darks-lair

[bacchuschucklefuck]

pygmalion and galatea for aroace people

you should tell your friends what I look like, riz gukgak.

[doloneia]

thinking about this article i read that mentioned illegitimate children in ancient greece (athens in particular) and also this chapter from imagining illegitimacy in classical greek literature and how teucer's entire relationship to telamon (and by extension, ajax and eurysaces) is reliant on maintaining telamon's favor, and how when he loses that - after fighting for ten years to sack his mother's city, killing his own maternal family in the process - he is basically left without any kin at all. and i think it hits harder that teucer went to war against the side of his family that (in other circumstances) he would have been included in, since illegitimate children were typically raised by their mother's relatives. he gambled everything and he lost it all in return

[aardvaark]

i was thinking about how i wished leverage had a birthday episode for some of the characters cause that would be sweet, but then i realised something and basically…. okay here’s my thoughts in quotes form, just for fun

hardison: so when’s your birthday? i could plan something for us and the team to do and-

parker: i dont know

hardison: you don’t know… your own birthday?

parker: no, how would i know? pshh, cmon, you’re telling me you remember EXACTLY when you were born? watch this - hey, eliot, do you know your exact birth date?

eliot, innocently passing by, who was canonically anonymously dropped off at a hospital as an infant: no, how would i know?

parker: that’s what i said!

hardison: excuse me?? what is going on right now

sophie, walking into the apartment: whats wrong?

hardison: parker and eliot- well, okay, when’s your birthday? i just have to prove something.

sophie: …….july 12th

hardison: why did you pause? wait, is that your birthday or sophie devereaux’s birthday?

sophie: ………… (guilty silence)

parker: see, no one knows their real birthday! haha you’re so weird sometimes, hardison

hardison:

hardison: what the fuck guys

[charmre]

Salt in my lungs, Holding my breath Making peace with my inevitable death I guess I did alright considering Tried to be a halfway decent friend Wound up a bad comedian An honest fool with more bad habits Than you can count

[jessamine-rose]

*lovingly tackles Aine*

Read my Yandere! Pierro longfics first ♪( ´▽｀)

Last week, my beloved mutual @ainescribe surprised me with Savior! Darling fan art and AHAI9232@2-!/! CRYING SCREAMING I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS ART AND WORSHIP YOUR VERSION OF SAVIOR THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BLESSING ME WITH YOUR ART—

*clears throat* Anyway, now that I finally have the time to properly sit down and comment on the fan art, I��ll do just that. Feedback will be in the tags and it will be unhinged. Once again, thank you so much to Aine for drawing this <3

[luck-of-the-drawings]

two wrongs WILL make a right! ive got another lease on life, and im using it well, who cares if this is all fucked up cause we're all GOING TO HELL! IM JUST WILLIAM WHO SHOULD BE DEAD, HAD TO FOLLOW THE THREAD, thought he was just chillin! now he is a villain! HES ALWAYS SUCH A BUMMER, HE WANTS TO TRUST HIS BROTHER WILLIAM IN A HALLWAY BY HIMSEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[incorrectinfinity]

Erina Pendelton slander will never be accepted here I will instantly block ngl

[passthroughtime]

yagami, WHY do you have to be such a bitch around kuwana. i'm going to strangle you.

(P.S.: he didn't tell kuwana that tesso said not to feel bad about it. obviously.)

[emeraldblonde]

I tried to mod something and the good news is, it didn't crash the game. 🥳 The bad news is, not what I was looking for lmao.

Like, don't get me wrong. I've seen way worse (the stuff of nightmares) on a modding channel I've been teaching myself this stuff lately, so. It's not like I completely fucked this thing up or anything like that.

It's just... I still gotta ask though.

What went wrong here?

[sierradee]

POV: you wander below deck to find your paladin taking a nap.

-

Man, I struggled with this for so long, and my questions spiraled in decency. How do dragon heads work? Does Egbert have a tail? Would he have nipples? Does he wear anything under the skirt?

Thanks to a discord friend who took a photo of the figure for me so I could see his booty shorts.

[fruitageoforanges]

saw a post about how rhaegar was the best-placed person to stand up to aerys and how he failed, and now i have brainworms about it.

because he was (short of… well, robert, it turns out), and he did fail. he was too weak when it counted to ultimately save his wife and children. there are no heroes. grand designs always fail at the level of a man. and men are weak and fallible.

(side note: not anti-rhaegar. clown on this post at your peril.)

[notmoreflippingelves]

So in the middle of my rewatch, I suddenly got really distracted by Francisco's black-with-gold-accents "formal" court attire, specifically in regards to the leaf accents on the sleeves. And I could help but think of the *other* black-with-gold-leaf accents look that we see on a Flores family member--Esteban's in "Elena and the Secret of Avalor." Although the designs between the two suits are distinctly different, there is enough of a similarity to make me want to think about them as a set and how the differences actually reflect the differences in the characters/their roles as well.

Although the silhouettes are similar overall, I would go far as to say that Francisco's look creates more of the classic "storybook prince" vibe than his grandson's. His costume is ornate and grand without seeming ostentatious. Think of how Prince Charming is costumed in pretty much any Cinderella adaptation. He must look striking and appropriately heroic--but specifically in a way that enhances our heroine without overshadowing her. And in nearly every adaptation, Prince Charming is more than okay with this, and the same is true of Francisco. He is at some level aware that he is on a show called "Elena of Avalor"--not "Francisco Flores of Avalor" and has no desire to pull the spotlight away from where it rightfully must be. In fact, he is far prouder to be the grandfather of Elena (and of Esteban and Isabel as well) than he would hypothetically be as the protagonist of his own story.

(Esteban meanwhile exudes "main character energy" and I mean that in both the complimentary and derogatory sense. In his mind, he is on a show titled "Chancellor Esteban of Avalor and His 41-Year-Old Guilt Complex That Not Even Tres Leches Cake Can Heal." But like if I had four decades of trauma to process and no one else seemed to notice, I would probably feel uncomfortable when we are not about me as well. And fittingly, his black-and-gold outfit is much more attention-grabbing than Francisco's, but much more on that later).

Two big parts of what leads to the "fairy tale hero" look in Francisco's outfit (and also to his "default" blue version) are: 1) the two medals pinned to his chest and 2) the epaulettes at the shoulder (I believe this is still the correct term even if they lack the tassels we normally associate w/the term, but like fashion historians can feel free to correct me).

Either epaulettes or medals of honor --or both-- are often seen on characters of his type. (Pick any Disney prince and you have a 50% chance of seeing one of these. Heck, King Roland's main outfit in SoA has both as well). A large part of what leads us to associate these particular sartorial touches as "hero-coded" are their association as part of typical military dress uniforms throughout history. (And yes, I recognize the problematic nature of such a trope, but just bear with me and accept it for now).

By including these as part of Francisco's costume (and its original blue equivalent), the animators are implying that he has a long, proud of history of serving his country and that at least some of this service came as a soldier and/or commander on the battlefield. And that he won honor--military and practical alike--in doing so.

Esteban's ensemble, obviously lacks the military touches (the epaulettes and medals) of his grandfather's. Because for all that he too served Avalor for decades, his service was of the bureaucratic rather than the military variety. (Shuriki obviously won't let Esteban wear a sword with his uniform--even he wanted to. Hardly surprising considering the whole "I killed your aunt and uncle. Doesn't that make you want to go apeshit?" thing they've got going.) But I digress.

The arms (esp the shoulders) and trousers of Esteban's ensemble are also much more form-fitted than Francisco's,as befitting a younger, more athletic man who wants to better show off his physique. (The real "secret of Avalor" is how Esteban singlehandedly managed a country for 41 years and somehow did so without skipping "Leg Day"--am I right, folks?")

Compared to Francisco's much plainer jacket, the design of Esteban's coat is also more ornate (the leaf accents are larger and more detailed) and colorful with the red collar, cuffs, and lining. This makes sense given that Esteban is established as much vainer and more flamboyant than his grandfather and that he has as mentioned, a much stronger need to grab attention.

However, the elaborateness of Esteban's jacket makes even more sense we consider it in the context of his role in Shuriki's court. He is a skilled diplomat, yes, and a capable administrator. But like every courtier, his primary function is to be ornamental first and everything else second. His looks, his charm, his attentions are expected to always be in service to the Queen first and foremost--not even in service to his duty or his country but specifically to the Queen herself. Certainly not (!) in service to his own will. (And damn, that must sting extra hard for someone who has only ever wanted to be seen and listened to and valued for himself.)

As such, Esteban is treated as an extension of the Queen--yet another pretty-if-powerful tool in her Almighty hands and fundamentally little different from her pretty crystal wand.

And yet, we see little tiny little hints in Esteban's SoA costume that he remains more than just Shuriki's shiny little Avaloran ornament. Let's go back to the red accents--shall we? Obviously, the show as a whole establishes red as Esteban's "signature color"--an honor he shares with Elena (and Mateo..but like he's less relevant tbh). Moreover, red, along with yellow/gold (and blue but again less relevant here), is one of the official colors of Avalor. Indeed the jaquins on the royal flag are red against a gold backdrop. So we can see an subtle wardrobe-related foreshadowing of where Esteban's loyalties truly lie and of the decision that he will make at the end of the episode.

And finally, as the artists among you will attest, red's complementary opposite on the color wheel is green. As in Shuriki's signature color, and this is reflected in nearly everything about her--from her eyes and eyeshadow to her dress and earrings to her green magical smoke, to her Emerald City-core dressing room to the teal background on her little silhouetted flag redesign. And complementary colors are often paired together so that the unique, striking shade of each is shown off to its full potential--and such is the case here. (Often, the effect is even achieved by using the "opposite" color as a key part of adding "shading" to the object).

A string of red lights wrapped around a Christmas tree may be overshadowed at first by the massive green boughs that it is entangled around. But nevertheless, it is because of the contrasting green that we are fully able to grasp just how bright and red those lights are able to glisten in the light. And so it is with Esteban's red collar shining forth like a beacon through Shuriki's haze of green smoke.

But when it comes down to it, red is still green's perfect, natural opposite. Red is a primary color, a true chromatic original unlike the artificially-created secondary shade of green. Moreover, red is Avalor, red is Esteban. The little dab of invading, interloping Shuriki green that has been added to the red paint only serves to heighten its fiery, crimson hue all the more.

[genekies]

tag vent

[imminent-danger-came]

Gotta say my tags from this post are killing me

We're living past the end of our myth for a 3rd time. Number three. Triple of 'em

[softquietsteadylove]

If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear your headcanons for the Ice Queen X Tyrant King AU as well🥹🫶💕 thank youuu <3

More Ice Queen/Tyrant King headcanons! Let's go!!!

Little Heiress lives in Korea again. She will hate Gil and Thena both until the day she dies. But she has resigned herself to the fact that going after either of them again will result in her death.

Druig is a hacker, like one of the crazy impossible ones in the movies. He taps into surveillance like it's nothing, owns a bunch of networks and servers. He doesn't show up to many meetings in person, but he and Makkari get together when they can.

Speaking of the Lightning Thief herself, she has many talents, but she chooses to stay contracted as a petty thief. She thinks it's more fun and it offers her more variety and the freedom to travel. She has no permanent place, usually renting in small slots of time. When she's in town, she stays with Druig.

Makkari loves hanging out with Thena and Sersi. None of them had all that normal a childhood, so she likes having girl friends to hang out with. Sometimes she breaks into their homes when she wants to have a sleepover. She doesn't do it to Thena anymore, ever since she broke in and they were getting busy in the elevator again.

Kingo really played it down at the time, but he was the one to give Gil Thena's building passcode. He told him that she was miserable, moping around like she'd gotten her heart broken. His instruction to Gil was "fix it".

Imo comes to America a lot more often now, entirely to visit them. And by them, it's mostly Thena. She'll show up and Thena will drop all her business for the day to visit with her. Imo says she's a good daughter. Then Gil will get home, find out they've spent all day together, having tea or chilling or shopping, and he pouts about being left out.

Gil once asks Thena if he's losing his edge. When she asks what he means he pats his belly and says maybe he should quit drinking beer or something. She says she doesn't mind any shape he's in, so long as that shape is alive (and she says she's not romantic).

He does go to the gym though, that is on days when he's not beating people up and disposing of bodies, since rest days are important. It's mostly because, ever since that French guy, he's been even more aware than usual just how beautiful and desired his fiance is.

He's asked Thena once or twice what she wants to do for the wedding. She says that she thought he would have an idea. They haven't gotten very far past that, since they're already quite married in spirit anyway.

They both have their ring tattoos on the left hand, while the physical rings are on the right. Thena takes hers off frequently, whether it's because she doesn't want to get blood on it or because she doesn't want whomever she's meeting with to know she has a weakness like that. Gil never takes his off.

Thena's favourite foods are tteokbokki, carbonara and traditional Russian solyanka, all of which Gil knows how to make deliciously. She grew up with a lot of Russian and European cuisine of course, and even some central Asian dishes thanks to her various nannies and caretakers. But once Gil started cooking Korean food for her, she hasn't looked back.

Imo shows her some things when she visits, but Thena has confessed multiple times with embarrassment that she's a terrible cook. Imo says that's fine so long as she has other things she's good at, like running the business.

Imo is surprisingly violent. She's run the family business for a long time--the business Gil's father married into, she likes to remind him. Imo has enforced so much in her day that she used to get called the Red Queen. Thena only idolizes her even more for it.

Although it's rare, if Thena and Gil argue over the course of a few days, she'll threaten to call Imo. Things resolve themselves quickly.

Gil likes bringing home little treats. Thena always says she doesn't need them or she's not hungry after dinner or something. They're always gone by the next time he looks in the fridge.

Gil loves calling Thena little petnames like Ice, and Sweetness, and Princess, and she even lets him call her baby here and there. But he makes sure to take time to lean in close and whisper Thena at just the right times.

They still haven't discussed the wedding plans, but if Gil were to ask her to go through with a Korean wedding, she would still say yes.

Imo calls the office sometimes and Thena isn't in, but she likes talking to Kingo--thinks he's funny. Thena tells her not to taunt her personal assistant, but Imo is like an orca who enjoys playing with her food before the kill.

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

yaz voice: i keep thinking,,, i keep thinking abt the.....future affecting the past of it all. the "if he runs out of time the hostile action would end and a time machine would know", "im fine because you fixed yourself", and "because it's not a grave"

like if it were me. if it were me. i still would have gone with the villa diodati conundrum. "save the poet, save the universe" what do we do when the poet IS the universe. "watch people burn now or tomorrow" like the distinction exists? like tomorrow isnt yesterday?

so we make them face the child. the doctor loses this one, right? too beholden to their rules. lost with shelley, will lose with the child. because there is no way to win it. not with the rules of the universe theyve clung to up to this point. not without play

so theres a child that needs to be saved but the doctor cant do it because it will take the foundation out from under the universe. she Can Not interfere. she fails to be the doctor when it comes to herself. but yaz is there. doctor's doctor. wont accept this. saves the child

the universe crumbles, but this or tecteun's revenge the outcome is similar except. the universe that crumbles if you save the child is the timelords' universe, their imposed histories, their laws, their logic. nothing makes sense anymore. it's terrifying. gotta let go gotta let go gotta let go. you HAVE to play. play or perish. please it's not that serious. it's just identity! funniest game there is. listen to the master; tag, youre it