#Oh that would be so glorious

[incorrect-mtg]

One very self-indulgent fanfic concept that I've been a BIG fan of since I was like 14 is "the big war arc of the story lasted a decade instead of a week, and somehow the main character travels back in time to prevent that." You know, the ones where the main character is extremely overpowered for the standards of canon, but they're in the bad timeline so it doesn't matter? The ones where every moment they spend in the past is fuel for the angst?

Anyways I think that a fic like that but for the Phyrexian War would fix me.

[arom-antix]

Smash your competition, baby

Open for higher resolution Credit to @neon-garbage-angel for the idea Close-ups, explanation, design, and extras below the break

So there I was, innocently scrolling Tumblr on a Monday when someone reblogs a post of mine. I go to look and find tags on my Judas piece that immediately katapult me into this piece and, as is tradition for me, listening to the song that inspired this piece on repeat until I was done. Due to stuff, that took three whole days. I want to extend a formal thanks and a formal please I will never get this song out of my head, thank you for that but I also hate you a little bit /j to @neon-garbage-angel for introducing me to Gladiator by Jann. This is canon to me now.

And because I couldn't decide while I was drawing, I did a version where Viktor still has his long hair. However, when I was doing the design sheet and really thought hard about my decisions, the short-haired version makes more sense so that one got the top spot. But have the other version anyway!

Here are some promised close-ups because this thing got intricate. I should've known. I was surprised anyway.

And then last but certainly not least: Me being back on my bullshit! Here, have an extremely cramped design sheet! (I apologise to anyone using a screen reader in advance, I'll try my best with the ALT YuY)

[theusernameiwantisntavailable]

It is so pivitol to me that you guys know that in my nothing goes wrong ever and everyone lives all is well grieves trio au, that Bernard becomes a chef for one singular reason. He moves away to go to a chef school (I'm gonna seperate them temporarily in every au it is vital) and when he comes back opens an Italian restaurant as physically close to the Aquista headquarters as possible. Darla does absolutely everything in her power to shut it down but it doesn't matter what she does it fails miserably each time

[fanfictionroxs]

Chu Wanning 🤝 Wei Wuxian

Inventor boys who don't need no golden cores to fuck shit up.

[wolfgirlfloof]

Something I appreciate about Hortus de Escapismo is how it portrays the Laterans and non-Laterans, especially in contrast to each other. Guide Ahead already gave us the angel ethnostate vs multi-racial heretics, which made for a pretty effective if blatant commentary on Laterano. And while it might seem Hortus is kind of repeating the same formula, I think it's got something subtler going on with interesting implications.

On one side we have the abbey's inhabitants: sankta, sarkaz and all other races--hell, even a seaborn for a moment. Are there cracks here and there? Of course, that's a whole plot point. But it can't be denied there is genuine camaraderie and self-sacrifice going on between these people who are simply trying to survive together (which is what makes those cracks all the more volatile).

Contrast this with the Laterans, who are dysfunctional as hell. Lemuen, Oren, Richele, and Spuria; I can't say I fully parsed everything happening between them on a moment-to-moment basis, but it was overall apparent that none of these people trust each other. Even though they're friends and classmates and colleagues, even though they're working for the good of the same state, even though they're sankta who can literally read each other's minds. There's just this constant mess of cahoots and conspiracy and treachery and bitter friction, and it takes the threat of an Innsmouth-Jonestown crossover event to get them to finally work together.

I thought it was a nice way to show more of Laterano's flaws. It's one of their core themes that they aren't as great as they say they are, but you'd think they would, at the least, have blessed harmony thanks to their literal hivemind. But evidently that isn't true either. And again, these are agents at the highest levels of the government. If they're this dysfunctional, what does that say for Laterano as a whole?

Which leads me into thinking about what the future of Laterano might have in store. I've seen some folks point out how these events have these greatly compelling premises that don't actually resolve any of the issues they bring up. Laterano only remains Laterano. And this is true! But I think it's intentional, setting up a slow burn of a regional conflict. The Lateran state is holding together, the status quo remains unchanged, the Law is content. But for how much longer? Guiding Ahead introduced us to the divide in Laterano on a broad level, the state vs heretics. Hortus de Escapismo shows the cracks within the state, narrowing in on individuals who nominally should be on the same side but aren't. The next logical narrative step would be seeing the state finally cracking apart from whatever looming danger the Law sainted Federico to deal with.

Some sort of schism, perhaps; that seems like the sort of existential threat that would directly threaten the Law's directive of preserving the Sankta. Law's awareness of it would also imply it's an internal threat, something festering in the hearts and minds of Sankta and thus one It's able to sense (at least that's what makes sense to me. We don't actually know how the Law works, so it could very well just have random magic prophetic abilities). And especially with the constant background pressure of trying to legitimize their Summit of Nations, what better way to drive that issue to the forefront by throwing Laterano into utter political chaos?

[sensitiveheartless]

...K this is going to sound completely out of the blue, but this has been haunting me today —

[acourtofquestions]

Real life fangirl pet peeve: Wishing I was Aelin so I could have a literal wall of fire to avoid ever getting bug bites… then REALLY wishing I was Aelin so I could have my boyfriend heal said pre-existing bites…

[ennaih]

Every Film I Watch In 2023:

247. Love And Human Remains (1993)

[yuwuta]

can i ask why do you dislike satosugu?👀 not hate! i'm not particularily fond of them either outside of a platonic relationship tbh, i have a long mental essay as to why lol (feel free to not answer if you feel like this is controversial, i don't wanna make anyone uncomfortable)

not a problem, i love openly bashing this man. it’s mostly because i don’t like geto to begin with LOL the short version is: i think he’s kind of a bitch, really wack villain arc, and his ct it overrated 🙄 also he was a terrible friend omg… i feel no sympathy for him all around, and pairing him with satoru doesn’t gain him any points in my book.

even as a pair, i don’t see the appeal. sure, they were the strongest at the time (but even in that statement i roll my eyes) but the second satoru started to take himself seriously, geto started to crash out like an insecure dcom second lead, there’s no way i could overlook that in their relationship. he was not the only one who got his ass kicked by toji and he was acting like he was and the whole universe was plotting against him 🙄 one little mission goes awry and he’s ready to be a villain? LOSER! that is so not the ninja way!! and even if toji caused him that much pyschological damage: (1) toji died, so he’s not your problem anymore, (2) he was in hs like sorry you thought you were the shit and got your world rocked like oh nooo there are people more seasoned and more powerful out there than a second-year highschooler 😱 knuck up, buttercup!! do you see anybody else losing their marbles? NO! 

i could be serious and give an elaborate answer but unserious shorthand version is really don’t think he needed to do all that nor do i think he had the status to be doing all of that 🙄 

[vayneoc]

アラサカの心

[peterlorres21stcentury]

My best, and worst (blurst?) thought before I go to sleep:

So Peter Lorre always wanted the role of Napoleon. He would have played it on the stage in a production called Napoleon the First, had it not fallen through in 1936... and again in 1937... basically for reasons beyond his control, the poor man never got to realize his dream role.

Le mot impossible n'est pas français

Anyway my absurd thought process went something like this:

current inexplicable obsession with all things Regency -> George IV and Napoleon were contemporaries -> if Peter Lorre had the chance to play Napoleon in historical fiction, who would be Prinny?

the natural answer... Sydney Greenstreet

unrelated, yet somehow appropriate file photo

[cherrygarden]

weon es que no entienden. nunca había estado TAN FELIZ después de un concierto

[fincalinde]

JGY! (getting in ahead of the crowd)

Ah, but of course. I have only had 3 asks for this meme so I can only assume people are sick of my whinging, so it's not like you beat the rush.

a song that reminds me of them

I'm trying to think of songs that I haven't already strip mined for fic titles and not coming up with much. So maybe this can just be a recommendation for PHILDEL, who is one of my favourite artists. A lot of her work has serious Xiyao vibes, and off the top of my head the one that might be the most JGY on his own is Glorious.

There's a place I go A place I always stand alone And need no witness to my throne Here I say my piece And have no need to be believed The bridge I built will carry me Beyond the creatures of your sea

and

Here I win my day I make my kill upon the grave And need no hero to be saved Here the light still shines Despite the odds and all the time Despite the gods and their design

—like, omg

what they smell like

He's obviously fastidious because he can't ever afford not to be, but I'd probably stage it like this:

Before his mother dies - can never get rid of the cheap sickly smell of the brothel incenses.

After his mother dies - not around much if any incense and must be as respectable as possible, smells of clean cloth and silk and whatever hair oil he can afford. He is very careful about hair oil, he absolutely must not appear to be cheap or tacky.

When he's serving the Nie - similar to the above, probably keeps making little adjustments every time he's bullied about something in a fruitless attempt to mitigate all the judgement and make himself respectable.

When he's serving the Jin - see above but so much worse.

When he's serving the Wen - very careful at first but begins to adjust to having some form of power and resource that protects him from direct abuse. Spends enough time with WRH that he smells like the same incenses WRH prefers, and his scented hair oil and the like is carefully chosen to be consistent with whatever is fashionable amongst the Wen and approved of by WRH.

When he's legitimised - see above but dialled up. He has to walk a fine line between being the same as the other Jin without coming across as vulgarly ambitious. In fic a time or two I've mentioned that he smells of olibanum incense, which I chose as something that would have been imported at great expense and seemed characteristic of the Jin. He needs to demonstrate his status and his wealth, but that said: I guarantee you that it's a typical fragrance that's used all over Golden Carp Tower, and not a scent that's considered a signature central Jin family fragrance. He wouldn't be so bold.

When he's chief cultivator - sticking with what he was doing before. He can never stop being careful.

Secret bonus scent: sandalwood because he spends so much time around LXC.

an otp

oh well let me think of course it's Xiyao. I don't think the text supports a reading where they're lovers, but I think it does support a reading where their intimate friendship includes romantic feelings and the potential for a romantic and presumably also sexual relationship. LXC is the only person who gets on the MS tier of the JGY harm pyramid. JGY is the only person who sees LXC's needs and attempts to meet them. Their relationship is a true meeting of the minds, and the secrets between them are either mutually agreed and healthy or the result of horrific external circumstances. I think I've summed it up before.

a notp

I already mentioned how repellent I find Nieyao in my NMJ response.

Honestly though, JGY with anyone but LXC is a no from me. I think his relationship with QS is sweet and tragic, but it's telling that he never once talks about loving her for who she is and how they are together. He insists he loved her and the forcefulness of that assertion makes it clear he's being sincere, but the emphasis is all on how he's grateful for the fact that she never made his background an issue. It reads to me like he loves how sweet and kind she is and how brave and loyal, but even that is not enough for a healthy and successful relationship. I'm not going to get into the incest thing as that would be a whole other post.

Based on this, I think if he didn't need a wife for social and political purposes he'd have been equally as happy to have her as a supportive friend and political ally. She is canonically not that bright, and he needs an intellectual equal for true partnership—and that's not even getting into the importance of him needing a partner who's capable of grappling with moral relativism.

favorite platonic/familial relationships

This might make @thatswhatsushesaid happy—I really like JGY's relationship with NHS before he's forced to take out NMJ and it all goes to hell. JGY deserves a didi he can dote on. NHS probably does not deserve another doting gege, but I'll allow it anyway.

I also love JGY and JL. The flashback to JGY giving JL Fairy is one of my favourite scenes, not just because it shows that JGY genuinely loves and cares for JL, but because it shows that JGY's unique background and struggles have equipped him to provide JL with comfort and support that no one else could offer.

I always assumed Jin Chan and his little mob of thugs have parents who are a political threat to JGY within the Jin, or how else would they have the guts to harass the heir who will one day rule over them? So there's a lot of layers here for JGY, who has to navigate a delicate political situation while trying to do what he can for JL. I just think it's a beautiful moment where JGY cannot do what I'm sure he wants to do and deal directly with the source of the abuse, and so he does what he can. He knows better than anyone else that sometimes you can't make the abuse stop; but it still matters if you can help someone bear it a little bit better.

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with

I mean, how much time do you have? I have no patience for the ubiquitous bratty power bottom JGY bossing around 'service top' (vomit) LXC, and I also have no patience for the I think less ubiquitous now but still worth mentioning sadist dom JGY who fantasises about cutting lines into LXC. Those are probably the most common base types I've seen around, but the list, it goes on. I could write another few thousand words joylessly debunking what seems to get people off on AO3, but I really do spill enough ink already on highlighting how inconsistent these portrayals are with the JGY we see in canon.

I'm not saying every single word I personally write is blessed by the angels and incontrovertibly in line with the translated text of the novel, and obviously we are all here at the end of the day to have fun. But it does baffle me that this is so inescapable, because if you want those sorts of dynamics then there are so many other pairings out there to choose from.

the position they sleep in

This probably varies but he must be an extremely light sleeper and probably never sleeps with his back to the door.

a crossover au i’d love to see them in

Can I bring up my ATLA AU yet again ... yes, I am shameless. Or how about the theoretical X-Men AU I raised in the last post? The trouble is that this would have to be a setting where being a mutant is desirable and he has a weak mutation that he exploits to the maximum and perhaps later is able to strengthen.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn

Since THAI COVER JGY was already taken, I'll pivot and say I really love what he's wearing in his official artwork. Look at this man! He is elegant and wealthy and powerful and classy and a skilled diplomat and administrator and yet there remains an air of danger about him. Precise! Deadly! Polite! sorry i think i got possessed by lan xichen there for a moment

[vegaseatsass]

I'm so exhausted I don't really know where or how to begin my one-day weekend, have spent the day just kind of collapsed into executive dysfunctional confusion when what I WANT to do is post on tumblr about gay tv

[tae-shimura-is-my-wife]

Hnata stans DNI with this post

I hate Hnata's "sacrifice" scene

This is one of the most beloved moments of Naruto, but i never feel connected to it at all not even when i shipped n//h mind you and finally i understood why:

A wrong speech in the wrong moment... Why couldn't she just fight with Pain? Why confess her feelings on that situation? The village was destroyed, Naruto was almost getting killed, a lot of people died, a super dangeorus person is in fornt of her and then Hnata thinks "Yes! This is the best time to say how much i love him!" girl, be serious!

If Kishimoto wanted to show she "developed" he could at least show her having this thoughts for herself, instead of doing a stupid talk to die one minute after... this only makes the scene more pathetic...

Studio Pierrot tried to fix this humillation circus making Hnata trying to free Naruto, which actually is what she could've done instead of doing a love confession in a terrible scenario... but nah, she was so smart that prefered to fight with a guy who could kill her easily...

This was supposed to be romantic, right?

[pencilofawesomeness]

Your NRC boys with FT magic has led to me imagining them as just the weirdest guild

They're one guild but they keep getting confused for seven. When you join you're assigned a color-coded clique based on vibes and they are heavily enforced. Crowley is the guild master but all the other guilds know the housewardens best because that man has never seen a problem he couldn't make someone else's. The fact that they keep acquiring very powerful mages with little regard for traditional morality would probably raise eyebrows if not for Fairy Tail doing the exact same thing + rampant property destruction making everyone too busy to care

Sorry to drop this word dump in your ask box.

Never apologize for word dumps fam. What else is community for, if not to inflict our bizarre ideas on each other?

Bruh the way you explained it... As a guild, NRC would totally be the slightly less scuffed Phantom Lord. Just with way more firepower.

Because Phantom Lord had all of those mini-sections of their guild in other cities that we never saw. I assume there was some location-appointed leader for those. What if instead of some one-town multi-clique thing, it was spread over a bit of a wider area? And then when somebody joined the NRC guild (Night Raven is actually a very solid guild name I'd say), they just picked a spot to be their home base... But each of the seven branches have more or less extreme rivalries with the other branches, because damn if these nutjobs aren't competitive and also kinda petty, so committing to one branch becomes a social thing. Not everyone is brave like Rook and pops between two different branches like it's nbd.

So like, each branch has their own little aesthetic and name and they get mistaken for an independent guild all of the time, but really it all funnels into funny birdman and technically less complicated paperwork because it's all his fault if something happens, but as you said, Crowley would 1000% foist as much of that work on the seven deputy-leaders/housewardens as often as possible. (Crack Idea that Might Be True: Crowley is definitely some sort of cryptid that has been alive for hundreds of years and this is how he "maintains his human facade" but all of the sub-leaders know this and they also know that he really does hate responsibility that much.)

Although Night Raven would totally find their guild spirit if someone else gets involved. Like that Royal Sword guild? United front against them, no sweat. Eff them guys.

Obviously it's not uncommon for peeps in different branches to do stuff together, job to job, but there still is way too much Branch Pride going on for them to completely drop the internal rivalries.

....dang it fam now I am thinking about this au way too hard again. It's becoming story shaped and that's so dangerous XD (and very fun)