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deonideatta · 1 year

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Twilight discovers Yor kept the grenade pin.

Ok so this is kinda late slkdsjlf but it's here!!! Im gonna write all of these prompts lol not even my degree can stop me

But yea it was a bit hard to come up with a narrative concept for this one, but I hope you enjoy it!!

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Twilight notices details. It's an important skill for a spy, and one that he’s spent years honing.

It's for that reason and that reason alone that he spends so much time studying Yor. She’s the person in closest proximity to him these days, it’s only natural that he’d make sure he knows her well enough to be able to play whatever character she would respond best to.

At first it’s really just that. Analysis, information gathering. But after a while Twilight finds himself lingering on things that have no bearing on Yor’s involvement with the mission. Like the gentle red of her eyes, or the dip of her exposed shoulders framed by that red sweater.

Or her hands, well manicured and slender. He knows what strength they hold, but you’d never be able to tell from just looking at the delicate planes of her fingers. Planes that are unexpectedly calloused and rough, an uneven topography relating a story Twilight has no idea how to read.

Sometimes he lets his eyes linger on her hands, following the shadow of a path he distantly wants to trace with his fingers.

The path sometimes focuses its route on her ring finger, empty despite their arrangement. He never got her a ring. It's oddly fitting - no rings for a couple who aren't really married. To the outsider, it could be seen as suspicious.

That's the only reason he lets himself dwell on the thought of buying Yor a ring. She'd never brought it up, but he's sure she'd be on board with the idea. For the aim of enhancing their appearance as an actual couple, of course. From a mission standpoint. Yor isn’t his real wife, there is no reason for him to find the concept of it being clear that he’s hers and she’s his appealing.

When he hears the neighbours whispering about their relationship again a few days later, he takes it as a sign to breach the topic with Yor. It'd be stupid to risk the mission over something that’s so easily fixable.

He brings it up that evening, as they sit in the living room together.

“Yor,” he starts, and Yor turns to look at him inquiringly. “How would you feel about getting rings?”

“Rings?” Yor echoes, seemingly pondering the idea. “Like wedding rings?” He nods.

“I wouldn’t mind,” she says, smiling. “But you already gave me a ring?”

It’s Twilight’s turn to look at her questioningly. Yor doesn’t answer his silent question, getting up and hurrying into her room. She returns a moment later with a small cloth bag. Reaching into it, she pulls out a small silver loop.

Twilight recognizes it instantly, a grenade pin. But why…?

“I know it isn’t actually a ring,” Yor says, holding the pin like it’s something precious. “But you proposed to me with it, so I felt it’d be a shame to just throw it out.”

Ah yes. That grenade pin. Twilight stares at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Half of him questions his reasoning for proposing with a grenade pin in the first place. The other half is oddly touched that Yor felt it was valuable enough to keep.

He fends off that half and gives Yor a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry about the circumstances of that proposal," he says wryly. "It wasn't ideal, and I should have at least gotten you a proper ring."

"There's no need to be sorry," Yor says earnestly. "It's my fault for asking you about marriage in a situation like that." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, sheepish.

"Besides, it was a very memorable moment," she says, quietly. "And it marked the start of a new chapter in our lives, even though this isn't a real marriage."

Twilight recognizes distantly that the fondness that seeps into the smile he’s giving Yor is not intentional or scripted.

“I’m touched it meant that much to you,” he says, smiling. “It was certainly an explosive night.”

Yor laughs at that, and Twilight loves the sound.

“I still think I should get you a proper ring though,” he says, and Yor loops the grenade pin onto her finger.

“Perhaps,” she says, laughter lingering in her voice. “This one is a bit big.”

----

Yor beats him to it. A few days later, she presents Twilight with a small velvet box, her eyes shining with excitement. When he opens it, there’s a simple gold ring inlaid with a few small red stones nestled in its cushioned interior. For a moment he’s at a loss for words, looking between the ring and Yor.

“Even though it’s not really a ring, you’ve already given me the pin,” Yor explains when he fails to organize anything to say after a few moments. “So I thought I’d get you something as well.”

She looks a little nervous, watching him for a reaction. Twilight knows which one he should give. Loid Forger should thank his wife, insist that she didn’t have to, and gratefully take the ring. Maybe hug her.

The small but pleased smile he gives her is not a facade.

“Thank you,” he says, and his voice is full of a warmth he didn’t choose to fill it with. “It’s a lovely ring.”

Yor’s eyes curve into happy crescents, and for a split second Twilight wishes he could freeze the moment in time.

He goes out the next day and buys Yor a matching ring, inlaid with blue stones.

----

When Mr and Mrs Forger have a renewing of vows a few years later the beaming bride wears a grenade pin carefully hung from a necklace.

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The bit with Yor giving Loid the ring is inspired by this post. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

#if you sent in a request rest assured that i did see it and i will write it #term has started back up for me so im kinda busy nowadays but i will write all of them!!! will take a while tho sldfjsldf #10 fast 10 twiyor #my writing #sxf fanfic #my fics #sxf fics #sxf fic #spy x family #twiyor #twiyor fanfiction #fanfiction #writing #spyxfamily #spy x family fanfiction #2 down a bunch more to go lol

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cellarspider · 1 month

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22/?? An old man, allegedly

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We return once again to that movie I wish to send the gift of a single tribble, Prometheus.

Yes, the movie’s gotten around to a twist it’s been clumsily foreshadowing for much of its runtime: Ol’ Man Capitalism, AKA Peter Weyland, is in fact alive and on the ship. I’ve been informed this was a relatively late addition to the plot, according to the available script drafts. His inclusion makes a stab at some themes. Let’s see how they do.

Content warning for deliberately gross old feet, weird religious imagery, death mention, Holloway mention.

Yes, David’s discovery of a living Engineer has meant it’s time to take Weyland out of the tupperware and reheat him for a bit. And it means we get to see Guy Pierce in the flesh, under a pile of old man makeup.

Weyland looks no less weird than he did as a hologram. In fact, he possibly looks weirder, because we no longer have that excuse for why he looks like this. Weyland is very frail, and very frail people’s appearance can change rather drastically in ways that aren’t usually put to film, but frankly, he looks more like Grima Wormtongue has been giving him investment advice.

Weyland is here because he thinks the Engineers can stop him from dying. I’m not certain he’s not already expired, and I’m also not sure where he got that impression. There’s a missing step of logic here, which the movie never mentions, but it’s likely related to the assumptions of christianized worldview: if something is the creator of humanity, then it must also have ultimate power over human life and death. Therefore, appealing directly to it can grant you eternal life. The cosmic watchmaker can replace your gears and keep you ticking indefinitely.

I will go along with this framing for just a bit, particularly because this scene is obviously reaching for some biblical imagery I’ll try and tackle in a moment. When the movie remembers to have characters engage with its themes, there are various reactions to the potential of meeting humanity’s creators.

Shaw is positioned as a true believer, but what that actually means to her is extremely unclear. She has some curiosity about the details of creation, so she’s not buying tickets to the Ark Encounter or whatever. She assumes welcoming and benevolent intention from the Engineers, but there’s never any indication of what she intends to do here, beyond prove herself right.

She’s also christian, and she thinks the christian God ultimately created the Engineers. How does that fit into her cosmogony? She has to be the sort of christian that takes Genesis as allegory, but what does it mean that humans were shaped by another species in their own image? Are humans more faithfully created in the christian God’s image than the Engineers were? Does she think the Engineers have souls? Are they angels?

We get no opinion on any of that from her. We don’t even see much of anything about how her apparently strong faith affects her life, beyond having a family keepsake and having belief in things. Holloway at least had an explicit goal in mind–it was a hubristic goal, but it was a goal. He wanted to get all his questions answered about life, the universe, and everything, answered personally, rather than letting anyone else get there first. Finding out the Engineers were dead immediately took the shine off of that, seemingly because he’d thought they were omnipotent and omniscient, despite being positioned as an atheist in the dialog.

Holloway’s position here was odd, particularly for an alleged scientist. He expresses that the creation of life turned out to be “nothing special” during his drunken funk. This echoes common misconceptions by deeply religious folks about how atheists and/or scientists think: the idea that if you’re so set on finding natural, rational explanations for everything, you’re doomed to view the world without wonder or beauty, just chemicals bouncing around for no purpose. That to seek the logic behind the world is to fling yourself into total anhedonia.

As many others have stated before, that’s not what comes out of it, what they’re describing is in fact called “clinical depression.” Understanding more technical details about how the world works doesn’t take the awe out of it, it makes it even more amazing. I’ve excitedly rambled to people that if sequencing tech was cheaper and easier, I’d love to study the genetics and epigenetics of weeds growing on dirt roads, to find out what makes them different from their cousins living only a few feet away in less crappy soil. The existence of a tuft of grass in dusty gravel is endlessly fascinating to me, and I know just enough about them to want to know more.

But no, Holloway’s behavior is common in depictions of atheists by religious people who fundamentally don’t get that one can exist around religious folks without secretly thinking the same way they do. It’s doubly weird, given how surface-level Shaw’s faith is, in a way that also seems to be written by somebody who doesn’t understand the concept too well.

In any case, Holloway got pre-disappointed in the answers he didn’t get, to the very basic philosophical questions he wanted to ask: why were we made? Do we have a purpose? Those sorts of things. Honestly, he could have had more complex things to say about this, even without dislodging his bro persona. Being a bro does not negate the possibility of thoughtfulness, it just means that thoughtfulness might be expressed differently. I didn’t see the movie doing that with him.

The only other potentially intentional thing it was doing with him is using the sum total of his behavior as a negative example: don’t question these things, it’ll lead you to despair and death. Not sure if they meant that, but the rest of the movie uses the punitive morality of some slasher movies as part of its basic structure, so it’s not an impossible read.

Skipping over David for now and going to Weyland: he’s all about what the Engineers can do for him. It’s a gesture toward people who approach christianity from a transactional angle. Faith in exchange for something. There are definitely people like that out there. A lot of premillennial dispensationalist evangelicals fearfully cling to the belief that, as long as they say the right words, they’ll bodily ascend to heaven and leave everyone else behind for the Antichrist, conveniently skipping that unpleasant “death” thing they don’t want to face.

For those who grew up with that stuff or those brainrotted enough like me to remember it, yes. Yes, I am comparing Peter Weyland to Tim LaHaye. The dialog in this movie is bad enough that it makes me think of Left Behind.

All of this stuff positions the Engineers as either equivalent to the christian god, or to the imperfect gnostic demiurge who is mistaken for a god. But frankly, the Engineers seem more like they were trying to make a sourdough starter, but the last time they opened the fridge, it’d grown fuzz and smelled awful. They were ready to throw out their project.

Was there a heavy ritual aspect involved in their actions? Sure. But the movie hasn’t sold me on the idea that they are themselves acting as christian allegory, only that christian allegory is being placed on them by others.

Speaking of Weyland and more christian stuff, he’s getting his feet washed by David.

Must be maundy thursday. Foot washing before entering a dwelling is a practice that started as a practical act in a sandal-wearing culture, and became one of power dynamics and religious symbolism. Water would be provided, or a host would wash the feet of a guest themself, or, if they were rich enough, a servant or slave would do the washing. This is very much the dynamic as far as Weyland is concerned. Weyland believes in souls, David, by his estimation, does not have one, therefore he serves humans.

Of course, foot washing also has connotations of humility, and is strongly associated in christianity with Jesus washing the apostles’ feet after the Last Supper. David has certainly and consistently shown himself to be more competent at everything he does than the other characters, and they wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. He’s working on a level they aren’t, even if he’s still forced to be humble about it. If this is the reading we’re meant to reach for, David’s managing a complicated double-act as Jesus (he’s going to be killed for the sins of man yet rise from the dead pretty soon), and also Judas (he is hella jazzed to betray somebody to their death).

In any case, Shaw tries to convince them not to wake up the Engineer. In response, Weyland essentially goads her about Holloway’s death and her beliefs: “And what would Charlie do, now that we’re so close to answering the most meaningful questions ever asked by mankind? How can you leave without knowing what they are? Or have you lost your faith, Shaw?”

Yes, indeed, Weyland, WWCD. Once you determine that, you do the opposite, and you’ll never be steered wrong.

So of course Shaw decides to go with them.

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Alt-text rambles

https://wheelchair.spinergy.com/collections/wheelchair-everyday/products/lite-extreme-lx

https://youtu.be/7h8zJHywjAw

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2015/11/05/left-behind-index-the-whole-thing/

https://www.slashfilm.com/503786/first-photo-and-video-footage-from-robert-zemeckis-a-christmas-carol/

Overflow Ramble #1

I’m in wait-and-see mode on Fallout one right now. I’m not personally a FO:NV person, so I don’t have special attachment to the West Coast stuff, but I see what they were *trying* to do, even if it didn’t land with me at all (TL;DR playing a queer character felt especially bleak thanks to a lack of underground queer culture in the face of the homophobia).

The trailer looks good, there’s conflict between the BoS and NCR, which hopefully means both factions are going to be the absolute, incurable disasters they should be. Goggins playing a ghoul who helped sell the lie of the Vaults is good, and he’s a damn solid TV and character actor. Dale Cooper and 80s!Paul Atreidies himself Kyle MacLachlan plays the vault overseer, so that’s fun. I’m not a TV person so I don’t recognize the rest of the cast, but I’m hoping it manages to be something good. We’ll find out in April, by which point I’ll hopefully be fREE OF THIS MOVIE

Overflow Ramble #2: Tribulation Force

Close-up of Nick Cage deep in his “paying the bills” phase as Rayford Steele in Left Behind (2014), looking precisely as enthused as he should be, to be playing Rayford Steele. I chose this reaction image because I am not subjecting anyone to flashbacks of the older movies with Kirk Cameron in them.

Want to know how I know too much about this stuff, despite literally spending my childhood thinking people just entertained the idea of Jesus the way they did Santa Claus around the holidays?

Because of a blogger by the name of Fred Clark, who decided one strange day in 2003 to write a thorough dissection of the Left Behind books (cite 3). Thankfully for his sanity, he lost steam eventually. …When Tim LaHaye died in 2016. All fear and respect to Fred Clark.

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#Prometheus 2012 #Prometheus (2012)#this was entry 19 or 20 a week or two ago #And then I found more stuff to ramble about and so I had to restructure #I thought it was going to end at 25 but that's definitely no longer the case #w e l p

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melissa-titanium · 1 month

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Been thinking abt. Cyn

Thinking abt her maybe. wanting to let the Solver in partly out of wanting to kill humans (at least the ones in the mansion), wanting the power to make them suffer the way they made her suffer (like. considering how badly they treated her I’d be surprised if she didn’t have any sort of vengeful intent tbh).

Thinking abt her carrying out that goal, and it feels so good to finally lash back that she keeps going farther with it until it results in the Earth being destroyed

Thinking abt how the Solver’s own goals go way beyond the destruction of a single planet, and Cyn discovering this at some point…. and realizing then that, as much she wanted to destroy and rend and avenge herself and dronekind in general, she doesn’t want this. But at this point it’s too late; she’s too far integrated into the Solver (or the Solver into her) to be able to do much to frustrate its plans

so why even try? she’s helpless all over again - but it said it wouldn’t discard her, so if she just… sticks to the background, tunes it all out, maybe it’ll hurt less

to suffer in silence is better than suffering with it

YES. YES. YES.YES.YES.ESY.ESY.ESY.ESY HOLY FUUUUUCK OH MYG OD oh . hoh mygod you got my fucking thoughts down to a T i genuinely dont think icould add much to this.

thius is EXACTLY how i think about it. i feel like what makes it worse in my brain is the fact that cyn appears... very young. with the assumption that n v & j are programmed to be roughly 18-21 in age then they were evn younger as butlers and consdiering cyn is n's YOUNGER BROTHER... she must have been little. she was a child. she didnt want to die. she was given a chance; not only to come back, but to deliver justice to the terrible people who did this to her and her sibling(s.) an offer she had no reason to refuse; especially because of how young she was.

it feels good at first, she thinks shes ddoing the right thing; she finally has the power to make sure those she loves are safe;!!!!!!! but all power comes at a price and she was too little to comprehend it :( eventually getting payback against tessas parents becomes getting payback on the entire human race... and what are a few drone casualties to the solver of the absolute fabric? all life is life, whether organic or not, and will be destroyed in the exponential end.

bit by bit, she loses herself. she doenst know when shes in control versus when the solver is in control. was it worth it, to see her brother again? to see him grow hopeless as her thoughts drifted away from her grasp and she was no longer herself. to watch your sister fall into the solvers grasp, just as you realize you had. to be the one to chop off your brothers head and slaughter countless humans. all you wanted to do was keep everyone you love safe. you just wanted to help!

your family is... alive, more or less... but was it worth all the anguish your efforts lead to? to see them thrown yet again into situations they're completely helpless in? you were just a child; and you still are, as you were not given the chance to grow... so what can you do about it?

AM YET AGAIN YOU MAKE ME GO INSANE. GOD I LOVE THESE FUCKING ROBOTS THEY R SO FUCKING COOL.

also heres a doodle i never finished :)

#asks #mel roars #oh im gonna kill myself

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lulu2992 · 4 months

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After listening to this song on repeat and/or having it regularly stuck in my head these past few weeks, I’ve finally seen Wish!

I had read many reviews that said the movie was bland because it lacked originality, and while I understand this point of view, in a way... I think it was intentional.

The film was released for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 100th Anniversary and is full of more or less obvious references to other Disney movies, whether it’s a well-known character name that’s mentioned, someone directly quoting another film, or even just a background, object, gesture, or scene composition that, for some reason, feels familiar. The fact that all those “Easter eggs”, which could have been very annoying but, in my opinion, manage to remain fun (not really in a self-mocking way as Enchanted did, though), exist, combined with the images that appear during the end credits and the scene that follows (yes, there is a post-credits scene), make me say the goal was to make the “Disneyest Disney movie”.

Wish is not lazy, it’s a celebration.

It’s still its own film with its own story, but it’s first and foremost a tribute to Walt Disney Animation Studios, all the movies they’ve released over the years, and the now iconic (some might say overused) concepts of “wishing upon a star” and hoping your “dreams come true”. At one point, there’s also a flip book (with a time chart!), and I see this as a nod to traditional animation, as well as an homage to the original “magic makers”: animators in general.

So yes, it’s unoriginal and maybe not the most memorable Disney film. As you would expect, it opens on a storybook, takes place in a fictional kingdom, features a heroine who has an animal sidekick and a dead parent, and she has to fight against a charismatic villain who uses green magic. I would describe Wish as a quintessential Disney movie, and while it may not be groundbreaking, it’s still cute, pretty, and entertaining. The characters are good and, even when they don’t have a lot of screen time, have distinct personalities. I’m thinking in particular of Asha’s friends who, as I’ve just realized writing this, must be a reference to the Seven Dwarves (even their initials match)... There also are many songs, of course, as they are yet another trademark of Disney movies. Special mention to “This Is The Thanks I Get?!” because I thought it was quite catchy and the most original!

Speaking of King Magnifico, he really is a great character and “classic” Disney villain, and it feels like we hadn’t seen that in a while. That said, [spoilers]…

...I was a bit disappointed they introduced his tragic backstory (without fully explaining what exactly happened, by the way) and then didn’t really do anything with it at the end. Sure, it humanizes him, gives him depth, and explains why he’s unhealthily obsessed with being in control, and I agree that not all villains need or deserve a full redemption arc, but… I don’t know, since they mention the fact his family died and that the fear of loss is what motivates him (at least at the beginning), I expected that to play a bigger role in the story, and especially in its conclusion. I’m not saying he should have been redeemed because I don’t know if it would have worked in that story anyway, but taking into account his past, the fact they mention it several times, and what they (Disney) have been doing with many of their villains lately, I simply thought it was likely to happen. Maybe King Magnifico didn’t necessarily “deserve better” as a person because he does become “evil”, to the point that even Queen Amaya, his wife, eventually turns her back on him despite their seemingly sincere connection, but as a character, I’m inclined to say he did…

Oh well, at least he has the coolest villain song!

Also, knowing my love for charismatic antagonists with a tragic backstory, maybe it’s best for me that they didn’t explore that further and just let him apparently irremediably lose himself. Had they decided to “save” him, even partially, or give the audience more reasons to feel sorry for him, I fear I could really have spiraled out of control :’)

#anyway yes it’s déjà vu but I believe it was the point and they managed to do that in a cute and not-so-annoying way #and as a fan of hand-drawn animation the time chart made me smile :)#it really was a touching detail #wish #asha #king magnifico #I really dodged a bullet with this one didn’t I? :’)#queen amaya #disney wish #in comparison I thought ralph breaks the internet had too many and too obvious references #the movie wasn’t bad but it was centered around and almost overshadowed by them #in wish they’re still clear (I’ve probably missed a few though) but in my opinion they don’t take over the film #walt disney #disney #I saw it in french by the way and the actors did very good #lambert wilson outdid himself #and océane demontis has a great voice

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ltwilliammowett · 1 year

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Mr. Mowett, a friend of mine (as well as myself) are wondering if you would be so kind as to confirm whether or not this ship should be considered an East Indiaman in this painting. We are both of the mind that it is not, as it more resembles a ship of the line than a cargo ship. What are you thoughts, sir? By the by, I've included the description that was listed with it.

An East Indiaman outward bound in the Bristol Channel by Joseph Walter of Bristol (British, 1783-1856), dated 1849

Hi,

well, I can tell you from my seventh that she is indeed an East Indianman. And I'll be happy to explain why I think so. She does look like a warship and that's by design, she's meant to scare off potential enemies and so she sailed under that appearance, which in fact was often based on warship plans. But how can you tell that she is a merchant vessel and not a warship? Now look at the stern, it has balconies and is also held exactly like a warship, you can't tell from that, but the hull tells you. It is narrower towards the top than towards the bottom, merchants get rounder and wider towards the keel because of the cargo. So she is rounder than a warship. The rows of gunports are misleading, but that is also intentional. Only the upper row is real (( yes they were armed then too, though not as massively as a warship), the lower row is empty, these are just gunports without anything behind them. it's really hard to tell, but the design itself is a bit outdated and still looks like it's from the late 18th and early 19th century, as does its colour.

East Indiamen in a Gale, by Charles Brooking, c. 1759 (x) Even though there are almost a hundred years between them, the two ladies look very similar.

This was no longer the case with warships in the mid-19th century, when the design had already changed to something simpler. Why were the ships not adapted, well that was because the time of the east india companies was over at that time. Faster ships had taken over, and the companies lost their exclusive trading status.

In such cases, it is always worth comparing images and looking very closely, because East Indians are nautical phasmids, they are not always what they seem.

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definitelynotarabbit · 1 year

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Excerpt from The Shameful Kind of Sorrow

Okay I'm not done writing the whole fic yet, but y'all deserve a late christmas present

In order to avoid suspicion, Urabrask had removed most physical methods of conveying emotion from his body years ago. After all, what purpose could they serve in a society where compassion is such a shameful thing? That decision has saved his life and standing countless times. Admittedly, the vast majority of said times were the dreadful meetings the other praetors demanded that he participate in. They always were more of a glorified excuse to show off and yell at one another than an actual constructive meeting.

From his place atop one of the many rusted metal stalagmites of the Quiet Furnace, Urabrask observed the scattered bodies of his people. He is sure that if he had retained organic eyes that they would be draining him of his precious oil at the sight of the massacre. The corpses of living furnaces lay like hollow husks along the many trails that they roamed. Several surviving slag fiends were scattered across the battlefield, desperately trying to recycle their brethren before getting torn to shreds by ichor-stained claws.

The denizens of the Quiet Furnace were fierce. The praetor had no doubt that every phyrexian under his domain could hold their own in a fair fight. Tending the forges was not work for the weak. Nevertheless, they were simply not designed to withstand a Phyrexian invasion.

The battle was shamefully short. His beautiful creations had held under the full force of Elesh Norn’s orthodoxy, but when she rallied Jin-Gitaxias and Vorinclex’s forces as her own things ended quickly. Between the sheer overwhelming number and the advantage of a surprise attack, even the great strength of a forge chancellor was not enough.

The invading force flooded his lands completely. The many vents and Lacuna became bottomless crucibles, spilling an unending wave of porcelain, metal, and bone to consume and destroy everything in their path.

Urabrask had neglected to make any machines of war. It had been intentional; the other praetors could not call on him to aid in the subjugation of unwilling beings if he held no army to lead into battle. It was unfortunate that the decision to turn a blind eye and tend the forges had left him exposed. There was a reason he preferred to remain hidden to carry out his work. Brute force had always been more Vorinclex’s area of expertise.

Perhaps it was a sort of cosmic justice that Urabrask had his furnace taken from him. Although begrudging, he had participated in the conquering of Mirrodin. He had reforged the metal needed to make more soldiers. He had used their flesh when presented with the opportunity to graft it. Yes, it had furthered the great work but at what cost? Now that cost had become apparent. His indecision then seems to have robbed him of his and his people’s freedom.

He could only hope that some of his workers survived the slaughter. Ideally, the soon-to-be crowned Mother of Machines would see just how big a delay she would make for herself to kill off the entire population of the Quiet Furnace. The echo of her words still rang clearly in his memory.

"I am kind, so I shall allow you to see the repercussions of a fractured New Phyrexia. Look at what your dissent has done. Nothing but bloodshed. I have faith that you will not make the same mistake twice. Even you aren’t dumb enough to deny perfection."

With a shudder, he recalled the porcelain spears that had pinned him to the ground. It was insulting to know that she thought so little of him to leave him alive. Carefully he pulled back his hand from his side to see that it was still covered in viscous ichor from his wounds. The very same ichor now painted the Quiet Furnace’s fiery rivers black.

It would appear the machine orthodoxy was taking its leave, a murderous job well done. Urabrask supposed this was his cue to resume the status quo expected of him. Repair what can be salvaged. Make a new what has been lost.

It would be easy to let Elesh Norn believe that her scare tactics had worked, that she now held power over the Quiet Furnace. This was merely reassurance that now, more than ever, she controlled nothing. The power-hungry fool was scared. She knew that she would never succeed without complete control of New Phyrexia. The trick from here on out would be to keep up the appearance that she did hold power.

Yes, he would need to be more subtle from now on, but nothing had changed. New Phyrexia still required him to cleanse it; he would not suffer such a defeat again.

#fanfic #mtg #magic the gathering #phyrexian #phyrexia #new phyrexia #urabrask #this may or may not be how it shows up in the fic idk I'm still editing

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tobytheeggo · 3 months

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hello can u tell me about sigfreda? :3 if you dont mind ofc ofc(apparently her name means peaceful victory in old german!! :0)

Yes of course!! Her name is intentional btw :]

She doesn’t have real lore yet but it’s still in the works!

Personality: Sigfreda is mostly known for her narcissism but sparing traits; as long as you feed her ego, she’ll be on your side. Although she may seem fragile, Sigfreda can be very condescending and unbearable—constantly nagging, sometimes showing little to no mercy if upset. More or less actively acting like a child despite being in her late 20s

Clothing/general design: Although she is not, Sigfreda thinks of herself as a princess and dresses akin to one purposefully as it helps her feel very pretty but respectable. For her outfits, I was thinking of something fashionable but can form into tactical, so somewhere on her dress there would be pin-up spots. She would only wear longer dresses in the comfort of her own residence. Usually, Sigfreda will wear buckled shoes as a stylistic choice, but she can fight in them.

(Continuation) Appearance: Sigfreda is about 5’5 she but usually wears heels. Although I’m not too dead set on what she definitely looks like; she always has her hair half up half down and its curly near the ends. It’s still up for debate, but she might have a missing eye, mainly for high table lore reasons (still deciding.) She has a limestone-ish skin tone and very dull hazel eyes.

Additional: In Switzerland traditional clothing, women tend to wear hats/lace bonnets, I'll most likely incorporate that

#john wick oc #jw oc #oc posting #sigfreda ‘Seraphine’ Hohenzollern #oc ask #ask box #my oc #Switzerland rep omgg

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pixiecaps · 8 months

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now it's so hard for me to pretend it doesn't bother me when people say cucurucho is just a silly goofy guy full of whimsy and bubbles. that bear is sadistic, sinister, and now we know what it and the federation are truly capable of. will jaiden know the truth? does she even care? did she care at all back then when she first worked for them?

hii im late to this!

qjaiden definitely knows! she understands the things the federation is capable of besides the recent lore that she has missed. its fundamental to her character to understand that qjaiden’s belief is that cucurucho’s actions are less about him being sinister as a person but that his boss who is ordering him to do those actions is the true evil. she believes while yes cucurucho has done some alarming things he is under someones direct command and is still a living being who deserves a level of kindness especially since offering that kindness may assist her in learning more about the federation and his boss.

from how i view it qjaiden definitely cares i mean she was one of the ones who was quite adamant trying to find qq as she was the one who literally watched him get taken by cucurucho. and though she appears to naively go along with missions and what cucurucho says she is aware there could be negative consequences for her & others. she is willingly taking that risk hoping that it will only affect her. she knows full well she can get taken or harmed in any capacity and even perhaps be lied to about the egg safety but she feels she has to do something. as well as acknowledging that she cannot turn back at this point.

important to note she knows her path is completely dangerous & risky but she feels she doesn’t have anything to lose as well. and to speak honestly shes right. at least compared to the others on the island. she lost the one thing that held value & massive attachment to her. bobby. and of course she has friends and those who trust her but its not something the federation can use to easily harm her as easily as an egg would. i think the closest thing they could do is something involving qroier but even then I’m not sure how well that would work.

i think what’s interesting about jaidens connection with the cucurucho is that it’s a very honest approach. she doesn’t lie nor attempt to manipulate cucurucho. she has no greedy or secret intentions. she is in her most honest form trying to get to know and understand cucurucho. she acts like a true friend to him. she treats him like any other person on the island.

i see qjaiden as a person placed in a field of land mines. the chances of not hitting a landmine are low and the further she traverses the field the closer she may reach her demise but theres always the end of the field. the end is there despite how far and treacherous it may be. i wonder if when she reaches the end, if she ever does, will the danger have been worth it? only time will tell.

now the qjaiden we know is the one who cannot remember a past with the federation so it’s hard to speak for that federation worker version of her as it’s completely unknown to us. but i would assume if her memory was wiped then maybe she did realize there was something bad going on with the federation and cucurucho and they had to remove her recollection of it. but its hard to say. as again we don’t know much about that.

overall i think we as the audience cannot and should not trust the federation, cucurucho, or the code entity. but i think when it comes to the characters qjaiden is a special case especially when we consider how she views the situation of being trapped on the island. it’s different it’s interesting and it has a lot of potential at least to me. obviously there’s nothing wrong with characters like qcellbit who adamantly are against the federation but characters like qjaiden i feel have a lot more room to roleplay with the federation/cucurucho and in turn expand our knowledge about them. so i think jaidens path for this roleplay is excellent since it balances out nicely with characters like qmaxo qcellbit etc. and give us a different perspective on everything. we love a true neutral in this house.

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islandofthemisfittoy · 10 months

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While chapter 4 was by far the best chapter of G5, I was a little sisapointed by a few things.

Yes, this time the story was actually moved forward, but the things that actually moved the plot forward happened off screen.

Zipp figuring everything out

Missy capturing Sparky

Opaline retriving the dragon stone

...

It was really just those three things that happened

And while I liked the episode where Pipp was sick, I would rather have had an episode focusing on how how Zipp figured things out. And on top of it all happening off screen, it all also happened really fast. I was expecting to go over atleast two episodes, but no, she just figured it all out in a day.

As for Missy capturing Sparky, I do understand why they maybe didn't wat to do a whole episode about that, it could end up feeling very repetetive, but just a scene would have been nice. It really just felt like I missed a lot of stuff.

As for opaline stealing the crystal, that didn't even make sense. First of all, why did she waste all her magic going upp some hill, second of all, WHY DID SHE HAVE TO GET HOME BECAUSE IT WAS LATE? What does she need to get home to??? It's not like she cares that mucha about Missy. And again, she just suddenly had it, there was nothing leading up to it, noting hinting towards her going out to get it at that moment, she just had it. 😐

And can we PLEASE talk about how the fact that Missy appearently had magic all along wasn't a big part of the story... or at all a part of the story...? I was SURE she was going to realise that she did have meagic after all, and that she didn't need Opaline, but no, it was literally just that scene... 😐. In the last episode I was expecting Missy to use her magic to burst Oplaines bubble (that way they could have weaved in som message about the magic within.), but I guess a FUCKING STICK was all it took. And I do get that she had to earn her cutie mark so they could to that whole glowing-cutimark-elements-of-harmony thing, but I think 1. There were better ways to go about it, and 2. I don't know that she even needed her cutimark for it. Other ponies also get glowing cutimarks, it's not just the mane 6, so I'm not sure a cutimark was actually necesary for this, its clearly not exlusive to them.

I also find it interresting that Opalines "worst punishment yet" was house arrest, but she was fully prepared to drain Sparky, a BABY dragon, of all his energy and then LET HIM FALL TO HIS DEATH. Where has this side of Opaline been the entire time? If she was this evil and dangerous throughout the entire show it would have be SO MUCH MORE INTERRESTING.

Also, side note, what the fuck happened to Sunnys mirror? I thought that would play a bigger role.

I must also say that episode 2, Top Remodel, was TERRIBLE.

The factory WASN'T THEIRS! Sprout even comes in and say that it still belongs to his family, and EVERYONE, EVEN HITCH (I miss movie Hitch), KICKS HIM OUT. WHAT THE FUCK!?

Just the way that they for some reason thought that asking EVERYONE what they wanted, with the intentions of creating exactly what EVERYONE asked for, was extremely infuriating. And they didn't even have the intention of asking everybody! There were so many ponies they hadn't asked when they were ready to start redecorating. They could have just sent out a survey, or created a comitie or something and picked the most popular option.

I really don't get the point of the studio, and honestly, I tought it was a terrible use of the space (THAT WASN'T EVEN THEIRS), but that might just be me. I know everyone's supposed to be able to use it, but I just don't get it, where do the shows stream, when do the shows stream, how are you supposed to keep a scheduled if everyone can just book the space whenever, what if you find something you like, but you have to wait half a year for the next episode. There are just a lot of things that confuse me about it.

I honestly think that episode 2 (and therefore by defult episode 4) could have been scrapped, and they could have used those 40 or so minutes on things that actually move the plot forward or things that should have gotten more attention (like Zipp figuring things out, Missy realising she has magic, explaining/figuring out how cutimarks and magic work (we still haven't gotten a logical answer to why things make no sense), opaline retriving the crystal (wich I'm going to be honest, I think could make for some realy interresting character developement (background) and world building, DRAGONS (it boggels me that none of the characters wonder about where Sparky came from, if there are more dragons out there and why no one has seen them!) Missy capturing Sparky, etc.).

#my little pony #mlp #make your mark #my little pony make your mark #my little pony g5 #mlp g5 #mlp g5 chapter 4 #make your mark chapter 4

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the-cat-at-the-theatre-door · 2 years

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Jellylorum, a nurturing soul by nature, enjoyed taking care of other cats.

This (and some would say of course, as though it were hardly a question) extended particularly to her family. Busy and breezy as she was, she was always fussing with something or other - a collar, a ruff, an ear - and cats around her tolerated it; such fussiness came with the territory. That's why, when her father began needing more help in his day to day life, Jellylorum took it in stride without any afterthought, more than happy to assist where she was able.

Grooming and self care had been a particularly tough spot for him to relent; one thing Jellylorum had always known best about her father was how diligently he'd attempted to keep up appearances throughout his life. He'd always given the impression of looking remarkably composed and smart, nary a hair out of place, even when he was struggling. So Jelly figured the best way to help him was to continue in that tradition; he was certainly struggling now.

Some things were definitely easier to accomplish than others; it really depended on her father’s mood and, more importantly, his patience, which - in his current defense - had always been a gamble her entire life. But he was particularly unpredictable nowadays, and quick to frustrate; sometimes just washing his face turned into an entire episode. Still, these things needed to be done, and Jellylorum was nothing if not patient. Occasionally, though she was hesitant to admit it, she would pretend that the pouting cat in front of her was another of her wayward kittens, not, in fact, her elderly father, who had once inspired such admiration and idolization in Jellylorum's breast that she had told every cat who would listen that she would be just like him someday. Somehow, that made it easier to manage. Or, at least, it hurt far less. It was a hard thing to admit.

Of everything, by far her favourite was opening the old lacquered vanity box with its wooden bristled brush and comb, the very same that Jellylorum used to admire as a kitten, and inviting her dad to sit before her so she could fix the snarled mess his fur would become overnight. Luckily, Gus usually submitted to this part of his routine with little protest, closing his eyes and allowing his daughter to tug her way through the tangles that made up most of his head. He'd always had a rather brilliant mane of fur around his ears - regal looking, if you had asked a younger Jellylorum with stars in her eyes - but with that came its own troubles, which included untangling it and tucking it back so it wouldn't get worse. Not so much of a problem when he could handle it himself, and he'd been very good at it, certainly, having years of practice under his belt, but definitely more of one when it got to a point that his mobility prevented him lifting his paws far enough to do so. Even more of a problem when her solution of trimming it down was met with such an expression of distaste (and, though he'd never admit it, a touch of fear), that she'd shot it down herself before finishing her sentence.

So, every morning, she sat behind him and pulled a comb through it all to the best of her ability, using the redundancy of the task as an opportunity to think on the rest of her day. Gus was generally silent most mornings anyway, and she did very much enjoy this time with him, but Jelly was a practical cat, after all. Now, if he would only stay -

“Do you remember-” he began one early noon (Jelly had run late - she had found him up and about, staring intently out the window), turning his head, tugging the comb from her grasp. She sighed and began to pry it free.

“Hold still.”

He continued, unphased: "When you were young and - ow!"

"Serves you right," Jelly said primly, gently patting the place she'd pulled.

Gus exhaled a laugh, turning back to face front. He fell quiet again.

"And what?"

"Hmm?"

"You said: 'Do you remember when you were young and -'" Jelly prompted, continuing with her detangling.

"Ah, yes, what was I saying?"

Jellylorum could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he pondered it. She slightly regretted cutting him off - nowadays, there was a high chance the thread would be dropped entirely before he got anywhere near his point. She found herself listening closer and closer to whenever her father would say things, even if he'd said it a thousand times before, frightfully conscious of the fact that it could be the last time she ever heard whatever it was.

"When you were young," he tried again eventually, the brushing motion apparently bringing it back, this time remaining perfectly still. "And you would watch me do this very same thing in the looking glass?"

Jellylorum thought on it a moment. "I do, yes."

"You would have the most serious expression on your face," Gus continued, and Jelly could hear the amusement in his voice. "Then you'd watch as I did the same to your mother. And then you'd say: 'My turn! My turn now!' - with barely fuzz on your head, mind you - and expected the same treatment."

When you're older, Jelly distantly remembered one of them saying once as she sat between them, looking at the reflection of their faces as they laughed. When you're older and there's something to work with!

Jellylorum felt her own smile pulling at the corners of her muzzle. “As I recall, I thought it all very pretty. You and mum always looked so…well put together, and you always did her hair so nicely."

Gus started to nod, but seemed to think better of it. “Reputation, you know. She always wanted to make sure the back looked just as nice as the front."

"Not that it was very hard for your mother - she had such a lovely head of fur on her, and she didn't trust anyone else to do it," Gus continued after a moment, voice a touch lower, before sighing and shaking off the soft melancholy that had settled on his shoulders. "Easy to manage, certainly. You, unfortunately, got mine when it finally grew in, didn't you? Apologies."

Jellylorum was hesitant to respond, lest she throw him off again. It was rare, particularly these days, that Gus made any sort of mention of her mother. She had died so long ago now, she was just barely a whisper of memory. Even Jellylorum had her difficulties remembering her face; what her voice had sounded like. As such, she was wary to interrupt, curious to the direction the conversation was taking.

Time with her father of any kind, to Jelly, had always been a precious thing. As kittens, she and Asparagus barely saw him beyond the early mornings, late in the evening, and glimpses throughout the day, even when taken along to the makeshift playground the old theatre's backstage had become. Most of their day to day needs were met by their mother; their grandmother before she went Heaviside as well. He hardly seemed to have time for himself, let alone them, and she missed him when he was gone, often feigning sleep so she could peep at him when he poked his head in to check them in the middle of the night. A whole day with him meant something was happening - good or bad.

Still, in spite of this, Jelly recalled the general uptick in mood when he would come home; remembered being swung up in the air; remembered being chased around by great beasts and slaying dragons and saving the Queen. Remembered the soft lilt of his voice when he'd tell them stories at bedtime and the occasional kisses goodnight. All in all, it wasn't perfect, but they'd been happy most times.

But after their mother had died, there was suddenly…an aching quiet in their household. She remembered, very clearly, the evening after when they'd all gone back home the first time, curled against her brother who seemed despondent and off kilter. She remembered how her father had stood in the patch of moonlight filtering through the dressing room window, staring off into space and twisting something in his paws. How she had called for him and he had stared at them across the way, as though he had seen little ghosts. As though he didn't know what he was meant to do with them now.

And he didn't - not entirely - having never been a sole caretaker before. Suddenly, he was totally responsible for everything all at once. Rather a shock, to go from near nothing to all overnight, and it was a struggle to be certain. But he'd learned on his paws; he'd learned right alongside them. And he had help, of course, but Gus the Theatre Cat was nothing if not a stubborn and headstrong tom. If I am to do it, he'd said, almost to himself as he spoke with Deuteronomy one evening when he thought they were asleep, I will do it properly.

"Patience has its own reward, as does familiarity," Gus continued, bringing her out of her thoughts. He seemed to have noticed the pause of her movements. "Do you remember how I used to fix it for you just as you're doing now?"

The one thing he hadn't struggled with- that he'd gotten very good at very quickly - was the very thing Jellylorum had begged for all those years ago. Jelly and Asparagus were always kept clean and well groomed, like their father and late mother before them. The last thing on top of everything else he'd wanted was matted heads on his paws, no sir.

So he would tap the brush against his knee in summons, every morning without fail. Jelly could still hear him calling if she concentrated:

Come, Jellybean, it’s your turn now. Hurry, hurry, or we’ll be late.

There were times, even grown and a half as she was now, that Jellylorum missed those days, sitting in her father's lap while he scraped the fur from her face and smoothed it over her forehead, scolded her for squirming, combed her whiskers straight, and washed her face. It had felt safe and warm; like everything was right and she didn't need to worry about anything. She'd willingly give anything to have that back, just for a moment.

"I do," the queen concluded, reaching for the chord she'd thrown over her shoulder. "You'd brush it and pull it far too tight-

"It was not too tight, come now," Gus objected, wincing as Jellylorum tugged at his temple for interrupting.

"- and every time at the end you'd ask if I wanted a bow."

“I always hoped you would - you looked very darling with a ribbon." Gus' voice had taken on a wistful tone, reaching to squeeze the paw that she had settled on his shoulder. He sighed, just a touch dramatically. "It hurt me when you said you'd gotten too old for them. Imagine - my little girl, too old for bows!”

Jellylorum chuckled, tucking the ends into themselves and tying them best she could. Not her best work, but it would do for what it was meant for. It would eventually be pulled free by forgetful paws and a searching left side anyway, but he never seemed to mind when that happened anymore. “Would you like a bow?”

Gus turned around completely to face her then. “Perhaps another time. I am getting too old for bows.”

"Etcetera will be so sad to hear that."

"Ah," Gus drawled, considering. "Perhaps I should delay the retirement then - couldn't stand to disappoint that one."

Jellylorum grinned in return and snapped her tools back in their kit. "It's all done then."

"I don't believe it is," Gus said, tilting his head. "You seem to have forgotten something."

"I've forgotten something?"

Her father nodded, eyes glittering. "You have! The most important thing."

"Well, I…" Jellylorum furrowed her brow, confused. "I can't remember what it is I've forgotten."

Gus smiled and took her face into his trembling paws, stretching up to press three kisses to her cheek in quick succession, just as he had when she was a queenkit. Jelly felt her eyes sting; of course, yes, he’d always done that before sending her off - how had she forgotten that?

"Thank you, love,” Gus said warmly, expression twitching as he gently swayed her head from side to side. He peered closely at her, as though committing everything to his slow wash of memory. He continued in a voice far softer: “My dear girl. I could never have asked for a better girl.”

Jellylorum felt her chest tighten with that familiar feeling from all that time ago; like everything was alright. Like she was being taken care of, for once. It was nice; she wanted to cry.

“Now, off with you,” he continued gruffly before she could brush the praise off, patting her face. “You've better places to be than here. I’ll see you again tomorrow."

Childish, certainly, but Jellylorum grasped close and fast to that statement, treating it as a promise it could never really be. But what else were daughters to take from their fathers but their word? Their promise to be there for them when they needed them? And she would always need him, she thinks, no matter how old she got; even when he was long gone. All she could do now was treasure the time she had left and hold tight to moments like this where she could believe - if only for a minute - that they’d always be together, just as he’d said all those years ago.

Not much else to do - not much else to do at all.

#happy early father's day i love them #Gus the Theatre Cat #Jellylorum #fanfiction #my fanfic #if you've been here over the past two months you know what this was inspired by #anyway them <3

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sugarcubetikki · 2 years

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a lot of people argue that one of the reasons that mike is gay is bc he thought el looks like a boy. that doesn’t sit right with me?? he acknowledged that el is a girl and liked her anyways (assuming that he liked el in the first place)

its okay to hc mike as gay and not bi ! but ppl can do that without making transphobic implications

hey anon (apologies for the late response I’ve been travelling I wanted to respond properly to this),

I think you’re viewing things through quite a simplified lens and have misinterpreted some things.

No one is exactly saying that El looking like a boy is what mainly could’ve contributed in Mike’s romantic feelings for her in S1 to argue his queerness.

The idea here is that Mike is a young teen coming into terms with his sexuality and is facing realistic struggles to do so as many young queer people do. He hasn’t fully explored it or come to terms with it. It’s okay to be confused about who you are. Besides, it’s difficult being queer and living in a society that is heteronormative and follows traditional gender norms too.

I don’t think it’s invalid to say that El’s boyish appearance influenced the romantic nature of Mike’s feelings. When you’re initially coming into terms with your queerness and what you like, I don’t think it’s odd or weird to say that Mike feels more drawn to more boyish things than feminine ones. I think that’s what most people mean whilst using this argument rather than any transphobic intent.

However, with the way you’re suggesting, I wouldn’t be very accepting of the take that Mike’s love for El/feelings for El are entirely rooted on the fact she looks like a boy because that’s not true and it sounds ridiculous and I don’t think that’s what Bylers are saying at all but if people are saying that then yes it’s quite problematic. I think there’s a lot of other factors and major reasons intertwined with why Mike’s romantic feelings for El could not entirely be authentic rather than her looking like a boy being the only argument.

What people mainly argue for Mike being gay is mainly because he hasn’t shown romantic interest and attraction towards girls the way Dustin and Lucas have.

You said that he acknowledged El was a girl and liked her but it’s more complicated than that. What we believe is that his romantic relationship with El seems like something that was largely influenced by heteronormative pressure, romantic curiosity during that age and also the fact that he was young/coming into terms with who he is. I think he’s grown in a more complex way as the show progressed and his relationship with El has changed to make sense in accordance with a lot of the evidence we already have for Mike’s queerness too.

Also, a lot young queer teens have dated/had feelings for people of the opposite sex whilst very young and later looked back on it realising how those relationships were more fuelled by heteronormativity, romantic curiosity as well as a confusion with distinguishing between platonic and romantic or sexual love which is completely valid.

I personally don’t mind if Mike is gay or bi specifically. I don’t think it invalidates any arguments about his comphet, internalised homophobia or about whether his feelings for El were ever truly romantic because whatever you label/identify as all queer people can go through this experience.

At the end of the day, we’re all figuring ourselves out, and the way I see it is that Mike is too with his feelings and who he is.

#asks #byler #stranger things #stranger things 4 #milkvan #mike wheeler is gay #st4 spoilers #mike wheeler #will byers #byler analysis

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notalwaysright · 2 years

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They’ll Learn Or They’ll Lose

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=259526 It’s the late 1970s in Australia, and barcode scanners have just been introduced. Because each item no longer has its own stick-on price tag, a lot of customers are very concerned that they’ll be charged the wrong price at the checkout and not realise it. In response, many of the large retailers have instituted a policy that if an item scans at the wrong price, you get the first one free and any others at the right price. I go in to buy a full carton of cigarettes, and when I go to pay, it scans at a price that is considerably more than the price on the shelf. Me: “Sorry, that’s the wrong price. It should be [correct price].” Cashier: “Just let me check…” After a short check, the cashier admitted that it was wrong but re-rang it at the lower price. I pointed out their policy, which was listed on a card above the checkout — that I should be getting it for free. She flatly refused, so I asked to speak to a manager. After a long delay, the manager put in an appearance and (very rudely) admitted that I was right and gave it to me for free. Given that it was the equivalent of about $100 in today’s money, I can understand his reluctance, but I didn’t make the policy! Shift forward about a day, by which time I felt that they’d had more than enough time to fix the incorrect price in their computers if they had any intention to do so. I went back and got another carton, which promptly scanned for the same incorrect price! At this point, the s**** really hit the fan, with the manager loudly abusing me while I pointed out that I had done nothing except take advantage of their own store’s policy. In the end, I was given the second carton free and told not to come back. And, yes, I have long since given up smoking! Source: https://notalwaysright.com/?p=259526

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gothmiqote · 19 days

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yk as interesting as it might be to have varha meet azem i actually this it would end up doing a Number on her self esteem lmao

like the idea she has of herself is like,,, Yes she's strong yes she's the "chosen one" butshe also doesn't know for sure she's got a ton going on outside of that. before she was the warrior of light she really was Just Some Guy who had her uses on the field, there's no denying from her that she's a good shot or handy with a glaive. but also those skills don't really roll over into other areas of her life. she still thinks she lacks in a lot of the softer skills--social things largely, but not just those. before she was the warrior of light, she really truly did Not have anyone else in her life (unless you count her one estranged brother who also survived the calamity. she, personally, would not) & couldn't sort out how to properly maintain relationships past a casual depth. it wasn't that she couldn't get along at all, she just never found herself being anyone's first choice. like, she will fully admit to being an attention-seeing kid. to be fair, it makes sense with as many siblings as she had that there would be a need to stand out, she's just never felt like she actually managed to do so.

intellectually speaking, she knows sh's far from stupid & that again, most of her talents really shine in the heat of battle. but like 90% of her friends are basically doctors, & she's aware she would probably have killed the world a long time ago if all the strategizing was left up to her. she'll contribute to these discussions because she's expected to, despite being really goddamn aware she wouldn't be invited to the table without the Very specific circumstances they all find themselves in.

speaking of those friends, it's not lost on her that she wouldn't have them if she wasn't hydaelyn's chosen. maybe they might have crossed paths loosely at some point, but there'd have been no reason to keep her around. having a title like that has its downsides & can definitely be more of a burden than a blessing, but on the whole? she's a bit relieved that she's been able to benefit from it in some more selfish ways (in her opinion). it's a nice change, people having expectations of her & being somewhat interested in her, even if a lot of that interest is directed towards the warrior of light instead of just her as a person. that bit of distance is weirdly comfortable at times. she's not the most emotionally graceful person, usually being too-direct or at a loss for word or reading a situation entirely incorrectly. she's impatient and forceful & is unsurprisingly bad when it comes to navigating environments like sharlayan. the only thing that saves her is the fact that she's Really good at looking confident & making her mistakes appear intentional. having a reputation helps too.

but azem? arsinoë? it's So clear within minutes of meeting her that she doesn't have these same issues. she's the type of person who draws others in without even trying. she's intelligent and witty and doesn't trip over her words (or struggle to find them in the first place). she's able to hold her own just fine in intellectual circles--hell, other people would almost certainly find her intimidating, if she didn't also radiate the type of energy that puts people at ease. there's nothing fake or exaggerated about the confidence she walks around with, and nothing seems to get in her head the same way it does varha. it's the type of inner-security she can only dream of.

i think at first she would want to meet her, just for the novelty of meeting the originator of her soul. i don't think it would cross her mind until it was too late that she actually didn't enjoy doing too much self-examination, and this would be a weird externalized version of that. and of course azem is interested in her--she's interested in a lot of things, but a shard of her own soul from a distant future would be especially fascinating. but varha would start to pick up on just how comfortable she was in her own skin quickly, and it would eat it her. people flock to azem in a way they never did to her Until she had a hero's reputation, until she offered something that was more than she could be on her own. that was when they were willing to look past her short comings. did azem even have those? probably not.

& varha's never been so sick with envy in her entire life, but she's not hateful about it. one, it doesn't make sense & two, she's Also been sucked into that vortex. azem's presence is... a lot, actually. it's domineering in any room--not unkindly, but she's impossible to ignore. she's also just a naturally charming person; there's nothing to hate. but the more varha watches her and searches for similarities, the more she starts to conclude that she seems to have inherited the more negative traits of azem. she's got the same intensity, gets tunnel-visioned about problems, & will Immediately lose her cool if you push her buttons correctly. all of that would be fine if she also got a sliver of that intangible thing arsinoë has that gives her a gravitational pull. she's like the sun, & varha would find herself starting to burn if she stays around too long.

part of her wonders maybe if venat had a hand in making sure the chips fell where they did. somehow she suspects if she were more like azem, she might have some stronger feelings about life or death situations; she might decide there was too much to live for to take certain risks. but if she felt like she was constantly falling short? or like she could have been a stand-in for anyone else? maybe it made her work just that much harder to prove something.

she's not surprised the present hades has such disdain for her. aside from the whole 'going mad from grief' thing, of course. she carries some of the least-loved parts of azem without her same light. standing next to her exposes failures of her personality that she never even knew to look for. varha doesn't dwell on hades' accusations of being a non-person; it's a waste of her time, especially when she knows otherwise. but she definitely feels like a cheap copy when faced with the original. of course, the general disinterest she'd dealt with from people her entire life made sense now. seeing what could have been--what was---makes her immediately understand. even if none of them had Met azem, they would have reacted if she'd resembled her in any way. she could get how losing someone like that would make you want to tear the world up in their name. and varha has people she loves now & who care about her in return, who would definitely mourn her if she were gone, but that type of reaction? nah, nope. they'd get over it in time; the death would be ordinary, as would the grief. which is fine by her, because she actually never Wants to see that level of destruction created for her sake, but still. she gets it.

#the comparison to a literal more whole version of herself would eat her actually jsghfed #she likes herself just fine its not exactly self loathing? she's just. Very Very aware of what she lacks in herself.#especially when it comes to other people. intellectually she knows she should probably be more upset most of the good things she has now #are only bc of the role hydaelyn put her in & not won on her own merit but shes honestly just glad she has them Period.#do i think she would tell anyone she has this crisis? also no LMAO #however i dont think she would be good at burying this one down; you'd probably be able to see it on her face #like these arent really qualities you can Teach you either have it or you dont. she doesnt and knows it.#oc tag #varha naiarro #my writing #ffxiv oc #ffxiv wol

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drowninginredink · 4 months

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If ur not up for your blog to become a discussion hub you can delete this ask but notthatalex' analogy of "but for some reason, people are really scared to roast you, excluding you entirely from that dynamic" I don't think quite makes sense. Within a friend group there Will be healthy boundaries. So therefore there should be some too when we joke to an audience. People roast and joke their friends because they know each other, have given the ok and know they dont hold ill will - if that isn't the case there's a clear problem that should be ideally addressed! Comedians like the ones in Smosh have a platform which I think is ok to demand it to be used responsibly. There's a difference in making a joke where the punchline is "get it ? it's a gay guy, that's funny on its own" and making a joke that happens to include gay guys/their experience for example. Also as much as we want them to, jokes can't exist in a political void. It's already been well documented that memes, jokes, comedy can be absolutely used as a propaganda tool and that some "jokes" are actually meant to represent the creator's political stance. A good example from not too long ago is Sacha Baron Cohen who lately appeared in the news for his Zionist beliefs, while he's built his career around making fun of "arabs" that people have been giving him the benefit of the doubt for for years saying it's "satire".

I mean my intention was never to be a discussion hub, but only because I never expected anyone to care enough about what I have to say to send me asks. So sure, let's do this!

But yeah, I would say I'm a bit more in favor of restricting comedians than Alex, but I think what you're saying is kind of misreading him. He made it pretty clear that there are good jokes and bad jokes you can make about anything. And my biggest opinion is, aside from the fact that yes, "I'm a gay guy and that's funny on its own" is problematic... It's also not funny. If you ask me, the biggest thing that makes something funny is surprise. And bigoted jokes are hacky. They're not creative. "Haha this group is bad/weird" is a thing we've all heard before. It's not unfunny when my family makes a joke about Chinese people eating dogs because it's racist, even though it very much is, it's unfunny because I've heard that joke a million times.

But I think the friendship example is actually perfect because roasting a friend requires knowledge of said friend beyond hacky stereotypes, so it's going to have to go beyond easy bigoted jokes. Again, I do agree with Alex in the sense that you can joke about anything, but you've got to do it well. And again, bigoted jokes just aren't funny. They're all overplayed. The only reason people find them funny is because they agree with them.

And yeah, it does suck to be the person in the friendgroup who feels like they're being treated with kid gloves. It's all about knowing people's lines. I know seeing the TNTL roasts of Angela made me so uncomfortable at first because I basically am Angela and the particular points they were hitting are things I'm super sensitive about. So if I were her, I would have felt like absolute shit. And then I saw her say how much that made her happy because she felt seen, and how it meant so much to her. And that's made me actually really embrace that view of it and encourage my friends to roast me like that. Because you know what? This is who I am, and I do want you all to see me in my cringe glory. Because being cringe is a good thing. So like, to me, that's what Alex is saying. You've got to know the lines, but imagine how it'd look if they never went after Angela.

Also I don't exactly keep up with Cohen, but I have seen... Whatever the name of that movie was over my brother's shoulder and needless to say, it was a yikes and I don't know how we let anyone who made it say he was at all progressive. I mean, to be fair, of course it was a yikes. If my dad likes a thing, that's always a red flag.

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writerartistdreamer · 7 months

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@whumptober @whumptober-archive

Title: Pesky Little Creature

Hello! I decided to write something a bit more light and funny today, after the fics about those two being in captivity or going through stuff. Just a light, fluffy, funny fic of these two adorable beings dealing with a rat in the Dark Castle, to get a few giggles out of you. I've been so busy with uni lately, but I am somehow staying afloat. You can also find this fic on AO3! Enjoy!

Posting day: 11

Prompt day 11: Animal Trap

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Characters: Belle, Rumplestiltskin, rat

Summary: While Belle and Rumplestiltskin are having a conversation in the comfort of the Great Hall, a new little visitor decides to make its appearance- a rat. Tiny bit of chaos ensues

"Rumplestiltskin, what in the hell is that sound?", Belle asked all of a sudden while they were conversing in the Great Hall. A squeaking sound could indeed be heard in the room, yet it didn't seem to be anything of great importance. Still, the sound was coming closer and closer to their table and he noticed his little maid's eyes widen like saucers. A yelp left her lips and she climbed to the top of the mahogany table, frantically pointing to a spot relatively close to it. Another yelp left her lips as the creature moved, her face going pale. When the man's eyes found what terrified her so, giggles errupted from him, finding the situation rather ridiculous.

"A rat, dearie? Is that what makes your bravery waver so?", Rumplestiltskin asked with a playful smirk, arms crossed in front of his chest as he gazed up at her. She remained standing on the table, all the while trying to keep her distance from said rat, biting her lip. The rat moved to stand by the sorcerer's feet for a moment and he instantly stepped back, disgusted sneer on his face. The maid let a laugh as she witnessed everything from the table, noticing the irony of the situation.

"Is that disgust I see, Rumplestiltskin? I thought this to be a silly fear to have" Belle pointed out the irony, smirking victoriously down at him. She would have come down to point it right out to him had she not been so very scared of the grey creature below.

"Yes, well...not the most hygienic beings out there. I can't say they are very pleasing to the eyes, or the rest of the senses, dearie" Rumplestiltskin replied, clearly defeated both by her and by the rat near his feet. As he waved his hand, a rat trap made itself known, ready to take it down and give them some peace. The man came to sit down on the table as he awaited to see if it would take the bait, a piece of cheese, and would be caught in the trap. He silently patted the place next to her and Belle came to sit right next to him, crossing her legs as she didn't want them touching the floor, for fear of the rat somehow reaching her feet and climbing atop them.

So they waited next to one another, watching intently to see it finally get captured. Rumplestiltskin wanted to poof him away, but Belle insisted there was no need to use magic for small tasks that can be accomplished normally, so the compromise was poofing a trap. He noticed her biting her nails anxiously and offered her a cup of tea, refilling it with the brew she had brought out earlier. She accepted it, thanking him, and took a few sips as she waited for the rat to get caught. The two heard the sound of the trap closing in and looked over at one another, before the sorcerer climbed off the table to check if the trap had done its job. Somehow, the cheese was gone, the trap was closed, yet the rat was nowhere to be found. "No luck, dearie"

Belle sighed and remained seated, drinking the cup of tea in one go before pouring herself yet another one. The man smirked and poofed a tiny cage with a slab of cheese awaiting in the middle, then sat back down next to her. "What is a tiny cage going to do? The rat wasn't tricked by your trap initially", she reprimanded with a sigh and let her head lean on his shoulder.

"Well, dearie, any type of movement will be triggering that door right close. The slab of cheese is in the middle, which means the rat will have to walk right in if he wants to get it", he replied victoriously. For a moment, when he felt her touch, he froze solid, his eyes widening, before slowly but surely relaxing and allowing one of his arms to wrap around her middle and hold her by his side comfortably. As they sat together, relaxing in each other's presence, they heard the door of the tiny cage close.

She instantly shot up, looking at him with a hopeful smile before he moved his arm away from her. Rumplestiltskin slowly but surely stepped away from the table and in the direction of the cage and noticed the tailed little creature trapped between the bars, door closed successfuly. He picked the tiny cage up with a victorious smile and showed it to Belle, who let our a sigh of relief. "Finally!", she exclaimed happily.

"Pesky little creature", he spoke impishly, before heading towards the gates of the castle. The gates opened and Rumplestiltskin walked farther away from the steps, then crouched down and opened the cage to let the rat get out and run away from their home to never bother them again. He came back inside, closing the gates behind him with a flick of the wrist, and sat back down next to his little maid, who once again leaned her head against his shoulder, a small comfort she had taken to lately. His arm once again wrapped around her middle and so they rested on the table, able to return to their conversation.

"So, that realm you were telling me about..." Belle reminded him with a small smile and allowed his voice to carry her back to their content little world of stories and conversation.

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