#I wonder where the adventures book go to… the same place? or was it also safe?

[zenmom]

ZenBillyalla came into my room while I was reading a book.

Simply put, this book that she was talking about was the one that has my childhood drawings in it, from when I was 11 and it was done in a time series of a few years. Its detail is that the front cover and a few pages is ripped off, showing the first drawing and exposing it to weathering. Yes, it WAS thrown into the toilet by my brother when I teased him. My sister knows that, the only fact.

Well yes, I’ve no idea what happened to it but when I was cleaning my room one particular day some time ago, I was wondering what to do with the old drawing books. I wished I’ve put it in a safer container as I’ve no idea what happened to it. I would obviously not throw it way, but I might have as my mind had a particular thought at that time.

As to answer your question why she’s asking about it, my imaginary twin sister was created a good time ago, meaning she knows the history of me and that particular character. She knows that I held a childhood grudge against him. That I never would mention his name and if someone mentioned his name, I get a slight bit uncomfortable and act as if I don’t know who he is. Why is she so interested in looking at the memories I made in the past? Was it all because I reviewed a game? “Yes, all because you reviewed that game” Bill replied. “You came up with the concept that cuz I’m imaginary that we share the same memories from the day I was created. Therefore, we have similarities in mind.”

[triannel]

Ok, so I have written on my "Request Rules" post that I Will not write for Gravity Falls AU's but I would just like to experiment a bit by writing this. I was eager about writing this tbh, so here, a little bit of Will Cipher x Reader, I don't fully know the lore of Reverse Falls so bear with me as I wrote this with what I know so far or what I headcannon lol

This will most likely not change the rules though... (Or MAYBE it will..)

Warning: Mentions of Blood, and Hints of Past Abuse

Fluff/Comfort | Will Cipher x Reader

Comforting

Tredging through the collapsed building, you decided to be a bit more adventurous today as you walk around the halls. Searching through the house, you soon find an amulet that is strangely glowing in the dark. Must be some sort of gadget, you thought to yourself, perhaps you could sell it for a few bucks at the pawnshop...

However you never did take it there. Once you found the amulet, you also found yourself in a very strange situation.

Putting on the accessory, the light emenating from the amulet glows brighter, forcing you to close your eyes. Once you do open your eyes, a blue triangular being has suddenly appeared in front of you.

"Whoa," you say in surprise. At first you thought this was some sort of hallucination or even a joke of some sort but...

"Um...hello?" He responded.

After the greetings you soon found out that you are now in possession of a demon of some kind, his name is Will Cipher. You aren't exactly sure what he is, but he does insist on making a deal though. Even though he does appear innocent, you were a bit skepticle, so you do end up denying his effort though.

After a few days, you both have come to an agreement that you will be the sole owner of the amulet and you can boss him around, although it is tempting to tell him to do your difficult chores, you mostly never do take the chance. Instead, you only do ask him to finish a few simple tasks here and there, only asking on help with difficult task if you really do need to.

He's mostly anxious and nervous, always asking what he can do and if you need help. Will can be easily scared, and would sometimes try to hide it. Trying your best though, you end up becoming quite an interesting and strange person to Will.

A lot of times, when individuals do find him, they would always take the chance to use him in some sort of way, only a very few number of individuals would actually repay him. You though, you're one of the very few who choose to not take advantage. You never hit nor would you ever make an awful remark about him. It's...interesting, but he'd never comment on it though.

It's a little comforting...but at the same time it's anxiety inducing, why are you acting like this? Are you waiting for him to read your mind? What is the endgame here? He just can't seem to understand you at the moment.

One by one, he took out the wilted flowers from the vase, afterwards placing fresh ones to replace it. Just in front of where he's at, you sit there motionless but content as you read a book near the fireplace.

Slowly he fixed the table and gazed at you, his thoughts starting to wonder slowly into the depth of his mind. But suddenly you noticed and looked back.

"!?" He suddenly glowed a bit brighter for a moment before quickly sputtering out an anxious apology. As he does so, he manages to topple the vase on the table, making it fall and crash. The vase breaks into pieces and as soon as it does, Will quickly floats down to clean it up as his mind races. 'Well this is it. Way to go Will...'

Picking up the pieces of glass, he manages to cut himself a few times all the while as he repeatedly apologizes.

Taking action as well, you quickly place down the book somewhere and bent over to where he's at. Listening to his anxious apologies you try your best to calm him down.

"Hey, hey it's okay, it's okay..." You spoke, trying your best to soften your voice as you noticed his frantic movements.

Taking the tissue box placed on top of the table, you pick up the glass shards that were left and slowly took the ones Will gathered on his hands. As you were about to continue comforting him, Will quickly proceeded to pick up the flowers, managing to make another vase appear to place the flowers in as you decided that it may be best to help him clean up first in order to at least lessen his stress on making the place a little messy.

Once you do go back to him, he continues to apologize to you, clasping his hands together with a guilty look on his face.

Glancing at his hands, you could see something slowly starting to drip off it.

He quickly notices your gaze, and tries clasps his hands together in order to force the liquid inside. "I'm sorry..." He mutters once more.

Sighing slightly, you slowly raised your hands closer to him and once your hands held his own, his form slightly jolts, did he expect you to punch him..?

"It's okay...", you spoke in a gentle tone, trying your best to give him comfort, "It's alright... You're not in trouble. I'm not upset."

"But..." He started to speak once more, his voice becoming weak, sounding like he's about weep.

"It was an accident," you spoke, slightly ushering his thoughts. "We all make accidents..."

Warm hands together, silence slowly settles in the room, other than your heartbeat, the crackling of the fire was the only sound left. As your eyes still gazed into his own, you gently pry his hands open and guide him to the sofa.

"Let's get you cleaned up okay, stay here for a moment," quickly, you left and headed to the bathroom to look for the first-aid-kit.

Watching you leave the room, he gazes back at his injured hands that is now slowly dripping out his blood. He never really thought of this happening, he is glad you took it lighty, but there is still a slight lingering feeling you don't really mean it. As you quickly walk back to him, his thoughts get interrupted once more. Opening the kit, you start tending his wounds.

He can patch these up nice and quickly, but seeing that this does manage to make you glad, he let you patch him up.

In a delicate manner you cleaned up his wounds and managed to remove a few glass shards that broke through his skin.

Seeing you in the warm luminosity of the fireplace, he soon finds himself to slowly relax under your careful and gentle movements, perhaps... perhaps for now he'll let himself bask under your comforting light.

[lady-ashfade]

Say it.

Yandere targaryen house x darling reader. Oneshot

Plot: After long years go by of not seeing your obsessive family you get a letter informing you of your nephews title, knowing you had to go to kingslanding right away. You stand for once side- The other doesn’t like it.

Notes: You can picture yourself as this reader, because you came into their world the same way by Alicent and Viserys adopting you. 

Taglist: @dangerousbluebirdpoetry @second-try-stevie @a-dorkier-book-keeper @rosaryos @girl-with-an-orange-cat @prettyinblack231

Words: 1586

Warnings: Blood, the scene of vaemon dying, swearing, yandere tendencies, kinda hate this but it’s what ever-

The targaryen family grew more broken then it had been when you left on your own adventure, you needed to find yourself and become a young woman that you wanted to be. You had left a year after Laenas funeral and laenors death, you had missed them all deeply. You hadn’t planned coming home until another year but when you reserved a letter from your older sister saying your nephew’s title was being questioned you had to be there.

You knew of the rivalry they had with one another, you tried to forget and make them work together but you grew to realize that you being in the mix didn’t help. Both sides wanted you to pick them and maybe that’s a part of why you left? You couldn’t say really but you had heard of a place far beyond of what anyone has gone, some say it was a place of wanders, some say it was the edge of the world. Either way you wanted to go.

The castle was empty when you arrived which told you the hearing has already begun to start and of course no one knew you where coming. You had no time to send a letter but you also wanted to be a surprise. You heard of your fathers illness and would send letters and small things you had hoped to make him feel better. But some part of you just couldn’t take seeing him the way they describe him.

You missed the halls you walked in now, remembering your childhood spent here was a good time. Kingsland did seem different then you remember and not as light and happy as it once’s was. You got close to the throne room and heard walking from the other side, the guards looked at you and their eyes showed surprise. You smiled as they began to open the doors and excitement but panicked flooded through you.

“A proposal which I heartily agree.” You saw rhaenys standing in front of everyone finishing her speech that you didn’t hear. You saw rhaenrya and her children and daemon on one side. And across you saw your mother and your siblings and grandsir and finally your beloved father sitting on the throne.

“Princess Y/n Targaryen, Warrior of Bellcrest.” They announced you and everyone at court turn their heads and saw you, everyone’s eyes wide and gasps filled the room. You begin to walk and rest your hand on your sword and glance to see your family’s expressions. Everyone looked shocked to see you, they wanted to run to you and hold you tight but this wasn’t the time.

“My dear girl.” Your father called out and you smiled walking up the steps to where he sat and bowed your head. “Hello my king.” He reached out a hand for you to come forward and you did placing a kiss on the top of his head as he softly patted you. They all watched you with dark eyes wondering what you would do next and why you were here. Rhaenrya knew why you were here and she asked herself if Alicent had sent you a letter to. You walked back down and in between your family, you tried to not focus on it but it felt like you were a sheep in a wolfs den.

“Speak your mind dear girl.” His words so breathy you wonder how forced it was. Nodded you head you start to speak, “I have heard that Lucerys Velaryon, my nephew has been put to question. I also wander way it is being heard, but I shall speak my mind as clear as day.” Fixing your posture you took a deep breath.

“I support his claim. I have no doubt that he will make a great lord of driftmark one day and I have come to swear my sword to him.” Pulling out your sword carefully and turn to him and bow. “That I swear to my father, king Viserys, and to future queen rhaenrya of the seven kingdoms, by the old gods and the new. That I swear myself to them.” You kept your eyes on the floor.

Luke looked down at you with wide eyes, rhaenrya smirked and glanced at Alicent who burned her teary eyes into the back of your head. How dare you stand on their side? Swear yourself to a bastard- You were her daughter and you should be standing with her. But she quickly pushed the blame onto everyone else but you. Maybe you didn’t know that Alicent had other plans, maybe you just wanted to keep a war from happening. It was all rhaenryas fault.

Viserys smiled at you and how happy he was to have his family back as a whole. “Well then the mattter is settled, again. I here by reaffirm prince lucaerys of house velaryon as heir to driftmark and the driftwood throne. And the next lord of the tides.” You got up and saw them smile at you, they looked thankful to you. You wanted to go over to your mothers side but you had to stand for them, so you walked next to lucaerys and took his arm in yours.

Your eyes met your mothers teary ones and your heart broke so you offered her a smile to make her feel better. She did the same and you looked over to your other siblings and aemond was staring at you already with a hardened expression. You knew of how cold he grew but this was different. Rhaenys walked back to her spot and then room was quiet for a minute and you could hear the kings breaths.

“You break law,” vaemond started to speck “And centuries of tradition to install your daughter as heir. But you dare tell me who deserves to inherent the name Velaryon?” He takes a breath. You watch him closely, “No. I will not allow it.” He whispered and you watch Viserys tilt his head in question. “Allow it? Do not forget yourself vaemond.” He stated and you watched closely as vaemon turned around and pointed a finger at Lucerys.

“That!” He shouted and everyone tensed you included, and your grip on lukes arm tightness. “Is no true velaryon.” Rolling your eyes at the man you once called family and a man you used to look up to. “And certainly no nephew of mine.” Rhaenrya pushed Luke behind her arm and you too. “Go to your chambers.” She looked at Luke and you stepped in front of him and beside rhaenrya. 

“You have said enough.” You backed her up and she glanced at you thankfully. “Lucaerys is my true born grandson. And you no more then the second son of driftmark.” Seeing you protecting Luke knowing you could come into harms way made Alicent want to call this whole thing off. Because if it met you getting hurt then she doesn’t want it to happen.

“You may run your house as you see fit. But you will not decide the future of mine.” He took another pause trying to compose himself. “My house survived the doom. And a thousand tribulations besides.” He turned his head around again and looked at Luke, “And I will not see it ended by account of this-” he stopped himself from saying anything else and you knew what he was going to say. Everyone did.

“Say it.” Daemon whispered.

Vaemond looked at rhaenrya with a slight smirk. “Her sons are bastards!” He screamed and everyone’s faces hardeneds or go wide in shock that he actually said it. Your hands goes to your sword handle and grabbed it tightly enough your hand starts to hurt. “And she is a whore.” He faced back to look Viserys dead in the face. You moved your jaw in anger and watched as your father struggles and stands up taking out it blade.

“I will have your tongue for that.”

Your sword sliced vaemonds head just after Viserys finishes his words, daemon who stood next to you looked down at him with a smirk. “He can keep his tongue.” Daemon said and turned to looked at you and placed a hand on your shoulder to offer you a cloth to clean the blood off. “Unarm them.” The knights rush over and pull out their swords. You and daemon didn’t look bothered but your mother screamed and rushed over to you and shielded you with her arms.

“No need.” You both sheathed swords. You looked at your mother and kissed her cheek and walked away from her with daemon out of the throne room. They all watched you leave. Alicent wanted to scream but she had to rush over to Viserys as he started to fall over and rhaenrya followed.

Aemond watched you amused and his love depends for you, he used to have a crush on you but now he was unbelievably obsessed with you. He glanced at Luke when you were out of sight and saw the boy smirking at him at what you just did for him- You swore yourself to him and he knew it would get under their skins. You chose his side.

But the greens knew that they would just win you back over some how- I mean they had no one to marry off and Aemond was still unbetrothed. And if that didn’t work then they would still find something. Everyone wanted you to themselves and if it means to start a war to get you? Then so be it.

They’ll start a fucking war.

[miss0atae]

The classic fairy tale rewriting with San and Vee’s love story in Century of Love (Ep 7 – 8) :

[gif by benzatthanim] @benzatthanin

I have to admit I was inspired by this post from @mikuni14 post about the classic fairy tale rewriting idea (thanks again for the inspiration!). Quick disclaimer before starting: I know that the screenwriters and the original writer of the book were not really inspired by classic fairy tale. I just feel like the series has so many characteristics that you can find in classic fairy tale and I’ll show it to you here.

So what is a fairy tale? If I had to summarize, I would say it’s a short story where the main characters (San and Vee) must face ordeals and fights against their enemies (Evil Uncle, Rich Man who wants to live and Doppelganger of Vad / Wat). To be able to reach their goal, they will have the help of sidekicks (Tao, Tee and San’s family). Heroes from fairy tales are usually inexperienced at the beginning of the story (San is stuck in the past and full of nostalgia). They must find their way to understand the meaning of their life (In Century of Love I would say it's "what is true love?"). The classic fairy tale follows a narrative outline:

[gif by pharawee] @pharawee

1. The initial situation:

San fell in love with Vad / Watt, but she was killed by her fiancé, so he used the help of the five-colored stone of the goddess Nuwa to be able to stay alive and young until he finds the reincarnation of his love.

[gif by sanvees] @sanvees

2. The disruptive element that modifies the initial situation:

Vad / Watt wasn't reincarnated as a woman, but could be a young man named Vee whose personality is quite different from Vad / Watt. San has trouble accepting the situation even if everything seems to prove Vee is the one he was looking for.

3. Adventures that advance the action and the ordeals that the hero must go through:

San and Vee get to know each other and slowly fall in love. San is starting to accept Vee could be his new love. He also has to stop living in his past. Vee has a criminal past and a sick grandma that he wants to take care of. Several people came in between the two lovers: a childhood friend (possible reincarnation of Vad / Watt previous fiancé), villains who wants to steal the stone, jealousy and loss of self-confidence.

4. The element of resolution

5. The final situation.

Still waiting for these events to happen.

[gif by jimmysea] @jimmysea

Century of Love also presents some recurring characteristics of fairy tales. Fairy tales belong to the world of wonder and imagination. If Century of Love is happening in a world that looks like ours, it still contained fantastic elements such as supernatural characters and magical artifacts. In the story, San is near immortal so he can be the same as what he was when he first met Vad / Wat, so her reincarnation can recognize him. It’s possible because he got the power of the five-colored stone, a powerful and magical artifact given by a goddess. Usually fairy tales were written for various reasons: examining the human condition or talking about modern issues. In Century of Love, San was stuck for a long time in the past and felt out of place with the modern time. I think he took “waiting for his lover” literally. Many other people made a really good take on why San was acting this way before meeting Vee and I can just advise you to read them. The story is more complex than what it seemed at first. To name but a few, you could read this post, this post or this post. It may feels like it’s just to work well with the character, but in fact, any of us can risk being stuck in the past for various reasons: tragic events, holding on to things or people, mental health issues, fear of change, blaming ourselves… Just like fairy tale, Century of Love has an educational value and is trying to provide the viewers some kind of life advice.

I would even say that after watching the last episode, I felt like Century of Love could be compared to a rewriting story of the famous fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”.

So in Beauty and the Beast the story is more or less about a young girl called "the beauty" who sacrifices herself to save her father, sentenced to death for picking a rose in the domain of a terrible monster. Against all expectations, the Beast spares Beauty and allows her to live in his castle. She realizes that, behind the features of the animal, a man is suffering as he is the victim of a spell. He is a generous being who only asks to love and be loved in return.

So now, let’s see how Century of Love changed the story to… a young man called “Vee” agrees to marry a cranky meanie grandpa with a young face, San, to save his grandma. His goal at first is to find the powerful artifact San possessed to cure her. Against all expectations, San is nicer than what he seems to be and allows Vee to live in his house with his family. Vee realizes that behind the sternness of San, a man is suffering, victim of the power of the five-colored stone. He is a generous being who only asks to love and be loved in return.

Doesn't it work well?! Put new Vad / Watt or Suchat as the villain Gaston (only present in Disney version of the Beauty and the Beast) and San family as the supporting characters living in the house of the “beast” and you'll get the story wrapped with all its important characters.

Beauty and The Beast is a tale that teaches people to distinguish moral ugliness from physical ugliness. The true foundation of a solid love is kindness. Compassion and esteem can create love and you shouldn't judge someone by his look only or his past. Those are also the “life advice” that Century of Love is teaching us through the love story of Vee and San. It is more powerful than just thinking you need to be with the reincarnation of your past lover. San loves Vee for Vee. Now, I just hope Vee will see that he also deserves to be loved. His acts of true love is what made San overcome his habits of staying in the past.

[posebean]

fantasys your alkaloid‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️  ref sheet of alkaloid for my alkakurei fantasy au that i totally didnt abandon crazy:B here (notes abt world+magic system and other stuff on that post)

stuff abt their outfits and etc under read more

hiiro is fresh from his village baby boy left to go find his nii-san with only his clothes and a trusty satchel at his side- he just goes around looking for his nii-san and etcetc idk how long the gap is but he finds tatsumi and mayo and stays with them for some time and during that time tatsun gets him a coat because baby boy literally only has those and hes just been doing work for some guild (idk how to explain bc guilds require education but i guess tatsun pulled strings for him) so he has money to live while also looking for his nii-san and sometimes he has to go to cold places and one time he comes home after a job in a cold place and hes sick and tatsun is like hiiro-san please take this jacket with you :..) so now hiiro has a coat custom-made for him :3! he's good with elemental magic (the 5 core elements water wind fire earth plant) very versatile and a skilled little guy (not as talented as his nii-san but no one is as talented as nii-san!) anyways yadda yadda he gets a message or smth and is preparing to leave tatsun and mayo but (spoilers for meru fic) meru points him towards the town where everyone else is and yea he goes and finds his nii-san and now his goal has changed from find nii-san to convince nii-san to go back home but he befriends everyone else too and i think they do eventually go on some kind of adventure together maybe more the three younger ppl aira hiiro and kohaku

aira is a little silly fellow he dresses nicely (very inspired by fs2 but i cant stop looking at it and thinking damn he french colored......) and loves magic so much he admires all the grand mages and everyone in the upper echelons and loves watching other people cast spells and such unfortunately for him while he has a decently high innate talent, his control is God Awful which results in magic never going well for him- with no control at all, literally negative control, he can try to cast one spell and something completely different will be cast instead- and the skill level varies too it's literally just a roll of a dice for him if he tries to cast a simple flame spell he might end up flooding the room with a wall of water, it's that bad kkshfkj also he acts like he doesn't like it but he actually loves rabuhan-junior so much he secretly spoils the hamster named after him and rabuhan junior loves him back rabuhan-junior likes to sleep in his hat or on aira's head whenever kohaku goes out and leaves rabu-han junior with aira tatsun has very normal clothes bro dresses like a dad (did you know both of his fs have the same color palettes i didnt but using them as reference made me realize, anyways-) his clothes are very comfortable and easy to move around in, especially given his injury from [spoiler event here ]. he also has a cane and his injured leg has pain suppressor sigils and bandages wrapped all over it his leg isn't completely unusable like its not broken or anything its more like. a kind of necrosis like if you unwrapped it there would be a dark mark thats like icky and sometimes it flares up and hurts tatsun so much that he falls over and :( he found the cane one day in the catacomb (wonder who put it there) he added the begonia himself as a reminder of his sin... shiro is his little mouse familiar that he conjured with the help of kaname! she's a sweet little thing, often found sleeping on an open book on tatsumi's desk. she has the tatsumi-colored ears and legs because she was conjured up rather than a pact familiar. regarding magic tatsun is pretty average on both control and power, but that doesnt really matter because most of the spells he uses are passive spells more used for healing/doing work. he likes to garden and has a beautiful garden of all kinds of flowers at the chapel :) he just doesn't dare touch the flowers in the catacomb, because he knows someone else already takes care of those also that purple gem hanging around his neck is a gift from mayomayo it doesn't do anything and has no magic but tatsun still likes it :) mayomayo dresses in all dark colors because he believes that if he always dresses in dark colors no one will ever have to be bothered by seeing his existence he comes from a lineage that practices forbidden magic, not necessarily all dark but some of the more ... interesting spells . something happens in his past and he ends up leaving, taking with him his tome and well. proceeding to get chased by all kinds of monsters out in the wild because for some reason he just attracts all kinds of beasts poor guy magic-wise he does have the forbidden magic from his family but he more specializes in healing and curse removal- he doesn't dare do anything else for fear of (redacted). besides, maybe he'll one day be able to actually save somebody instead of hurting them, maybe his existence would be worth it some day. the ribbon in his hair (the green/teal one) is from tatsun :) he said mayo would look good in brighter colors and mayo disagreed so tatsun gave it to him and now its become part of his outfit and (i combust into a thousand bits ) also because of that mayo feels like he has to give tatsun something back so thats why he gives tatsumi a purple gem he had that used to hang from his spell tome anyways i still love this au very much and i hope you enjoyed now i will proceed to forget about it again /j i still really wanna write kohaku's fic and then maybe one last one for rinne-kun or smth because aghghj there's still so much that's not developed yet but (explodes)

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project : The Muir Island Saga

The first time we see Rogue and Gambit on the same page together is the cover of Uncanny X-Men #275 - which was one of those VERY SPECIAL ISSUES that put everyone on the cover. No, this is not a part of the Muir Island Saga -- but belongs to the previous arcs (Savage Land and Space Shenanigans). Still, it's pretty cool to see them on the cover together.

So, here's the thing about the Muir Island Saga - the next arc of the comics - despite dealing with the same adversary, and spending time with the same group of people, we never see Rogue and Gambit mix. In fact - (something I'll point out in detail in a minute) - it's almost comical how much they seem to be ships passing in the night. It's almost as if it's done purposely.

I know that years (and years and years and years) later - we'll get a retcon of their first meeting. And I really thought a lot about whether or not I should talk about that here... and, not to disappoint some of you, but I'm not going to (for now). Because I kind of want to tackle this project from a chronological point of view. To experience things as they were happening without the added layers of what we'll get next. And the retcon kind of, gets into a whole lot of issues I don't want to dig into yet. So, I promise, I'll talk about Kelly Thompson's Mini when we get there, we're just... a very long way off from that.

In the meantime, the thing about this arc that's so fascinating is trying to pinpoint how they could meet. And when. And why. And thing I keep coming back to is... comics don't make a whole lot of sense, y'all.

Let's dive in...

Uncanny X-Men #278

The whole premise of The Muir Island Saga is that the Shadow King wants to get out of the Astral Plane and kind of brainwashes the residents of Muir Island (including the X-Men) in order to do it. Don't ask me to make sense of it, I'm just the recapper!

The real purpose of the whole thing is to reshuffle the line, which had been in such flux up until this point. The X-Office was getting ready to launch the new Adjectiveless X-Men book, and Chris Claremont was getting ready to depart after 17 years of being the sole author of X-Men. Things were definitely changing and this saga finally gets all the pieces to where they need to be.

As an aside, I do find it fascinating that the beginning of Rogue and Gambit's relationship coincides with all of these changes. Not only is the decade changing, but X-Men's status quo is about to be really shaken up after being a relatively steady book for a very, very long time. It's just kind of neat that the endings and beginnings happening on an external level are also happening with our characters as well.

Uncanny X-Men #278

For some context, after the destruction of the mansion after the Inferno crossover, and after remaining X-Men all ended up going through the Siege Perilous after the Australian era, Muir Island, home of (brilliant scientist and ex-Xavier lover) Moira MacTaggart became the home of a new (and short lived) group of X-Men. I can only assume that's why Rogue returned here after her little side adventure in the Savage Land.

Though I should point out that Rogue has ZERO idea who is alive and who is dead other than the people who are already on the island. I kind of wonder what her future plans would have been if the other X-Men never showed up. Anyway... though, there really isn't any full explanation as to why Rogue went back to Muir Island other than they had no intention of writing her out of the book, and they needed all the X-Men to be in one place.

How does she feel about the events of the Savage Land? What really happened with her and Magneto? The answer is -- who cares, we're done with that plot now and moving on until another comic book writer decides to tug on that loose plot thread. :P

Uncanny X-Men #278

What is important to know that the Shadow King is mind controlling everyone. And... he does so with Rogue by making out with her after she's been in the shower? What??

Look, I'm not going to claim this stuff makes a whole lot of sense. But I can fanwank it a little...

The Shadow King's whole deal is that he's trying to corrupt everyone and bring them to their most evil (because, you know, that's what evil villains do). And with Rogue - he plays on her sense of touch. Back in the old days, Rogue used kissing as her primary way of stealing people's powers. And on top of that, one of her deepest rooted struggles (as of obvious statement isn't obvious) is the fact that she isn't able to have physical contact. So the Shadow King is tapping into both of those things, and, as the whole 'temptation' quote insinuates - him letting her give into her desires allows him to brainwash her.

Now, do I really believe she'd be enticed this easily? Can the Shadow King have that deep a hold on anyone? That is for you to decide, fair reader.

It's at least my interpretation. Honestly, I think there's a bigger part of me that wonders if they really just wanted to see Rogue making out with someone because because they can.

Meanwhile, on the opposite page, guess who is landing with the rest of the X-Men who just returning from space? That's right, everyone can relax. Gambit has arrived. ;) They're now in the same place... so if we can only get them to the same panel...

Uncanny X-Men #278

Alright guys, time to play the logistics game... these two panels are on opposite pages. Gambit, fresh off his plane, ends up running into Multiple Man - and they have a little fight. Meanwhile, Rogue runs into Wolverine and Jubilee - and they have a little fight. Are you following me? Good! Cause it's going to get crazier from here.

Also, let's keep track of Rogue's clothes because... ooff, yeah, the continuity is worse than the story line.

Uncanny X-Men #279

Before I get into it - I need to state that Uncanny X-Men 279 is the issue where Chris Claremont just up and quit during the middle. He'll be back to wrap up his run in the new X-Men book (that we'll get to after this) but I'm sure the nonsense going on in the X-Office didn't help the clarity of this story...

Anyway, the next time we see either Gambit or Rogue is here... in the next issue. What happened between Rogue and Wolverine/Jubilee? How did Gambit handle Multiple Man? Who knows! But now Gambit is with Wolverine and Jubilee and Rogue is nowhere to be seen.

Also - that's the third 'bang, you dead joke' in, like, five issues. Good lord, Claremont, if this wasn't your final Uncanny issue (for now) I'd say give it a rest. I will say, though, I almost included the entire three pages of Wolverine/Jubilee/Gambit because they are that delicious, and easily the best thing about this entire arc.

Uncanny X-Men #279

On the next page, we see Rogue again - where she is taking on Forge. Note the wardrobe change? Did she have time to add more clothes after her 'fight' with Wolverine? Is any of this making sense yet? No? Okay... onto the X-Factor issue...

X-Factor #69

This is literally the next time we see Rogue - after Forge shoots her with a ray gun that stops the mind control. Did the ray gun just change her outfit as well? Was the previous outfit too evil?? Or was it just that artists Andy Kubert and Whilce Portacio just have zero communication when getting these issues out? (Honestly, I do not blame the artists - I do blame editorial though.)

X-Factor #69

Meanwhile, where is Gambit you ask??

Alright, guys, this is where we're at -- Forge has un-mind controlled Rogue, Wolverine, and Banshee. Meanwhile, Gambit, Psylocke, Jubilee and the Muir Island peeps are still under the Shadow King. And now X-Factor (the original five X-Men - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) are now involved. All of them are running around the island. Only, it's X-Factor who finds the rest of the mind controlled - not Forge and crew...

Also, in case you'd like me to make it more confusing, Mystique has arrived in disguise (with Nick Fury), while all this mind control is doing wonders for Charles Xavier's son, Legion, who is about to go a little crazy.

Uncanny X-Men #280

Classic cover is classic. Also, Rogue still has more of her clothes! Don't grow too attached to them.

Uncanny X-Men #280

See, I told you not to get too attached to Rogue's clothes. Apparently, when Legion went crazy and caused an explosion, it blew off all her clothes. Miraculously, no one else had this issue. I guess Jean just used her telekinetic powers to keep hers on.

Uncanny X-Men #280

And on the other side of this really not very big island is the B-team. B for brainwashed. Yes - the two teams are going to meet! Yes, a big, huge battle is about to ensue!

Uncanny X-Men #280

Gambit is going to take on Wolverine (for the 100th time it seems) while Rogue will take on Strong Guy. Every non-brainwashed X-Man is going to take on every other brainwashed X-Man. Except for Rogue v Gambit. We don't get to see that. They do not share any panels together. Not even in the big group scenes. None. Nothing. Absolutely zero.

They just knew it'd be too much...

(Honestly, I am a little curious as to why this was. It almost does feel intentional at this point.)

Anyway, the battle ends. The Shadow King is vanquished (for now) -- and has the hilariously villain closing line of "No!!! I WAS SO CLOSE!!" And all that's left is to wrap up this little ditty...

Uncanny X-Men #280

I just need to talk about Rogue's clothes again. Her panties are barely hanging on by a thread, but her gloves are perfectly intact. How convenient.

Anyway, the last line of this comic reads: The End, and The Beginning. How appropriate...

Here we are, guys. The first issue where Rogue and Gambit end up on panel together. Are you ready for this??

Let's talk about X-Factor #70

X-Factor #70

Most of the issue revolves around Xavier trying to get into Legion's head while the rest of the group is either waiting around in the hospital room or tying up loose plot threads around the island.

So... how much time has passed? It's unclear - but enough that Rogue's had enough time to find some clothes that have not been ripped to shreds.

Anyway - one of the loose plot threads is dealing with Mystique's "death" that happened ages ago. Turns out she faked it and had been pretending to be Val Cooper for a while now. Rogue had seen news of the "death" and this is their reunion.

Great, now that that's squared away, we get one of my favorite sequences in comics... the chain letting everyone know that Xavier is okay ;)

X-Factor #70

Idk why, but I love this little sequence. I love the random 'no smoking' sign. I love Gambit freaking Polaris out. I love that Jubilee just does not give a shit. And I love that Rogue doesn't seem to either.

Anyway... now to the moment y'all have been patiently waiting for...

I present to you -- Rogue and Gambit's first on panel moment!

X-Factor #70

It's sort of anticlimactic, isn't it?

While Xavier's - what do we do with fourteen X-Men - is rather iconic, the art here is... meh. I'm so glad Jim Lee is going to redesign a lot of the characters. Gambit just does not look good in the yellow costume (also, he does not have his headsock on here for some reason). Meanwhile, even Rogue looks a little off here (though this is the X-Factor book and not Uncanny).

And... we're left with a bunch of open questions. Just how did Rogue and Gambit meet? What was their first interaction like? What is their dynamic at the very beginning? As I said before -- Kelly Thompson will one day answer these questions -- both brilliantly and unbelievably.

If you were looking for any kind of set up going into the relaunch, I'm sorry to say that what I've laid out for you is what we've got. So, introductions are open to interpretation...

My own version...?

Gambit: *speaking flirtations French to Rogue* Rogue: Wolverine - who is this? Wolverine: Storm brought back some Cajun leftovers from her time as a de-aged thief. Gambit: How about a kiss, chere? Rogue: How about I punch you?

And thus a dynamic was born. ;)

Next up: We're finally going to really get into it with X-Men #1-3!

[tybaltsjuliet]

If you have the time, I'd love to hear more of your opinions about how Belle's aesthetic should be Gothic Heroine™ instead of Smart™. Can you elaborate on what that means?

for sure!

so, first off, this is all rooted in how i feel that intelligence is vastly overhyped and overstated as belle's Defining Trait. it's quite lazy, to my mind, that she has been deemed The Smart Princess because She Reads Books. ariel displays far more intellectual curiosity about the human world than belle does about anything. tiana is a successful businesswoman and mulan is a full-on war strategist by the time their stories conclude! i would sooner call them The Smart Princesses, whereas i think belle is far more defined by her passionate heart, her willingness to throw herself into danger, and her yearning for adventure. of course, those aren't terribly descriptively snappy, so i like to say belle is The Gothic Heroine Princess, as shorthand, because of the atmosphere of beauty and the beast and because she is a Capital R Romantic.

take the things we meet her reading, for one:

“i just finished the most wonderful story about a a beanstalk and an ogre and...”

“far-off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!”

“here's where she meets prince charming, but she won't discover that it's him till chapter three!”

this isn't to say that people who enjoy fairy tales and fantasy aren't intelligent, or that they aren't intellectually stimulating genres (consider villeneuve's full, literary “beauty and the beast” - if you want a fairy tale to rotate around your brain for months, that's it!) but intellectual stimulation is not what belle is focusing on. she delights in reading for the escapism - the adventure, the magic, and the romance that she craves.

and, speaking of which, for all the jokes people make her about her Daily Mean Song (and i do think that tweet is extremely funny), she's not even intellectually snobbish! the most derision in that vein she ever gives is in response to gaston - “well, some people use their imaginations.”/”you are positively primeval.” - who fully deserved it in the moment, because he was disrespecting her, her book, and generally behaving like a boor!

yeah, she remarks on the poor, provincial town and its little people, but what is her chief complaint? “every day like the one before.” “every morning just the same since the morning that we came.” yeah, she remarks that there’s no one in the town she can really talk to - but it’s clear from the opening number that it’s not that it’s because she thinks she’s better than them, but because they think she is the strange one!

leaving those thoughts aside, it’s also worth noting that throughout, belle acts far more from her heart than her head, relying on her emotions. racing off alone into the woods to try to find her father is not smart. sacrificing herself to become the prisoner of the beast is not smart. going into the west wing, after being expressly forbidden to do so by the beast, is not smart. for all she knows, the beast could have killed her for that. and defying gaston publicly, in front of his mob of angry villagers - decidedly not smart! and belle does not give a fuck, because she is The Gothic Heroine Princess, and she knows instinctively that her Capital R Romanticism will save the day. her good judgment of character - distrusting gaston, for instance - is often cited as another example of her intelligence, and it is - but that is something else that’s rooted in emotional intelligence versus intellectual intelligence. her emotional strength - her compassion and her passion, her sense of adventure and her sense of what is right, no matter what the rest of the world tells her to do and feel and think - is what gets her through her ordeals in the village that ostracizes and rejects her, as well as the enchanted castle with danger and mystery around every corner. (indeed, the line between “enchanted castle” and “haunted castle” is but a gossamer thread, and she makes that castle her home.)

and, of course, there is absolutely nothing more gothic heroine than falling in love with disney’s very first byronic hero.

[stormyjane7]

Darling, Would You Like to Have My Child?

Summary:

Astarion finds out he can actually have children. Would you agree to bear them?

TW: Breeding Oral Sex, Sex Vaginal, Sex,Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut I've been busy over on Ao3 but I forget to bring it over here! So I'm catching up. Enjoy!

Read On Ao3

Before the death of your former master, you would have never been able to entertain the thought of having a true lover. You only had fleeting nights of so called passion before bringing your victim before him to kill. Now that he was dead, the netherbrain almost gone, you start to think of the future and what that meant for you.

You think about one recent night on your adventure that you had with her. You knew in that moment that you would fight for this love that had bloomed on the battlefield.

She stops you before you lean in to bite into a new spot along their shoulder. You always tried to take new spots not to mar their beautiful skin.

“Astarion,” She whimpers out, “You can bite in the same spot. I want to wear your mark. To show the world I’m yours.”

You smile at how much she had worked her way into your cold, dead heart and gave you life again. Because of this, tonight, you wanted to get started on the next stage of your new life. You had rented out a private room at an inn that your other companions were not at. A place that would allow for each room to be cast in silence so no sound could break through the walls. It was perfect.

You had set the room up before bringing Tav over. On a table you put potions, stored blood bottles, few scrolls of lessor restoration, and a few books you were going to show them to get your idea across easier. You were nervous about a possible rejection, but you’d still try for having a good night either way. You both deserved it.

When you finally bring her in, you make sure to cover her eyes so that it’s a bit of a surprise. You click the silence spell into place after letting her see the room. Her face was beautifully lit from the candles you had going and had a bit of questioning wonder when she eyed the table.

“Just what have you been up to Astarion, my love?”

“Well come over and see.” You lift the book up and hand it over to her. She reads the title ‘The Curse of the Vampyr’ and recognized it as one of the many books found on your journey so far. “I marked a spot in there for you to read.”

She found the tabbed pages easily and started to read outloud.

“We thankfully live in a world where most vampyr kill or turn their victims. If it were not so, many a damphyr would walk this world in the dark shadows of life. Any vampire or spawn can create such a creature. It could walk amongst us with in the light, eat with us, and yet still crave blood at differing times. Our world could crumble if this was allowed.”

She looks up at you with curious eyes. “Does this mean you’re actually able to make someone,...me.., pregnant?”

“It does indeed my dear. You don’t have to lose that desire of having children now it seems.” You grin and wave toward the bed. “Would you like to start trying? I would love nothing more than to see how beautiful you are carrying my child.”

Even in the candle light you can see how she flushes from head to toe. Her heart is racing and a small smell of her arousal hits your nose. You walk toward her to pull her close to you. “Just think of the little pitter patter of feet in the morning running to us. How they would call out to you for love and comfort. Your beauty as a mother would know no bounds, my sweet.”

She sets the book down on the table and looks at the other items there. You can tell she’s contemplating all options laid before her.

“We still have tadpoles to contend with. Do you think I’d be okay?”

“If you were to get pregnant now, just know I would do everything in my power to protect you. I am also sure our friends would do the same. They love you almost as much as I do.”

She closes her eyes, again weighing this as thoroughly as she can. I can see the delight in them when she finally opens again.

“Well, we can certainly try! Even if nothing sticks tonight the practice will be fun.”

With her words of consent, you scoop her up in your arms with a squeak from her and take her over to the bed. You laid her down gently and started removing your shirt. You then slowly unbutton her blouse letting it fall open to expose her breast. You reach out with both hands and cup her softness and give each nipple a softly firm pinch. The moan she gives you further hardens your now weeping cock. She lifts herself up so that she can take off her blouse fully and starts to undo the laces to her trousers. You hook your fingers into the waistband of them and her smalls to take them both off in a single motion. She laid back down and looked up at you with so much adoration in her eyes.

“Gods you’re beautiful.” You mutter it like a prayer as if she herself was a goddess.

You kneel on the floor and pull her to the edge of the bed. Hooking her legs over your shoulder you lick the slit in front of you. Her hips buck at the touch, you can tell she’s already wet from desire. Running a finger up and down her you say, “I love how just the small amount can make you wet for me. To see you ache and tremble for me is such a sight.”

Your mouth descends on her clit making her mewl loudly. Slowly you insert your finger into her warmth, lavishing her insides with a come hither motion. You add another finger and continue your ministrations till you feel her come close to the edge of an orgasm. You let go of her clit with a small pop sound.

“Oh gods, please don’t stop!”

“Needy little pup. You’ll get there soon enough but I want you to cum around my cock so that you milk me for all you can.” You remove your trousers and smalls fast as you too were inpatient. Your cock is glistening with precum. With her still on the bed you walk forward and pull her legs around you, with a free hand you stroke your own cock and slide it up and down in her slick. You make sure to rub her clit with the tip, making her trash under you.

Before she can say anything to hurry you along, you slowly push into her. Her head falls back as you push all the way til your hips are meeting hers. You start rolling your hips into her.

“Look at me,” you commanded, “I want you to watch as I thrust into you.” You melt as she looks up at you and then down at where your bodies meet. Her moans start getting louder. You move a hand down to her front, circling her clit.

“That’s it. Be a good girl for me and cum. Take my seed.” A few more thrusts and she was coming undone under you. Her orgasm threw you into your own making you throw your head back with a low growl. You keep pumping till you knew for sure you were done and pull out.

“I can’t say it enough. Gods you’re beautiful. All full of my seed. Look at you, such a beautiful mess.” You scoot her back a bit on the bed and grab a pillow.

“Now we’re gunna put this under your hips. Gotta keep that in there.” You place the pillow under her hips and give her ass a playful smack. “You rest and I’m going to recharge with the potions and blood. I am not going tot to stop fucking you till the morning. You will walk out of here bearing my child if I can do anything to help it.”

You both smile at each other at the thought. To continue the attempts through the night. She will be so full of you. What a lovely and beautiful mess her cunt is going to be when you’re done with her.

[erathene]

LOTR Themed Tag Game

I was tagged by @softboiledwonderland - Reblog with your own answers and tag three or more people you want to get to know better!

- How old were you when you were first introduced to LOTR? I think I was around 12. I have two distinct memories from that time; seeing Gandalf on a cereal box whilst I ate my breakfast and being very confused by Gandalf the Grey/Gandalf the White (wondering whether or not they were the same person, or if they were twins LOL), and borrowing my cousin's extended edition DVDs to watch (we borrowed a lot of stuff from him including his PS2 with Final Fantasy X).

- Favourite LOTR character? Aragorn hands down because he's a filthy ranger and I love that I feel he's a well-rounded character in the movies. I see him as a bit of an adventurer, a do-gooder and not afraid of a fight, but also someone who has his own flaws and struggles. He's certainly interesting to write about and explore as a character.

- Books or Movies? Movies 100%. I'm trying to read the books.. honest..

- Which location in Middle Earth would you want to visit? I think Rivendell would be my top choice, but honestly any location would be amazing. I would love to see Rivendell for its architecture, its open and breezy spaces, it just oozes relaxation and a place to get away from it all. And maybe I'd run into Aragorn there HA 😂

- Favourite Movie? The Two Towers! Because FOTR sets the scene, ROTK wraps up the story, but TTT is where some shit starts to go downnn.

- Favourite scene? I love the fellowship fighting off the orcs in Khazad-dûm; the anticipation of the orcs breaking through the door and Legolas/Aragorn being cool enough to shoot arrows through tiny cracks, Boromir being sassy ("They have a Cave Troll🙄🙄🙄"), Sam fighting orcs with literal frying pans, Aragorn and Boromir giving each other The Nod™, the teamwork to bring down that cave troll, running like hell afterwards... I just love everything about that scene in the movies 🤩 Everything up to Gandalf's fall of course...

- Favourite quote? "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - it's like a hug that reaches out to you, telling you that you'll be okay 🥰

- What Middle Earth race would you like to be? Probably an elf! I'm 5ft7, a natural redhead, and would love to let time slip pass without worrying about things not getting done because I have literally fucking centuries to live haha.

- Favourite LOTR ship: Similar to @softboiledwonderland I don't really have one?? I'm just an appreciator of blorbos 😅

Tagging @emmanuellececchi @sonofarathorns @fishing4stars @nocompromise-noregrets - if you guys fancy taking part feel free, if you're busy or don't want to then no worries! If anyone else sees this post and wants to participate, consider yourself tagged!! 😉

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: One Kiss to Desire by Grace Callaway

4.5/5. Releases 9/19/24.

The Vibes:

—true blue grumpy/sunshine

—dirty talk dirty talk dirty talk

—GHOOOOSTS

—messy sibling drama (complimentary)

Heat Index: 8/10

The Basics:

Xenia has made a reputation for herself as Sirena, telling dirty tales for patrons of a high-end brothel—while on the other side of a curtain. Temporarily out of a job and seeking shelter, she takes on the persona of your typical housekeeper, taking a post at a gloomy mansion with a gloomier boss. Ethan is hiding away from the world after a tragedy that changed his life; and he has no time for the perky, mousy girl who can't even seem to cook. But as danger lurks beyond the walls (and maybe within) they're forced to work together... among other things.

The Review:

If there's one thing Grace Callaway knows how to do, it's write a ROMP. This is her take on a Gothic historical romance a la Northanger Abbey (which is to say, kind of a loving spoof of Gothic romance with a real, warm love story at the center). Arguably, other Grace books have actually been a little heavier on the Gothic; I'd actually call this one of her lighter outings. But you get spooky stories, you get terrified servants, you get creepy things that go bump in the night and also non-creepy things that go bump in the night by which I mean OUR LEADS.

Speaking of, if you're a fun of grumpy/sunshine, this is about as Grumpy/Sunshine prime as I think you'll ever get. Ethan's not an asshole, exactly. I mean, he kind of is, but in a sympathetic way that really doesn't get that heavy. He's not mean, he's grumpy. And with good reason, even though he needs to straighten up (and does). Xenia is sunshine personified, sweet and perky and funny in a way that Callaway writes so well. It's no wonder he's charmed by her. You, the reader, are charmed by her from the jump.

Ethan and Xenia have both been through it. As someone who enjoyed The Lady Who Came in from The Cold, Ethan's parents' book (would recommend) I was a little worried about what would have him so torn up as this novel opens. Fortunately, it did nothing to ruin the general Blackwood HEA (and I should have figured as much). But it is a very valid issue, and I really liked both the classic Gothic drama of it all and Ethan's very real insecurities and loss of identity.

Xenia... has quite a backstory. I can't give any of it away, but BOY was the climax of this novel (besides the other climaxes) crazy. Which is what I want from a Grace Callaway book. I want sexy, I want funny, I want feelings-y, I want... yeah! A little zany! In part because of the removal from the hub of London (we're squarely in Chudleigh Bottoms, from whence one of Callaway's favorite historical romance families hails) and in part because of the madcap Gothic plot, this one reads a bit more "adventurous" to me, whereas Grace's previous series had more of a mystery/potboiler vibe.

You get some secret identity shenanigans, which I'm personally into—but if that isn't your thing, don't worry. It isn't dragged beyond its logical conclusion, and honestly? Once these two are really on the same page, they're rather adorable together. They have this fun, sexy relationship, and Ethan clearly cares about making sure Xenia feels respected. There's something kind of doting about the way he cares for her, and I'm personally about it.

In all, I'd say that though there is pain and a satisfying emotional arc, this is one of Grace's less angsty installments compared to a book like Pippa and the Prince of Secrets or Regarding the Duke. There's angst, but it's definitely more on the fun and sweet side.

The Sex:

OKAY.

Grace Callaway sex scenes always stand out, but this one really goes to a different place with it. Because yeah. Xenia is a virgin. But she certainly has a filthy mind, and she put its to good use weaving erotic stories for her clients. And yes. Ethan does get in on that action.

The way it's written, especially in the scene where they... do the full nine yards with it... is both hot and fun. It's over the top in the most self-aware, delightful way possible. I was kicking my feet all the way through it.

And the more "standard" sex scenes are of course, a lot of fun as well. Callaway simply writes sex scenes like she actually enjoys writing them, which I appreciate.

I noticed more attention paid to the safety aspects surrounding sex in this one, which I also appreciated. Definitely seems to be a trend I'm seeing more of in historicals recently, and it's done here in a way that fuels the tension rather than taking away from it.

It's adventurous, it's light, it's got a bit of an autumnal thing going with the Gothic of it all. And it's kicking off a new series, with fabulous teases for the next siblings. (One of those brothers is going to destroy someone's heart. I just know it.) I am MORE than game.

Thanks to Grace Callaway for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[yourpenpaldee]

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ A BRIEF WIPS OVERVIEW.

Hello! I am not good with deadlines, especially when I set them myself. This post was supposed to be up three days ago, but it’s finally here! I’m very excited to share these projects as they were all created from different periods of my life, going back four years at the most.

These will be very short intros, but each WIP mentioned here will have a proper, detailed post when it’s time. The projects also aren’t listed in sequential order of when I’ll post about them with the exception of the first WIP.

A heads-up, most of these are romance since I used to write only romance. It was only about two years ago since I decided to finally branch out, and those stories will be coming soon! For now, I still have to figure out how to write characters that have a way higher IQ than I do…

On we go to the WIPs!

WHEN ART TALKS

— currently undergoing the first draft. — first person — a college romance where a reserved poet who is afraid of public perception connects with an outspoken musician due to their preference on using words as their art medium. — contains late night walk convos, cigarette smoking, passionate rambles, and microwaved meals. — “‘Why do we care about them when it’s our story to tell? We live our truth, we speak our truth, and we have to trust that it’s good enough because it’s all we got. The message will be received by those who are meant to hear it.’”

BLIND SECOND CHANCES

— currently undergoing the first draft. — dual first person — an adult romance in which ex-friends turned (unofficial) ex-lovers from high school decide to explore the old feelings that resurface when crossing paths eight years later. — lots of reminiscing, betrayal, weekly wine nights, and fancy dates. — “‘You’re holding onto a love from a situation where we didn’t even know our place in the world yet. We spent nearly eight years growing into the people we are now, so you need to be prepared for our dynamic to look and feel different because we aren’t the same kids we once were.’”

TO NEW BEGINNINGS

— brainstorming complete, drafting to begin soon. — third person, still deciding on the type — an adult romance story of a woman who decides it’s time to start over on a blank canvas, and meets a booked and busy workaholic along the way. — roller skating, painting, solo adventures, and plant shopping. — “‘It’s scary to deviate from your current life and start anew when your life no longer serves you or your purpose. But I’m not equipped for misery, so I’ll be damned trying to save a life that lost the chance of saving forever ago.’”

UNTITLED ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

— currently a 3am one-liner, brainstorming begins soon — pov to be determined, leaning towards third person limited. — an apocalyptic fiction where a teenage girl fights everyday to survive in an ongoing zombie apocalypse with hopes of finding her younger sister. — found family, zombie slaying, survival vs. morality, and, uh… death. — “She looked at every colorless home she walked by and wondered what stories could be told. What every stored memory that slipped through the cracks consisted of and the emotions they’d provoke. If the lives that once occupied these spaces were unfortunately fortunate enough to make it out like she did. If they constantly watched the memories flash before their eyes as they realized those would be the last batch of joyful, painless memories; how remembering became torturous and insufferable, but is all they have to remind them of their own humanity.”

UNTITLED TWISTED BONNIE & CLYDE

— currently a 3am one-liner, brainstorming begins soon — first person peripheral or third person limited — a dark and twisted romance where two toxic lovers are at the beginning of an inevitable end and play fire with fire the entire way through. — manipulation, heists, lies, and expensive jewelry. — “The venom drips off of every word she says. She watches every last drop seep into my skin and become one with the blood that runs through my veins. How it attempts to shut down my body in hopes that I’ll beg for mercy in my final moments of weakness. That I’ll surrender my life into her hands as those soulless and apathetic eyes beam with some sick and twisted excitement. But I am sick and twisted too. We are two bodies wrapped in the same snake skin, and a snake cannot get poisoned by its own venom.”

PAST LIFE LOVER

— redoing the brainstorm process — first person or objective third person (quote will be in third person) — a soulmate, young adult romance in which a girl who no longer believes in love suddenly gets pulled in by the new barista at her favorite hangout spot. — love at first sight, breakfast deliveries, denial, and baking. lots of baking. — “Then there it was. The locking of the eyes where the inability to look away grows more and more intense with each passing second. They didn’t even know each other, but something in their eyes told them that there was a home waiting for them within each other’s souls.”

ANGEL AND KEN*

— currently on the backburner, brainstorming resumes once past life lover is complete. — prequel to past life lover. — *very much a temporary title — first person or objective third person — a 50’s historical romance where a pessimistic single mother is convinced to see the greener side of the grass by a jazz musician who looks at life through a rose-colored lens. — jazz clubs, slow dancing, tea parties, and red corvettes — “‘Why shut yourself out from the world when there are people like me that have waited for you to waltz right into their life? I know, the modern day world is frightening and filled with so much hatred that it’s hard to find happiness through it all. But people find a purpose to wake up every morning because of that one person that casts the brightest light. You’re my sun in a world full of darkness, and I hope to be the moon that reflects your light when you’re no longer visible in the sky.’”

I know I keep saying it, but I truly can’t wait to properly share these projects. I just hope everyone will enjoy reading it all and find comfort within these characters :)

I will post the the detailed summary for When Art Talks either on Monday or Tuesday (please yell at me if i don’t follow through omg), and the character intros should follow closely behind!

divider creds to strangergraphics ♡

[osatokun]

New Orleans chronicle [long post]

Post for the people who comes in my blog and wondering who are the characters I constantly draw (and will go on drawing).

All of them - PC and NPCS from the Vampire the Masquerade games I play. Most of them from the longest game I had with friends, with its ups and downs the game lasted almost 2 years. here is the main player crew:

Charles Arthur Drinkwater (real name Benjamin Thomas Fox) -242 years old Scottish Malkavian, personal little mew mew of the local Harpy, surgeon since he was 20, and consultant in the weirdest occult questions. I played him, he was my first serious male character and it was very interesting experience. Dakota Salmon (real name Numpai) - 200 something something (230? 240?) years old Gangrel. She was primogen of the local Gangrels until the entire clan was exiled from the city. Highly respected by the clan, strong woman with cold logic and warm heart. She came back to the New Orleans in hopes to return gangrels their place in the city. She was played by @fj0rge Veronica Sugar (real name Veronica ) - a 100 something something years old Toreador, part of the coterie Charlie is in. A singer and vampire with the most high rating of humanity in the city. Crazy enough to get into Charlie's adventures and support him. She was played by @maria-ruta

Some of the names were taken form the New Orleans by Night book, but the characters are totally different. Plus our DM added just about every splat in the game. The game was set in 2022. From the foundation of the New Orleans it was ruled by Etienne Doran, Ventrue who always dreamed of making New Orleans the new Carthage. He drove the mages away from the city, united with local werewolves and in generally kept piece New Orleans (most of the time). However he was murdered in 1997 by unknown Gangrel, the entire clan was exiled, but no one ever found the assassin. Some of the names were taken form the New Orleans by Night book, but the characters are totally different. The game was set in 2022. From the foundation of the New Orleans it was ruled by Etienne Doran, Ventrue who always dreamed of making New Orleans the new Carthage. He drove the mages away from the city, united with local werewolves and in generally kept piece New Orleans (most of the time). However he was murdered in 1997 by unknown Gangrel, the entire clan was exiled, but no one ever found the assassin.

(here is Etienne and his sheriff and Brujah primogen Simon)

Since then New Orleans was ruled by princess Marceline, supported by local harpy, adopted Etienne's childe, Rene. Rene is also one of the reason Charlie traveled to the New Orleans. They did their best, but no one had the charm of Etienne, who could stop the war with a single smile

Now, to the main plot of the game (oh I'll try to be short) The main conflict is set around the prophecies of the future where masquerade will fall and the vampires (and werewolves) become part of the human society. Think True Blood style. Technocratic union mages,led by Eureka Jones returns in the city. As we learned much later,her department is trying to bring the project of integrating vampires into society to life. If her project fails, the future of vampires going to be..very sad. Charlie knew about this possible future from the very start which scared him a ton, but he could not ignore how much technocrats made to the people. And Rene, a true son of his sire, collaborated with mages for the future that he(and Etienne) always wanted. Eureka is magnificent but I have to finish her still..

In the same time, the Sabbat pack lead by Sascha Vykos, comes to the New Orleans. He knows about the future of vampires, but wants to play the main role himself. To ruin Technocrats he aims to find Traitor, the mysterious figure who collaborate with mages in their experiments. Dakota returns to the city to help fight with Sabbat (and possibly return Gangrels their place in the city) AND (like Sabbat war is not enough) the mysterious Gangrel courier named Mohammed arrives to the city, carrying a small suitcase. With the ancient vampire head in it. Living head. As we learned later, the head is imprisoned by the angel Gangrel named Enkidu, the angel constantly chops Gangrel's head somewhere in umbra, not letting him to heal. Both Enkidu and Angel leads courier to the unknown destination, when one courier dies, the other is chosen to continue his journey. The existence of the head was kept in secret until the end of the game (not surprising Charlie knew this secret tho..),but Sascha knew about it and wanted to get the head to help him find the Traitor.(and, well, diablerise later as a treat) Mohammed and Dakota (he quickly grew on her and they kept their loving relationships even after the game ended)

Long story short-the Traitor was Ada, Gangrel who killed and diablerised Etienne. Their souls willingly united and the developed a plan to bring new future to the vampires. In the end, Vykos pack was slain by Dakota, Ada, werewolf leader(poor lad died), Gangrels and one particularly charming Nosferatu. Gangrels was allowed to get back in the city, however Dakota and Mohammed (and Yaropolk) left to Russia, as they were sick of Camarilia and mages. However no one can deny that Gangrels led by Dakota played the biggest part in saving the city. What's Charlie's role you might ask? And where is his charming wife? Well, from the very beginning DM hooked me with a dream. Charlie saw a changeling in his nightmares, who asked him for help. And so, his personal storyline began. Of course he assisted other characters when he could, but his mine line is based around saving changeling. No one cares about them. They have no place in Technocrat's future, but now they are his family. He tried to find and then heal the changeling from his dream, who turned out to be young Balor princess, Monica. Her soul was stolen by the Settite leader(one of the two),mysterious Imhotep, who rumored to be Giovanni. Later Charlie learned that he's an actual mummy, which didn't stop him to awkwardly mess with the ancient creature. And poor Monica was in coma for the last 3 years, but thanks to her ability to travel through dreams she could try to seek help

While looking for changelings to find the one who called him, he met Glinda, the cursed Balor ex queen, imprisoned by other changeling house, Beaumayn in 1999th. Her changeling self fell asleep and she was guarded by a chimerical Dragon (who could take human form ),who acted like her abusive husband. While trying to learn who Glinda is, Charlie looked into her soul and immediately fell in love for the rest of his life. During the game they even ended up getting True Love merit Q_Q

A little backstory: as a teenage changeling queen Glinda saw the prophetic dreams about the end of the changelings. When she looked for the way to save her people, he was talked by Pentex and Nephandi into bringing a little apocalypse. Using the energy of the Red Star they'd bring a strong old spirit into the world, put it into Glinda's body and let her give birth to a new changeling-spirit creature, that will destroy the half of human population. Since Changelings get their powers from the dreams and fantasy, they will become stronger, because people will start dreaming more, hoping more, believing in magic and stuff. In fact a naive teen was talked into rape. The other house, Beumayn, freed Glinda's chimera, the Dragon, and burnt her in the chimerical flame, trying to kill her changeling soul and the spirit inside her. However, the spirit escaped to the Umbra and the connection with him helped Glinda survive. He forgot who she was, and the Dragon became her jailer, acting like her over controlling husband. However, the spirit creature lived and gained power with time, wanting to fulfill it's purpose and destroy the world.

During the game, Charlie found Monica, traveled into Umbra to the gates of Arcadia to get the healing for changelings and another Imhotep's victim. Healed them all, fought the Dragon on the Changeling court and freed a demon named Folly. With the help of the demon he turned Dragon into a simple human and won, freeing Glinda. The demon escaped in Europe and was out of the scene most of the time, but kept reminding Charlie about himself in many ways. Charlie learned that Monica's father was killed by her own mother, Imhotep's cultist, and adopted young Changeling. He also introduced her to a werewolf of the same age, Joshua, wanting her to have day-walking loyal friends wo she won't be alone. Later on they started dating, and in return Monica tried her best to represent Charlie to Gilnda in the best way possible. Glinda, Charlie and Monica quickly started to live together, Charlie tried to keep peaceful relationships between changelings and vampires/mages (or better say not making it worse).In the end, mages, vampires and Glinda united to destroy the old spirit without harming changeling. And Charlie, Glinda and their newly created chimera Jeff (who they consider to be their son) located Imhotep. Stole his power jars (I'm too tired to phrase it not in a silly way, but think of Baldur's Gate 3 quest with a mummy), destroyed most of them and watched Imhotep's army of ghosts destroying his body. Charlie offered the fame for killing Imhotep to another Settite leader, Manon, and in return she joined the ritual of the spirit's killing. Charlie knew that mummies are immortal, sooner or later he will come back, so he and Glinda dedicated their lives to the searching of the way to permanently trap Imhotep's soul and prevent him from stealing lives again. They lived +/- 6 more years in New Orleans (but traveled a lot), and then left to Egypt. Glinda stopped aging, gaining a lot of energy from their constant adventures and, possibly, connection with her true love. Monica, however, lived normal human life, forgetting she was a changeling once. She married Joshua and became a writer under the nickname Little Spider. Charlie made sure to collect savings for her, got her home, and the old Monica's home became a freehold for the new Balors. Ofcourse A LOT things happened in the game. And Charlie's story goes beyond one game, he have a lot of adventures in my imagination. But I hope that's enough..for the start! Some of the characters I managed to draw. I was so charmed by Glinda I just draw her most of the time haha

Dragon (Gregory Dequir) and Imhotep

Jeffrey

More finished arts for this game -> here Gangrel line up by @fj0rge -> here Nosferatu line up by @fj0rge -> here Veronica's references by @maria-ruta -> here and here and more Veronica here

More characters drawing by Ruta -> Jake(brujah) Jack(Gangrel) (Veronica has a J boyfriend collection) and silly guys Sad Charlie and Veronica comics by Ruta -> here

Thank you for reading!

[the-elder-polls]

Response to the formal invitation :'3 *throws my stupid TES children at you*

(P.S. his story is everchanging as I figure out what the heck is happening in TES lore, but all of the core elements will likely stay the same) SO, his name is Djai. Djai the Curious, to be exact. Djai is a khajiit, more specifically Cathay. I'd like to split the information of him in two parts because his story is very much "before all of that shit happened" and "after all of that shit happened". His story is also very much based on the saying "curiousity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back". He lived in Elsweyr for his first years of life, before his parents sold him along with a familial artifact for many reasons. Luckily, through black market slave trading he actually was "bought" by some rich people, but luckily they had some common sense(Crazy for people in TES, I know) , and they raised him pretty much like their own child. They brought him to skyrim, where he would grow up. When he was a young adult, he "moved out", so to say. He actually just said "fuck all of this shit" and went adventuring. He traveled for a long time, met some people, made some important connections - which led to him joining the collegue of winterhold under a fake/pen name, and eventually becoming the archmage, before he resigned because he wanted to adventure more. Later, he met an argonian woman Wonders-About-Stars, who had grown up in morrowind [Most likely in solstheim.] and only recently arrived in skyrim. They became rivals for a long time, but eventually they became friends and got married. Bought a house in riften and,, happy ending for them both, right?

. . . But something wasn't quite right. Djai wasn't satisfied with this, like, at all. Sure, for some people maybe his life would be perfect but he - he craved new adventures. To do something, rather than settle down and live comfortably. And so, instead of doing that, he started going out almost every day to a cave, or a place he deemed interesting, and also started a collection. . . He also became a lot more paranoid than before, almost always feeling that he was being watched. First it was just random artifacts. Anything that was sort of unique, or appeared unique enough to him was added to this collection. But it soon appeared that this would be quite a big collection if he continued that. So he moved on to rarer artifacts: he only considered items that were very rare, or even legendary worthy of adding to it. Until one day, he came across an artifact that would change his life. Forever. A certain book. . .

From his wife's POV, Wonders-About-Stars woke up one day, just to find her husband gone. Didn't think much of it; He's gone all the time, not a big deal probably forgot to tell he was going on one of his adventures again. But the circumstances of his disappearance was getting stranger and stranger the more she discovered. And the more time had passed. One day of him being gone turned into days, then weeks, and when it was a couple of months - she's had enough, and she left their house. No, she wasn't coming back without him. Or, at very worst, without knowing what happened to him.

Meanwhile, Djai's out there living his best life. He got a patron in the face of Hermaeus Mora. Pros; Acess to funky library dimension, gets to satisfy his curiosity and do a bunch of chores for Mora that are centered around knowledge and books. Oh, also, he now has tentacles, so that's a plus. Cons; he now has quite a monstrous appearance. Being that long in apochrypha + under Hermy's influence doesn't do any good for your sanity or appearance. Another con is that he now has Mora in his head permanently and that's annoying hearing that guy go "ERM, actually" every time you think about something the wrong way. Also some side effects from his time in apochrypha for him are really similiar [I based them on it soo] to the symptoms of rabies in cats. He's also friends with my Dragonborn, Isabella/Abdulamassu [She's a dunmer who lived in morrowind until going to skyrim. No, she didn't live in solstheim. Yes, she did go to skyrim because life was absolutely shit] and her "brother" [Not by blood. Or, to be fair, very very distant relatives by blood, but it's complicated to explain. They've just decided that they're so close that they're going to be brother and sister] Ziikreh, my dragon priest OC who's pretty much a TES version of a boomer complaining about "back in MY DAY!!" because he was dead for, like, a LOT of time and got fully resurrected when the dragons got resurrected [Again, it's complicated, but his soul is connected to the soul of a dragon so when the dragon "woke up" he also did]

They are all my Skyrim OCs!! I have a bit more, but it's already getting long, so I'll wrap it up here.

I also have OCs for Oblivion and Morrowind, but since i'm in the process of playing both games rn I don't know the lore fully, so they're underdeveloped at the current moment!

Just going to spoil it by sayin my Morrowind OC, Ma'eric, is based on my friend's cat. That all started as a stupid joke about how her cat is very similiar to a khajiit, and now I made it real lmao. Ma'eric is a necromancer who isn't sure who he is quite yet, he can't help but feels like someone trapped in the wrong body. Always having to pretend that the body fits him by acting like a different person, when in actuality, it does not. Hm, I wonder what that could be foreshadowing. . .

OH THAT'S ALL SO COOL. hermy mory hitchhiking a ride in my head would also drive me a bit cuckoo bonkers. also the dragon priest's soul being tied to their dragon is SO COOL i love it

fact for a fact: my oc version of konahrik was pledged to vulthuryol, the dragon you find in blackreach

[barbie-nightmare-house]

I only got into true detective about a month ago and I'm happy to find people in the same boat; if you don't mind could you share some of the deeper thoughts you've had about the show? Your interpretations/headcanons?

Fuck yes I can, goddamn I'm so excited

First, I think the first and fourth seasons are perfect reflections of one another. If you haven't watched S4, many apologies for spoilers. I highly suggest sucking it through a straw.

I’ve been reading the book Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness by Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson

In which, the philosophical concepts of self and universal consciousness are analyzed through the framework of the divine masculine and divine feminine. I believe this plays into the themes of both Season 1 and Season 4 of True Detective.

Nic Pizzolatto has expressed that Marty and Rust were written as men he could easily see himself becoming (How I Wrote True Detective - Behind the Curtain, particularly his statement at 3:20), which in essence, is an exploration of how masculinity manifests in different contexts. These are men whose flaws render them incapable of living 'normal' lives, yet enable them to demonstrate bravery in situations where most would not.

There is a lot of gendered discourse around Season 4 that I won't get into. Ultimately, I think it does a wonderful job of presenting the flip-side of the unbalanced masculinity in Season 1 by showing us unbalanced femininity. The women centered in Night Country are imperfect; they struggle with close relationships, with demonstrating faithfulness in relationships, with maternalistic nurturing, with regard for victims, etc.

So, both seasons together really solidified my understanding of the overall story. I'll be using balance, gender, time, and death as the themes here.

There are a few lines in Dancing in the Flames that stuck out to me:

“The psyche, as a self-regulating system, yin and yang in perfect balance, is a vision that historically has yet to be realized. […] In history, as in marriage, or in the individual, when a balance becomes stagnant, one or other of the energies moves out to new adventures. The spurt forces the complimentary energy to move also, until a new balance is found. So the spiral moves.”

It's kind of funny that I picked up this book right after my second rewatch of season 4. I'm big on synchronicities, just seeing shit that plainly ain't there. But here we go,

The imagery presented in Season 1 of True Detective appears to be inspired by some iteration of Cernunnos, a Celtic God of fertility, power, & blessings/weath; "god of beasts and wild places." Further, Cernunnos is the God of the Winter Solstice; the Dark Months (re: the significance of Season 4 Executive producer Mari-Jo Winkler saying, “Let’s look at season one of ‘True Detective.’ Hot, sweaty, male. We wanted to do [the] complete opposite. Dark, Ice, Cold.” in the True Detective: Night Country Podcast). "Cernunnos is the antlered god, part man and part stag. He is born on the darkest day of the year, winter solstice, and marries the goddess of spring, Beltane. About six months later, on summer solstice, he dies.

Among pagans, he is considered the god of fertility, animals, and wealth, and the underworld—sometimes he carries a purse filled with coin, for wealth. This connection to wealth and gold coins is found in the myth about Pluto (Hades), the god of the underworld, from which all wealth comes. Indeed abundance comes from what is deep in the earth and deep in our own psyche.

He is born on winter solstice and dies on summer solstice. This suggests his association with the rise of energy, augmentation, the increasing of light, lengthening of the day and peak experiences. He is a god associated with the potency and power of male sexuality, but not its completeness. Falling on the ground, broken, limp, is just as important an experience of the male psyche as standing erect. Also, the fact that he dies at the peak of light, the second half of the seasonal cycle brings, means that he does not hold the introspective qualities that the harvest brings and the completion of the diminishing of light.

Perhaps Cernunnos is balanced somewhat by his marriage to the goddess of Beltane. She is celebrated in a time when blessing comes from rubbing yourself with the dew of early May morning to soak in the blessing of Spring. Helen Chantler, the designer of our company, remembers watching the horned man in the forest on her BBC television growing up. It was an image that conveyed guardianship and the protector of the forest. Yet this image of the antlered man, so powerfully associated with Celtic myth and lore, has been widely depicted and enacted across indigenous cultures for thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands of years. Iconography of an antlered man, standing, have been found in French Paleolithic cave paintings" (reference).

Full disclosure, I am not learned in Celtic myth or any such topic. I don't know if this was the intended reference material for Season 1's Big Bad Spookiness, but I think thematically, this explains the unexplained in both S1 and S2.

I randomly picked up this book I hadn't yet read, which I bought at random in a used bookstore probably 5 years ago, flipped through, and landed on this picture.

Synchronicities dawg.

Woodman and Dickson have this to say:

"This is Cernunnos, Lord of the Animals. It is Shiva, or Dionysus archetypal energies long repressed by Christianity. Repression turned the Horned God into the Horned Devil, the root of all evil. [...] The Horned Devil is energy that is so repressed and cut off from the earth that it is best symbolized by Mephistopheles, the light and airy creature that floats above the earth. The Horned Devil is the disembodied spirit that manipulates, usurping situations for the gratification of its instinctual desires for domination-- sexual or otherwise. The Horned God, as Gary Lingen points out '...is a positive model for male power--free from the patriarchy and all other authoritative models--as he grows and passes through his changes during the wheel of the year, he remains in relationship to and not separate from the prime life and nurturing force--the Goddess.'

The Horned God, moreover, is an archetypal figure quite unlike most masculine images as they appear in culture. He is difficult to understand because he does not fit into any of the expected stereotypes, neither those of the "macho" male nor the reverse-images of those who deliberately seek effeminacy. He is gentle, tender and comforting, but he is also the Hunter. He is the Dying God--but his death is always in service of the life force. He is untamed sexuality--but sexuality as a deep, holy, connecting power. He is the power of feeling, and the image of what men could be if they were liberated from the constraints of patriarchal culture."

It's possible that Pizzolatto merely modeled the Big Bad Spooky Scary in Season 1 with paganistic imagery for fearmongering purposes, but I choose to believe that Childress, the Tuttles, and unnamed counterparts were worshippers of some bastardized version of Cernunnos.

It is indicated many times in both S1 and S2 that symbology associated with the murders is 'old', 'archaic', and looks like cave drawings. I believe the nature of the belief system associated with the Big Bad is transactional, given that it precedes Semitic religions.

What do you pray for when your primary goal is to live another day? You pray for abundant harvest, you pray for fertility, you pray for the sun to return.

What do you pray for when society becomes more collective? You pray for a bigger hut than the next guy, you pray for blessings.

What do you pray for when buildings scrape the sky? You pray for wealth, you pray for power.

I think the Tuttles and their counterparts belonged to a small group of worshippers who retained archaic beliefs and practices, which they attributed to the wealth or power their group amassed. Thus, they continued worshipping.

However, we only see the masculine aspects of this worship in Season 1. We see the vulnerable (women and children) victimized by physically and/or socially powerful men. We see this vulnerability overpowered through ritualistic abuses and murders, which demonstrates that the Big Bad have devolved to, or perhaps have always been, negligent of the inherent role of the divine feminine (Beltane, in this case, as the counterpart to Cernunnos). Thus, the Tuttles represent unbalanced masculinity, where they seek to overpower others in the name of worship. In reality, they are simply indulging in animalistic, individual desires. Truly, they may be neglecting and/or attempting to dominate the divine feminine out of innate fear.

"What is the way to appease the Great Mother, to keep her as Protectress and prevent her wrathful Vengeance? Give her what she demands-- blood! And likewise, invent a precise way to do it-- ritual! Thus, the first great ritual was a ritual of blood sacrifice, offered to the Great Mother-- to Mother Nature-- in a bartered attempt to quench her desire for blood. [...] Blood is indeed bodily life, and if you want to purchase life, you purchase it with blood. So goes paleologic; like magic, it works in partial truths; and like magic, since it is unable to grasp higher perspectives or wider contexts, it arrives at barbaric conclusions." - Marie-Louise Von Franz, Golden Ass of Apuleius: The Liberation of the Feminine in Man

Whatever, I won't get distracted by analyzing the psyche of side character antagonists. I won't! What I'm trying to say is:

They're worshipping an old religion, which requires blood sacrifice. This blood may be literal (murder), or symbolic (sexually abusing the innocent, i.e. symbolic blood of menstruation or deflowering).

As with all things, there is no inherent evil in worship, but this manner of worship represents a stark lack of balance. These are not praying men-- these are men attempting to manipulate nature, life/death, and femininity to their egoistic desires. Thus, they create imbalance.

This imbalance, in True Detective, is a microcosm representing greater imbalances of energy. Imbalance in society, in the universe, and in individuals. We are shown this lack of balance through complex characters.

Two characters, specifically, show us the energy required to correct universal balance; Rustin Cohle and Evangeline Siqiññaatchiaq Navarro.

I also won't get into the Messiah archetypes of these characters. I won't (I probably will).

This fucking long form analysis is going to be a bitch to read and is also a bitch to write, I'm struggling to collect my thoughts well enough to not communicate like we're playing Word Associations.

Okay. So. Rust = Divine Masculine. Evangeline = Divine Feminine. Hold onto that for later.

In the Southern states of America, such as Louisiana where the Tuttles have historical roots, power and wealth are generally understood as God’s Blessings. The Christian God. Which explains why the Tuttles used Christianity as a mask for their true beliefs and practices. Additionally, the immutable power of organized religion allowed the Tuttles and their associates access to vulnerable individuals to prey upon.

While the Tuttles practiced their underlying beliefs in secret, I believe Errol Childress’s murder of Dora Lange indicated his sentiments of rejection from his bloodline. Where the proper Tuttles secured social and financial power, Errol was essentially a grunt, despite enabling and participating in the ritualistic abuse and murder. He might have developed a coping mechanism of believing himself a profit. Frustrated that in the ‘real world’ the power and virility he exercised in private was not respected, he made a ‘show’ of Dora Lange’s murder. This could have been motivated by the following: - A rejection of the Tuttles secretiveness. We should be proud of our practices. Look, we’re untouchable. I won’t live in the shadows

A warning or punishment of the Tuttles. By displaying his practices proudly through Dora Lange’s presentation, Errol Childress places the Tuttles at risk for exposure. 

A personal demonstration of elevated dedication to his ‘god’, i.e., an attempt to prove he is more faithful than those who practice in secret. Errol was showing the world his power. 

I believe the Tuttle’s practice of murdering and abusing innocents in the name of a, conceivably, pagan god, is due to a bastardized interpretation of the god’s power and purpose. If we consider that Cernunnos alone is the divine masculine, incomplete/imbalanced without the feminine counterpart, we see the space where men may lean into this lack of balance as an opportunity to enforce patriarchal dominance over the divine feminine. By abusing the divine feminine (women and children), the interpretation of Cernunnos becomes a rat-race of man’s most basic pursuits; power, wealth, and death. They lord over the divine feminine by sacrificing its counterparts (women and children) to Cernunnos. In a patriarchal interpretation (cisgender, heterosexual) of nature, men cannot create as women can, so the most they can achieve in the way of god power is taking life. 

Then comes the spiral. In the first season, it appeared to be representative of the Nietzschean circular time theme. Given the events of Season 4 as a continuation of the spiral imagery, I have deduced that the S1 spiral is another perversion of old beliefs that the Tuttles have bastardized.

Rather than being a symbol of Cernunnos (real quick: peep Cernunnos vs. Carcosa?? 'He who eats time?' and absolutely chooooke on this interpretation) I believe the spiral represents his ‘wife’ or divine feminine counterpart– Spring. Or rather, Life. And thus, She is Time itself. The Tuttles pray to something that, again, EATS TIME. I'm sorry I keep saying this, but they only worship half of nature. It's a perversion. It's wrong. It's empty. S4 gives us the other half of the story.

In Season 4, the supernatural force, or ‘god’ is referred to with feminine pronouns: ‘She is awake, she is coming, she is here’. More on this later, but I think the spiral represents a larger concept than Cernunnos/Carcosa; Balance. Eternity. The Universe. I believed initially that the spiral was jagged, as opposed to the ‘perfect’ golden ratio, because it would have been carved or drawn with rudimentary objects by prehistoric humans. Looking at the galaxy in which earth exists (and others like it)-- I mean :/ I'm no science guy, but... come on now.

(cr. NASA / STScI)

(cr. Gabriel Pérez Díaz, SMM (IAC).)

(cr. Fibbonacci.com)

COME ON NOW.

Back to Cernunnos, he is the god of Darkness, and dies when Spring comes. However, he and his divine feminine counterpart never cease existing. They are married; opposite sides of a coin, constantly flipping; inextricably bonded. They are the same thing—and separate—and the same; flat time. (Side note: also found out the universe itself is 'flat' to our perception. I'm absolutely wrecked by this)

As Rust says, “Time created Death to grow the things it would kill.” So, from hereon, I will refer to Cernunnos’s counterpart, represented by the spiral symbol, as Time.

She is the spring, where life grows. In Season 4, we may assume that she eats in the winter. Despite the spooky Big Bad, overcoming evil, vibe of Season 4, it’s important to note that there is no inherent good or evil in the universe. There's just balance. While Navarro refers to the supernatural force as a “curse” that takes her people one by one, we must acknowledge that Death is the certainty of Life. Both states are suspended within time. Circular. Cyclical. Spinning. A spiral.

Ennis is a land of extremes, where Time and Existence appear to be a more ancient/raw form (prehistoric ice and such, significance of magnetic poles, idk I'm not a science guy).

As Time’s presence in Ennis is generally acknowledged by the indigenous people, it could stand that the descendants of those who existed on this land in prehistoric times would have a more innate connection to Time. On that land, where Time has more power, occurrences such as “the dead don’t stay dead” implicates that the laws of humanity are bent in favor of the unknowable reality of time. 

Whereas the Tuttle’s represent unbalanced patriarchal masculinity, i.e., acknowledging ‘old gods’ and worshiping them for self-serving gain, demonstrated by their social powers and abuses– the Iñupiaq people exhibit instinctual balance and reverence for the old ways.

The Tuttles and counterparts mark victims with the spiral, almost as if to attract the acknowledgement of their god, whereas the Iñupiaq people mark the spiral as a warning of her presence. It is stated that ‘she’ exists where the ice is thin over the sea. To me, this indicates that ‘she’ is somewhat synonymous with the sea, or the ground beneath it, as, in the prehistoric time (where her power would be more observable) the water level would've been lower (idk, I'm not a science guy). Basically, I think ‘she is awake’ indicates that she has gone dormant/is hibernating under the ice.

Thus, Time calls the Iñupiaq to areas of thin ice in order to ‘eat’ them. This practice is representative of a balance. She is existence in perfect balance. She is life and death. In her presence, time becomes nonlinear (i.e., the visions experienced by the characters in S4). Time becomes a flat circle.

The Tuttles presence in Ennis via the mine has disrupted the circle. The softening of permafrost due to the mine's pollution has both awoken her, and disrupted the balance of her domain. Life and Death. Rather than taking her justified ‘fill’ of the dead, pollution has caused an unnatural rise in deaths, exampled by the stillbirths. The Iñupiaq stillbirths represent the inherent interruption of natural course. Thus, she is not just awoken, but angered. She's PISSED.

This explains why the events in Season 4 unfold as they do. In the last episode, an Iñupiaq auntie explains that ‘she (Time)’ was responsible for taking the Tsalal men or releasing them. She chose to take them, and ‘eat their fucking dreams’.

This statement reminded me of the theme of dreaming in Season 1. A theoretical physicist, Fred Alan Wolf, claims that “dreaming is vital to our survival as a species and a necessary ‘learning laboratory’ wherein the self and the universe evolve. In brief, matter evolves through dreams.” In the book Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Divine Consciousness, “the unknowable mystery we sometimes call God” can only be understood through finding individual and communal balance, which is historically and presently impossible due to patriarchal systems.

The significance of this, I think, is the overarching theme in both seasons: Time as an insurmountable force that weighs on the characters. Past, present, future are flattened and defined by suffering. We see the mostly faceless antagonists attempt to gain unnatural power over time– in Season 1, the Tuttles (and their counterparts) actions implicate a desire of procuring power and wealth through sacrificing innocent youth (balanced time), and in Season 4, they are searching for a microorganism that could provide insight into immortality, or at least further their material wealth and power– ultimately creating the imbalance of essential, unknowable truths: Time, Life, Death, and Dreaming. We also see the protagonists struggle under the weight of Time in a more intimate, consumable capacity.

The imbalance of energies is a human fault. This human fault, likely, has no true power in the universe. It is simply a disruptor, which will ultimately be self-corrected, as “the spiral moves.”

We see this correction in the form of an unlikely savior. In Season 1, this is Rust. In season 4, this is Navarro. They are both plagued with an undefined but obviously overwhelming burden of Time, and an innate connection to the unknowable.

While neither understands how or why, they have been called to a life which seems to deny human nature. Isolation, reluctant power (being a fuckin cop), and the responsibility of bearing witness to the soul-crushing examples of human failure. However, their actions and insight are ultimately the antithesis of the antagonists perversions of Life and Death. Both Rust and Navarro, though somewhat unwillingly, are called on to correct Time.

Their circular patterns become enlightened. They prevail. They balance the divine masculine and divine feminine.

I think this is most apparent in Navarro’s character arc. Particularly her statements, and the many examples of her being ‘called’ by Time. Her displacement from the community of people who share her blood, and thus her connection to the land, is significant because it has potentially inspired her to become a protector. With the social power of law enforcement, and the dual-perspective of those who perpetuate disbalance of time (cops, who ultimately are tools for high-level antagonists like the Tuttles), and those who keep it (the indigenous people), she is the perfect blend of energies to correct the balance. I think she was beckoned back to the land by Time specifically, (evidenced by her visions, like “listen”), with divine purpose. Her Inupiaq name meaning the sun’s return from darkness in itself is evidence of that. Her compassion for Annie K. has greater implications on the story than our understanding of justice. 

If she was called to the land by Time, presented with the murder of Annie K. as motivation to expose Tsalal, thus exposing the mine, and ultimately the Tuttles, Navarro restores the balance of Life and Death, and ultimately Time, to the land. Her personal journey reflects the initial disbalance, the unknowable forces at play, and ultimately the correction of both. She encompasses universal truths.

God calls from places where the ice is thin.

God is talking to Evangeline directly.

In the spiritual statements that tell Evangeline to “listen”, as well as the many visions in which an individual (conceivably possessed by spiritual forces) points at her, God orders her to bear witness, which is also the purpose that Rust Cohle assigned to his existence in Season 1.

Like Moses and the burning FUCKING bush, Evangeline is plagued with visions; and is called to carry the burden of guiding others into the light. 

As Rust said in the first season, “it’s the oldest story there is. Light vs. Dark” and “if you ask me, light is winning.”

Okay, that's all I have for right now. Sorry for using this as my excuse to go apeshit in the way I've been meaning to for weeks. If you'd like specific character headcanons or anything, let me know! Rust Cohle rents an apartment in my head and it fucking stinks in there.

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase Character Discussion (for your local Cyberchase trivia quiz) - #3: Jackie

Here we go again. I've made this style of post about Inez and Matt, and now it's Jackie's turn.

#3: Jackie

Let's start with her bio from "Meet the Cybersquad". Again, this almost 25 years old now, so who knows how much of it is still canon.

So, we get our introduction to Jackie. She's smart, funny, has a plan, and is over-the-top. Yeah, that's accurate so far.

For some reason, this page was not in her original bio when they released it in 2001. They went back and added this page later in 2002. This is the only bio that I have seen that had content added like this. This page lets us know that her favorite color is yellow, and she loves tofu burgers. I don't know if the show has confirmed that she is a vegetarian or vegan. She is shown to care about animals, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was canonically a vegetarian.

Her favorite book is one that I hadn't heard about until now: "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech. In this story, the 13 year old protagonist, Salamanca (Sal) Hiddle, goes on a cross-country road-trip to visit her mother. There are themes of coming to term with loss and building new relationships. It makes me wonder if, at some point in development, the show-runners might have been interested in giving Jackie a tragic loss similar loss to Sal. I haven't seen the later seasons where they bring in the kid's families, but I don't believe they have gone that route so far.

For her favorite music, we get two bands: Destiny's Child and NSYNC. These are very much a product of the time. Destiny's Child actually disbanded in 2006, as the members went off to do solo work. NSYNC disbanded in 2002, and then reunited in 2023. Well, we know that Jackie loves her R&B and Pop music, so I'm sure she found other bands to follow since then.

Her favorite movie is Shrek, which only came out in 2001. Matt and Inez have definitely sent her all the memes that have come out about that movie since then. Her pet peeves are bugs and anything messy. Yeah, that still tracks. She has a "Wheaton Terrier" named Brandy. I don't know if the spelling has changed over the years, or if they just made a spelling mistake in her bio, but I have only seen it spelled as "Wheaten".

Jackie also gets a bio from Nelvana, which is pretty cool. I've only been able to find surviving archives of bios for her and Matt. They have sections for Inez, Dr. Marbles, Motherboard, The Hacker, Buzz, and Delete. However, all of those are left empty in the surviving archives of the pages. I don't know if bios were completed for those other characters.

We get emphasis on the point of Jackie being organized. We also get more insight into how she solves problems. She uses diagrams, charts, and graphs among other things. She also touched on her tendency to use initials as shorthand for things. I remember the Blue Bunny Place (B.B.P) from "Of All The Luck". Was she hip in 2002? Is she still hip now? I'm not qualified to say.

We also get an introduction to Jackie through the official prequel web comic, "How It All Started: Episode 3". We see Jackie making her own skirt out of strips of fabric. I assume it is for cheer-leading.

Narration: Meanwhile, on Earth, three kids who don't know each other are about to have the adventure of their lives.

Jackie: I gotta organize this stuff

Narration: meet Jackie, who has her own sense of style...

Narration: And her own way of doing things!

Here's Jackie's Official Cyberchase Trading Card.

When they picked her favorite line as "Make room! I gotta pace!", they probably picked her most iconic line. She loves video games, piano, and foreign languages, which is great. We do get to see her play an unnamed videogame during Season 1 Episode 25 "A Battle of Equals". The hero "San Man" is trying to save the environment by stopping the villains that are trying to pollute it. One villain is called Johnny Grime. There are number riddles, and they are the same sort of riddles that the kids solve during the episode.

I don't think we ever see her playing piano or speaking a second language on the show. Quick question: What are those shoes that she wears? Inez has a pair or blue boots. Matt has a pair of red and white sneakers. Jackie's shoes are a little harder to place. They are purple, and they have considerable heels. Were these meant to be high-tops? I don't know that I've seen high-tops with heels in that size before.

The big thing that people remember Jackie for are her dramatic outbursts. And her most iconic one is probably from Season 3 Episode 4 "A Piece of the Action". You can tell that someone in the animation department had fun with this one.

Here's a transcript.

Jackie: Great! Now we'll never get into Hacker's control center. And if we can't get in there we can't stop Hacker. And if we can't stop Hacker, he'll erase Motherboard's memory with the magnetite! Cyberspace is doomed! Doomed I tell you! Doo-hoo-hoo-hoomed!

Matt: And the award for best dramatic outburst of today goes to Jackie!

Jackie: Matt!

What else can I say about Jackie. Well, she has an amazing tolerance for cold weather. Even in Arctic Cybersites, she still made do with the same short skirt.

Anyway, here's the prototype for Jackie. She had a completely different hairstyle and outfit. She was also called Julie. Again, I consider her current design an upgrade from the prototype.

And here's the Who's Who document on her.

We get more discussion on Jackie being a gymnast and artist. She loves Instant Messaging. I guess that would have been AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) at the time.

[aziraphales-library]

Hey there mods!

I'm more than aware that ao3 is filled to the brim with E-rated fics where Aziraphale and/or Crowley's Efforts don't reflect on their pronouns. However, they're always non-human in those fics. The other day i wanted to read some human AU E-rated genderfuckery but could find none. Perhaps i just don't know how to look them up, but I'd appreciate the help! Don't really care about who has what. My only request is that it doesn't have any bdsm dynamics nor any of the 4 big warnings, that's all!

Thanks!

Hello! You'll be wanting fics where one of both of the characters is transgender. We have #trans aziraphale and #trans crowley tags you can check out. Here are some explicit human au fics featuring trans characters...

throw me in the water (I wanna be a bottomfeeder) by MovesLikeBucky (E)

Aziraphale is all set to give a keynote speech at the annual Shakespearean Academics Conference. If only it hadn't been booked at the same hotel the same weekend as the National Diving Team.

A story of thirst and of hotel elevators.

Captivated by RainingPrince (E)

He thought to himself that this would be the longest the two of them had ever spent together. It almost felt like… playing house. A taste of a future where they could live together, away from the mess of their lives. The dream pulled Crowley down the street as if he were floating. He stopped around the corner, a matter of habit, and pulled out his phone to send a text. “I’m here, you alone?” The reply came in seconds. “Door’s unlocked.” Crowley smiled, and resumed walking.

Firsts by ChristocentricQueer (E)

Crowley and Aziraphale try pegging for the first time.

Set in the same AU as "Brave to Stay, Brave to Leave." Aziraphale is a Protestant Pastor in a fictional denomination. He is a trans man. He is in a relationship with Crowley, who is genderfluid.

Droit du Seigneur by Quefish (E)

In medieval England, teenaged Aziraphale discovers she is a transgender woman. She comes out to her family, who in turn do everything they can to keep her safe and happy.

The Princess and the Librarian by die_traumerei (E)

Set in a fantasy-ish AU: a kind of neo-Romantic pseudo-medieval setting. Very pseudo.

Crowley meets the castle's new Librarian when she yanks Crowley out of the rain. She fall in love about twenty seconds later, as you do.

Aziraphale meets the Princess when she discovers a half-drowned woman outside of her library. She's pretty sure Crowley has better things to do with her time, but isn't going to give up the chance to be friends with her.

What happens when two people who are both a little bit broken meet, and are brave enough to become friends, and then fall in love? Well, a lot of cuddling and reading aloud and adventures tramping through the woods, for one thing. Also, maybe, finding home, and acceptance, and a fierce champion to help you take your place in the world, knowing you matter.

Our Little Future, We Love You by ChristocentricQueer & KaytheJay (E)

"All in all, the couple had a wonderful life. Aziraphale and Crowley were comfortable in their own skin. They were proud to be transgender and open about their identities. They loved each other more than anything in the world. And now, they hoped to expand their family."

A Human AU. Crowley is a trans woman. Aziraphale is a trans man and becomes pregnant. They are in their late 30s. This fic follows the journey from the conception of their baby to their birth.

- Mod D