#mae muses

[maebird-melody]

I am making my friend watch the new Superman show with me and we just watched the most recent episode with Doctor Ivo. At the end, Jimmy is sad because his two best friends walk off all romantically into the sunset. I think nothing describes difference between the aroace and allo experience better than our very different responses to that scene.

My response was that Jimmy’s needs as a friend were clearly being disregarded in favor of the “more important” romantic feelings developing between Clark and Lois. And despite him shipping the two of them, it doesn’t change that it always hurts when you get third wheeled or left out by your closest friends. But I was confident that once the romantic tension settled and the three of them had a chance to talk, Lois and Clark would start making space for their friend again.

Meanwhile, my allosexual friend’s response was that “they need to give Jimmy somebody.” That the way to cure his sadness was to give him a romantic partner. Which was a response that shocked me, considering that my friend is very on board with my desire to maintain our close friendship after their marriage while not pursuing a romantic relationship myself.

And I cannot stress enough that finding a romantic partner cannot be the only solution to feeling sad when your best friends get together. What kind of message does that send to asexual or aromantic people? That you will lose all your friends to romance and you won’t have any fulfilling relationships yourself unless you also get with the program?

I am curious to see which direction the show takes this, but Jimmy seems like a prime candidate for either ace or aro representation. I hope that this can be a moment to help people untrain the knee-jerk response that romance isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to relationship ills.

[fili-urzudel]

If you could write any scene to add to the Hobbit movies what scene would you write and why?

Ooh that's a good one! I think they're pretty good as they are. I've been reading the book and while there are things that are left out in the movie, there's also a lot of things that the movie adds that makes the background dwarves feel more real and fleshed out. I don't even care if they're like, every basic character trope at once, it's so fun

One thing that always makes me mad is how Fíli is overlooked so often and sometimes it seems like they give his lines to Kíli just because he's "the cute one" (he is but so is his brother!!!) and they want him to have more screentime. The instance that always sticks in my head is Kíli confronting Thorin shortly after he's been freed from the dragonsickness, like Kíli has every right to say that but Fíli doubly so, considering he is the heir to the throne of Erebor. So I would add more Fíli content (speaking of which I should write more fics exploring his personality since none of the writers wanted to give him any apparently).

I might add something about how often Bilbo ends up having to be carried on someone's (often Dori's) back, or a glimpse into the society of the Eagles like we get in the book. If and when I finish the book, I'll reblog this and let you know if there's anything else I want added lol

[wine-dark-and-honey-tongued]

Feeling a lot of emotions in this Chili’s tonight, lemme tell you

I’ve always felt connected to Aphrodite. Apollo, Ariadne, and Dionysus have given me quite a bit of soul-searching and researching to do.

I’ve been feeling such a huge draw towards the sun and solar imagery/symbolism the past few years and upon delving into research about Apollo I rather quickly had my “aha” moment.

Ariadne has been revealing parts of herself to me, lots of introspection on my end thanks to her so that’s sort of what she’s become to me, or rather, what ine of her attributes is? At least, so far; the more I learn the more I’ll discover but I cannot shake the dots I’ve connected with labyrinths=introspection/reflection/self assessment/etc but that can be a post all its own.

Dionysus has been the most mysterious of all. I never quite figured out what drew me to him or why I felt a connection form. I knew it was beyond “oh, he’s Ariadne’s husband” but until tonight I could never put my finger on exactly what it was.

It’s the liberation. The ecstasy. The frenzied, frenetic release. Relinquishing control. Unbridled authenticity. Embracing the multifaceted & kaleidoscopic self, good and bad melding together in countless combinations that being forth new sides of yourself. Shedding expectations and standards to be one's unbridled self. The catharsis that comes after the frenzy, spend yet satisfied, knowing oneself a little better. The relief that follows crying or screaming, expressing oneself in the most basic way. The desire, the drive, to keep going because sometimes all you can do is scream and, yet, it helps.

It's learning to find the balance and connection with positive and negative, allowing yourself to experiment and grow and change and go through phases to know yourself more, to find that certain kind of clarity achieved when emotions run high. Learning and knowing that flaws do not equate failure, that you are allowed, nay, encouraged, to continue growing and changing and becoming more versions of you. Knowing that having periods of messiness and chaos are a vital part of living, hand-in-hand with the times when you get your shit together. Without the chaos, the madness, how will you know what shit needs sorting?

I think I understand a little better now.

[brat-icarus]

So this is rlly tumblr of me but heres a life lesson i learned last night bc breadsticks

so

I had a packet of these breadstick things (the italian skinny things u dip in hummus) and i dropped the open packet, went to pull it back to me, but bc weird angle, a breadstick got caught on my table leg.

So, i could force this breadstick packet towards me, right? Bc i want them? But then this particular breadstick would snap, fall to the floor, and i wouldnt be able to have it, 100% guaranteed.

But due to the way the packet was, i could let go of the breadsticks, and then thered be a chance, pretty high, that the same breadstick would touch the floor anyway and i wouldnt get it. But thered be a chance of the breadstick being alright and then i could have it.

And like. Yeah. Sometimes the urge, when people are Away from you, emotionally, is to pull and pull and try to get them to come to you. But youre just going to Upset them, and fuck up any chance of reconciliation you Did have. But if you stop forcing it, yeah, you have to accept the risk theyre never coming back. But theres that chance that space will help the situation and then reconciling is a possibility.

This post isnt gonna touch on what that reconciliation Looks like, bc that depends entirely on the people involved the dynamic etc like this is a Major over-simplification but so are most metaphors, please employ critical thought here

[mynameismckenziemae]

Today sucked.

I drove 166 miles to get a car after I talked to the bank yesterday and got the loan approved blah blah blah…it was all good to go (the bank was also aware that the dealer was not close so we needed to pick it up today). I get there, like the car, start the buying process…long story short the bank fucked up and now have to have my new vehicle shipped to me. For a fee of course.

So that was shitty, but whatever. We drive home, pick up my kid and then drive a big city a little over away for an event. Less than an hour into the event…my child starts to puke. All the way to the bathroom, 4 times on the drive home and once since getting home. Child is now sleeping but I doubt it’s the end of it so we’ll be up a bunch tonight.

I fucking give up. 😭😩

[readyplayerziggy]

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Really, that's about as quiet as her footsteps can get, being as massive as she is. Now, is there anyone...inhuman around here she can talk to?

Just a millennia-old fox spirit courtesan responsible for slaying thousands of warriors and is currently leaning over a counter, bosom pancaking against the mirror-polished surface, spreading the last layer of frosting over a cube of cake almost a meter thick. Five fluffy tails wagging in unison and batting either side of her double-door clogging (but not yet busting, unfortunately) hips.

Just give her oooone minute and she'll be with whoever came in!

[outofangband]

follow up to my post on BoLT Aerin I just wanted to add that I was actually wrong about Tolkien describing Airin (her name in BoLT) as “of the long hair” as being without reason. I checked the appendix and Aerin has a name in BoLT from Gnomish, that is, proto-Noldorin*

the name is Faiglindra meaning having long hair, especially used of women. The relevant parts are also used primarily in given names. 

Aurfaiglin** by the way means “the sun at noon” and is a word specifically listed in the appendix as relating to Aerin’s Gnomish name. @that-angry-noldo I thought you might like that bit. 

In my defense SO much of BoLT is just completely wild anecdotes and scenes that are never mentioned again or elaborated on (some fun examples being -Húrin successfully praying to Manwë once when Túrin is captured and Manwë intervenes only for this, this is one tiny paragraph, Brodda being Húrin‘s evil second cousin or something who is simultaneously extremely popular but also everyone hates him/the whole cow thing, Maedhros’s bizarre capture and release and his being tortured over making jewelry, etc Thanks, Tolkien)

ANYWAYS, I was wondering recently how many of the Hadorians spoke Quenya, Húrin at least speaks some but I don’t think it was widely spoken among their people. I was wondering this because I found a great name for the baby goat I gave Aerin but I can’t make a Sindarin translation :/

*unlike later Noldorin, Gnomish and early Noldorin are actually more similar to Beleriand Sindarin than Quenya 

**you can see some mild relations to Faelivrin there, ai being more commonly used in proto Noldorin/proto Sindarin/early Quenya where ae is later for example Maidros in early Quenya and Gnomish becoming the Sindarin Maedhros 

Related post of Aerin’s name

[letterboxd-loggd]

Safe in Hell (The Lost Lady) (1931) William A. Wellman

May 16th 2023

[musing-and-music]

I've been tagged by @fullmetalscullyy @roseofbattles @megthemighty and @firewoodfigs to post some of my WIPs, so here you are!

Role reversal AU (Royai Monopoly)

Maes Hughes lives

A JB Soulmates AU

Havolina for my Regency AU (for @goneadrift)

Tagging anyone who wants!

[dairogo]

5 for the Hughes, 42 for Royai, and 35 for Fuery/Sheska!

Oh, the Hughes! :') 5. Do they argue often? If so, what do they argue about?

Not often, but just because Maes mooned over Gracia and Elysia constantly doesn't mean everything was perfect at home! When Maes lashed out it was big, loud, emotional responses. He tried to keep Gracia separate from Ishval - he never wanted her to be tainted by the life he and other soldiers led there - and so once (hc) when she cleaned a drawer where he'd hidden some of his correspondence with a war buddy, he blew up at her in a major way. It was verbal not physical, but very much like a feral animal trying to protect itself (he doesn't want her to see any of that), and Gracia backed off at the time but afterwards they had Big Words together about his behaviour.

When Gracia argued with him, it was just like scolding a puppy. ("Maes, calm down - my sister's wedding isn't the right place to talk about how amazing our wedding was in comparison.") She spoke calmly and clearly - and most of the time she was right and he had to back down about the situation, but sometimes she'd start scolding him and Maes knew he was in the right. He'd just persist in his argument until Gracia realised how ridiculous she was being, and she'd get pretty embarrassed. And Maes thought that was really cute. He liked arguing with her when she was wrong - but when he was wrong, it crushed him (very momentarily) to have disappointed her.

Then for Royai, 42. What’s their relationship like with each other’s friends/families?

Well, we've seen Roy interact with all of Riza's family, lol, so briefly about that: Master Hawkeye and General Grumman both look/looked on Roy in the same way - wanting to further their own obsession through him. No wonder H and G didn't get along - they're both so ambitious they wouldn't have been able to compromise for each other.

For a long time, Riza's relationship with Chris Mustang is mutual respect from a distance. Riza is actually really intimidated by Chris - the idea of touching on Roy's personal life strongly enough to meet his family feels forbidden in and of itself, but Riza's scared to face the woman who brought up that idealistic boy when Riza was the one to put a weapon of mass destruction into his hands. She's ashamed.

From Chris' perspective, Roy and Riza are both kids in the same terrible boat, and she's just happy her nephew has found someone who makes him happy. And who enables his scheming - Chris loves scheming, after all.

Roy's sisters love Riza to pieces, but she's scared of them all for a combination of reasons (guilt and too introverted).

And finally, for Feury/Scieszka - 35. Is their relationship a secret? If so, why?

No! They're out there openly dating. There was never a chance to be secret about it, because technically they were supervised for their entire first date. Scieszka ran into the group when they were all at lunch together, and Breda - who knew her from a few intel gathering trips - loudly announced, "You two would get on great. You should date." Feury and Scieszka had been just introduced at that point and they got really embarrassed. They might have just gone their separate ways, but Breda mentioned it to Feury a few times a week for the next month and when Scieszka happened to run into them at lunchtime again, Havoc got talking to her and distracted her long enough to get her to sit down with them, across from a very red Feury. Then Breda told her Kain was interested in finding a particular book about telecommunications, and as she started talking about it, Breda and Havoc just ... slowly slid down the bench ... Then from about two metres away they observed the rest of the date and hissed out hints to Feury about how to keep the conversation going until Feury found his footing.

At the wedding, even though the best man was Feury's younger brother, Havoc and Breda strongarmed their way into making a speech and they called it "the best relationship either of us has ever started."

[redlineoffate]

@blademoxley20 liked for starter

"Hi Riku! Long time no see! I heard good news from Roy! You'll be a father soon! That's great news!"

[maebird-melody]

They really gave Ferdinand the most messed up childhood then said "self-sacrificial manipulation is his love language" didn't they. He can spin it however he wants about just playing the game of politics well, but honestly without Rozemyne there to remind him that what he wants and needs matters, I'm pretty sure he would just trick everyone into letting him self-destruct, taking out all of his and his loved ones' enemies in the process.

[fili-urzudel]

Concerning Dwarvish Eyesight

I'm aware that Thorin's eyesight is a bit of a joke (I just got to the point in the Hobbit where he says that he thought 12 yds was 30 at least, yadda yadda)

But it got me wondering about dwarvish eyesight.

To me, it would make sense if they had poor distance vision and possibly poor color vision, but excellent night/low light vision and excellent ability to detect motion. I could also see them seeing into the infrared or ultraviolet spectrum, I'm not sure which would be more useful for living underground, foraging, and mining though.

Thoughts?

[wine-dark-and-honey-tongued]

Been feeling more and more drawn to Hestia lately, I’ve had my ideal home/home life on my mind a lot lately and idk if it’s just projection or if she’s reaching out but I definitely feel something there, y’know

[brat-icarus]

Blehhhh i hate when i feel rlly fast and then the energy just leaves :/ like damn bpd couldnt u keep up the speedy episode for a bit longer so its a reasonable time to sleep after? Im exhausted now and if i sleep ill be awake at 4am

[mynameismckenziemae]

🩵💜 for the asks.

Thank you for asking! People normally don’t ask me about myself so I get really excited when someone does haha.

🩵 do you have any pets?

Yes! I have a golden retriever/lab mix. She’s 12 years old and my first baby. She’s the sweetest, sassiest girl. She helped me out if my postpartum depression 🥹 I love her so much and it breaks my heart knowing our time together is limited with her age.

Her personality and mannerisms are what I based Steve off of in ‘Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone.’

Here’s a picture of her:

💜 describe yourself in five words or less!

-romantic, quiet, sarcastic ☺️, kind, silly.