#char: anna marie

[neilroost]

Why hello.

A selection of random questions:

Favorite type of shark?

Songs that you associate with certain characters?

Do you like stuffed animals?

HI !!!!

i) big fan of leopard sharks they're really cute....teegee.....

ii) i have a few in my home, i want to buy more but i have one already that I'm very loyal with.....jättestor,blåhaj ❤️ i personally like stuffed animals that's all fabric no plastic eyes cause they feel awful .

iii) as for songs, i might only list scream main chars for now ... though if you do wanna hear more, or about ocs / other medias nudge wink . message me.

sidney; strawberry switchblade - trees & flowers, anna domino - with the day comes the dawn.

tatum; mary margaret o'hara - dear darling, anna domino - take that.

billy; the loners with parentheses - two birds with their throats slit, htrk - eat yr heart. instrumentals fit him more, but nothing comes in mind. maybe boards of canada - diving station ?

stu; cibo matto - white pepper ice cream, us girls - new age thriller, bar italia - mariana trenchrock, death in vegas - hands around my throat, the underground youth - morning sun. ( sorry, lots of songs, stu is versatile )

randy; another sunny day - i'm in love with a girl who doesn't know i exist, phil cordell - doing the best i can ( i dunno, he always reminds me of stereotypical happy 70s music that you'd hear in sitcom intros )

[shallowseeker]

You know what's crazy ( ⊙_◎) ? Literally everybody and their momma said to Dean that Cas is in love with him, But at the same time we kinda have just as much saying Cas doesn't have feelings for him. Most iconically Naomi (which honestly slay for her),Pamela kind of , and just as much blaming dean for cas's "downfall", Ishm, Uriel, Hael. Demons knowing abt it.

Would love to know abt your theories on how they know that Cas was specifically in love than deep friendship

Hello! I hope you don't mind me adding your second part to this:

Pt2 I got kind of more to say but sent too quickly, anyways! Like angels can understand emotion especially the ones more in control, angels have felt before, Lucifer and anna and other fallen angels so it's not like it's a new concept and that cas was unique in that matter but yea curious on why you think the angels knew cas was specifically in love

///

This is a lovely ask, and I struggled to do it justice all week and I...just can't. So my answer will run the gamut of all the vibes. I hope you don't mind! :D

Biggest giveaway?

Cas's default is -> he's a big dick

The theorem: As Cas is to Sam (read: mean), Cas is to most everyone else.

Support: Cas was by Ishim's definition, "the angel's angel," he exemplified everything warrior-angels should be. In the words of Naomi: "swift, brutal, no hesitation."

Behavior: Sam is Cas's friend, but Cas is also kind of a dick to Sam. He gets annoyed with Sam, even pretty late in the series, especially when Dean's not around (when Dean went to AU world, Cas was abrupt with Sam, rolling his eyes and making lil digs, especially when they're interacting with Gabriel). And well, the crux of my argument is that think that's actually his default with all angels/people.

Dude was stationed with Uriel. At one time, they were the biggest assholes in the garrison, okay?

This default serves to highlight the ones he's gentle with:

The list of the people Cas "babies" is vanishingly small (Dean, Meg, Samandriel, Claire, Hannah, Charlie maybe, Jack, Mary, and eventually Rowena, only occasionally Sam). He's much meaner with his actual friends, and almost all of his close friends are a little mean.

That's my fun answer, anyway. :-D

My serious answer is, however, a little contrarian...I hope you don't mind, but I wanted a little variety today. I'm not gonna support all this with text like I usually do, but it's one of the things I'm going to focus on in my next rewatch. Maybe!

TLDR for below; I don't think a lot of people really knew. We confuse misrepresentative-innuendo and conceptualized-loyalty for “romantic” understanding at our own risk.

///

I don't think everyone and their mother actually knows that Cas is in romantic love with Dean

Or at least...not in the capacity that certain phrases are emphasized in fanon.

That's not to say I don't think some characters suspect. I do.

But I think some of the soldier-angels shriek moreso over shifting loyalties and perceptions of corruption. They perceive the shifting of Cas's loyalty to the human family as corruption and abandonment.

In fact, I think Cas bedding down with his human family could be a sore spot for the angels in particular; it's like God abandoning them for humans all over again. I'm not so sure they view that abandonment as romantic...only that Dean is the root of the problem.

TLDR; I think most recognize it as devotion, but I don't think it's well-parsed, especially for the soldier-angels. I think their assumptions run the gambit, from fealty to devotion to fanatical, and I can easily, easily see them viewing Cas's allegiance to Jack with the same kind of unhinged grief.

//

In the world of SPN, I think much of the romantic and sexual needling comes down to warring power dynamics and simple verbal sparring/one-upmanship

Characters will do anything to get the upper hand and feel in control in a dicey situation, and those barbs often come in the form of misrepresenting, diminishing, and disrespecting other characters' relationships, whether those are relationships with their parents, siblings, friends, comrades, or other loved ones.

In SPN, we get numerous equal-opportunity jokes about sexual attractions, incest, love, affection, weakness, etc etc etc.

TLDR; I think the one-off innuendos are often not a real commentary on the truth of any relationship but simply...disrespect.

//

Some examples to consider:

Balthazar - Often held up as proof that Bal thinks Castiel is "in love with Dean," I don't think Bal's line "The one in the dirty trenchcoat who's in love with you" means much at all. I actually think Balthazar's one of the least cognizant of parsing the complexities and differences between romantic/filial/friendly/etc emotion. (He's also a gloriously morally gray dude, our first meeting with him is him taking possession of a child's soul, after all.)

I mean, sure we got Balthazar saying Cas "is in love with you (Dean)", but we also got him calling Cas Sam's boyfriend. Either my man Balthy does not parse the complexities of relationships, or he's just...simply being disrespectful and diminishing Cas's relationships to his human fam in any way he can. It's about the one-upmanship in the conversing.

I don't see a of of compelling evidence that even angels like Balthazar parse Castiel's emotions on anything more than a superficial level.

///

Hael - "When Castiel first laid a hand on you, he was lost!" I tend to file this one under assumptions of fealty and mission-oriented devotion. Yes, they fear Dean has a corrupting effect. But you could argue the same about Jack. That when Cas laid a hand on Kelly's stomach, he was lost—became a terrible weapon laid at the feet of the child instead of Heaven.

So, I'm not sure that the desperate bleating of warrior-angels can be conceptualized as romantic. I think it's far more likely to be mission-oriented. They want Cas to have devotion to The Authoritarian Company/War Machine and they perceive Cas's "new" human-oriented locus of morality as Needy Little New Family.

It's the same way authoritarian governments seek to sunder "blue-collar" soldiers from their families, purposely stationing them away from their hometowns so their loyalty is divided and dehumanization of the enemy gets easier, too.

A war machine like Heaven wages an overwhelming, all-encompassing war. The British Men of Letters and Hell are big war systems, too. American hunting is a medium war, their guerilla tactics and case-by-case approach a smaller scale, still. A family is an even littler one. (Kelly Kline's name, in fact, means "little war.")

///

Crowley - In season 10, we get Crowley needling Cas about burning through his grace to "save his boyfriend," but he also jokingly calls Sam "Dean's wife."

At core, it's disrespectful teasing, seeking to misrepresent, to get a reaction, to have power in the conversation. That's kind of Crowley's MO. Just because Crowley says something sexual doesn't mean we make the assumption that it's true. People that are verbally sparring, and especially men that are in a tense power dynamic, talk like this all the damn time, especially when we're mixing social classes. It can get real crass and real mean...real fast.

It doesn't mean it's meaningless in the context of being revelatory. Crowley and Rowena both desperately want to be included in any social group they can worm their way into, and quite badly, so there's often real emotion hidden within their barbs.

My point is you have to consider the source and speech patterns of that character before taking that ball and runnin' it downfield.

///

Innuendo, innuendo...

Another example is Zachariah's "erotically codependent line" with regard to his brothers. This barb has the sole purpose of invoking a class stereotype to make Adam lose hope and respect for his "lower class" bros. It's literally the classist "hurp-durp-Alabammer-cousin-fuckers" trope.

I personally tend to take innuendo primarily for what it is: incessant, pathetic barking.

In general, I take the demons' words with a grain of salt. They're always coming from the weak position and always hurling as much innuendo as they can to undermine and disrespect any relationship.

Even the demon Cas sits with in season 14 who says, "How'd you lose Dean? I thought you were joined at the everything," is just a crass attempt to have power when conversing. He could just as easily have made this comment about Jack or Mary or Claire and landed the same with respect to have a tonal upper hand.

Strategically, they don't have to assume Cas is in love to recognize the weakness of caring. They can say anything ugly about any person he appears to care about.

And very generally speaking, innuendo is typically lobbed from a weak/insecure position. The saying goes:

"The louder the bark, the weaker the bite."

Take for example, my man Crowley and my homegirl Rowena--almost always coming at a situation from the weak position. Crowley lobs barbs, innuendo, and faux-affection left and right. (So do other "scrappy" characters, like Dean, Rowena, Bela, every demon, Balthazar, etc)

Generally, we see this speech pattern emerge from Hell-oriented characters, which makes perfect sense, as Hell is the bottom "rung" of society, and Hell-oriented characters and witches often have the weakest social currency. These characters've got the biggest chips on their shoulders!

///

Mary vs Dean's speech patterns

Despite their similar natures, this is a big, very fascinating personality diff between Mary and Dean Winchester. Mary prefers to attack from the stoic strong position (more like Cas, Sam, etc), and she rarely mouths off. Dean is more drippingly sexual and "mouthy" because he's used to being IN the weak position. (Mary had a stabler homelife, we can suppose, at least when it comes to this.)

"You're the bottom in the relationship!" Crowley barks at Cas in season 6. Meanwhie, Cas isn't even threatened, thinking to himself quietly in TMWWBK, "I was stronger and smarter than him." Not threatened in the slightest. It bites Crowley in the ass eventually too, "You like to bend 'em over quick, don't you?" he laments at the beginning of season 7.

Likewise, Cas too gets more verbal when he's coming from the weak position with other angels. Take for example Michael in season 15, "In the worlds of a friend, you had a whole oak tree shoved up your ass." Cas rarely engages in this kind of false bravado, preferring to keep his aces up his sleeve. But with Michael, he is definitely coming from a strategical weak position with a goal in mind: goading Michael to act.

Goaders and Goad-ees

There are exceptions to the rule, like when you get sadists such as Alistair, Lucifer into the mix. I think more often than not, the goaders and the goad-ees reveal structural weak-strong dynamics.

I'd even argue that Lucifer's volatility keeps him in an emotionally vulnerable position in perpetuity. He's almost always trying to get reactions from those around him because he "needs love, he had a jakced childhood." We see this with Cas, and the effectiveness of his gray-rocking with Lucy. In season 12, getting a reaction from Cas becomes a stand-in for getting a reaction from Chuck.

///

So, that's my opinion.

I think most of the screeching and barbs are mostly power dynamics in action, not proof of knowledge per se and certainly not proof of understanding the nature of how deep Cas's feelings go

Are there exceptions? Sure.

A few of them, like Anna and Samandriel and Hannah, seem aware of Castiel's "too much heart" but I'm not super convinced that they conceptualized this as being about Dean in particular so much as about being who Cas is as a person with respect to his past rebellions.

Uriel knew something was up, I think, but it's hard to tell if his needling was more disrespectful like Balthazar's or not.

Naomi knew something was different for sure. Interestingly, she seemed aware of both Dean's and Cas's feelings, which makes sense as her work is in intel.

On that note, I think it’s interesting that the ones who truly conceptualize Cas's feelings tend to also recognize Dean's. Very few truly "knowledgeable" characters see one side in a vacuum.

I'm not sure that Ishim contextualized love outside of obsession, but he was jealous and seemed particularly jealous that Dean appeared to return the feelings, "That's what I thought." implies that.

I think of all the characters, Lucifer knew. He's got one of the higest cognitive empathies in the show. He knows it so well, he doesn't even need to resort to innuendo to tease them about it. (See the simple, effective: "CAS!") Same with AU Michael. Like Naomi, they seem to know and acknowledge both sets of feelings.

///

Close family and friends

Beyond the scope of this, but I think a lot of the fam n' friends knew what was up to some degree, but that didn't typically come out in the form of disrespect or teasing once they knew about it for real, especially characters like Bobby, Mary, etc. Eventually Rowena, Crowley, Ketch etc probably could tell something was up.

Now, are soldier-to-soldier relationships life-of-death kinda intense? Yes. Because of this, I think some neurodivergent characters that are more "cerebral" when it come to emotions (*cough* Sam) could be a little slow on the uptake. :-)

[isleofdarkness]

Important Tags

(Tumblr does not like my masterpost so I'm splitting it into a bunch of masterposts and making a masterpost of my masterposts)

My AU Tag- isle of darkness General AU Tag- descendants AU All Descendants Talk- descendants Mod's Tag- the darkness speaks Incorrect quotes- incorrect quotes Character profiles- character profile

Character Tags

OC tags- original character, descendants OC

Maverick Mim

Zachariah Darhk

descendants jay

descendants evie / Genevive Isabella Char

Claudine Frollo

descendants mal / Mal Briar

Carlos de Vil

descendants ben

descendants audrey

Lydia Snoops

Constantine Westergaard / Hans II

Anna Westergaard

descendants zevon

descendants yzla

Mara Mim

Molly Mim

Mordred Mim

Malcolm Mim

descendants hadie

Harry Hook

descendants uma / Uma Facilier

descendants gil / Gil LeGume

Calista Jane Hook / CJ Hook

Harriet Hook

Ginny Gothel

Diego de Vil

Anthony Tremaine

Belle LeGume

Maddy Mim / Mad Maddy

Clay Clayton

Mary Mim

Sammy Smee

Agony and Chaos / Amara Olympian / Callisto Olympian

Arika Sykes

Li Liang / Li Lonnie

Li Susu / Li'l Shang

descendants jane

Justice Olympian

Shan Sarangerel

Ivy de Vil

Mischa Rasputin

Polina Rasputin

Kira Rasputin

Nikita Rasputin

Freddie Facilier

Celia Facilier

Rick Ratcliffe

Desdemona Briar

Ruby Ayad

Hunter de Vil

Friendly Faces

stargirl1331

dante anon / unnamedrat

birb anon

cleverqueencommander

[peculiarooc]

olá pessoal! sou a six e meus chars por enquanto são a anna marie (rogue de x-men), annabeth chase, bruce wayne, bucky barnes, dipper pines, fred jones!! aqui tem uma tag com todos os abouts com algumas conexões! quem quiser jogar chama aqui ou no chat.

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

Do you guys have podcast recommendations? I'm caught up on everything I listen to, but you guys are my favorite podcast, so I assume we have similar tastes

AWWW i'm so honored that we're your faves! grey is no longer a podcast listener so i (crystal) shall be the only answerer

in terms of people-watching-a-thing podcasts, i've enjoyed:

doctor huh- two brothers, one a former doctor who watcher and one who... only knows about it from social media... watch nuwho eps in a random order

zero to zero- three friends watch dc/marvel properties and respond w fun and funny levels of haterism. i have enjoyed ALL of this despite never once touching something they reviewed. on maybe-permanent hiatus

LMNOP- the only good cbs elementary podcast. also on maybe-permanent hiatus

i've been meaning to watch that- i've listened to less of this one, but it's hosted by manika dulcio, who we had on our s4 wrapped, so if you liked her there check her out on her home base!

as for fiction podcasts, listing my fave subscribeds below! for some of these, the first few eps are kinda rough but i've found them all resoundingly Worth It eventually! also if you, babpod listener, care about this, all of these have queer main characters and i'll bold the ones where the main char is explicitly a poc:

hi nay- "a supernatural horror fictional podcast about Filipina immigrant Mari Datuin, whose babaylan (shaman) family background accidentally gets her involved in stopping dangerous supernatural events in Toronto." v rich lore v good at being creepy! (ongoing)

the silt verses- what if every single folk deity was real and hungry and society ran on ppl being sacrificed on telephone poles? incredibly sexy writing like SO sexy (ongoing)

midnight burger- space diner adventures and friendships! they recently dropped a 3-hour beautifully audio-engineered season finale they've grown so much since the beginning. great cast and fills you w so much wonder about The Universe (ongoing)

greater boston- an expanding cast of chars tell the story of the forming of a new city on the boston red line train cars. makes u wild about community and interconnectedness and local politics and how no one is beyond compassion while also having like. cheese robots (ongoing)

within the wires- what if a world war led to a worldwide cultural shift that decried all tribalism starting at the family unit and babies were separated from their parents at birth? extremely interesting world and formats though i do think it's kinda tired after s4. i think listening to s1 then reading the companion novel might be the Move (ongoing)

unwell, a midwestern gothic mystery- what it says on the tin! lily returns to the fading small town she grew up in to care for her mom. there are ghosts and town history and wolves in the woods. some rlly beautiful and complex family relationships and friendships, great vibe and sound design (complete)

parkdale haunt- p classic haunted house horror (well i say classic. there's also an influencers cult) which i also consider a Top Friendship-Focused Media (complete)

alice isn't dead- usamerican road trip show about the horrors of freedom. spn wishes. love jasika nicole as a VA (complete)

the pasithea powder- epistolary space bisexuals after a war that left them on opposite sides. excellent interpersonal drama and aliens (complete)

wooden overcoats- v funny british funeral home rivalry show antigone funn is the weirdgirl extraordinaire (complete)

monstrous agonies- nice soothing ten-minute segments of a supernatural advice show. i think i've mentioned it as being the anti-spn in terms of the monster rights and monster-human cohabitation background of the world (complete)

midnight radio- ten-episode small town radio show ghost romance. it's an excellent annual fall listen if you have a saturday free (complete)

mabel podcast- ONE OF THE PODCASTS OF ALL TIME. if you care about women you will like this podcast. i've always found anna and mabel so revolutionary and freeing to listen to. horror podcast about fairies and a house that loves (creepy edition?) you (long hiatus)

brimstone valley mall- silly delightful y2k demons in a mall (long hiatus)

the far meridian- magical realism story about a girl living in a teleporting lighthouse. sweet and melancholic (long hiatus)

khôra podcast- greek myths in space. i need to hug all the characters (long hiatus)

ty for this ask i love podcasts i need to catch up on them!

- Crystal :)

[queersrus]

Fire Emblem theme

a name list from fire emblem Three Houses specifically! including dlc characters.

made for a friend!

ash, ashe, ashen an, ann, anna, annette, al, alo, aloi, alois, ael, aelf, aelfri, aelfric, aby, abys, abyss, abysskeep, abysskeeper, ar, aru, arun, arund, arunde, arundel, ad, adra, adras, adrast, adrasti, adrastia, adrastian, ach, ache, acher, achero, acheron, ans, anse, ansel, anselm, anselma, aub, aubi, aubin,

by, byl, byle, byleth, ber, bern, berna, bernad, bernadette, bernadetta, bal, balthus, blake, black, bar, baro, baron, be, bee, bea, beast, bi, bia, bias, berna, bernha, bernhard, bly, blyd, blydd, blyde, blyddyd, blai, blaid, blaide, blade, blaidd, blaidde, blaiddy, blaiddyd, bladed,

caspar, casper, cas, cass, clawd, claud, claude, cath, cathe, cather, catheri, catherin, catherine, cy, cyr, cyri, cyril, cyrill, con, cons, const, constan, constance, constanz, constanza, cor, corn, corne, cornel, corneli, cornelia, chi, chil, chilo, chilon, chav, chave, chavel, chaveli, chavelie, chavelier, chava, chaval, chavalie, chavalier, cheva, chev, cheval, chevali, chevalie, chevalier, char, charo, charon, chri, chris, christ, christo, christoph, chrisophe, christopho, christophon, christophone, cou, coun, count, claudi, claudie, claudia, ceth, cethl, cethle, cethlea, cethlean, cethleen, cethleann, ci, cic, cice, cich, cicho, cichol,

deer, dear, doro, dorothy, dorathy, dorothee, dorothea, dim, dimi, dimitry, dimitri, dedue, duk, duke, dom, domi, domin, domini, dominic, dominik, dominique, dea, dae, dee, death, daph, daphn, daphne, daphnel, der, deri, derik, derek, derick, derrick

eagle, edel, edelgard, em, emp, empo, empor, empe, emper, empero, emperor, er, erwi, erwin, ed, edd, edmun, edmund,

fer, ferd, ferdi, ferdinand, feli, felix, flay, flayn, fle, flech, fleche, fae, faer, faergh, faerghus, fla, flame, fo, fod, fodl, fodle, fodla, fodlan, fral, frald, fralda, fraldar, fraldari, fraldarius,

gil, gilbert, gate, gatekeep, gatekeeper, ger, gerth, gwen, gwend, gwenda, gwendal, gar, gare, gareg, garr, garre, garreg, gaj, gajas, gajus, gau, gaut, gauti, gautie, gautier, glau, glauc, glauce, glauces, glaucest, glaucester, glou, glouc, glouce, glouces, gloucest, gloucester, gon, gone, goner, goneril, greg, grego, gregoi, gregoir, gregoire, gun, guna, gunar, gunn, gunna, gunnar, glen, glenn, godfr, godre, godfre, godfrey,

hu, hubert, hi, hil, hild, hilde, hilda, han, hanne, hanneman, hapi, hol, hols, holst,

in, ingri, ingrid, igni, igna, ignat, ignite, ignatz, io, ion, ionu, ionus, ioni, ioniu, ionius, iri, iris, ind, inde, indech,

jer, jeri, jerit, jeritz, jeritza, jera, jeral, jeralt, jud, jude, judi, judo, judie, judy, judith,

kni, knigh, knight, ko, kos, kost, kosta, kostas, kro, kron, krony, kronya, klau, klaus, klause, ky, kyph, kyphe, kypho, kyphon, kyphone, klie. klei, kleim, kleima, kleiman,

lion, leon, liona, liono, leona, leono, leonie, lin, linhardt, lor, lore, loren, lorence, lorenz, lorenzo, lorenza, ly, lys, lysi, lysith, lysithe, lysithea lu, lud, ludwi, ludwig, lad, ladi, lady, ladis, ladisa, ladisal, ladisalv, ladisalve, ladisalva, ladisla, ladislav, ladislave, ladislava, lon, lona, lonat, lonato, lei. leic, leice, leices, leicest, leiceste, leicester, luc, luca, lam, lami, lamin, lamine, leo, leop, leopo, leopol, leopold, lyc, lyce, lyca, lycao, lycaon, lamb, lambe, lamber, lambert, loog,

mer, merc, merca, mercade, mercades, merce, mercede, mercedes, mar, mari, maria, marian, mariann, marianne, marianna, man, manu, manue, manuel, manuela, mon, moni, monic, monica, monika, monique, moniqua, met, meto, metody, metodey, mi, mik, mike, mika, mikla, miklan, my, mys, myso, myson, marc, marce, marcel, marcell, marcelle, marcela, marcella, mau, maur, mauri, maurice, marc, mark, marque, marqui, marquis, marquise, mat, matt, matth, math, matthi, matthia, matthias, may, maya, marg, margre, margra, margrav, margrave, mac, mack, mach, macu, macui, macuil,

nad, nade, nader, nem, neme, nemes, nemesi, nemesis, noa, noah,

och, oche, ochs, od, ode, odes, odess, odesse, os, oz, oswa, oswal, oswald, or, ord, orde, ordel, ordeli, ordelia,

petra, pal, pall, palla, pallad, pallar, pallard, pallardo, pit, pitt, pitta, pita, pittac, pittacu, pittacus, pan, pat, patr, patre, patri, patrice, patrici, patricia,

raph, raf, rapha, raphae, raphael, ran, rand, rando, randol, randolph, rod, rodr, rodre, rodri, rodrig, rodrigo, rodriga, rodrigue, rodriguez, rhe, rhea, rie, rieg, riega, riegan, ru, rufus, ro, row, rowe,

seiros, ser, seir, seiro, sy, syl, sylv, sylve, sylva, sylvai, sylvain, set, seto, setos, sete, seteth, sham, shami, shami, so, soth, sothi, sothis, solo, solos, solon, si, sim, simo, simon, simone, sit, sitr, sitre, sitri,

tom, tomas, thomas, thal, thala, thalas, thale, thales, ti, tia, tian, tiann, tianne, tiane, tiana, tianna tim, timo, timoth, timothy, timothee, timothie, timothea, timothia, timotheo, timotheos,

um, umb, umra, umbral,

ves, vest, vestr, vestre, vestra, vi, vis, visc, visco, viscou, viscoun, viscount,

wolf, wolfe, wolve, wil, wilh, wilhe, wilhel, wilhelm, wal, wald, walde, waldem, waldema, waldemar,

yu, yuri,

zol, zoltan,

list

[bookclub4m]

Episode 191 - Dark Fantasy

This episode we’re discussing the fiction genre of Dark Fantasy! We talk about horror, grimdark, violence, amoral protagonists, epic fantasy vs small scale fantasy, the importance of tone, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Wikipedia)

The Citadel of Fear by Francis Stevens (Gertrude Barrows Bennett)

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Shadowland by Peter Straub

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

Twice Cursed edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

Other Media We Mentioned

Dark Souls (Wikipedia)

Elden Ring (WIkipedia)

Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

The Library at Mount Char by  Scott Hawkins

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Episode 147 - Contemporary Fantasy)

Monstress by  Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Wikipedia)

Ravenloft (Wikipedia)

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Leech by Hiron Ennes (Episode 184 - Horror)

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (Episode 176 - Fantasy)

Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton W. Snyder

Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday (Wikipedia)

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists (Wikipedia)

Children of Men (Wikipedia)

The Children of Men by P.D. James

Fables by Bill Willingham and various artists (Wikipedia)

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Links, Articles, and Things

Dark fantasy (Wikipedia)

Category:Dark fantasy anime and manga

Category:Dark fantasy video games

Grimdark Magazine

20 Dark Fantasy by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson 

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R. F. Kuang

The Changeling by Victor LaValle 

Jade City by Fonda Lee

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi

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Join us again on Tuesday, April 2nd we’ll be talking about the format of Non fiction Graphic Novels and Comics!

Then on Tuesday, April 16th we’ll be giving an update on Media we’ve recently enjoyed!

[annastrxng]

@anoseforrottenapples TROUBLE AT THE TAVERN (preplotted DRAMA)

A darkened HAZE still HANGS indecisively the air and the STENCH of SMOLDERING ruin ruminates in every particle of the air. For a moment, Anna casts her gaze to the hill where Whitehall once stood. In the place of the stately manor, stood a few awkwardly sprouted charred wooden beams. It's ALL gone.

A place that memory held so dear and precious was reduced to a HEAP of ash. With a heavy heart, the brunette swallows down the urge to SOB.

Robeson, who had heard from his wife, who related the tale from Mary Woodhull, insisted that the REBELS burned the Magistrate's house. Some sort of retribution or other. But for what? Anna's keen mind can NOT decipher. Perhaps, when she saw Abraham again, she could MAKE her inquiries. Or if she saw Caleb, she could demand of him an explanation. One way or another, she FELT the need for clarity.

The SHOCK hadn't even worn off yet, when DeJong seizes her by the elbow and instructs her to make four rooms ready. It would seem the Magistrate, Abraham, Mary, Sprout, and Major Hewlett would be FORCED to stay for some time. Worrying her lip betwixt her teeth, she tried to determine which unlucky SOLDIERS would be forced to room together in order to make a more hospitable place for ostentatious company.

Quavering, raw hands clench into her skirts. THIS ARRANGEMENT, she knew, was only beginning to BREW discord. Something she needed FAR less of. Conducting her operations as a SPY was hard enough with them LIVING in WHITEHALL. Moving them all here---Making them all Anna's charges --- It was gifting her a throbbing temple.

It takes her a few hours, and a few hasty quarrels, but all four requested rooms were eventually prepared. Taking the flight of stairs through the kitchen, she walks Mary and Richard to their respective rooms. "I'm so sorry about all of this. If-- if there be anything I could do to ensure that your stay is pleasant---"

Richard hastily cuts her off. "IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS, I WILL SEE YOU HANGED. THE WAY YOUR FATHER SHOULD HAVE BEEN."

Oh, how Richard needles her when he is in the mood to berate and bruise. She flinches at the venom of his pointed words. Tired eyes dolefully flicker up to meet his. "I can't imagine," she starts swallowing breathlessly, "this has been easy for any of you--" She counters, trying to appease. "Will you require Cicero to take you and the Major into town for ---for clothes? I can have him ready in the morning." He gruffly brushes past her as if, she no longer existed.

Turning to her cousin, Mary, Anna huffs out a breath. "Since the attainder, I haven't much to spare but I have a few dresses that should be found suitable. I even left a blanket for Sprout." Swallowing, she adds, "I know you will likely wish for your own-- but please, take them. After all you've lost, I can not help but feel--" She pauses. "Welll--" she clears her throat, attempting to absolve any guilt she may inadvertently confess to. "Here is your room. Mine is---across the hall, should you NEED anything.

"Can-- can I get you something to eat or drink?" Anna asks, pressing her back to the door.

[beginagaingossip]

Who is most likely to have their heartbroken? Who is most likely to comfort someone? And who is most likely to do the heartbreaking?

Oh goodie. This is the kind of question I love contemplating when it comes to the righteous and divine.

Anna Marie really does give off that charming Southern mother energy, doesn’t she? If you got your heart all trampled over, she’d be there with some form of pie piecing it back together again – but the opposite might be true when it comes to Mr. LeBeau. Every time he looks at her it seems like his chest is cracking right in two. Talk about complications. Barry Allen and Steve Rogers seem to have developed quite the friendship, and they’re both nice guys. If I’m predicting, and I am, I’d say Barry will end up with a very wet shoulder when Agent 13 gets her way. Poor Cap doesn’t know what’s about to hit him.

I’d say Sandsmark and Kent are due for a cliff dive any time soon, but they’ve already hit the rocks all on their lonesome. Hope that misplaced anger won’t get anyone hurt, though I do have popcorn on hand just in case. Speaking of misplaced anger … let’s hope Alex Summers doesn’t get Magneto’s little girl all riled up. We know what happens when metallokinetics get testy in love – and damn, if Oliver Queen plays his usual part, I’ll be getting screamed out of every weapons deal for the next six months before I even get my hand on a gun. Black Canary is one woman even I would avoid pissing off.

— I Always Hit The Mark, Benjamin ‘Dex’ Poindexter, Bullseye

@annaroguemarie @roi-des-voleurs @barryallins @libertycaps @sharcarters @demiwonder @kxnel @wreckhavoks @mistressxfmagnetism @theacearcher @heartheblackdamncanary

[beginagaininspo]

BEGINAGAIN + SCREENSHOTS OF DESPAIR (1/?)

@deoalexdanvers @annaroguemarie @fxstestkid @ghxstwinter @cxinwayne @demiwonder @trunksandcapes​

[jeaniegreysummers]

@annaroguemarie​

"Don't be. There ain't nothin' you can do 'bout it Jean. My powers are controlled, that civilian caught me by surprise and my powers just slipped up. At least they ain't six feet under and at least ah caught myself in time to not put them in the hospital for way longer. Don't worry 'bout it, ah'll make extra sure it won't happen again." Anna said as she gazed at her friend and fellow X-Men colleague.

"It's hard y'know... thinkin' you're taking a step forward when all of a sudden you're a couple steps behind. Ah still gotta have that damned collar 'round my neck sometimes, but ah've had to wear it less an' less... so ah'm makin' progress... it's slow but it's still progress, ain't it?"

As far as Jean was concerned, control was an illusion. It was something she comforted herself with mere moments before everything spiralled out of her hands, but she could understand why people looked for it – could understand why she looked for it herself so desperately in everyday moments. Rogue’s powers had great, devastating consequences, much like Jean’s own, and they had to be careful while simultaneously learning to accept themselves for it. “Maybe we could work together,” she suggested. “Erik, he helped me develop my abilities, refine them beyond what I thought I was capable of. Learning more of what I could do helped me be a little less afraid, at least.”

It didn’t prevent Jean from hurting people unintentionally, or lessen the pain she carried from past mistakes, but there was only one way to move forward. The mention of a power inhibiting collar, as always, made a shiver run down Jean’s spine. “I still don’t know how you can do that,” she admitted. “Doesn’t it feel like…” She searched for the word, thinking of those brief moments in the Raft when she had been inhibited. “Like you’re less of yourself?”

[avengerofiron]

@annaroguemarie

" 'Scuse ma language Mr. Stark... but what the hell's a wonderwall?" Anna asked with a bewildered look on her face as she gazed at Tony Stark.

The party energy was definitely wearing on everyone at this point of the night. Strangers were becoming best friends, and best friends were becoming strangers as they were pulled into dance parties at either end of the barn, music blaring out over the speakers. It was one hell of a wedding, if Tony did say so himself. “Please, Mr. Stark is my father,” he said, quickly waving his hand to dismiss the formalities. “You … Wait.” He stopped, turning to assess the woman beside him. “You’ve never heard Wonderwall?” Did this mean he was getting old? (Perish the thought. You were only as old as you felt, he told himself.)

[klauswalz]

Favourite Comic Book Characters: Anna Marie 

[invisible-pink-toast]

In the trend of remaking literally everything, how about remaking old rom-coms but making them gay? Featuring all queer actors? 

Like When Harry Met Sally but with Janelle Monae as Sally and Kristen Stewart as Harry

Or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but with Tessa Thompson as Andie and Samira Wiley as Ben

Pretty Woman with Jodie Foster as Edward and Ruby Rose as Vivian

10 Things I Hate About You with Auli’i Cravalho as Kat and Brigette Lundy Paine as Patrick

27 Dresses with Jameela Jamil as Jane and Stephanie Beatriz as Kevin

Singing in the Rain with Lady Gaga as Don, Rebel Wilson as Cosmo and Raven Symone as Kathy

Pride and Prejudice with Natasha Negovanlis as Darcy and Elise Bauman as Elizabeth

Notting Hill with Hayley Kiyoko as Anna and Beanie Feldstein as William

Enchanted with Erica Luttrell as Giselle and Sara Ramirez as Robert

Ella Enchanted with Nicole Maines as Ella and Amandla Stenberg as Char

The Princess Bride with Evan Rachel Wood as Westley and Victoria Pedretti as Buttercup

You’ve Got Mail with Sarah Paulson as Joe and Cameron Esposito as Kathleen

Bridget Jones’s Diary with Aubrey Plaza as Mark and Dominique Provost-Chalkley as Bridget

Sense & Sensibility with Clea DuVall as Edward and Anna Paquin as Elinor

Also the soundtracks all feature a mix of King Princess, Hayley Kiyoko, Janelle Monae, dodie, girl in red, Mitski, Mary Lambert, Kesha, Kelhani, and any other wlw artist you can think of (except maybe in the period pieces. or you could do instrumental versions. who cares, this is all just for fun) 

Part 2

[higharollakockamamie]

Famitsu Survey Page 2

Page 1 (Player Demographics and Char Race/Gender) Here

Q5. What's Your Favorite Battle Job?

When we asked about your favorite battle job, the one we got the most responses for was Dragoon. We saw a lot of opinions that said "I liked the Dragoon character in other FF series entries" or "The trailer for Heavensward made me long to be one." White Mage ranked second. A lot of comments talked about the appeal of being a healer: "I'm all about being in charge of whether the part lives or dies." Bard came third. We got a lot of opinions about liking the abilities that support the party.

"I like spears, so I started as a Lancer, and Dragoon has been my main job ever since. The trailer for HW made me love it even more." -Fil/20s/F

"Red Mage's skill rotation is comparatively easy to understand, and since you can contribute to the party with healing and reviving, it's easy to participate even in content you're bad at." -Dotani/20s/F

"Bows were my favorite weapon to begin with, so I started out playing as an Archer. Also, I liked the Bard job quests where you're taught to sing to protect your comrades. It got even easier to play in Endwalker, so it's really fun." -Lime/30s/M

"As a White Mage, it's fun to play while dodging difficult mechanics, curing my allies with a pure healer's inherent healing power, and thinking about the efficiency of hitting out at the enemy. Glare glare!" -Sabocha/30s/F

"Summoner! With my Carbuncle partner by my side, wherever I go I'm never lonely!" -Bahamucho/20s/F

"You know through the job quest that 'the source of a Dark Knight's power is love,' and I felt like that really fit with my character's personality." -Mikosuki[or more like Miqoluv, maybe]/30s/F

"I like healers with lots of options for getting the party back on its feet in irregular situations." -Pika/30s/M

"Paladins have a lot of techniques for overcoming crises, like covering allies and developing their defense. For the people and for my friends, I want to become a good knight." -Grimm FairyTales/30s/M

"Firepower reigns supreme! Black Mage is fun once you figure out the skill rotation." -Mochamaru/20s/F

Q6. What's Your Favorite Gatherer/Crafter?

Culinarian was a popular gatherer/crafter class. A lot of votes said it was because, in between playing battle jobs, you can make your own food to use. The next most votes went to none in particular. This was split between "I play all gatherers and crafters, so I can't narrow it down to one" and "I don't play gatherers/crafters at all."

"I like to cook in the first place, so hearing Culinarian's sound effects of chopping on a cutting board and things sizzling in a frying pan soothes my heart (lol)." -Tachibana/20s/F

"Whose favorite is this dish...It's great that those kinds of little details that don't come out in the main game show up one by one in cooking." -Hyaku/20s/F

"Those times when I become a Fisher, stand with my line out, and enjoy the scenery and background music while I wait for fish are blissful times." -Aria/30s/F

"I first started Miner as an ingame gathering class when I saw that Minfilia had been doing it. I like the 'clang clang' sound effect when you mine!" -Dobako/20s/F

"While doing ocean fishing with a strange sense of purpose, I got a Momora Mora minion. After that, on a friend's recommendation, I took on the challenge of [???] fishing*. Now I'm a Big Fish, and a splendid Fisher." -anna/20s/F

"I remember that when I had some idea of the total price of desynthesis, I worked hard at raising the skill through Alchemist, which doesn't have much stuff to desynth. I suffer and love it in equal measure." -mari/30s/F

"The Botanist artefact gear (overalls) is cute!" -E-Knock/20s/M

"I sell handicrafts IRL, so I like to see my character making things as a Weaver. It's also nice that you can make minions and clothes." -Chocomint/30s/F

"I like the Culinarian class quests, and I'm really glad when I can make people happy or get compliments for the food I make. The coffee biscuits have been a big help (lol)." -Ruko/30s/F

"I like to fish IRL, so it's fun to be a Fisher and angle for things I could absolutely never fish up in reality." -F'alchion R./30s/M

"Weaver, indispensable for making stylish gear! I also like the guildmaster Mr. Redolent Rose!" -Bird/30s/F

"I like all the classes so much that I've gotten the Pteranodon mount, so I can't choose." -Plum/40s/F

*[Even with a bunch of googling I can't make heads or tails of this one. It's something called ヌシ釣り(lord fishing?) that appears to open at level 50. I don't do gathering class stuff much so I'm in the dark. If you have any idea what it is please let me know!]

[princesssarisa]

The different names of Cinderella, her stepmother and stepsisters, and her prince

For @ariel-seagull-wings

In Gioachino Rossini's 1817 opera La Cenerentola, the heroine's real name is Angelina, a stepfather named Don Magnifico takes the place of the stepmother, the stepsisters are named Clorinda and Tisbe, and the prince is named Ramiro.

In Jules Massenet's 1899 opera Cendrillon, the heroine's real name is Lucette, the stepmother is named Madame de la Haltiére, the stepsisters are named Noémie and Dorothée, and the prince is just called "le Prince Charmont" (Prince Charming).

In the 1947 Russian film, the heroine is only called Cinderella and the stepmother and prince are unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Anna and Marianna.

In Disney's animated version, the heroine is only called Cinderella, her stepmother is named Lady Tremaine, her stepsisters are named Anastasia and Drizella, and the prince is unnamed.

In the 1955 film The Glass Slipper starring Leslie Caron, Cinderella's real name is Ella, her stepmother is called the Widow Sonder, the stepsisters are named Berdena and Serafina, and the prince is named Charles. (A slightly cringeworthy name choice now – the real Prince Charles was just seven years old when this movie came out.)

In the 1955 German film, at least in the English dub, Cinderella's real name is Margaret, the stepmother is unnamed, the stepsisters are named Lottie and Dottie, and the prince is called Prince Charming.

In Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, the heroine is just Cinderella, except in the 2013 Broadway production, where her real name is Ella. In all versions, the stepmother is unnamed, and the prince is named Christopher Rupert Windermere Vladimir Carl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James, though he only goes by "Christopher" (or, in the 2013 version, the nickname "Topher"). The stepsisters' names change in each new version of the musical, though: they're Joy and Portia in the original 1957 telecast, Prunella and Esmeralda in the 1965 remake, Minerva and Calliope in the 1997 remake, Joy and Grace in the 2000 touring stage production, and Charlotte and Gabrielle in the 2013 Broadway version.

In the Muppet production Hey, Cinderella! the heroine is just Cinderella and the stepmother is unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Mona and Lisa, and prince is named Arthur (full name Arthur Charming).

In the film The Slipper and the Rose, the heroine is just Cinderella (I think) and the stepmother is unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Isobella and Palatine, and the prince is named Edward.

In the Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation, the heroine is just Cinderella and the stepmother is unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Arlene and Bertha, and the prince is named Henry.

In Into the Woods, Cinderella is just Cinderella, and the stepmother and the prince are both unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Florinda and Lucinda.

In Gail Carson Levine's novel Ella Enchanted and its film version, Cinderella's real name is Ella (obviously), the stepmother is Dame Olga, the stepsisters are named Hattie and Olive, and the prince gets the punny name of Charmont, but is nicknamed Char.

In the anime Cinderella Monogatari, the heroine is just Cinderella, the stepmother is named Duchess Dalbin, the stepsisters are named Catherine and Jeanne, and the prince, as in The Glass Slipper, is named Charles.

In the film Ever After, Cinderella's real name is Danielle, the stepmother is Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, the stepsisters are named Marguerite and Jacqueline, and the prince is again named Henry.

In Margaret Peterson Haddix's middle-grade sequel/deconstruction novel Just Ella, Cinderella's real name (of course) is Ella, the stepmother's name is Lucille, the stepsisters are named Corimunde and Griselda, and the prince is literally named Prince Charming, though in this version he's anything but.

In Malinda Lo's LGBT+ YA retelling Ash, the heroine is named Aisling (pronounced "Ash-lin") and nicknamed "Ash" instead of "Cinderella," the stepmother is named Lady Isobel, the stepsisters are named Ana and Clara, and the prince is named Aiden, but Ash doesn't end up with him, instead falling for a huntress named Kaisa.

In Marissa Meyer's sci-fi YA retelling Cinder (which I haven't read yet, I'm only going off Wikipedia), the heroine is just called Cinder until she learns (spoiler alert) that she's really the lost Princess Selene. The stepmother is named Linh Adri (Linh is her surname – in the book's Asian-inspired setting of New Beijing, surnames come first), the stepsisters are named Pearl and Peony, and the prince is named Kaito, but nicknamed Kai.

In Disney's 2015 live-action remake of their version, the stepmother and stepsisters are still Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella, but Cinderella's real name is now Ella and the prince is named Kit (presumably a nickname for Christopher).

In Betsy Cornwall's steampunk YA retelling Mechanica, the heroine is named Nicolette, called Nick for short, and rudely nicknamed "Mechanica" instead of "Cinderella" because she's an inventor. The stepmother is named Lady Halving, the stepsisters are named Piety and Chastity, and the prince, in an obvious shout-out to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical (with a little Ever After Easter egg thrown in too) is named Christopher Dougray Fadhiri Anton Abdul-Rafi Finnian, but nicknamed Fin.

In Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage musical (based on the synopsis and the lyrics – I haven't actually seen it), Cinderella is only called Cinderella and the stepmother is unnamed, but the stepsisters are named Adele and Marie, and the prince is named Sebastian (Prince Charming is his older brother).

In the new Sony/Amazon movie musical, Cinderella's real name is Ella, the stepmother is named Vivian, the stepsisters are named Malvolia and Narissa, and the Prince is named Robert.

These are all the versions I can think of for now.