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#absolute genius. one of the all time greats for real
katabay · 2 months
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Wait wait wait, so have you watched/read Urasawa's Monster??
ABSOLUTELY Naoki Urasawa’s Monster is one of my all time favorites, it’s a masterpiece!! I actually keep the first volume of the perfect edition on my desk because I turn to it so often. like I cannot overstate the impact this comic had on me, it’s so good what the fuck
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inkskinned · 1 month
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you found out today that a phrase you have used before was coined by an abusive man. this felt like getting your teeth taken out. it made you sick and sad and tired, but not surprised.
bad people tell you to be careful when you talk badly of bad men, that it could "ruin" a life. you had your life ruined by a bad man, not that it ever matters to them. your real life having real consequences is not valued as highly as the potential of his future.
this has always been a frustrating little mathematics problem for you. you've missed school and had to call out sick at work and had panic attacks that lasted for weeks. it stole sleep and food and friends from you. you cried in public, fucked your relationships up. and the whole time: your present has never mattered so much as the great what if! of his future. like - one life (your life) is already ruined, should we really ruin two?
so you live with the consequences and he doesn't, and that's just like, something you need therapy for. you once discussed this with one of your friends over coffee. she chewed the wooden stirrer, looked off into the distance. "once i became a victim, everything that happens to me afterward is automatically less interesting in the eyes of the general public. it is always about him. he changed my identity. to survivor. to statistic. meanwhile this whole time - i am a person."
you learned in college that three out of five of your favorite artists and authors were actually abusive assholes. these days, you are no longer surprised. oh, is that what was happening behind closed doors? of course it was, he was a "genius," and she was just a girl. you are talking about him in art history, so obviously his career was absolutely ruined, for eternity. that's what happens, right? they strike your name from the record and refuse to remember you? nobody really knows her name, but hey. that's what you get for being close to celebrity.
you got into an argument about it, which was a bad argument, because it made you cry. he said what, you want us to just ignore all the things this man did because he made a few women uncomfortable? and you'd balled your fists up and choked on it. later, in bed, you agonized over the response you'd been trying to articulate but never found the right moment to deploy: you are ignoring what any person could do if they weren't being fucking abused. maybe her talents far exceeded his and she was just never allowed to fucking use them. maybe we only see genius in white men because they purposefully fucking squash and silence any other people with talent.
but you'd cried about it instead of saying that, because you are the cost. you are the talent and potential that he took. you used to be brave and smart and clever and unafraid. like a lich, he stole years of your life.
quiet on set made you sad and sick and tired, but not surprised. unfortunately, one of the things he said was true: an entire network of people allowed it to continue. this is not news to you, because you have seen entire networks of people make the same fucking excuses when the same thing or-worse happened to you. and your particular story isn't even in hollywood. it was just a guy. it was still difficult getting people to stand up for you.
you and your friend wait in line for your coffee. like a standup joke, one man turns to the other and says "can't wait for every bitch to come crawling out of the woodwork complaining about harassment. it's another metoo." and you think - oh, that's the network. your boss tucks her hair back and whispers that while your skirt is cute, you're giving the boys the wrong idea. that's the network. when you'd told your "friend" about what happened, she'd said oh you must have misunderstood, that would never happen. and that's the network.
you woke up this morning panting, because years later you still have panic attacks. oh, it's not a network, actually, it's a web. and you, little moth: are you still surprised you're caught in it?
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kisses4choso · 10 months
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#USELESS CONFESSIONS
SYNOPSIS: your boyfriend finally reveals his secret identity, spider-man, but you've known for months ATSV CHARACTERS: hobie, miles, & miguel WARNINGS: cursing, still can't write hobie's accent, (ooc?), est. relationship, nicknames in hobie’s cause he’s british duh! NOTE: LONG, not proofread…
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“i’m not playin’, sweetheart, i swear it," HOBIE stated, noticeably a little confused at your reaction-- or lack thereof.
you shrugged, placed a brief kiss on his lips, and proceeded to play with his lip ring, “i’m not kidding either, we’re cool.”
and while hobie truly did love sharing kisses with you, he didn't think it was the best time for a make-out session.
“jus’ listen, yeah?” he pulled away from you just a bit, leaning his head back against the couch in your living room.
he didn’t mean to make a big deal out of this. the most he had done to prepare was trying to guess every reaction you could possibly give him.
just in case maybe you’d dump him for your own safety, or cried and asked him not to risk his life.
even then, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. but that’s how it was with hobie, everything was in the moment, and he was sure he’d think of something. but right then, his mind was utterly blank.
you smiled, an attempt at consoling your obviously distraught lover, “i really do believe you, hobie.”
but even as the genius he was, he hadn’t prepared for this.
a moment of silence passed between the two of you as he thought, his hands opting to caress your sides as you hid your face in his neck. his lips brushed against your ear, an action that made you jolt, “…for real?”
you peered up at him, “yeah, i’ve kinda known this whole time.”
you felt him tense under you, his hands stuttering before ultimately just stopping their movements and circling your waist.
pulling back to look at his face, his expression was surprising, it was odd for you to catch hobie off guard. his eyebrows were lifted and his mouth was slightly agape, allowing you a peek of his new tongue piercing.
“you didn’t think i’d stop to question how sometimes you’d come in through my window… that’s on the second floor, when there are no stairs?”
a small laugh escaped his lips, and he dropped his head on your shoulder, “hell, i didn’t even think ‘bout that.”
“i know, bee.”
“a detective, eh? how long?” he searched your eyes curiously, a pretty smile playing on his lips as he stared, and you would have absolutely kissed him if it weren’t for the situation.
“a few months ago when you got a weird alarm on your weird watch, then ditched me randomly during our movie marathon and came back all bloodied up and sweaty.”
he exhaled a shaky breath of relief; out of everything that could have happened thanks to his confession, he thought this was definitely a great outcome — you sitting pretty on his lap, teasing the hell out of him for thinking he was slick.
really, it couldn’t get much better than that in his eyes.
“‘nd you didn’t say anything?”
you smiled, relishing in hobie’s surprise. you had also noticed his weirdly inhuman senses, his ability to predict bad events, or the way he noticed your presence without you saying a word. “one, i knew you’d tell me eventually. two, it was fun.”
you remembered the times he’d catch something before it hit you, or save you from a nasty fall, answering your suspicions with, “i jus’ got a feeling,” or his cheesy go-to “jus’ my heart’s instinct to protect you, y’know?”
and while the second one was cute and all, you knew from the beginning that hobie was hiding something, you just needed time to figure out what and why.
on the other hand, hobie was convinced he was an amazing liar.
he didn’t realize he had a habit of playing with his rings or breaking eye contact when he had to come up with a quick lie, but of course you would notice it.
either way, he had been testing the waters for a while and he was sure he’d be okay with any answer you gave him, but he couldn’t lie and say this wasn’t the best one.
“yeah? had fun?” he asked, poking at your sides and watching your smile fall. he always found himself amused at how easily your body would give him reactions.
what he did realize was you enjoyed playing with him in the same way, “you just fuckin’ love bein’ a tease, huh?”
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“what? how?” MILES is suddenly panicked, if you figured him out, did that mean he was too obvious? did his enemies know too? his classmates? teachers? his parents?
god, he sure hoped not.
he had taken every precaution to make sure he was being as discreet as possible, and he didn’t even know how you came to find out.
he tried his best to hide it, especially from you. he knew the dangers he took on as a hero, but for a while he thought it was best not to involve you too.
he wouldn’t, couldn’t, have some freak use you to get to him. he couldn’t risk putting you in danger.
but there he was, sitting at his desk as you laid on his bed, looking through his collection of comics. the guilt of the white lies he had been telling you was eating him up, so he spontaneously confessed.
he expected you to cry or run out of his room, maybe even laugh at him in disbelief.
but he didn’t think you’d just hum, flipping through yet another one of his limited edition comics.
“your mom let me in once to drop off your backpack, and i saw your mask just laying on your desk.”
and even though he had just admitted to you what he did on those days no one knew of his whereabouts, he acted as if you were accusing him of a felony, “what if i was just a big fan?”
you looked up from the comic to find miles staring at you intently, genuinely awaiting your answer. you sighed, thinking of another situation that had revealed him to you.
“two months ago, i went to look for you at your dorm so we could watch spider-man win that big fight right in front of our school on the news. your window was left open but your phone was lying on your bed, and i know you don’t go anywhere without it.”
he looked down at his shoes, a wave of embarrassment suddenly crashing against him as he realized he had been lying for no reason at all.
“plus, i saw that spider-man wore those really nice— suspiciously clean— jordan’s you always wear.”
he must’ve looked like an absolute fool.
“oh.”
you couldn’t help but laugh at the cute pout that adorned your boyfriend’s lips, so you decided to push his buttons just a little more.
“then a few weeks ago you saw my spiderman keychain and started asking all kinds of questions about what i think of him. or well, you, i guess.”
he sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if he were experiencing a severe headache. but that’s practically what it felt like, to think he was making a once in a lifetime revelation only to be brushed off.
“alright, i got it, i got it,” he put his hands up in mock surrender, “was i that obvious?”
and you couldn’t help but lie to him just this once, only because he looked disappointed that not only had you spoiled the surprise, you had also apparently been waiting to pull up receipts on him.
in other words, he looked like a kicked kitten.
“not obvious at all.”
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“what?” was all MIGUEL could think to say. he knew you were undoubtedly intelligent, it was one of his favorite things about you. well, not so much then. and hey, he was smart too. he could one-hundred percent, no doubt, outsmart you.
or so he thought.
“i said, i know. i’ve known for a while now.”
he said nothing, instead he chose to simply look at you, confusion evident in the crinkle of his eyes and the twist of his mouth.
“can you at least… explain?” he mumbled, heart stopping just a little when you rolled your eyes, and he genuinely couldn’t tell if it was adoration or humiliation that he felt in that moment.
you looked at him from your side of the bed, “do i need to?”
and his pride couldn’t be more crushed, but he needed to know what his mistake had been. surely, he had slipped up and told you before while drunk or something.
he wasn’t obvious. at all.
“you’re usually a jealous guy,” you said, and he immediately responded with a groan. he hated when you called him out on it, plus, what did that have to do with anything?
“what?” you asked, “am i lying?”
“just go on.”
you laughed, but ultimately decided to go along with him, “but when i’d rant about how great spider-man was, it wasn’t an issue.”
“is that really all you’ve got?” he asked, bothered by your restraint. he wanted to know more but at the same time he felt compelled to keep himself in the dark. maybe it would save him some dignity.
“i also noticed you leaving in the middle of the night sometimes,” you said, pausing for a moment. when you had seen the bruises he’d wake up with the next morning, you could have sworn your heart dropped.
the first couple of times it happened, you thought the worst of him. you thought that he’d spent the night at some stranger’s house, doing god knows what, but when he’d come back with ugly cuts and dirt smeared all over him, you ruled that out.
“and sometimes you’d have crazy fast reflexes.”
he narrowed his eyes at that, arms crossed over his chest defensively, “i train a lot.”
“that’s another thing, your physique is the exact same as spider-man’s,” you told him, and of course you of all people would know. you’d probably recognize miguel by his silhouette alone, not that it was hard to. he was six foot nine, far above the average human. everything about him was big, from his abnormal stature to his presence.
and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t stare at his back enough to recognize every curve and dimple it held.
so when you saw spider-man face to face, looking down at everyone and exuding that same overwhelming existence, you were bound to notice the similarities.
he huffed, pacing around the room in a state of… half astonishment, half distress?
it was hard to tell when he was muttering more than a few curses to himself.
“miguel, c’mon, i’d say your fangs are enough of a giveaway,” and he glared at you for that, his shoulders slumping as if the humiliation of everything had taken over him.
“dios mío, can’t you at least act surprised?”
“go ahead and tell me again. i’ll pretend.”
and although his eyes had been closed, he could definitely feel the way you were grinning. ear to ear, probably, enjoying the power you held over him in the moment.
he turned his body completely away from you, dramatic, sure, but what would he be if not a prideful bastard?
you definitely would never let him live this down.
“this was a mistake, i take everything back.”
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hobiebrownhobiebrownhobiebrown...
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fahye · 3 months
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book recs: feb 2024
(disclaimer: I have spent nearly three months languishing and sullen with post-COVID symptoms and have read, over dec-feb, eighty-one books. this is a ruthlessly streamlined list of recs that does not include, uh, all the rereading of sarah maclean and charlie adhara and georgette heyer books.)
AT FIRST SPITE by olivia dade - what if I moved in next to the man who ruined my engagement to his younger brother, and tried to ruin his life by playing monsterfucking audiobooks really loudly?? a heartfelt and lovely romance that also expertly sets up a great small-town setting for an ongoing series.
THE REFORMATORY by tananarive due - historical horror based on the existence of a real school for boys, clear-eyed and brutal in showing the the effect of racist systems in the 1950s american south. compelling as hell. even if you're not usually into horror, I'd recommend this: the ghost aspect is light-handed and really not as important as the horror of what humans do to other humans.
SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL by anita kelly - this is a m/m romance about walking the pacific crest trail which made me see the appeal of very long walks. a miracle! it's gentle and emotional and well put together; the characters really grabbed me.
THE BELL IN THE FOG by lev a.c. rosen - the followup to 'lavender house', and somehow even better?? a historical mystery series featuring a queer private eye in 1950s san francisco who looks into crimes against other queer people. amazing queer history! ACAB! I hope there are fifty more books in this series.
FEAST WHILE YOU CAN* by mikaella clements & onjuli datta - beautiful, greedy, terrifying small-town horror that is also a fucking fantastic, gorgeously written sapphic love story. this one IS for the horror fans. it gave me the absolute creeps but I couldn't put it down.
LADY EVE'S LAST CON* by rebecca fraimow - I described this on bsky as 'if you like Leverage, space opera, old screwball comedies, and dashing sapphics who are at all times spiritually wearing a leather jacket: this one is for you' and I stand by that. huge amounts of fun.
LONG LIVE EVIL* by sarah rees brennan - I will be screaming from here until forever about SRB's first adult fantasy book. if you like the isekai'd-into-a-villain-character setup and want it to be hilarious, genre-savvy and wildly angry and clever, you will roll around in this like a blood-stained mud puddle and then beg for more.
THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS* by melissa caruso - really clever and original fantasy about a woman on maternity leave who gets dragged into saving a cocktail party which is falling through increasingly murderous and bizarre dimensions. LISTEN, JUST GO WITH IT. it's a seriously cool adventure.
YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY* by cat sebastian - yes, it's another m/m romance about queer history in the mid 20th century, this one between a baseball player and the journalist assigned to write a story about his slump. made me care about baseball. cat is a genius.
*I read these as ARCs, they're not available yet but consider preordering or keep your eye out for them!
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eternalsa2z · 1 month
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Savant 2 Fantasy Trophies
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(This is a continuation of a previous post called Savant. Because what's better than one secret bimbo genius? Two of them...duh!)
I tried to be happy playing fantasy with my secret silly weapon. But somehow it didn't feel right. Maybe it was my competitive side. Maybe I felt I didn't deserve a bimbo savant like Kiki. Or maybe it was some secret curiosity about exactly how she thought about things. So I asked her to help me understand what goes on inside that bimbo brain of hers.
"Like...you sure you wanna learn from a ditzy doll like me?" she asked incredulously. Eyes wide. Shining with excitement. I nodded and she squealed and hugged me. "OMG yaaaaaay! I soooo wanted a fantasy friend. A bimbo bestie who just, like, gets me...ya know?"
So soon I was being coached by an absolute cutie. Trained to look, act, and talk like her. Because as Kiki says, "Like, to be good at fantasy you gotta BE a fantasy. Duh!" It didn't really make sense. But I'll admit that when we went to a Super Bowl party dressed up in identical outfits, I felt a connection. Even if I just had a breastplate and wig on...I couldn't help but smiling just a brightly as my bestie.
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The training continued all summer. Kiki said I needed, like, a state of empty serenity. To clear my head of all my old thoughts. To just focus on picking out a cute outfit, like footballers select their cleats. Memorize how to get my makeup juuuuuust right, like a player putting on eyeblack. How to strut and sparkle and shine, just like a superstar fantasy stud. Or in my case...a superstar fantasy bimbo babe nicknamed Nally!
By the end of summer, things started to fit into place. Not just the thinkys. But, like, my body and stuff. Kiki was sooooo nice and saved some winnings from last year so I could get some lip filler, cute hair extensions, and real boobies!!! OMG we were, like, breasties now!
When draft time came and we showed up in these adorable 'lil outfits, it sooooo made sense. My costume was, like, my strategy! There was a cowboy hat cuz the Cowboys players were soooo sexy this year. Big high heels that were, like, hard to run in cuz running boys are less important to me. Oh and everything is red since, like, we watched that super good red team win the Superb Owl last year and they'll totes be hawt again!
I couldn't explain it. It was, like insti...instink...er, just felt right, ya know? Kiki was soooo supportive and even, like, finished my thoughts for me if I got too giggly or blank for too long. She's not just a great teacher...she's, like, a total awesum teammate to me. Oh and she even, like, started joking about 'Nally's Fantasy Lyfe' which turned into the cuuuutest team name for the year. NFL! Isn't Kiki is soooo clever?
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By the end of the year, like, I was sooooo happy! Kiki and Nally, like, both won all our leagues. I was sooooo proud that I was a strong, independent bimbo who just needed another bimbo to show me what to do. I'm like a sav...savvy...er, secret smartie skirt just like Kiki now! Or at least a trophy doll just like my breastie.
Oh ya! Like, speaking of breasties, I'm suuuuuper proud of my boobies too! Kiki suggested I do 'TDs for titties' so like every time a player of mine scored, like, I'd add a CC of silly-cone too my chest. As you can see, like, I did GREAT this year. So great that Kiki and I both got all dolled up to celebrate!
We were also dressed all pretty and stuff cuz we went to a special Superb Owl party. Not to watch the game, of course. I can barely focus on anything but the short commercials anyways. But since, like, it was kinda boring to win soooo much, Kiki wanted to introduce us to another fantasy group. One filled with other fantasy bimbo smarties just like us!
The competition next year will be fierce but the prizes will be enorm...humung...er, like, as big as the fake titties the winner gets! Losing also isn't so bad. Like, you get to be 'lil lesbian pet of the winner alllll summer. A lit-er-all fantasy trophy IRL. Honestly, like, Nally is trying to find a way to trade all her best players to her breastie so they can be top and bottom. Like, being a bimbo doll is the least Nally can do to thank Kiki for, like, showing her how to be a fantasy savant too!
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noneorother · 10 days
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The art director & the Good Omens book cover tier list of doom, part 1
part 1 l part 2
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This is going to have to be a multi-part series because there are *checks notes* 64 different covers that I've found so far.
I am your resident Art Director/Good Omens enthusiast, and welcome to my completely meta-free book cover tier list. Listen, making a book cover is HARD. I should know. But while we salute these artists for their hard work and time, I think we can all admit that once in a while, the vision is just not on. And on very rare occasions, publishers seemed to have managed to commission the cover art directly from hell... 1. The original UK cover
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Ahh, the standard by which all shall be judged. We're starting off with a nice & easy cover, with adorable woodcuts of Aziraphale and Crowley flanking a custom Good Omens font! While I have to take a few points off for the terrible kerning of the word "GoOD", the blockprint vibes and general bitchiness of Aziraphale's teeny weeny wittle face, along with the sick colour palette puts the orignial in my good graces. Tier: Great
2. The duelling US covers
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Progress! Hail to the designer who figured out trying to make "GoOD" and "OMeNs" fit the same width was a fool's errand, and even managed to IMPROVE on the original handmade title by adding a little halo and devil's tale to the design. Aziraphale and Crowley are facing each other, while also managing to serve absolute cunt. Aziraphale is wearing EIGHTIES SNEAKERS. Crowley's little snake boots have HEELS. They've managed to keep the woodcut vibes and colour simplicity, while balancing out the full title of the book. Both authors get to trade off on who's name comes first! Dare I say, this is a work of genius. I could dock some points for Crowley's sad bat wings growing out of his right clavicle, but who am I to question greatness.
Tier: Blessed by God Herself
3. The Halo Master Chief(?) cover
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How the mighty have fallen... As a Canadian child, I was subjected to maybe the most horrifying ad in existence by the War Amps warning children about machine safety. This cover is the paper embodiment of that ad. I am confused by the purple haze. I am frightened by the seeming ethereal flatness of Adam and Dog. I am strangely aroused by Aziraphale's eyebrows, and intensely saddened by the terrible outline/drop shadow they had to inflict on the type to fit "Pratchett" in that god awful space. Tier: WTF
4. Germany, Ein Gutes Omen covers
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This cover inexplicably exists in two colour ways: red and teal. I put the audiobook cover here so you could experience the full illustration, and also how fucked up it is that they cropped the book version to include three horse-people of the apocalypse, but cut off DEATH on the regular cover. Points must be given for drawing a pretty slick Bentley, but I think we have to take even more points away for turning Crowley into a Ray Charles/Mike Wazowski hybrid. The ducks are nice. Tier: Not so Good (Omens)
5. Germany, Ein Gutes Omen covers continued
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I don't know if the German designer of this cover *knew* that they were using western yeehaw cowboy woodblock letters when they made this cover, but judging by how they spaced the rest of the text at the bottom, THEY DID NOT CARE. And that seems to be a running theme for this one. We get kind of a duality thing going on with the black and pink background, but it just seems like somebody whispered the general themes of Good Omens into a jar, and threw it down a well, and this poor chap came along and picked it up. The baffling choice to align every piece of text on the cover *except* Neil Gaiman's name which is right aligned and rotated 90 degrees (not even real vertical type) will haunt my dreams, I think.
Tier: Bad
6. US, UK The Traffic Jam cover
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For the love of Good Omens, WHY. I can think of so many more interesting symbols to put on the cover of this book than the ODEGRA SIGIL TRAFFIC JAM. Props for keeping the good colours and type, but like, I think this cover was secretly designed by @amtrak-official, or someone who just really, really likes public works. Tier: Does the Job
7. France, De bons présages cover
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Leave it to France to make sure people know that Aziraphale and Crowley fuck severely. While I can't condone leaving out half the title of the book (and thinking a red carpenter's square counts as decoration), I can begrudgingly acknowledge that Ron Pearlman and Benedict Cumberbatch's love child is excellent Crowley casting. I think I give this a solid dark academia/10. Tier: Good (Omens)
8. France, De bons présages covers continued
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Just imagine with me, if you will, the absolutely hilarious reality that this cover posits: Good Omens is exactly the same in every respect, but Crowley drives a pink 1950s convertible. Why do all of the colours on this cover look like they've been pre-digested? Why are the font choices and placement so bafflingly bad. My face is the demon's face holding that car. I feel his pain.
Tier: WTF
9. France, De bons présages covers continued
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Minus points for not managing to write the full title of the book once again. I don't know what it is with the French. They seem pretty set on Good Omens being demonic. While I do appreciate a good Bosch-style demon party, the dude in the middle confounds me. All-caps Museo Sans that isn't even *centred* in the frame is just so lazy. I am le tired. Tier: Bad
10. France, De bons présages covers continued
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Uhh. The font. The font is okay.... I think? Yeah. The font and kerning are. Okay. OHHH GOD I LOOKED DOWN BELOW THE TEXT WHYYYY. Tier: WTF
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END of round one. I need a nap.
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pearlywritings · 2 years
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“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love”
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synopsis: little snippets about Genshin men and their wedding rings
pairing: Albedo, Ayato, Diluc, Childe, Kaeya, Thoma, Xiao, Zhongli (separately) x reader
tw: established relationship, pure fluff, mention of Childe’s real name, spoiler for Zhongli’s identity
word count: 2.3k+ words in total
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Albedo
The Chief Alchemist is the most creative on this whole list when it comes to your wedding rings. First of all, they are undoubtedly matching, have the most intricate design he put a lot of meaning into and everything from the sketch to the final product was done by his own hands with your preferences and additions kept in mind. Secondly, he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t make use of his vast knowledge and alchemy skills.
You have absolutely no idea how he managed to do it, but the man made some sort of connection between the two rings. Since both of you never take it off, even in biting cold both bands remain warm - because the skin of one another keeps it as such and transfers it to the twin ring, creating a constant heat exchange.
But that’s not all! Albedo is truly a genius, because he made metal receptive to the touch. If you rub your ring, your lover will receive a feeling as if you are gliding the tips of your fingers right where his own ring is wrapped and vice versa. This helps a lot when his work requires his presence on Dragonspine for a long period of time. You can exchange small kisses and caresses like this and it is really comforting and gives both of you strength to carry on with your tasks until you meet again.
And believe me, Albedo is aware how special and unique you feel ever since he presented you with such an invention for you two to share. Thus, if one day someone learns of your rings’ secret and comes to him with a request to create the same pair - he’ll refuse no matter how much mora offered. He worked hard to make you happy and every moment he managed is sacred to him.
Ayato
When you and Ayato were getting married there were no rings to exchange. While your wedding was grand and booming, it was simply because the head of one of the Commissions was to be wed. In reality the marriage was one of convenience, a necessary measure which was held according to all traditions with both spouses showing nothing more but reserve.
Of course the head of the Kamisato clan wouldn’t marry the first candidate offered to him, he wisely chose among all the options, and had quite a number of meetings to finally settle on you. From the very beginning the man showed you nothing less than respect, yet you knew you’d have to gain his trust as well.
What you didn’t expect was that after the first years of your wedlock you’d eventually manage to worm your way into Ayato’s heart. You were perfect. You genuinely cared for him, made amazing friends with his younger sister and became support not only for him, but for her as well; you treated everyone and everything wisely and pretty early in marriage he started actively asking for your insight, which, to his content, was mostly great. No wonder you’d spend a lot of time doing the Commission’s work, in the same room no less, which led to small talks, giving you both an opportunity to get to know each other. As time passed talks became longer, then turned to evening walks together and in the end to feeling like a real married couple.
It felt right to show the shift in your relationship somehow, so next time the two of you were on display to the public eye, the whispers ran through the crowd - the Kamisato spouses had matching golden bands wrapped around their ring fingers.
For Ayato these rings are the proof of finding happiness where he abandoned all hopes to find it.
Diluc
The Master of the Dawn Winery and the Darknight Hero would've never been believed to be obsessed with a small thing. Yet he absolutely is.
Whenever you come up to him, or pass by, or even just stand somewhere in the background, talking to the winery staff or your friends, ruby eyes search for your hand and for a beautiful ring wrapped around your finger, matching the one hidden under his glove.
Whenever you are close, just inches away from him, Diluc delicately holds your palm with his and plants a kiss to your knuckle, right above the golden band.
Whenever he is holding your hand, he absentmindedly runs his thumb to feel if the smooth metal is still there, always releasing a breath when he finds it. Smiles warmly as you notice and interlock your fingers.
Whenever the man feels nervous or stressed and you are sitting next to him, he'd pull off a glove, take your hand in his and start playing with your ring, twisting and rolling it on your finger, calming down instantly and concentrating on his work.
Yes, Diluc Ragnvindr is obsessed with your wedding ring, because that's what reminds him of the fact you've chosen him to be by your side out of everyone else.
Childe
This ginger man… I have no words to describe the happiness Ajax felt on your wedding day, when you entered his family in the best way possible. The first fond memory about your rings he has is because of Teucer, who was excited and begged you months before the wedding to let him carry them during the ceremony. Of course you assigned the duty to him and at that moment you honestly weren’t sure if the stars in his eyes were figurative and not real ones.
Hands down your husband never takes his ring off from the moment you slid it on his finger and I mean it. He doesn’t necessarily brag about it to everyone he meets, but people he more or less trusts and that do not pose any threat to his family have their ears bent by his talks of you. He may seem reckless and garrulous, but Childe does have a full understanding of when some words shouldn’t be spoken and some things should stay hidden.
Alone with you or when you stay at his parents’ house for the weekend though? He is a menace to your peace and quiet and becomes almost unbelievably ridiculous. The man uses the shiny thing on his finger to his advantage whenever you hand him the opportunity. Every time you call him a fool for something he's done wrong to annoy you, he gives you the widest grin and points to his ring finger, saying "I am a fool, but I am your fool. Forever", or “Huh, too bad you are STUCK with me till the day we die”. When you have enough and lightheartedly threaten him to take the ring away from him by a divorce, the man clutches his hand to his chest and turns away, trying to hide it as best as he can.
“You’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.”
Surely you don’t want your lover dead and he knows you don’t mean it, so it always ends with some affectionate banter and rings staying there where they belong.
Kaeya
The Cavalry Captain could never hope to find someone to love him, let alone accepting his marriage proposal after years of dating and arriving to the point of sharing a cozy domestic life months prior to him asking for your hand.
He loves you and he is absolutely devoted to you, so the wedding ring is a very important thing to him. Kaeya doesn't take it off unless there is a mission where he would not want to give his enemies the knowledge of him having a family and putting you at risk.
On missions outside the city he is always wearing it under his glove. But if he is in the city simply patrolling? He puts it on a chain and lets the band gleam in the sunlight right between his pecs. Kaeya is aware people stare at his chest a lot, so it's a win-win decision, cutting suitors' attempts in their wake and giving you a peace of mind (not like you really need it, you trust your husband).
Sometimes, when he works in his office, he lets the ring stay on the chain, so he can always reach for it and gently roll it between his fingers. His mind instantly fills with images of you and a content, uncharacteristic smile appears on his lips. His fellow knights have been witnesses to this expression, but, as Lisa loves to note, no one believes them.
Well, the higher-ups do, as there were a couple of times when Kaeya’s mind slipped in a dreamland and Jean had to draw his attention back with a polite coughing, but well, it just proves how much he loves you and how easily he is swayed by the sign of your commitment.
Thoma
So joyful to be your husband. You must be a very understanding person if you decided to accept this hella busy man’s proposal. In return he showers you with his love and affection whenever he has a free moment, even if it’s just stopping by while he is running errands to pass you a home-cooked meal and give you a kiss and preferably a big hug to remind you he is head over heels for you.
Needless to say his wedding ring is incredibly special to him. One quick glance at his hand - and he instantly thinks of you and dreams of the evening when he can hold you in his arms again. More than once was he caught doing this by either other workers of the Kamisato estate or vendors. It isn’t bad, they actually always gently aww at him and comment on how sweet he looks thinking of his loved one. But God forbid it’s Ayato who spots him… With Lady Ayaka it’s perfectly fine, she adores you and your relationship with Thoma to her is nothing but beautiful and dreamlike. Her older brother though doesn’t let any opportunity to tease Thomа go to waste, which always leaves the poor blonde with flaming cheeks and wish to scurry away and back to you.
However, as much as he’d love to have the sign of your commitment worn all the time, he has to take it off whenever he is cleaning around the estate. One time he nearly lost it because the thing slipped off his finger and ever since Thoma has a special little jewelry-box where he puts the ring to keep it safe, as he doesn’t want to risk losing something so essential. If he is inside, he takes the box with him from room to room as he tends to his tasks.
He makes sure to put the ring right back on his finger once he is free of his household duties and especially when he goes to the city.
Xiao
To Xiao human customs are not of a big interest. However you’ve always been curious about people you’ve been protecting for thousands of years. As your lover, the Yaksha is usually the one listening to everything you’ve learnt and found fascinating and while he marks some things as weird and inconvenient, he takes note of the facts you are particularly keen on.
When you tell him about what marriage is and how different it is from the bonding ritual the immortals practice, he only raises a brow. Speaking vows, exchanging pieces of metal (in most cases) and just signing some papers? And that’s it? Xiao huffs, crossing his arms.
You look at him with amusement plastered on your smiling face.
“Well, if that’s not that big of a deal, why don’t we try that then?”
“What?”
Xiao is stunned upon hearing your proposal. Your logic is - the ritual of immortals is the point of no backing off, so you would never force him into it, knowing perfectly well of his fear that the Karmic debt can potentially affect you too if the bond is established. But the wedding done like humans can be used as an alternative.
At first Xiao thinks of that as an unnecessary measure, of your way to tease him. You do not bring it up after that time and he doesn’t even think of it until his visit to Zhongli and his beloved. Throughout his whole stay for some unknown reason he cannot stop staring at their wedding rings. Though the two have been betrothed for thousands of years, not so long before Morax’s retirement they decided to get married the way humans do it too. The staring doesn’t go unnoticed by the former Lord of Geo and he relishes in the quite fresh memory of their wedding day.
By the end of his stay, Xiao is leaving their house with a thought planted in his head. He can’t help but wonder, how pretty your hand would look with a ring similar to his on it.
Zhongli
All those centuries ago you and Morax forged your marriage through a contract. The Lord of Geo knew little of human customs, but he was well-versed in establishing agreements, thus the marriage contract used to be the ultimate demonstration of how sacred your relationship was. The Archon felt the purr threatening to escape from the depths of his chest when you put your signature near his in the presence of adepti as your witnesses. The dragon in him was very pleased, but the possessive side of his wanted to leave a permanent mark on you. When he confessed you only smiled and offered to choose patterns you'd imprint on each others' bodies as a reminder that you belong to each other and he couldn't feel more blessed to have you as his.
The contract still exists and the beautiful matching tattoos are hidden under your clothes, however nowadays there is one more demonstration of your bond is present - beautiful bands wrapped around your ring fingers, created from ore and gems you picked and your husband gave shape to with his own hands.
Actually Zhongli loves these physical manifestations of your wedlock so much that he made the same ring but of a bigger size. Why? So he could wear it on one of the claws of his forepaw whenever he takes his dragon form. The dragon is a majestically looking creature, yet with how proud and pleased he appears there is always a special glow around his enourmous form.
If you chose to do the same and wear a ring while in your animal adeptus form? He'd be ecstatic.
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bloodynereid · 2 months
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Zodiac Suite
pairing: robert 'rosie' rosenthal x fem! reader
tw: mentions of war, alcohol drinking, mentions of smoking, a whole lot of fluff
description: when rosie finds someone who loves jazz just as much as him.
a/n: ok so this was a complete and utter self indulgent fic because i am obsessed with mary lou williams and im now headcanoning the fact that rosie also loves her. SO some random little research details that i found really cool: mary lou williams first performed 'zodiac suite' in 1945, the café society was a real place from 1938-48 and it was located in new york, mary lou williams used to perform a lot there (there's a whole lot of pictures online if anyone's interested) AND a little tidbit i found about real life rosie is that he went back to europe to prosecute the nazis after the war! isn't he really cool??? oh and this is all based off the tv show character, not the actual person. and i would recommend listening to the album (it's free on spotify + youtube) while reading if you can.
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Rosie felt right at home at the busy night club, the smoke from many lit cigarettes and the scotch rushing through his veins combined with the dulcet tones of jazz almost made him forget that he had been at war just a few months ago.
Settling back into civilian life hadn’t been the easiest but times like these made him feel like he was okay again. Café Society was a place he used to go to quite a lot before the war, just to take in the ambience and have a stiff drink. Now it had become his refuge once again, tonight one of his favorite pianists was performing.
Mary Lou Williams was an absolute genius and her work didn’t just sound good, it sounded great. She was in the middle of performing her Zodiac Suite, one of the things that made Rosie feel like he had done his job right, because if music, art, could continue undisturbed by those Nazi bastards then it was all worth it.
“God, she’s incredible isn’t she?” A voice from next to brought him out of his reverie, making Rosie turn to the sound of that beautiful voice. A woman was standing next to him with a dazed smile on her face, she looked completely entranced in the music. Rosie was sure he had been mirroring her expression exactly just a few moments ago.
“She really is.” Rosie said, his attention now completely on you. The sound of his voice had you jumping and turning to look at him, it was now obvious you hadn’t meant to say that outloud as you looked a little scandalized. 
“Oh shit, I’m sorry for disturbing you, sometimes I get too lost in the music and… well I seem to lose control of my mouth.” You utter the last phrase with a slightly nervous laugh and a few stuttered words but Rosie already felt like he was entranced with you.
“Don’t worry about it, ma’am. It happens to me as well on occasion.”
“Jesus, please don’t call me ma’am. Makes me sound like my mother.” You seemed to have overcome the earlier shyness, which made Rosie’s mouth twitch into an even wider smile.
“Well now I think I should be the one apologizing, sweetheart.”
“I forgive you… but only if you tell me your name.”
“That one is just too easy, Rosie Rosenthal, at your service.”
“Rosie?”
“The air force has a way with nicknames. Now I think I’m owed a name as well?” You smiled and quickly said your name before taking a sip of the drink in your hand. A gin and tonic by the looks of it.
“A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
“Are all pilots such flatterers?”
“Only the best ones.” You hummed back in mock suspicion which had Rosie smiling so hard he probably looked like a mad man. The sounds of piano seemed to seep into the comfortable silence and you turned back to the stage, Rosie felt a wave of regret rush over him until he noticed you were moving closer to him so the fabric of your clothes brushed against his.
Rosie moved the glass from his left hand to his right and also turned back to look at the stage, but not before leaning closer to you too. Letting his hand carefully trail along the length of your arm.
A smile crept up on your face and you once again scooted closer to him. You both kept up this little game as you listened to the entracing jazz music, stealing little glances at each other but never meeting each other’s eyes. It was as if you were both encased in your own little bubble.
When the set finished and everyone started applauding and cheering, you finally met Rosie’s eyes. He looked at you with admiration as you laughed and clapped.
“She really is incredible, isn’t she?” He asked, echoing your first words back to you once the din had died down.
“She really is.” You responded before taking a step forward and placing a quick peck on his cheek and uttering a quick goodbye before disappearing into the crowd.
Rosie returned to Café Society the next night, hoping to get a glimpse of you in the same crowd you had vanished into the night before. And he wasn’t disappointed when he saw you sitting at one of the tables at the edge of the room. Two drinks sat in front of you, a scotch and a gin and tonic. Rosie felt a buzz of electricity run through his body when he realized that you had been waiting for him. He saw as you turned your head towards him and a smile blossomed on your face.
“Rosie! I saved you a seat!”
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It was a quiet night, at least as quiet as it can be in a big city. Rosie had just gotten back from Europe and he felt at ease once again. As he always did when he was around you.
Your legs were intertwined with his on the red couch you had gone hunting for in one of the little out of the way shops that Brooklyn had. You each had a book in hand and the sounds of a familiar jazz album suddenly crackled onto the radio. Your heads snapped up when you realized that Mary Lou Williams’ Cancer was playing.
“Rosie…”
“Yes, darling?”
“It’s our album.” Rosie looked down at you from where you were lying on his lap. A giddy smile was on your face and he echoed back that smile right back at you.
“It sure is.”
“I’m rather glad I met you.”
“I’m rather glad I fell in love with you, sweetheart.” Rosie answered with a note of adoration in his voice, looking at you as if you hung the very stars in the sky.
“I sure hope you are, because I love you more.”
“Oh I don’t think so.” Rosie deposited his book on the arm of the sofa before assaulting you with tickles, making your laugh ring out into the night. A sound that perfectly complemented the jazz that was still filtering out of the radio.
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also... if anyone by any chance finds a vinyl copy of Zodiac Suite anywhere pls lmk. ive been scouring the internet for the past few months and have found nothing. hope you enjoyed and pls lmk your thoughts or asks, i don't bite!!
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graceshouldwrite · 7 months
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How to Write Political Intrigue (with book recs)
POLITICAL INTRIGUE! Intrigue in general! What is it?
For the purposes of this post (as well as how it's usually used in the writing/reading community), think: scheming. Plotting. Conspiracies in the shadows, bids for power and survival, secret plans, masterful illusions, all of that stuff.
It could be on any scale that you'd like, from a duel of wits (think Light's and L's game of cat and mouse in Death Note)
...to a large-scale plot involving entire countries and their people (like any espionage networks during any major wars, such as the American Revolutionary War to World War II, and so many more)
...or even medium-sized conflicts (families, like in The Godfather, or smaller national disturbances like the Watergate scandal).
Below are 4 core tips on how you can successfully write (political) intrigue plots:
1. Read + Research
Despite how hard it may sound, it's actually pretty easy to craft a realistic yet thrilling intrigue plot—with so many examples in real life and fiction, you can easily base your plot on an existing one and just change a few things like the characters, setting, and maybe a few plot points.
History and current events are always great places to look to, but here are some books that are chock-full of great politics + intrigue:
Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes): one of the most famous treatises of politics + human nature and their intersection. The book is an in-depth exploration of human nature, government, politics, and all of the root causes of why they exist. While it does take a specific philosophical angle (you might not agree with Hobbes' ideas), they are detailed explanations of how things work + why they are required from one perspective.
48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): GREAT BOOK for helping you plan out the means by which you want the intrigue to happen. There are lots of simplified rules that tell you why people plan and scheme (e.g. "control the options; get others to play the cards you deal," or "pose as a friend, work as a spy"). There are LOTS of really great small stories of when a rule is applied in real life that are also general plot inspo!
The Godfather (Mario Puzo): very very good, intricate, and more emotional because it deals with the intrigue surrounding families
Joseph Fouché: Portrait of a Politician (Stefan Zweig) (biography): Fouché is absolutely insane. A genius at political intrigue. His life is literally one of the craziest stories of scheming, betrayals, survival, and a general vying for power, especially behind the scenes.
The Prince (Machiavelli): obviously, I can't leave out the original tips + tricks book with explanations of WHY intrigue matters as a means, especially in terms of protecting your power.
Trust Me, I'm Lying (Ryan Holladay): a large part of intrigue plots (you need to cover up the actual game you're playing) is the manipulation of information, creating illusions and spectacles for other people to believe. This book goes in-depth about media manipulation and information wars.
Empire of Pain (Patrick Raden Keefe): takes a rather different angle, through the personal/corporate manipulation of government, as well as how wealth dynasties (especially within families) are established. Remember the opioid crisis? This book explores the generational politics of money and power that led up to that.
Prince of Thorns (Mark Lawrence): Look! Fiction! Anyway, I'm biased because it's one of my favourite works of fiction of all time, but it explores political intrigue not only through an actor participating in it, but through the lens of the common folk. I.e., the consequences all that power play has on the populace due to a lack of actual good governance...
A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin): I haven't personally read/watched anything GoT, but it's pretty much obligatory to put this series down in a post about political intrigue. It's famous for doing it well.
2. Plan. Like, meticulously
First of all, decide what scale you want your intrigue to be on: large-scale government/international affairs type, a corporation thing, something between two people, or even within a family? There are so many possibilities.
Intrigue plots are like mysteries; they must be tightly logical to be satisfying. One of the best ways of ensuring this is through analyzing each involved party—the actors.
Each actor has their own motivations, goals, and psychologies. After you establish what they want OUT of their intrigue, think about how they'd go about achieving it: a naturally hot-headed person might try to intimidate their way into getting what they want, or they might learn through the course of the story to cool down a bit.
A naturally imaginative and analytical person might come up with all sorts of scarily genius plans, and near-flawless execution. Of course, they would also react in different ways, depending on personality. Character consistency alone will make your plot seem that much more logical.
However, cracks in logic will happen because humans are inherently imperfect and not always rational. These cracks must be DELIBERATE and realistic and must seem planned out; they can't seem more like the author forgot a detail, or didn't know how to explain something (e.g. something happened and the writer never included the consequence of it because they forgot). It must be clear that it is a flaw on the character's part.
3. Never write intrigue for the sake of the intrigue
The incentive of all scheming comes down to mainly two things: gaining power and keeping it. Of course, you could choose to explore more unusual things, such as characters exercising intrigue to satisfy boredom... (think Light and Ryuk from Death Note).
But, the bids for power, security, and survival can be used to highlight things about human nature. Themes to explore include ambition, sacrifice, the pursuit of happiness, the corruption of character, the preservation of innocence in a cruel system, etc.
4. Explore through a narrow lens
Most intrigue plots are full of complex motivations, characters, goals, and the means they use to achieve said goals.
You should gradually let your intrigue plot unfold through the POV of a few characters, preferably one or two. An omniscient narrator for this type of story is INCREDIBLY difficult to pull off without confusing the reader.
However, more POVs work if you use all of them to focus on ONE or a few intrigue plots only—it can provide a multi-layered effect, exploring the same line of action and consequence through different perspectives. But, if everyone has their own intrigue plot, it's too easy to create a tangled mess where readers can barely delineate one plot from the next.
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instagram: @ grace_should_write
Sorry for the massive hiatus—I have officially started college!! I've been pre-occupied with settling in, classes starting, a social life, extracurriculars etc. etc...life has been super busy, but great :)
I've started working on my books as well as poetry more recently, and I'm glad I'm getting into a new workflow/lifestyle. It certainly is different, but I'm starting to enjoy it.
Anyway, I'm surprised it took me this long to do a post about this topic, considering the fact that it's basically my writergram niche and my entire personality IRL, but I think it was mainly because I was trying to find a good angle to approach this massive topic. But, stay tuned for (probably) a part 2 because there's SO MUCH MORE to cover.
Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)
Happy writing, and have a great day!
- grace <3
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verigayo · 3 months
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Some bs I got rattling around in my brain. (Bg3 spoilers)
I really hate the theories abt the emperor being a super genius manipulative asshole because it’s just so reductive. They figure since the emperor is a mindflayer it must be out to get you. And you can never trust a mindflayer! So then they go thru the whole game refusing and rebuffing the Emperor’s trust and then point and say “SEE SEE LOOK ITS JUST TRYING TO MANIPULATE YOU.” It literally makes no sense because literally giving the emperor even a tiny bit of trust NEVER bites you in the ass. If you at least don’t tell it to die every second it appears before you it will go thru the whole adventure supporting you. The only thing you could say it manipulates truly on is its appearance (which it does obviously to make sure you can even fight the brain) and killing Orpheus. But killing Orpheus is only a really negative thing if you think the Gith are a better ally than the guy who has literally stayed by you the whole time. And I mean if we’re using the dnd lore nerd standards when talking abt illithids and lack of soul and inherent evilness; the Gith are basically just a non tentacle illithid. They literally want to do the grand design but for Gith instead of illithid. And just because Orpheus says oh I’ll always remember you brave warrior that freed me, doesn’t change the fact literally they are trying to control the world.
In contrast if you ally yourself with the Emperor literally when it has the chance to completely fuck everyone over and dominate the brain and complete the grand design it never does. If it was some evil mastermind why would it not do this. It’s all about freedom for the emperor and people think that it’s about control but it’s not. The emperor comes before you and presents itself and its ambitions multiple times once it is revealed for what it is. The only real hiding factor is the whole balduran and ansur thing which ultimately? Does not affect anything really. It is just a past, one that is filled with grief and hardship. Not fully divulging this information is no sleight against it because it literally only makes the emperor more interesting as a character.
And this is where dnd as a setting really REALLY struggles in portraying the depth of a character. Due to its inherent struggles to deal with the very blunt and simplified version of fantasy that it was originally created with, assumptions are abundant in nearly every race in the game. For example, as a drow you are automatically assumed as a follower of the absolute or some sort of nefarious figure. Many characters will literally react with increased suspicion upon you because you are a drow. And while I’m not saying bg3 is exclusively bad at this; omeluum and blurg are great examples of races stereotyped as always evil (illithid and hobgoblin respectively) being unequivocally good people, the reality is that there is a lot of assumptions that are paramount to the dnd lore and canon. And this is why you see so many people violently react negatively to the emperor, they have been taught through the source material of the game bg3 is based on to assume illithids are bad. And if you chose this path you can continue to allow yourself to believe all illithids are evil as you betray the trust of one of the most interesting and layered characters in the game because they are an illithid. Just a waste of a viewpoint for such a cool character :/
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Listen, I know I should be cracking down on the requests cluttering my inbox, but I felt the need to be petty today. Being caught up with the latest chapters of BSD, I feel just a bit angry at Fyodor for his crimes against my sweet, beloved Sigma. So, without further Ado, I present:
A List of Embarrassing Things Fyodor Dostoevsky has Done
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Yeah, I got this off Pinterest. Look at him, he looks so worried that I'm about to embarrass him in front of his fangirls >:3
🖤🐀 Forgot to sleep for three days straight, and fainted at the dinner table as a result. This really isn't uncommon for him. He's such a workaholic that you've had to actually carry him to bed more times than you can count (Don't worry, he weighs, like, nothing.).
🖤🐀 Forgetting to take his iron supplements. This one is usually the culprit behind most of his other mishaps. When he gets really busy, he often neglects to take the one thing that keeps his anemia symptoms at bay.
🖤🐀 Lost to Nikolai at hide-and-seek. Multiple times. Despite Fyodor's infinite genius, he can't ever seem to beat Nikolai at hide-and-seek. Nikolai loves to hide in places that Fyodor physically cannot get to, such as up a tree, and laugh when Fyodor can't find him.
🖤🐀 Accidentally called you 'Nikolai' when you pestered him while he was trying to work. He gets a little snappy when he's lacking sleep, and he's used to Nikolai pestering him. He apologized afterwards, he knows it must be terribly insulting to be mistaken for that damn clown.
🖤🐀 The amount of times he has fainted in the shower is ridiculous. It's a good thing you're there to catch him, otherwise he might accidentally drown! That would be quite an embarrassing way for the great Fyodor Dostoevsky to die!
🖤🐀 Every time you steal his ushanka, he stands up too fast and almost blacks out. He has to sit back down to avoid fainting. He sits there for a solid minute with the dizziest expression on his face. It's hilarious!
🖤🐀 Almost died of hypothermia because he insisted that he "is used to the cold." He thinks he's a lot tougher than he actually is, and part of that is because he wants to impress you. The other part is that he's usually cold because of his anemia, but that isn't going to stop him from catching hypothermia and dying.
🖤🐀 Dunked his head in a bucket of ice to get rid of a migraine, instead of just taking pain meds. This one was Nikolai's suggestion, the absolute bastard. For all his genius, Fyodor can be a real dumbass sometimes.
🖤🐀 He keeps trying to eat things that aren't food! This is one of the lesser-known side effects of his anemia, and usually only happens when he forgets to take his iron supplements. Half the time he doesn't even realize that he's chewing on his pen until you point it out to him!
🖤🐀 He has the weakest immune system, but he refuses to rest and take care of himself. You've had to legitimately tie him to the bed and spoon feed him soup to get him to rest. He insists he's fine, but he really isn't.
🖤🐀 He blacked out on the stairs and just sorta laid there like a rug for a solid two minutes. This happened because he was chasing you after you stole his hat, and he ran up the stairs too fast.
🖤🐀 Despite what you might think, this rat bastard is very much a blushing virgin. As such, it doesn't take much to get him excited. If you can convince him to let you sit on his lap, you're gonna feel him not even seconds later. He gets very grumpy when you tease him about it.
🖤🐀 The longer he goes without sleep, the more he mixes up his words. He also swears a lot more than usual, which is pretty funny in its own right. Nikolai knows this, and loves to pester sleep-deprived Fedya. One time he called Nikolai a "fucking society on tumor, and a fothermucking holy and good to all things disappointment." If you record him while he's sleep deprived, he's going to threaten you to hell and back (but it's worth it, lets be honest.)
🖤🐀 You startled him while he was working and he almost smacked you across the face. He's actually really easy to jump scare while he's engrossed in his work, but proceed with caution because he gets really jumpy and might almost kill you before realizing that it's you.
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bringthekaos · 3 months
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Ok so maybe kind of an unpopular opinion here: I've seen many fics, and it's a common hc, that the Piltovian elites dislike Viktor because he is a ~ zaunite ~ but I'm like... no, piltovian elites would LOVE Viktor precisely because he is the perfect fairy tail for meritocracy advocates, a pacifier for the ruling class consciousness. "See? This young man was SO POOR and he FOUGHT his way to the top! He must be so inspiring for the undercity youth!" (Nevermind that the system they imposed is the reason he had to fight in the first place, that he had to cheat to get there, otherwise it would have been impossible). He represents the idealized version of the "hard working, honest, intelligent man who is different from his peers and therefore triumphs over them", it's the proof that the system works (ignoring of course that he is the exception that proves the rule). In a way like Golden Boy Talis, he is also an accessory to flaunter during investor's galas and maybe another way for him and Jayce to find a connection
Oh I think you’re absolutely right, he is a poster boy that the bureaucrats can hold up and say, “see? There is no war in ba sing se no barrier keeping Zaunites from achieving greatness in Piltover, he did it!”
It’s the same old talking point the far right in America uses. “There are no barriers, you’re all just lazy!” But they like the idea of him more than they like him. Because he’s just a thing they can laud to show off how benevolent they are, “we’re not xenophobic, see??”
Never mind that he has to bend over backward to meet standards that are set higher for him than any average Piltovian. Never mind that he has to traverse a city that is focused on form over function, a city that is inaccessible in almost every way. So as long as he maintains their status quo as the perfect “success story” they can swing in their favor, then they “like” him.
But the second he makes a misstep, the second he breaks that status quo, they will turn on him. We’ve seen how they don’t even show mercy to one of their own (Jayce) when he fucks up, I can only imagine the mindset when it’s a Zaunite, the backpedaling and lies—“I knew we shouldn’t have let him in, didn’t I say it? I was suspicious from the beginning, but I kept my mouth shut because I am a philanthropist!!”
The only one who truly saw him for who he is… was Jayce. From the very beginning, Viktor wasn’t some charity case, a trophy of the good work of the Piltover Council. He was Jayce’s partner, his equal in every way. Jayce saw only Viktor’s genius, his brazen determination to do good, even in the face of real consequences.
Which is why the Divorce is gunna hurt Viktor so bad. The entire city of Piltover turning on him… not shocking in the slightest, and honestly he knew it was just a matter of time. None of them actually liked him, they just used him. But not Jayce. Jayce was the one person he thought he’d never lose, the one person he trusted to actually protect and stand by him. And I don’t know how the falling out will go down in Arcane, but one thing is for certain, Jayce will not understand.
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archangeldyke-all · 2 months
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Hi Angel!
I've been reading your kidfics and if it's okay I'd like to contribute to your little fucker cinematic universe because I have a real story that happened to me when I was tutoring and I think you might like it. 🌸
Little fucker is a clever kid. Sometimes too clever. And the problem is - she can't sit for the life of her. She will stand on her chair, rock it back and forth, run for water and for snacks and for whatever thing she wants to show you, but she will not just sit and do her homework.
Which is fair, she is only 7, but you're not so patient. So you decide it's going to be Sevika's problem now. Part of you hopes that little fucker will be more intimidated of her grumpy mom, but this hope is more of a delusion - you know Sevika is a softie and your daughter knows it as well.
Sevika thinks she got it, she is an adult, what can be hard about 7 year old's homework? Counting apples? Sevika is cocky about the whole ordeal, but you don't say anything, letting her find out by herself.
Sevika gets absolutely humbled when she sees little fucker's homework and gets confused at a math question 10 minutes in. Then she sighs in relief when she remembers she is only supposed to monitor little fucker and only help her if she is confused. Yeah, she can't sit through five minutes of work, but Sevika finds a way in a "waste my time I'll waste your time" deal. Little fucker's time management improves immediately.
One day they're doing homework and little fucker has to write a story, but before that, she needs to write details about her character (teddy bear on her shirt).
"How do you call really smart people?" Little fucker asks with a philosophical frown.
"Geniuses?" Sevika tries, also frowning in an effort to find the right word.
Little fucker looks at her disappointedly and Sevika sweats like she is a first grader in front of a teacher.
"Prodigy? Also a great word." Sevika offers, but the disappointment on your baby's face grows.
"I have no fucking idea, kid." Sevika admits.
Little fucker just flops her arms encouraging Sevika to try.
"Do you mean scientists?"
Another look of extreme disappointment. Sevika starts to feel bad.
Little fucker sighs and taps her pencil on her book, frustrated. Then she looks at Sevika again, still shocked at her lack of intelligence.
"Nerds." She says in mock surprise. "They are called nerds, mom."
Sevika is speechless. Then she snorts and nods, admitting her defeat.
"Okay. You're right." Sevika is kinda proud of her baby's sass and she doesn't even try to hide it.
"I'll use genius though." Little fucker says like an expert and slowly writes down the word.
"Yeah. Don't think your teacher will like it very much if you say your Teddy is a nerd."
Later Sevika asks you the same question.
"How do you call really smart people?"
"Competent?" You try offhandedly as you wash the dishes.
"Well, according to our daughter, they're called nerds."
"This girl, I swear to God." You snort. "It's all your influence."
"Dunno, I married a nerd after all, not you."
this is FUCKING ADORABLE IM SOBBING
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txttletale · 1 year
Text
socialism: elysian and scientific
[whispering to you in a movie theater in between mouthfuls of salted caramel popcorn--other moviegoers who just want to watch we bought a zoo (2011) are glaring at us but i don’t care]
so in 1880 friedrich engels wrote a snappy little number called ‘socialism: utopian & scientific’. it’s a foundational marxist text and one i’d recommend to everybody--and i think some of the ideas in it are incorporated and built on in disco elysium in really interesting ways.
socialism: utopian & scientific does a few things. first, it lays out the ideas of the 18th century utopian socialists and explains the societal context in which they developed their ideas--and the core idea of the dialectic development of ideas. engels harshly critiques the enlightenment's conception of the history of thought as a history of individual thinkers attempting to capture an eternal, immutable corpus of truth and justice--he describes this worldview thusly (emphasis mine):
What was wanted was the individual man of genius, who has now arisen and who understands the truth. That he has now arisen, that the truth has now been clearly understood, is not an inevitable event, following of necessity in the chains of historical development, but a mere happy accident. He might just as well have been born 500 years earlier, and might then have spared humanity 500 years of error, strife, and suffering.
and of course it jumped out to me playing disco elysium that this is exactly how human development works the world of elysium--innocences are singularly world-changing individuals who personally establish systems and ideologies within their lifetimes:
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dolores dei in particular is a pretty clear synechdoche (both narratively and, because of how innocences work, diegetically) for the bourgeois revolutions of the enlightenment--her followers, the moralists, are clearly analogous to the real-world post-enlightenment liberal international system. the “kingdom of conscience”, is, i think, also a pretty heavy-handed reference to engels’ sardonic use of the “kingdom of reason” to describe the empty promises of the 18th century bourgeois revolutions:
Now, for the first time, appeared the light of day, the kingdom of reason; henceforth superstition, injustice, privilege, oppression, were to be superseded by eternal truth, eternal Right, equality based on Nature and the inalienable rights of man.
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so--moralists are liberals, that’s not exactly groundbreaking. the innocentic system is a literalization of the metaphysical vision of the history of ideas--that’s interesting, but it doesn’t really say anything in and of itself. so let’s go a little deeper. if engels doesn’t think philosophers, are accessing a nebulous immaterial well of absolute truth, what does he think--well, he cites hegelian dialectics, a system he and marx develop into material dialectics and historical materialism. what the fuck are hegelian dialectics--well there’s a lot of really long fucking books that answer that, but let me just quote engels here:
In his system — and herein is its great merit — for the first time the whole world, natural, historical, intellectual, is represented as a process — i.e., as in constant motion, change, transformation, development; and the attempt is made to trace out the internal connection that makes a continuous whole of all this movement and developmen
hegel posits the history of mankind as the history of ideas evolving in concert with one another--the ideas of, say, the enlightenment weren’t just waiting in the aether during the age of feudalism, fully formed until some singular genius could grasp them--instead they are the product of the ideas before them interacting through the process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. this is dialectics--the idea that progress broadly takes the form of contradicting forces generating a novel force through their interaction.
now, engels identifies one key flaw in hegel, which is that he’s still idealist--he is putting the ideas first in this historical model, positing them as drivers of history rather than products of it. engels then goes on to lay out the fundamentals of historical materialism, which is the application of dialectics to a material view of history--when engels says “all past history [...] was the history of class struggles”, this is what he means, that historical development is the process of the creation and resolution of contradictions between modes of production and exchange (how stuff gets made and who gets it and why).
[i take someone elses double gulp soda out of their hand and slurp it loudly, ignoring their obvious outrage]
okay that’s all cool but what does this have to do with beloved crpg disco elysium (2019)? well, for a start it takes a very distinctively historical materialist worldview when it comes to its own history--the history of revachol is very much the history of class struggle, from the revolution to the strike--and the idea that the elements from which future society will arise are already present with current society is a recurring theme:
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the future is change--society is in motion, contradictions must resolve, the world is dialectic--and the moralists are in opposition to this, desperate to maintain the status quo, to maintain contradictions perfectly suspended forever. from the dialectic point of view, moralism in disco elysium is the quest for no future at all:
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as engels explains, a dialectic view of history means that you need to understand the past if you want to understand the present, because the present is born from elements of the past:
From this point of view, the history of mankind no longer appeared as a wild whirl of senseless deeds of violence, all equally condemnable at the judgment seat of mature philosophic reason and which are best forgotten as quickly as possible, but as the process of evolution of man himself.
for the moralists, the past is something to be forgotten, cast aside for an eternal unchanging present. which is interesting because in disco elysium there happens to be a global world-threatening force which is forgetting the past: the god damn pale. the pale is the accumulation of all human history into something flat and meaningless, the detachment of history from its context--the pale is the future, past, and present not as dialectical continuum of cause and effect but as meaningless incoherent chatter. the pale is the moralist’s view of history made real global force--
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--and it has the potential to destroy everything--
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and this is what moralism is. engels says of metaphysical philosophy:
In the contemplation of individual things, it forgets the connection between them; in the contemplation of their existence, it forgets the beginning and end of that existence; of their repose, it forgets their motion. It cannot see the woods for the trees.
by understanding the world in repose, as a dead thing, moralism is killing it. by discarding the past it is creating a debt that can’t be repaid. and what brings this all together is this bit of information from the game’s concept art:
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innocences create the fucking pale. what they’re doing, their immanentized personificaton of the kingdom-of-reason model of history, is destroying the future. very literally, the non-dialectic view of the status quo--the quest for the right ideas to ensure endless stagnant stillness--is killing the world. the man who killed dolores dei was right:
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we were supposed to come up with this ourselves. so--all that done--what’s the point of this post? what do i think any of this proves, other than that i and the DE writers are fancy communists who read books? well, my read on it at least: the pale is the destruction of history for a purpose--because if we do not understand history, we will think we cannot change it. we will wait for the great people to do it for us--we will wait for them to invent a future to live in and we will wait until we die. we are supposed to come up with this ourselves. as engels says:
The possibility of securing for every member of society, by means of socialized production, an existence not only fully sufficient materially, and becoming day-by-day more full, but an existence guaranteeing to all the free development and exercise of their physical and mental faculties — this possibility is now, for the first time, here, but it is here.
liberalism tells us that the future is unknowable, untouchable, that all we can do is wait for it to arrive. socialism--and disco elysium--tell us that the future is here, now, that everything we need to build it ourselves is already in the world. the second hardest part of that is realizing it--the hardest part is doing it.
[i am dragged bodily out of the theater by my ankles, frantically snatching snacks out of other people’s hands as i go. for the road]
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egg-emperor · 7 months
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New Sonic Channel EGGMAN wallpaper!
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL HE'S SO PERFECT I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART AHHFKSBAHFKABDKAJFSJ!!!!!! 💕💜💖💕💖💜💗💜💖💕💜💗
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I MUST include the description on the page because OMFG I'm losing my mind!!! Translation of what I could get through DeepL, seems slightly better than what I can get on auto translate on the page:
"It is no exaggeration to say that the Sonic series would not begin without him! He is pushing forward towards his ambition of world domination: ...... He has an IQ of 300!
You all know what I'm talking about, don't you?
The evil genius scientist who has no equal in this world.
It's Dr. Eggman!
It is rare to see Dr. Eggman, a scientist, in a fighting pose: ......! No, or perhaps he is watching with a look of satisfaction as he beheads his enemies with the mecha and robots he has created himself......! Either way, he looks really cool with his fearless smile and kanroku poses!
As you all know, Dr. Eggman has been Sonic's nemesis ever since his debut in the game "Sonic the Hedgehog" and has been a big villain who has been plotting various devious schemes. Sometimes he acts as a serious and dignified "evil genius scientist," and at other times he shows a slightly off-kilter "angry old man" side. ...... I think that this variety of charm is the reason why Dr. Eggman is not only a big bad guy but also a great villain.
Coolness like in this illustration is also one of his many charms!
The latest game title to feature Dr. Eggman is "Sonic Frontiers," the third free major upload of which was released today!
In this title, Dr. Eggman is trapped in a mysterious place called "cyberspace," but even in such a situation, his clear mind, strong will ...... He is still a very smart, strong-willed, and selfish man, and this time, too, he is "as good as Eggman! He was very unique with his new subordinate girl, "Sage". The unique relationship with the new subordinate girl, "Sage," is also not to be missed. ......"
-----------------
Let me just gush about WHY I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS:
"It is no exaggeration to say that the Sonic series would not begin without him!"
It really is no exaggeration to say many of the games and entire series wouldn't have even began without him and that's why he's so important!
"The evil genius scientist who has no equal in this world."
That's right because he's the BEST and he knows it so that's why his ego is huge! XD
"It is rare to see Dr. Eggman, a scientist, in a fighting pose: ......! No, or perhaps he is watching with a look of satisfaction as he beheads his enemies with the mecha and robots he has created himself......! Either way, he looks really cool with his fearless smile and kanroku poses!"
They say he's possibly either got a "fighting stance" like the big strong handsome man he is or he's watching with a look of satisfaction as he "BEHEADS HIS ENEMIES" with his "mecha and robots he created himself" !!!! FUCK YEAH HE LOVES VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION that's the real dynamic he has with his creations!!! And yes he does look "really cool" with his pose and his "fearless smile" AHHHH 🥰
"Dr. Eggman has been Sonic's nemesis ever since his debut and has been a big villain who has been plotting various devious schemes.
Sometimes he acts as a serious and dignified "evil genius scientist," and at other times he shows a slightly off-kilter "angry old man" side.
I think that this variety of charm is the reason why Dr. Eggman is not only a big bad guy but also a great villain. Coolness like in this illustration is also one of his many charms!"
THIS SUMS HIM UP SO PERFECTLY, he's a big villain that plots devious schemes of world domination! He's an "EVIL GENIUS SCIENTIST" AND an "ANGRY OLD MAN" side! I love how he's an evil scientific and evil old man, my favorite way to describe him!
"Coolness is one if his many charms." Yes he IS cool and that IS one of the many parts of his charm!!!!
"Dr. Eggman is trapped in a mysterious place called "cyberspace," but even in such a situation, his clear mind, strong will. He is still a very smart, strong-willed, and selfish man."
HE'S A VERY "SMART, STRONG-WILLED, AND SELFISH MAN" YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT HE IS!!!!! 💗💕💜💜💕💗💕💜
"He was very unique with his new subordinate girl, "Sage".
AND acknowledgement that Sage is his "SUBORDINATE" as his servant and protector not the other way around‽‽‽
This is saying absolutely EVERYTHING I'm saying about him ALL THE TIME, it's like they reached into my mind and pulled out every single thing I've ever observed about his character and summed it up here!
I'm so glad I was right and that he really is the man I fell in love with and that OFFICIAL JAPANESE SONIC TEAM/SONIC CHANNEL MEMBERS who really get the say agree and describe him that way when it comes to their own character- I'm so happy I could cry :'D
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charmixpower · 8 months
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what are your hc's when it comes to the specialists hobbies? (+Nabu)
i'm kinda sad we don't really know a lot about them.
YEAH!!! Or if we know their hobbies, WE NEVER GET TO SEE THEM ENJOY THEM??? Unless ur Helia. Pretty people privilege
Sky
Listen, I need you to look at Erendor and Samara and tell me if Sky has a life or any real time for hobbies. The answer is no he does not
Listen dragon equestrian is a thing that exists in the magic dimension and he loves it do not argue with me this man loves it. Riding a dragon and doing tricks, what more could you want out of a sport???
He also spends so much time teaching Lady tricks you'd think he was entering her into a competition. He's not, he is simply having fun
Sky really likes running, and walking. With or without Lady, he is content to run around with this thoughts. It's his favorite form of exercise
I think Sky would enjoy at least some of the royalty approved activities pushed on him, like riding horses and dragons obviously, but also dancing. (Though he would hate learning how to play an instrument or something that required sitting without movement)
I think he'd like the fake duel's and mock battles like fencing over real combat but that's just my version of Sky that lives in my head talking
I don't think Sky is really snobby about anything that isn't tea. Does he argue with other people about which tea tastes the best? Maybe. It's like part because he and Diaspro have opposite tastes in tea and they will argue about anything, part because tea was the only meal he wasn't being hovered over because it's supposed to be a bit more informal than a real meal, half because magix doesn't have all that good tea options
Brandon
He suffers from has no life syndrome too but worse actually bc he's had a government job at 17!!!
Does crafting and maintaining an Instagram presence count as a hobby? I mean I do this as a hobby so I'm gonna say it counts. Making thinking your hot into a hobby, I wish I were him
I have no clue if Brandon genuinely enjoys weightlifting or gymnastics or if he does it because it's literally required of him but I DO think he'd enjoy exercise in general. Like?? He's getting hotter, better able to handle situations, AND it makes him feel great. 10/10 he loves it
I think Brandon would enjoy calligraphy. I have like multiple friends who are on their handwriting bullshit and Brandon would absolutely be one of these people. He'd write exclusively in fancy capital letters while pretending to be Sky, but he also like genuinely knows calligraphy and enjoys it. No one knows cept Sky until Stella wants to write something formally and he writes it for her
Brandon is way too chill of a person, and while I think he's like naturally good at controlling his emotions I also think he does SOMETHING for mindfulness. Reads self help books, does meditation, something that helps him stay so fucking chill all the time
On that topic I also think Brandon likes psychology, like the "why do people act the way they do?" side. Just a little bit, he gets along with way too many insane people to not have at least a little idea
Timmy
He's the least interesting specialist to me in canon so he's where I'm on my bullshit. Listen man we don't need TWO computer wizs, we can have one computer genius and an engineering nerd. For the sake of everyone around Tecna not being the exact same as her AND for my enrichment
Timmy is obsessed with their air crafts. He can talk for HOURS about types of planes, the Owl assigned to their squad is literally his fucking baby and Riven is NOT allowed to pilot it EVER. He lost his mind just a little bit when he's got to pilot a Hawk with Helia, he was so excited. This is definitely his main hobby and why he's in the RF air force track instead of the engineering track, he WILL fly and nothing will stop him
If Legos exist in the magical dimension he's obsessed with them and makes the most insane builds and you know I'm right
Riven absolutely gets Timmy into lock picking. Lock picking is just a logic puzzle that also has a real life application and they spend so much time trying to pick difficult locks when they need a no think thing to do
And speed running, all the specialists have a tendency to just watch him play a video game stupid fast and it's group bonding
Shooting is a sport and one that Timmy enjoys immensely
Riven
Reading. No I'm so serious he's the character shown holding a book the most often. This man reads. Tbh he's probably reading about types of magical animals that specialists are called in to deal with, and their behaviors. That and like lists of forgeable plants
Riven also sews and makes his own clothes! Like it's a restoration thing but also Riven just likes fashion and has very specific ideas for clothes so he just makes them himself.
Riven is the most passionate about sword play and combat. Like it's genuinely fun for him, I think if everyone was set loose they'd drift away from being in the military except Riven. This is his passion. Survivalist stuff is also a huge passion of his. It's his concentration at RF I will never shut up about that hc. His dream job is dealing with magical animal threats in the wilderness, everyone thinks he's just a little insane
That and podcasts. Oh my god the podcasts Riven would have listened to in middle school, cringe worthy, they're EXACTLY what your thinking and it's terrible. Thankfully he listens to calming podcasts and like educational podcasts now, and the occasional true crime one
I'm not sure if lock picking is a hobby for him or if it's just something he HAD to learn, but he takes a lot of pride in it so I'm assuming it's a hobby. Riven likes logic puzzles and that's what lock picking is
Does Riven have an interest in photography or did he print off pictures from Musa's Instagram, the world may never know
Helia
We know the most about his hobbies. Painting, origami, and poetry. Helia is well and truly vibing, and by that I mean I bet you he spends hours agonizing about every detail <3
He probably also has a bullet journal, it's the vibes, do you understand where I'm coming from?
I think Helia would be super into general DIY in every area and at one point he gets Timmy into helping refurbish a chair he found, sometimes he just wants to work on something and that something is a chair he picked up off the curb
Helia definitely picked up how to use his string gloves for fun and to have a body active hobby and he loves it? I think Helia would really enjoy doing things that challenge him and he has the most esoteric weapon so it fits
I also think Helia's glove string weapon is as much of a weapon as it can be used for string art? I think he'd like string art
Helia can parkour and that's on wanting to get the PERFECT angle for his reference piece and know he's 40 ft in the air, Saladin slowly lost his mind when he adopted Helia after his parents died because the kid would not stop climbing on RF
Helia is also a chronic people watcher. At least 70% time when he's people watching he's also drawing them but sometimes he's too tired for that XD
Nabu
Learning about his hyper fixation magic. Listen this man will DEMOLISH a library in a week to learn about the intricacies of runic magic, he is vibrating in his shoes
Okay I know Timmy is the one who you'd assume would like this the most, but I think if you put a ttrpg in front of Nabu he'd fucking love it??? He would either spend 2 million hours world building as the DM or get way into role playing
I think Nabu spends a lot more time fucking around and having fun with his magic than most magic users. Like learning how to make small intricate beautiful things with his magic. I definitely think there would be an art form based around magic that Nabu would be super into that
Nabu absolutely is a history buff too. Like knows about ancient techniques for making things off the top of his head can list most major developments in each century when prompted history buff and I love him
He probably also has a rock collection, this man is autistic and we have rock collections. Sometimes the rocks are magically and that's always exciting
Nabu and Flora spending hours researching a random ass specific phenomenon and having the time of their lives
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