number Two spewed quicksilver and remade itself into hundred-foot spikes. Number Six kept sucking us into enormous sphincters and spraying us with worms. I cannot even remember what it looked like. I remember Number Four … it was a humanoid creature with a beautiful face who held me under the water, and it spoke in a lovely voice but it only repeated, die, die—and I recall Number One as a great and incoherent machine … when I saw it I thought it had a great tail, and a thousand broken pillars on its back, but Cassiopeia saw it as a mechanical monster with swords for wings, and great horns of myelin, tessellated over with graves.”
It was the Saint of Duty who said, restlessly: “Number Eight was a giant head.”
“Finned like a fish,” said Augustine, lost in reverie. “Its ribs were bloody bandages, and its teeth protruded through its own skull, tangled about its face like a nest. It was red, and it had a single eye of green that moved all about the body …"
Metal-related appearance, from the planet notoriously rusty.
Actually, this passage describing the Resurrection Beasts - revenants of the planets - was the thing that got me into trying to assign planets to Houses based on, mostly, vibes.
Forth could be Venus, based on this passage alone. I could easily be wrong.
Sixth is Mercury I reckon. In the epilogue of HtN the setting is described as very hot - close to Dominicus. I reread it now and I don't think it's ever mentioned to be set on the Sixth, in fact parts of it actively contradict that assumption, but somehow I seem to have gotten that into my head anyway? But even so, Sixth is described as the one closest to Dominicus - notably this passage:
The Emperor dropped to his haunches and eased the white robe off Mercy’s dead shoulders. He shrugged his naked body into it—coyly pulling it closed—and he stretched his jaw in his mouth, and wriggled the tip of his newly grown nose.
“Right,” he said, and closed his eyes briefly. Then he said, “The sun has stabilized. Hope the Sixth House didn’t get cooked in the flare.”
This to me pretty much confirmed the Sixth as Mercury.
Eighth, in the above passage about the Resurrection Beasts, is described in ways that immediately make me picture Jupiter. Red, a single eye of green moving all over the body? Ribs were bloody bandages? A "giant head" - Jupiter, in Roman mythology was the king of the gods? Am I way off the mark here?
And Ninth is Pluto, furthest from the sun, cold and desolate. And solid. (How are they pulling off living on gas giants?)
This leaves the Third, Fifth, Seventh houses to be matched with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. At a loss, still, for how gas giants are supposed to be colonised. The general infrastructure of the pre- and post-resurrection world/Empire has me asking questions like, where do they get the materials to build starships and feed their officers? Metal and plastic seem abundant. In terms of food we've mostly seen snow leeks, Canaan House and the Mithraeum, all of which are probably exceptional to what a regular House person eats. There is some talk of John's expansion and colonising efforts, so do they just go to random planets - are there aliens in this universe? (Is Alecto one?) So the Empire is expanding, mining colonised planets for ore and oil to turn into plastic - though that would indicate a lot of life on a lot of these planets, so I'm gonna guess that whatever happens to those planets isn't kind to the native flora, fauna and people.
Of course, there's always the option that this isn't meant to be the planets at all, and even if it was, it might be a lot more metaphorical. Or just actually a completely different world to ours, not the solar system at all. (Though there's many explicit and implicit pop culture references which would indicate the First to truly be Earth, so we're sticking with this theory.)
Are they actually on the planets - we haven't seen any planets other than First, and Ninth, arguably big exceptions; the Epilogue seems to be set on a moon of some kind, after a more thorough reread. The Actual Planets are dead, or rather resurrected, with their revenants on the hunt. Could be that the Houses do stand for the planets, and some people might be living on (or near) the actual planets, but a lot of people are actually living away from the solar system entirely - born into "Houses" far from the sun, into the Emperor's war machine. It's hard to tell.
Either way, I'm not gonna assign any more planets now until I know more.
>> Next: The Resurrection
#does this count as liveblog? i'll tag it as if it does for now#tlt liveblog#tlt theories#the locked tomb#tlt#no nona the ninth spoilers please#the locked tomb liveblog#tlt spoilers#gideon the ninth#harrow the ninth
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Okay, but, Snow for Christmas was a fucking TREAT!
Can we please discuss how precious it was? And how I need MORE after reading it.
I'm dropping spoilers below because I've reread this 5 times while at work today and need to let my emotions out.
Baz and Simon having regular lunches with Fiona? Please give me those dialougues. Gimme a fucking screen play of nothing but their lunches
Simon regularly practicing his sword skills AND distracting Baz? You cannot convince me this isn't a flirting tactic doe Simon. Let me read about Simon seducing Baz via a sword 😏
ALWAYS KISSING GOODBYE? MY HEART CANNOT.
Okay, but I also want more family drama from the Grimms and Pitches. Uncle Cyril? Tell me what this man has done to find himself on the wrong side of Malcom Grimm and Simon Snow. Spill that tea. (I will always map Baz's entire family tree if you let me.)
The sofa is PINK!! Need I say more?
Wing Flap Shirts!! I'm so glad our dragon baby finally has clothes he can wear without needing magic. NOW. Which one of you lovelies is drawing this?
"He reaches up and carefully starts to loosen my tie. He's become very skilled at this over the last few months." 😏😏😏
Baz internally swooning at EVERY thought of Simon being his boyfriend.
Simon being a GOOD boyfriend and immediately being up for another dinner with Baz's family. For Baz. Because he's so GOOD
Baz referring to Lady Salisbury as Simon's grandmother? ADORABLE. Lady Salisbury being cool with Simon and Baz bring "as gay we want. We can be extra gay, as a treat." YES. GIVE THESE BOYS A KIND FAMILY FIGURE WHO ACCEPTS THEM WITH NOTHING BUT LOVE. Please give me more visits with the Salisbury family. I need the wholesomeness.
WHERE CAN I READ ABOUT FIONA AND NICOS WEDDING!?!?!?
"We could be married with children --" "Could we?" PLEASE GIVE THEM A FAMILY
Can I get more fanart of Baz with his siblings. Because they are precious little things. And I need more of Petra and Sophie climbing Baz like he's their personal jungle gym. I need more pre-teen Mordelia spending wholesome time with her brother. I need to see Swithin climbing this fucking Tibetan mastiff. Thank you very much.
Can we please give Rainbow Rowell a massive thanks for giving us a more detailed description of Malcom Grimm finally??
I will foot the entire fucking production crew to have that dinner recreated for the screen. I would sell my soul to a Demon like Shepard if it means I can have a quality holiday special of that dinner. Fucking. Hell. Baz IMMEDIATELY grabbing Simon to ground him. Simon SUPPORTING HIS MAN and holding his hand. SIMON BELIEVING IN BAZ THAT HE'S GOT THIS DINNER IN THE BAG AND JUST SERVING BAZ FOOD. Malcom and Daphne crying and pouring drinks over Baz finally finally finally getting to eat dinner with him. Sophie getting gravy in her hair.
And can we also discuss the fact that this scene proves that these little girls know their big brother is a vampire? And they still adore him? They still climb all over him and practically beg for his attention? That these girls just want to spend time with their brother and aren't afraid in the slightest of him?
FANG BACKSTORY BREAKING MY FUCKING HEART. Baby Baz fucking hiding in the barn. Terrified. And Fiona just fucking supporting her nephew. I 100% cried during this scene.
Edit Add cause I somehow forgot to mention : Simon's fucking obsession with Baz's fangs. Like. Honey. No, his family does not want to watch him drain a deer. That's just you.
"I think I got drunk with Baz's dad at dinner." Had me rolling.
Backtracking. WE HAVE CAREER OPTIONS FOR SIMON. And so help me. I would refuse to talk to this man too if he tried to join the RAF or police force. Like. He really needs to address this hero-savior complex with his fucking therapist. For fucks sake. Stop trying to save people Simon. Just get your fucking fork lift license and RELAX.
Really. Die Hard? Are we shocked?
THE. FOREHEAD. KISS.
End of discussion. (But really. Discuss. Because I am feral right now. And I cannot focus on writing lesson plans in this state.)
#snowbaz#carry on#sfc#simon snow#tyrannus basilton grimm pitch#basilton pitch#baz pitch#simon salisbury#rainbow rowell#scattered shower#snow for christmas#spoilers
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On Questioning An Archetrope
So I'm turning over the concept of a potential paladin (or something similar) archetrope in my brain now.
I have... kind of always viewed myself as a guardian. I've been the Mom-friend, the one people go to for advice, for practically as long as I can remember. I have a protective streak a mile wide, partly due to my territorial instincts from my dragonself. I don't really want to talk about it publicly, but suffice to say that growing up I had what I would now, for lack of better words, call a rich imagined reality wherein I (and my few closest friends, though I hung onto it the longest) was a capital-G Guardian, a hero of blade and armor, a protector of the world.
Later on, in high school, those same friends and I took on a more realistic protective streak, primarily in the form of a habit of adopting girls who a) had just been through bad breakups and/or b) were being harassed/stalked by creepy boys and literally bodyguarding them throughout the day. I still fantasize about scenarios where I get to protect people, often strangers, on a regular basis, for no real reason other than it makes me feel good. I want to be that. I want to be a protector, a shield and sword for those who need it.
My first D&D character was a paladin, and a fairly stereotypical one (although not fully Lawful Stupid). Shail is a tiefling who was abandoned at a temple doorstep as a baby after they were born, raised by one of the priests as their father, and later took up arms after being inspired by a visiting paladin and took the Oath of Devotion. They were my first experiment with they/them pronouns. I am realizing their choice of class may also have been a bit of projection.
I don't know how much of this is inherent to me and how much is something I chose and how much is something I want to choose.
A brief tangent: it so happens that I very recently saw the musical Man of La Mancha, which is based on Don Quixote. While I was vaguely familiar with the story of Don Quixote, I'd never actually read or seen it in full in any form until now. I did not expect to be as touched by it as I was. Don Quixote is... for all we often make fun of him for the windmill incident, ultimately I think Don Quixote is someone we could all stand to learn from, and perhaps even to aspire to. To stubbornly, doggedly, adamantly adhere to honor and justice and a view of the world where good prevails in the end, to fight for what's right no matter the odds, to swear yourself to these things despite the way the rest of the world laughs at you - perhaps the world would be a better place if more of us were Don Quixote in this.
"A quest?" "How you must fight? And it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, if only you follow the quest."
"To dream the impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe. To bear with unbearable sorrow. To run where the brave dare not go. To right the unrightable wrong. To love pure and chaste from afar. To try when your arms are too weary. To reach the unreachable star."
Perhaps the recency of this exposure to Don Quixote, and my thoughts and feelings about it and about him as a character, is influencing how I'm reacting to the exposure to archetropy. Or perhaps my reaction to Man of La Mancha is indicative of my resonance with Don Quixote as someone I would argue has an archetropal identity (if of the Knight Errant rather than of the Paladin, though the two really aren't that different) himself. Perhaps both.
Either way, I think it's an admirable thing to take up such a mantle in the face of the world's cruelties - to take up the Guardian's armor and sword again, illogical as it may be, and to aspire to such a lofty ideal as this despite the way the world may consider it foolish or daft.
(And there I go getting poetic prose-y again. Perhaps that's also part of why the paladin archetype appeals to me, ha. I have been known to monologue.)
Even my job can be argued to fall into the paladin - a healer, a helper, a servant who at least tries to value The Good Of The Patient above all else. it's not quite a guardian role - but then, a paladin is often a healer as well.
On top of all of that, there's the fact that when I, out of curiosity and experimentation, put a major problem of indecision I've been facing regarding my current job hunt through the lens of "what would a paladin do," it immediately answered the question with "wouldn't let the difficulty of the task scare them off." Which didn't completely solve my problem, but solves a good solid chunk of it.
So it appears that this may be a helpful tool for me. Even if the thought of "what would Xenk Yendar do" is a slightly silly one. (And yes, Xenk Yendar is an extremely good representation of what paladin looks like to me - and perhaps it's telling that I really latched onto him as a character almost instantly upon watching Honor Among Thieves.)
Perhaps my one big hesitance to latch onto the paladin archetype is the religious connotation of a paladin - while I suppose my relationship with Asclepius could qualify, under the "paladins are also often healers" thought, Asclepius does not cover most of what draws me to the paladin archetype. But a paladin doesn't always have to be religious; in D&D paladins technically draw their power from their oath, Xenk Yendar comes up as an example of a paladin who doesn't obviously seem to have a particular god, and besides none of the alternative archetypes I'm finding or coming up with fit quite as well. The Knight Errant is close, but requires wandering in a way I am thoroughly uncomfortable with (I am still a territorial beast at heart) and also implies seeking evil rather than defending from it.
So... perhaps that's not as big a block as one might think. I'm going to chew on this a while longer, and I'm certainly open to suggestions on similar archetypes for my consideration, but... I might have tripped into a new alterhuman identity. Oops.
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“It seems as though Shelley insists the true monstrosity lies in humanity rather than Frankenstein’s creation.”
“Well, yeah, the monster was left completely alone because the doctor couldn’t bear to look at him after he brought him to life.” You vigorously wipe down one of the tables in the nearly empty coffee shop as you answer the sole guest that’s left. “It upset him a lot. He even says something to him like, ‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.’”
“Hm.” A thoughtful pause. “‘Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.’” Grey eyes skim the quote’s faded page, large hands clasping the worn cover. A prized first-edition print he had quietly boasted about earlier that evening. “It’s as if the doctor was so blinded by his need for recognition that he failed to recognize the potential consequences of his experiment. Such hastiness. I’m curious as to what inspired him, or rather pushed him, to play God like that in the first place.”
Tossing the rag into a bucket of cleaning solution, you sigh amusedly. “Probably just entitlement. But anyway, Boss, shop’s closed. I’ll be happy to hear your musings again at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning.”
Truthfully, you didn’t mind this guy’s presence at all; he did this often, at least a couple of times a week when he could, staying for hours on end to delve into his books and pick your brain on their contents while sipping your coffee. It started a good bit ago, and the second he silently breezed through the shop’s door you had an inkling that you’d be seeing him a lot. He made note of a classic piece resting behind the counter that you’d brought from home that day, and the slow parts of your shifts were soon filled with rich discussion about the stories you’ve both read- a welcome break from the monotonous routine of pulling shots, steaming milk, and taking complaints from the middle-aged women who insisted they ordered their drink “extra hot.” Quickly, he grew to become your favorite regular; he had quite the heart for literature and art, and he was fairly easy on the eyes too.
He lets out an appreciative chuckle. “Well, I’ll be sure to remember my alarm, then.” His low voice has the heaviness of sincerity as he teases you, and you could almost swear it was flirting. He carefully closes the book before tucking it under his arm, standing to his full height. Albeit not the tallest, he’s still able to look down at you. “I’d quite like to hear your thoughts on Dr. Frankenstein’s innate motivations.”
You fight the blush that threatens to tinge your cheeks, halfway tempted to keep the doors unlocked just to talk to him some more. However, this could be a double-edged sword for you; you’d be here all night chatting with him if you allowed that discrepancy. Then you’d be too tired to comprehend all his reasonings the next morning when he’d want to debate all over again.
“I mean, I’ll be off in about fifteen minutes,” you blurt out, not fully realizing the forwardness of the unspoken invitation. An invitation that is met with surprise from your normally nonchalant regular.
There’s a small smirk tugging at the corners of his fine lips as his eyebrows raise slightly at you. “Very well. Where do you suggest we take this conversation, then?” He is all too impressed with this turn of events as he sets down his book to collect a few haphazard mugs, bringing them over to the sink for you. The small action, while also being another discrepancy, nearly makes you swoon. “On second thought, don’t answer that. I know just the place.”
Your heartbeat surges when you wonder about his implication, taking the mugs from him and plopping them into the soapy water. His stormy grey eyes watch you with interest as you take care of the nightly closing duties, cleaning the tableware before setting everything in its proper place.
“It better not be Frankenstein’s laboratory,” You halfway joke, curious as to how this night could unfold with the guy you’ve always regarded as the friendly yet handsome customer. Another part of you is wary, but he only shakes his head, sending the choppy black locks that framed his face into a gentle flurry of movement.
“No, nothing like that at all,” is all he answers with a reassuring smile and a chuckle. Concentration lost on what may lie ahead with him, you’re barely able to focus on counting out the register as you lock it up and grab your bag. “If you say so,” you reply with a small smile. With a flick of the light and his chivalrous door-holding, you’re both out of the shop and securing its entrance with your key before you turn to your good-looking regular.
“Where to, Boss?” You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little nervous about venturing somewhere new with him.
“It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.” His tone is genuine as his dark tresses flutter in the night’s breeze, walking beside you and guiding you toward a vibrant ramen joint nestled a couple streets away. “Oh, and don’t feel like you have to call me that. I’m Chrollo.”
Chrollo. What an interesting name- yet it fits him perfectly. You say it aloud, which seems to satisfy him. Moments later, you feel his hand cradle the small of your back with the same tenderness of his beloved book as you reach the restaurant’s doors, and it sends heat along the entirety of your skin. Part of you toys with the thought that this could be the beginning of a story of your own, bound in cloth and published in ink for you two to analyze over coffee later.
This creation might be much more beautiful than Frankenstein’s.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
It’s a lovely evening as expected, and Chrollo drops you off at your doorstep with a warm promise to debate literature outside of your work hours again. He’s everything and then some- charming, collected, unafraid to banter with you, and part of you is honestly disappointed that the evening doesn’t escalate further. Still, you’re vibrating with giddiness, unable to rest as you think about your quasi-date with him, and you’re already imagining what kinds of stories you’ll talk about next.
After a few hours of finally sleeping, you’re awoken by a panicked call from one of your coworkers early that next morning. Something about the store’s register being wiped empty of its change, and that’s all you need to hear to be there in record time. Once you arrive, you scope the scene and the coffee shop is perfectly kept the way it was last night, save for the now desolate register. You inspect it carefully, shocked at how meticulously the cash had been removed, and the results of your search make your heart pound. The only items that surface are your door key along with small slip of paper with some elongated handwriting. It couldn’t be.
Your entire being blanches when you read the familiar words straight out of Shelley’s book:
“I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.”
#i have such a thing with chrollo and frankenstein I don’t even know why#i love my war criminal#chrollo lucilfer#hunter x hunter#chrollo lucifer x reader#chrollo x reader#should i make a pt. 2 ???#ryn’s rambles#hxh chrollo#chrollo x you
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Writing Lessons from ASOIAF
The last night fell black and moonless, but for once the sky was clear. "I am going up the hill to look for Ghost," he told the Thenns at the cave mouth, and they grunted and let him pass.
So many stars, he thought as he trudged up the slope through pines and firs and ash. Maester Luwin had taught him his stars as a boy in Winterfell; he had learned the names of the twelve houses of heaven and the rulers of each; he could find the seven wanderers sacred to the Faith; he was old friends with the Ice Dragon, the Shadowcat, the Moonmaid, and the Sword of the Morning. All those he shared with Ygritte, but not some of the others. We look up at the same stars, and see such different things. The King's Crown was the Cradle, to hear her tell it; the Stallion was the Horned Lord; the red wanderer that septons preached was sacred to their Smith up here was called the Thief. And when the Thief was in the Moonmaid, that was a propitious time for a man to steal a woman, Ygritte insisted. "Like the night you stole me. The Thief was bright that night."
-Jon, ASoS
I have this passage marked as 'writing inspiration' and wanted to share why I like it, if (like me) you are an ASOIAF fan and struggling aspiring writer. GRRM does a few things in this passage that I think are helpful 'advice.'
Exposition: When people criticize bad books not set in our world (or even mediocre books that could be better), one of the most common complaints is clunky exposition or info dumping, especially in the first few chapters of the novel.
Here, GRRM is expositing in a way that adds depth and richness to Westerosi and Freefolk societies. Jon lists the stars by talking about his childhood (which we already care about) and compares and contrasts his names with the names by which Ygritte knows them. This is more retainable and interesting for readers than if he had simply looked up at the sky and listed them for us.
Importantly, we are three books into the series, but we are still learning about the world. Everything hasn't been told to us already.
Lesson: Find memorable ways to show your worldbuilding. And you don't need to show everything in the first few chapters.
Cultural similarities: By this point, we've learned that the Freefolk are descendants of the First Men who were kicked on the worse side of the wall. This is one way of reinforcing the point, by having them share names for 'universal' things like stars.
Cultural differences: The influence of the Andals' religion on the common tongue, even among the First Men, is obvious here with the star named the Smith. But the passage is also pointing out at least a couple of other differences between their geographies and cultures.
1. The Fauna of Beyond-the-Wall: At the beginning of ASOS, Chett's prologue notes
It was a rare thing to find even a dozen mounted wildlings, and five hundred...
One of the advantages that the Rangers have over the Freefolk is their properly armed and armored warriors, but it seems clear that horses is another. Jon mentions that most of the people in the column are traveling by foot.
And even more telling, only one in a hundred wildlings was mounted. The Old Bear will go through them like an axe through porridge.
Stallions, while important in both cultures, are perhaps less important to lay people beyond the wall. At the very least, they're not important or perhaps relevant enough to the common person to merit the name of a star. The King's Crown also falls in this category, obviously.
2. The importance of thieving in Freefolk culture: The harshness of the North, especially during winter, has been established many times. This is magnified north of the wall, which is colder and more brutal. Aside from climate, a big reason is because they lack regular commerce with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms due to the Wall. They can't exactly show up to the Vale to buy grain during hard times.
Thus the Freefolk have had to become necessary thieves, and thieving has in turn been raised to a point of respect or reverence, even extending to their courting or mating customs.
We don't know at this point, whether stealing women was part of First Men culture that the Northerners gradually discarded. But, I think we can say that part of the reason the Freefolk have elevated stealing to a virtue is because it's so necessary. Thieves are needed for luxuries, like silks, wine, spices and so on. But they're also crucial for survival, by taking weapons and perhaps food and goods that you can eat or trade for food during their harsh winters.
So the Thief is great name for a major star in their culture, in the way that Jupiter was in western European culture.
Movement: We learn later that Jon is (brooding) on a hill near the wall, a long ways away from The Fist of the First Men where we saw him last. The end of the passage also sets up Jon describing the beginning of his physical relationship with Ygritte, but he does this in post. There is no 'and the next day, and the next day' until we get to the meat (heh) which is the instinct of many newbie writers. We have arrived here without tedious descriptions of progress, while also covering a lot of physical, emotional and narrative ground.
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please tell me about your dnd campaign, stranger
hi hi hi hi hi hi hi do you have any idea how happy i am to get this ask. you have activated my trap card this is going to be SO long i am sorry in advance but The People Need To Know About My D&D Campaign.
so we’re playing in Adventures in Middle Earth, which is. supposedly a Tolkienverse-specific 5e mod but frankly it’s robust enough to fully count as its own system if you ask me. like it has its own guidebooks, character sheets, premade adventures, and features mechanics that 5e just straight up doesn’t have. it’s like if 5e were actually good. anyway. may i present to you:
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ The Mirkwood Campaign ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
so what, exactly, happened in the intervening years between the events of the Hobbit and LOTR? we did, BAYBEEEEEE!!
we are:
Murdoc, a hobbitish warden (adventures in middle earth’s version of a bard), played by yours truly!! raised in the shire and eventually moved out to the middle of mirkwood by an eccentric uncle who idolizes bilbo baggins, murdoc is the heir apparent to the brandybuck family inn. unfortunately for murdoc, he has developed extremely nasty prophetic dreams and is now burdened with the ability to see the future! a skill that has definitely left him with a very normal relationship to his new day job of Being An Adventurer!! i am unhinged and have uh. Talked About Him A LOT If You Care To Read This, but he is full of murderous rage and also tea and loves his friends very much. he also, more recently, surrendered himself as bait to the great werewolf plaguing mirkwood, trusting completely that his friends would come and save him. he was right. they did. and he lost his right hand in the process. :)
Ríros, an elven warrior (aime version of a fighter), played by @jaz-the-bard. tall, buff, sunshiny, and an absolute himbo. ALSO loves his friends VERY much and this is KEY. unfortunately for ríros, he is a redhead, and that does cause problems in a world where maedhros feänorion once existed. (stranger, i am so sorry if you are not one of my silmarillion regulars and did not know what you were getting into by asking me, a silmarillion blog, to tell you about my d&d campaign, and now have no idea who or what the fuck i am talking about). ríros is notably not maedhros though! he isn't even noldorin!! maedhros is a ghost who lives in his sword (and who is also played by jaz)! and who also maybe kind of accidentally possessed him one time, if you wanna read this here for a better explanation of ríros mostly but also all of the above.
The Bearer, a human slayer (aime barbarian), played by @thymo-leonta. grumpy old man. unwilling father to all these young and stupid adventurers he’s been stuck with. are they all adults? yeah sure. they’re still Children. we are making him go grey. also full of murderous rage. looks like he's running from his perfectly normal, happy, loving family. is actually acutely aware of the fact that he has been doomed to die. killed the werewolf that took murdoc's hand. as a consequence, became the werewolf that took murdoc's hand. has two dogs, both named Dog <3
Déorwyn, a human wanderer (aime ranger), played by @shadowkat2000. resident party Horse Girl. a fellow sufferer of The Bad Prophetic Dreams^TM. because this is not quite unfortunate enough for her, déorwyn Hears Dead People. apparently our GM gives her extra secret bonus ghosts that the rest of us do not hear or know about! this being the source of her foresight makes her pretty distinct from murdoc, despite them both seemingly suffering from the same thing, in ways that i have LOTS of emotions about. her horse is named windrider and Their Bond Is Unbreakable uwu
and @potatoobsessed999, our obligatorily Extremely Ominous GM!
(we are also occasionally joined by Ioreth, a human treasure hunter (aime rogue), whose player is unfortunately not on tumblr. a founding member of the party, has earned the epithet The Feral, mostly loves to hang out in the woods by herself, look for shiny things, and cause chaos. as a beorning, she CAN astral-project herself as a bear. it rules. once got possessed by a ringwraith, probably holds the most compassion for characters who have been through similar out of any of us. is usually covered in mud.)
initially in the employ of radagast the brown, a tenure that did not last due to murdoc's insistence that saruman is evil (i mean. yeah lol.), we're a group of adventurers traveling mirkwood with the aim to defend it as sauron slowly gathers power. we are
very
successful at the Fighting And Killing Things part of this
we specialize in:
lugging unconscious bodies through the woods!
lugging DEAD bodies through the woods!
lugging EACH OTHER'S bodies through the woods!
lugging things through the woods in general!
setting things on fire (usually murdoc's fault)!
making fun of our enemies so bad they just give up!
INCLUDING the ringwraiths (shoutout to ríros)!
serving annoying politicians subpoenas!
murdering them like the one time it was totally justified we promise!
accidentally convincing the council of mirkwood that murdoc's inn is a small fiefdom!
being generally cursed (except for ríros) (he just looks that way)!
HIRE US to take care of whatever problems are happening in YOUR local cursed forest! wights? patricidal politicians? generally awful politicians? sauron? the same fucking werewolf again? it's definitely just tuesday to us!
you can count on
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ the union of murdoc ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
anyhow, jaz is absolutely wonderful and has written several fics of our party, including (but not limited to):
Cooking Contest for the Free Peoples, based on an in-game conversation about beating sauron at competitive cooking,
In Which There Are More Ghosts, which is not canon to game but is in fact Extremely Representative of the exact kind of nonsense we get up to (campaign's haunted),
A Stranger With a Friend's Face, a canon to game horror story of how ríros got slightly possessed, the party acquired maedhros, and neither murdoc nor déorwyn managed to explain the presence of the vengeful ghost residing in murdoc's scepter and bullying him in his dreams to any of the rest of the party right up until this very moment,
and this wonderful drabble from the horror arc in which we were isolated inside of a haunted longhouse. complete with party memes here.
there's more, and i am going to a.) pick on jaz to add them if they can find them, and b.) pick on my beloved friends in general to Please Help Me Infodump About our Game!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Murdoc, the Bearer, Déorwyn, Ríros, Ioreth]
#so sorry to this random stranger. the op of the post about d&d games being five-person fandoms. who was kind enough to Ask Me This.#this is way more than you bargained for#even if you care about none of this I Love You Now. Just For Asking.#you must understand. i am compiling a sales pitch for my campaign. i need to get tumblr Invested.#also i truly have NO art of one-handed murdoc and this i MUST correct#my boy! does not have that second hand!!#his design has changed so much from even the point when this art was commissioned but that's a post of its own lmao#begging my friends to Descend upon this post because there *are* Things I Have Missed and i want them to infodump too .w.#mirkwood campaign#<= is my tag for everything from this game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go check it out pls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#nelyo askbox#hoping that this doesn't have a million typos before i finally post this lmao
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in case anyone was wondering, I turned off reblogs on most of my posts a few days ago because I just can't take it anymore. it gets so exhausting trying to use this website as an outspoken feminist.
I've used this blog for almost 11 years. this is my personal blog. I use this website to engage with topics I'm interested in and meet new people, and that's been true since day 1. but I constantly find that when I attempt to share my thoughts on feminism as a regular person in a normal tone, or I write a joke post complaining about misogyny, people will take me in the worst faith imaginable and argue with me. they'll attack me and harass me, sometimes even with explicitly violent transphobia. they'll paint me as irrational and hostile, or take my lack of nuance in these kinds of posts to condescend to me like I'm an idiot who doesn't know anything.
I've seen it all before, so you know what I started doing? I started writing longer posts that explain my thoughts in detail, with all of the nuance necessary, while addressing all of the potential counterpoints in advance. not only do these get significantly fewer reblogs, they barely curb the problem. people still harass me over them, too. these kinds of posts are also a double-edged sword. when I write long form posts based on feminist theory I've read in a formal tone, people take me seriously, admire me, sometimes even idolize me.
I cannot emphasize enough that I am literally Just Some Girl.
do you know how terrifying it is knowing you have thousands of people will read every single thing you say? especially when some of those people put you on a pedestal?
what happens if you fall?
no matter what, I keep finding myself scared of what people will do to me if I show any moment of weakness. whether I try to treat this like my personal blog and complain about things that annoy me or try to be something of an intellectual who educates people on transfeminism using the knowledge I've acquired, I feel like I'm setting myself up for destruction. if I'm ever messy, if I'm ever flawed, if I ever say something wrong, devastation awaits me. either I receive harassment and threats from people who hate me, or I face social ostracization from people who previously liked me.
do you understand how this has caused me immense amounts of stress? how it's influenced my behavior? how it's caused countless breakdowns? how it paralyzes me? do you understand that this is the reality trans women have to live with when we reach any level of notoriety?
I just... I don't know. I'm tired. I need a break. I like talking about my interests, I like discussing transfeminism, I like educating people. I even like the fact that people listen to what I have to say. the things people say about me can be really flattering sometimes. but I've also seen the horrible things people have said about me, and how they pale in comparison to the things they say about trans women who are more notable than me.
I just want to be treated like a person. I don't know how to make that happen. sometimes I just want to tear it all down and force people to see me for who I really am, even if I have to risk losing everything.
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Damien anon here. Officially more scared.
I'm watching his 5th anniversary stream right now and someone sent in a tip that said something along the lines of "I just discovered Smosh a month ago and was instantly drawn to you! Keep up the good work!" and Damien said "Thanks, I hope you continue to enjoy wherever it is you see me." (paraphrased, he definitely said "wherever it is you see me" though. At about 3 hours into the stream, maybe 3:05 or 3:10.)
Really hoping I'm just reading too much into everything...
Oh, okay, real talk that does sound sus. I don't want to freak anyone out but Damien may be getting ready to be done with Smosh. I am not a regular viewer of his streams but because he's so big on mental health do you all that watch him think that if someone donated and said to him plainly, "hey, it is freaking out my mental health to wonder if you might be done/be leaving Smosh?' it might appeal to his side that is big on mental health and he may answer?
I'm in no way suggesting he be bugged about this. Do people ask him on stream? We could also very well just be reading into it! At the very least I want you to rest assure that at the very least he's still on Smosh and that Sword AF will be coming out soon and hopefully in 2024 we will get more info!
Here's my advice. Let's not panic or distress too much. Enjoy that Damien was in today's games video, and look forward to Sword AF!
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DAY 4: JANUARY 17, 2024
(i um. was a little busy. oops.)
STATS:
read for ~2 hrs
pages read: 860-1052. 192 pgs. reached pg 1000! wooo!!!
slur count: 6 + 2 = 8 (rose narration, john. both r slur)
silly count: 10 + 1 = 11 (john about roses building)
piss count: 1/3
THOUGHTS:
today started with jade's freshjamz!!!!!!!!! I LOVE!!! i mean dave kind of sucks at making music but jade doesnt! i love how homestuck shows the works of the characters. jades music daves blogs caliborns deviantart whatever. it makes them feel so REAL.
figured out the time differences! if we're staying at johns timezone, dave is 2 hrs ahead and rose is 3 hrs ahead. and jade is 4 hrs ahead!!!! when we were dave pov a convo with jade was at 6:30pm but at jade pov it was 12:30pm so you know.
the exiles are FINALLY MEETING UP!!!! PM!!!!!!!!! i looove pm shes what makes me want to be a mailman. what the hell are the snake worm things in pm's like structure? whats it called? with the terminal. theyre awful silly but theyre kind of freaky and i dont know what they are.
john faq i always read the faqs theyre so fun. john try not to mention your friends by irl name on public forum challenge (even if he assumes everyone else is dead lol). i do NOT understand alchemizing mostly cus i dont get binary. but whatever. maybe i will someday
KARKAT VANTAS! i think the first mentions of the trolls are here! yaaay!
dave strife theyre still strifing i didnt get to the end yet. s beatdown or whatever. always interesting to me that dave never gets sliced or anythign even though theyre fighting with ultra sharp swords. how much restraint is bro (strider) showing? the fights ARE intended to be strengthening dave. but they dont. cus hes a kid and hes passive. im a sucker for bro strider i know he sucks but ugh i love dirk too much
mom lalondes lab drives me coocoo crazy. pov youre rose you go under your dead cats big ass mausoleum and find a laboratory your mother uses. theres 1 battery unlocked just for you. theres a giant ass monitor showing sburb sessions and meteors. did your mother know? did your mother know what was going to happen? youre thirteen years old. do you know? theres bright pink kiddy furniture. did your mother use it? when did she get it? it looks pristine. did she sleep in this when she was little? did she sleep in it as an adult? why would she buy herself such a thing at an adult age? youre rose lalonde. youre thirteen and full of hatred. you dont understand anything. you wear your mothers scarf and you pick up a stray mutant cat and name it after a drink your alcoholic mother loves. youre thirteen and full of hatred and you dont understand anything and you want to, so badly. so so badly.
jade is awesome her scampering through the house rocks. i wonder if she actually believes pa harley is talking to her, or if he actually is, or if shes just pretending. it has to be because of trauma, right? is she genuine? she has to be genuine. right? fosmf if you know anything about this let me know
jack noir... midnight crew.... oh how i cant wait for the intermission.
johns various mental breakdowns (over the discovery of his dads room; over betty crocker gushers; over the drawings over his posters) are insane. he lashes out so weirdly. dave said like john never gets mad or frustrated over real big stuff and he instead funnels it into tiny meaningless problems. i wonder what that means. im not into john enough to read into it or know
jade (and dirk by extension) waking up on prospit (or derse) early makes me thiiiink. i wonder if theyd get freaked by regular normal dreams. they god tier and sleep and wake up in a cold sweat Hello? Where am i. Hello? I just slept and nothing was there. Where am i
thinking about rose + jade a lot these first few acts. i looove rose and i looove jade. i focused on jade a lot the first time i read so im trying to focus on rose more because shes AWESOME! and i want to get to know her better. she deserves it. but anyway thats enough for today sorry for taking like a 12 day break lol
#me#nutzworth hs reread#its midnight.... was racing to do this before bed lol. they call me the sleeper
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Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E2
Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. Time for VALIANT!
So this brings up heraldry in the series. We see Arthur using Camelot heradlry, and other knights doing the same but during tourneys, we see Lots of different other patterned shields. So either people usually use the shield of their overlord in battle but their own in tourneys Or no knights of Camelot besides Arthur appear in tourneys. (I think Lancelot will make this a bit clearer when we get to it.) Either way either this is Valient's family crest, or he serves someone with a family crest. Either way it makes sense for why he murders this dude. As the shield is KINDA a dead giveaway to his identity. (And we know he is a knight or at least is acting as one and pulls it off better then Merlin's later first attempt at identity theft.) They obviously do not require patents of nobility at tourneys because Gwen, Arthur and Merlin pull off a fictional Knight later just fine.
I think he is likely a knight because ARMOR IS EXPENSIVE Y'ALL.
He also says he is from the Western Illes. Because the island of Mora And Ealdor this is the first place we hear about besides Camalot.
Does he mean Ireland? I think he means Ireland?
ALSO! are you used to my messed up grammar and punctuation yet? I have an LD in both. This is why I always need Betas for my fics despite creative writing being my thing. (I mean besides just wanting them to be better.) (This is an example of autistic oversharing. You are welcome! BACK TO MERLIN!)
So we only see this kinda sparing with Merlin in armor and holding a sword and shield once. (Usually he just holds a target for arthur) However, Merlin does get better with a sword somewhat as the series progresses so I think it likly continues. (Though perhaps a bit more nicely) It's interesting because Arthur has his pick of people to spar with, we see that later. Yet he says "Most Servants collapse after the first blow" So who is he sparing with? Has he been given manservants he didn't like before and just used this to make them quit? ANYHOO this was not as much lore so will not often comment on character dynamics but yesh.
Okay so I will spare you the talk of different armor parts. BUT this is really interesting compared to mentions of "Camalot forged steel"
See many Castles would have their own blacksmith and the one in the villager would be more for horseshoes, nails, and the like. Because armor and weapon making was A BIG DEAL
This implies Gwen's father was a HIGHLY SKILLED blacksmith who likely served the knights of Camalot. (He can't have been the only one because when he dies there is a period of time before Elyan comes and in Gwen's words Gets the forge running again.) But for a regular blacksmith to serve as an armor and weapon maker is a BIG DEAL that kinda knowledge was highly specialized! And yet Uther killed him easily.
OKAY time to nerd out a bit!
This is quartering, an advanced heraldic tradition in which an individual for some reason or another wanted to show MORE than one coat of arms they were entitled to. You guys should look all this up, its fascinating! But onward!
Okay yeah remember what I said about Gwens family likely descending back to the Roman times? It's still possible but if Arab knight equivalents can get to Camelot then her family could totally have come from northern Africa for other reasons.
Also I like the dude in Mauve having an Anglo-Saxon Helm and the due behind him having one from the 1100s I love Merlin's stew of things from all over history.
Okay this is perhaps just Uther being an ass. Because I'm sorry if you are not the king of Mercia I refuse to belive you are the king of Ireland. (Albion is not united yet.)
Perhaps its mostly knights of Camalot here with some exeptions?
I mean if we are creative with the dude CLEARLY of the middle east we can say somehow became a noble of camalot. It would explain a few things. Did Valiant come from Ireland (Sorry I mean The Western Illes) originally then somehow for reasons we will not question also moved to Camalot? (Unlikely as Uther asks him to stay later.)
There are also very few people here so likley perliminary tournaments were held? I mean we do see in Lancelot people come from all over to try to be knights of Camalot. so THEORETICLY Uther might be being honest here?
Okay this guys helm is the same as the Arab dude we saw before I think he just took his outher coat off. BUT And some of this gear is very European. So Camalot somehow has an Arab noble family that fights in ancestral gear when they can OR he got repairs along the long journey to Camalot in local styles. Take your pick!)
(You know because I can't be normal and just say they throw this in for visual appeal.)
Something to note! This would normally be the job for a Squire. A Squire was also usually the step before knighthood but in the Merlin world they do not seem to exist!
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more and more as of recent I’ve been thinking about what direction Riot’s design team are going to take Viktor. Bridging the rift had some early stage design stuff teased, but the one coloured image looks very similar to his game design - a design that I don’t think it’s controversial to say sucks. Like there is some amazing fanart of the Machine Herald out there but they all take some liberty with it. It’s going to be a tough job for the design team, coming up with something that has void elements, potential hextech elements, fixing all the prev design problems while still having something that’s identifiable as the machine herald. I am in high hopes however. I was wondering if you had any options on the matter.
Oh you’re absolutely right, for a character that’s supposed to be a cyborg/poster boy for cyborgs, he’s pretty… plain. Kinda just looks like a suit of armor. The only thing that really sets him apart from a regular armored character is that visibly mechanical left arm (and the Hexclaw obviously, but even that and the shoulder pauldron sorta look like they’re strapped on via the bandolier across his chest.)
And as for the solution to this? I think it’s to have less armor, and have the metal be a more obvious part of him. Like, (in League) he’s a vocal proponent of function over form. He doesn’t really care for how something looks so long as it performs its function to perfection. So I think more exposed steampunk-looking bits on his chest, more moving parts. Like Sevika’s arm… gotDAMN that shit is cool, with the way her hand just Swiss Army Knifed into a freaking plasma sword?!?! Shit like that. Also, it’s highly likely that he is going to need Shimmer at some level to upkeep things, an injector tank like the one on her shoulder wouldn’t hurt (though that probably should be armored, cuz we saw via Caitlyn’s excellent shot what happens when it’s exposed).
His Hexcore-augmented parts are obviously a new addition, cuz his right hand in League (according to this splash art) was still flesh and bone.
So that’s a whole world of possibility. It could have some kind of aura around it, hell… maybe he might eventually learn to do magic with them (but like… fucked up Void magic which… big ol’ yikes). Or, there’s the other possibility, wherein he dislikes the influence it had over him (when the Hexcore used his augmented parts to hurt him after he tried to destroy it), and he might amputate them, leaving him with no flesh and bone limbs. Which could actually be another way to update his character design.
And I think a massive part of what is going to make him successful will be sound engineering—the whirs, the clicks, the ambient hum of working machinery. Also his footsteps. Dude needs to sound like an earthquake coming at you. And I think they already gave us a taste, with how that Hexcore-augmented foot sounded as it hit the ground. Overall, I trust the team. They turned the original overly-sexualized and honestly awful designs of Vi and Cait and turned it into something amazing. (I’m not talking about the Enforcer uniform, that’s still way too prissy for an officer, but the way they did it made it more a statement about Piltover and their focus on aesthetics than a comment about Caitlyn). So if they put the same kind of dedication into redesigning the Machine Herald, then I think he is going to be BADASS.
#arcane#arcane league of legends#league of legends#machine herald viktor#arcane Viktor#character design#asks#ace answers
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