#She still has some civilized behavior. Kind of like a witch who lives in the woods in a way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sachigram · 4 years

Note

I know Halloween has long passed (*sob*) but what do you think of Izaya as a Witch? 🤔 (maybe with a side order of Shizuo being his beastly but also angry familiar? 😂😂😂)

((Okay so I went rogue on this one. It’s funny because @lateniteslacker and I have an rp going where Izaya is a witch right now so I wanted this one to be darker and wanted Shizuo to be a beast for real.))

The thing about humans is, they really do have more in common with wild animals than they'd like to believe. Izaya has always studied human behavior extensively, obsessively, and he's always excited when a completely civilized person gives into their instincts, usually in a moment of complete desperation. The four f's really are a universal truth, and while Izaya is captivated by humanity as a whole, he can't deny he feels a certain...thrill in knowing society could topple at any moment, with only the slightest push, and then people would show their true colors and what lengths they would go to in order to survive.

Thinking this over, Izaya lifts his eyes to the beast pacing around his apartment. It's late at night, obscenely early morning, actually, but neither of the occupants in the apartment have slept yet. It's close to sunrise, Izaya realizes, and Shizuo has still yet to kill him.

“You're letting me live again? How generous of you, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, and when Shizuo growls at him in answer, Izaya's lips curl into a small smile. Shizuo can't reply at length, of course. No werewolf in existence can speak when they're transformed.

Shizuo's body could be considered grotesque, but Izaya's never been squeamish, and he doesn't mind watching the huge monster walk in circles, his features lit only by the city lights streaming into the windows. His skin is dark and leathery, only some of it covered in thick, wiry fur. Shizuo's mouth is gaping and filled with sharp, jagged teeth, so many that it seems to be hard for Shizuo properly close it, thus making him leave drops of saliva in his wake. His eyes are the same color as normal, so dark they're practically a mirror for anyone who looks into them, but they're filled with bloodlust and hunger, instincts Shizuo would be acting on if not for Izaya's potion keeping him in his own mind.

“You could sleep, you know,” Izaya continues, watching with glee as Shizuo's ears perk towards Izaya, hearing him whether Shizuo wants to or not. “I'm not going to do anything to you. We seem to be in a truce, don't we? Unwilling companions.”

Shizuo snarls openly at that and makes his way over to the desk, looming over it and salivating onto Izaya's papers. Izaya merely looks up at him pleasantly, knowing Shizuo won't actually kill him. Shizuo is too afraid of being left alone to do so.

“Is it some kind of atonement? You think keeping yourself sleep deprived will help you feel better about what you are? It's actually only making it worse.” Izaya listens to Shizuo's deep, rumbling growl, and hears it for the question it really is. “I'm not awake because I want to be, Shizu-chan! It's not the same. You know I have insomnia. At the very least, I'm grateful for your company.”

Shizuo huffs and turns away from him then, going back to pacing. Izaya knows how cruel it is of him to act as if Shizuo has any choice to be here, but it hardly matters to Izaya why Shizuo is here. He's here. That's all Izaya needs.

It was months ago, another full moon. Izaya was fed up with Shizuo, wanted him gone for good. Shizuo wasn't rising to Izaya's challenges anymore, would actually ignore Izaya if they crossed paths on the street. More and more of Shizuo's time was spent with that woman, that doe-eyed assassin, and Izaya decided he was done playing around. He hired some men, some higher-ups in the Yakuza, actually, and Shizuo fought as he always does, but he couldn't avoid the sharp teeth when they broke his skin and infected him with something that could never be cured.

It took two weeks for Shizuo to come to Izaya. Shizuo was pale, haggard, looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He stormed into Izaya's apartment and demanded to know what was wrong with him, why he wanted to bite and tear, why his dreams were filled with blood and viscera— “guts” is what Shizuo actually said, but that's besides the point.

“Why did you come to me?” Izaya had asked. “What makes you think I know?”

The answer was more than Shizuo could put into words. All monsters make their way to Izaya sooner or later, all of them knowing Izaya can help if he chooses to. It's why Shinichi made contact with him, why the more beastly members of the Yakuza put up with him. Izaya is stronger than he looks, smarter than is good for him, and filled with a constant boredom that makes him dangerous. To top it all off, he's one of the only witches in Japan, and an incredibly powerful one at that.

Izaya explained that Shizuo was bitten by a werewolf, and he would succumb to his desires during the next full moon unless he relented to trusting Izaya to help, and at first, Shizuo stormed out, cursing, threatening to bash Izaya's head in. A week later, one week before the next full moon, Shizuo was back, looking worse than before, and he had a tired sort of acceptance about him that let Izaya know the monster had already worked through all the other stages of grief.

Now, they can be around each other for extended periods of time, but never without underlying malice and contempt in their words and actions. Shizuo refuses to take the potion home and be alone in this, and Izaya hardly minds being subjected to Shizuo's transformation, despite the fact that Shizuo keeps promising to kill him before sunrise. They're at an impasse, and like all shaky alliances, they're waiting for the other one to break it first.

The next time Izaya looks up from his computer, Shizuo is back to normal, curled into a ball in the floor, panting at the strain of his return to humanity. Izaya stands and goes to his side, offering him a blanket to cover his trembling, naked body, and Shizuo swats him away, sending Izaya toppling to the floor. Izaya only laughs, pleased Shizuo still has some fight in him. It's so much more fun this way.

“Fuck,” Shizuo hisses, lifting his head to glare openly at Izaya. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Izaya asks earnestly.

“Like you love this.”

Izaya opens his mouth to respond, but he decides Shizuo has suffered enough for one night. He stands and goes back to his desk, leaving Shizuo to his own devices. Normally Shizuo will dress and leave immediately, but he lingers this time, hovering almost uncertainly by Izaya.

“Your mind is a mess,” Izaya says, hating that he can hear the majority of Shizuo's thoughts. Izaya tries not to read minds very often, feels like it's an unfair advantage in his line of work, and he so loves an actual challenge. But Shizuo's mind is different; it's loud and demanding, wanting more than anything to be heard.

“Why are you helping me?” Shizuo asks.

“I help many members of this world and the next, Shizu-chan,” Izaya replies without looking up. “It's part of my job.”

“Why wouldn't you want me to lose my mind and kill someone? Everyone would know then, wouldn't they? That I'm a monster. Isn't that what you want?”

Izaya looks up at him at last, a bored expression on his face. “It's enough that I know it.”

“Bullshit,” Shizuo snaps. “I keep waiting for you to sell me out, to tell everyone what I am. Why the fuck haven't you? I wouldn't help you if the tables were turned.”

“I know that,” Izaya says, shrugging. “I guess you could say I've been touched by how pitiful you are. How helpless.” Izaya's smile stretches into a leer, and he can see the way it makes Shizuo's skin crawl. “You need me.”

“I could find someone else,” Shizuo says. “Celty could know another...magic person.”

“By all means, go find them,” Izaya says. “Go explore the country and beyond on your measly second rate bodyguard salary. Better yet, go to Kasuka and tell him what you are and beg him for help in finding someone else to give you the same potion I give you for free every month.”

Shizuo flinches at that. He's obviously terrified of Kasuka finding out, which is hilarious in itself, as Kasuka is dating Ruri, another of Izaya's clients. It's true she doesn't have much vampire blood in her veins, but she has enough to feel the bloodlust. Izaya hasn't told Shizuo any of that, though. If nothing else, Izaya is loyal to his clients until they give him reason not to be, even if those reasons are nothing more than being more interesting once they find out Izaya betrayed them.

“You could go to Celty, see if Shinra and his crazy father can help you look for a cure. You could do a lot of things, but you come to me every month.” Izaya rests his chin on his hand and watches Shizuo carefully. “Is it because you already hate me, so you don't mind me seeing you at your lowest?”

“Fuck you,” Shizuo says, and he marches towards the door. Izaya rolls his eyes and goes back to typing, but he looks up again when he realizes Shizuo hasn't left yet.

“Say whatever the hell you have to and then leave me alone,” Izaya huffs. He needs to finish this assignment soon, and he'd like to do it within the next few hours so he can sleep afterwards.

“I know how rare it is. What you are,” Shizuo says, his back still to Izaya. “Celty told me.”

“I'm surprised you spoke to her about any of it.”

“I didn't tell her what I am. I know she wouldn't judge me for it, but still, I just...” Shizuo trails off, and he turns to face Izaya. “But she knows what you are, and she told me. That's why I came to you.”

“And what did she say about me?” Izaya asks, amused. He knows the courier despises him, but he doesn't care much for her either aside what she can do for him.

“She said there's a reason witches are so rare, and it's because most of them have been killed off.” Shizuo moves closer. “She said the majority of them abused their powers, the same way you do, and that's why they're targeted so often.”

“She neglected to mention the part where it was everyone else who came to us first,” Izaya says sharply, remembering the first time he saw members of the other world. Ghosts, demons, monsters of every kind flocking to him, asking for help. He was a child then, a neglected one at that. He was on his own with no one to help him, and that was when he realized how unfair the world could really be. “You're always barking about how you can't control your strength, well I can't control this. I didn't ask for this either.”

“You did this to me,” Shizuo accuses. It's not the first time he's said it, but Izaya has never admitted to it.

“And if I did?” Izaya asks, annoyed by this entire exchange. “What are you going to do about it?”

Shizuo roars with rage and lurches towards Izaya, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall. He breathes into Izaya's face, his sharp teeth bared.

“Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?!” Shizuo shouts, and suddenly it seems as if he's being deflated, like all the strength is leaving him. He drops Izaya's feet to the floor, but he doesn't step away from Izaya's space. “Why can't you leave me alone?” he asks again, defeated.

“Because you're interesting,” Izaya says, and when he lifts his fingers to Shizuo's face, Shizuo only flinches slightly at the touch. “Because you're right, I'm alone in this, and you were alone, too. You were surrounded by people, but you were alone. No one knows better than me how that feels.”

“You ruined my life,” Shizuo says, no ire to it.

“You ruined mine first,” Izaya says, not bothering to elaborate. Shizuo doesn't seem confused, just tired, and when Izaya tucks his face into Shizuo's neck, the beast only growls softly before allowing it.

The thing about wolves is, they always protect their necks. It's one of their most vulnerable areas. Shizuo is allowing this, and that speaks volumes in itself. Izaya smiles and wraps his arms around Shizuo, clenching his fingers in the fabric of Shizuo's shirt.

“It'd be easier for you, wouldn't it? If you actually hated me,” Izaya murmurs. He presses his lips to Shizuo's neck, and he can feel the tremble of Shizuo's body before Shizuo's arms wrap around him in return.

“You won't die, right? You can't,” Shizuo says, his voice muffled in Izaya's hair.

“Wouldn't it be better for you if I did?” Izaya asks.

“Yes. No. Fuck.” Shizuo kisses the top of Izaya's head, and he makes a disgruntled noise when Izaya pulls away, growling until he realizes what it is Izaya wants. Their lips brush together gently, a complete contrast to all their harsh words and usual actions. “Izaya,” Shizuo breathes, clinging tight enough to Izaya to hurt.

“You won't be alone, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, sighing sweetly when Shizuo kisses him again. They wind up on Izaya's couch, their clothes scattered around them as they give into their basic instincts, showing each other just how beastly they can be.

#asks #anon #prompts #shizaya #Izaya Orihara #Shizuo Heiwajima #unhealthy relationships #codependency #witchy izaya #werewolf shizuo #I didn't quite get to the familiar part but rest assured Shizuo makes Izaya a stronger threat lol

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dwellordream · 3 years

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A Six of Crows Review: Kaz V through Kaz VI

Previously

On the positive side of things, the reveal of Kaz’s backstory and how he and his brother were conned of their life’s savings and left to starve on the streets is well done. I have to give credit where credit is due in Kaz V. Bardugo very effectively shows the differences between the innocent and playful little boy Kaz was and the cruel and spiteful young man he’s become with the recounting.

On the negative side of things, the efforts by the author to get the reader invested in a burgeoning relationship between Kaz and Inej falls totally flat. Not just because Kaz is a dick who can’t work out that he should probably thank Inej for saving all their lives, but because the narrative keeps insisting to us that there is chemistry and mutual romantic feelings between the two of them, but never really bothers to show it.

Kaz is mean to girls he likes. Inej thinks he’s attractive. It doesn’t go much deeper than that. It feels like Bardugo is far more committed to the relationship than even her audience would be, and we’re nearly at the halfway point of the novel.

I still don’t see why I should want the two of them to be together. I mean, Jesus, there’s more depth between Nina and Matthias, and Matthias’ entire character and backstory is rife with fucking Nazi imagery!

Matthias II does a decent job at continuing to develop his character and his relationship with Nina, though at times it does veer into ‘walking camera’ territory before the flashback to the shipwreck begins.

I find it a little unrealistic how easily Nina falls into a pretty friendly manner with Matthias after they wash up on land, even if she doesn’t think he’s much of a threat to her with them both exhausted and sick from hours swimming for shore.

Cracking jokes with the man who captured her to take her to her death seems a little weird, and it doesn’t seem like this is supposed to be taken as shock induced hysterics. I would think she’d have harsher words for him than ‘big idiot’ and ‘prude’.

And if I never have to read Matthias ‘indecently round’ comment again, I’ll die happy. Is Bardugo aware she can just call a character fat? Heavyset? Chunky? It’s not a dirty word.

Bardugo does try to confront this disparity - the obvious passion between Matthias and Nina, in contrast to the fact that he has been raised to hate all grisha and to an extent still does - with the scene of the pyres. Nina does get in some good lines - “Do you have a different name for killing when you wear a uniform to do it?”, while Matthias defends his prejudice by pointing out that Ravkan grisha soldiers destroyed his home and slaughtered his family.

This is where the real world connections fall flat on their face. Bardugo puts in some pretty obvious connections to actual historical atrocities, such as the witch trials that occurred across Europe during the Renaissance, and the Fjerdan’s whole national image pretty clearly taking some cues from Nazi Germany.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, men fight to protect the fatherland, women stay home and have more pure Fjerdan children, grisha are demons on this earth and lower than dogs who must be exterminated for the greater good… If the latter is unintentional, damn, it is one hell of a coincidence.

But the point is, while real world minorities are guilty of nothing but existing, fictional minorities such as the grisha are depicted as dangerous and capable of wide scale destruction. Real world racism, antisemitism, and other forms of intolerance isn’t based off anything except prejudice, paranoia, and convenient scapegoating.

Yet in Bardugo’s world, there is real basis, and that’s where it gets thorny, and where this novel really, really could have used some sensitivity readers.

And while Matthias II does get at some actual thought provoking conflict between Matthias and Nina, it’s almost all undone in Nina II, which has Nina seemingly forget most of the massive fight she just had with him, and start thinking about how she wants to kiss him again. This, after she just saw the horrific evidence of what Fjerdans do to grisha.

I understand what Bardugo is trying to do, cutting between their current conflict and their reluctant bonding in the past, but there’s just not enough substance to it. I don’t buy that Nina would so easily come to trust, even love, someone dedicated to killing her kind. I don’t buy that Matthias would so easily fall for her.

And I especially don’t like the false equivalence that the narrative tries to bring about by suggesting that Nina is ‘just as guilty’ as Matthias for turning on him when they made it back to civilization. Matthias somehow can’t connect how what he hates her for; falsely accusing him, having him imprisoned, chained up in the belly of a ship, is exactly what he’d just done to her.

Why should Nina have trusted him, just because he became infatuated with her? He hardly changed his mind about all grisha, he just became attracted to one. Matthias does deserve punishment for his behavior. Is rotting in prison for the rest of his life the solution? No, but neither is getting to walk away scot free.

Nina reveals that she in fact accused Matthias of slaving to spare him the worse fate of being captured and brought back to Ravka to be tortured and executed as a druskelle.

Honestly, I don’t think this reveal was necessary at all. I could excuse and even welcome some spite from Nina towards him. Instead this just paints her as this all-compassionate, pure-hearted angel willing to repeatedly sacrifice herself for the sake of both friends and enemies. I like Nina, but I’d like her better with more bite to her.

Inej V unfortunately takes us right back into walking camera territory for her. This could be any character narrating this chapter, and it does little to nothing to develop her.

The travel descriptions are also not terribly interesting and I don’t think the pacing is handled all that well; the book started fast, got even faster and choppier as the Crows came together, and is now grinding into a dull slog ever since they landed in Fjerda, which is a much more thinly sketched setting than Ketterdam.

I think it might have made better use of the book to work it out so all the events took place within the confines of the city, to add to the themes of how Ketterdam can make or break any one of them, but too late now.

It’s even more insulting when contrasted with Kaz VI, which continues to detail Kaz’s backstory, which is where Bardugo is at her strongest. It just emphasizes that this book would have worked better with few characters, tighter characterization, and a plot confined to Ketterdam and its mundane capitalist horrors. It’s too thinly stretched between multiple POV characters, half of whom are barely developed, the other half of whom are frustratingly botched in their development.

I know jack shit about Jesper and Wylan, and it’s aggravating. I still know very little about Inej. Kaz, Nina, and Matthias get the most attention, and Kaz still isn’t very believable or compelling in the present, just the past, whereas Nina and Matthias’ intertwined story is an awkwardly arrayed mess of conflicting ideals and poor characterization decisions.

I only have about a hundred pages left of this book, and right now it’s hovering at like a C- rating. Not badly written enough to be offensive or infuriating, but still firmly stuck in some mediocre traction that, with more stringent editing, could have been resolved.

There are some good plot ideas and good character concepts here, but they’re lost in the mire. I’m barely even invested in the actual heist plot, which just doesn’t feel as urgent as it should, and the characters are not compelling enough to make up for it

#six of crows #in review #kaz brekker #nina zenik #matthias helvar #ya lit

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bananaofswifts · 4 years

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Taylor Swift Leaves Her Comfort Zones Behind on the Head-Spinning, Heartbreaking ‘Folklore’

Her eighth album is a radical detour into the deepest collection of songs she’s ever come up with.

So here we are again. The world was in the middle of the cruelest summer ever, just staggering through late July, when Taylor Swift decided to make it all so much messier — her specialty. In a move that nobody saw coming, she announced a surprise album on July 23rd, less than a year after her career-capping smash Lover. (A year to the day after she dropped “The Archer.”) Like the rest of us, Swift had to cancel her summer, including her LoverFest shows, which would have been next week. Instead, she spent the quarantine season throwing herself into a new secret project: her eighth album, Folklore. But the real surprise is the music itself — the most head-spinning, heart-breaking, emotionally ambitious songs of her life.

It’s a total goth-folk album, mostly acoustic guitar and piano, largely in collaboration with the National’s Aaron Dessner. No pop songs at all. It’s as far beyond Lover as Lover was beyond Reputation. She’s always relished her dramatic creative zigzags, but this is easily her most audacious move, full of story-telling depth she’s never come close to before. Some of us have spent years dreaming Taylor would do a whole album like this, but nobody really dreamed it would turn out this great. Her greatest album — so far.

Lover self-consciously summed up the first 30 years of her life, bringing all her musical passions together. But on Folklore, she leaves her comfort zones behind. It sounds like she figured she wasn’t going to be touring these songs live anyway, so she gave up on doing anything for the radio, anything rah-rah or stadium-friendly. She just made some coffee, sat at the piano, and let her mind wander into some dark places. You can picture the candle on her piano flickering as the wax melts over her copy of Wuthering Heights and another song rolls out.

Her sonic chemistry with Dessner is right in every detail; she also teams up with her longtime wingman Jack Antonoff and duets with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on “Exile.” The vibe is close to “Safe and Sound,” the rootsy gem she did with the Civil Wars for The Hunger Games soundtrack in 2013. As she explains in her Prologue, “In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory.”

Folklore really feels like the debut album of a whole new Swift — her narrative scope has opened up, with a wide-ranging cast of characters, for seventeen songs without a dud. Yet you can still hear that this is the same songwriter who dropped “Last Kiss” on the world ten July-ninths ago. Here’s a Swift progress report on her quarantine: “I’ve been having a hard time adjusting/I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting/I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back/I have a lot of regrets about that.” The power of her mind.

It’s amusing in retrospect how people actually worried that being happy in love might mean Swift would run out of things to write songs about. Not a chance. It turns out to be the other way around, as she lets these characters tell their own stories: A scandalous old widow, hated by her whole town. A scared seven-year-old girl with a traumatized best friend. A ghost watching her enemies at the funeral. Recovering addicts. A fumbling teenage boy. Three of the highlights — “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Betty” — depict the same love triangle, from all three different perspectives. Other songs tell both sides of a story: “The 1” and “Peace,” or “Invisible String” and “The Lakes.”

Folklore hits overdrive halfway through, when it reaches a trilogy of heavy hitters. “August,” the album’s most plainly beautiful ballad, is a summer romance gone wrong: “I can see us tangled in bed sheets/August slipped away like a bottle of wine/Because you were never mine.” “This Is Me Trying” is the disturbingly witty tale of someone pouring her heart out, to keep herself from pouring more whiskey. “Illicit Affairs” is another tale of infidelity: “Take the words for what they are/A dwindling mercurial high/A drug that only worked the first few hundred times.” The tension explodes when she sings, “Don’t call me kid/Don’t call me baby/Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.”

It’s going to take weeks if not decades to puzzle out all the intricately inter-woven narrative details of these songs. “Mirrorball” is about the same nervous dance-floor poseur of “New Romantics,” six years later, except tonight she feels like the disco ball that reflects everyone’s most desperate insecurities. “Mad Woman” expands on the familiar topic of witch hunts, but it also sharpens the feminist rage of “The Man.” “The Last Great American Dynasty” satirizes the upper-crust milieu of “Starlight” when she sings, “There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen/I had a marvelous time ruining everything.” (Taylor uses the word “marvelous” twice in her career, and both time it’s songs about the Kennedys? No detail is too tiny for her to plan eight years in advance.)

“Betty” is a first — she sings in the voice of the 17-year-old boy in a Taylor Swift song, reckoning with the fickle behavior detailed by the girls in “Cardigan” and “August.” It takes off from the harmonica solo in Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” — which feels appropriate for the only tale on the album where she goes back to high school. “The Lakes” is a bonus track for vinyl, CD and (what a flex) cassette, but it’s a must-hear: Taylor walks in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, the Romantic poet who essentially invented the kind of introspective writing she does, wandering the Windermere Peaks of the Lake District.

Remember when she was threatening to spend this year re-recording all her old albums? She does the opposite here — she refuses to repeat her most reliable tricks. So many of the world’s favorite Swiftian trademarks are missing. No country moves, no synth pop, no first dates, no “Taylor visits a city” song, not even a laugh. The references to fame are few and far between, although they’re tasty when they do show up, as in “Invisible String”: “Bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to L.A.” She can’t resist adding: “Cold was the steel of my axe to grind/For the boys who broke my heart/Now I send their babies presents.” Touché.

If Lover was the last album of her twenties, Folklore is the first of her thirties. Lover was styled as a well-rounded musical autobiography, with everything from Nashville twang to electro-disco. Folklore takes a completely different approach, yet feels even more intimate, simply because it’s the sound of an artist with absolutely nothing to prove. She’s never sounded this relaxed or confident, never sounded this blasé about winning anyone over. It makes perfect sense that the quarantine brought out her best, since she’s always written so poignantly about isolation and the temptation to dream too hard about other people’s far-away lives. (“Last Kiss” is usually a summer favorite, but this year, “hope it’s nice where you are” feels a little too close to the bone.) On Folklore, she dreams up a host of characters to keep her company, and stepping into their lives brings out her deepest wit, compassion, and empathy. And it sounds like for Taylor Swift, her best is yet to come.

#taylor swift #folklore #review

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ts1989fanatic · 4 years

Text

Taylor Swift Leaves Her Comfort Zones Behind on the Head-Spinning, Heartbreaking ‘Folklore’

Her eighth album is a radical detour into the deepest collection of songs she’s ever come up with

So here we are again. The world was in the middle of the cruelest summer ever, just staggering through late July, when Taylor Swift decided to make it all so much messier — her specialty. In a move that nobody saw coming, she announced a surprise album on July 23rd, less than a year after her career-capping smash Lover. (A year to the day after she dropped “The Archer.”) Like the rest of us, Swift had to cancel her summer, including her LoverFest shows, which would have been next week. Instead, she spent the quarantine season throwing herself into a new, secret project: her eighth album, Folklore. But the real surprise is the music itself — the most head-spinning, heartbreaking, emotionally ambitious songs of her life.

Her sonic chemistry with Dessner is right in every detail; she also teams up with her longtime wingman Jack Antonoff, and duets with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on “Exile.” The vibe is close to “Safe and Sound,” the rootsy gem she did with the Civil Wars for The Hunger Games soundtrack in 2013. As she explains in her Prologue, “In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory.”

Folklore really feels like the debut album of a whole new Swift — her narrative scope has opened up, with a wide-ranging cast of characters for 17 songs, without a dud. Yet you can still hear that this is the same songwriter who dropped “Last Kiss” on the world 10 July-9ths ago. Here’s a Swift progress report on her quarantine: “I’ve been having a hard time adjusting/I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting/I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back/I have a lot of regrets about that.” The power of her mind.

It’s amusing, in retrospect, how people actually worried that being happy in love might mean Swift would run out of things to write songs about. Not a chance. It turns out to be the other way around, as she lets these characters tell their own stories: A scandalous old widow, hated by her whole town. A scared seven-year-old girl with a traumatized best friend. A ghost watching her enemies at the funeral. Recovering addicts. A fumbling teenage boy. Three of the highlights — “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Betty” — depict the same love triangle, from all three different perspectives. Other songs tell both sides of a story: “The 1” and “Peace,” or “Invisible String” and “The Lakes.”

Folklore hits overdrive halfway through, when it reaches a trilogy of heavy hitters. “August,” the album’s most plainly beautiful ballad, is a summer romance gone wrong: “I can see us tangled in bedsheets/August slipped away like a bottle of wine/Because you were never mine.” “This Is Me Trying” is the disturbingly witty tale of someone pouring her heart out, to keep herself from pouring more whiskey. “Illicit Affairs” is another tale of infidelity: “Take the words for what they are/A dwindling mercurial high/A drug that only worked the first few hundred times.” The tension explodes when she sings, “Don’t call me kid/Don’t call me baby/Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.”

It’s going to take weeks if not decades to puzzle out all the intricately interwoven narrative details of these songs. “Mirrorball” is about the same nervous dance-floor poseur of “New Romantics,” six years later, except tonight she feels like the disco ball that reflects everyone’s most desperate insecurities. “Mad Woman” expands on the familiar topic of witch hunts, but it also sharpens the feminist rage of “The Man.” “The Last Great American Dynasty” satirizes the upper-crust milieu of “Starlight” when she sings, “There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen/I had a marvelous time ruining everything.” (Taylor uses the word “marvelous” twice in her career, and both times it’s in songs about the Kennedys? No detail is too tiny for her to plan eight years in advance.)

“Betty” is a first — she sings in the voice of the 17-year-old boy in a Taylor Swift song, reckoning with the fickle behavior detailed by the girls in “Cardigan” and “August.” It takes off from the harmonica solo in Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” — which feels appropriate for the only tale on the album where she goes back to high school. “The Lakes” is a bonus track for vinyl, CD, and (what a flex) cassette, but it’s a must-hear: Taylor walks in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, the Romantic poet who essentially invented the kind of introspective writing she does, wandering the Windermere Peaks of the Lake District.

Remember when she was threatening to spend this year rerecording all her old albums? She does the opposite here — she refuses to repeat her most reliable tricks. So many of the world’s favorite Swift-ian trademarks are missing. No country moves, no synth pop, no first dates, no “Taylor visits a city” song, not even a laugh. The references to fame are few and far between, although they’re tasty when they do show up, as in “Invisible String”: “Bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to L.A.” She can’t resist adding: “Cold was the steel of my axe to grind/For the boys who broke my heart/Now I send their babies presents.” Touché.

If Lover was the last album of her twenties, Folklore is the first of her thirties. Lover was styled as a well-rounded musical autobiography, with everything from Nashville twang to electro-disco. Folklore takes a completely different approach, yet feels even more intimate, simply because it’s the sound of an artist with absolutely nothing to prove. She’s never sounded this relaxed or confident, never sounded this blasé about winning anyone over. It makes perfect sense that the quarantine brought out her best, since she’s always written so poignantly about isolation and the temptation to dream too hard about other people’s far-away lives. (“Last Kiss” is usually a summer favorite, but this year, “Hope it’s nice where you are” feels a little too close to the bone.) On Folklore, she dreams up a host of characters to keep her company, and stepping into their lives brings out her deepest wit, compassion, and empathy. And it sounds like for Taylor Swift, her best is yet to come.

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autumnblogs · 3 years

Text

Day 14: The Ultimate Reward

https://homestuck.com/story/2404

Movies are one of the main vectors that culture uses to transmit itself in the modern day, and if it sounds like I’m describing this form of cultural reproduction like a virus, you’re not wrong. The concept of the viral video has been around for about 15 years, if memory serves, and Homestuck’s self-referential format closely recalls the snowclone and advice animal type memes of the late thousands. Meme itself is a word coined by Richard Dawkins to describe the basic unit of cultural reproduction and transmission. While the lines related to memes from Metal Gear Solid have become memes themselves,

John and Karkat’s lives are both shaped by memes, transmitted to them through movies. John’s ideas about romance and family are shaped by his movies, Karkat and his ideas about romance and family are shaped by his movies.

https://homestuck.com/story/2406

The narration insists that Feferi and Eridan are made for each other, but their romance almost immediately disintegrates. The narrative is training us to be skeptical of the Troll’s preoccupation with Romantic Destiny. The idea that you have one soulmate, a person you were just destined for who it’ll work out with, is bogus.

https://homestuck.com/story/2435

Something about this sequence has inspired me to talk about Society with a capital S. Both Hobbes’ Leviathan and Ginsberg’s Howl talk about Society with a capital S - the indistinct entity, the system which arises seemingly unbidden from the gestalt of myriad human interactions, parables about social systems.

Leviathan is a founding myth for the social contract and liberalism in general. As one of the petite bourgeoisie who benefits from Liberalism, it is of course in Hobbes’ interest to defend its existence and provide justification for the material conditions he benefits from, but Howl is considerably less charitable. Referring to the same entity as Moloch, Ginsberg describes it as an incommensurable monster, consuming the lives of the men and women who make it up to further its own agenda.

Authoritarians have always used the threat of cultural extinction in order to justify unjust material conditions and social hierarchies. Fail to fall in line, and Western Civilization is doomed. Glub Glub (who I refuse to call anything else, Feferi’s Lusus, you know who I mean) is the physical manifestation of this threat, an unbearable burden foisted upon troll society by their overlord, Lord English, to force them to participate in a system that guarantees their inability to produce ethical behavior. Their choice has always been a choice between murder and extinction.

https://homestuck.com/story/2439

Eridan is fascinating to me. I don’t know if he predicted the Incel movement, or was merely an agglomeration of school shooter, neo-fascist stereotypes, but boy is he absolutely spot-on - the fascination with military history, the emotional theatrics, the possessive and entitled attitude toward the women in his life.

https://homestuck.com/story/2441

Feferi’s a sweet girl, but she’s still one of the people who benefits from Alternian Society. The problem has never been that the Condesce is a brutal evil woman, the problem is the way that Alternian Society is structured in the first place. I’ll have more to say about this whenever we get to Openbound, since Feferi’s rule is discussed more there, and I’ll definitely have more to say about it when I eventually write the companion piece that I intend to about Hierarchy, Patriarchy, and so on and so forth. That one might be a long time coming though, because a lot of Homestuck is devoted to examining it, and I think it might end up being my longest essay. It’s the theme I think is the most directly applicable to real life, hence the import.

Feferi’s caretaking attitude and controlling predilections are also juxtaposed with Jade’s in the same way that Kanaya’s maternal instinct and green thumb are juxtaposed with Jade’s. Could it be that as the Witch of Space, Jade Harley is the ultimate mom?

https://homestuck.com/story/2448

Man, as long as I’m comparing Eridan to neo-fascists and Feferi to the political establishment, this relationship between the two of them - the way that Feferi views her enabling of Eridan as actually curtailing his worst excesses - really smacks of the kind of unity and compromise rhetoric that liberals always seem to spout in order to justify their decision to adopt moderate right-wing policy instead of actual left-wing policy.

I’m probably reaching here, but the thought popped into my head unbidden, and I’m trying to keep this liveblog as stream of consciousness as possible.

https://homestuck.com/story/2458

People think about us way less than we think about ourselves.

https://homestuck.com/story/2467

Just as I’m not here to defend Eridan (he’s a piece of shit who knows what he did), I’m not here to attack Feferi, or to excuse her. Characters in Homestuck are frequently both abusers and victims.

Feferi’s relationship with Eridan is complicated. For starters, she isn’t really curtailing the worst of his excesses, not the way that she thinks he is. Feferi has authority, one way or the other, and by being emotionally available to Eridan, she has enabled him more than she has prevented him from doing wrong. Cutting him out of her life earlier could have sent a clear message to Eridan that his genocidal ideation is not okay, but instead, she has afforded the luxury of her presence.

The aforementioned preoccupation with Romantic Destiny probably made it so much easier for her to wait, too. As the Heiress, Feferi enjoys all the benefits of being in troll society while having to put up with almost none of the downsides. The suffering of other people - the extra pointless emotional turmoil she puts Eridan through by stringing him along, the suffering of the trolls whose lusii she has employed him to murder - their suffering is all theoretical to her. It’s not something she’s ever had to encounter herself (something she shares in common with Jane - if I remember correctly, Andrew’s commentary suggests that he picked up some of the ideas he was originally exploring with Feferi to explore with Jane).

(Some of these ideas are from a conversation with @bladekindeyewear with whom I was having a conversation on Discord while I was writing this).

https://homestuck.com/story/2475

Instead of indulging Eridan’s emotional theatrics (he continues to make other people’s suffering about himself, via his pretension of nobility) I want to call attention to the fact that, as a chemical coping mechanism, Homestuck compares Trolls’ use of Soda to humans’ use of alcohol.

I don’t know if sugary beverages have a similarly potent physiological effect on trolls as alcohol has on humans, and it doesn’t matter if it does - the parallel is being drawn nevertheless. I’m only making this point, because later on it will become important: Terezi and Rose’s respective addictions (Rose’s alcoholism and Terezi’s... sodaholism?) directly mirror each other.

https://homestuck.com/story/2516

The fact that Vriska’s narration here describes these sidequests as pointless is, I think, another clue into Vriska’s overall character. By all accounts, she and Tavros actually seem to be having a blast together. She’s not going for the gold, she’s not skipping right to the end, the two of them are just screwing around in her magical land, going on adventures. Okay, she is literally going for the gold in the sense of treasure hunting, but in a more figurative sense, the Vriska we’re more familiar with would probably be a taskmaster, using the scourge of her overbearing personality to drive the team forward to victory over the main final boss. Instead, she’s most in her element here when she’s not doing anything remotely important at all, just hanging out with someone she likes(hates? Troll friendships are complicated.)

Abusive relationships are rarely as obvious or simple as one person harassing and berating the other all the time. Tavros is clearly having a blast here too, and throughout this whole sequence.

https://homestuck.com/story/2521

The problem is that there are two Vriskas (at least), the Vriska who lives inside of her, who she’s only comfortable bringing out around people who have no expectations for her, and the Vriska that Scratch, and Spidermom, and Sn0wman are egging her on to be, the Ideal Troll who cuts through the bullshit, cuts to the chase, and becomes the most important person in the universe. Later on, they will be literally bifurcated by John’s retcon shenanigans.

Homestuck uses the language of alternate selves and ultimate selves to discuss a question that is applicable to real life as well. “Who is the definitive version of a character for whom different choices and versions of themselves are possible?” And when applied to real life, the question becomes something more like, “Could I have chosen to do something else instead of the thing that I did? Are my intentions important, or only my actions?” I don’t think it answers clearly, but just getting us to think about it might be sufficient.

https://homestuck.com/story/2531

The Black Queen is just one of the many malign influences in Terezi and Vriska’s lives, and while she’s not literally an abusive parent to both of them, by egging them on to indulge their worst excesses (Egging Terezi on to persecute people pre-emptively or overzealously, egging Vriska on to take away other people’s agencies), it’s safe to say that her voice is just one of many doing the same thing for the two of them.

https://homestuck.com/story/2543

Oh man. The memoes are some of my favorite conversations in all of Homestuck. They’re funny, but with the exception of one or two of them, I’m not sure how much useful info we’ll get out of them.

https://homestuck.com/story/2567

https://homestuck.com/story/2575

Karkat and Terezi may not have literally had sex, but whatever their secret encounter was is effectively symbolic of a consummation of their relationship. She knows what color Karkat’s blood is. They have been in a pail together.

The two of them can hardly be more intimate with each other.

Too bad it doesn’t work out.

But then, it’s probably for the best - the fact that it doesn’t work out for the two of them is the retrospect we need to be able to say it was never going to work out for the two of them.

https://homestuck.com/story/2576

Something different does it for everyone.

https://homestuck.com/story/2578

What does it for Vriska is having the shit beaten out of her by Aradia.

What is Vriska’s big takeaway from this beatdown?

Maybe if we continue to read Aradia as being Vriska’s doppelganger, being savagely beaten by one of her own victims, and one who is so like her in terms of her feelings of helplessness, her feelings of being at the whim of a cosmos that is out to get her, Vriska realizes that the thing she lashes out to attack in other people - the weakness loathed by troll society - is what she hates and fears the most in herself.

https://homestuck.com/story/2587

Aradia is starting to lose her tolerance for scenarios that involve being manipulated by those very same actors that are making her feel helpless.

https://homestuck.com/story/2593

Aradia interprets Sburb as being a challenge to come between any prospective gods and the ultimate reward. Perhaps that is the case. Assigning intent to Sburb to me seems possibly flawed, since it is, after all, only the reproductive organ of a universe. But perhaps it does have some intentions of its own. Are those intentions uniquely Sburb’s? Perhaps specifically Skaia’s. Maybe they are even, more generally, the intentions of Paradox Space itself. But Sburb itself seems more ambivalent to its players than anything. The vast majority of sessions, it seems, kill their players outright, or at least produce null sessions that never give rise to universal reproduction.

https://homestuck.com/story/2625

And that is where we shall conclude for this evening.

Cam signing off, Alive and Not Alone.

#liveblogging #commentary #politics #hierarchy

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saturniandragon · 3 years

Text

Part 2 of 4

Part 1

Merri’sa and Elrain stepped foot in Chorrol by evening. The city that was barely touched by The Dominion during the war, the Great Chapel of Stendarr still stood tall at the heart of the walled settlement that was surrounded by dense Cyrodiilic forest.

Hunting supplies were generally scarce in Chorrol, many of the locals preferring heavy two-handed weapons so equipment for marksmen and markswomen alike was seldom in great stock. Merri’sa and Elrain bought whatever was available, which was just a pack of 20 arrows that they had to split into two for each of them.

“Some smithing knowledge would be handy right now.”

“But you read a lot, I notice. Shouldn’t you pick up a thing or two about smithing?”

“No, just history stuff mostly. I know how to sharpen a blade from my father and that’s it.”

“I think there is this smith in Skyrim, who’s his name, Eorlund Grey-Beard or something. Best metalworker in Tamriel. We should go to him.”

“Oh? To the province that has been frequently described as literal land of snow? I wouldn’t stand.”

“Just imagine how many books you can find there.”

“Well damn, now you got me. Fine, let’s go there next year.”

“Nice.”

Elrain was originally a native Valenwood settler, who fled to Kvatch in 4E 195 after a rebellion against the Dominion in Valenwood was failed. Initially feeling safe under the Empire’s government by working for local community as a mercenary and bounty hunter, but soon found out that she was being tracked down by a Dominion assassin, hindering her from traveling far from guarded settlements.

Coincidentally Merri’sa was visiting Kvatch in her hunt for reading material. Her name was already heard pretty much everywhere in Cyrodiil as a noblewoman capable of fighting the good fight, so Elrain sought help from her.

When Merri’sa took care of her stalker, Elrain couldn’t thank her enough for essentially saving her life and enabling her to work again. Since then, Elrain returned the favor by providing Merri’sa combat companion services wherever and whenever she needed it. The two had become almost inseparable, even more so when Elrain decided to move to Bruma, where Merri’sa also lived. Elrain also started helping her with mundane tasks like finding books, gathering alchemy ingredients, and hunting for venison.

After purchasing supplies that they could find, Merri’sa and Elrain headed towards the city tavern where they restocked on food and water, as well as planning their infiltration on the Ayleid temple.

“Can you repeat the details of your task?”

“What, from the Countess?”

“Yes.”

“Reports about missing people traveling between Kvatch and Skingrad, increasing every week, and always seem to happen on Middas. First it was just wandering merchants, but last week a Skingrad priestess also went missing.”

“Today is Middas.”

“Right. I just hope no one else is gone without trace today.”

The Khajiit and Bosmer pair entered the tavern, and ordered their usuals. Apple pie, Cyrodiilic curry and mead for Merri’sa, raw mutton and chicken leg for Elrain. In the past Merri’sa would be weirded out by Elrain’s behavior of consuming uncooked meat, but over time she learned about Bosmeri culture and got used to it.

“And I suppose this string of disappearance is messing up Skingrad economy?”

“Yeah, practically no one travels between Skingrad and Kvatch nowadays. Except for anyone with enough stupidity. Countess Viena was sure the temple is the source of the problem.”

Merri’sa continued eating, all while speculating possible explanations between her bites. Bandit ransom, animal attacks, necromancers, religious cults, unbound magic creatures, too many possibilities. And she had dealt with nearly all of them to know.

“This priestess, anything weird about her? Before she was gone.”

“Nothing. I asked other priests in Skingrad chapel yesterday, nothing unusual. Although they gave me her journal,” Elrain took out a slightly beaten leather journal from her hip bag and gave it to Merri’sa. “Have a look.”

Merri’sa began flipping through the paper pages. Neat and tidy handwriting describing the priestess’ daily activities in Skingrad from preaching duties, religious advising, to mundane activities such as eating, cleaning and resting. From her quick inspection she found nothing relatively unusual.

“Found anything?”

“No shot.”

Merri’sa and Elrain continued discussing at the corner of the busy tavern, while the tavern bard was singing some historical tales and a barfight took place in the other corner. Building was pretty crowded with multiple Chorrol city guards present, so they had little to no worry about someone eavesdropping on their conversation.

“There’s nothing else between Skingrad and Kvatch, right? Just that Ayleid temple.”

“No, nothing else. So we only have one area to investigate.”

In between they would crack open some humor and jokes to lighten the situation.

“By the way, I can’t help but notice that that’s the seventh apple pie you eat this week.”

“There are simpler ways to admit your jealousy, El.”

“I still believe in the Green Pact2. Nice try though.”

After their evening meal session, they packed their belongings and started leaving the tavern. Sun was still hanging a bit high in the sky, prompting that it’d be a while until sundown. The two had agreed to launch a covert investigation on the Ayleid temple after dark.

“Still a few hours until night.”

“Mhmm, if only there is an activity to do while we wait.” Stretching her arms wide to relief some fatigue, Merri’sa squinted her eyes towards Elrain.

“Why do I feel like I know what you mean?”

“Because you do, El.”

“Fine, fine. Library?”

“Library.”

Elrain was never one to be a bookworm. She always thought books were just for court wizards, witches, high mages, or other magic dabblers. But ever since she started extensively spending time with Merri’sa, she began being hooked up on reading. Especially about Tamrielic geography and civilization. And if by chance she stumbled upon some useful knowledges of her primary skills, it’d be a happy coincidence.

“Actually I may visit the Imperial City for a while before sunset, I need to do something.”

“Got it, don’t worry, El.”

2: The Green Pact is a Bosmeri pact dictating that wood elves cannot kill, injure or consume any kind of vegetation.

#tes #the elder scrolls #the elder scrolls fic #fiction #khajiit #bosmer #merri'sa #elrain #oc: merri'sa #mine

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chaoticgothicwiccanchik · 4 years

Text

Hey guys I was wondering if you could help me find a fanfic I was reading but never got to finish/it was not completed yet. Here's some information on it.

I found it on Archive of Our Own (Ao3) but it could be in other places.

It's a crossover between the Avengers/MCU and Supernatural.

Sam Winchester and Tony Stark/Iron Man positive. Very critical of Dean Winchester and Steve Rogers/Captain America. (I first found it under the Abusive Dean Winchester tag but it is no longer there. I think the author may have changed it and am hoping the story was not deleted because I found it very interesting.)

Set sometime AFTER Sam Wilson/Falcon joined the team but BEFORE Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. JARVIS is still alive. In Supernatural it is set right after Gadreel leaves Sam/is forcefully expelled/Season 9.

I remember Clint Barton/Hawkeye being VERY disapproving of Dean letting Gadreel possess Sam without his permission. It reminded him of Loki and he was very not cool with it.

The two universes are separated, it's implied that God/Chuck sent them (the Winchesters and Castiel) to the Avengers universe. They think this because Sam hears a voice, Castiel and Dean did not hear the voice and are very suspicious. Sam didn't think anything of it because he thought they all heard it. The voice basically told Sam to be happy or find peace/something similar.

There was a part where JARVIS was basically giving Sam therapy. Sam told him almost everything and JARVIS told Sam the Apocalypse was not his fault.

Steve/Cap did not understand why Dean letting Gadreel possess Sam was a big deal because Dean did it to save Sam's life and it was out of brotherly love. (I think his thoughts imply he would do the same for Bucky.)

There is a part from Natasha/Black Widow's point of view where she is very dismissive of Tony's worries and concerns about another alien invasion. She was speaking to Bruce Banner/Hulk while thinking/talking about this. Natasha thinks Tony is fascinated by the alien technology rather than worried. She does not believe he has PTSD.

Caatiel was at first insistent Sam be placed with Dean (the brothers are on different floors because they are working through issues) but soon came around to understand Sam's point of view. He was sort of patronizing, believing Sam would make bad decisions without his brother's influence.

At one point in the story Tony tells Steve to leave him alone for a night because he is making (or ordering?) a special dinner for Pepper. I can't remember if it was their anniversary or Valentine's day but I think anniversary. Anyways, Steve ignores it and calls Pepper and Tony down. It was for some security issue having to do with Sam and Dean and the floors they were on I think. (They were not allowed to leave the floors or something and Pepper was needed to sign some papers I think.)

Dean flirted with one of the guards at one point who was either asexual/aromantic or a lesbian. She was wearing a pride flag button on her uniform but Dean did not understand what it meant. When she is reassigned to Sam's floor she speaks with Sam and he understands about pride flags.

There is a moment where Sam and Dean talk and I think Sam mentions dreams he has where Dean is hurting him instead of Lucifer. Basically Dean is forced to face the truth about his abusive/controlling behavior and later gets drunk. This is also how Pepper sees him when she is evaluating whether or not to let him have more access to the tower or something. Steve also takes this the wrong way and thinks SAM is the one in the wrong because how Steve saw it was Sam comparing Dean to the Devil. (Sam did not tell Dean he was the Devil, Sam said that in his dreams Dean hurts him just as bad as Lucifer and says they both make him feel the same way.)

There is part where Dean, Steve and a few of the other Avengers (maybe Castiel too? I forgot) go out to a bar and Dean tells HIS version of events and says Sam was in Hell. He does not tell the others that Sam got there by sacrificing himself so the world would continue. He implies or says the Apocalypse is all Sam's fault. Thor later asks Castiel how Sam went to Hell when he thought it was the place bad mortals go. Castiel explains WHY Sam did it and implores Thor to be open-minded. Thor and Sam talk about it.

Steve/Cap is very annoyed Sam and Dean can't just get along and doesn't at all understand Sam's side. He constantly compares Sam and Dean to him and Bucky (in his mind mostly). There's one part where Steve, Sam/Falcon and Clint (maybe more but those are who I remember) are talking with Dean (this is directly before Sam & Dean's talk I mentioned earlier) and Steve talks about his misunderstanding of the events. I think it is Sam/Falcon (so hard when two people are named Sam lol) who tells him he must be more understanding. He doesn't really change his opinion that much.

Sam and Dean at one point have an argument in the tower's garage. Rhodey/War Machine and Tony are watching.

I think 16 happens after they get back from a restaurant. The other two notice Sam does not like the smell of meat (or maybe a certain kind of meat?) because of his reactions while eating in the tower and choose their meals accordingly. (It also might be Bruce/Hulk instead of Rhodey or Tony who goes with him to the restaurant and witnesses the argument but I'm not sure.)

I remember reading in the Author's Notes that they maybe planned to take this story all the way to Civil War.

That's all I can remember for now. Please link me this story if you can help. I really liked it and was hoping the author would finish it. I'm hoping the tags just got messed up or the author moved to another site. Maybe the author changed it because they no longer views the Dean in the story abusive. I was looking to add this story to my bookmarks and subscriptions even if it hasn't been updated since I last saw it. I really want to reread it too.

I so rarely find fics that critique a character while still keeping them in the realm of possibility. I could believe Dean and Steve would act this way if confronted with this situation. I also live fics where Sam sticks up for himself or someone sticks up for Sam.

One last thing: SAM WINCHESTER DID NOT START THE APOCALYPSE!!! lol sorry but I hate how some people act like it's all Sam's fault. I dislike how people seem to gloss over Dean consenting FOR Sam and just excusing it because Dean was trying to SAVE Sam. I don't care. Sam did not consent to Gadreel entering his body. It was a horrible, gross violation. Obviously something had to happen to get the story going again but Dean was wrong. Sam said NO and no means NO! Dean tricked Sam because he knew Sam would say no. After watching Dean get possessed by Michael I think he would reconsider letting Sam get possessed again.

Sorry,none of that was important regarding the story. I just wanted to give my opinion.

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lively-lizard · 4 years

Text

Prologue

Long text ahead, don’t read if you don’t like it

Introduction

As she struggles her breath running deep into the forest, she could tell that someone or something was getting closer. She had no navigation through the forest, with her baggy clothes under her cloak, she was already having a hard time going through the forest. Needless to say that when she felt something was staring at her, and the feeling wasn’t a beast nor human, that was why she decided to run. She curses as she reminds herself that she chose this.

My name is Laure. I am a special girl from a special family in a special world, where mystical beast and creatures exist. Werewolves, succubus, vampires, witches, and so on, you name it, it’s there, but they only exist based on where the myths were told. My family lives in London, a city from England.

As those creatures came into our world by an ominous reason, they wound go out of control pretty easily. As humans are fearful as they are, they started to find ways to exterminate them, but of course, there are always strong ones that they cannot do so, as they also have their own system or organized civilizations to prevent themselves from going extinct.

My family specializes is killing vampires, also known as the vampire hunters, some of them act upon requests while some wanders to kill. These creatures or beast hunters are never bounded by rules or law because the moment humans started killing the creatures and beasts, the higher ups had established a rule, anybody who has killed the creatures or beasts are not bounded by law as it will definitely interfere with their hunting, but they must be licensed to do so, any illegal hunting that causes the any damage to the city or town must be punished or pay the price.

My family’s name is Clematis. One of the higher ranks of vampire hunters around the world (some other countries have vampire hunters because the vampires usually would spread) but because of this popularity, they must have heirs to pass their name down, how unlucky am I to be the only child in this certain family. And because of it, I always don’t get the good end of things. My mother has always been kind to me, but my father in the other hand is the opposite. Not much for abuse, but he neglects any unnecessary needs, as if he sees me as an unnecessary baggage, not that I can say anything about it.

I usually would try to sneak out to the nearby woods to find any things that I like to do research or look for new things as I like researching in science since I’m plain curious of everything, even though my father is very much disliking me for that behavior and would often scold me for it. My mother would always try to hide it from my father, she doesn’t care if I was any gender, she would still love me nonetheless, as she is unable to have another child ever again after a certain incident which I was never allowed to be told of.

Even though I never had plans of ever leaving the place, one eavesdropping changed it. I was in the manor today at it seems I wish to find a good book to read, deciding to go to the library and passed through my father’s study room, I accidentally saw a guest from the slightly opened door. From what I can see, it’s one of “them”, the ones that are also the part of the vampire slaying hunters and the one standing in front of my father is none other than one the top 5 hunter- the Gorgesque family’s head Mr Lucas Gorgesque himself. It’s not really a surprise for them to meet each other, but being summoned for him to be here is an exception, as I got curious, I decided to inch closer to the door to hear their conversation.

“So, you have decided to give me your daughter to my son Lewis, and for what will I do that ? Heh.” The guest chuckles.

“You wouldn’t think I know that you’re just using her to establish relationships with other families?” Father was silent.

“Luckily for you, Lewis already had an interest on her, but from what it seems, you haven’t discussed this matter with anyone else yet, neither with your wife nor your daughter, am I wrong? I am certainly against the fact you’re just marrying your own daughter off like an item, unless Lewis really wants her then it would be an exception. Why don’t you arrange a meeting about this matter first before deciding anything, if you don’t, I won’t agree to this so easily since her name has already been tainted, it would bring shame to the Gorgesque family’s image.” The man fumes.

“Well there is no need for that, there is a party coming soon anyway, and we’ll discussed this matter there. You may leave now, we will meet again very soon.” Father says as he stood up ready to send him out.

I took that as my cue to dash out of the hallway before they see me. I ran to the library to gather my thoughts. The eldest son of the Gorgesque family- Lewis Gorqesque. He’s well known for his looks and skills, his hair was like the colour of tea leaves, black with a tint of forest green, his eyes shimmer with gold, his face always looks gentle and kind in front of me, I would be lying if I said he wasn’t attractive, his skills are no joke, he always uses a sharp fencing sword as his weapon since that’s his family specialty, those type of weapons are usually extremely useful for their speed, and he had never hesitate to kill as he kept a cold face on according to rumors. Yet, his presence was always slightly disturbing whenever he was around me, I couldn’t really pinpoint it, but I felt like I was the only one who felt it.

We only met a few times from the families’ gatherings, I am still to this day unsure why he would always chat with me every single time as if he’s interested in me, that was why I would occasionally get glares from some other families. I myself am pretty famous for being a disgrace for the family, I have the power and genes, yet I refused to use any of them to do what the families are known for, but i was pretty sure he would avoid me for that reason. Being the only child in one of the branches in the family means I could only be married off to establish good relationships with well known families, I already known that, never thought that it would be so soon. I am not afraid of Mr Lucas to force me onto this marriage since he feels my name will taint his family’s name. But I fear for what my father will do to achieve it, no matter what it takes.

I stood up to leave the library to seek my mother for any advice for this matter, as I am certainly inexperienced in this matter. As I arrive in front of mother’s room, I knocked.

“Who is it?” Asked the gentle voice.

“It’s me, mother.” I answered almost immediately.

“Come in then dear.” She answers

“Hello dear, you seemed really rushed for some odd reason, did something bad happened?” Mother says as she sits on her bed, beckoning me to come closer.

My mother’s name is Chimera, she is a wonderful woman who worked as an alchemist to help with vampire research before she married father, I got my blond hair from her and her indigo eyes always looks sharp as if it can pierce through one’s heart, she could be really fierce sometimes, but she is still extremely kind. After giving birth to me, an accident happened that caused her to be sterile forever, the doctors couldn’t cure it as well, the accident has a pretty tight lid on which I couldn’t pry open, they never told me what happened either.

“Mother…. I wish to ask you something about marriage….” I shyly said

Mother was shocked for a bit, after that she sighs

“It seems like the thing I feared the most is approaching…. I had feared that your father would do this… who’s the lucky one then…” She said with worrying eyes.

I hesitate a bit before answering:

“It’s the eldest son from the Gorgesque family, Lewis Gorgesque, his father came to father’s office and he seems extremely against the idea. While father said there will be a party soon to discuss this matter, but I am afraid for what father will do….”

Mother was silent for a while, then she asked:

“Are you at least interested in him? He does always look really friendly around you, then again, I won’t force you to marry anyone either.”

“….. I’m really not sure, he is somewhat friendly, but I don’t think I felt anything from it.” I replied.

Mother then smiles a bit.

“If that is the case, you can wait until the day comes, we will discuss the matter than. Until then, try to gather your thoughts a bit and reconsider them, whatever you choose, I will respect them. You might want to leave now, it’s nearly bed time for you, unless there is other matter to discuss?”

No, it’s fine, I’ll go back to my room now.” I said as I got up from the bed to head to the door.

“Alright then dear, sleep well, I wish you luck.” She said as she gave me a reassuring smile.

I hugged her before leaving the room to head back to my room. When I got back to my room, I close the door and slumped down on it. I sigh a bit before moving to my bed, ready to have my slumber, as my eyes close, I try to recollect the memories on the day we met.

#original story #won't tag characters

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classpect-crew · 5 years

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Hello! I was scrolling through your blog and really liked the analyses(like, really they're all so detailed, good job) anyway, I'm confused about how witches would interact with their aspect. I know they manipulate it, but excluding all the flashy powers, how would(for example) a witch of time or a witch of rage act before they play Sburb? I know you have a lot of asks on your plate so I'm sorry this is kind of long. Thanks in advance!

Hey there! Don’t worry about ask length, I actually really enjoy having this much to work with! Often, the more detail I have at the start, the easier it is for me to delve into precisely what you’d like to explore.

Now, it’s easy for us to pinpoint exactly how Witches tend to use their powers in the context of the game itself, but when it comes to the more subtle hints about someone’s Class (especially before the game) we have to look more generally at the Witches we’ve seen so far: namely, Jade and Feferi, as Damara is admittedly a bit hard to pin down. From there, we can infer some common traits among them, and see what fits into the archetype.

Although Class names don’t always completely align with our concepts of their origins, there are still some good hints: Heirs “inherit” their Aspect and are protected by it, Knights use their Aspect as a weapon and often have some form of barrier or “shield” they construct for themselves, and Witches generally go against the grain of what society dictates for them. This is quite obvious in Feferi’s case, as her preferred method of “culling” is far different than what we see in Alternia’s current setup. As we explore Beforan society, with Feferi’s counterpart as the Empress instead of Meenah’s, trolls in lower blood castes are coddled and treated as pets, or even vanity items, and doubly so for those with mutations, disabilities, etc. while those on Alternia with such traits are often brutally killed, if they even managed to make it out of the brooding caverns due to the harsh nature of the Trials. The key here is that Witches are often unsatisfied with the current state of affairs in their society, and whether or not they’re loud and proud about their deviance, they often stick to their guns and refuse to see societal norms as anything but a weak suggestion.

Witches generally don’t seem to care what others think of their unique perspectives, as they’re usually far too preoccupied with acting on them and living that truth rather than bowing to the unwanted opinions of others. They also tend to be gifted at the beginning of their journeys with large amounts of their Aspect, though not necessarily in ways that directly help or harm them. Feferi was gifted with a potential for the longest lifespan among trolls due to the biology of trolls in the highest echelon of the hemospectrum. She also seemed to possess a great amount of energy, and she lived a life of luxury as an heiress. Both of these qualities are a reflection of the Life Aspect. Meanwhile, Jade is naturally gifted with qualities of Space, the most obvious being the vast amount of space between her island home and the rest of civilization. She has a very natural grasp of physics, even displaying a strange sense of intuition regarding nuclear physics in particular.

With these ideas in mind, let’s talk about one specific Witch you’ve brought to the table: the Witch of Time. (Edit: I was going to go into detail about both the Witch of Time and the Witch of Rage, but upon reflection, this post was becoming far too long, so I’ll have to go into the Witch of Rage some other time.) Naturally, it would be irresponsible of me to mention the Witch of Time without bringing up Damara, but for our purposes here, she’ll take a backseat in this analysis. Very little is actually known about her life and behavior before Meenah’s harassment and abuse led her to drastically change in personality. It’s implied that she was quite unobtrusive, even being described as “meek” by Aranea, but that’s about all we get. This seems to go against our idea of Witches as “rebels,” right? It’s certainly something I’d like to think about more. When I imagine a Witch of Time, I imagine someone who decides that their society’s ideas about fate, death, and the general progression of events is not all it’s cracked up to be.

How a Witch behaves can be largely dependent on the society and conditions in which they’re raised. How different cultures view death, for example, is a very easy thing to compare and contrast. Let’s compare, for example, how deceased family members are revered and their lives celebrated on Dia de los Muertos in many parts of Mexico, to how death is considered upsetting, scary, or even taboo to discuss in heavily European-influenced parts of America. That’s not to say there’s no overlap, of course; plenty of Mexican families grieve the loss of loved ones, and plenty of American families celebrate the lives of theirs. It’s the overall culture surrounding death and the traditions that follow which mark the distinction. Death plays a very big role in the Time Aspect, as many Time players will have to come to terms with Doomed Timelines early on, with some witnessing the deaths of their friends and even, if they fail even once to create a stable time loop, their own deaths. How they feel about life and death as a part of the natural order is ultimately going to determine how they react to these challenges, and the key with Witches is that they’ll almost always challenge their society’s ideas about their Aspect.

With regards to a Witch of Time who grew up understanding that life and death are a cycle that all must go through, not something scary to be feared, they may start out trying to prove such a notion untrue, even in small and subtle ways. They’ll wear their favorite clothing until it’s ripped and stained, squeeze every bit of use out of old appliances even as their cords are fraying, and drive nearly everyone bonkers with their shenanigans. Yet, this translates into incredible power in the context of the game. At the end of it all, this Witch of Time is likely to mess with timelines to a dangerous extent, pushing themselves to the limit to keep their teammates alive as long as possible, which can be incredibly risky when the Alpha Timeline and the various forces of the universe begin demanding their dues—which is something I could go on about at length, but I’ve already written over 1k words so far, and in a double-spaced Word document, I’ve reached 2.5 pages, so I’ll spare you for now. It’s safe to say, though, that if this Witch’s time ever seems to come to an end, they’ll be the first to refuse giving up the ghost, and will do everything they can to stick around.

On the other hand, for a Witch of Time who was raised like I was, seeing death as an incredibly tragic event involving a funeral and sometimes a wake, surrounded by unfamiliar people crying softly and your favorite uncle speaking solemnly to a crowd of mourners, the opposite becomes true in the Witch’s mind. To this Witch of Time, death is a natural thing, and although grief is just as natural, life should be celebrated and cherished. They might take a more relaxed approach to life, knowing that an ultimate end must come, therefore each moment should mean something. This kind of Witch certainly won’t always be calm and collected, just as our other Witch of Time won’t always be frazzled and micromanaging, but there are certainly tendencies. A Witch of Time who’s comfortable with the ebb and flow of life and death will be less put-off by the idea of moving on when it’s time, and they’ll be less likely to keep things around just for the sake of not letting go. This may certainly sound like a healthier mindset, but the key here is moderation, because a Witch like this who indulges too much in the worldview they’ve crafted will tend to impress that view upon others, who may not be of the same mind, and nothing is worse than someone telling a grieving friend to “move on” before they’re ready. Still, they may be the most comfortable with the concept of God Tiers and the sacrifice required to get to that point, which is handy for any team looking to amass power and skill.

I hope this gives you a good taste of how Witches operate! Unfortunately I only had time to go into the Witch of Time tonight, but please feel free to send me another ask if you’d like, and I’ll happily go into the pre-Sburb traits of a Witch of Rage.

#classpect #classpect analysis #witch #time #witch of time #homestuck #jesus this is like 3.5 pages total and almost 1.5k words #can you tell i'm getting really into this again?#look forward to more in the future!#indecisive-anno

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

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[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Eighty-Eight: Law Breaker ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Itachi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ] [ AO3 Link ]

“I figured it would not take you long to show up,” Madara muses, back turned in a gesture of confidence as the Uchiha brothers follow. He doesn’t even glance behind, all too sure of himself, his power, and their loyalty to him.

If only he knew.

Stepping evenly beside his brother, Sasuke’s face is masked into a facade so blank it’s almost inhuman. His eyes, no longer red, are the same dark shade as the rest of the Uchiha coven. The coven started so many hundreds and hundreds of years ago by the man now walking before him.

A man he’s despised for a while now...but tonight - until he has reason otherwise - he feels nothing but burning hatred.

Hinata - the little witchy miko descendant he’s been studying since discovering her - has fallen into the patriarch’s hands. Had this happened back when the pair first met, he’d think nothing of it. After all, those who bear the blood of the old miko - those said to convene with gods and spirits - could very well be dangerous. Their magic, rooted deep in the Shintō mythologies - is in fact very real, like many other old tales from other lands. And those same magics could, when strong enough, enslave those like them: vampires, werewolves, harpies...any Nightwalker breed was susceptible to the influence of their energy.

For while a Nightwalker has power to change what lies within...the witches have that which bends beyond. Be it an element, like fire or water...or the will of another living being.

At first, she’d been a curiosity: after saving her life from another vampire, Sasuke had made to drug her, convince her it was all a dream. But she’d used those very powers on him. Powers he’d assumed, like many Nightwalkers, to be myths...just as they are to the humans. But that night, she proved him wrong...and fascinated him.

They met again later, the Hyūga understandably paranoid. But they’d reached a kind of truce: he’d help keep an eye on her, and keep her safe from any threats beyond the mortal. And she, in turn, would let him keep researching into bloodlines thought long lost after Japan moved to eradicate her kind. For a time, it worked perfectly. The pair became familiar with each other...and he might have even dared to call them friends.

But his role as an enforcer - a top officer of upholding Nightwalker laws under Madara himself - is a dangerous one. After a botched fight against hunters, those who try to eradicate Nightwalker kinds, Sasuke was wounded...with silver. The greatest weakness of any non-human. Desperate, he’d gone to her, thinking she could use her magic to will away the wound. But she wasn’t trained in such things. Had no inkling how to begin.

So she’d instead given him healing of another kind...in the form of human blood. And not just any blood, as he learned after the dose took effect. Miko, as it turns out, have powerful life forces...enough to completely heal a silver wound with hardly a trace of scar.

And that...was what caught Madara’s attention.

Sasuke’s paranoia grew in bounds after that. He had no idea what Madara would do, should he ever come into contact with her. Would he kill her, to ensure she never tried to rise against him? Would he enslave her, as he’s done to other Nightwalkers who owe him debts? So Sasuke urged her to be careful, kept as much spare time watching her as he could...but doing so would only raise more suspicion.

Then, tonight...it finally happened. He had her taken. And Sasuke has no idea why.

And that terrifies him.

All this passes back through his mind in a blink. While he doesn’t want Hinata to die - he’d honestly rather die himself at this point - nor does he want Madara sinking his claws into her. He’s seen it first hand: a harpy hybrid - mixed blooded beings rare in their world - has already fallen into that very trap, owing him a life debt. And of course his foolish brother ended up smitten with her, struggling even now to free her.

Sasuke thought he’d never know that pain, that desperation, of having someone you care for under Uchiha Madara’s thumb.

...but now he does.

“What are you going to do with her?” he asks bluntly, having no more time or patience for manners. Madara could likely kill him with a flick of his wrist for the slightest offence...but Sasuke’s done tiptoeing around. It may be too early for their plot, as Itachi clearly communicated with his look as he arrived. But he can’t let anything happen to her...he can’t...he’d…

“That entirely depends upon how things play out tonight,” the Senator replies. “You’ve been doing your research into the miko lines...and while I had presumed they were extinct, it would seem I am wrong. And that could spell a number of disasters...or...it could bear us fruit.”

“Meaning?”

“In some western cultures, there have been great wars between humans and monsters, as they call us. Witches - those learned in magics - played pivotal roles. Though typically as our enemies...also, at times, as our allies.

“If this little miko you found swears not to threaten us...then I have no reason to threaten her. But I cannot risk letting such an unknown power wander about unchecked, Sasuke.” Reaching a pair of doors, Madara stops...and then turns back to face his descendants. “...she could be a great ally to us. Her powers could, if used for the greater good, help us shift balances of power.”

“The last thing she needs is to be dragged into your dramas,” Sasuke hisses back.

“Ah...and yet, who was the first to drag her into our world?” There’s a hint of amusement...and a threat in Madara’s gaze. “Don’t forget...you were there when she was assaulted: when she was introduced to our world. One of the most crucial mandates was broken...and you did nothing to prevent her exposure. Or remedy it.”

Teeth grit until they creak. “...I tried -”

“And then she overpowered you - likely by surprise, and yet...your failure is still unacceptable, Sasuke. You have, again and again, exposed a human to the Nightwalker world. You are in no position to dictate how I handle this from now on.”

“Twilightwalkers aren’t Daywalkers!” Sasuke cuts back in. “They aren’t included in the mandates!”

“A loophole that goes both ways. She may not be Daywalker...but nor is she Nightwalker. Thus...she is prohibited from knowing of our world.”

“She knew of it long before she met me. She can see things others can’t. Gonna blame that on me, too?”

“Sasuke, Sasuke...we can play this back and forth all night, my boy. But let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Hyūga Hinata can either be a threat...or a tool. And if she is not one, I must assume she is the other. No longer can I turn a blind eye to a ticking time bomb. Either she must enter an agreement with us...or I will have her eliminated.”

Sasuke’s eyes flash red again, but he stills as Itachi holds out an arm. “...is there not a third option?”

“...that being…?”

“Her removal. You claim if she is not an ally, she is an enemy. But her threat were removed another way - by her relocation - would that not satisfy your terms?”

“And have her terrorize another nation?” Madara counters.

“There is no evidence to suggest her behavior to become harmful. Rather, she has proven an ally through her actions already: she saved Sasuke’s life. That was not required of her.”

“She owed him a life debt.”

“Their kind do not use debt as a bartering system as we do. Not as strictly. It was her choice, one she made freely. If anything...your actions tonight are what may have sparked the possibility of her becoming your enemy by kidnapping her under no circumstance but your paranoia...and greed.”

Dark brows lift just a hair at the accusatory tone. “...you speak boldly for one of your position,” Madara murmurs.

“If anything, is it not wise that I do?”

A pause...and then a humored scoff. “...I’ll consider your position. But for now...why don’t we have a little chat?” He takes a door handle, pulling it open to reveal his office.

Within, sitting in a chair with Shisui at her side, is Hinata. To Sasuke’s surprise, she doesn’t appear frightened...but perks up as she sees him. “...Sasuke-san!”

“Apologies my dear,” Madara offers, tone pleasant as always. “He had a bit of a...delay upon arriving. But we’re all here now. We can finally have a...civilized conversation.”

Sasuke, however, is hardly listening. He’s instead watching Shisui...one of the few that he and his brother trust. An ally in the most literal sense.

That being against the fourth man in this room.

Hinata already guessed once at their ultimate plot...hopefully Shisui forewarned her of anything she needs to know.

While he doesn’t want her dragged into it...she might make a crucial piece for bringing about their goal. And if she’s already entangled...it might also be her only bid for freedom.

Sitting in the chair behind his desk, Madara gestures for the brothers to sit. “Now...where shall we begin?”

.oOo.

Sooo this is kinda random and I know it didn't really...go anywhere, but I had yet another long day, and it's late, I'm tired, and had a lot of trouble with this prompt OTL My bad, guys. But this is more of the Nightwalkers crossover, the next part after 162: mostly just establishing banter between the brothers and Madara, trying to set up the circumstances going on in their coven right now...that being the divide over Madara's leadership. Some are still deathly loyal, and some want change. And to urge change in someone immortal to time...well...you have to get a little desperate. Itachi, Sasuke, and Shisui are pretty much the only ones who are actively plotting against Madara...mostly because you have to be stupidly careful: you can't really risk asking anyone else, because word could get back, and...you'd be dead before you could blink. But Sasuke's getting desperate now that Hinata's involved. Hopefully his urgency doesn't muck things up... Anyway, I...really need sleep, so I'ma call it a night. Hopefully I'll have better time / muse for tomorrow's prompt. But! Thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uchiha madara #uchiha itachi #of monsters and men [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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kuiperblog · 5 years

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Plugged In

Vision and Scarlet Witch drop off the grid and spend a couple of weeks in Scotland, and we see the two kiss. (They're obviously sharing a hotel room as well.) Two other prominent characters kiss and express their undying love. Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanov bat their eyelids at one another.

Here’s a quiz: was the above written by a fawning teenager posting on their MCU fanblog to report on their favorite Marvel moments, or is it an excerpt from a Christian movie review written to warn parents about the potentially lewd and lascivious content in Avengers Infinity War?

“Plugged In” is a movie review/screening site run by the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family, presumably for the purpose of allowing parents to check to see whether movies have objectionable content before allowing their kids to see them. (For example, the section above, detailing some of the “sexual content” present in Infinity War.)

Captain Marvel spoilers below the fold:

Plugged In’s movie reviews come with detailed content warnings about things like Sexual Content, Violent Content, and Crude Language, along with a “miscellaneous negative content” section to capture anything that doesn’t fit into the above categories but could be a negative influence on kids (e.g. shoplifting or other immoral behavior).

Here’s a sampling of some of the objectionable material noted in their review of Captain Marvel:

It’s important to remember that children are influenced by the media they consume, and coughing up an infinity stone” is not the kind of behavior you would want your son or daughter to try to imitate at the dinner table, I guess?

Here’s some of the “negative elements” present in Captain America: Civil War:

These actually seem to be content warnings in the style of trigger warnings: this comes across much like an admonition of a film for showing characters being denied due process, and more a little, “Heads up, if seeing people denied due process is a particular pain point for you, maybe avoid this one.” Oh, and if you’re sensitive about adoption jokes, you might take issue with the first Avengers ensemble movie:

(Until reading this, I had never even stopped to consider that Thor, in saying “he’s adopted” to try and distance himself from Loki, might actually be making the kind of remark that could be a pain point for adoptees or adoption advocates.)

While content warnings and “negative elements” are a big part of their movie reviews, the site seems equally interested in praising movies for their positive elements:

Vers may be a little uncertain about who she is, but she knows what she is: one of the Kree’s “noble warrior heroes,” and she does her best to live up to the part. She fights the Kree’s enemies with courage, aplomb and a bit of sass. Surely Yon-Rogg would be proud.

But as she learns more about her past, she comes to a better understanding of who and what a hero should be. It’s not all about taking on and taking out the “bad guys.” It's also about saving and protecting the innocent, be they just a handful of refugees or a whole planet of sentient beings. And she learns that it’s not her near-divine superpowers that make her a hero: It’s her frail, sometimes fallible humanity.

We see plenty of flashbacks to Carol’s childhood—flashbacks that focus especially on her failures. She flies off a go-cart track in one such miscue, gets brushed out of a batter’s box in another. Her critics seem legion, telling her repeatedly how weak she is, how she’ll never succeed. But each time, Carol climbs back up and digs back in. It’s not about how many times she falls, but how many times she gets back up.

And here, she always gets back up. That’s a nice message for all of us, I think: Sometimes we imagine that our greatest achievements are, naturally, our successes. It’s easy to forget that we are more shaped by our failures—and that our character is formed in the resiliency we show in the face of them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, they seem to like Captain America quite a bit, as expressed in this review which I surprisingly found to be as well-written as it is fawning:

By definition, superhero movies are about … heroes. We've seen a bevy of them walk, run, jump and fly through our movie theaters during the last several years, and there's no sign of them stopping.

But we haven't seen a hero like Captain America in a long, long time.

Cap traces his comic book roots to World War II, when he was created to take on Nazis and fight for the American Way. He was always an unapologetically nationalistic figure, and in this new movie he still is. As such, the film is an intentional throwback to a more innocent, more optimistic time, before scandal and cynicism and cable news shout-fests had beaten our national character beyond recognition. This movie recalls the days when Americans—most of them, anyway—truly considered the country a beacon, a city on a hill. And Captain America represents what we've long thought to be what's best about us: Strength. An uncompromising spirit. Bravery, sometimes brash, but polite and self-effacing too.

"You don't give up, do you?" Schmidt groans at Cap during a climactic melee.

"Nope," he says.

How very "American" his response is. Simple. Straightforward. This is a guy who lets his actions speak for him.

Now, we need not say Cap represents an America that, for the most part, only ever lived in its national imagination. We must point out that the film has a few troublesome problems, including its love of wall-to-wall violence and the fact that our main hero is partly the product of (when you really sit and think about it) some potentially problematic chemistry. It's a little weird to cheer for a guy who got strong through scientific alchemy when most of us are warning our kids about the dangers of body- and mind-altering drugs.

And yet there's an inescapable optimism here, a goodness. Captain America tells us that muscles and nifty shields are great and all, but true heroism comes from within. And that it never goes out of style.

Some of the content reviews are quite amusingly detailed and over-the-top in what they consider to be objectionable content, but this review is actually the first place I encountered the idea that Captain America might inadvertently be promoting steroid use, as Steve Rogers goes from scrawny to brawny by getting injected by a miracle drug, rather than engaging in athletic practice or strength training. That’s an interesting and new take I didn’t expect to find while reading a movie review site for Christian parents. Even if he is a stand-up guy, Steve Rogers kind of got to take the easy way out.

Obviously, that’s not the message of the movie, and in fact it’s sort of implied that Steve Rogers does sort of “earn” his powers by being the only one sufficiently “pure of heart” to not be corrupted by power. But it is the kind of thing that, if seen in a certain light, could be viewed as kind of problematic. And I wonder if perhaps Plugged In might be exactly the kind of movie review site that would appeal to the puritans that seem to be so common on tumblr.

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rachelbethhines · 5 years

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Quick thoughts on a 130 years in film Part 9

1925

youtube

There’s probably a lot more notable films I could have gone with for this year; Phantom of the Opera, Ben Hur, Battleship Potemkin, just to name a few. However my love of Cinderella won out over all of these. I’ll probably cover at least one a decade. And indeed this is one of the more interesting takes on the story I’ve seen.

Written by J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, this charming tale is about a quirky young woman living in London during World War I. She’s obsessed with the story of Cinderella and desires nothing more than to bring the fairy tale to life. Her odd behavior catches the attention of a police officer who suspects her of being an enemy spy. What follows is a whimsical and yet also somewhat heartbreaking romance.

I’ll be honest this was a delight to watch. I actually enjoyed this more than any version of Peter Pan. It’s a shame Barrie never novelized this play as I’ve would’ve read the hell out of it.

1926

vimeo

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the world’s oldest surviving full length animated film. I’ve seen it hundreds of times already but it didn’t seem right leaving it out of the marathon due to it’s historical importance.

The film is utterly memorizing, but it is very much a style over substance type film. A mish-mash of various Arabian Nights’ tales the story is simplistic and the characters little more than archetypes. Some, such as the Witch, can be quite charming despite this. Others however, like the two main leads and their very forced romance, leave a lot to be desired. However, the art is the true star of this film and it’s beautiful scenery and classical puppetry style will leave you breathless.

1927

vimeo

The Jazz Singer might just be the most important film ever made. The first movie to feature synchronized sound, it completely changed the industry and how films are made even to this day. Every time you sit down to watch anything on a screen, and you hear music, dialogue, and/or sound effects you owe it to this movie.

That said the film isn’t nearly watched or talked about enough. Though still a moving and effective film in it’s own right, it’s sadly ignored due to many of the films most important scenes being considered controversial today. The main character, who is white, dons makeup to make himself look black. Don’t mistake me, this is in no way a defense of “blackface”, a shameful practice that rightly belongs in the past, but the past does need to be viewed and discussed. And it needs to be viewed and discussed in both the context of when it was made and the implications it has upon us as a society today.

The story is about a Jewish man who wants to be a stage singer, against the wishes of his strict and very traditional father who wants him to become a Cantor like himself. Through out the film the main character, Jack, is torn between wanting to peruse his dream career and wanting to make his parents proud. The controversial “blaceface” scene is a very obvious metaphor of Jack hiding his true feelings and his true self beneath the falsities and fantasies of the pretend world of the stage. At the time this was lauded as being progressive, even by other black people, and indeed the actor who plays Jack was a well know civil rights activist, but over time as “blackface” became rightfully less respectable people ignored the movie altogether rather than study the changing attitudes of society and how such important movies both helped and hurt minorities. And indeed while representation of black people in film has grown in leaps and bounds over the decades, when’s the last time you saw a film about Jewish people, and their culture and religion, that was a top grossing film? One that doesn’t double as a world war 2 film or a biblical story.

Two steps forward and one step back. That’s why it’s so important to remember history, to discuss it, and continue to challenge, question, and promote proper representation on all fronts. If you’ve never seen this movie before I would encourage you to do so if nothing more than to expand you’re own knowledge of representation in film history.

1928

youtube

1928 was a very strong year for silent film. The Wind, Jujiro, The Man Who Laughs are all considered must see classics by cinephiles and I would agree with them. The Wind is perhaps my favorite silent film ever. But as we draw to a close upon the silent era in film I realized I had failed to feature a Buster Keaton movie yet, and that simply won’t due. Therefore I give you the film that inspired Mickey Mouse.

Buster Keaton plays a simple but heartfelt teen fresh out of school. He wants desperately to prove himself to his estranged father, but complicates matters by falling in love with the daughter of his father’s business rival.

The story is a little slow going at first, the humor is kind of dated too, and the romance not very fleshed out and used as simply a plot device more than anything, but oooh the stunt work! Keaton was a master at physical humor and choreographing and staging fantastical acrobatic stunts. The climax with the main hero trying to survive a hurricane is a worth the price of admission alone. There’s more impressive effects, stunts, and dramatic tension in this film than there are in many modern day action blockbusters.

1929

youtube

Well we’re officially out of the silent era. The Broadway Melody (1929) is the first full talkie musical. Unlike The Jazz Singer which still featured silent scenes in-between the songs, this movie is a fully voiced, scored, and sung. Such a technical feat earned it the second Academy Award for Best Picture.

And it’s rather weak. The songs are few and far between, the cinematography and editing primitive, the sound quality iffy, the acting very stagy and over the top, and it’s all hung together with a very thin story. If you hate love triangles then don’t bother with this one folks cause that’s all it’s got to offer.

I’ll give the story this though. As much as watching uncommunicative jackasses being idiots drives me up the wall, at least the story has the guts to end on a bittersweet note and not give everybody a happy ending. It’s a love triangle, someone’s going to get left out in the end. And to the films credit that someone is a likable character and not a one note villain. Kudos.

Also the choreography is nice. I was particularly impressed by a woman who taped danced in pointe shoes. That’s gotta hurt and is something not even most professional ballerinas can do. And “The Wedding of Painted Doll” while completely pointless to the story is easily the best number in the show.

#silent film #film history #movies #1920s

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bellaciaobitch · 6 years

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ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive. [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 8 - Nonna

They spent other fifteen days in Switzerland until Sergio finished all the business and made sure they were completely safe out of the country. Raquel wanted to go early, bargained as much as she could, even suggested they’d go with her annoying bodyguard stuck with them, but in the end, she was left with count the days in front of the TV in the living room, watching as the world would continue to spin.

Madrid remained in the same chaos. Protests exploded everywhere, and although the people with Dalí masks in the streets hailed the bravery and audacity of the thieves as superheroes, they only seemed to instigate the police even more, who were constantly making search operations as a witch hunt. Raquel heard her name repeatedly in the mouths of several reporters, some defending her and others doubting her innocence as the last hostage of the heist. Sergio’s face appeared several times as well, and Raquel watched the video of herself kick in his arms at the port of Madrid on repeat until she couldn’t stand it anymore and turned off the TV.

Maybe that's why she decided to carry the concealed black pistol with her on the trip, even if she had promised no guns. Feeling it full with ammunition in the holster under her skirt brought a twisted feeling of security, and Raquel concluded that no one is entirely safe when hiding from the police. She didn’t show it, but she was electric, fully on alert. Her police senses were constantly on since they left the apartment and took a clandestine plane that would take them to Italy.

Sergio's hands was also sweaty on the wheel of the gray BMW, indicating his nervousness, but for a completely different reason: the encounter between Raquel and his grandmother. He drove slowly, almost below the speed limit of the deserted road, and feeling stupid for letting something as silly as Raquel meeting what was left of his family make him so apprehensive.

It's not that he didn’t trust Raquel with this information: his confidence skills improved a lot after they talked about what happened on the port. It was Nonna he did not trust. The old lady was very sweet, affectionate and protective, but could be a hell on earth if you mess with her family. And his relationship with Raquel was new and still complicated, full of mood swings and unfilled gaps. Sergio did not want to scare her or let her down when everything seemed to get better.

"Hey," Raquel whispered softly resting her hand on his leg. "I know you're worried. I need to admit I'm also not completely relaxed about this, but it's going to be ok!" "Yes, of course it will," he said and forced a smile. "I just... I never introduced anyone to my grandmother, I'm not used to… dealing with that kind of situation." Raquel laughed sweetly and came closer to give him a soft kiss on his cheek. "I can’t believe you’re more nervous because I’m meeting your grandma than with the fact that we’re fugitives?"

"Well, you are not a fugitive, you are my hostage. But yes, there is also that," Sergio laughed along adjusting the glasses on his nose, then turned the wheel around with a curve of the road. "The truth is, I didn’t have as many relationships in my life like you did. None, to be specific. And I’m used to be prepare for everything but this is still unknown territory to me" "Well, no one is fully prepared to meet their in-laws. And our troubled relationship doesn’t make things any easier” she smiled sweetly and turned her gaze to the road, now adorned with a breathtaking green landscape view. "Think of it as a simple dinner with special people. What’s the worst that could happen?”

***

Raquel took Sergio's hand in silence, shortly after he pressed the bell of the house where his grandmother lived. The residence was the typical sweet fairytale house, directly coming out of a romcom set in Italy: it was on top of a low hill and far from any kind of civilization. The entrance path was framed by white wooden fence keeping a beautiful garden of red roses and the smell of fresh apple pie being cooked escaped through the half-open windows.

During the whole trip, the inspector didn’t think much about how she would be introduced, but a second before the door opened, Raquel felt scared of a rejection. She was surely far from being the princess any mother had dreamed of for her son, and for the first time she felt dislocated with her independent, strong and rebellious aesthetics. But the insecurity soon gave way to a larger feeling that filled her heart when she saw Sergio's eyes watering as he faced the small lady with white puffy hair who opened the door, looking suspicious.

"Hello Nonna," he said, and his voice was shaky. Nonna frowned her wrinkled eyes at Raquel first and then directed her eyes to hiim, opened them wide in surprise. "Sergio?" She called and a smile came to her lips. "Is that you?" "It's me" Sergio now cried and laughed at the same time and Raquel only let go of his squeezing hand when the professor hugged his grandmother.

It was such an important and delicate moment that Raquel’s heart grew three times in size when she saw him so happy. He was in the arms of the woman who raised him without asking for anything in return, who loved him as his son, and included him in the family even without any obligation to do so. Raquel thought of all the love her own mother felt for her, and how this love doubled in size and crosses through her body, involuntarily, when Paula was born, as if very thin imaginary lines connected all three women forever right there in the maternity hospital. The inspector smiled, seeing nonna hold Sergio's face the same way that Maribi used to do with her and saw the power of a mother's love washing over him.

"I thought you were in jail! Or worse, dead! So many things happened, the TV does not stop talking about you. Your brother …” Nonna started but stopped when Sergio nodded positively, closing his eyes.

As if the mentioning of Berlin was a trigger, Nonna suddenly felt Raquel’s presence by his side, shifting the weight of her body under her uncomfortable feet. She gave her a glare that went quickly from sadness to rage and soon to disgust and Raquel could not bear to stare back. She looked at her feet instead and played with her watchband hoping that awkward moment would be over soon.

"Nonna" Sergio cleared his throat and readjusted his posture "I assume you already know Raquel Murillo" "Sergio, my dear, I'm very happy that you came to visit me, I missed you so much! But I will not accept cops inside my house," she said firmly, almost outraged, resting her hands on her hips. "They're killers using guns and badges and they've destroyed our family, you know that."

"Grandma, listen to me, Raquel’s is different. We…" "Sergio, it's okay" Raquel interrupted softly "She has every right to ..." "No, she needs to know! She needs to know, Raquel, you said it yourself that she is a part of my story and I want to be able to share it with you too." Sergio put an awkward arm around Raquel's back, resting a cold hand on her waist, and stared at his grandma shocked gaze with his chin up.

"I love her, Nonna. I didn’t predict it, I didn’t plan it and maybe it was a mistake, but it happened. You've always taught me that we have to take responsibility for our mistakes so I'm doing it now. Raquel was the best mistake I've made so far and if she can’t hen I will not either."

Nonna was silent for a long time, alternating the look of judgment between her grandson and Raquel while the inspector stared at him in shock as well. Then the elderly straightened her posture and looked uncomfortable in the doorway, wiping her hands on the apron that covered the flanel dress.

"I thought your brother was the only stubborn rebel in this family, Sergio, but I assume you both got this behavior from your father…” she said at last, pursing her lips in frustration. Then she just turned around entering the house again “Alright. Take your shoes off before coming in, I just cleaned up. The lasagna will be ready soon.”

***

"It was delicious" Raquel dared to praise after a particularly quiet dinner. Sergio told his grandmother all the details of the robbery that didn’t pass on the TV, and she listened to it quietly, casting curious glances at them. She was a very suspicious lady, Raquel concluded, a typical Italian grandmother who, despite her age, had a talent for cooking and would protect her family tooth and nail if necessary.

"Thank you so much for the dinner, Mrs…?" she trailed off, glancing to Sergio and realizing that she had not remembered to ask his grandmother’s real name.

"Uhm ... Nonna doesn’t reveal her name to anyone" he whispered, adjusting his glasses and Raquel frowned. "Her husband was one of the leaders of the Italian resistance during the second world war. They had to adopt codenames so the Fascist government wouldn’t find them.”

Raquel studied the little old lady, eating another bite of lasagna, and thought of all that she had suffered in her life to keep her family alive and together. She had to bury not only her husband, but her children and one of her grandsons, and has to live alone isolated all those years where memories haunted her. Suddenly the house looked less like fairytales and more like a melancholic and painful place. The inspector looked around, at the countless family portraits resting on shelves of the wooden dining room, and couldn’t even imagine the whole story behind them.

"It must have been unbearably difficult," Raquel suggested.

“Well, it was Nonna who taught me Bella Ciao when I was little. During the robbery I tried to teach the lyrics to the gang as a motivation..." Sergio added, trying to shift the mood and Nonna opened the first smile of the evening. “I’m not quite sure if they got the message of the song, though”

“I’m not surprised if they didn't. You only know the true meaning of war if you are in one” Nonna looked wisely, and Raquel noticed a few similarities with Sergio in the way she talked. “But I’m proud of you, for honoring it”

"You are a very strong woman, Nonna, it’s quite admirable.” the inspector smiled, searching for the right words as if she was stepping in eggs “And, about earlier, I understood your reaction, you were completely entitled to it. But, if I must say, I don’t think I want to be a member of the police force anymore”

Nonna stopped with her fork halfway through her mouth and Sergio immediately looked at Raquel with a confused expression. She simply ignored him and continued.

"After what happened during the heist, I found out that I don’t agree with some principles of being an inspector, especially regarding the national security service of Spain..." she looked at her empty plate and felt nauseous when she remembering all the many occasions she felt humiliated by Colonel Prieto, by her ex-husband, or by any other man that believed to be better than her was just because was born with the XY chromosomes. "They believe everything is in black and white. But some things are... in shades of gray"

When Raquel finally met the professor's gaze, she saw a whole universe in his eyes and vaguely remembered that Nonna stared at them from the other side of the table. He smiled and she softened, making her giggle as they touched their hands under the table like two teenagers in love.

"Well... I think we're done here." Nonna interrupted, resting the cutlery on the empty plate. "Honey, can you please wash the dishes? I want to have a private conversation with the inspector"

Raquel inhaled slowly and Sergio nodded in silence. He picked up the dirty dishes and exchanged a brief worried glance with her before retiring to the kitchen. Nonna got out of her chair, with some difficulty due to age, as soon as he was out of sight.

"You know I don’t usually look for news of what is happening in Spain, I only see what they say in the local newspaper here.” she said, circling the table slowly and Raquel didn’t know if she should get up to help her. "But I mean the whole world when I say that the newspapers have a lot to say about you, young lady"

"I know," she said, feeling defeated and ashamed somehow.

"For a long time, I agreed and disagreed with much of what the journalists said. I thought you only wanted the harm of my grandson. But today, I saw the way he looks at you and how you look at him, and I realized that it does not matter what I think.” Nonna opened the cupboard behind Raquel where she supposed there would be plates and cutlery but instead she found books and records.

“I mean, I just an old lonely lady, who am I to judge?” “You are very special to him, ma’m” Raquel smiled and got up to make room for the old woman to rummage inside the cupboard.

"When I was younger, I fell madly in love with a beautiful, intelligent, brave man who lived two houses after mine. We dated in secret for a long time because he was from a much poorer family than mine and it was outrageous if we were even seen together.” Nonna seemed to speak on her own, but Raquel partially identified herself with the story and wondered how much the newspapers had revealed about her relationship with Sergio.

“And when the war hit us, they called me crazy for giving up everything I had to escape with a revolutionary, futureless delinquent" Raquel watched the lady pull out a small green wooden box from the highest shelf and close the cupboard. She set the box on the dining table and opened it, containing: two cigars, some wrapped papers, two silver rings, and a necklace that caught Raquel's attention.

"When we ran away, Salvatore gave me this necklace as a gift," she said, pulling out the jewelry with shaking hands, and Raquel could see the pendant. It looked like a small cage meticulously carved in silver that nestled a light pink pearl inside.

"Salva..." she murmured to herself, raising her eyebrows as she understood Sergio's tribute to his grandfather. But Nonna couldn’t know that.

"Yes, well we never had codenames for each other. He was always my Salvatore" she smiled, spinning the pendant around her wrinkled fingers. "You see, every pearl when inside an oyster’s shell, has a different color shade. And people say that every color has it’s meaning, as a lucky charm. This one means love and I want you to have it."

Raquel's eyes widened, completely baffled. "No, no, no, it's a family treasure! I can’t..."

"Of course you can." Nonna grabbed her hand and put the necklace inside the palm before closing the inspector's fingers around it. "I may not agree with Sergio's choice, but it’s the one he did. Can’t come back from it now. And I support it, as long as he is happy... "

The lady released her hand and Raquel studied the jewelry more closely. It didn’t look very refined but it was beautiful. The loose pearl inside the silver arrangement gleamed in the light as if it was made with stardust and she felt she could break it with any more abrupt movement.

"Just don’t ruin everything, will you, dear?" Nonna asked, patting her on the shoulder and she felt she was about to cry. Raquel wanted to thank the elder for the gesture but when she looked up again, something caught her attention and the smile on her lips faded, being replaced by panting breathing and racing heartbeat.

Through the window behind Nonna, at the end of the night-drenched landscape, a red-and-blue siren glowed on the horizon.

#la casa de papel #money heist #raquel murillo #raquel y el profesor #raquel x profesor #raquel x sergio #raquel x professor #sergio marquina #iwritestuff #escapar

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forksofwisdom · 6 years

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What do you think witches and mermaids would have been like in the Twiverse? Do you think SM should have included other species?

Despite being a very pragmatic person, I am obsessed with mythologies of any kind, and I loved this idea so much that I took the time to do some research! And BOY did it get out of hands!

Note that I’m not a professional and most of my knowledge comes from scouring the internet, which is fraught with misinformation and I barely scratch the surface for the sake of brevity. I do mention things from my own culture - Icelandic folklore to be exact - but I encourage you to tag onto this post if you have something to add or want to make a correction! :D

I think SM kept a very narrow scope because she never intended Twilight to be anything more than a teenage romance between Bella and Edward. I for one am happy that she didn’t branch out beyond vampires, wolf-shifters, and the Children of the Moon because she was already on thin ice with her appropriation of the Quileute Tribe’s creation story.

I also think that including more too many species and characters would have overwhelmed SM. Her side characters have spotty backstories, and I have a feeling that she wrote most of their history as an afterthought. Why else would SM have only mentioned Esme’s past in the Official Guide and not included the crucial information that Esme met Carlisle while she was STILL human in the story?

If I’m honest, I would have loved to see different ending for New Moon and have SM do more character development in Eclipse. Bella’s quick recovery from her crippling depression was unrealistic in my opinion and her desperation to spend the rest of eternity with the Cullens seemed so shallow considering the fact she knew next to nothing about them and their past.

That being said, I still have some headcanons now that you got me thinking about this. I’m fascinated with the idea that some myths and legends around the world were born from encounters with real supernatural beings.

Shapeshifters

Based on SM’s idea about the Quileute spirit warriors, there should be more types of shifters in the Twiverse since the Quileutes weren’t the only ones who founded their belief on having descended from wolves.

Therianthropy is the mythological ability of human beings changing into animals via shapeshifting. This concept has been around for centuries, dating back so far that there are cave paintings that depict the transformation of men into animals. (x)

One of the most popular types of shapeshifting seems to be changing into wolves, and subsequently, there are a LOT of werewolf myths or The Children of the Moon as SM refers to them. (I’ve already written an entire post dedicated to them so I won’t talk about them here.)

I won’t go much farther into Origin Stories than I have above since it’ll take over the entire post. There are so fricking many different tales, especially about randy gods - seriously, it’s wild - that it’s difficult to decide what would lead to becoming a Shifter and what would be considered fables in the Twiverse.

For the sake of clarity, I have made a short list below which includes a few types of shapeshifters from different cultures that people may be familiar with:

· In Chinese Mythology, it is believed that all things are capable of acquiring human forms through shapeshifting. There are the Huli Jing, which is a nine-tailed fox spirit, from which the Japanese derived their Kitsune (any fellow Naruto fan here???) and the Korean Kumiho.

· Selkies are a favorite of mine (Please watch Song of the Sea - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried during that movie) since they sometimes feature in Icelandic myths. Selkies are primarily thought to be women who live in the sea as seals but shed their coats and turn into humans on land. They aren’t able to shapeshift without their coats. Most of the tales aren’t happy and are about men who steal the selkie’s coats and hide them to coerce the woman into marriage.

· Nāga from Indian religions are thought to sometimes shapeshift from snakes, most often King Cobras, into humans.

Witchcraft

Witchcraft is tied to many religions, but as an atheist, I only have a layman’s knowledge of the practices that are still in use today. I’m highly skeptical when it comes to spiritual healing in real life, and I’m not at all a fan of the cult cultures that frequently surround religion.

Here’s a brief history lesson:

Witches were the women who served the goddesses in the earliest centuries of human civilization and were revered throughout their communities. In the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, priestesses trained in the sacred arts and partook in the holiest of rituals. They were seen as benevolent, and wise women who helped deliver babies, and saw to people’s health.

What’s interesting about them is that they are so clearly understood to be positive figures in their society. No king could be without their counsel, no army could recover from a defeat without their ritual activity, no baby could be born without their presence. (x)

The fear of witches stems from the deep-seated misogyny born from male-centric and monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Judaism. The panic spread to Europe and spiked to a level of hysteria with the outbreaks of plagues. (x) Witch-hunts, especially in Central Europe, resulted in the trial, torture, and execution of tens of thousands of victims. About three-quarters of whom were women. (x)

Witch-hunts still claim thousands of lives every year, especially in developing countries that have an inadequate education system. (x) I recommend watching this documentary if you’re interested in learning about a Tanzanian witch-hunt that happened in 2017.

Keeping this gruesom history in mind, I think there would be hidden communities of witches and warlocks in the Twiverse. I’m not here to dictate what sort of magic they would use - I’ll leave the world building up to the writers!

Here are just a couple of examples of witchcraft:

· Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness to perceive and interact with a spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world. (x)(x)

· Druidism is a spiritual or religious movement that generally promotes harmony, connection, and reverence for the natural world. (x) You can learn more about modern Druidry here: (x)

· Wicca is contemporary witchcraft and is one of the fastest-growing religions in the Western world today. (x) Wicca spirituality is earth-based enlightenment. Note that not all Witches are Wiccans. (x) I’m not a practitioner myself, but I quite like the idea of being more in tune with yourself and nature. You can take a test here if you’re curious to see whether Wicca would work for you.

In Iceland, we had what we called Völva (seiðkonur or seiðkarl, depending on the gender) who were seers. Most of their practices were based on herbalism and the use of runes.

For those of you who are curious about Norse Mythology which hasn’t been altered by the likes of Marvel and Hollywood, I recommend reading Völuspá, which literally translates to Prophecy of Völva. It’s the fundamental source for the study of Norse Mythology because it tells the story of the creation of the world to Ragnarök (end of the world). You’ll also have the chance to learn some freaky shit about Loki - like that time he gave birth to a eight-legged horse - and see that he wasn’t really that much of a dick compared to the other gods *cough* Óðinn *cough* - also Þór once gatecrashed a wedding by dressing up as the bride.

Mermaids

· Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drownings. In other folk traditions, they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.

The Little Mermaid (the H.C Andersen version) happened in the Twiverse and that is a fact!

· Sirens! (You thought I could go through an entire post without mentioning Greek Mythology??? Think again!) They were beautiful but dangerous creatures that lured the sailors with their beautiful voices to their doom, causing the ships to crash on the reefs near their island.(x) This connection to the sea is why many confuse them with mermaids when instead they were believed to be a combination of women and birds.(x)

I can totally see them chilling on Greek islands singing their songs and luring horny sailors to their demise.

Miscellaneous

· Huldufólk (hidden people) played a crucial part in Icelandic folklore. They were the spirits of the land and shouldn’t be confused with fairies. Huldufólk wore normal Icelandic clothing and used the power of words to cast spells on people - either blessing or a curse, depending on how they judge the person’s behavior. They lived inside the stones. To prevent any naughty behavior, it’s said that Huldufólk would kidnap infants and replace them with wizened old elves that pretended to be normal children. They would behave like wild brats, kicking and screaming, and nothing but a good beating could bring back the human child.

These oral tales were used to prevent many children from wandering away from human habitations and instilled fear and respect for the harsh powers of nature. (x)(x)

Contrary to popular belief, Icelanders don’t actually believe in the existence of elves, or anything tbh, we just like to mess with foreigners. So if you’re a tourist then “YES, I am a believer in elves. HoW DarE yOU qUeSTioN my FAith! You dare sit on our precious boulders? Tainting the sacred houses of our elves by touching them with your filthy behind!”

· Tröllskessur (mountain trolls) are usually female, hence skessur. Trolls turn into stone if the sunlight hits them and their tales were used to explain the natural phenomena in Icelandic nature, f.ex. a stone caught between two pillars or the outlines of a face on the side of mountains. (x)

Tröllskessur are extinct in my headcanon but I just think it’s nifty if these stories were true in the Twiverse.

· DRAGONS!

Don’t fight me on this!! I have no idea how they would be kept hidden in the Twiverse but they’re out there!

· Spirits (as in the soul) and Yōkai

I’ve watched Spirited Away too many times to leave them out of the Twiverse. They’re probably out there chilling somewhere in a Supernatural Spa Resort…

This was a fun question to answer, anon! Thank you for sticking with me to the end of this post! The sleep deprivation got to me in the end… ಥ∀ಥ

#THIS TOOK ME WEEKS I AM SO SORRY!#anon #ask #the twilight saga #my headcanon #mythology #my answer

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lastsonlost · 7 years

Link

THIS IS THE ARTICLE SALON WAS LYING ABOUT

As former social chair of the Sigma Chi fraternity at Harvard University, Malik Gill wants to appear especially welcoming to girls who come to the house for parties.

Yet, Gill, who starts his junior year in a few weeks, says he won’t be offering a female classmate a beer.

“I don’t want to look like a predator,” the 20-year-old economics major said. “It’s a little bit of a blurred line.”

Sex and relationships are always tricky terrain for college students. Those arriving this year are finding schools awash in complaints and headlines about sexual assault and responding with programs aimed at changing campus culture that has been blamed for glorifying dorm-bed conquests, excusing rape and providing a safe haven for assailants. For many young men, it’s an added dimension in a campus scene that already appears daunting, said William Pollack, a Harvard Medical School psychologist.

Pollack said a patient recently told him about making out with a girl at a party. Things were going fine, the student said, when suddenly a vision of his school’s disciplinary board flew into his head.

“‘I want to go to law school or medical school after this,’” Pollack said, recounting the student’s comments. “‘I said to her, it’s been nice seeing you.’”

Victims, especially women, have always had to battle taking the blame for being attacked, said Laura Dunn, founder of the SurvJustice sexual-assault advocacy group. Men have to accept responsibility for sexual aggressiveness when it harms others, she said.

Small Group

“There are countries where women cover themselves from head to toe in clothing and don’t go anywhere without a male escort to avoid harassment,” she said. “That’s not our country.”

While about 99 percent of rapes are committed by men, according to U.S. government figures, few men are rapists. Data from David Lisak, a sociologist who consults to the military and universities on the issue, suggest that the vast majority of campus sexual assaults are the work of a small group -- less than 5 percent -- of college men. No one wants to be mistaken for one of these serial offenders.

“I don’t think it’s about me,” said Gill, the Harvard student. “I feel like I’m pretty good guy. But if I’m talking to a girl and want to gauge her interest, I’m more cautious than I used to be. I don’t want to cross the line.”

Federal Investigations

Harvard’s undergraduate college and law school are among dozens of institutions under investigation by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights for alleged violations of Title IX, the law that bars gender discrimination in education. A complaint filed by students against Harvard College says that victims aren’t always separated from their alleged attackers in classes and living spaces. The school rewrote many of its policies this year and submitted them to the OCR for review.

The specter of an assault accusation is often in the back of male students’ minds, Gill said. His fraternity owns a handsome Victorian house outside brick-paved Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most brothers live on campus, rather than in the house, which is mainly used for parties. It can become a concern even in innocuous situations, such as when a female friend told him she was interested in one of his pals.

“He was a pretty outgoing guy and did well with the ladies,” Gill recalled. “It’s kind of like the nature of college hooking up -- taking numbers -- and it doesn’t always pan out but hopefully it does once in a while.”

More Hesitant

Gill passed the contact information along. Still, his friend hesitated to follow up.

“Even though she was interested, he didn’t want to pressure her,” Gill said. “He was worried about making her feel uncomfortable.”

Some men feel that too much responsibility for preventing sexual assault has been put on their shoulders, said Chris Herries, a senior at Stanford University. While everyone condemns sexual assault, there seems to be an assumption among female students that they shouldn’t have to protect themselves by avoiding drunkenness and other risky behaviors, he said.

“Do I deserve to have my bike stolen if I leave it unlocked on the quad?” Herries, 22, said. “We have to encourage people not to take on undue risk” that might make them targets of the criminal conduct of others, he said.

A failure to reduce risk doesn’t mean that a person who is attacked or harmed is at fault, Herries said. Education on how to avoid sexual assault is important and helpful, but no one should blame victims for being assaulted, he said.

Awareness High

Focusing on the need for women to protect themselves from sexual assault puts the onus on victims, and removes it from perpetrators, advocates for assault survivors said. People who have been burglarized aren’t blamed for not having enough surveillance gear in their homes, said Tracey Vitchers, chairwoman of New York-based Students Active for Ending Rape.

“This is the only crime where people blame the victim,” said Annie E. Clark, co-founder of End Rape on Campus, based in Los Angeles. “Regardless of what you do, you don’t ask for a crime to be committed.”

Awareness of the danger is already high on campus, said Megan Harman, a sophomore at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The 19-year-old said she’s already had the experience of rescuing a drunk classmate from a room where she was with a guy who wouldn’t “take no for an answer.”

Harman said she’s also been happy to see some of her male classmates step in when they see girls who look like they’re in vulnerable situations with men.

“My friends and I look out for each other, but can’t always see everything,” she said. “There’s always going to be one bad apple.”

‘Better Understanding’

Social situations are already worrying Clark Coey, 18, who starts at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, this month. Coey said it was hard to avoid hearing about the dozens of colleges under federal investigation for violations of Title IX.

At Lake Norman Charter high school outside Charlotte, Coey said he was taught that you shouldn’t force sex on another person. He’s concerned how that will be defined when other students, including women, may be using drugs and alcohol that affect their decision-making.

“I haven’t learned anything about consent since I was a freshman in a health class,” he said. “They have to give you a better understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong.”

East Carolina has a mandatory online course about healthy relationships, sexual assault, consent and alcohol use that freshmen must complete in their first term to register for the following semester, said Virginia Hardy, vice chancellor for student affairs. The college also addresses the issues at voluntary summer orientation sessions and residence hall programs during the school year that as many as 95 percent of freshmen sign up for, she said.

Alcohol Shadow

Often considered a social enhancer by students, alcohol now can cast a shadow over sex when there’s any suggestion that it may have dimmed a woman’s judgment. Oscar Sandoval, a senior at Stanford University, near Palo Alto, California, got a text message late one spring evening from a female friend. Did he feel like hanging out?

When his friend arrived from a party she was drunk, he said. Her flirting and touching made Sandoval uncomfortable. Something about the situation reminded him of educational sessions he’d had in prior years where he’d learned about sexual consent. Sandoval walked his friend back to her dorm.

“Among the people I hang out with, there’s more hesitancy to hook up with someone when there’s alcohol involved,” Sandoval, 21, said. “Something that you might have thought would be okay when you were drunk might not be okay later on. ”

‘Witch Hunt’

While sexual assault is undoubtedly a real problem, heightened attention in the media has created a “witch-hunt” environment, said Pollack, the Harvard Medical School psychologist.

“Most males would never do anything to harm a young woman,” Pollack said in a telephone interview. Rather than discouraging predators, “we’re starting to scare the heck out of the wrong people.”

Joshua Handler, a junior at New York University, said he’s more cognizant of how his actions could be interpreted because of continuous discussion at the campus about sexual assault -- mostly on the Facebook page NYU Secrets where students can anonymously post about their experiences.

Handler, an aspiring film critic, said he’s always been blunt, but he makes it a point to be especially clear about his intentions when talking to women.

More campuses are adopting bystander education programs that seek to recruit men in stopping sexual assault, said Jackson Katz, co-founder of MVP Strategies, which offers violence prevention programs for schools and the U.S. military.

Bystander Programs

The programs preach that while most men aren’t predators, a few -- even those who appear as “nice guys” -- may be; that sex requires clear consent from both parties; and that drunkenness is not an excuse for assaulting behavior.

Adam Erickson, a 19-year-old sophomore at Yale University, was at a party last year when he noticed that a female friend appeared to have had too much to drink. While that’s not totally unusual behavior at parties, Erickson grew concerned when his friend began talking with a man who appeared to be showing a lot of interest in her.

“It was a guy I knew a little bit about, and I didn’t like his reputation,” Erickson said. “I just kind of interposed myself and started talking to her about something. The guy got the message and he took off.”

Gill, the Harvard student, said he has male friends who will sometimes call out others who joke about sex in conversation.

“If you think sexual assault is okay,” he said, “you’re just an asshole.”

Men have every right to be afraid and I don’t blame them.

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