#bless your heart / / ✿「 ANSWERED 」

[janearts]

“What came out was not what went in.” A rasping laugh as the Carver laid the shard of bone on the ground beside him. “How lovely she is—new as a fawn and yet ancient as the sea. How she calls to you. A queen, as my sister once was. Terrible and proud; beautiful as a winter sunrise.” ♛

[violinist-rachel]

Dear Rachel!

I don't know how to exactly ask it without making it sound rude but, do you need someone to talk to about things that bother you? You seem bothered by something

"...!"

"O-oh my, is that how I've been coming off lately? Nothing's really bothering me, I promise! I-...!"

Rachel settled awkwardly into a short, but pensive pause as she struggled to find the words she's looking for.

"...I think I'm just tired lately. I've been staying up far longer than I should, so my sleep schedule isn't the best...

[maliciousalice]

Hii Do you have a fave Janeway out-of-uniform look?

Ohh this is such a hard choice! There are so many reasons I like her out of uniform-- A lot of the time it's because we get to see who she is behind the veil. That couldn't be more apparent than in Resolutions, she flirts, explores and relaxes while she struggles to maintain her identity. She has like, 5 costume changes in that episode, albeit modest in design, they are quite revealing in a sub-textual way. Funnily enough, I actually would like to catalogue each time she is out of uniform and break down how it relates to the narrative etc. I sometimes ponder about the choices that have been made with hair and costume. We don't actually know much besides a few articles and scattered pieces of media--Most behind the scene information is about set design, which in it's own right is cool, but sometimes feels like it’s highlighted due to the male audience and as a result the other artists aren't valued enough. In theory, I'd like to uplift them because their efforts transform the lack frontal, narrative-body of some characters- we consequently learn things such as the fashion of the era, character’s states of mind, setting, etc, simply through what they are wearing– Do I dislike that? No. Because I understand the format of Star Trek is limited by the nature of being a 24 episode per season show. Sometimes things appear rushed or incomplete but if you look in the right direction, the work that was produced is just as rich as most shows, if not more. For the most part don’t think audiences appreciate the conditions that this show was made under.

The whole show has certainly been more impactful on the cultural zeitgeist than others and I think the reason for that success goes beyond the surface level- It’s not just a simple miracle that it works as well as it does, talented teams of actors, writers and people in costume all combined their skills together to forge it. They did the best they could with what they were given, and I appreciate the costume designers and writers for attempting to provide some semblance of substance in the background. (On another note I wish Paramount had archived their costumes better. Evil that we only get high resolution photography when they're selling them to someone's private collection)

However, to answer your actual question, my favourite out of uniform stint is when Captain Janeway is modified to look like a Klingon in the Killing Game! The disguise worked so well for me that I didn't recognise her on my first watch through.

Interestingly in the brief scene with brainwashed Janeway, we see an acting side of Kate's that is pretty rare. She delivered a unique and entertaining performance. While she has had to get physical on a few occasions as Janeway, and even other roles, she has never had to go full feral mode and I love seeing her in a way that is untethered from all of herself, she yells, bares her teeth, barrels into others, and does somersaults without hesitation. It's delightful choreography, and It immediately makes us question what is going on. Who is this? Can’t possibly be our well-adjusted hero, because whoever this is, is brazenly-fierce and in Klingon attire! But yes we find out it is indeed her, arguably a repressed version of her mind but regardless Janeway is completely transformed both physically and mentally, and that’s shockingly fun. 

Lending to that idea of fun, is the juxtaposingly detailed presentation of the Klingon costume versus the Starfleet uniform. I love the overall shapes, matte qualities contrasting with the metal details, the decorative line-work that leads the eye around, and materials such as swinging chains and fur, that make it look good in motion. From what I’ve seen there is a difference in the female and male armour, with the breast plating and bodice design. The armour’s bulky top half with its shoulder pads deliver a signature look, and it looks great against the simplified bottom. Considering Klingon’s do a lot of close combat, my guess is that it’s design is more about manoeuvrability, and boasting intimidation, rather than heavy defence. Ironically after all that ducking and dodging, ho ho Janeway gets stabbed for leaving her guard down. If I looked, I am sure I could find something to back that up, since Klingons have extremely dedicated lore. 

The makeup on Janeway is really neat too, the orange tones they used on her face make her crystalline eye colour dramatically pop. There is also a delicious parallel to her styling and B'Elanna's mother from Barge of the Dead in the episode that I quietly indulge in BUT I DIGRESS.

Despite the unusual circumstances, I wish we had more photography done of Kate in the unique costumes she wore beyond a few on set pictures, because I want to ogle at a more editorial/detailed press presentation of each one and I believe that everyone should treasure all versions of Janeway.

Blah Blah Blahhhh haha

I feel a little vulnerable spreading my thoughts around but I really appreciate you asking me about them and getting me out of my shell <333.

[divinelght]

 🪽 [ 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 ]  for receiver to trace one of sender’s scars ― @selunyte ,                ( extensive scar related prompts : accepting )

         "Does it still hurt?" Her fingers ― gentle and practiced, hesitant ― follow the jagged path of a scar that stretches across Eira's throat, almost as if she's trying to will the lesion away by touch alone. She doesn't mean to be so close to Eira (close enough that Aurora's freckled knees, exposed to the cool evening air as she sits cross-legged in the dirt, are nestled against the other woman's). But, she's mindful of the way she leans over to inspect Eira's skin ― mindful that she doesn't exhale directly into her soft features or shift her weight into her lap. Not exactly the paragon of knowing what personal space is, but Aurora never fully grasped the notion to begin with.

         When she asks if it still hurts, Aurora knows the physical ache of the scar is likely long gone. Does the memory of it sting? Are the wounds from your past still your burden to bear? These questions lie unspoken and, when Aurora remembers herself, she drops her hands into her lap with soft smile: a silent apology (for being too close, for the things Aurora, herself, couldn't heal).

[pixlokita]

Matpad: -makes a video- “and remember is just a theory; A GAME THEORY”

Me: “lol that was fun to see, anyway let’s go back to the usual”

Others: -taking it too seriously and raging over it-

[ravarui]

🌶️ Shanks, shot in the dark, but I'm guessing you have a thing for shibari.

Guess my muses kinks! Accepting @ikkaku-of-heart

"Not really, no. I can appreciate the look of it, but I'm not patient enough to do it to anyone. And as for letting someone do it to me? As long as there is enough trust between us, I am willing to try it out."

[ofmdaily]

what does ur tag "bts" mean? it's probably not the kpop band

behind the scenes 😭

[jackdup]

Nisha would brush his bangs off his forehead before placing a surprisingly chaste kiss to it. Thanks for the drink and the much needed laugh, kiddo. 💜

@idyllicserendipity || squeaks so loudly ! (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)

So, he was beginning to wonder if all the people who knew him convened regularly to discuss What are the best ways to shut up Timothy? Because gradually, Tim was noticing they were all getting . . . pretty freakin' good at it. (And maybe he should thank them—? It at the very least saved him some of his breath in the end.)

Like right now, for example: when all it took for him to not only immediately shut the hell up but also promptly forget what he was even saying (which kind of meant it was stupid crap anyway) was Nisha's hand first flicking aside some of his hair with a super uncharacteristic gentleness that caused Timothy's brain to stutter. But that was just the “first” aspect: the second . . . ? Well, let's take the first and multiply it tenfold. Maybe a hundredfold.

Timothy was left blinking real intelligently.

“ . . . Sure—! I-I mean . . . ” He cleared his throat as he pored over her face, catching that way one side of her mouth always quirked just a touch higher than the other when she smiled. “You, uh . . . You looked like you needed it, and ya know—? Anytime, Nisha. Like, any . . . anytime.”

[bookshelf-in-progress]

The Six Swans for a fairytale retelling?

I finally filled this prompt by writing "Without Words" as my story for the Four Loves Fairy Tale Challenge. Since I put the story in a separate post, I'm going to self-indulgently use this ask to provide some author's notes.

For quite a few years now, I've had the idea to retell the ending of this fairy tale from the prince's point of view. It's so dramatic! He's protected this woman for years, and had to be deeply in love to do so, and now he's faced with enough evidence that he has to put her to death. How do you deal with that? I fully intended to use his POV to fill this prompt, yet, every time I tried, I couldn't make it interesting enough to hold my attention.

Then a few weeks back, I had the image of the prince begging his wife to speak, while she had to stand strong and refuse, despite the pain it causes both of them. This became much more interesting (and easier to write as a short retelling), because the prince's conflict comes from not knowing, while her conflict comes from fully knowing what's going on and having to make the hard choice not to save herself.

From the first spark of this idea, the couple was named Eliza and Christian. Eliza because of Andersen's fairy tale, of course, and Christian because Andersen's tale is Danish, and Denmark has had ten kings named Christian. His name became even more thematically fitting when I decided to write this story for the Inklings Challenge.

I debated whether I should retell the "Six Swans" version where the heroine is accused of killing her three children, or the "Wild Swans" route where she's just accused of witchcraft. The witchcraft charge is enough to condemn her to death, is more directly related to her task, and makes her story parallel her stepmother's better. However, the missing children angle made this much more painful and implied a stronger bond between the two of them. They're not only married, but they've had three children together! He's protected her against two different accusations of murder! The fact that he's been so supportive up to this point makes it even more dramatic when he finally is forced to execute her.

It does seem a bit ridiculous that he's let this go on long enough to lose three children, but that just adds to the drama of the moment. Christian knows Eliza well enough that he doesn't believe she could kill their children, but after three murders, the evidence is getting harder and harder to explain away, and even the king has to obey the law, so he signed the execution order to prevent rebellion from his government.

If I hadn't written that opening scene, I'd probably be rolling my eyes at some of the language--"the way our souls entwine"? Really? Who talks like that? But sometimes you just gotta write something very, very sappy. It's good for the soul. And I have a good excuse because I posted on Valentine's Day.

On a structural level, my favorite line in the story is probably, "Does the prisoner have any last words?" I was struggling with how to transition between Eliza musing about Christian and her brothers to the moment of breaking the curse, when that line of dialogue occurred to me, and the scene fell into place. It's a standard line for this type of scene, while tying in perfectly to the specific conflict here. Plus, it stops the guards from tying up Eliza long enough to keep her arms free for shirt-throwing.

This story taught me a lot about how to strategically use telling vs. showing. The standard points of the fairy tale--the breaking of the curse, the reunion with her brothers, the mother-in-law's crime, and the recovery of the children--are all told, rather than shown, because this story is about the bond between Eliza and Christian, and stopping to show anything else distracts from that. Like, I had tried to show the brothers explaining about the curse and the lost children, but that tangled me up in the logistics of the scene, and made me drop the thread of Eliza and Christian's relationship. Reducing it to summary allowed me to keep the focus where it needed to be.

I am sad I had to push her brothers so far into the background. That family bond is such an important part of the fairy tale, but the story's focus means I only get to name one brother.

Usually, one of the youngest brothers is stuck with the swan's wing, but I gave it to the eldest, because 1) I wanted to be different, 2) In the limited space, it allowed me to feature both her eldest brother and the swan wing brother at the same time, 3) giving the wing to the crown prince creates much more interesting conflict.

Retellings that give the youngest brother the wing usually go on and on about how he's torn between his ordinary human life and the freedom of life as a swan, and that's so whiny and boring to me. Giving it to the eldest brother, however, has concrete political consequences. He's crown prince! Will the people accept a king with the permanent mark of a curse? Can he leverage this imagery to his advantage? Now that he's lost his dominant hand (I made sure to make it as inconvenient as possible), he can neither write nor hold a sword, which could have profound effect on his reign. Giving him the wing could be a bit like Rabadash's curse in The Horse and His Boy--something that forces him to prioritize peace--especially since I've written him as a bit of a war-monger. Even with his limited amount of page-time, he fascinates me, and I'd kind of like to see where his story goes.

With the brothers so blithely talking about going home and taking Eliza with them, I imagine that in the interim of seven years, events have transpired that have eliminated the stepmother as a threat. Going home is just going home to a beloved father, not going to war.

Initially, I had wanted Eliza's first spoken word to be her husband's name. When that proved to be impractical in the execution scene, I considered giving her no dialogue, to prove that she doesn't need words to be a force in the story. Making her one word of direct dialogue be her husband's name felt like the perfect compromise.

In offering to let Eliza take the children, Christian is really being reckless. He blithely talks of transferring the crown, but any one of his kids--who he's offering to let grow up in a foreign country--could one day decide to take advantage of their valid claim to the throne to try to take over his kingdom. He's really lucky that Eliza forgave him.

Portraying the final kiss as "I let my silence speak for me", was not intentionally inspired by Gaskell's habit of referring to kissing scenes as "delicious silence", but I'm kind of pleased by the connection.

I'm proud of that final line. Ties everything up so neatly and concisely.

[scarletdestiney]

Literally kms

Kms? Thanks I will kiss myself, thank you bb 😘

[valiantstarlights]

I had a legit dream of someone asking me (in an ask) what my reason to live is rn, other than modern!Johanna Constantine's hair (which I have never said in my entire life), and in my dream I took a screenshot of my tumblr page, underlined in red Hob's name in 'Live, Love, Lord and Savior Hob Gadling,' and that was my response to the ask.

Just for (my) future reference, if I ever change what my page looks like, this is what my response would have looked like:

[celestiial-angel]

Hi! I’m just checking in to make sure you’re okay. I want you to know that you’re loved, even by a stranger on the internet. I hope you’re okay 💗

Hey there~♡

That's very sweet of you 💚

If I'm being honest, I'm not okay, very far from it, actually, but I am still holding on and trying to make it through life day by day.

I hope you're well, sweet anon!

Sending some love and a virtual hug your way 🤗💜

[writercole]

Hun, you talk the talk, but you don't walk the walk. Respect is a two way street 👌 Peace out, G ❤️

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh my god.

Hey, you forgot to hit anon.

You don't know shit about me. You don't know my struggles, you don't know my successes.

And I can only assume this is in reference to my semi-essay about Glen.

In which case, move along, darlin.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I don't walk the walk. You guys hear this shit?

[ryouran-nijigasaki]

dad kicked me off the google family plan lmaoo

[potionpeddlerpatchy]

Hi Patchy!! I hope you're doing well love 💙 I just wanted to pop in and say hi!

Awww, well hello Bee! It's always such a treat to hear from you and see you on the dash!!

I am well, doing as well as I can while job hunting and working on myself! But things for the most part are nice, so I can't complain! I hope you're doing alright, I know you felt bad about missing Ushijima's birthday, but don't be! I know for a FACT he still loves you and thinks you're the best wife in the world 💛💛

I am wishing you plenty of kindness today 💛

[pixlokita]

I love your FNAF comic!!