#c: wolfram

[lululeighsworld]

You are the Emerald Witch, and I am your butler. Our laws forbid us from leaving Wolfsschlucht.

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc-

bonus

[koushirouizumi]

K Y O U K A R A M A O U! ~ Y u u r i & W o l f r a m [2024 Official Art] {from here!}

[rcsplendent]

❛  𝘸𝘦'𝘥  𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳  𝘣𝘦  𝙨𝙞𝙭  𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙩  𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧  𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯  𝘣𝘦  𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺.  ❜

𝓬 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼  . . . ships  as  songs.  

001.  sasha  lukin  &  wolfram  wagner.   ┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .   𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄  by  𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍.

@aresenics !

[sunburstlink]

[ @sonsofjustice ] the  other  was  skillful  ;  a  quick  maneuver  and  lincoln  was  flat  on  his  ass  and  wolfram  had  him  pinned.  tapping  himself  out,  they  do  of  them  had  been  tied  now  and  this  would  be  the  tiebreaker.  it  had  been  thirty  minutes  of  them  grappling,  the  skill  useful  while  they  were  out  battling  and  worth  getting  better  at  as  they  continued  to  punch  leagues  above  their  weight  class.

  without  any  weapons,  they  only  had  their  strength,  athletics,  and  dexterity  to  rely  on.  lincoln  went  for  the  legs  first  as  a  feint  and  quickly  spun  himself  around  and  pinned  the  other  with  his  body  collapsed  tightly  against  the  son  of  nemesis  waiting  for  him  to  tap  out.

  "  come  on,  wolfram.  i  fucking  got  you,  just  give  up  already.  "

[queer-ragnelle]

Brand “New” List of Additions to the Arthurian Preservation Project Archive

I've compiled all recent additions to the archive here for easy access. New additions include Medieval texts in French, German, Greek, Middle English, and Norse, plus a multitude of newly acquired retellings and illustrated volumes. Everything can be found on my Retellings List ordered by year or my Medieval Literature List ordered by language.

Links connect to corresponding PDFs on my Google drive where they can be read and downloaded for free. But if you like what I do, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi. I haven’t yet read these listings in full; I cannot attest to their content or quality. A big thank you to @wandrenowle, @mordredpendragon, and Anonymous askers for the help collecting!

Modern Retellings

Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1898) — Illustrated by George Wooliscroft Rhead & Louis Rhead.

The Knights of the Round Table by William Henry Frost (1898) — Illustrated by Sydney Richmond Burleigh.

The Vision of Sir Launfal and Other Poems edited by Francis R Lane (1900) — Sir Lanfaul sees the Holy Grail.

The Book of Romance by Andrew Lang (1902) — Illustrated by H. J. Ford.

King Arthur's Knights by Henry Gilbert (1911) — Illustrated by Walter Crane.

Parsifal (1912) — Illustrated book about Parzival.

The Tale of Lohengrin - Knight of the Swan (1914) — Illustrated book about Parzival's son, Lohengrin.

Mayday by William Faulkner (1974) — Sir Galwyn seeks the woman he loves.

Peronnik the Simpleton (1984) — The quest for the Holy Grail based on Breton folklore & illustrated by Christiane Lesch

The Tragedy of Tragedies by Henry Fielding (2013) — Contains a story about King Arthur's wife, Queen Dollalolla, of whom "he stands a little in fear."

Medieval Literature

Daniel von dem Blühenden Tal or Daniel of the Flowering Valley translated by Michael Resler

Erex Saga and Ívens Saga translated by Foster W. Blaisdell and Marianne E. Kalinke

Le Roman de Tristan en Prose (French)

The Romance of Hunbaut by Margaret Winters (French)

Specimens of Early English Metrical Romance translated by George Ellis

The Old Knight translated by Thomas H. Crofts

The Romance of Perceval translated by Dell Skeels

Arthurian Romances, Tales, and Lyric poetry by Hartmann von Aue translated by Frank J Tobin, Kim Vivian, & Richard H Lawson

Sagas of Imagination - A Medieval Icelandic Reader translated by Ben Waggoner

Trot, Lecheor, and Nabaret translated by Glyn S. Burgess and Leslie C. Brook

Sir Lancelot of the Lake (abbreviated Vulgate w/ illuminations) translated by Lucy Allen Paton

Parzival, Titurel, and the Love Lyrics by Wolfram von Eschenbach translated by Cyril Edwards

Tristan by Gottfried von Straßberg translated by A. T. Hatto

[sparklystarrrr]

Hi! I saw that your requests are open and that your anime masterlist has "Black butler" so can I request Sebastian and the reader is a fallen angel? I don't really have a plot worked out exactly (sorry), but I was thinking of a reader who fell in love with Sebastian and fell from heaven because of her love for a demon. In the course of whatever events, they broke up and met again in the Green Witch arc.

YAY first Black Butler req!!!! I’ve been watching the new season and it’s TOOOO GOOD

Bassy in the new art style makes me WEAK

Want You Back

Synopsis: Love, as sinful as it may be, is a feeling that can't be helped.

Contains: Sebastian M. x Fem! Fallen Angel! Reader, a touch of romantic angst, LOTS of romantic tension, enemies to lovers perhaps?

It had been years since (y/n) fell. Not only from heaven, but in love. Her wings and heart laid bare and broken to the world. The fallen angel's only direction was to get as far away from England as she could. The young (h/c) haired woman decided to run to the Wolfsschlucht Forest, the village where the Emerald Witch resided. It was a civilization made entirely of young women, built on the belief in the Werewolf. Quite homey to be honest.

All was well in the occult village, until a bunch of English people supposedly arrived in the village. (y/n) wondered how they got into the village knowing the consequences of entering the forest. It was terrifying, but it was home. (Y/n) herself did not need a talisman as she was already a blessed being, making her stand out among the crowd. Especially when there was a human woman of the village who was attacked by the werewolf in turn for not wearing the talisman. She gained a fatal gash on her back and was treated by the Emerald Witch, yet was still unfixed. A woman drenched in a mossy colored cloak proclaimed to the crowd that this was the fault of the Englishmen who barged in.

They all looked normally human besides one snake boy, but there was a tall man amongst them all. An incredibly familiar man. He dawned his dark suit and slightly tousled black hair. His red eyed were piercing. Piercing right into (y/n)’s own (e/c) eyes. She shuddered. A gaping hole grew in her stomach. Sudden unwanted memories began washing up. With that, feelings the fallen angel thought she could never feel again resurfaced in her torn heart. It was none other than Sebastian Michaelis, the cursed demon who stole her heart. She literally ran away to this forest to start a new life without him, what the hell was he doing here?!

As if it couldn't get any worse, poor (y/n) saw him everywhere after that. When her and Hilde, Anna and Grete went to the Emerald Castle to assist Fraur Sullivan, he was there carrying and assisting her?? Didn't he have a young master to be taking care of?? WHERE IS WOLFRAM IN THIS MESS??? (y/n) was utterly confused and distraught. But as an angel, even as a fallen one, she tried her hardest to keep her composed and sweet demeanor up. It was the worst challenge of her life.

As an attendant of Fraur Sullivan, she now unfortunately had to see Sebastian every single place she went. Her feelings only kept resurfacing. The thing is, he was just getting more attractive as the days went on, and it pissed her off to no end... She would even occasionally catch Sebastian's eyes on her. To avoid conflict she just brushed it off and ignored it.

While assisting Sieglinde into her clothes for the day, Sebastian was there. He poured the tea into the small cup with such grace that it was hard to look away. The way the sun sparkled through the dark green curtains of Sieglinde's large bedroom and onto his pale smooth skin was inhumane. It was too enticing. It seems he noticed her wandering eyes, as he smiled at her. "Miss (y/n), you should be assisting Fraur Sullivan, no?" He said in a calm and slightly playful tone. She grimaced at his voice, still as deep and rich as ever. "Of course, Butler." She spoke, her tone dripping in sarcasm that Sebastian chose to ignore-- for the time being of course.

While working in the kitchen to prepare food, he was always right there behind her. He would correct her steps of preparing the food and out do her in performance AND preparation. He looked too angelic and graceful for a demon while simply making food. It pissed her off. This was supposed to be her peaceful home, not somewhere her and her ex would reunite…”(y/n), it appears you’re preparing the food all wrong. Do you require assistance? I’d be more than happy to help.” He spoke in that damn attractive british accent. “No, I’ll do fine. Get off my back Sebastian.” He would simply nod and turn his back to her,”Whatever you say. Stubborn as ever…”

"What was that?" the (h/c) haired angel said, her tone icy cold. The angelic girl had clearly broken from irritation, her softness now brittle. "Oh nothing. Resume your work at once Miss (y/n)."He responded. Even though she couldn't see, he was clearly smirking. It was like he was teasing her. "No, if you're going to say something about me you will say it to my face." All he did was let out a small chuckle and turn to her. “My my, you’ve really not changed have you..” He took a couple steps to her while holding the strongest eye contact she’s ever participated in. Her breath hitched as he lightly twirled a piece of her (h/c) hair between his ungloved fingers. “…Still the same (y/n), not that it’s an issue of course.” She got a glimpse of his sharp fangs poking out from his lips every time a teasing sentence left his mouth, making her remember every place he put his fangs on her… wait… SHE SHOULD NOT BE THINKING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW!!!

She looked up at him firmly, “Get your hand off me.” Her chest rose and fell from the deep inhaled she took. She didn’t know if it was from her being scared or from thinking such impure thoughts. ”You do not seem to be fighting back,” His smirk grew, ”One could say you’re enjoying this attention, no?” her hands grasped his and pulled him away from her hair. Evidently, not letting go of his hand just yet.”I’m not enjoying it Sebastian.” He cooed at (y/n)’s sharp (e/c) eyes. “You say such things while grasping onto my hand for dear life, ironic now isn’t it?”

(y/n) was practically growling. “Won’t you just go away already? We’re supposed to be making food, not friends…” She said through her teeth and throwing his hand out of hers.

It went on like this for days. He would catch her off guard and sneak up behind her when she least expected it. Every time she'd cook? He's automatically coming up behind her and trying to assist. She's dressing Sieglinde? He's popping in to do her hair and put on her shoes. (y/n) didn't know his motivation behind this, but it sure did tick her off. He was somehow right over her shoulder all the time. Today, the fallen angel had had enough.

She laid out Sieglinde's dress and it's thousands of petticoats, straightening the fabric and retying bows. There was a sudden knock at the door. (y/n) whipped her head around thinking it was the black haired demon, only for it to be Hilde. She sighed in relief... that was instantly short-lived when Sebastian sauntered in with Tanaka behind him. As she woke the young Emerald Witch from her slumber, Hilde was next to (y/n) preparing the corset for the young girl to wear. There was a warm and elegant scent of classic black tea as requested by the small witch. It was comforting and brought up pleasant memories of her time in England. The sounds of Big Ben, the chattering of wealthy women giggling about the latest royal drama, all feeling like a warm embrace. Until memories of him resurfaced.

She choked on air and all eyes were suddenly on her. "(y/n), geht es Ihnen gut?" Hilde said worriedly. (y/n) cleared her throat with a hand on her chest, steadying her breathing."Y-yes Hilde, mir geht es gut." Her (e/c) eyes remained wide at the sudden memories. The angel could barely deny it anymore. She truly did miss him. "Sebastian, give miss (y/n) some tea." Little Sieglinde spoke as Hilde assisted her into her petticoats. "At once, Fraur Sullivan." Her head snapped. How did he suddenly gain a German accent?? She nearly didn’t recognize him…

He stepped towards her with Tanaka trailing behind, a cart with freshly brewed tea and clean tea cups rolled towards her. He gently poured her a cup. The rich smelling steam filled her nostrils. “Tea for you, madame.” Sebastian placed the cup in front of her with a small clank as it hit the table next to her. Her rage got the best of her. She had enough. (y/n) grabbed the hem of the demon’s pristine black suit and dragged him out of the room, leaving the tea to become cold.

She nearly slammed the door behind her as she went out into the dark hallway to talk to Sebastian. “What are you doing here Sebastian.” Her tone was fraying at it’s edges as she attempted to hold on to whatever sanity she had left. “I am in an investigation, accompanying my young master. Why do you ask?” His face was as devoid of his usual smirk. It was straight for once, probably because he felt her slowly about to lose it on him. “Sebastian you know why I’m asking. There’s no reason you should be in Germany out of the blue. Go back to England. I never want to see you again.” Her voice rasped. Her head faced the floor as she spoke.

“I would rather not leave yet. There is more I’d like to stay here for, aside from the investigation.” He said smoothly. She quirked her head up at him as a smirk slid on his face. “Then tell me, what else would you even be here for?” It was almost a demand rather than a question. “I assume you’d like me to be honest, yes? I came here to see how you’d been faring. I caught wind of a fallen angel in this forest on my way to Germany and I became intrigued.” She couldn’t be mad at him for telling the truth, but then again, “Was this your way of coming back for me or something?” The angel muttered.

“You could say that…” His tone was mischievous.”Sebastian just tell me the truth. This may be blunt but I don’t care, do you still care about me?” He froze at her words. It was like she’d ran him into a corner and pinned him there with nowhere to run — not that he would’ve minded that actually happening though…

Their tension was unbearable. They held firm eye contact like it was a staring contest and they were trying to see who’d break first. “I do care (y/n).” He said under his breath. This was one thing he couldn’t bear to say out loud. It was heavy and contained emotions he didn’t think he was capable of. All for an angel. “Then why did you leave? I fell from Heaven for you…” Tears pricked her eyes. Pure emotions filling her up to the brim. It was like her final string to whatever kept her holding back emotions had broken. His breath hitched. “I had to. What I do is not safe and I would rather you stay away from the danger it brings. I am a demon, you’re an angel. We were and still are too different.” He somehow said it like it was so easy. It only made (y/n)’s heart shatter even more.

“But I’m not an angel… I’m fallen, I’m not pure…” She clutched onto his suit jacket with desperation. She was scared to let go, thinking he may disappear if even a finger left his clothes. “Come back…” She exhaled. His hands nearly shook at his sides. His gloved hand rested on her shoulder,”… Please Sebastian…” His hand gripped harder to her shoulder as she spoke against his chest, now dampened with her tears. “We must get rid of this attitude you’ve had with me first, then I may think of accepting that lovely offer.” Sebastian’s voice had a playful and teasing tone in it, making her smile and furrow her brows.”Oh, shut up-“ “(y/n)! Komm wieder rein! Fraur Sullivan needs assisting!” Hilde’s deep voice shouted as she opened the door, just to see you and Sebastian in a… very close embrace. “A-ah! (y/n) you must get back to work!” “Yes yes Hilde, I’m coming!” (y/n) retorted. She grabbed Sebastian’s hand without thinking and dragged them both back into Sieglinde’s room. Sebastian smiled at their hands knit together, knowing damn well he wouldn’t be telling her about it until someone points it out.

(y/n) would be yelling at him for that later…

[graysoncritic]

A (Negative) Review of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

In the previous section, we explored not only who Dick Grayson is and why he is so beloved by his friends, but why many people — including Taylor and others at DC — have a hard time  understanding his character. By reducing Dick to a hero who is “good” and transforming into an “everyman” that anyone can project themselves onto, Taylor fundamentally removes that which makes Dick special, transforming him into a different character.

But there are other ways in which Taylor and DC mischaracterize Dick by erasing his history and transforming into a more “palatable” mainstream hero. That is what I wish to explore in more detail now. 

Let’s begin by examining how Taylor’s framing Dick’s story in Nightwing (and that of the Titans in Titans) as a coming-of-age tale contributes to a grand erasure of Dick Grayson’s greatness.

In Taylor’s run, Dick is treated as if he were a new superhero. However, even if this run (not the entire title that started in 2016 with Rebirth, but just Taylor’s run) were to become a new stand-in for the 1996 Nightwing solo in which Dick arrives in Bludhaven for the very first time, Dick Grayson should not be portrayed as someone new to vigilantism. Even if one were to generously interpret Taylor’s Dick as being only twenty-two years old after starting as Robin at twelve years of age and only recently having become Nightwing, Dick would still have a decade of experience doing detective and hero work. It is notable that most of that decade was spent with him leading the Titans, serving as Batman’s partner and second-in-command, and mentoring numerous young heroes.

(Wolfram, Amy, writer. Kerschl, Karl, illustrator. In the Beginning… Part Three. Teen Titans: Year One no. 03, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2008. pp. 09)

One of Dick’s core traits is that he is a natural, if at times reluctant, leader. Many key moments in his character history are defined by Dick feeling the weight of the responsibilities placed upon him and having to push through his personal reservations for the sake of others. 

Dick was the first child hero. He was the first sidekick. Out of universe and in universe. (In the introduction to  Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman, Kristen L. Geaman mentions that some argue Mister America from Action Comics #2 is, in fact, the first side-kick. However, this claim is debated since Mister America played more of a comedic and “Watsonian” role [as Dick Grayson Fan C suggested], and Dick was the one who popularized the formula of the role.) He was the proof that the concept of a sidekick — a partner — could work. Proof that kids could be trained into this life. Proof that they did not need powers in order to be a hero. That is one of the reasons why, in-universe, he is admired by so many characters – because he is the trailblazer who opened the doors for every young hero and side-kick that came after him. Dick’s history is also why he has so many connections — it is because he was the one who opened the doors for everyone else, mentored so many people, and partnered with those who were his age and those who were much older that he gained so much respect in the superhero community. 

And yet, that history is called into question in Taylor’s narrative when he frames Dick as a young, new hero who is just beginning to assess what he wants to do with his life. Not only is it bad storytelling to portray Dick’s connections without factoring in the experience tied into them, it also demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of who Dick is, what he represents, and why he’s been so beloved for over 80 years.

This lack of appreciation and of respect towards Dick is extended to the other Titans in Taylor’s Titans (2023) run. As he himself pointed out, the first arc is called Out of the Shadows because, in his words, the Titans are “stepping out of the shadows of the Justice League.”

(Taylor, Tom [TomTaylorMade]. Twitter, 22 June 2023, https://twitter.com/jesswchen/status/1636971185782259716?s=20.)

And yet, to its fans, the Titans were never in the Justice League’s shadows. They were not inferior or subordinate to the Justice League, even if they may be less known. In-universe, the Titans may have modeled themselves after the Justice League and they may be allies, but the Titans are still an independent entity. From their very inception they defined themselves in contrast with how the Justice League operates. 

In fact, in JLA/Titans #02, Dick himself draws this distinction when arguing with Bruce and calling him out on his condescending behavior towards the Titans.

(Grayson, Devin; Jimenez, Phil, writers. Jimenez, Phil; Brown, Eliot R., illustrator. The Generation Gap. JLA/Titans no. 02, e-book ed. DC Comics, 1998. pp. 23)

Trying to repackage Dick and the Titans as newbie heroes who are only now experiencing independence demonstrates a lack of understanding of their history and who the Titans are meant to be. The Dark Crisis and The Dawn of the DCU attempt to frame Dick’s Nightwing series and Titans as coming-of-age tales, where only now the characters are stepping into adulthood. Taylor’s writing goes a step further and portrays them as making rookie mistakes, coming across as newbies, and as a result, erasing all of the rich history that have built these characters into who they are today.

As I mentioned above, even if we generously interpreted that Dick never lived in Bludhaven before, Dick should still have plenty of experience being a hero and living on his own. The moment in which he transitions from Robin to Nightwing (willingly or unwillingly depending on your preferred Nightwing origin story) is Dick’s coming-of-age moment. By the time he comes to Bludhaven, Dick already knows who he is, what he wants, and he knows how to care for himself. By the time Dick comes to Bludhaven, his internal struggles are not that of a young adult who just left the nest and does not yet feel like an adult, but rather that of an adult who knows his own abilities and is confident in who he is. 

And yet, in Nightwing #84, the first issue in Nightwing: Fear State, Taylor has Dick pondering on the responsibilities of taking care of Bludhaven. Right on the first page, he says “Fighting an entire corrupt system? Saving a whole city? There’s no training for that.” 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Rodriguez, Robbi, illustrator.  Fear State Part 1 of 3. Nightwing: Rebirth. 84, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 03)

Except even the most basic knowledge of Dick’s character shows that he was, in fact, trained to save an entire system and to fight a corrupt system — he was trained to care for Gotham and to take out the corrupt systems that prevail in that city. Not only that, Dick has also been Batman, at which point he was also Gotham’s main protector. 

This mistake becomes even more outrageous when one considers that, though Taylor’s run is at times treated as a soft-reboot, Dick is still shown to have lived in Bludhaven while operating as Nightwing. This means that that generous interpretation I’ve been alluding to is not, in fact, compatible with the story as it is written. It is a falsehood, and therefore cannot be used to excuse the “new-in-town” approach Taylor uses when writing Dick. 

Dick’s apparent inexperience and, frankly, incompetence, is further highlighted by the amount of times Dick is saved by others, or the amount of times when he is dependent on others to do the work for him. These instances include, but are not limited to:

The people of Bludhaven answering Nightwing’s call when Heartless sets the tent city on fire in #81

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part 4. Nightwing: Rebirth. 81, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 13)

Dick being knocked out with a single blow and then unmasked during his first attempt to investigate Melinda also in issues #81

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part 4. Nightwing: Rebirth. 81, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 20 - 21)

Babs calling people to Dick’s rescue rather than trusting he could get out of it on his own in #82.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part 5. Nightwing: Rebirth. 82, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 03)

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. The Battle for Bludhaven’s Heart Part Four. Nightwing: Rebirth. 95, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 24 - 25)

In #90, when his building blew up and Wally came to save him, then proceeded to force him to rest away from Bludhaven instead of letting him take action.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Get Grayson Act Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 90, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 15)

And needing Babs’ help during a car chase in #106,

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Byrne, Stephen. The Crew of the Crossed Part One. Nightwing: Rebirth. 106, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 16)

Which greatly contrasts how, in #113 of the Nightwing (1996), Dick handles a similar situation while simultaneously mentoring Rose Wilson.

(Grayson, Devin, writer. Chian, Cliff, illustrator The Scorpion and the Frog. Nightwing no 113, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2005. pp. 19)

The thesis of Taylor’s run is that people need to rely on one another — we have to be each other’s safety net. And while that is an interesting theme to explore and one that certainly speaks to Dick’s history of doing things on his own out of fear of putting others in danger, Dick should still, more times than not, be able to do things by himself. After all, this is not an ensemble piece — this is Nightwing’s story and as his fans, we want to read about him. Cameos are fine. They can be fun, in fact. But cameos are different from Dick constantly struggling and needing help whenever he faces a challenge – the former portrays Dick as someone with powerful connections that deeply love him; the latter portrays Dick as being incapable of doing things without someone holding his hand.

This is another thing that Waid understands about Dick and portrays it clearly in World’s Finest. When Kara explains to Clark what first attracted her to Dick, she emphasizes how, despite the fact he had no powers, he could still save himself. 

(Waid, Mark, writer. Lupacchino, Emanuela, illustrator. Scream of the Chaos Monkey. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest no. 12, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp. 06 - 07)

Being not just competent, but exceeding even the highest expectations is at the core of Dick’s character. And, as was pointed out in the previous section, it also serves to feed into his toxic perfectionism — he is one of the top tier heroes, therefore people expect excellence from him. Dick does not want to fail those who put their trust in him, and so he demands perfection of himself to the point of self-destruction.

Beyond that, we cannot give Taylor credit for trying to tell a story about Dick growing out of his perfectionist bad habits by learning to rely on others. After all, if Dick is constantly asking for help, then he is not resisting help. And that removes his chance for growth. A character arc requires development and change, which means one cannot start at the endpoint. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that Taylor’s intentions are for Dick to learn to rely on others, for he has been doing so without hesitation since the beginning. 

As a result, the story is not about Dick being Bludhaven’s safety net while learning that he also has a safety net of his own, but rather about Dick always relying on his safety net, always knowing it was there, and having them also shoulder the responsibilities he took when he named himself Bludhaven’s protector. There is no room for Dick to grow because he is already at the end of his journey. And there is no room for Dick to be the hero of his story because others are constantly coming to his rescue when things get too difficult.

Once more, I must clarify that I’m not saying that Dick is not loved, or that Dick is not important to many people. I’m simply stating that the way his relationships are built gives him very little room to rely on them. He is their safety net but he doesn’t trust them to be his safety net. Exploring this requires going into the nuances of each relationship, where conflicts are created, and where people hurt the other in the heat of an argument. It would mean dealing with the messiness of complex human emotions, forcing characters and the audience to sit with uncomfortable feelings as we get to the root of Dick’s perfectionism and his fears.  

In June of 2022 a reader on Twitter asked Taylor about his decision to have Dick constantly falling, for, as they pointed out, this makes Dick look incompetent.

(Jonathan [@Nightwingdagoat]. Twitter, 21 June 2022, https://twitter.com/Nightwingdagoat/status/1539267708310765568)

Taylor responded by saying that these instances were Redondo’s call, and that it was their attempt to humanize Dick.

(Tom Taylor [@TomTaylorMade]. Twitter, 21 June 2022, https://twitter.com/Nightwingdagoat/status/1539267708310765568)

In fairness to Taylor, the following criticism will then be directed primarily at Redondo who believed these instances were the best way to “remind people that Nightwing is human.” That being said, as Taylor appears to support such a position, and as he has written numerous incidents where Dick is conveniently knocked over by others, I do believe this can be directed at him as well. 

Simply put, to have a character constantly fall is a superficial and lazy way to humanize said character. Casual falls like this, after all, are not failures. They contribute little to the story and have very little consequence.  

Nothing happens once Dick falls. The bad guy doesn’t get away, the innocent civilian is not hurt, the crucial piece of evidence needed to crack the case is not destroyed. There are no lasting consequences for Dick to deal with, no conflict that can arise from these falls, no tension to make Dick’s future success more emotionally effective. Furthermore, these falls are completely out of Dick’s control, taking away any responsibility he might have for his mistakes. 

If the flaws that are meant to “humanize” Dick are falls which he bears no agency over, then he, the good guy, has no responsibility over his own “failures.” Said “failures” also end up having no consequences to the plot, which gives Dick no crisis to respond to (furthering his passivity), and this robs Dick of character development opportunities. 

It creates a stasis in the story where the only conflicts Dick faces are the ones against really bad guys that always – always – lose to Dick and his connections, and ones which do not ask for moments of introspection.

Despite almost never falling in The Untouchable, Dick is far more human there than in Taylor’s and Redondo’s run. This is because Dick is forced to face the consequences of his “failure” to capture the Judge twice in the past. Dick is constantly thinking about the Judge’s victims, forcing himself to carry their lives on his shoulder. He pushes himself to toxic lengths. Whenever the Judge escapes his grasp, the conflict evolves, the stakes are raised, and the tension builds. Dick’s desperation becomes visceral to the reader, and that is what humanizes him to the reader. Similarly, the emotional pay-off of the climactic battle in the end grows with each obstacle Dick faces.

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Chang, Bernard, illustrator The Untouchable: Chapter Four: Infiltration. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 38, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 09)

But Dick’s newbie incompetence is not the only way Taylor mischaracterizes Dick. It is by combining the lighthearted tone of his story, his depiction of Dick as a blank canvas “good guy,” his avoidance of conflict, and his attempts at answering difficult real-world problems that Taylor ends up creating a version of Dick Grayson that is utterly self-absorbed and lacking in foresight.

Telling and not showing is an immense problem in Taylor’s writing. There’s a difference between how a writer attempts to portray a character and how, given their actions in the context of the narrative created, the story shows them to be the complete opposite. In such cases, the story triumphs over the writer. This is why I claim that, though Taylor tells the reader that Dick is caring, intelligent, and a hard worker, he actually shows Dick as as selfish, incompetent, and naive.  

Take, as an example, how Taylor sidelines the Heartless storyline in favor of slice-of-life scenes. If Heartless was not there, perhaps those sweet moments could be just that. However, as in the world of the story there is currently a serial killed running around free, making orphans out of the youth Dick vowed to protect, the fact that Dick is not constantly working to catch Heartless is not only out of character, it makes it so it seems he doesn't care what happens to the people of Bludhaven (And now also Gotham, given #111, which was released as this essay was being edited). Rather than stopping crime and bringing justice to Heartless’ victims, Dick would rather spend his nights in his apartment, enjoying a relaxing evening with his girlfriend and his dog. 

Please do not take this to mean that I consider a slice-of-life story to be inferior to other genres. My reason for highlighting this is not to undermine the value of slice-of-life, but rather to argue that such scenes do not live in isolation. They exist within the context of a larger narrative, and what would be sweet in a sitcom-style story comes across as something entirely different when other characters are facing life-and-death stakes. It does not matter how much the writer tells us that these characters are caring and compassionate — their lack of action and urgency portrays them as self-centered. 

Just as Taylor attempts to write the big climatic moments without properly building the momentum necessary to make them impactful, he similarly forgoes the work required to win the reader’s trust, and instead expects his audience to simply accept that important plot and character developments are happening off-screen. Rather than letting the audience experience the intrigue and devastation of the Heartless mystery by showing us how the horrors of these murders motivate Dick to continuously search for this cruel killer, Taylor instead advances these elements off-screen, opting instead to tell the reader they’ve occurred.

That is not to say that writers cannot streamline plots. They absolutely can and, in some cases, they absolutely should. However, streamlining a subplot is a far more complicated matter than just telling the reader said events happened off-screen and expecting them to simply accept it. 

While it is impossible to provide a precise checklist with the step-by-step guidelines on how to properly streamline a subplot, I believe one of the factors one must consider is whether that plot should be streamlined or not. Personally, I believe that Dick investigating the character who was meant to be this run’s main villain is too big and too important of a story to be played off offscreen.

Dick has hardly spent any time attempting to apprehend Heartless. Instead, as time of writing, his investigation of Heartless has practically nonexistent. Instead, after not focusing on him for the majority of the run, we are simply told by Dick and Babs that they’ve been keeping an eye on Heartless, even if their investigation is never shown to us. 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Basri, Sami Nightwing. Nightwing: Rebirth. 111, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 09)

If we, as readers, are to believe that Dick is the selfless detective and hero — the Heart of the DCU — that Taylor tell us he is, then finding and apprehending Heartless should be one of his top priorities. If Heartless was meant to be Nightwing’s big nemesis, then their confrontation should always be a source of great tension and conflict. Such importance would be demonstrated by showing Dick working towards stopping him at every moment he has free. But either those moments are not happening at all, or they are happening off-screen.

Having such an important conflict and such a crucial antagonistic dynamic develop does nothing to enrich the plot — in fact, it only detracts from them, for because we do not get to witness this relationship grow and we are only told that it is happening, the pay off that must come when Nightwing and Heartless finally have a big confrontation will be cheapened as a result. 

Heartless' actions are so brutal and create such urgency that not prioritizing Heartless' arrest makes it seem like Dick doesn't care about his victims. Batman doesn't wait around when the Joker breaks out of Arkham – he hunts the Joker down. Similarly, Dick didn't wait around on the Judge – he hunted him down. 

For Heartless to be the Big Bad, Dick should have put him in jail already and Heartless should have escaped. DIck should have faced him multiple times. He should have been Dick's priority because of how cruel and urgent his actions are.

Finally, there are three particular moments that I wish to discuss to illustrate how ambivalent Taylor is when it comes to Dick’s characterization, choosing to prioritize online discourse over who Dick Grayson’s established history and personality. 

The first one comes from a throwaway line. And yet, because this was a throwaway line that demonstrated how little thought Taylor gives to his main character. 

When Tim makes his first appearance in Taylor’s run in #80, Dick’s narration says that many would consider Tim to be the best Robin, and that he “totally gets it.”

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator.  Leaping into the Light Part Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 80, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 09)

“Who is the best Robin” is a discourse that I, admittedly, care very little for. It serves no purpose other than to get fans to fight one another, bashing each other’s favorite characters in order to prop up their own. When posed on social media, this question becomes a thinly veiled attempt to generate high engagement. In reality, when people discuss “who is the best Robin,” they are, most often than not, truly arguing about who is their favorite Robin. But the question is framed in a way to be purposefully divisive, creating conflict within the fan community. The fact that DC plays into that divisiveness that requires their characters to be brought down so others can be lifted up for marketing material is concerning, but the fact that writers such as Taylor are letting that fan perception bleed into in-universe narration is nothing less than lazy writing that prioritizes online leaning into buzz over good storytelling.  

Naturally, as a Dick Grayson fan my opinion is that Tim is not the best Robin. Dick is. But my problem is not that Taylor said that Tim was the better Robin, but that I think Dick would never concede to the existence of a “best Robin.” In fact, not only do I believe that it is out of character for Dick to believe that one Robin can be defined as the best Robin, I would argue that Dick would be offended that such a question could be asked.

Dick, more than any of the other Robins, understands the purpose of a Robin, as he was the one who created the mantle. By seeing so many others inherit his family’s colors and his mother’s name for him, he also understands better than anyone that each person who becomes Robin has their purpose in their own unique way. Dick would understand how each of them made the Robin mantle unique, how they added to its mythos in their own way, and how all of their contributions are equally valid and equally important. He would never single out one of them as the best because he knows that Robin is about an ideal of justice by bringing light into the darkness. Most importantly, understanding how many Robins tied their self-worth to the mantle, Dick would never want others to feel as if they fell short of some arbitrary measure by proclaiming they are not “the best.” Dick would be against that measure, against the very idea of ranking Robins, as if they were interchangeable, as if they each didn’t make relevant contributions. He would hate the idea of the mantle he created in honor of his parents being used to judge and measure the worth of those he loves. Dick would argue that there can never be a "best Robin" because Robin is always about being your best self in the service of those who need your help, and you can't quantify that.

The concept of a “Best Robin” is a marketing strategy and a fan-oriented discourse that Taylor casually imposed into the narrative without considering whether his protagonist would adhere to such ideas. He prioritized internet discourse over characterization, and while the former may be immediately fulfilling as the page is cropped and shared a few thousand times in the first few days after publication, only the latter will leave an impression that will last decades. Taylor is embodying a current DC Comics trend to favor the former over the latter. As scholar Steve Baxi said in his review of Leaping into the Light, that page “doesn’t feel like Dick Grayson appreciating his brother, it feels like Dick Grayson saying what the audience wants to hear.” (Baxi, Steve, “TRADE COLLECTION REVIEW: Nightwing Vol. 1 - Leaping Into The Light” Comics Bookcase, August 2021)

Although they share similar problems, unlike the “Tim is the best Robin” throwaway narration, the second example I wish to discuss in detail became a big plot point in the beginning of Taylor’s run. I’m referring to the choice of having Dick become a billionaire due to the inheritance Alfred left to him.

To be more clear, my problem is not with the fact that Taylor made Dick into a billionaire (after all, Dick inheriting wealth from his parents is not a novel concept), but rather with Dick’s musings on the subject. (Dick’s financial situation is inconsistent across the years. While some like Dixon and Wolfman allude to him having a trust fund his parents set aside and that remained untouched until Dick’s adulthood, other writers like Humphrey who portray him as more middle class and sometimes struggling financially. Then there are the numerous times in which Dick was left homeless, implying that he did not have a safety fund to go to when tragedy struck.) On #79, Dick says, without a hint of irony, that he always thought that Bruce could do more to help Gotham with Bruce Wayne’s money than he does as Batman. 

(Taylor, Tom. writer, Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part Two. Nightwing: Rebirth. 79, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 07)

This is a popular online discourse that reveals lack of knowledge about Batman and a naive understanding of how corrupt systems function. I understand we are currently very critical (and rightly so) of billionaires and the hoarding of wealth. I understand that this leads many — media critics and everyday fans — to analyzing how wealth is portrayed in the stories that resonate within our culture. But anyone who claims that Bruce has not used his wealth for the benefit of Gotham outside of funding his Batman endeavors has not engaged properly with Batman media. I’m not going to go into the merits of how Bruce’s wealth should or should not be portrayed and how DC has currently been handling this issue (that is the subject for an entirely different essay that is not relevant to this discussion), but I will say that Bruce has, canonically, used a lot of his money to fund safety net programs in Gotham, to invest in small businesses and on individuals, and in trying to make the city more affordable and kinder to those with less. 

Twitter user Ashley|TheBatFamily 🦇 (@TheBat_Family) created a comprehensive Twitter thread of examples. These are but some of the ones that stood out to me and that feel most relevant to this essay:

In Cataclysm, Bruce attempted to lobby the US government to offer aid to Gotham after the earthquake; 

Bruce used his money to rebuild the city during No Man’s Land;

Bruce invested in the people who were ready to start new businesses so Gotham could offer jobs to its people and rebuild itself without being fully dependent on others;

Bruce created scholarships so more people could attend university;

Bruce funds Leslie’s free clinic as well as other hospitals around Gotham;

Bruce invested on low-income housing developments in Gotham by working with local firms, providing accommodations to local residents so no one would be displaced;

Bruce expanded and modernized Gotham’s public transportation system;

Bruce ensured all Wayne properties were secured against earthquakes (which led to those residences being the only ones standing during NML);

Bruce funds libraries and museums;

Bruce funds green efforts not just in Gotham, but in other places by buying land and making them nature preserves;

Bruce funds orphanages and provided them resources (from educational supplies to toys for the children);

Bruce provided support for immigrants;

Bruce funds appeals for wrongful convictions;

Bruce provides employment for former convicts;

(Ashley [TheBat_Family]. Twitter, 13 October 2020, https://twitter.com/TheBat_Family/status/1316006509923520512.)

In short, Bruce Wayne has done everything and more that Dick claimed he wished to do for Bludhaven. There’s nothing novel about the idea. Batman narratives don’t put as much focus on these endeavors and do not place as much emphasis on Bruce’s philanthropy simply because they Batman stories are, at their core, detective stories first and foremost. Their focus is on investigation and crime solving (Though I would argue that Cataclysm and No Man’s Land put a lot of focus on issues of wealth, class, and examine Bruce’s financial responsibility towards the city).

But just because these examples are not the focus of the stories in which they are present, it does not mean that they do not exist. Neither does it mean that Batman stories do not engage with themes of wealth and class inequality, as well as systemic corruption. In fact, I would argue that many of the best ones know how to use Bruce’s privileged status to explore these issues. The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder, for example, brilliantly uses the Court and the Talons to engage with these themes. (An essay analyzing the Court of Owls through such a lens would be a fascinating study, especially when exploring the parallels and foils between the Court and the Talons, and Bruce and Dick. Alas, this is not the place for it.)

Dick, who not only has always been characterized as knowing Bruce better than most people,  but who was also raised by Bruce, would know about every single one of the examples listed above. Dick, of all people, had a front row seat to all the ways in which Bruce helped Gotham with his wealth, both in examples that were covered by the press, and the ones Bruce did secretly without taking credit. Dick attended countless fundraising events, press briefs, boardroom meetings. But most importantly, Dick would have witnessed with his very own eyes that lack of funding is not at the root of Gotham’s problems.  The problem in Gotham is not lack of money or safety nets, but rather, it is that its systems are so corrupt that pumping more funds into it will do nothing to help those in need. Instead, it will only further enrich those who are already in power. That’s why in this comic book world with comic book conventions and comic book logic, Batman is needed. Batman is a disruption to the system, forcing it to change, dismantling it from both the outside and the inside. In Dixon and Grayson’s Nightwing runs, Dick’s understanding of systematic problems can be observed in his motivation to become a police officer, as he joins the force with the goal to weed out the corruption and dismantle the system from within. Money alone cannot save a city if the foundation was purposefully designed to favor those on the top by taking from those at the bottom.

(Dixon, Chuck, writer. McCarthy, Trevor, illustrator The Threshold. Nightwing. 60, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2001. pp 22)

But of course, Taylor never takes a moment to wonder how being raised by Bruce Wayne would influence Dick’s perspective on this matter. Instead, he once more takes a popular online discourse and makes Dick say it out without considering characterization. A more in-character and canonically accurate approach to such a story moment would have Dick comment on all the ways Bruce used his money behind the scenes to help Gotham, and how he wishes to do the same for Bludhaven. A single line change would have demonstrated Taylor's willingness to engage with Dick’s character history rather than just copying the hot takes he sees on social media. 

Not only that, this change in dialogue would also establish Bruce and Dick’s closeness as it would show that not only is Bruce a source of inspiration for Dick, but that Dick is one of the few people who have seen this side of Bruce. That would have also made the hug between Bruce and Dick in the #100 more emotionally effective and thematically cohesive, especially as they are in front of Alfred’s grave.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Power Vacuum: Part Four: The Leap. Nightwing: Rebirth. 100, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 44)

The truth is that Dick's Haven project engaged with issues homelessness only in the most shallow of manners. Rather than discussing the realities of this matter, it simply used it as a backdrop. It is an appropriation of hardships by someone who is unwilling to engage with the difficulties brought upon by said hardships. It is substance-less writing masquerading as social consciousness.

The third example I wish to cite which demonstrates Taylor’s lack of consideration for Dick’s character or his backstory comes when Haley is taken in #87. Dick’s internal monologue reads that “The last thing I’d want is for anyone to be threatened because they’re close to Dick Grayson,” referring to the fact that he is now a public figure thanks to the press conference he gave about his plans for Bludhaven. 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Get Grayson. Nightwing: Rebirth. 87, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 09)

The idea that Dick Grayson, billionaire Bruce Wayne’s first child, was unaware of the dangers faced by those associated with a public figure is laughable. The idea that the first Robin, who was often taken hostage by villains who wished to get to Batman (so much so that Frank Miller famously nicknamed him “Boy Hostage”), did not understand the threat posed to those who are close to powerful figures is insulting. After well over a decade as a superhero, and after well over a decade of being associated with a wealthy public figure, Dick should know better than most how such ties can put loved ones at risk. 

In-universe, this line makes Dick appear so self-centered that he does not take into consideration how his actions affect his loved ones. It makes him appear dense, unable to think through his actions and strategize contingency plans and safety precautions before taking such a giant risk. 

Out of universe, this betrays a lazy way of storytelling, with Taylor going for low-hanging fruits without thinking of how that might affect the characterization of his protagonist. Out of universe, a collection of throwaway, thoughtless lines like this demonstrates just how uninterested Taylor is in giving even the slightest consideration to who Dick Grayson is meant to be, instead putting his focus on the gimmick that will get him noticed on social media.

[whencyclopedia]

Assyria

Assyria was the region located in the ancient Near East which, under the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reached from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and down through Egypt. The empire began modestly at the city of Ashur (known as Subartu to the Sumerians), located in Mesopotamia north-east of Babylon, where merchants who traded in Anatolia became increasingly wealthy and that affluence allowed for the growth and prosperity of the city.

According to one interpretation of passages in the biblical Book of Genesis, Ashur was founded by a man named Ashur son of Shem, son of Noah, after the Great Flood, who then went on to found the other important Assyrian cities. A more likely account is that the city was named Ashur after the deity of that name sometime in the 3rd millennium BCE; the same god's name is the origin for 'Assyria'. The biblical version of the origin of Ashur appears later in the historical record (Genesis is dated to c. 1450 BCE at the earliest, 5th century BCE latest) and seems to have been adopted by the Assyrians after they had accepted Christianity. This version, therefore, is thought to be a re-interpretation of their early history more in keeping with their newly-adopted belief system of Assyrian Christians.

The Assyrians were a Semitic people who originally spoke and wrote Akkadian before the easier to use Aramaic language became more popular. Historians have divided the rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire into three periods: The Old Kingdom, The Middle Empire, and The Late Empire (also known as the Neo-Assyrian Empire), although it should be noted that Assyrian history continued on past that point; there are still Assyrians living in the regions of Iran and northern Iraq, and elsewhere, in the present day. The Assyrian Empire is considered the greatest of the Mesopotamian empires due to its expanse and the development of the bureaucracy and military strategies which allowed it to grow and flourish.

The Old Kingdom

Although the city of Ashur existed from the 3rd millennium BCE, the extant ruins of that city date to 1900 BCE which is now considered the date the city was founded. According to early inscriptions, the first king was Tudiya, and those who followed him were known as “kings who lived in tents” suggesting a pastoral, rather than urban, community.

Ashur was certainly an important center of commerce even at this time, however, even though its precise form and structure is unclear. The king Erishum I built the temple of Ashur on the site in c. 1900/1905 BCE, and this has come to be the accepted date for the founding of an actual city on the site although, obviously, some form of city must have existed there prior to that date. The historian Wolfram von Soden writes,

Because of a dearth of sources, very little is known of Assyria in the third millennium…Assyria did belong to the Empire of Akkad at times, as well as to the Third Dynasty of Ur. Our main sources for this period are the many thousand Assyrian letters and documents from the trade colonies in Cappadocia, foremost of which was Kanesh (modern Kultepe). (49-50)

The trade colony of Karum Kanesh (the Port of Kanesh) was among the most lucrative centers for trade in the ancient Middle East and definitely the most important for the city of Ashur. Merchants from Ashur traveled to Kanesh, set up businesses, and then, after placing trusted employees (usually family members) in charge, returned to Ashur and supervised their business dealings from there. The historian Paul Kriwaczek notes:

For several generations the trading houses of Karum Kanesh flourished, and some became extremely wealthy – ancient millionaires. However not all business was kept within the family. Ashur had a sophisticated banking system and some of the capital that financed the Anatolian trade came from long-term investments made by independent speculators in return for a contractually specified proportion of the profits. There is not much about today's commodity markets that an old Assyrian would not quickly recognize. (214-215)

Continue reading...

[cuties-in-codices]

parzival & feirefiz

illustration for a copy of wolfram von eschenbach's arthurian poem "parzival", lake constance region, c. 1467

source: Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. AA 91, fol. 158v

"Because his father was white and his mother black, Feirefiz's skin consists of black and white patches. His appearance is compared to that of a magpie or a parchment with writing on it, though he is considered very handsome." (wikipedia)

[mimble-sparklepudding]

The Etheirycrumb OCs Revisited.

A is for Amon, with charisma in spades, B is for Banri, and his collection of blades, C is for Clara, who’s often confused, D is for Damien, with shadow infused, E is for Estelle, who’s hard to outplay, F is for Feldspar, with his legs on display, G is for Gigi, the safety inspector, H is for Hwyl, the glamour collector, I is for Iris, genteel and refined, J is for Jess, who knows her own mind, K is for Kai, in a tender romance, L is for Lejo, who really can dance, M is for Mizuki, with her tricky upbringing, N is for Nate, and his magical singing, O is for Osric, both wolfish and brooding, P is for Podolly, and the warmth she’s exuding, Q is for Q'ruhka, setting sail through the sky, R is for Rowan, who at first seems quite shy, S is for Saeed, who vowed to resist, T is for Tsukia, a brave altruist, U is for U’lohi, the spreader of joy, V is for Valentin, that flirtatious boy, W is for Wolfram, and his undisclosed bond, X is for Xynal, drawing power from beyond, Y is for Yume, with an un-charming prince, Z is for Zuzunzo, and the skill he'll evince.

By Blake Primping-Muddles.

(With further apologies to Edward Gorey)

A couple of years ago I wrote a very silly poem, in the style of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies, in order to celebrate some of the wonderful FFXIV blogs and OCs on Tumblr. You can find the original here. Recently I thought it might be fun to revisit the idea and celebrate some more of my favourite OCs...

Hopefully nobody minds me borrowing their characters for further silly purposes! And apologies to the many wonderful OCs I had to leave out - there are an awful lot of characters starting with M and S etc.

How many characters did you recognise? Why not follow their respective blogs and find out more about their stories!

Amon @spotofmummery

Banri @aoife-asturmaux

Clara @confusedau-ra

Damien @damienward-ffxiv

Estelle @viiioca

Feldspar @loldragoon-ffxiv

Gigi @gigifujijifu

Hywl @hywl

Iris @irisopranta

Jess @sasslett

Kai @kaitontenchu

Lejo @naejlas-axe

Mizuki @pumpkinmagekupo

Nate @calico-heart

Osric @osric-giroux-ffxiv

Podolly @roxinova

Q'ruhka @placesyoucallhome

Rowan @tallbluelady

Saeed @stalwart-spirit

Tsukia @tsukiakurotori

U’lohi @humblemooncat

Valentin @cadrenebula

Wolfram @xiv-wolfram

Xynal @qxynalvaleroyantb

Yume @firelightmuse

Zuzunzo @zuzunzo

[class1akids]

9th Popularity Poll Recount results

The big change:

AFO jumped to the 18th place !!

Dynama made top 50 (Bakugou lost about 150 votes)

Full results:

1 - Bakugo (23,312) 2 - Deku (18,488) 3 - Shoto (13,478) 4 - Dabi (6848) 5 - Hawks (5755) 6 - Endeavor (4973) 7 - Kirishima (4827) 8-Iida (3420) 9 - Uraraka (3315) 10 - Shoji (3279)

11 - Monoma (3204) 12 - Kaminari (2767) 13 - Aizawa (2745) 14 - Shinso (2720) 15 - All Might (2499) 16 - Toga (2263) 17 - Shigaraki (2255) 18 - AFO (2106) 19 - Jiro (1879) 20 - Sero (1613)

21 - Rody (1268) 22 - Mic (1121) 23 - Tokoyami (912) 24 - Momo (801) 25 - Mirko (723) 26 - Shindo (721) 27 - Tsuyu (587) 28 - Chronostasis (566) 29 - Hagakure (561) 30 - Tamaki (517)

31 - Mirio 32 - Overhaul 33 - Mutant lady from the Paranormal Liberation Front 34 - Mineta 35 - Shishikura 36 - Mustard 37 - Nejire 38 - Mr. Compress 39 - Best Jeanist 40 - Kacchan brainwashed by Mahoro

41 - Nagant 42 - Ashido 43 - Stain 44 - Geten 45 - Ojiro 46-Horikoshi 47 - Twice 48 - Dynama 49 - Gentle 50 - Nemoto

51 - Edgeshot 52 - Flect Turn 53 - Bakudog 54 - Tokuda 55 - Tsukauchi 56 - Fukidashi 57 - Fatgum 58 - Aoyama 59 - Yoichi 60 - En

61 - La Brava 62 - Dekusheep 63 - Setsuno 64 - Natsuo 65 - Shirakumo 66 - Shotocat 67 - Honenuki and Kudo 69 - Hatsume 70 - Magne

71 - Kodai 72 - Mutant from the PLF who took off his arm in chapter 370 73 - Eri 74 - Gang Orca 75 - Nighteye 76 - Tetsutetsu 77 - The Bakugo that Horikoshi drew for Okamoto's birthday 78 - Deku in Mirko's costume 79 - Fuyumi and Spinner

81 - Star and Sato 83 - Burnin' and Mera 85 - Mt. Lady 86 - Ms. Joke 87 - Ordinary lady 88 - Midnight and Cementoss 90 - Rin

91 - Skeptic 92 - Inasa 93 - Hound Dog 94 - Anpanman 95 - Kendo 96 - Koda 97 - Kido 98 - Melissa

99 (12 votes) - Rappa and Majestic and Shinomori

102 (11 votes) - Camie and Bakugo's sweat sphere

104 (10 votes) - Dark Shadow, Tensei, Hawk's eyeliners, Beros and Aizawa's mustache

109 (9 votes)- Inko, No. 13, Mandalay, Deku's freckles

113 (8 votes) - Gran Torino, Koichi, Imamura the editor, Kaibara, Wolfram

118 (7 votes) - Kinoko, Mitsuki, Manual, Reiko, Shiozaki, Shoda

124 (6 votes) - Sun guy from the daycare, Bruce, Awase, Sokiru, Zookeeper, Powerloader and the U.A. robot that carried Rei

131 (5 votes) - Bakugo's gauntlets, Setsuna, All Might's mom, Flower bakugo, Nezu, Rei, Illusionroki, Tsuburaba, Baby For One, Bakugo's quirk and the support item All Might gave to Bakugo

142 (4 votes) - Pony, The Shie Hassaikai's boss, Slime Todoroki, Nomu, Hercules, Aoi Hana, the female hero who got licked by Stain, Intelli, Deku's cheek, Jiro's bass, All Might card

153 (3 votes) - Recovery Girl, Kuroiro, Nana, Curator, Y-san from Chiba, Mon, Muscular, Gojo Satoru, Crust, Kurogiri, Okamoto, Shishido, Tameda, Keriage (bakugo's friend), Miyashita, Baby Shoto, Kurumada, Toya (not dabi), Yanase Takashi, Yokoyari Mengo, Shinso's friend from 1-C, Abandoned Bakugo, the electric villain from USJ who defeated Kaminari, the skull-mask guy from the PLF, Kamui Woods, Super Dog, Tokoyami reacting to Illusion Hawks in chapter 380, Bakugo's tie, Bakugo's hero costume knee thing

182 (2 votes) - One For All, Roboco, Death Arms, Twice (the kpop one), Bakugo's shoulder scar, Horikoshi's hands, Wash, Deku's gloves, Shoto's ice leopard, Deku from the Midoriyas (not Izuku Midoriya), 1-A, kids from Masegaki, Nine, Kota, Redestro, Ganriki, Banjo, Itejiro, Todo Aoi, Pino, Takahiro, Giran, Katsuma, Agoyamato, Fuwa, Tamashi Moko, Sansa, Curious, Everything All Might loves, the girl who was with Kashiko Kashi, Tomura's mole, Dragon Kirishima, Sanctum, Rokuhira Chihiro, the civilian with the All Might shirt, Sato's chiffon cake, Kacchan Eri, Tabe, Fujino Shiroha, Fatgum's sidekick, Lady from the PLF's violet squad who was hiding her mouth, mutant-like PLF member in a suit holding a katana, Trumpet, Kashiko Kashi, Demi-human lady, the pork cutlet bento All Might made, Mineta's sticky balls, Moca, Deku's shoes, Kaminari's scar, Ochako holding flour, Roro Soul, Lala Soul, the star man from chapter 1, Garaki, Deku's Chiikawa

(TL by Rukasu on Twitter)

[lululeighsworld]

Drawings of the Emerald Witch with her butler

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Episode 11

[sebadztian]

Alright, here we go!

This is a live commentary for episode 3 that nobody asked for. Spoilers ahead!!

Well, Crunchy just crashed, lol! Can't handle the crowd tuning in to Kuro at the same time. Have to reload the page a few times. But I'm in now!

Recap, recap...

The first 3 minutes was just a recap 😔

Oh, now we're starting! I'm practically vibrating with excitement for that scene!!

Ouch... That looks really painful. Seb looked like he's got some skin disease...

Run, run, Seba, RUN!!

Oh, Ciel... my poor baby...

This is what horror is made of...

OP! OP! C'mon! C'mon!

Here we go! Here we go...!!

YASSSSS!! AAAAAAARGH!! AAAAARGH!! I'm SCREAMING, CRYING, AND STARING AT MY MONITOR!!

Whoa! The Sieglinde scene is so cool!! She sounded so... otherworldly...

I do wonder what kind of 'ritual' is it, like what kind of water is it, what's that sparkly thing?

Hoooooo... booyyyy.... between the latest chapter and this episode, we're seeing more of Seb than we had in years...

Ok, scene over. Next exciting thing, Ciel rejecting Seb and how heartbroken the demon was. And r!Ciel's debut!!

Oh dear... Seb forcing that tonic down Ciel's throat must've been very traumatising... poor baby 😭

R!Ciel!!

C: No, Sebastian!! No touchy touchy!

S: 😯😲😧😨😱

Tanaka, stating the obvious...

Since r!Ciel was voiced by a different VA from o!Ciel, I'm wondering if each of Snake's snakes has their own VA...

Look at Seb's hand. 4 of his fingers are affected by the 'curse', except for his ring finger where he wears his wedding ring 😁

Lol, Wolfram looked very offended. Why are you giving these to my young lady?!

They're not showing Sieglinde eating with gusto. It's not a pretty sight - probably.

Hey, what if Seba turned himself into a shota Seba? Would Ciel let him close?

This whole magic thing is truly a waste of Sieglinde's talent and skills, and an insult to her intelligence.

Wolf is screaming and Seb is not impressed. I can see him rolling his eyes on the inside.

One of my favourite things about CloverWork is how much they're showing off Seb's teeth and fangs 😁

Seb talked about wanting to see werewolves as though he was talking about visiting the zoo...

I've talked about this part about Seb lowering himself before Sieg for Ciel's sake before. This is a big gesture from him.

Ciel, what did you hope to achieve by whacking your pillow? Are you trying to ask Seb for a pillow fight or sth? Well, for once, it was raining white feathers instead of the black ones...

I wonder if Ciel still recognized Sebastian at this point? He couldn't see him. He could only hear his voice. If... if Finny was there with them and talked to him, but Seb was the one touching him, would he know?

He looked so, so miserable...

Aaaand the smug whore demon is back...

No, Seb, humans don't recover from such thing in two days. Look at Ciel! He's still covered in blisters and the victim from the 1st episode is still in the hospital.

It's in chapter 3 of 'Humans for Dummy - A Complete Guide to Human and their Quirks'. You can find the book in row 69 in the demon library.

Wolfram is a voice of reason and Sieg's naivety is really showing. It's never wise to hire a butler without doing a thorough background check. What if the person is a demon?

So, Bard & Mey packed their uniforms with them on a mission?

Oh! We're getting a flashback!

I wonder if the other servants ever thought about Tanaka. Like, he has never been tasked with ANYTHING.

And that's it for today's episode! See you next week!

[rcsplendent]

❛  𝘪  𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,  𝘪  𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,  𝘵𝘩𝘦  𝘸𝘢𝘺  𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵  𝘪𝘵  𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴  —   𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝘨𝘦𝘵  𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵  𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦,  𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙥  𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵  𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝙨𝙤𝙬.  ❜

𝓬 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼  . . . ships  as  songs.  

002.  sasha  lukin  &  wolfram  wagner.   ┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .   𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍  by  𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍.

@aresenics !

[seaspraycd]

Wow,  Ronan  knew  that  he  could  be  incredibly  serious  but  as  he  got  closer  to  the  fisherman  attempting  to  use  a  pole  to  fish,  he  realized  that  perhaps  this  man  had  him  beat  exponentially. 

"  The  fish  here  aren't  stupid.  If  you  want  to  eat  some  you're  better  off  with  a  net  or  spear  fishing.  "  Ronan  offered  advice  to  the  man,  perhaps  to  his  own  detriment  expectig  the  other  to  bark  back  that  he  hadn't  asked  for  it.

"  Besides,  the  smaller  fish  hang  out  at  the  surface.  If  you  want  something  substainal,  you'll  want  to  head  further  down.  I'd  say  at  least  10  meters  down.  " 

wolfram wasn't sure how long he was here at the edge of the lake, bored as he watches the glimmering ripples lap against the shore. his fishing rod was propped up, bobber untouched in the water. he knew there were fish here, he'd seen them when he first got here, but strangely enough, none of them bit. no matter the bait, no matter how still and quiet he was.

he's about to resign himself to failure when he spots someone approaching out of the corner of his eye. "if you're here to fish, don't bother." a gentle sigh leaves his lips, shaking his head. "never seen fish so disinterested in bait."

@seaspraycd

[vampandvisiongirl]

When you go into the archives and find a list of cute Cangel moments in the Angel books. If you're not familiar, while the series was running, they would release books that were their own episodes.

(C/A Goodness from the Angel books:) Because if she died it would be the most bad he ever felt. (Redemption) Because "Angel thought she...seemed to grow into herself more, becoming more elegant and lovely with each passing week." (Close To The Ground) Because Cordy called him young and good-looking. (Shakedown) Because he's not all angst, Angel can make Cordy laugh too! (Shakedown) Because he literally dreams about her. (Shakedown) Because he said, "I won't let him hurt you, Cordelia." (Avatar) Because "while she couldn't be sure of much in her life, she knew that if push came to shove, Angel would be there to shove back, to risk his life for her. She could count on him." (Avatar) Because she gives him a pep talk when he starts doubting himself. (Soul Trade) Because everyone else can see that Angel's "her guy". (Hollywood Noir, Bruja) Because Cordy knows Angel's the only one whose been there for her since day one. (Bruja) Because he told everyone to be quiet when Cordy appeared on the television screen. (Haunted) Because "that was his Cordy on a national television show, the girl he'd known since she was a spoiled high school princess and had watched grow into a beautiful and confident woman." (Haunted) Because "her week's enforced absence just pointed out to Angel how much he'd missed her." (Haunted) Because "he missed the sound of her laughter, the arch of her voice when she was annoyed, the shriek when she was startled. Soon, he thought. The game can't last forever, and then she'll come back..."(Haunted) Because "his only thoughts were for Cordelia."(Vengeance) Because he "won't let anything happen to her." (Vengeance) Because she scowled when Elain flirted with Angel. (Vengeance) Because when she fell asleep Angel kissed her forehead. (Vengeance) Because it takes a while for comprehension to dawn on Angel when he's looking at her. (The Longest Night) Because Cordy sticks up for him and says he's "Not evil. Just not exactly Mr. Sociable." (TLN) Because Angel looks at her when she says this. Then she brushes his arm with her hand. (TLN) Because Angel likes it when she's happy and if it takes attending a party to do that, then he'd make sure he was there. (TLN) Because he got her Christmas present first before anyone else's. (TLN) Because he happily calls her "the Queen of Shopping and all other shoppers must bow down before her." (TLN) Because she winked at him and called him fine. (TLN) Because she undressed Angel with her eyes. (TLN) Because he likes the idea of Cordelia being intersted in him. (TLN) Because he likes the idea of Cordy hitting on him. (TLN) Because her hands dropped mischievously behind his back and made Angel go, "Ow!" (TLN) Because she cheers him up when he gets a mean Christmas gift from Wolfram & Hart that upsets him. (TLN) Because he tries to be Thoughtful Guy when it comes to Cordy. (TLN) Because he wants her to stay. (TLN) Because he doesn't want her to drive alone late at night. (TLN)