#painting some themes out here but i mean its supposed to so . . . ..
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#my writing#poetry#prose#poem#okay so basically im a dyke#i return from my one million year slumber with this . . . . . . . . . . i hope u all enjoy <3 <3 <3 <3#my favorite style of incredibly dense stacked metaphors on full display teehee but that aside have fun picking this apart ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !#wanted to use purposefully clumsly language here in spots i hope thats clear too . . . . .. . like i hope its not too ridiculously obviously#painting some themes out here but i mean its supposed to so . . . ..#its truly honestly really been a while though since i have been able to sit down and write and actuall#actually know what i wanna say and be able to just get it out. . . . a bit of a relief but i still wanna ease into doing it more seriously#again. . . . . i truly now have enough work to put maybe a lil thing out esp with ones ive never posted. . . . . . .#OTL . . . . anyways
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Musical musings - TTTE edition
One of the things that got me back into TTTE was the banger soundtrack and character themes. Music has always been a huge part of my life, I have classical training for the piano and an in-depth knowledge of musical theory and harmonic practices for classical music. So here are some of the things I noticed about various character themes and some of the engines' whistles.
Gordon is considered to be the biggest engine out of the main 12, and this could be reflected in his whistle, as it has the greatest interval between the two notes which make it up, that being a minor seventh between C and Bb.
James' whistle (G - C#/Db) is a tritone/Augmented 4th/Diminished 5th. In medieval times, this interval was considered to be a representation of conflict, discord (no, not THAT Discord) instability and danger. You can hear it in pieces like the iconic opening to Camille Saint-Seans' Danse Macabre, and in Hector Berlioz's La damnation de Faust to represent the titular character's arrival in Hell. James, I've noticed, is pretty damn insecure. He clings to his red paint like a lifeline and hides behind a veneer of arrogance and vanity. He can be quite boastful, to the detriment of his relationships with other engines, with him usually being the aggressor in conflicts with them. So I suppose the use of a tritone for his whistle is appropriate.
Percy appears to (mentally) be the youngest of the main 12, and this could be represented by having the highest whistle out of all of them.
Thomas' character theme and Edward's Series 2 theme both feature modulations to the parallel major of the initial key's relative minor, with Thomas' theme starting in F major and ending in D major, and Edward's theme starting in C major and ending in A major. The "relative minor" of a major key is the minor key which shares its key signature (ex. the relative minor of F major is D minor since they share the same key signature of one flat, likewise with C major, A minor and a key signature of no accidentals). The "parallel major" of a minor key is the major key which shares its 1st note (AKA, the tonic). So....like mentor, like mentee. Or like Father, like Son, in terms of musical themes.
Henry's theme is in a quadruple meter (following an 8-measure phrasing pattern, likely 12/8 time), meaning that there are 4 beats to a measure. However, each one of these "beats" consists of a triplet(If you were to count out a measure, it'd be 1-2-3 4-5-6 7-8-9 10-11-12, and you'd conduct it like 4 beats instead of each of the 12 individual notes) And Henry is the number 3 engine. Hmm.......
If I think of any more, I'll post 'em. If anyone even reads this lol
P.S: One of my favourite OSTs is Kingdom Dance from Tangled, and every time I listen it, I think of the twins. Probably because it uses the E Dorian mode (with a dash of E Mixolydian) which is common in Scottish music. Just in case anyone's confused, the "Dorian" mode is an 8-note scale which starts on the second note of a given major scale. (e.g, E is the 2nd note of a D major scale, so its Dorian mode uses the same signature of 2 sharps). The Mixolydian mode is an 8-note scale which starts on the 5th note of a given major scale. (e.g, E is the 5th note of an A major scale and thus, its Mixolydian mode uses the same key signature of 3 sharps).
youtube
#music#classical music#music theory#musical analysis#ttte#thomas and friends#Hats off to Mike & Junior for creating such an iconic soundtrack#Youtube#dang this really just turned into a music lesson huh
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Platonic yandere yautja x human child reader
Aww dad yautja😊 I didn't write for yautjas in months!! Hopefully u enjoy it!! Also i used they/them for kid. No tw, only cuteness and wholesome dad figure yautja👹 request open
Dad yautja with human kid
Bro is confused ??? Tf??? Why is there a child here??
He either found them abandoned in middle of nowhere or accidentally killed their perents, by 'accidentaly' i mean ofc he wanted to kill them he just didn't know there was a child nearby and now he feels bad
Kinda finds human pups ugly😭 why are you so smol and loud wtf
Dad!yautja after he kinda adopts y/n he gets too overprotective! Like dude won't leave their side at all, especially when you guys are outside; dude will pick them up and just carry around.
Can't cook to save his life, he kinda set kitchen on fire. And humans cant eat raw meat, so now you are on fruit diet for now (and veggies)
Had this parental instinct to teach them everything, how to shoot, find food, basic self-defence, overall taking good care of themselfs. But he kinda likes that he has to provide for them, it gives him control yknow
When he carries them around everywhere! He acually lets them sit on his shoulders or just hang on his neck😓😍
Cant say no to those cute big eyes! Yes he will let them 'decorate' his armor (with glitter and stickers) and he will let them paint his nails and he will lisen to them gossip about their friends.
If his kid is a little artist and walks up to him and says "papa i drew you!" He does not care that he looks like a lizard nor that they didn't color it perfectly. Dude is purring, picking y/n up and he carries this drawing in pocket everywhere
Other yautjas say that he spoils them, but he disagrees! Your a HUMAN baby, i mean yeah your basically one of yautjas now but!!! Your tiny! And your skin is so squishy!!!
He had to learn how to comb their hair cuz at some point y/n simply refused to cut it (me too lil guy) and he respects them so much he won't just do something against them
Kinda wishes he could understand human body language more
Also about body language i can imagine kid just kinda mimicing yatuja body language and habits. Like dad!yatuja will say "child please go to bed its late" the kid will just angry respond with a hiss👹 "hsssss👽🦎" "?????" If yaujtas had eyebrows, he would rise them
If y/n is a girl, and she has her first period? Dude panics! HUHH WHAT BLOOD??? FROM WHERE!?? UHHHH????
Dude tries to be a perfect father figure, he tries to have similar intrests with his kid so they can connect more, but if y/n is totally not into hunting, collecting, nature themed stuff, Yautja is more than happy to catch up with whatever teens are into this days, but he will judge the hell out of tv shows (if they watch any)
I kinda forgot it suppose to be yandere so it turned out to be just wholesome im so sorry
Understands that kid needs privacy but he will just go invisible mode and lurk in shadows! Like what if somone attacks you??? Or worse! What if you meet some humans that he doenst like??? What if they will tell y/n all lies about what 'bad war crimes' he commited and what 'murderous' his kind is!! Those are lies pls dont lisen to humans
No boy/girlfriends!!! Nuh uh!! Your his little baby you cant go doing all those... things... with some human. ugh! this person probably can't even hunt for you!! Or give you nice treasures!! Or build a pretty nest!! Why would you like them my child?? Look at all those trophies i gathered for all those years! You should stay here!
He loves the fact that he lives in some wild ass jungle and y/n cant leave him due to all those dangers around, plus he loves that y/n will always stay tiny(in comparison obviously) and weak so be basically needs to provide for them! Right???
I used x reader tags ONLY to reach bigger audience
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Fluffruary Day 1 - Breath Taking First Glance
(First Sight)
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Warning This includes: SFW (Read Tags Before Continuing)
Tags: sfw, fluff, first sight, love at first sight, romance, romantic, rafayel, love and deepspace, merfolk, merman, under the sea, art, artwork
Word Count: 1,796
Feature: Rafayel x Fem! Reader
Theme: First Sight
@fluffruaryprompts
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 1
Your friends had been telling you about this art museum in town. However you never really much cared for art but you were tired of hearing them so you agreed to check it out that weekend. You got up that Saturday morning and didn't go all out on your makeup or clothing, just comfy jeans and nice shirt, some eyeliner and lip gloss and go. Its not like you planned on picking someone up in a art gallery that is the last place you would think to do that. So you get there and you are surprised how so many people are into art and you keep hearing people talk about this Rafayel guy who is supposed to be the main artist in todays gallery. You tried to find anywhere on the pamphlet you grabbed when you came in for a last name but you thought guess he is so popular he doesn't need a last name like the singer Prince. This made you laugh cause at least he isn't just a symbol.
You look over the pamphlet and go from each art piece to the next based on what it says about each of them. There wasn't much standing out to you til you got to this mural on the wall of the depths of the ocean. It had fish, dolphins, whales and merfolk in it and you were drawn to this piece like no other. So many had passed this one by but this was it, this piece talked to you. The thought of merfolk as a kid interested you like no other and whales and dolphins are some of your favorite creatures. You were taking it all in when you heard a voice "That is one of my favorites as well." You quickly wiped the tears that were trickling in your eyes away then look back at this man. He was so handsome, the purple hair casting a slight shadow across his face, his purple mix tented eyes were captivating, his skin looked soft and silky with a creamy tone, he was tall and had broad shoulders and absolutely the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your life. For the first time you felt like you believed in love at first sight. You were caught up in his looks you found your eyes settling on his soft plush lips that looked like they were so kissable.
He cleared his throat and you snapped out of it, you fumbled dropping the pamphlet. "Um yeah I think I love you too.. I mean I love it too.." You were so embarrassed your words were gone, your mind couldn't think about anything but him which caused you to mess up what you were saying, you sighed. He chuckled "Your cute, whats your name?" You smile and your face is own fire at the way he is looking at you, you're now questioning if you even remember your name. You push through and you catch his gaze, your cheeks still flushed "My, name is Y/N what about you?" He smiles at you then turns and walks away, you are so shook, what just happened. You were sure you messed it up with the fumble of your words, your eyes direct back to the painting and sigh.
About that time he walks back over to you holding a picture frame in his hand which left you curious. He turned it around and it was a picture of him then underneath it said his name Rafayel, then he pointed to the painting the plaque on the wall under the painting said the same. "Oh! Oh my god! Your.....H-him?!?" He smiles and nods "Thats right, but you, are the first to take alot of notice in this one picture and I am curious why. Do you have plans after this?" You couldn't believe he was standing right here in front of you, he was someone famous and you surely weren't drop dead gorgeous yet he wants to take you out and talk. Then you started wondering is it just cause the picture or is he actually interested in you. "N-no..." He chuckles, then reaches for your hand and pulls you with him. You gladly follow along not sure why, but you know your heart is beating so loudly you are sure he can hear it.
He walks you out the back door and walks you out towards the open beach that lays behind the art gallery. You are trying to keep up he is walking much faster than you yet still holding your hand. As you reach the waters edge he looks back at you as he releases your hand. "What does the ocean mean to you, the creatures in it?" He says with a more serious tone to it as he looks out in to the blue sea. Your not sure what he wants but you tell him about your love of the ocean and the sea creatures in it. He is now looking at you with such fascination yet doesn't say anything. You are hesitant on the last part thinking he might think your crazy..."Also merfolk I have been in love with the idea they exist since I was a little girl. So when I look out at the ocean I hope that deep down they do and your art made me feel like that hopeful little girl again." His face softly flushed pink, his ears had a tint of red to them to. He was embarrassed like he had some secret he wanted to tell you but wasn't sure how too.
"I'm going to trust you, because some reason I feel like I can." His words were shaky as he pulled out his hand blowing into and little blue fish swam around in thin air. You were so captivated by this magic you couldn't take your eyes off it and when you went touch, it faded. "W-What...was that?" He could see as you asked the curiosity and dreamy look in your eyes flickered. He took your hand and walked you towards the ocean as you walked further out you were starting to get scared. He could feel you start to tremble he turned back giving you a big hug and whispering in your ear "Trust me I will protect you, I just want to show you the world you have dreamed of does exist."
You let you heart rate relax as he said these words, you were going to trust him and you just didn't understand its like the moment you laid eyes on him it was like your heart was home, like it had found the missing half of your puzzle however you knew nothing about him and this all surprised you. Right now you were following a strange man you met over a hour ago into the ocean where you can't even swim, this could be the last day you breathe on earth yet your following him blindly. You realize love at first sight is blinder than you could imagine. As you get to where the water is about to go over your head, he is still holding you close as he looks at you and his eyes light up a beautiful bright blue. You are so alarmed by this but you never pull away because even though he has some kind of magic he is still holding you tight preventing you from falling.
He looks at you smiling with those pretty illuminated eyes staring back at you, now you find your smiling back at him. "Ready for the best part?" He says with a playful sound to his voice, you nod yes and he takes you into his arms picking you up as you look up at him he leans in and kisses your lips softly. You weren't expecting this but you kiss him back, then you realized he wasn't making out with you he was doing it to help you breathe. When he pulled away after a moment he chuckled, "There will be plenty of time for kisses, I promise." You were embarrassed that you thought he was trying to make out with you. Your face felt like it was on fire and you were sure your cheeks were probably really red by now. He plunges under the water and you go to gasp and no sooner you get under the water you realize your not drowning, you can breathe under the water yet your confused why.
You reach up touching your lips as you look at him his glowing eyes looking back you. You notice scale like area on the back of his neck such a sparkly blue, when your eyes finally look down. You see the most beautiful fanned out mer tail and you gasp. Then look back in his eyes "Wow...Your beautiful!" He smiled at her as he swayed his tail back and fourth keeping them in the same area. He held you close to him as he began to swim across the ocean bottom, you saw schools of fish flipping by, coral reefs lined the bottom area near rocks and tropical looking plants. The water made everything practically shimmer down below. You were so mesmerized how this world you hoped for so long existed and he showed you a world you only dreamed of. He eventually took you back to the beach and soon as he switched back to human his eyes flipped back to normal as well.
Once you were back standing in front of him on the ocean sand you look up at him and reach out for his hand. He meets you pulling you close to him. "Is this real? Are you real?" You had to ask because this seemed like some kind of fairy tale there was no way it was all real. "It is real, I am a merman. I am trusting you to keep that secret, but I want to see you again. Is that ok?" You were shocked by his request you wanted to see him again in and out of the water, you wanted to run away with him at this point but you didn't dare tell him that you didn't want to scare him. You nodded "Yes I want to see you again too. Can we go on a date maybe tomorrow?" You were surprised you were able to get that out and he smiled at you with the brightest smile you would ever see. "We will meet here at 3pm then, for now I have to go. Thank you for today, Y/N." As you waved goodbye you watched him walk to the gallery and back inside. You stood there flushed in the face, still soaking wet. You were excited to see what tomorrow would bring.
#fluffruary2024#Fluffruary#day 1#Fluffruary day 1#first sight#Fluffruary First Sight#Fluffruary day 1 First Sight#love at first sight#fluff#creative writing#sfw#rafayel x reader#rafayel#lad#love and deepspace#otome#gaming#fan fic#fan fiction#fluffruary
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I want to tell you all a bit about what is currently happening in Hungary because once again the government chose Pride Month (which is in July here) to attack the lgbtq+ community. Three news from just the past week: queer books are wrapped in plastic in bookshops, a bench painted in rainbow colours started a war in Budapest, and a law about retirement was modified to specifically exclude trans women. I'm sure others posted about these, probably could put it better than me, but here it is in one place.
Books: two years ago the government passed a so-called "child protection" law, but it's most commonly reffered to as the anti-gay law. The law is supposed to protect children, but it bans all media depictions of anything that would "promote homosexuality" or different gender identities.
The law is hard to understand on purpose, to make it unclear what is against the law and what isn't, resulting in the censoring of everything even remotely not cishet in fear of accidentally breaking the law. One notable example of this is commercials on tv. All media "promoting" homosexuality or gender change has to have an age restriction on it, including commercials. But since it is unclear what this means, now all tv ads have a 12+ rating, on every channel.
Previously bookstores which sell lgbt themed books had to make this clear and separate these books, which resulted in many bookstores having signs on their doors saying they sell these books. Some bookstores were fined for failure to comply.
Last week people started noticing that in the biggest bookstore chain, Libri, certain books were wrapped in clear plastic. This all happened because of the anti-gay law. Books including lgbtq characters are now wrapped in plastic and cannot be sold at the YA section of the store, they are moved to the adult section, regardless of the topic. Multiple writers called this out on social media, finding their own books wrapped up and moved.
Once again, since the law in unclear, Libri is wrapping up random books, because there is no clear guideline what goes against the law and what doesn't.
From literally two hours ago: one of the biggest bookstore chains, Líra, was just fined for 12 million forints (approx. 35k dollars) for selling Heartstopper without the wrapping, in the YA section.
The Bench: last Thursday, Amnesty International, with the permission of the mayor of the district, painted a bench in Budapest rainbow colours.
This was supposed to symbolise love and acceptance, especially during Pride Month. Since then, the bench was painted 6 more times. First, two men belonging to the neonazi fanclub of the local football club painted the bench the club colours, green and white. Amnesty International filed a police report, and painted the bench back to the rainbow colours.
Then the bench was painted green and white by two football fans yet again, this time with the message "stop lmbtq". After this, someone painted it back to brown, and left a note saying "I just want to be a bench. Which is good for everyone. To you. To them. To us."
After this Amnesty International repainted it with the rainbow colours. Then just today, a right-wing party, Mi Hazánk painted it red-white-green, the national colours, and stated that they will offer protection to the football fans, they will do the sane painting to any rainbow coloured anything they find anywhere in the country, and if anyone paints over it, they will file a police report for damaging a national symbol.
update: just a few hours after the last painting, unknown people wrapped the bench in plastic, with the message "Lately LGBTQ+ content can only be in public in wrapping", referencing the plastic wrapped books
The transphobic retirement law: back in 2010, Fidesz, the current ruling party made a promise during its campaign, which since then became a law. Currently this "Nők40" (Women40) law allows women to retire after 40 years of work, including time spent raising a child, as a way to honour women.
In 2006 the EU ruled that transgender people are entitled to retirement according to the gender they are when retiring. In line with this, earlier this year a Hungarian court ruled in favour of a trans woman, allowing her to retire after 40 years of work, due to the Nök40 law. It is worth noting that she has legally changed her gender in all her offical papers in 2013, and only found out in 2021 that the pension payer still had her registered as a man, and due the transphobic Law 33 passed in 2020, the pension payer refused to correct her gender. The court later ruled in her favour though, and she can retire.
Now, a member of Fidesz argues that this ruling is "a gross provocation and a slap in the face of the legal system". She urged lawmakers to changed the law and make it clear what they mean by women, reminding everyone that Fidesz still maintains that there are only two biological genders.
This was yesterday. By today, a change in the law was prepared. The announcement said the law has been clear for everyone with common sense, but to avoid any "sensitized" judge using this legal loophole, they are now amending it so it stated the early retirement is for everyone who "worked as a woman for 40 years". They claim now nobody can just decide to suddenly want to be a woman for early retirement after working as a man for 39 years. Because obviously early retirement, in a country where it is impossible to make ends meet just on pension alone, is the main reason someone would "decide" to be trans. Obviously.
so, this is where we're at in Hungary, two days before the Budapest Pride Parade. another Pride Month, another attack on lgbtq rights. I don't really have a point with this, I don't want to guilt trip anyone. Just spreading the word, since we rarely read about non-usamerican news.
#yeah i still hate it here#hungary#lgbtq rights#eu politics#pride month#lgbtq+#lgbtq+ rights#trans rights#transgender#books#censorship#lgbtq books#lgbtq+ books
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How I Critique Writing (A Loose Collection of Tips)
Someone asked me for insights into my methodology when it comes to giving feedback on writing and I realized I had way more than I could say in a reasonable amount of private messages. Are you someone who I've spoken to about their writing? Did someone send you their work and you don't know how to respond? Maybe this will help? Based on how people react I feel like it might be controversial but it seems to work.
When someone sends me their writing, no matter the size, subject or genre, I:
Take it seriously. It's a generational epic about the Vietnam war and its effects. It's a cute, young adult romance. It's Zim and Dib from Invader Zim realizing they've always been in love with each other. All of these things can be written with earnestness, strength, honesty and skill. It's fucking hard to write and if someone writes a single sentence that wouldn't otherwise exist its worth holding in your hands and examining with the same eye as if you were taking an interesting book off the shelf.
Respond with curiosity. It's common for critiques to follow a theme of ambiguous disdain. This doesn't work. Delete this. Bad. No. Gross. Guess what? That's not helpful. If you got that feedback, even if you followed it, you wouldn't be thrilled about it. Oftentimes you can take a line that makes you want to say Bad and ask something else. What is this supposed to express? What were you trying to do here? Am I supposed to feel happy/sad/uncertain when I read this? Curiosity can reframe something that you don't think works as a reader and turn it into an opportunity for the writer to look inward and solve their own problem. They might explain what they were trying to do, and if you were to say that it didn't pan out for you they're way more likely to tweak things themselves and feel like they still have control over their project.
Give comments. I've started giving more in-depth comments on the writing people give me depending on how anxious they are about it. If you're a pretty confident writer I'll give a summary of what I gained and what I was left wondering, what I thought and what I felt, what associations it made me think of in terms of tone and other forms of media - stuff like that. For newer writers, especially those who are far more doubting of their own abilities, I go buck wild. And in my opinion notes should be less like Good! I like this! Wow! Nice! (What are you, grading my book report? No thanks), and more like what you think when you're reading a book you're truly invested in. Make jokes about the characters (Not mean ones. I will send bugs to you in the mail.), chart exact lines that provoke physical reactions, even a small one. Can you imagine reading someone treat your work like it has its own fandom on Tumblr? You can do that for someone else.
Fucking have some fucking awareness of the fact that it might not be for you and that doesn't mean it's bad. I'm angry about this one considering the novel a friend sent me last night that they've been too terrified to try and post online, despite it being fucking brilliant. I'll try and calm down. Listen - you read what you like. I mainly read literary and experimental fiction, some poetry, horror and some sci-fi. Not a lot of genre fiction. But I will always be down to read someone's high fantasy story, because even though I don't really like fantasy I know what the good ones sound like. I've forced myself to gain a sense of what someone else would like, even if I don't like it. And I can still critique it. If I'm a builder and I see a house that's painted a shade of green I find sinful for a home (i.e. mint), I can look past that and focus on the state of the walls and the stability of the foundation. You aren't a reviewer, man. You are neither Siskel, nor Ebert. They write for readers, you write for writers. So you don't like historical fiction? Cool, man. Congrats. If someone trusts you enough to give you some to read and critique, you should still do so objectively. If you give it an automatic F because you wouldn't buy it, then you are legally a stinky little trash man. That's just the law.
Ask them what they liked to write and what was the hardest. There's apparently a weird trend on online writer communities that say there are specific rules that all writers need to follow. This is not true. It just isn't. If the dialogue in a story you read is weak, and the writer says they hate writing dialogue and really struggle with it, maybe tell them they don't have to use it. You might change their entire life.
RESPOND WITH CURIOSITY. You see the Ask games where people try and get more detail on the WIP of certain authors. If you have a WIP and I ask you a worldbuilding question that doesn't relate to the direct plot of the story as it exists now, I bet you'd like to talk about it. If I ask if you were inspired by a certain tone or movie, you might know the work I was talking about and feel happy. Or you might not know it, look it up, and feel inspired. I don't think people realize that a critique of new/unfinished writing is not a one-and-done exchange. You are taking part in an isolated process in a way few other people on the planet will. It's not homework. It's. Not. Homework. We spend so much of our time alone just fiddling our hands and making our magic, and in instances like these we share something in one of the ultimate forms of artistic trust. They're taking you into a world that hasn't fully formed yet. Is it cool? Can you tell me about it? Can they?
Be nice. Storytime, friends. In the way early 2010s, there was something on the internet called sporking. It was pretty much a line by line roast of someone's writing - typically fanfic. And I hate to say this, but I read a lot of it. I was 13, somehow untreated and overmedicated, and I was miserable constantly. Just cold in my chest. At one point I had the chance to critique a stranger's story - probably another child - and I essentially mocked the whole thing. They ended up deleting the story off the website. I cannot begin to describe to you the shame I feel about doing this, even ten years later. It burns in my heart and makes me sick to my stomach. If you are a serious writer, especially a young writer, and you insult another writer's craft to their face just as they're getting started - you will regret it. I promise you that. You will think about holding something alive and full of potential in your hands and squeezing your fists until it is just flecks of meat and crushed bone. It will haunt you. Maybe only a little, but constantly and for the rest of your life. So don't do it.
Wow what a grim note to leave on! That's essentially my philosophy on writing critique, do with it what you will. Want to send me some writing to receive this kind of excessive treatment? Cool! I have an email in my pinned post and I'll do that! I'm also down to chat if anyone wants to send me asks or DMs on writing/writing struggles/publishing tips.
#writers on tumblr#writeblr#writing#on writing#writing community#authors of tumblr#actually writing#queer writers#fanfic writing#writing critique#writing criticism#writing tips#writing help#writing resources#writing inspiration#i went crazy on this one didn't i
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The House of Mirrors
Chapter 11
Nesta tried to push down on the growing knot of panic in her gut. She kept her gaze ahead, but it didn’t help, there was nothing to see beyond the privacy screen that cut the car in half. And looking out either window meant chancing eye contact with the men beside her. So she focused her efforts on breathing, on not bouncing her leg or picking at her nails or pissing herself.
Finally, the car seemed to pull into its destination, and she was let out – admittedly surprised by the rather quiet, opulent seaside neighbourhood. She’d expected to be taken to a warehouse and gutted like a fish.
The house sat on a hill overlooking a small port, a dozen boats – mostly catamarans and bowriders – sat anchored and waiting, swaying gently in the biting night breeze. They must have been in another upstate enclave, not unlike the one Rhysand had grown up in. She turned back to gaze up at the house, the cold wind already sapping the fight from her body as her nose and cheeks turned pink. It was painted a yellow Nesta guessed might have been pretty in the sun, white lining bringing to mind the bright, colourful homes that dotted the Kirakolos Islands. The information only useful if she lived to recall it.
She was escorted inside, where the Kirakolosi theme seemed to extend beyond exterior styling. The house itself was modelled after those ancient homes, flat and square with an open courtyard just beyond the entrance. A statue of a long dead god sat in that exposed space, the white marble cracked with a scar that ran along half its face.
The man who owned this house was rich enough Nesta did not doubt the statue was an authentic relic, and mad enough that he would take pride in letting it crumble before him, day by day.
She was taken down a long corridor and a set of stairs into an underground bathing chamber, the bath – a pool by modern standards – took up most of the floor, steam rising off the clear water, a tiled mural dancing below. Warm light flooded the room and soft folk music played somewhere behind her, all a carefully crafted ambiance.
He sat at the corner of one end, removing a half-smoked cigar from his mouth when he spotted her. Nesta tried not to look at the bath, tried not to stumble as she left her escorts halfway and continued along the edge, stopping just out of reach.
His thinning hair and stubble were whiter than the last time they’d met, his skin further aged and freckled but the muscle underneath still held a whisper of what his prime had been, “Miss Archeron.”
“Victor.”
He corrected himself with a small smile, “Nesta. Forgive me, I wasn’t sure you’d still consider me a friend after everything that happened.”
She didn’t. Never had. Only Tomas had fooled himself into thinking getting in the water had also made him a shark.
He glanced at his watch, then over her shoulder at the two men who’d brought her hear, “You’ll have to forgive my men, I had intended to see you after the gala, but I suppose the opportunity presented itself.”
Nesta looked back at them, both were new, meaning his nephews were either in hiding or in custody. Either one should have meant he was not ready to make a move. So why was she here?
“How did you know where I was?” She’d put herself back in the spotlight yes, but the tabloids had not yet printed.
“He booked the tickets under your names. Seems you’ve fallen on that old habit of siding with reckless men.” He took a drag of his cigar and gazed out at the water, knowing she would follow his lead, “Thought I’d taught you better…” it sounded almost listless, almost reminiscent.
It made her sick. Made the world tilt and slide, darkness edging her vision as the water called, and some broken part of her mind screamed. In her periphery she watched him rise, water dripping from his white shorts as he made his way over. She wanted to run but her body froze, knew better than to entice a reaction from him even as he cupped her face and turned her away from the water.
Silent tears threatened to slip from her eyes as she met his. Even if she weren’t intimately familiar with how insane he could become at a moment’s notice, if he did not lower his hands to her neck and fit them there like a collar, if she hadn’t seen him empty a syringe of opium into Clare… his eyes alone told of the monster he was.
Nesta blinked hard, took that second of reprieve to force air into her lungs, to curl her hands into fists and slip that familiar mask into place. When her eyes opened, she saw him register it, brows raising a little at the eyes that stared back at him.
“There she is,” he whispered, almost proud.
Again, bile rose, and again Nesta warred with her instincts. If she so much as twitched he might break her skull against the pool wall. “Why am I here, Victor? As you said, we’re no longer friends.”
He frowned and released her neck, “No? I suppose you’re right. Our business concluded rather nicely. Rare. You know that? There are men who have spent their lives doing business – balancing the lives of others, the economies of small cities in their hands – and they shrivel at the first smell of blood. Start losing their minds when the inevitable happens to those closest to them.” Again, that sick warmth that was so near pride, “But not you. You took it in such stride. I think… it truly made you better.”
Her head began to clear with the forceful, even breaths she took, helped when Victor moved away to sit on a stone bench beside the edge of the bath. “This new one, your soon to be brother-in-law, do you think he is like us? Or do you think he will break, like your Tomas?”
She pushed away the memories, the blood, “I think if you’re asking me, you have already guessed the answer yourself.”
His gaze slid to her again, pulled on his cigar as he waited. In the brief time they had worked together, it had been this way. She had become someone he looked to, not because he needed her, but almost as if he were performing a superstitious rite. She was a token, another artifact he would rather destroy than allow to be in the hands of men he saw as less than.
“I think…” she recalled Amren’s ominous warning, the way Rhysand had slipped under her guard when they first met and even after that, how he’d gone around her, “This game will not go your way. He already has too many cards at play.”
“Then you will steal one away for me.”
“I told you, we are not- you promised me, I can’t do it again.”
He rose and stepped towards her and Nesta couldn’t help the way her body tensed, still too close to the water. His hands came up again but landed gently on her exposed shoulders. “Shhh, shhh, karninya. It will not be like last time, I keep my promises. This time will be easy.”
She made the mistake of reaching for his wrist, of trying to pull away. His hands moved, became a vice at her throat, not pressing but strong enough to remind her he could snap her neck or fling her into the stone bench, or put her under…
A small sob past her lips before she pressed them together and forced her trembling hand away from him. In turn, his hands softened slowly. The nauseating unease she felt in his presence bolstered by the fact that not a muscle in his face had moved in that moment.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked, forcing a flat tone.
“I want you to stop the wedding.”
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Okay here we go.
Reviewing all old paintings of Alcibiades I can find, part 1
Starting off with the classics. THIS HELMET, I HATE IT I HATE IT. What is it supposed to be?? He's wearing it like one would wear a Corinthian helmet in rest (pushed back on the head rather than down over the face) or at least from the shape of the metal part I would assume it's a corinthian helmet, but all the golden thingies on its front?? Are you meant to be blind when wearing this thing in battle? New technique?? And anyways why is he even wearing it. And one last thing about the helmet which you'll see is a reccuring theme: why does it have feathers. Unless i am forgetting something, fancy helmet crests were made from horse hair.
Moving on from the helmet, i have to say that even though I don't agree with it, his color choice for the outfit is....brave. green with pink. It works I guess, because he looks so confident in it. The sash tied around his middle is kinda whatever but the way he's holding his clamys???? I'm swooning. Very good hand.
Socrates' color choices are also quite bold today. Were they going to a fashion show? Is he advertising IKEA? Who knows. His skin is vet nicely painted though, I like it a lot.
Now of course we need to mention the angel behind Socrates who has a bit of fire on their hair. Is that the holy spirit? Is this some criminal anachronism??!! The angel seems to be judging Alcibiades' "sinuous" pose (i learned a new word yesterday and I feel like I'm using it wrong but I wanted to use it okay. "Sinuous". Idk. Sinuses.)
Moving on to something different. Alcibiades and Pericles! How cute is that, they're bonding like family. Or they're discussing the grocery list. I like Alcibiades' chiton and his hair and how his hand is casually draped over a helmet. Speaking of helmets, look how nice and accurate these are. No feathers anywhere. Also Pericles is wearing his helmet to hide his weird alien head presumably, so this is very legal and we won't execute the artist for drawing Pericles with a naked head.
Here's one of many depictions of Alcibiades' death. The anatomy is good, I very much enjoy that. I also really really like his face. Dark haired Alcibiades works better in paintings imo. His pose is kinda wayy too dramatic, that or he slipped on some lube i mean olive oil on his way out. Anyways he's not doing a very good job defending himself. The lady is trying, I'll give her that, but she's not doing enough. The attacker guy is.... wearing pants, but his top isn't very Persian so that's off-putting.
And of course we can see the javelin sticking out of Alcibiades' side but in my professional opinion, if he was lucky he could survive that wound if it didn't pierce any major organs. He just needed some bed rest and he'd be good to go. Alas, he died. But yeah overall I like this one a lot.
Okay so this one I'm 99% sure it's Alcibiades, if I'm wrong let me know. The dark figure on the left is definitely Socrates, I would recognize him anywhere. I really like this even though Alcibiades looks like his twelve, because he's sitting on some lady's lap, surrounded by other ladies, as he's having his actual lesson with Socrates. Like he's taking notes and everything gfhdgsj he's raising his hand he has a question let him speak.
Also how cute is his hair?? Someone give this child some ice cream.
Here we have no Socrates, which is quite rare. BUT we once again have a very stupid helmet that makes zero sense. And a vey stupid sash that also makes zero sense. But at least we have some drama, like, what's going on here? Is she refusing him??? Is she offended?? Who knows. Anyways very cool fabric rendering but why is Alcibiades so.... barrel-chested. It's kinda scary. Also who's that snitch back there. Does she wanna join.
Overall, I like the colors and the environment here, and the poses are fun. Alcibiades looks like he's reciting poetry but he's so drunk the only thing he remembers is the ship list from the iliad, so that's what he's reciting, and his girlfriend is having a hard time enduring this torture.
Old painters really like putting helmets on head that didn't need them. Like they're IN A BEDROOM why is he in full tactical gear.
This one is one of the weirder ones. I don't know why the vibes are just weird. Socrates is holding his oscar. What did he get an oscar for. I like his outfit it's like he's wearing a shower curtain or a beach towel. Alcibiades on the other hand is straight up naked. Like, that's the level of confidence and comfortableness we should all aspire towards. But I don't like his face, they didn't even try to make him pretty.
Not to mention that Socrates fell into a tub of bleach apparently. Blonde Socrates is even more illegal that unhelmeted Pericles. Maybe that's why i find this piece so strange. This isn't Socrates, this is santa claus.
I do however think the pose is very Alcibiades-like. He would absolutely look at Socrates like that.
Last one for part 1, we have this one! The classic, beloved theme of Socrates taking Alcibiades away from his girlfriends. "Why don't you go play with the boys, Alcibiades? " said Socrates.
No wait wrong story.
Anyways i like this because it has some davinci-ness to the colors and faces and Alcibiades' hair is cute and the girl in white is really trying her hardest to pull him back.
I also like that gigantic column in the back, suggesting that these maniacs were planning on having an orgy right at a temple. They even brought a whole bed over there.
Last thing i like about this one is the way Socrates isn't even really holding onto him. Alcibiades has this haunted/far away look and Socrates can make him follow him just by touching his arm, rather than pulling on him like the girl is. That's because Socrates was half siren, his father had actu
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vibrates with excitement HERE THEY ARE
I present to you, the current design of my self-insert and his ability, Nebulas
please please zoom in and look at the details
i had fun with the rendering for both of these!! even tried painting over the lines in the first one, you can kinda see it in his hair. and that green necklace piece has a bell inside it, it's inspired by a green bell ball i actually have, it sounds very pretty!!
Also, i mentioned this in a textpost the other day, but Nebulas wouldn't actually stand up straight like that, he's the more hunched-over-creature type.
a lot of ramblings about Nebulas below the cut. mentions of blood too. you are under zero obligation to read it, its not the main point of the post.
OKAY SO. im not gonna say much (this was a lie) because it'd be an essay's worth of poorly pieced together information BUT. i'll do my best. apologies in advance.
i mainly wanna talk about Nebulas, because he's been my pride and joy of creations. he's a sentient ability and very much over-powered. he can do a lot, and his main job currently is to keep his host (my self-insert) alive. that means they can get very injured and be a-okay. why? because all of my self-inserts to ever exist have to be able to be covered in copious amounts of their own blood and survive. not sure what this says about me.
pictured above is when Nebulas has full control over his host's body (ie. the eyes only change when he's in full control. the host's turned arms and Nebulas's arms that come out of their back can be present whenever, but that means the host has to forfeit some amount of control regardless). The nosebleeds occur when Nebulas uses more than just his standard power, lending his arms to his host. The more over-exertion, the more blood, etc etc. When Nebulas is in full control, there will be blood.
The black liquid you see is Nebulas' blood! Or, what's considered his blood from a human standpoint. The host's blood can turn black when Nebulas uses it as his own. His blood and his host's blood are basically one in the same.
Because Nebulas is over-powered, he is nerfed by being in a very weak body. Meaning, my self-insert cannot use Nebulas' power. Nebulas has to grant them his power. So it's kinda consent based. (I'll go into why my self-insert is weak by ability standards some other day when I reveal more about them.) Having a very weak-souled host also means Nebulas cannot use as much of his power as he used to. Since most of his power is used for keeping them alive (for reasons i also won't get into rn), there isn't much he can do without causing harm to his host's body, which is why the nosebleeds occur. They can get very heavy. The wide scar on their back that his extra arms extrude from will bleed on these occasions too, but with black blood.
Now, something that I couldn't portray in a singular drawing is that his arms are pitch black when viewed initially, but the more you look at them, the more stuff you see, like little specks of stars and then colorful dust clouds. It's supposed to look kind of trippy to some people. Sometimes it makes people feel nauseous if they look at it for too long.
He also does have a physical manifestation like Golden Demon, Elise, etc but that is almost completely off the table because of how much power that requires. (also because i havent really designed that. and even once i do it will take AGES to draw because of all the details. since he's universe-themed.)
Him and my self-insert are almost complete opposites, but mainly because of a trait Nebulas acquired from his many previous hosts. That trait is bloodlust. It's foreign to Nebulas, as he used to only kill within reason. However, after being used by humans for a lot of bloodshed for self-serving purposes, he became tainted with what he calls "the cruelty of humanity". It's because of this that he retired from bonding with human souls two centuries ago and developed a distain for humans. He views humans as ants who act recklessly and selfishly. Obviously, he does bond with a human soul again, and is once again prone to sudden violence, but because of how kind-hearted his current host is, it's only really a danger when Nebulas is in (or fighting for) full control, with an exception of when his host is angry enough to lash out. Having genuinely violent thoughts that they mean is dangerous for my self-insert, as this works as a gateway for Nebulas' bloodlust, but this is very rare.
Some general trivia after that long essay, great job getting this far.
Nebulas gives his hosts enhanced senses, which makes my self-insert more prone to sensory-overload. At least it means they can't really get snuck up on.
Because of the taint, Nebulas is often pictured like the image above, with a crazed expression. However, he is actually rather stoic when not over-exerting. He is stern with my self-insert, but also considerate and cares about their well-being. He's like some unwilling parental figure.
He usually minds his own business, but sometimes he'll hang out in the back of my self-insert's mind, being nosy about what's going on around them.
In case it's confusing, his name is pronounced like the word "nebulous".
He likes raw pork cutlets. Sometimes, he can be bribed into being more agreeable.
He's often grumpy. He's also very stubborn, and will give his host the silent treatment.
Something he and my self-insert have in common is their like for cats! Nebulas likes their behavior.
If you have any questions, please ask!! I'd love to answer them, because im insane about my ocs and want to talk about them. There is stuff im leaving a mystery for the time being, though.
#my GOD thats a lot of information and thats not even all of it. im leaving out a lot#anyways this is my formal introduction of nebulas!! i've been excited about this#i'll give my self-insert a proper introduction at some point but not yet#i think about these guys a lot in case its not obvious. whatever space is left over from thinking about kajii is taken up by them#my art#blood#THIS POST. TOOK THREE HOURS TO MAKE#FUCK#IM POSTING IT BEFORE I START OVERTHINKING AGAIN#self insert#nebulas oc
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Darling, I forgive you, after all
Anything is better than to be alone
And in the end I guess I had to fall;
Always find my place among the ashes…
So, a short time back, I released a poll asking people if they wanted new angst art for Cherish, and the replies given were overwhelmingly positive, so here it is: the first work in a two-part set of angst art pieces.
There is a lot I would like to say in regards to this particular piece and the symbolism behind it, but I think that I will save that for under the cut, due to post length, zoomed in images, and talk of some much heavier subjects.
The idea behind creating these two art pieces was initially to participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month (which is of course in October, which is also coincidentally Arthur’s birth month), if that gives you any idea of some of the subjects that will be below the cut (along with the usual stuff that I include in all of my art posts).
…And most importantly, if you can, please consider donating to some of the lovely organizations that help victims of various forms of abuse. I don’t want to recommend any particular ones in this post, as I don’t want to accidentally link to a place that may not be as on the level as some others out there, but if you have the time, please explore the Domestic Violence Awareness Month topic online, as I’m sure there are many lovely folks who can direct you to some great ones.
Also, if you think you or someone you know is being abused, or you just want to educate yourself on domestic violence and abuse, please visit thehotline.org and loveisrespect.org, which are two very very lovely sites dedicated to helping people in abusive situations that I myself have visited in the past.
I love you all so much.
Do not repost this artwork anywhere without my explicit permission or claim it as your own. See F.A.Q.s for details.
So, let me start off by saying that Arthur in this artwork was originally supposed to have a similar injury on his head to that which is described in Chapter 13 of my fic, but that was ultimately scrapped as I decided I did not want to be quite that heavy-handed and obvious with the imagery.
With that out of the way, let’s examine the finished piece a bit closer!
First, let’s talk about the (slightly crooked) painting in the background: this piece is actually not created by me at all, but rather, it is a painting from 1870 called Little Red Riding Hood at Her Grandmother’s Door, by Frederick Warne — with the subject, as the title implies, being Little Red Riding Hood arriving at her Grandmother’s cottage.
This sets a subtle nod for the main theme of this piece — with Arthur dressed in an outfit inspired by and matching the same coloring scheme of Little Red Riding Hood’s iconic garb. Paul, on the other hand, sports the gray, white, and black colors of the Wolf, with his shadow coming out behind him as an unsettling and somewhat uncanny wolf shape, grinning with its teeth bared.
The purpose of this symbolism is threefold: Firstly and most superficially, the music video for the song that the second piece was most inspired by also has a slight Little Red Riding Hood theme to it, so this can be seen as a subtle nod to it, but more importantly, it not only sets the precedent of Paul as the predator and Arthur as his prey, but also is meant to hold the same implications of sexual trauma — as well as the old physical violence and “wolf in sheep’s clothing” adage — that the fairytale is commonly viewed through the lens of and thought to represent in modern times.
Continuing forward from that idea, we can see Paul’s right hand reaching uncomfortably close toward Arthur’s inner thigh, whilst Arthur’s hands are in chains — lending not only to the sense that the teen is trapped in this relationship, but that his significantly older lover very simply does not care if he wants to be in it or not, and will do whatever necessary to keep him where he wants him — even if it means mental or some variety of physical harm.
Furthermore, if we examine Rimbaud’s hands, we can see that he is making a careful attempt at signaling his distress to the viewer of the photo — using both of his hands to try to show off the chains and also subtly form and display the two phases of the sign for help — at the same time trying to keep his pose seeming as natural as possible in front of his abuser by not facing them towards the camera, but rather letting them rest downward in his lap.
And to further drive home the point that Verlaine is keeping him trapped in their partnership, we can see the key to Arthur’s cuffs dangling from the chain of the stopwatch in the elder poet’s pocket that is fastened to his lapel.
If we then look to Arthur’s and Paul’s faces, we can further determine the mood of the two men by examining their eyes and expressions.
Whereas Paul is staring intently into his young affair partner’s eyes and grinning widely — with the slightest shimmer visible in his irises — unbothered and uncaring of the wedding ring he still has boldly worn upon his hand, Rimbaud will not look him in the eyes, instead glancing off to the side (almost in the direction of his lover’s ring) with lightless eyes (this is the first time I have drawn Arthur without any form of eye shine to emphasize this point), furrowed eyebrows, and only a half-smile on his face, as barely visible tears well up in the corners of his eyes.
…And yeah, that’s been my little deep-dive on the symbolism of this art piece! I really wanted to create something that at just a quick glance would mostly appear happy and cute, but which — like the painting which is only very slightly tilted) would get increasingly more unsettling the longer and closer you looked at it, and I really hope that I successfully captured that feeling in this work and that you enjoyed reading along with my notes on it!
See you in the next piece!
—
Songs I listened to while drawing this:
My Cherish Playlist (the public and currently only partial version of which you can listen to here.)
Lithium — Evanescence (also linked above in lyric excerpt)
Call Me When You’re Sober — Evanescence
Love the Way You Lie — Eminem ft. Rihanna
Love the Way You Lie (Part 2) — Anson Seabra
His Hands — Jennifer Nettles
Concrete Angel — Martina McBride
Alyssa Lies — Jason Michael Carroll
Do Me a Favor — Anson Seabra
Walked Through Hell — Anson Seabra
Haunted — Evanescence
Surrender — Evanescence
Narcissist — Lauren Spencer Smith
My Heart Can’t Tell You No — Sara Evans
My Heart Can’t Tell You No — Rod Stewart
It’s A Heartache — Rod Stewart
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1989 Version) — Rod Stewart
The Last Song I’m Wasting On You — Evanescence
I Fell in Love With the Devil — Avril Lavigne
My Happy Ending — Avril Lavigne
Because of You — Kelly Clarkson
Please Don’t Leave Me — P!nk
Try — P!nk
Everybody’s Fool — Evanescence
Tainted Love — Chase Holfelder & Tom Evans
Animal — Chase Hofelder
Vampire — Olivia Rodrigo
Memories — Conan Gray
Summer Child — Conan Gray
How Could You — Jessie Murph
(And mostly unrelated to the vibe but I listened to these too)
The First Cut is the Deepest — Rod Stewart
Half a Man — Dean Lewis
Complicated — Avril Lavigne
Before He Cheats — Carrie Underwood
Raise Your Glass — P!nk
Don’t Speak — No Doubt
Whisper — Evanescence
Taking Over Me — Evanescence
Footnote — Conan Gray
Family Line — Conan Gray
#linklethehistorian#linkle’s art blog#bungou stray dogs#bsd#my artwork#my original content#digital art#procreate#iPad Pro#apple pencil#cherish#spoilers#cherish spoilers#Arthur Rimbaud#paul verlaine#my fanfic#verrim#rimlaine
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i think it's time to yap about urbanSPOOK, story writing, and the practice of shock horror. let's talk shop. obviously, if you may be sensitive to topics such as sexual assault (including CSA) (and on animals) (and by animals, on people) and murder/similar themes, then please be warned i will be talking about these subjects in detail, in the context of the story itself.
alright, now that ive got that out of the way, let's talk shop. first, i'll talk about the writing of the story itself, then the use of shock horror. capisce? capisce.
so, the story. what's the plot of the series, and how well is it developed?
well.... not too well. we don't know where it's set, and we don't know how far apart these murders are. weeks? i hope the hell not, since the speed and brutality of the murders (which we will get to don't you worry) is practically impossible. are they out here killing people every single day? how are they not seen by someone? caught by cameras (which, by the way, weren't common for streets until the 90's- after VHS tapes fell out of fashion.) and, most of all, how are multiple (MULTIPLE!!!) cops getting killed by them and not one person knows what to do? why is nobody fighting back? namely, the cops- who are likely to have a firearm on their person. it's just a shoddily put together story that likes to seem super edgy and stuff, but there's no substance to it, like the cloth mother. it's nasty, but there's no real method to the madness so to speak- the killers are just running around hurting/killing randoms.
well, the story kinda sucks. how about the way it's presented, and how the author talks about sensitive things? (also sucks)
okay. i don't wanna beat around the bush here: the author is TERRIBLE at talking about these kinds of topics with any kind of substance to it. it's just nasty and gross for the sake of being nasty and gross, okay? once you figure out the plot beats and the usual style of the paintings, it all loses its luster and just seems to be in the same vein as teenagers on creepypasta forums putting together the most terrifying and scary things they can think of (while having little to no real writing skills) just to ick people out. this is why the creator puts SA of so many kinds in these videos, since it's the worst crime a lot of people can think of, even being worse than death in some eyes. i don't know how to say this without seeming tactless, but here goes: a story without connecting factors isn't a story, it's a heap of information that needs to be put together by the reader. and hey, this is completely okay too! this means the readers can discuss their thoughts. however, if the motives of the murderers are unknown or just amhiguous, it's loads harder to figure out whats even going on. why did this person skin a cat? why was this man stabbed more than four hundred times? (real actual number from the series btw) why were these twins... well you get the point. there's nothing in common between any of them, ever. it's just scary paintings tied together by very thin (and i mean VERY thin) strings that are supposed to mean an "overarching story" or whatever.
i haven't even SPOKEN about how unbelievable this story is, either. penicillin is a substance that needs a prescription for use, but it was found all over this crime scene (same with viagra). the VHS tapes don't look like VHS. there are so many plotholes it feels like i'm looking at someone's pores up close, but whatever. i've said what i needed to say.
if you like urbanSPOOK, i really don't wanna hear it on this post, okay? i don't wanna hear how a story exploiting shock horror is the new shakespeare, okay? watch the tangi virus or something, and learn about immersion in the world of the story.
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dude lets talk about the collector.
gonna use it/its pronouns just in case cause the hunters journal never mentions SHIT about the collecters pronouns. even the hunter is like "wtf is that thing".
i think a lot of what the hollow knight fandom misses is that (at least i think) the collecter was painted by team cherry as actually insane. it is locked inside a padded tower that sits the edges of the kingdom with a key located in an inaccessible area unless you can SWIM IN ACID. now i dont mean this in a derogatory way at all /gen i love the collector and its devotion to the protection of the grubs, but that plus the fact the collector laughs before and during the boss fight and even while you BEAT IT TO DEATH points to either TPK or hallownest as a whole thinking it is insane and needs to be locked up. the fandom portrays it as a silly funny goofy guy which i totally believe and partake in but what if thats not what team cherry meant? you know what im saying?????? and its battle theme is distorted and out of tune, mind you
and on top of that (and maybe i missed this and everyone already knows this) but im 99% sure that the collector was one of TPKs failed attempts at making a kingsmould. TPKs whole point of utilizing the void was because it was supposed to lack any emotion/voice/capability to think, right? but that obviously ended up a disaster as void is very much capable of thinking and feeling, so my idea is that the collector was made as a prototype kingsmould but was tossed out/locked up because it can think/feel and,,, you know, see paragraph 1.
i mean tell me there is not some kind of connection here??
idk let me know if this has already been established or not but- ashgfhjk
#hollow.txt#hollow knight#hollow knight rambles#the collector#the collector hollow knight#hollow knight the collector
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I saw Wish! It was cute, and overall I think it was okay. It had some lovely callbacks, and was entirely original in its main plot, which is nice.
A lot of the issues people theorized it would have (pop-y songs, overdose on adorkability*, generic culture for the characters and outfits, imperfect casting in relation to character’s ethnicities, commercialization upon modern social justice interests such as reformation, and inability to commit to darkness) were there.
*man I usually love talking animals but like. Sidekicks are supposed to be comic relief and support, not distractions. Valentino wasn’t that bad, but still. Then again, I’m not the target audience. I do love that he was a baby goat. (As someone who has helped baby goats, unless they’re cold, they HATE clothes. When they’re cold, then they can just fall asleep in them, it’s very cute.)
But there were good points too (nods to Disney history without distracting the narrative, no romantic storyline* a genuine villain with a in-story further descent, desperate **betrayal spurred on by the societal structure the villain/government sought to preserve, themes of a right to self-determination and liberty vs. ‘protection’, how privilege warps you and makes you defensive, different body types and abilities, lovely animation, and so on).
*for the record, I love romance, and I know the last couple DP movies had no romances either. But idk how you could watch Raya and the Last Dragon and not even THINK about Rayaari lol.
*as soon as I saw the character, I thought ‘Oh he looks like Hans’ and I knew lmao
To comment specifically on Asha: her character creation definitely fell into the adorkability trap. But she’s very sweet, loving and capable, and I really enjoyed her relationship with her family. Making her a fairy (?) godmother at the end totally fit with her story. And her actress, Ariana DeBose, has a fantastic voice, and I can tell she totally gave it her all.
I’m glad her Mom isn’t dead (classic female protagonist issue) but I do have reservations that both Black princesses have dead Dads. I’m by no means the most qualified to speak on that, but I do know that it’s an issue often raised by Black fans on Black character’s backstories.
I do really, really love that Asha is mixed though. I know there’s a lot of issues of colorism* in Hollywood, both in live action and animated productions, but as a sister to a mixed Black boy, I know how much characters like Asha would have meant to my brother as a kid.
*interestingly enough, the movie didn’t fall into the trap of the lady half of the pairing being light than her male partner. Asha’s paternal family is white, and her Mom is Black.
My brother was never into Disney Princesses, but when Miles Morales (from Spider-verse) came out in 2018, right before my brother turned 13, and I think that was the first time he really connected to another kid character on screen. Miles is arguably mixed, often feels like a fish out of water, and grew up too damn fast, both physically* and emotionally. And I know that there has to be a bunch of little kids (and adults too!) who see Asha and feel seen. And I’m so glad for them.
*my brother was always tall, but he hit 6 feet by age 14, is 6’6 (183cm) now, and may still be growing, much to his chagrin.
Wish is not the magnum opus of Disney. Out of the two animated theatrical films Disney put out this year, I think Elemental is the better of the two*. But by no means do I think it’s terrible. It was genuinely fine.
Interestingly enough though, I do believe it to be an incredibly accurate representation of Disney’s modern output and behavior. Perhaps in that sense, it is a triumph.
*though I’m severely biased. I saw that movie 6 times in theatres and coincidentally rewatched it today. I cried each time.
Also for the record, I nearly finished* painting an Asha doll before I saw the movie today. I felt very pleased with myself. Here she is next to a Kida doll that I finished today.**
*I forgot her necklace and got her shoe color wrong, ugh. And I think I’ll try to make her side-braid’s more apparent. I will keep the flower though, just as a nod to both of her sidekicks and because I think it’s pretty lol
** Disney put out a line of mini Disney princess dolls that I … kind of became obsessed with. And have been painting to look like other Disney female Protagonists lol. Kida has an Aurora head (hence the unfortunately small nose) and a Moana body, while Asha has a Moana head (hair texture roughly matched) and a Elsa body (white and purple outfit from the sequel). If you’d like to see more, I have a post from a couple weeks ago about my work so far.
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Another Halloween request from my deactivated account. It isn't my best work but I don't hate it either so here you go.
"Scenario of fem!reader spending the Halloween night with Diasomnia boys, please?"
You get invited to a Halloween "party" night by the Diasomnia squad.
The wind was strong, the trees painted a beautiful combination of red, orange, and yellow while the dorms and the school hallways were decorated in creepy skeletons and pumpkins. It was clear that it is Halloween, the day where you celebrate and remember the dead...well, that is what it is supposed to be but nowadays it is more about the celebration and having fun rather than remembering the departed.
The gate cluttered as you closed it, heading to your dorm in steady steps when suddenly Lilia's head pops into your view. Hanging upside down a tree, grinning at you. “Oh Gosh, you scared me! What do you need?”, you ask warily. He gets down and apologizes, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you but I have something for you.”. He takes out a beautiful envelope, shut tight with a waxed insignia stamp. You look at him questioningly. “Just make sure to come, okay? Bye” And with those words, he vanished into thin air.
You walked into your room and opened the envelope as soon as you sat on your bed. The letter inside reading, “Dear [Your Name], We hereby formally invite you to our very own small celebration of the holiday known as Halloween. Please be at Diasomnias gate by 9 PM sharp. We kindly request you take some change of clothes as we will give you accommodation overnight. Yours respectfully” signed by what seems to be Malleus, Lilia’s, Silver’s, and Sebek’s signature.
A smile graced your lips, it seems you can spend Halloween with your beloved Diasomnia squad instead of having to spend it on your own. You do your usual chores before deciding on what to wear. A quarter to 9 PM, you are fully dressed with spooky makeup to accentuate your wizard costume. Proud of yourself, you head out with your small bag filled with necessities and snacks.
You give three loud knocks and the door opens on its own. You only take a few steps before stopping in your tracks. The decorations are stunning and the light play which they made with their magic is just making it just creepy enough to enjoy it instead of genuinely being scared. “You are early by two minutes, this is unacceptable!”, Sebek comes into your view, complaining about how the invitation precisely said 9 PM sharp but you barely listened to him, still admiring the view. When he calls out to you, you focus on him again and apologize and thank him for welcoming you. He stutters a bit but then says, “it is okay since Malleus nor Lilia saw you enter yet, so I will be lenient this time...but only this time!”, he huffs and leads you to the big living room which has a massive flatscreen and a whole table with Halloween food and drinks.
When you look around a bit more, you see Silver sleeping in a corner. He really can fall asleep anywhere...Then you hear a deep voice from behind, “Thank you for coming, I appreciate it a lot.”, you turn and see Malleus looking down at you with the usual soft smile he wears. Your heart flutters a bit at the sight of him. He does have that kind of effect on you. “No problem, thank you for inviting me, I can’t wait to play games and have fun with you all.”, you reply, avoiding his eyes.
Lilia pops up and goes straight to Silver, waking him up to have him greet you as well. “Glad you could make it on such short notice, we have plenty to eat! I even made the cake back there!” motioning to a corner in the room with a very ominous looking cake, you gulp, thinking this could be your death if you take a bite out of that thing. Silver tips on your shoulder and tells you he will show you your room and then you can all start the party. While walking after him, you ask him if he knew what was planned for today. He told you as far as he knows, they plan to do some Halloween themed games and then watch scary movies before going to sleep.
Sometime later you find yourself in the middle of getting mummified by Sebek, who keeps grumbling about the fact he should have been the one wrapping Malleus up instead of Silver but this anger made him want to beat Silver, he circled around you at the speed of light so you two won the game. You played several more games like a feel-box and a murder mystery game. Afterward, most students decided to go to sleep now instead of watching movies, so it somehow ended up just being you and the four Diasomnia boys. You made yourselves comfortable and Lilia chose to put in The Nightmare Before Christmas. You expected him to put in some kind of slasher movie or something like Paranormal Activity but you assume he was mindful of Silver and Sebek, as they are still underage.
You all commented during the movie, making it more lively at the beginning, but near the end, it died down. When the end credits roll, you try to move, only then realizing that Sebek fell asleep on your shoulder and Silver on your lap. You giggled softly, trying not to wake them while standing up to leave. You look at the other two and realize that both Malleus and Lilia fell asleep as well. Malleus was actually sleeping with his head against Lilia’s upper arm, making it look very funny but this position cannot be good for him so you decide to actually move his head into a more pleasant position. You then take the blankets near you and drape them over everyone. looking at them, having such relaxed faces, and be so unguarded kinda makes them look adorable. You cannot help but smile and softly murmur “Goodnight, sleep tight, my precious friends.”.
As you made your way up the stairs to go into the guest room, you fail to notice Lilia's eyes following your frame until you are out of sight, grinning in a satisfied manner. “Mission accomplished.”, he mumbles under his breath before getting his three “children” into bed as well.
#twisted wonderland#twst#twisted wonderland imagines#diasomnia#lilia vanrouge#malleus draconia#sebek zigvolt#twst silver
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THE SHANOA PLAYLIST IS DONE
it uhhh... vaguely follows the structure of order of ecclesia's story? and it's got some of my fav songs on there!!! hope you enjoy
explanations of the song choices beneath the cut
1. nosferatu - alone
honestly which song would be the first on the playlist was a hard decision and one im still not 100% satisfied with, but i think this song functions as a “shanoa thesis statement”. think like the theme song before the events of the story unfold. its got enough bombast for it to function at the same point in the story as order of ecclesia’s eventful intro and its lyrics are very shanoacore IMO. (also i just noticed that the lyrics on spotify for this song are. not right at all lol someone should fix that)
2. autumn - atrophy
shanoa’s emotionlessness. “when the state of the living/is the state of the dead/such disillusionment is the end”- painting a picture of how shanoa is as the story kicks into gear after its inciting incident.
3. faith and the muse - annwyn, beneath the waves
this one is more like, Vibes than a song that would describe shanoa herself but its placement is i guess supposed to be shanoa’s chase of albus through the countryside??? which is a period in the story best described via Vibes rather than specific moments anyway. i flip-flopped between including the original version and the acoustic version but i decided on the original because its more easily cohesive with the sound of the whole thing yknow. and the ocean represents the high amount of sea creature bosses- jk im just messing with you, could you imagine
4. the cure - the blood
also more of a Vibes song. (enigmatic meetings with albus, one can draw a parallel between “i can tell by your tears you remember it all” and albus asking shanoa to cry in that one scene, the irony of "you can never forget how it used to feel" and its lyrics about being shrouded/blinded by faith and not knowing whats true definitely fit her at this point in the story. this one and the previous are both meant to stand in for the "outdoor portion" of the game)
5. bauhaus - stigmata martyr
represents the corrosive influence of dominus, the three-part glyph, an “unholy trinity”. specifically, think of it as dracula taunting shanoa through albus’s mouth after his attempt to tame that power. (“look to your crimson orifice/in holy remembrance/in scarlet bliss” said to someone who cannot remember anything or feel any bliss? its almost too fitting) and a look at the irony of shanoa’s quest being to martyr herself for that who she thought she was fighting against. if shanoa’s tattoos are stigmata- twilight stigmata- remember that stigmata are wounds.
6. evanescence - bring me to life
i mean i couldnt NOT include this song even if its definitely super out of place from all the goth music on here. i think this was the first song i ever realized Had Shanoa Vibes after i got into order of ecclesia and i’ve been *grits teeth* So Normal ever since. the realization that she’s been living a lie (there’s nothing inside, etc etc) and conflict within after having murdered albus. it also is at the halfway point in the playlist which wasnt intentional but ill pretend it is.
7. siouxsie and the banshees - icon
It’s About Barlowe. kind of a comparatively low-key song to use for the barlowe fight but i think the lyrics are fitting. barlowe’s religious obsession with dracula- and shanoa’s idolization of barlowe crumbling down.
8. this ascension - august rain
post-barlowe fight angst- the “there’s nothing left for me” scene. it was between this song and fearful symmetry and i opted for august rain, but i think either could have worked here. also functions as a calm before the storm as there are three hard hitting bangers in a row after this one. (“i try to reach out to him, take the fear from his eyes” is more directed at albus though, there’s layers. i guess)
9. autumn - how it came to be this way
i considered including the autumn song “the hating tree” because “become the blade that stabs me over and over and over and over again/but this time the betrayal is forever” is just TOO shanoacore but that song is 11 and a half minutes long so um maybe not. HOWEVER... “how it came to be this way” is also the first song by this band i ever heard and i was immediately struck by how much of A Shanoa Song it felt like to me. it’s just so perfect. here it functions as dracula’s resurrection and shanoa’s approach to the castle- “i shall kill them one by one/and feed their corpses to the sun”? i mean, come on. this always was going to have a place on The Shanoa Playlist
10. die laughing - queen of swords
the dracula fight. yep. uh, not much else to add? i think having a song where dracula is the “lord of lies, prince of words” works really well though as it definitely plays into my reading of dracula being a symbol of everything that’s hurt shanoa and everything that barlowe believes in... lies. also i know i called alone a shanoa theme song but if i was making A Shanoa TV Show this would also be a contender for the theme song lol.
11. this ascension - ashes don't burn
More Of A Vibes Thing and it was always going to be on this playlist because it just feeeeeels like shanoa to me. it’s the transcendent experience of a sharing of souls, or at least that was what i was going for, and the ascent- the final oblivion- of albus after seeing his desire through.
12. kate bush - the morning fog
a new appreciation and love for life with emotional context. i feel bad for taking this song from the larger context of the ninth wave, but it IS about a person having a near death experience and learning to love life and the people in it more, which i think gels with shanoa regaining her emotions and the eventual return to wygol. it’s the smile, basically
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Genshin Impact - Wanderer Interlude & the implications of Irminsul / Fate (spoilers)
idk if i'm just reading into it but the interlude actually sets up themes of justice due to discussions on how altering irminsul can lead to questions of responsibility.
Was the world actually changed? Did things not happen in the way they "originally" did?
Or... Are everyone's memories and the current state of books etc. simply altered to reflect the ""change""? (i.e. is it a butterfly effect or merely adjustment of the now?)
The entire time I tried to figure out what Genshin was going for here in regards to that (to me significant) distinction in how Irminsul alteration actually plays out... until at the end, the game basically called me out for that, in the form of the "???" voice stating that it does not matter because the result (a broken vase, dead people) stay the same.
In essence, I can agree with that stance. If the vase is broken, there's no real point in finding out who did it because it doesn't change that it's broken. It will have to be cleaned up either way.
The reasons you'd have for finding out who did it would be to a) make them clean it up or b) lock them up so they don't break other vases.
This is where the distinction of the two ways Irminsul Alteration could function matters to me.
If everything is predetermined, there's no point to finding the criminal. The current vase was meant to break either way, so even if the breaker did not exist, it would still be broken and would still have to be cleaned up. A future vase that is meant to be broken, will break; whether or not you lock them up or not.
If the memory or state of the world merely changes to reflect the ""fake"" history, then there is technically still some value in finding the "truth", because who-ever Irminsul assigned to the act to make up for the gaps in history, would be unfairly believed to have done it by the entire world.
This would then also call into question the theme of "fate" a bit, because I can see why changing the past would not change anything major. Was the vase's fate always to be broken? Or is that its unchangeable fate simply because it was already broken and that cannot be altered because it's in the past? Because then, trying to prevent future vase breaks actually DOES have meaning.
I just think this entire theme is fascinating considering the next region is Fontaine -- how will these themes fare under the context of concepts like Justice?
Justice is meaningless when criminals cannot be held accountable for their crimes. A murderer could turn around and say "their fate was to die! I was simply the way over which it happened".
Personally, I hope altering Irminsul only affects the "now" or the collective perception of the "past" instead of changing the past and then correcting itself so that nothing really changes anyway.
My reasoning is that that leaves room for changing fate to still be relevant in the sense of Khaenri'ah (since it is in the past), but seems to me to make the traveler's recent role as a "witness" or "record-keeper" make more sense?
There isn't much value of a person who knows the "truth" if the "truth" is actually not accurate anymore. it's like someone saying "this wall is blue" and then someone travels back in time and paints it violet. To the people, there is not much value in knowing that if the past changed completely. However, if the wall was now painted violet and everyone is made to believe it was always violet, even when it wasn't, the person who knows the truth has a lot more value to any happenings surrounding this.
But considering the themes of loops, with the twin implied to have done the same journey as us despite lack of people knowing about them; I fear that it's just as likely to go with the alteration of the past itself.
I suppose we shall see...
#genshin impact#gi#genshin impact lore#genshin impact philosophy#genshin wanderer#genshin inversion of genesis#genshin act 3 interlude#genshin spoilers#tori talks#tori has opinions
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