#book of elements

[getsusun]

i am writing a scene where demonologist pierces the ear to alchemist (they both are drunk and stupid) and there is SO MUCH tension between those two that it is insane. it would have been less intense if they just had sex about it.

like i was not planning anything nsfw at all.

those two went from not-friendly-colleagues to reluctant associates to friends to whatever they have five centuries later.

There they are on photo btw ->

Also i am totally not normal about this musical and my hyperfixation has lasted for three whole weeks already and is not fading :D

[neutral-towards-mindmaps]

can't stop thinking about tamsyn muir's choice to present her deep, morally and politically complex science fantasy world with a central web of magic, secrets and lies reaching back ten thousand years through the eyes of three characters who:

1. tune out and start thinking about hot women whenever the magic system or worldbuilding are being explained

2. experience hallucinations on a daily basis, have brain damage and are being deceived and misled by their peers, authority figures, themselves and God

3. don't know who they are, have spent their entire life in one place and are, on all levels but physical, six months old

[jakkenpoy]

[myebi]

And the fire spirits went on, Free from the shackles of magic men, Vanished to the dry land Until every summer they choose to show, And they chant in triumph to the wails Of the ones who burned them

my contribution to Dames's latest issue, Fantasy Warriors ❤️‍🔥

[ladyloveandjustice]

I often think about how incredibly fit Natsume must be, yokai-induced sickliness aside. He spends 75% of his life running from yokai, through forests and mountains and all kinds of shit. Every day is a marathon for him, he arguably gets too much exercise (which might contribute to collapsing from exhaustion a lot. over exercising isn't good for you).

But imagine what a fast runner he must be. He's able to sometimes lose yokai despite their supernatural speed etc. And he's been doing this since he's a child? I just want an episode where it's time for track in gym class and everyone's expecting the kid who's constantly sick and exhausted to be the slowest one, but instead he just passes them all at warp speed. WHEN did he have time to get this in shape, isn't he always inches away from keeling over, his class in chaos. Nishimura and Kitamoto are the least surprised since they've seen him running before, but even they didn't think he was THIS fast., wow, what natural talent.

Actually, there should be a running gag where one of the many stressors Natsume faced over the years is track team coaches trying to constantly recruit him in most of the schools he goes to, so he's constantly trying to hide how fast he is because he can't be a burden and have the people he's living with PAY SPORTS EXPENSES omg :(( and also he wouldn't be able to show up for most of the meetings, so. And also he doesn't like most team sports (the real reason).

He's managed to keep it mostly under wraps in Yatsuhara, but then one day it's the sports day episode and Nishimura trips while carrying the baton as they always do and starts crying so Natsume's like "siiiiiiiigh fine don't worry Nishimura I've got this" and suddenly he's at the finish line. Thus his hellish lot of being hounded by the track coach begins anew, thanks a lot Nishimura.

[celestialfoxe]

favorite pages from the little book I made for myself based on The Terror <3

[bigfatbreak]

Question about your changling AU, where did you learn about the ins and outs of Fae and Changling myths? I'm interested in learning too but not sure where to start lol

some of the lore I have for the AU I crafted myself, otherwise I read a lot of old faerie tales growing up and my mom, for some reason, knows an awful lot about shit like that, so some of it is just innate from her. otherwise i just read a lotttttt of books around the concepts of these things when I was younger because I was fascinated with jim henson's worlds

[universalheart]

im one of those witches babe!

[dallasgallant]

Begging it to be remembered that being a Greaser is not a cool kids club type sub culture, or something one must apply for/initiate into. It’s a label for the tough poor kids of Tulsa! It’s something that encompasses the whole of the east side, but the gang and some others definitely embrace it and the more traditional image. But please! The sides are not arbitrary they can’t just be crossed or just “go soc” it’s about far more than behavior and friends it’s a class thing!

[kurikorso]

oh shit look who it is!!

please click him for better quality

[freyjalestrange]

Candle Color Correspondences from Wicca Wicks Storefront - https://www.amazon.com/stores/WiccaWicks/Homepage/page/8C2DBB99-E443-49CF-84A2-A2E359778B07?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ast_store_VNGDJVC31BEW62V3H7K5&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

[camcat1320]

The Fortune-Teller does not deserve the hate it has received. It's actually a great episode that people misunderstand. Let me explain.

Kataangers love the episode for it says Katara is destined to be with Aang. Zutarians hate the episode for this reason along with forcing Katara into a pigeon hole. I stand between these warring tribes and say that they are both wrong.

To be clear, I am a Zutarian. If we would've had a Book 4 like the head writer had intended, this episode would've been integral for that book.

"But the 3-act story structure!" some may argue. A 3-act story structure is just a 4-act story structure in disguise.

Anyways, let's continue.

The destiny that Aunt Wu foretells does not give names and is vague in nature. She tells Katara that she is to be married to a powerful bender. She didn't say the most powerful nor did she say bender of all four elements. One doesn't have to be the Avatar to be a powerful bender.

Come Aang's fortune, she foretold of a great battle between good and evil that will determine the fate of the world. We immediately think of Aang battling Firelord Ozai to end the 100 year war. However, this fortune is vague and could foretell another battle after Ozai has fallen.

When Aunt Wu learns that Aang wants to learn about his future about love, she cheers him up by giving him a vague, seemingly harmless white lie to satisfy him. "Follow your heart and you will be with the one you love." Since Aang is 12, he can easily misconstrue infatuation for love.

I believe The Fortune-Teller is a giant red herring that many people in both Zutara and Kataang sectors have fallen for. But wait, what is a red herring?

In literature, a red herring is a device to throw the characters and the audience off the scent of future events. It's meant to distract and deceive.

At the end of The Fortune-Teller, Katara believes she is destined to be with Aang and Aang believes it as well. Throughout the remainder of the series, Katara's emotional bond with Aang is challenged. Then by The Ember Island Players, Katara is confused, unsure about her feelings, unsure about her destiny.

What other character struggled with his perception of his destiny?

For the majority of the series, Zuko falsely believed that his destiny was to hunt down the Avatar and regain his honor. We know that this destiny was forced upon him by his father, Ozai.

But as Iroh has said, "Destiny is a funny thing." Iroh had believed he would have been in Ba Sing Se as a conqueror but instead, he had liberated Ba Sing Se from Fire Nation occupation.

Zuko had turned against his father and his supposed destiny and set out to aid the Avatar instead. After this, Zuko's new belief is that it is his destiny to help Aang in defeating Ozai instead. Truly, destiny is funny that way.

But why is this only applied to Zuko? Why isn't this the same message given to Katara's arc? Is she truly destined to be with Aang and she cannot fight against this fate? Is this strong female character destined to be reduced to servitude?

The same girl that inspired imprisoned earthbenders to fight back? The same girl that fought against gender roles in her own culture? The same girl that didn't give into despair and led her crew out of the desert? The same girl that aided in healing a Fire Nation village? The same girl that rose above her mentor and used bloodbending to save her loved ones? The same girl that went toe to toe with Azula and won?

I SAY NAY!

Imagine, if you will, what Katara's continued arc could've been like in Book 4. Katara would've defied the destiny that was forced upon her and determined her destiny for herself. But in the end, destiny is a funny thing for this action only plays into fate. Zuko is a powerful bender after all. 👀

Now, I must depart before I give too many spoilers for my writing. Fare thee well, until we meet again!

[amyrlinegwene]

Morgase is one of my favorite minor characters in the books. I find her so interesting, both as a subversion of the dead-parent trope, an example of a character finding strength when everything has been taken from them, and also as a case study in how even just a little bit of the one power can greatly affect a person, but also how her relationship with the Tower is complicated as a monarch, a former novice, and mother to a future Aes Sedai who has gone missing. I think she is such an interesting character and emblematic of how Robert Jordan gives so much humanity and depth to minor characters who would be written off or one dimensional in other series.

[chisterymalky]

No but it is interesting to comment how Elphaba's story could be also be read as an allegory for people with neurodivergencies, because a lot of elements of her character hit the spot.

She's picked on for being different, she has trouble being social, she's dedicated to a social cause she believes is important, people comment there's something "off" about her, even without the green skin, her family dismiss her struggles insisting her issues aren't as important as Nessarose's (iirc many neurodivergent people don't get diagnosed or their issues are ignored when they live with family members who have a more "visual" disability), she turns very trusting and loving to people who just show her basic kindness, she's passionate about the subject matter she studies (magic), she's very eloquent when speaking, uses her hands a lot when speaking...

Also "I'm not that Girl" hits harder with the allegory because the song then reflects how a person has been shunned by society all their life can't even be allowed to have something as simple as a relationship, since they'll always be seen as undesirable by others for things they cannot control.

[joytri]

The sea is an element of love. The Greeks say so. Aphrodite emerged from the water.

[voluptuarian]

Sometimes I just want to enjoy some new Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass-inspired media, but somehow every single adaptation seems to be a version of one of these

straightforward adaptation of the book(s)

mental illness metaphor (clever)

mental illness metaphor (tacky)

Oz and Wonderland exist together somehow

YA #dark #fantasy #royalcore series

claims to be inspired by the book(s), actually based on the Disney movie, no one involved has ever actually finished either

porn

manga/anime with little resemblance to the original plot and every major character is a hunky man for some reason

Disney-branded cash grab ahoy!

Dark and Edgy (and probably perverse) "subversive" or horror retelling

Hot Topic Aesthetic™️

Combination of two or more

pretty sure you could do just a drinking game of Alice adaptation tropes, pick literally anything, and be drunk out of your mind in no time. Drink when there's:

asylum

harem situation

"killing game" (for some reason??)

red queen/queen of hearts conflation

"the real story"

grouped with traditional fairy tales???

"it's not 'Wonderland,' it's [insert similar-sounding but darker alternative term]"

something victorian patriarchy something something corsets hysteria something something

scheming royal families

drug metaphor

Not saying none of these ideas has been done well, but they've all been done, many times! I just think there are far more interesting possibilities out there that aren't being pursued. Jabberwock as Arthurian questing beast! Card kingdom courtroom drama! Genuinely deep fantasy world building exploring the reversed time-space dynamic in Looking Glass Land! DO SOMETHING INTERESTING WITH IT BY GOD