#so not everything in the book should be taken as 100% facts | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

netherworldpost · 10 months

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Welcome to my art studio

Do you need a ruler? We have two lengths: impractically long, impractically short. The rulers that are of useful length are explicitly crooked.

Looking for a pencil? This one is writes so pale you won't be sure if it has made any mark. It is completely illegible. This one is so soft that it will immediately melt, ruining the paper.

Prefer a pen? Here is a box. It leaks. The box leaks, the pens leak, but each leaks differently, depending on how you hold it. The color of inks shift. Oh, you should be wearing gloves, some of that ink is toxic.

As a matter of fact, a significant amount of the material in here is toxic and should not be touched without gloves. Are the gloves themselves toxic? No, they are just kept in a 1940s box marked "Beware Toxic Chemicals" box for aesthetic purposes. The box is probably not toxic.

Here is a chair built out of a pile of trash. It is art. Please do not sit on it. Here is a pile of trash you can use for a chair. It is sometimes taken apart to be made into art.

Here is a bewildering pile of unrelated items. It is a still life.

Here is another bewildering pile of unrelated items. It is lunch.

Here is an assortment of wood for impractical reasons.

Please do not sit on lunch or eat the wood or look at the still life (it gets nervous).

Here is a pile of very expensive sketchbooks made from paper imported from countries that no longer exist.

These notebooks are 100 years old and are completely blank.

The sketchbook paper is of such high quality that it will accept any media applied to it, providing a key strategic advantage in the quality and efficiency of making art.

It will last forever, unchanged, displaying any piece of art created on it or with it, as intended, until physically destroyed.

These sketchbooks were gifted to me by a dying artist. I will gift them, unused, to another artist when I am dying.

Here is a pile of printer paper stolen from a corporate office I broke into with the express purpose of stealing paper and paper clips.

These crumpled, stained, torn, unsorted, half-burned papers contain my innermost thoughts, hopes, fears, they are keys to unlocking my inspiration, they are working and near final drafts of my greatest works, without them I would be lost as a human being and completely destroyed, professionally, for life.

The papers are continuously kept near permanently burning candles, various rags saturated with paint thinner, and a decades-old fan that sparks when you turn it on, turn it off, when it rains, when a loud noise is made outside, and/or every 95.12 hours.

Here is a skeleton. I will not answer questions to its authenticity. Here is a large photo album full of naked people in contorted positions.

Over there is an amour full of photographs, internet clip outs, polaroids, newspapers, books on increasingly esoteric subjects from "court room stenography" to "Rhode Island chicken culture, an eggcellent overview."

If you open the amour everything will fall out and make a loud noise (please see above fan).

If you are feeling woozy from the various paint fumes we can try to open a window. It was painted shut in 1902 but we can try to crack it with one of my twelve hammers.

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nikethestatue · 3 months

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The way I would drop SJM if gwynriel happens. I wont hate on her or anything. I will keep reading her book if elucien happens depending on how elain character is develop. We all due respect Gwyn is a lovely character in my opinion but the fact that all those elriel hints were just to mislead us just so gwynriel could happen makes me kinda sick. I love elriel a lot but honestly at this point i am not 100% sure that elriel will happen the whole glow in the chest thing is really tricky especially if it was use in the bryce/hunt bc on HOFAS. I will still support my ship but I won’t go to hard on it cause honestly I just don’t want to get disappointed. Something that this new release has show us is that one thing is what we want and another is what she as the writer wants🤷🏼‍♀️very few theories have come true and I just think at the end of the day we really know nothing about what’s going on in Sarah s head

Same. Definitely same.

But Gwynriel won't happen. There was a n interview/Live that SJM did at the height of Gwynriel mania in 2021. She was kind of prodded and pushed to answer a Gwynriel question which she didnt but she DID say that not every interaction should be interpreted as 'romantic'. She was clear about that--that even if a reader wants to read it as such, they aren't. Obviously, it was in response to the question about Gwynriel. She didn't outright negate it, but she dropped a pretty heavy hint.

That, clearly, cannot apply to Elriel, since SJM herself wrote a very romantic interlude between the two of them. Theirs ARE romantic gestures and interactions and should be taken as such.

Gwynriel was never coded as romantic. Everything about it--and I've said it always--is mentor/mentee conded, with vague overlay of barely there friendship. Gwyn wants to impress Azriel with her achievements. Azriel challenges her and the others and wants them to push harder. That's it. Nothing about their interactions is even vaguely romantic, not even flirtatious. Also, we KNOW from Azriel's own POV that the entire time he was involved in training of the priestesses, including Gwyn, he was completely CONSUMED by Elain.

No one seems to address that. The timelines are concurrent. Gwyn is cutting the ribbon, Azriel watches her attempts, he trains the priestesses, he does whatever he does with all of that--all the while, he only thinks of Elain. He doesn't look at Gwyn's cut ribbon on his nightstand. He looks at the headache powder. He doesn't avoid training, because he can't be near Gwyn since he wants her so much. He avoids dinners and meetings at the River House, because he wants Elain so much.

Has anything changed after we got the Solstice POV? No. We learn from another SJM interview that Az and Rhys tried to borderline kill each other, because Az was so angry with him. We know that after things sparked in his chest, the next day, he was even more aloof than usual during training and barely spoke to Nesta. Has anything changed, narratively, in his approach to Gwyn after Solstice? Nope. Still the same.

I know it's hard to not hear all the noise and the mad confidence of some readers, but Gwynriel won't be happening. It's not me saying that. It's SJM.

#elriel #pro elriel

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not-a-21st-century-girl · 7 months

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There's something i think about a lot in the context of how gomens fandom tends to blindly follow everything neil says and view it as 100% canon, even though he himself said multiple times that's not how his words outside of the actual text should be treated.

It's the way modern fandoms, from what i see, are becoming too dependent on creators of their canon. Fandom culture, as a whole, is built on the death of author concept, on the idea that authors lose their power over their texts the moment they finish them. For years fandoms were something that creators of the canon used to look down on, or ignore, or disapprove — but no one cared, because the very idea of the fandom implies that you can do what you want and go against anything author says, or even against the things that are actually part of the canon, just because you don't like them.

But in the last idk how many years fandom culture grew bigger and more noticeable, and gradually stopped being perceived as something freaky or weird, and for canon creators, it simply became... more profitable? more logical? to interact with the fandom rather than ignore it. And ofc there's also the fact that fandom culture is and was largely queer culture, and it's becoming more and more normal to make mass media for queer people (which is a good thing!). So there we get more and more official social media accs being friendly with fans, PR-companies playing with hints on a popular ship, authors talking about their fandom and awnsering its questions, and canons themselves catering to fandom's needs, or whole canons being created with those needs in mind — "look, we have a new series with a queer couple that has a dynamic you people love! Come and write fanfics about them and we won't be mad at you like everyone was before!" And it works, of course it works, because we finally get what we want, we're finally being taken seriously! Things are finally being made for us!

And, obviously, it isn't inherently a bad thing. It's probably an inherently good thing even. But with that attitude becoming more and more common, the line between the "official" stuff and fandom becomes more and more blurred. And then... if the creators of our canon are friendly, surely we've got to be friendly too? If they're saying things we like, it would only be fair if we, too, would try to at least not say things they don't like? They've created that book/movie/series/etc that we all like after all, so the least we can do is be thankful and acknowledge what they have to say.

Which is all well, of course. But the way i see it, the moment fandom bends to meet the canon's authors' wishes, it loses its purpose. The decorum — the fanworks, the ships, the discourse — stays, but the very core if it is missing. It's not about bending the story any way you like it, no matter what author or anyone else thinks, anymore. And it frustrates me a lot.

#for the record: there are obvs a lot of the factors affecting everything #so ofc I'm not saying this whole thing with #fandom becoming louder > authors starting to make things for the fandom > fandom starting to try to not make authors mad #is that simple or that straight #but it's kinda there?#not really #good omens critical #but kinda related

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burst-of-iridescent · 7 months

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As great and narratively significant as Zutara is. It really wouldn't work organically without a book 4: air. I can see it having 30 episodes.

It can feature Guru Patik as Aang's new sifu and he teaches Aang more abstract parts of airbending, such as flight, cloud gliding, astral projection, and of course, chakra mastery. We can then get flashbacks with Gyatso teaching tattooless Aang basic airbending. Aang can also learn to come to terms with the fact he has taken over a dozen lives, as did Gyatso and whoever else, and find out any other dark secrets the air nomads have hidden from Aang. They can feature Ty Lee's potential relations to the air nomads and hint/tease at the possibility that she can be an airbender herself.

Due to Azula being a descendant of Aang's past life Roku, (and/or due to Ozai being Vaatu in disguise) Aang and Azula become spiritually, connected, linked, and bonded with each other. This bond is created after Aang had let go of Katara and embraced his last chakra twice. This bond unites them as fate, allowing them to understand each other, derive character development from each other, and grow closest to each other despite being on opposite sides of the war. Aang would even be able to know when Azula lies and vice versa. This connection grows stronger over time. It reaches its apex after Azula has opened and mastered her own chakras.

Of course, there can be the revelation of where Ursa is but instead of what was shown in the comics, Ikem and Kiyi do not exist and while Ursa changes her face, it doesn't cost her her memories. She can hide out in the white lotus and meets up with Aunt Wu who's also a member along with Guru Patik.

The season doesn't have to be post-war though. The comet can arrive by the end of Fall instead of Summer. Season 3 ends with only the final agni kai but everything else is moved to the end of season 4. Or, Aang's year can be the 10,000th year and harmonic convergence arrives by the end of fall. The comet can arrive by the end of summer like originally, but Ozai fights the lion turtle instead of Aang, Ozai wins by slaying the beast. Aang loses his past lives, but Raava is able to make up for it by becoming the avatar spirit of darkness/chaos/yin and light/peace/yang simultaneously and will embody/control the sources of any/all bending.

Speaking of Ozai. For the former, Ursa and Iroh can be rewritten as bio-siblings while Ozai replaces Sozin in time/place of birth. Ozai will basically have all of Sozin and Azulon's characteristics/experiences/atrocities/lifespans while keeping all of his own. Or, for the latter, Ozai's secret/true identity is actually Vaatu. It's Vaatu who used the solstices and his time tree prison's cosmic energy to directly orchestrate the 100-year war through Sozin. He also manipulated Iroh's mother, Ilah, into escaping but at the cost of his dark power and status, which he can only get back via harmonic convergence. Ozaatu slays the lion turtle by absorbing its soul, he gains all elements, plus all non-bender skills, in the opposite order to Aang's cycle by absorbing the souls of all original benders, every member of the white lotus, all Kysohi warriors except for Suki and Ty Lee, and Hakoda.

Do you agree with any of this or do you have something completely different in mind for book 4: air?

i agree with you. when i say zutara should have been canon, it's only in a world where book 4 happened and we got the post-war slowburn we deserved. that's why my stance has always been that if we only had three seasons, the show should have ended with no canonical romances or with only a hint of future zutara. zuko and katara at the end of book 3 are in the perfect place to begin falling in love with each other, having formed a solid, beautiful friendship upon which the ideal romance could have been built.

personally, i'm not a fan of the raava/vaatu plotline that lok introduced (but my problems with it are too long to get into here, so i'll leave it to another time) so i wouldn't incorporate it into my ideal book 4. but i like the ideas about aang going back to guru pathik to learn more about airbending and his spirituality, and i'm always here for secret airbender ty lee.

i would prefer book 4 to be set post-war for two reasons: 1) i think most fantasy stories always end with defeating the Big Bad, so it would have been interesting for ATLA to actually explore a world after war, and how peace doesn't instantly solve all problems, and 2) character work is one of ATLA's biggest strength, and i would've enjoyed a season focusing solely on more introspective struggles (aang struggling to come to terms with the consequences of energybending, toph's conflict with her parents, zuko finding his mother, azula's redemption etc etc) than deal with the Great Evil that has to be vanquished.

but ofc everyone is free to visualize book 4 however they want, and i strongly encourage you to write your version of book 4 if you wish to! that's what fanfiction is for, after all, to play with a thousand different versions of what canon could have been.

#zutara asks #zutara

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junkissed · 2 years

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library mischief

member — witch librarian!chan x gn reader genre — fluff, a twinge of humor, strangers to lovers, fantasy (?) word count — 2.6k warnings — reader commits crimes (not really i’m exaggerating), but a library is broken into, chan is a sweetheart, jeonghan makes a cameo and he’s causing trouble again notes — lowercase intended. if you liked this please reblog so i know this kind of writing is something people enjoy!

one reblog = one cup of chan's magic tea

"excuse me, do you have any nonfiction books on witches?”

having worked at the public library for almost eight years now, chan’s used to strange requests. he’s heard patrons ask for everything from bears to basilosaurus, from tutorials on exorcizing demons to how to use a smartphone for dummies. he’s seen it all.

it’s not the most odd request he’s been asked, especially considering the time of year. with halloween right around the corner, fact begins to seem like fiction, and myths and legends begin to seem like fact.

“try the 100s and 200s sections,” he says, pointing towards a tall stack of bookshelves in the corner of the room. “133 for magic, 203 for spells, curses, and charms, 299 for religious witchcraft.”

you tug your book bag up your shoulder. “thanks,” you smile.

he nods, and you start to leave, but something stops you. a gut feeling, some might call it, or maybe just curious intuition. “you seem to know a lot about witches,” you say, pausing.

he gives you a friendly smile. “i’m just a librarian,” he laughs. “it’s in the job title.”

you hesitate, considering. his answer must be good enough, because you turn to walk away. “thanks again,” you call quietly, so as to not disturb the other patrons.

having been a witch working at the public library for almost eight years now, chan’s mastered the art of hiding.

“are those in… latin?” chan asks when you plop down a tall stack of books at the checkout counter.

“yep! it’s for a– um, research project,” you say quickly, letting out a short laugh.

chan eyes you curiously, making a mental note to look into you later to make sure you aren’t digging where you shouldn’t be.

he pulls out a barcode scanner and one of his best smiles. “i didn’t even know we had books in latin,” he chuckles. lie. he knows every book in his library. and he’s read every single one.

you smile nervously, as if you’re guilty of something.

“what’s your research about?” he prods, carefully sliding each book in front of him.

“oh, just… history, for a project,” you say. chan doesn’t let it show, but he knows you’re lying. you couldn’t be more obvious if you tried.

he pauses, reading one of the titles. it’s a centuries old, leather-bound book he keeps locked up at all times. he puts it out on display in a glass case every october to give the seasonal section a little spooky look, but no one is allowed to touch it.

how did you even find this? only he has access to the key. it’s not to be taken out of the library; no matter what, this book cannot leave his sight.

he clears his throat, pushing the book aside. “sorry, i can’t let you check this one out. it’s not for public use.”

“oh.” you frown. “but it was in the 100s section? like you told me?”

chan clears his throat. “it must’ve been misplaced, then. it’s one of our books on display, it’s not usually out year-round.”

he’s gonna have to have a talk with the student volunteers again. this isn’t the first time things have been misplaced, but they should know better than to touch this book. his book.

“can i still read–”

“here’s your receipt,” he interrupts, voice still friendly as he sets the spellbook below the counter, out of reach and out of sight.

you open your mouth, about to protest, but you stop yourself. you may have lost this battle, but you’ll be back for it later, anyway. no use throwing a fuss about it now.

“thanks for visiting. come back soon,” chan says, slipping the receipt in between the pages of one of the books and handing it to you.

you take it from him and plaster a smile on your face, shoving the other books in your bag. “oh, i will!”

it’s the early hours of the night when you slip the copy of chan’s key into the door, twisting gently to avoid making noise.

he’s a good librarian and a nice guy, but not as careful as he thinks he is, you snicker. taking it off his keyring while he was getting an extra dictionary for you from the back room was easy.

you never stopped to consider if maybe it was a little too easy.

the lights flare on and you startle, eyes wide like a child with their hands in places they shouldn’t be. the guilt across your face is evident, and in that moment chan pities you. whatever the reason you felt the need to break into the library at 2am to steal an old book, you must be desperate. for what, he didn’t know.

“when i said to come back soon, i didn’t mean after hours,” chan laughs. “we’re closed.”

“i… i…” you stutter, struggling to find an excuse why you’re rifling through books in the middle of the night.

“you should be glad i’m not calling the police right now.”

“i need that book!” you burst out.

“why?”

“it’s… i know what it is. i know you need it to break curses. i know it’s not just a book.”

chan pauses. “what makes you think it really works?”

“because i’ve done my research. i know magic isn’t just fiction.” there’s a passion in your eyes, a desperation he hasn’t seen in decades.

“and so you thought you could just– steal it?”

you sigh, defeated. “i was gonna bring it back. i… i need it. you wouldn’t understand.”

chan folds his arms over his chest. “what i understand is that i could have you arrested right now for attempted theft and breaking and entering. so you can either tell me or tell it to the police. why do you need this book so bad?”

you stare down at your feet, avoiding his gaze. “you’re gonna think i’m crazy, but… i have to break a curse.”

“what kind of curse?”

your eyes shoot up. “you don’t think i’m crazy?”

“what kind of curse?” chan repeats.

“it’s for my friend,” you start, quickly trying to explain the story. “she got this tattoo, and i guess it was supposed be a symbol for good luck but then all these things started happening to them, their cat went missing and she started having these nightmares.”

he pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “of course it’s jeonghan again. i told him to stop doing shit like that.”

you wrinkle your eyebrows. “hey, i never told you his name–”

“i’ll help you,” chan interrupts.

“you will?” you gasp, but your excitement quickly wears off. “wait, but what could you do to help? i mean, no offense, but you’re just a librarian–”

he snorts. “i’m not just a librarian. and trust me, even the normal librarians know a lot more than you think. don’t underestimate us.”

you study him carefully. “what do you mean, ‘normal librarians’?”

“the book you keep trying to steal is mine. my personal spellbook.”

your jaw falls open. “so you’re a…”

“witch? yes. i’ll help you break this curse but i’d appreciate it if you’d stop prying after this.”

“why do you put it on display then, if it’s so important?” you ask.

chan sighs. “because the kids like to look at it. it’s just decoration to them, nobody knows it’s a real book.”

he starts towards the entrance, flicking the lights back off and holding open the door for you. “now come on, i’ll drive you over to my house and we’ll finish this.”

you narrow your eyes at him. “how do i know you won’t murder me or something?”

he rolls his eyes. “who knows, maybe i will. i’m not gonna force you. up to you if you want this curse gone or not.”

you grab your bag and scramble out the door after him. “i’ll take my chances. so, where do you live?”

chan’s car rolls up the driveway, parking neatly in line with rows of cherry blossom trees.

“for a witch, your house looks… normal,” you say, staring up at the basic brown exterior.

“what, you think i live in a castle and stir cauldrons all day? i’m a normal guy, just with magic,” he says, breaking into a wide smile when you start to laugh.

he opens the door and you peek inside.

whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t this. the inside of his house is… cozy, like stepping into a magical place. which, when you think about it, you suppose you are.

“take a seat,” chan says, pointing at a small couch with a table.

instead of lamps, little lights float around the room, making the house seem to glow with soft warm light. you sit carefully, eyes gleaming as you look around in wonder.

the house is warm, a welcome contrast from the harsh night winds outside, and you tug your scarf from around your neck.

as if he’s reading your mind, he says suddenly, “do you want tea or coffee or something? it’s cold out tonight.” you already feel the temperature in the house start to increase as if by magic, whether his doing or something else.

“tea would be nice,” you admit, sinking back into the plush seat.

“any particular kind?” he asks.

“black is fine,” you reply.

he disappears around the corner and returns mere seconds later, a steaming mug in his hands.

you take it from him gratefully, but pause, thinking. “you didn’t put anything in this, right? you’re not gonna put a spell on me?”

he looks almost offended. “if i wanted to, i would’ve by now,” he laughs. “the only thing in there is tea and hot water and a little honey. besides, i’m not that kind of witch. i help people, i don’t curse them.”

you nod, deciding to trust him, and pull the cup to your lips, feeling the hot steam warm your frosty cheeks.

“so who’s jeonghan? i mean, i know who he is, but how do you know him?”

chan takes a seat across from you, setting his book on the table. “he’s not a witch, he’s just a demon that likes to cause trouble. he acts up every few hundred years, usually around hallow’s eve. sorry about your friend.”

you set your mug down, at the opposite table so it doesn’t spill. you don’t know how magic spellbooks work, but you don’t want to risk ruining it if you knock over your drink. “you can fix it, right?”

“mm, sort of,” chan says. he opens the book, turning yellowed pages with delicate fingers. you admire his care for the paper, watching his precise focus. maybe it’s a witch thing, maybe it’s a librarian thing. “i can make a talisman for your friend that’ll remove the curse from their tattoo. but it won’t stop him from doing it again to someone else. my magic isn’t that powerful.”

“oh, okay,” you say. “thank you for helping, anyway.”

“it’s what i do,” he smiles.

“but you didn’t have to help me. i was stealing from you. you could’ve had me arrested.”

“i know.”

you pause. “so why didn’t you?”

he sighs, eyes flitting over the open pages. “you seemed like a good person in a bad situation. you were trying to help a friend in need. so now i’m helping you.”

you reach over for your mug. “thank you,” you say again.

he glances up at you, catching your eye. his eyes are kind, and you start to wonder about what he’s like: not the witch part of him, but the man part. the friendly librarian that helps everyone and puts his own personal books on display because it makes the kids happy. if you didn’t know any better, you’d say he’s the type of guy to bring home to meet your parents, or even–

“here you go,” he says, breaking your trance.

you snap back to the scene in front of you. “huh?”

he drops a small crystal necklace in your hands, perfectly round and smooth. “here you go,” he says again.

“you’re done already?” you ask incredulously.

he looks away, and you swear you see a pink blush start to creep into his cheeks. “yeah. i mean, it’s not too difficult.”

“oh,” you say. you thought it would take longer. “sorry i missed it, i zoned out.”

“‘s alright,” he says, gently shutting the book. he stands up, and you scramble to stand with him, not wanting to stay if you’re no longer welcome. you grab your scarf from the couch, praying he can’t actually read minds and just heard your inner monologue about him.

he stands in front of the door, but doesn’t open it. he seems reluctant, but you can’t imagine why.

“so, uh… let me know how it works with your friend,” he says finally.

“i will,” you rush to say. you’d hoped you’d be able to see him again, but you weren’t sure you’d be welcome after trying to steal something so important to him.

he clears his throat, suddenly remembering something. “oh! sorry, do you need a ride home? i should’ve asked,” he says, the tips of his ears beginning to turn red.

“no, i’m… there’s a bus stop near here, my apartment isn’t too far away,” you laugh awkwardly. “plus, my roommate would ask too many questions if a guy dropped me off at almost three in the morning.”

the house goes quiet, and your face grows hot when you realize what you’ve just implied. “no, not that you– i mean, i don’t–”

“it’s fine, i get it,” he laughs. his laugh is comforting, and it feels like everything’s going to be okay.

“okay,” you whisper. you twist your scarf in your hands, not knowing what else to say.

“you can come see me at the library whenever,” he says shyly. “i’m there every night til 8.”

“i’ll do that,” you say, and you mean it. “i would like to see you again. hopefully not like this, though,” you giggle.

“so… i’ll see you later, maybe?” he says, his eyes hopeful as he opens the door for you.

“i’ll see you later,” you say assuredly.

three weeks later

“hey, chan!” you call, a stack of books under your arm.

he looks up from his computer and grins. “hey! we’re still on for tonight, right?”

“yup! i can’t wait for dinner, i’ve heard this place is really good,” you smile. you drop your last few days of reading material on the desk, and he watches you fondly as he starts checking them back in. “i found some books online i wanna show you, but honestly, you’ve probably read them already.”

he laughs. one thing you’ve learned over many, many library visits the past few weeks is that you love making him laugh.

“i’d love to hear all about it. i’m still picking you up after work?”

“mhm. my roommate said to tell you hi and sorry she won’t get to see you tonight, she’s got a cold.”

he smiles. “i’ll make some stuff to bring over for her.”

you lean across the counter to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “i’m just dropping these off, i’ve gotta run. i’ll see you later?”

“i’ll see you later,” he confirms.

having been a witch working at the public library for almost eight years now, chan had never met anyone like you, and especially not in the way he met you. but he’s glad he did.

thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed! if you liked this, reblog or leave an ask or a comment, it shows me you enjoyed this so i know to write more like this in the future!

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belle-keys · 7 months

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why do you think its a sign of media illiteracy when one dislikes lolita? i mean it has everything to do with the fact it was written by men since women romance literature is about self fulfillment fantasy to be dominated by hot alpha male but when you read grey or similar books it's obvious from the start this book isn't trying to be labelled as masterpiece, form of art to be workshipped etc. why people can't treat lolita the same way? why when men write about their sexual fantasies it's called art, top 100 books you need to read before you dir, that you need to separate artist from art, even though his wife admitted nabokov indeed had such fantasies so it's confirmed, but when women write about their own sexual fantasies is immediately labelled as oh, she hasn't had sex in 10 years time, so she tries to live her life through characters from her book? double standards at its best.

let's get into this mess of an ask lmao.

Firstly, I have no idea why you're assuming I don't like it when woman write their sexual fantasies in books. I read and enjoy a lot of that. Just because some misogynistic and hypocritical people are somehow cool with the male gaze but not the female gaze doesn't mean that I'm one of them. You're also assuming that because people trash on female writers' works and don't take it seriously means we should, what, automatically do the same for Nabokov? As revenge? Like, what kinda logic is that?

Secondly, you're assuming Lolita is Nabokov's sexual fantasy which is categorically incorrect and is a gross misreading of the book. Nabokov himself was sexually abused as a child and moreover spent the years after the publishing of Lolita trying to campaign for publishers not to use pictures of little girls on the book cover so that his book wouldn't promote the objectification of Lolita's image. Google is your friend to find all of Nabokov's anti-pedophilia and anti-Humbert stances. The podcast I linked also has an episode that gives a fact-checked biography of his life and the writing of the book.

And an even more glaring flaw of your argument here is that you seem to think Humbert's perspective mirrors... Nabokov's. Vladimir Nabokov is not Sam Levinson, you know. The book is a criticism of the way men treat women and view little girls, and the way a brilliantly evil mind who possesses a way with words can manage to trick you into sympathizing with him purely because of his "fancy prose". But the whole point of Lolita is that you're not supposed to side with Humbert, no matter how well he constructs word palaces in his self-defense. Nabokov created Humbert with the explicit purpose of criticizing and condemning... Humbert. Which he effectively does through the use of sature and irony and unreliable narration in the novel.

Like, please. Hate Lolita because you think it's bad, or it's poorly written, or it's overrated. But don't hate it in the name of all the women whose works aren't taken seriously or because you insist it refers to Nabokov's point of view. Hating Lolita, or any book, isn't a sign of media illiteracy. It's the reasoning for the hate which is what could be. You're entitled to your own opinion, but this opinion here just kinda sucks.

#like cmon it's cool if you hate the book or the subject material or nabokov or men #but don't insist the book is 'immoral' or 'harmful' as your justification for hating it #'no immoral books' and whatever else oscar wilde said #lolita #vladimir nabokov #humbert humbert #dolores haze #media literacy #american literature #english lit #reader #book blog #books and literature

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anulithots · 2 months

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Intro post

100 followers character interview extraordinaire

(I don't know how to do thisssss)

I have kidnapped all my characters (and JJK blorbos) and stuck them into this room. I've threatened asked them to be nice and answer any asks they receive with a gift. Here's how they responded. Have fun!

Ask Anuli for a story:

"OHHH is this one of those stories where the protagonists get suddenly transported to a fantasy realm? The cliches in that genre are so overdone. 'Protagonist was a normal person and blah blah blah the fire nation attacked.'

At the very least, there should be some genre subversions. For example, I am a villain. I could destroy this entire plot line with my presence alone. BE VERY AFRAID! "

".... a gift? That's a mistake. I have nothing to give, nothing to offer. I'm honestly not worth your time. I'm sorry for rambling. All I have are broken stories."

~ A story (book/manga/anime/show/movie) recommendation based on your vibe!

Ask Kamari for a song:

"People? What are tho- never mind. Hello, if I give you a song, you promise to help me negotiate for my freedom, yes? I'd hate to resort to extreme measures."

~ A song recommendation based on your vibe!

Ask Ankh for flowers/plants:

"Poisonous flowers seem like proper retribution for kidnapping."

~ a random plant that I'd associate with your vibe!

Ask Cassiah for 'advice':

"You did well coming to me for advice. I don't know how you could've possibly done... whatever you were doing on your own. Not everyone can just know everything like I do. It's okay. Not your fault whatsoever <3 <3 <3"

~ A random biology fact coupled with a silly tip on productivity. (neurodivergent friendly)

Ask Teddo for the secrets to the universe:

(He's still a work in progress...)

"I am unsure of how easily feeble minds could comprehend such talks. After all, it is feeble minds that make up the lies society runs on, and it is feeble minds that continue to perpetuate the lies they use for their own sake. It's disgusting.

Truth is maddening. But it is the only thing I can strive for."

~ A random quantum physics fact or a random deep thought.

Ask for Noorie to go crazy over Jujutsu Kaisen:

youtube

This scene made me scream. It has taken over my blog. I've reread the Hidden Inventory Arc at least eight times. I've written essays about Itadori. Fanfic one shots about a slice of life version populate my brain. I rarely have a non-JJK thought.

~ Receive some character ramblings or a fanfic idea! And/or some of my screenshot collection. And/or some random headcannons. (Gojo being asexual and thinking being flirtatious is something people do for funsies is a nice headcannon to me <3)

Gently tagging: @mylee-sketches @holdmyteaplease @imslowlydisintegrating @27paperlilies @waitingforthesunrise @osbob-the-existent @awleeofficial @emabatis @forthesanityofstorytellers @gummybugg @noveldivergence @fire-but-ashes-too @full-on-sam @sm-writes-chaos @fenatics + anyone who wishes to participate can do so! It is much appreciated and I hope you all have fun <3

(thanks for listening to my rambles and my stories. It means the world to me.)

#character interview #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #original characters #take care of yourself #the land of the fallen fairies #kfc breakup #Kamari the dryad #Anuli the dryad #Ankh the dryad #ankh the dryad #anuli the dryad #kamari the dryad #Youtube

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shojo · 5 months

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Wish Review/Thoughts/Stuff

Not a formal review, just some bullet points of my thoughts on Disney's Wish. Letsa go.

***SPOILERS BELOW SO, YA KNOW, BEWARE***

So. I liked it. It was sweet, gorgeous to look at, and a simple fairytale. But I think that's the movie's biggest weakness because

There are no consequences. Just like Frozen, Raya, Frozen II, etc. the heroes go on this big quest and the stakes are freaking high like oh shit are they actually gonna go there an- Oh. Wait. Nope. Everything and everyone is fine and there's a happy ending and the movie's order and nothing was lost and will never be lost the end. When Magnifico crushed Asha's mother's wish I thought for a second that he killed her. Straight up. But then no she's just... really sad. And that sucks but she's fine. And those other three citizens are fine. Their dreams are literally crushed but, yeah, they're fine. Simon betrays Asha. He says sorry. They're friends again. They're all fine. Magnifico body slams a 17 year old girl into the stone floor more than once. She's fine. Whatever evil that has taken hold of Magnifico is just.. defeated. That's fine. This is fine. Everything's fine. Which brings me to my next critique that there is

So much set up and little to no pay off. What was the deal with the burned ends of the tapestry? What terrible fate was Magnifico trying to avoid? What's the deal with the evil book? Why did it have it? Does it have something to do with the story in the tapestry? Why did they mention Asha's grandfather's age multiple times (did you know he's turning 100 years old and can still ride a horse and play the guitar) and then do nothing with that information? Were they hinting at grandpa not living to get to see his wish granted? Was Asha trying desperately to get his wish granted because she knew he wouldn't have too much longer to live? What's the typical life span of a citizen of Rosas? Is 100 the new 40? Why was Magnifico so suspicious of granting grandpa's gift of playing music? Does this have to do with the story of the tapestry?? Why does Dahlia have a cane? Is she injured or is it a disability? Why are we trying to represent a person with a disability and then never mentioning it throughout the entire run time of the movie? Does her wish have anything to do with why she has a cane? Does her wish involve making the best damn cookies this kingdom has ever seen because to hell with her disability because she's got kickass friends who love her for her and don't want/need her to change but will the movie ever address this? If Dahlia knows about the inner workings of the castle does she know about the story in the tapestry??? What happened to Asha's dad? Why don't we get to see him, not even in a flashback? Why couldn't he have been the stand-in for Walt himself? Was Asha's dad the one to inspire her to draw and create animation just as Walt inspires us/a new generation of dreamers to this day? (Are we just going to gloss over the fact that Asha created her own snippet of animation? And that she must love to draw because she has so many pictures in her notebook? Can we please have a Disney heroine that loves to not only draw but animate?) And if Asha is about to turn 18 and her grandpa is turning 100, how does that work?! How old is her mother? Did they not have kids until they were in their 40s? Is he Asha's great great grandpa instead? If he's turning 100, should he know more about the city's history? Should he be older than Magnifico? DOES HE KNOW ABOUT THE STORY IN THE TAPESTRY THAT MAGNIFICO IS TRYING SO DESPERATELY TO NOT HAVE HAPPEN TWICE? JENNIFER LEE, I HAVE QUESTIONS AND I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HAVE, LIKE, FOUR OF THEM ANSWERED PLEASE.

*deep breaths*

Valentino is Olaf without the heart. Let me explain. Olaf is a comic relief sidekick. He's also the reason Elsa and Anna reconnected after years of isolation and is a core memory for the girls. He's their holiday tradition. He's their friend. Elsa made him. Olaf, whether you love him or like him, is an essential part of the story of Frozen. Valentino is a comic relief sidekick. He's Asha's three week old friend/pet/buddy/cute animal. Um. He talks now. He's super cute. Love his outfit. Says some funny lines. Alan Tudyk. .... That's about it.

Chris Pine knocked this out of the damn park. Excellent voice acting on his part, loved his inflections and growls and everything in between. Very nice. Handsome king is handsome. Yes.

Asha and her friends are a better retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs than that live action movie will ever hope to be (if it ever gets finished).

Like I said, I did like this movie. Being the Disney nerd that I am, I was a sucker for all the references to previous Disney films (heck, the freaking opening text got me) and I'm going to go through this movie with a fine tooth comb the second I get my hands on a pause button on Disney+ to find them all. This movie seems to be getting a lot of hate which I don't think is warranted but there's obvious flaws and holes a mile wide in the plot. I'm hovering between a 6 or a 7 out of 10 or a solid B rating at the moment of writing this.

Also Asha is a tour guide and I am a tour guide so we're practically twins.

#wish #disney wish #shojo movie reviews #movie review #wish movie #wish disney #wish spoilers #the joke about point number 8 is that I am a white girl #ha ha i'm hilarious

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picnokinesis · 7 months

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That gifset you reblogged about PotD reminded me of something Sacha said recently at a con regarding whether his Master would ever take a companion on, to which he replied (paraphrasing), “no, he’d used them until they were no longer useful then immediately get rid of them” (so, unsurprisingly, just like other the Masters have/would).

But, then that reminded me of the Master -possibly Delgado, it’s not 100% clear- actually having a companion in one of the Virgin Missing Adventures books (“The Dark Path”), who he believes is human but is eventually revealed to be a Time Lord undercover for the High Council. What’s really interesting is that they’re not only enough close for him to attempt to revive her once he accidentally kills her (as opposed to just leaving her for dead), but is also one the pivotal moments leading him to go from being called Koschei to The Master.

The idea of The Master being so emotionally scarred from the whole ordeal that they refuse to let anyone else ever get that close to them again is really interesting, even if it’s too heavy to ever be transplanted to the show’s canon.

It's taken so long to reply to this ask that the gifset in question is way down in my blog somewhere - but I know EXACTLY which one you mean and HHHHHHHH I DIDN'T KNOW THAT ABOUT THE BOOKS BUT HHHHHH??? Guh yeah that would....make an AWFUL lot of sense. I think in Big Finish too, there's a plotline where the Master has a companion called Cole who meets a rather sticky end - I can't remember everything exactly about that but it all links in, yknow (I actually think that was another case of the master using a companion, something to do with a paradox? I should probably look this up but I'm not going to haha)

But - as with everything thoschei - I think his reluctance to have anyone else travel with him also stems a lot from the fact that he wanted to travel with the Doctor, only they went off on their own without him. So I think that would play a lot into it - any other travelling companion would pale in comparison to if it was the Doctor who was actually there, as an equal. So like, those two factors combined? No wonder the Master only ever teams up with people who end up screwing them over in the end. At least with them, when they turn against him, it's what he expects rather than a betrayal.

#hMMMMM #interesting thoughts!!#taka replies #wheresthewater #doctor who #the master

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maniacmaniac-19 · 1 year

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Okay so I have a theory with regards to the whole Tolya and Inej ship thing happening:

From what I've seen, it seems to me that people who do ship them are more focused on (and maybe have only seen) the show, and so right off the bat, there is a lack of knowledge of the backgrounds of the characters

For the people who have only read the SoC duology, if they don't like Kaz, Tolya seems like a great alternative. He is religious, kind, strong, and we love him. This of course misses the fact that he is also explicitly regarded as aro/ace in the books. And even people who see that later or who have read the books can say, well, maybe, as a human being, his feelings and/or his mind changed, as people aren't locked into a sexuality. Of course, 1) this would be a major loss of representation and 2) would be contradictive to everything we have seen so far with Tolya in the books before, after, and during this point in the story (but essentially nothing we have seen in the show)

And people who haven't read the duology have an additional limitation of the lack of external indicators of Inej's trauma. And I think part of that is the result of the show being a visual medium in which we don't get to be inside the characters' heads in the same way as a book and the fact that they were so squished for time in the second season. Which, obviously neither of those things are great, but at least we had Amita Suman who obviously understands Inej

So Inej's "I will have you without armor" seems a lot more like she is issuing an immediate ultimatum. And this is just my own opinion, but I feel like this is a lot of fans' reading on this scene, both in book and show. Personally, I take this scene as her asking him to try. To show that he is willing to try and be open to her, not just (or even) to take his gloves off

So with that "ultimatum" reading, it makes sense to ship her with someone who appears to be able to give her what she appears to want (even tho show Inej still flinches even when Jesper, who she views as a brother, hugs her, so she is not ready for an immediate intimate relationship, rather, she wants to be able to get there someday with Kaz)

In addition, the show didn't have/make time (especially in the second season) to demonstrate the friendship and intimate knowledge that Kaz and Inej have of each other. Most of that is demonstrated in the first season and feels very Kaz focused, e.g. their confrontation in his room in the Crow Club, her asking him if he got the right uniform size since he didn't last time, him always noticing where she is.

We really miss that perspective of Inej knowing Kaz, which is super unfortunate. The first chapter of SoC makes it so clear that these two spend a lot of time together (the way she mentally refers to him implies q sense of intimacy and knowledge, plus her and Kaz concocting 100 theories for how the ambassador was murdered, that would take a decent amount of time), not to mention later the description of her just hanging out in his room feeding crows. She chooses to be there.

There are so many intimate (and platonic) moments and feelings between these two that the show didn't even touch on (and a lot of book fans who don't like Kanej even miss these moments imo). And combined with the limiting knowledge of the other characters, it makes sense that some people think Inej should be with someone else like Tolya

Personally, I love the idea of them becoming good friends and I can understand, at least in part, the logical steps that are taken to see them as a ship. But the full knowledge of these characters obviously prevents that from aligning with canon

#kanej #six of crows #shadow and bone #shadow and bone s2 #shadow and bone spoilers #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #of course people will ship whatever they want to #but this is just my analysis of why it's happening #not any justification or attack

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vanilla-c0c0 · 8 months

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Villains want to embarrass little robin (William Rex & Victor) - Story Event

All possible disclaimers are valid! I’m not a mother tongue speaker and I’m doing this just for fun. 100% accuracy is not guaranteed. Have fun!

It’s nighttime, MC and William are playing chess in the common room. MC moves the bishop diagonally, and William compliments her by saying that despite him mentioning this move only once, she did not forget it. She’s honoured to be complimented by him, though she admits to herself that it will take her a long time to be able to compete with the man.

William: …By the way, MC. Would you like to become Queen?

MC: Well, this is the rook so…. Eh?

By now, she knows that behind William’s remarks there is always some kind of ulterior meaning, but this time she really can’t understand what he’s talking about. Victor walks into the room, saying that it is exactly as he just said. He whines that he wanted to be the one to say that to MC, so he then takes up the role to explain everything else.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, and MC comments that she remembers the beautiful celebrations and parades that were held on the day Queen Victoria ascended to the throne back when she was still a postman*. For the people in this country, Her Majesty is a symbol of prosperity.

Note: uhm thing is MC says she remembers the celebrations (probably talking about the anniversary) and then she makes the comment about the parades and ceremonies held on the day the queen ascended to the throne? But she couldn’t have been there physically: Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1937, and we know for a fact that the story is set DEFINITELY after 1887/1892, which was the year the first Sherlock Holmes book was released (and that Harrison is a fan of). Sooo it’s probably just her reminiscing over a known fact for someone leaving in Victorian England.

Anyway, as celebration of such an important day, a parade will be held, and the Queen will have to appear in front of the people. However, she is not feeling very well at the moment, so they need a replacement. MC asks if they’re really going to do something like this, and Victor explains that chances like this are extremely rare, and she will definitely have a lot of fun! MC thinks that despite him making such an outrageous proposal, he’s talking about it as if he was proposing an excursion. Anyhow, she accepts, saying that being able to help is nothing but an honour, and reassuring herself that it’s possible (since the Queen hides her face with a veil and people wouldn’t notice the difference). This was all done with the consent of the Queen, who also gave Victor an additional condition: he and William will have to escort MC for the day.

Victor: Me,

William: And me-

Both: Will serve by your side and protect you at the cost of our lives.

To MC, nothing is more reassuring than knowing the strongest duo in Crown will be by her side. William then decides that, in order to prepare for tomorrow, they should stop playing chess now.

William: Rest well. Sweet dreams, MC.

—

The following day, they arrive at the audience room in the palace. William explains that Her Majesty prefers silence and doesn’t let people get too close; therefore, only a limited number of people can enter the room. A red carpet leads to the distant throne, surrounded by an air of serenity.

William: Fufu, you have the face of a newborn child who is learning about the world for the first time, MC. I feel sorry for asking you this while looking at the curiosity on your face but… I’m afraid there’s something you must do.

William and Victor: Could you please take off your clothes?

MC: ……..Eh?

She’s taken to a backroom where she is changed into the formal clothes that were given to her. The cerimonial dress also includes diamond earrings and a lace veil. William notes that it fits her very well, and everyone will mistake her for Her Majesty. Still, MC can’t help but wonder how come the dress is the perfect size for her; turns out, Victor adjusted it by himself together with the custom-made shoes, specially made to disguise her height. All that’s missing now is the crown, the symbol of freedom, as described by the Queen. Its overwhelming importance makes MC stand up even straighter.

Victor: Come to think of it, William once took the place of Her Majesty.

Apparently, Queen Victoria’s life was being targeted, so William had to act as her substitute (DONT THEY HAVE ANY WOMEN AT THE PALACE??? WHY WILLIAM???? HES ALSO LIKE 50 CM TALLER THAN QUEEN VICTORIA?????). Back then, he had a really hard time: Her Majesty doesn’t hum and doesn’t sit with her legs crossed. MC laughs, saying she’d like to see it once, Her Majesty Queen William.

William: If you want, someday again.

MC is starting to feel a bit antsy, but Victor reassures her that all she has to do is enjoy herself for today; he and WIlliam will handle the rest.

Victor: Well then, let’s go. It’s the beginning of a very fun day!

#ikemen villains #ikevil william #william rex #ikevil #Ikevil victor

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zeroducks-2 · 1 year

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Do you think sladick could take a step further in the relationship and actually get married? I personally see them as some sort of toxic relationship so I don't think marriage would 100% work for them but I want to know your thoughts

I myself don't see Sladick as a toxic relationship, or better not necessarily. I have been mentioning this a couple of time in the past but to reiterate, my favorite thing about this ship is that their impeccable chemistry makes them work (in my book) with every kind of scenario. Partially quoting my answer to when I was asked Sladick for the ship ask game:

I love when Slade is abusive, but I also love when he takes better care of Dick than anyone else. I love when Dick does the sweetest most domestic things around Slade because he feels so safe. I love it when he spits blood and resentment in his face, realizing just how bad this man broke him. Slade can be a guardian angel to Dick, or he can be the reason why Dick is losing his sanity. Sometimes they're madly in love, sometimes it's just sex, sometimes Slade is a rapist and sometimes he'd tear to shreds anyone who dares touch his most precious little bird. Basically every Sladick dynamic you can think of works with me.

Going by this, it should be a given that in the right circumstances and if you tweak their personalities enough, they could indeed take the relationship "a step further" and get married, but here I contradict myself because I would really dislike that. Specifically I would dislike a strictly heteronormative, ring-around-the-finger monogamous relationship, especially if we're talking marriage in the old fashioned, traditional sense of the word.

It might be that my queer, polyamorous ass tends to dislike when marriage is used to show that indeed a relationship was "taken a step further"; I don't like the concept of marriage per se, or the history behind it, or how in narrative it tends to be the happily ever after for two people to show that now their relationship is "mature enough". And I ESPECIALLY dislike when marriage is used to sort of "prove" that two people are actually deeply on love - they have to be since they are married - nah fuck that.

So I guess my answer would be that if you want to craft a situation in which Slade and Dick are happily married, you have my blessing. At the end of the day there is nothing that "won't work" for a ship as long as you make it work - we can make everything work in transformative stuff, and if tomorrow I want to write Dick growing a second head there's nothing stopping me. But it's not going to be my cup of tea for sure. Both the marriage and Dick growing a second head.

(To be clear, when I say this I don't mean ALL the scenarios in which Slade and Dick are married, like of course a Royal/medieval AU or an Omegaverse AU would go by different societal standards and rules, giving a different meaning and context to marriage and similar kind of unions. I'm talking about mundane AUs - coffee shop or college or idk truck driver&gas stop clerk AUs - and canon universe situations, in which marriage exists as that specific kind of "symbol of the fact that we truly love each other" romantic trope. That's the hard no for me.)

#my asks #sladick #trope discussion

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theheightofdishonor · 6 months

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I'm gonna take the leap and finally talk about only friends on here. There's only one episode left so I think it's a good time to just write about it

Top and Mew

I won't lie, these two are probably the most boring pair to me and from the little i have perused through the tags, it seems like it's the same for a lot of people? But I do appreciate them. I think the lack of chemistry between them is 100% intentional. We know Force and Book can pull off chemistry. And on top of that, this crew is wonderful in bringing out the best from its cast so the fact that Mew and Top feel like they're missing something, that's on purpose. I think @shortpplfedup has mentioned a couple times about how Top and Mew's relationship is wrapped up in ego and image and how it warps their perception and expectations from each other and I agree! Even when they're vulnerable with each other, there's a guard there because they're unable to not be playing this game they've got going on with each other. And this tracks into ep 11 because the only reason Mew agrees to forgive Top is because Top threatens to walk away for good (because he can't handle the idea of being the loser in this relationship forever) and Mew can't have that because that would make him the loser permanently. I've been referring to their situation as 'gone girl-ing' irl because they're that couple who don't really like each other? but they're still never going to leave because they know they're well matched and would be more miserable with someone else and also leaving would mean admitting that they've made a bad choice so they stay together but they also kind of enjoy this mutual toxicity? Like Mew is 100% going to run to his friends again complaining about Top and then when they suggest breaking up, be like 'well, I should but" until it gets exhausting for everyone involved.

I know tons of people like this in real life. And they're not my favourite but i've made peace with it. That being said, I still don't quite understand what the team's intention is with Top because he really is very neglected in this cast. We know nearly nothing about him and the things we do know never get looked at. Again, I do think this is intentional and Force is doing a phenomenal job with the character but I just don't get what they're leading to. I won't make a solid judgement on this though til the finale airs so moving on

Nick and Boston.

My favorite pair and favorite characters? Yeah they are. Nick, my adorable little psychopath, we've had our ups and downs and I was skeptical if you'd ever stop being embarrassing but you did and I am so proud of my absolute favorite boy. He's accepted his own toxicity, taken a good hard look at himself and his feelings for Boston and he is on top of everything. When he's telling Ton in the club to not look at other men, there's (to me at least) no hint of that worry or insecurity from the first couple episodes. And Boston's reaction too was more of a guy who's heard his partner complain about the same thing a million times instead of taking it as a sign of Nick's clinginess. It felt like echoes of an old, worn 'argument' that's just rote. And then in the conversation where Boston offers a short term committed relationship? He doesn't just jump into and instead thinks about whether it's something he really wants and what it means for him and what it means for them. Not to mention how well he was able to establish expectations with Daddy Dan about their relationship. There's still time for him to backflip next week but for now, baby boy is winning.

And Boston! I think his character arc so far has been very well done. He's not had a complete personality makeover but he's changed too and has made adjustments to the way he looks at things. The entire conversation about a committed relationship with Nick was everything. It's such a huge step for him and you can feel it in just Neo's posture and his tone how much it means to him. I don't actually think I have the words to dissect him well and I think people far more eloquent than I have already done so so i'll just leave it at that.

Oh wait actually brief mention of the Atom-Ton thing because I don't know yet how I feel about Atom being let off so easily. On one hand, it feels true to where Boston is now that he doesn't want to pursue it too much, especially when he's leaving in a couple months and he's also had some revenge with Nick. On the other hand....I don't know. I guess i've shelving this til the last ep too.

One more thing, I've seen the idea that Nick and Ton haven't had enough screentime and I disagree, I think they've made a perfect amount of sense with the amount they've had. Would I complain about seeing more, of course not. But i'm not dissatisfied and their time's been used well and where their arc is at now, they don't need a lot either. Though from the preview, it seems like we will be getting a fair bit of them next week due to the Boston-Boeing storyline.

Sand and Ray.

If I had a firstkhao bias going into this show, it's definitely been worn down. I've more or less given up on Sand developing any sort of backbone or self-respect + the idea of Ray finally reciprocating and taking care of him. They're still cute though and I don't mind any longer that it's an imperfect relationship. That being said, it was so fun seeing Boeing come back to wreck them this episode. Sand's mom tells us that the way Sand is with Ray is just how he is with everyone he cares about but I don't think Ray understood that til we see Sand and Boeing in action. Sand is very clearly uncomfortable in Boeing's presence and yet! He says they can be friends, he asks about Boeing's job, he tells Ray to leave so they can talk in private, sweetheart this man CHEATED ON YOU?? And on top of all of this, he brushes away all of Ray's attempts to claim him in front of Boeing too. Talk about creating all your own problems.

I do want to muse for a bit on Sand saying that Boeing is exactly his type and how he doesn't deny it when Boeing says Ray is the opposite of that. I think they're actually more alike than they seem on the surface. Their mutual disregard for boundaries and willingness to exploit Sand's weaknesses are sure similar as is the need to be seen as special. Boeing turns nasty at the idea of Mew meaning more to Top than he did and a lot of what draws Ray to Sand is the way Sand treats him as something special (and he's not happy either when it's revealed that Sand's behavior towards him is something he gives everyone) On the other hand, Boeing is very put together and barely shows a hint of vulnerability whereas Ray wears his faults on his sleeves and is generally a mess. I haven't quite verbalized any conclusions about this yet but i'm mulling over it. We'll see if I have time to write something up later this week.

Now Ray. Ray's having the time of his life parading around as Sand's boyfriend until it all comes crashing down. They're having cute record shop dates, talking about their future, being domestic in front of elementary school kids, the whole nine yards and even when Sand is being so shifty bringing up Boeing, he's confident enough in where he stands that it doesn't faze him whatsoever. I love Ray but seeing his uncomfortable crawling realization that perhaps Boeing might pose a threat was everything I wanted. The confirmation about his threesome proposals being a front was unneeded but fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how he continues to react to Boeing next week. That little look they shared when First stepped into the water? I suspect these two are going to eat that man alive.

Boeing

Boeing is my darling little agent of chaos. He had his turn with TopMew, he's currently wrecking SandRay and from the looks of it, he's moving onto NickBoston next week. I adore that he's apparently the final boss for all our main couples. I think he's gonna lose 3 for 3 which i'm a little crestfallen about but it's a fun time. I'm enjoying the chaos. I do hope we get to see a little more about his motivations and personality next week though.

Cheum

The fandom's response to Cheum is so weird. First she's on this pedestal of being the perfect girl who can do no wrong amongst these dumb messy boys and now she's the worst of the worst. It's the messy gay show and she's being a messy gay. I've been waiting for her to do something properly awful. The show's not done yet so I do think her response to the Atom-Boston thing will get more screentime next week. Of course I'm not trying to gloss over how terrible her treatment of Boston was but I'm also not expecting her to suddenly grovel nor do I think she should because it's not something she feels sorry for! Her just apologizing for it and feeling bad would be glossing over the fact that these are genuinely things she's thought about Boston all along and that she was just using the opportunity Atom provided to say it. The fact that Boston didn't do what she thought he did doesn't matter to her. And that's what they should address. This storyline is still ongoing though so again, holding out judgement til the end.

Overall, I've loved following this show week to week. It's been messy, it's been dramatic and it's had a lot to say about promiscuity, friendship, relationships and fandom amongst like a dozen other things. Watching the show and fandom reactions to it have been eyeopening. Additionally, the performances have been excellent. Only Friends is proof of how a good director and environment can bring out the best in all its cast because I honestly can't pick who has given the best performance here since they've all just been that good. Even if this show somehow flops next episode, I won't even be that mad because it's been so good and enjoyable that it deserves a bit of leniency and i've enjoyed it all the way through.

#only friends the series #i think i've covered everything?#i might not have though #ofts #if i think of something else i'll make another post

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thornpuck · 1 year

Text

On Projects

My personal work journey began with the virtual pet game. And I was so pumped about that. Unfortunately, I couldn't code, and I couldn't find a coder to collaborate with. So I abadoned that project.

Next, it was the Aliens animated kids book. And this one was going well, but I couldn't justify finishing it off as it was going to be 100 percent free and practice for my bigger project, The Vial. I couldn't justify spending so much time on what was going to be getting me no money to live. So I abandoned that project.

Then I finally began work on The Vial animated kids book. I worked on it diligently for a couple of months and everything was going well, and then *poof* all motivation to work on it disappeared. I think I should probably not have jumped into my magnum opus, a puzzle game animated kids book app, right after burnout. I think I'm still burned out tbh and getting myself to work on it was like pulling teeth. I'm still trying to recover from like, a severe mental breakdown and I think I have to be a bit gentle on myself while I heal. But that doesn't make the fact I couldn't work on it any less heartbreaking.

So now I'm working on a small kids book, not animated, not an app. Just pencil and paper, send it to publishers, see if they like it. It might be no one picks it up, but I'd be happy enough with that. I just want to work on something easy and small to ease back into work.

Honestly I feel like such a failure. Like I had all this spare time and savings to work on something and my brain is just like, 'nope lol'.

Trying to work on just being able to draw is a whole thing. I've taken strides in getting better at not being anxious about drawing... but it's still not great.

Like I sound so hyperbolic, but literally everytime I go to draw, I have to consider: "Am I prepared to have a mental breakdown if drawing doesn't go the way I want it to?" because if I don't draw well my brain is filled with feelings of failure and self hate and it's a whole thing.

I thought these new meds I was on had fixed the issue - they were like a magic bullet and everything was going fine. But they've stopped working now and I'm not sure if it's a dosage problem, or a placebo, or something else. But it's clear I can't rely on them and I need to like, actually do some work. Which is a shame because I am very tired.

This has been another sporadic update on where I'm at. If you read this far, thanks.

#text #self #self post

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bookofmirth · 1 year

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I've read your meta-analysis about Nesta and her sisters and I agree with mostly all of them, so I wanted to know your thoughts on Nesta's relationship with her father. Especially since its a huge element in her trauma and grief.

Personally, I don't like how ACOSF painted him as a victim Nesta should have been more appreciate of. It almost erases any accountability Nesta should have reserved for him.

Nesta was maybe 11 when they lost their fortune and throughout their poverty, her father never protected her or her sisters the way they needed. Going so far as to only talk about the day they will get their fortune back.

“But at least Nesta didn’t fill our heads with useless talk of regaining our wealth, like my father.”

It personally bothers me that his ego got in the way of protecting his daughters and finding means to protect them.

"He’d been so sure the venture would gain him even more wealth—an obscene amount of wealth. People told him he was mad, but he refused to listen. When they were proved right … I think that humiliation broke him as much as the financial loss.”

“He could find work if he wasn’t so ashamed”

His own ego was his downfall. And his daughters paid the price.

But it bothers me more that the narrative paints Nesta as the one who needs to become deserving of his love without acknowledging her right to be angry with him and expect more from him. Papa Archeron was painted the victim and Nesta—the child she was through majority of their poverty—the aggressor.

Despite everything, I do believe he loved his daughters. But love isn't always enough. Especially when its used to vilify Nesta further.

Hello! I have so many thoughts about Nesta (and Elain and Feyre) and her parents! Thanks for giving me an excuse to write about them. This got longgggggg...

Generally speaking, I didn't think that acosf excused Papa Archeron so much as it made Nesta grapple with the fact that despite all of his failures - which were definitely failures - and despite her own anger towards him, she still loved him and is angry at herself for that, and wonders why she's so affected by the death of someone that she thought she hated. I always like to distinguish between intellectually knowing something, and emotionally accepting it. You can know intellectually why someone did what they did, without being okay with it. I think with Nesta, she is angry at him and she wants to hold on to that anger, but ultimately he was her father and that's a lot easier said than done.

Because of all that, I don't think that Nesta's thoughts about her father are honest. Her negative thoughts about herself are a big part of acosf, and I thought this was interesting:

She’d failed her father, failed Feyre for years before that. Failed her mother, she supposed. And with Elain, she’d failed as well: first in letting her get taken by Hybern that night they’d been stolen from their beds; then by letting her go into that Cauldron. Then when the Cauldron had taken her into the heart of Hybern’s camp. She’d failed and failed and failed, and there was no end to it, no end—

But were those things are failures? Or is Nesta being too hard on herself? Just because Nesta thinks those things about herself doesn't make them true, so imo the book isn't trying to vilify Nesta, but to help her sort-of... contextualize and understand that the things she thinks about herself aren't true? At least not 100% of the time. (We're all assholes at least a little bit of the time.) So back to her father, I think there is truth mixed in with the self-debasement because yes, he lost their money, yes he refused to pull himself out of his depression or what have you and get work, yes he failed to get healers for their mother - and yet. Nesta still loved him. And she's so, so confused by that, and so angry at it, because she also sees herself as a failure and therefore not worthy of love or forgiveness. But here she is, loving him anyway. And she sees Elain and Feyre, openly mourning their father and seemingly forgiving him for every shitty thing he did, and she feels like she doesn't deserve the same sort of forgiveness that they are offering him.

If Nesta can't forgive their father for his failures, then why would anyone forgive her for hers? That's what she's thinking, if not explicitly. IMO. Although we know that she does find some peace with his memory, and that other people can embrace her as well. It just takes her time to get there.

That is all I hear—the snapping of his neck. His last words to me. That he loved me.” She whispered, “I didn’t deserve that love. I deserve nothing.”

I mentioned in another post that I wonder if Nesta really understands what unconditional love is, or if it's always transactional to her. No one "deserves" love, or has to earn it, or is "good" enough for it, but that's where her thoughts tend to go. This is another example of her thoughts being inaccurate, btw. This is at the end of the hike when she finally lets it all out and tells Cassian what she's been thinking and feeling. And here is his response:

His eyes glimmered with pain for her. “You are. I’ve seen it—I’ve seen what you can do when you are willing to fight for the people you love. Why not apply that same bravery and loyalty to yourself? Don’t say you don’t deserve it.” He gripped her chin. “Everyone deserves happiness. [...] She blurted, “All the things I’ve done before—” “Leave them in the past. Apologize to who you feel the need to, but leave those things behind.” “Forgiveness is not that easy.” “Forgiveness is something we also grant ourselves. And I can talk to you until these mountains crumble around us, but if you don’t wish to be forgiven, if you don’t want to stop feeling this way … it won’t happen.”

Cassian's response isn't to tell Nesta that she's wrong, that if she just changes her attitude it will be fine, but that she needs to move forward and forgive herself. Which is exactly what she needs to do with her father as well, because to put it bluntly he's dead and she can't hold onto hate forever and still be a functioning, healthy person. And she can't keep berating herself for Elain being thrown in the Cauldron, or the Illyrians dying, or Feyre hunting, because most of those things were completely out of her control.

This makes me think that later on, Nesta will have to deal with their mother. Because considering that Nesta was "closer" to their mother, though what we mean by closer is complicated at best, and their mother is the one who molded Nesta into this child whose future was one of "conquest", we saw zero done in acosf to address that relationship. Maybe it's partly because their father's death was the more immediate concern, but I also think that it makes sense for that relationship to play out a bit more with Elain. As we saw Nesta's focus was on their father though they weren't close, I wouldn't be surprised if Elain still has unresolved issues with their mother because of how dismissive she was of Elain.

(Sidenote, I made a post before acofas came out where I predicted that Nesta would refuse to openly mourn their father and would have a hard time with grief, and that Elain and Feyre would go through that process "normally". I can't find it but I swear I knew it would work out exactly this way.)

The second factor at play here is that I think that his death is a huge, huge factor in why Nesta sees her father and their past the way that she does. Not because of the way that he died, but because she will never get the chance to reconcile with him or have the conversations they needed to have. In other circumstances, they might have been able to move past all of the hurt and have some sort of relationship. Probably never a close one, but something. Instead, since he died, Nesta is left with all of this leftover rage and nowhere to put it, because now grief has taken over and she doesn't want to grieve this man she thought she hated, and he's not even there for her to yell at over it! So I think that part of this whole complicated web is that Nesta was used to her father always being there, and it's easy to be mad at someone and refuse to forgive them when you think they'll always be around.

Basically, the fact that their father was not great at taking care of them and protecting them is something that Nesta resents him for while also loving him, because you can't choose your family. And this is all wrapped up in her own ideas of what it means to be worthy of love and forgiveness, and how other people might view her own failures.

I hope that this all made sense - I've been thinking about it for a few days since you sent this ask and I feel like family relationships are so incredibly complicated if there is any sort of failure, hurt feelings, betrayal, etc. I'm coming from the perspective of someone who is not close to her family but still cares for them. Despite old hurts and grudges. Also I hope that this actually answered your question haha! Basically I don't think anyone was the villain here, just human. And if we're lucky, we get to grow up and see our parents as humans, too.

#nesta archeron #acosf #acotar #thoughts on characters #ask #anon

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