#not to harp on it but i do think it's funny because i actually. really did not like the diasomnias at first.

[egophiliac]

I love your take on Crowley!

I know that the early, non-Diasomnia stories aren't really your thing, but are you reading the novels at all?

I have been following some of the fan translations and the second book seems intense! Would love to hear what you think about them.

thank you! 💚💚💚 I'm not really sure why you think I don't like the earlier arcs though, I love pretty much all the characters and their storis! (I think 5 and 1 are my favorite of the past episodes, though 6 infected me with the Shroud brainrot something fierce.) I just...ESPECIALLY love diasomnia. :') but there is room in my heart for all of these dweebs! like, who among us is not just as ride-or-die for Adeuce as they are for us.

that said, I don't really follow the other adaptations like the manga (aside from a dip-in just to see the new Yuus) or the novels, though I keep meaning to check them out! I do like seeing the differences between the different forms of media, and how certain things get adapted one way or another! but alas, time/a lack of accessibility stands in our way more often than not. :( someday...someday I will have time to consume all of the media...

[cinellieroll]

☆ random obey me headcanons part 3!

beelzebub, belphegor and solomon ♡

part one (lucifer, mammon and simeon)

part two (asmodeus, levi and barbatos)

part four (satan and diavolo)

cw: slight spoilers again if you haven't played the recent lessons

small note: thank you again for the likes and reblogs. also, happy 20 followers! yippeee :^D also sorry for the delay i was being silly the whole day so..yeah

☆ beelzebub:

- doesn't listen to music that much which is kinda weird like wdym you don't vibe to hard ass beats everytime you work out? on the bright side a cupid playing a harp melody does start playing in his head when he sees food

- some days his resting bitch face goes so hard you think he'll start biting your neck off if you even try to talk to him

- he does a lot of unintentional things it's actually so hilarious. like no he didn't mean to mindlessly draw an icecream on your hand and start licking it. it was an accident! he swears!

- when you cry he tries to cheer you up with jokes but it always end up being horrible because deep down he's panicking inside on what to say. the bitch starts saying "why did the chicken cross the road" jokes while watching you bawl your eyes out with snot bubbling out your nose

- so instead of the horrible jokes he decides to hug you instead while picking you up and gently sways you left to right <3 and during those situations he's willing to do anything you want. you want him to carry you to your room? gotcha. you want him to buy you food from hell's kitchen? he promises he won't eat it. (he actually didn't but you could see his drool staining the paper bag once he gives it to you)

- there was one point in his life where he was the smallest and fattest out of all the brothers when he was still younger. his older bros, especially mammon would always pinch and bite his cheeks because of how he looked <3

- watches hells kitchen while eating food from hells kitchen. mans obsessed with the show

- has dimples and an eye smile

- he likes it when he holds your hand and look at it from time to time. he just likes to see how big it is compared to yours.

☆ belphegor:

- doesn't really use his phone a lot and resorts to watching TV instead so he doesn't have to use his hands

- slept while candy was in his mouth and woke up choking once. safe to say lucifer banned candies for a whole month after that and everyone else was NOT happy.

- since he is the youngest out of all the brothers he's pretty spoiled in a way. he wants to be the one you hang out with the most and if he needs to pull out the moves just so you'll give him cuddles he won't think twice

- "what do you mean you have plans with asmo today? didn't you know? he ditched cooking duty last night and lucifer told me to do the job instead. i deserve your attention more than he does."

- he thought you were attractive the first time you two met

- takes reaction pics. it's mostly him in a dimly lit room with his eyebrow raised or replicating a funny photo of his brothers

- wasn't interested in shows like hells kitchen until he saw you and beel watching it. he occasionally watches drag race too

- during car rides or road trips he always has to be the one in the back just so he could lay down and sleep

- you can't rely on him for notes because it's always covered in drool when he sleeps in class. although he mostly never takes notes at all he just relies on stock knowledge and good memory

☆ solomon:

- he never caught up with the recent trends in the human world so you really had no one to relate or talk to about your favorite shows, songs, etc

- decided to catch up for you anyway. what a sweetie pie ^_^

- a tear rolled down his cheek when raphael confessed that he liked his cooking for the first time.

- when he's drunk he starts singing love songs and starts going on a ramble about how lonely he is when he isn't with you. and yes, his voice WILL crack.

- sometimes he points things with his lips it's SOOOO HOTTTT

- he gets sad when you get suspicious of him when he's doing a nice gesture for you. he's aware that everyone else think he's shady, and he is! but mc, he just wants to do something nice for you!

- he's an asshole and will constantly tease you especially if you guys are seated together in class. he'll write a note on your notebook saying something like "remember when you *insert embarrassing moment here* or will start writing something subtly flirty like "wanna come over after school?"

- he buys you a lot of expensive things out of nowhere. like there was no ocassion whatsoever but he gifted you the recent iphone like what?

[firestorm09890]

rambling about the org xiii orchestra art

as someone in an orchestra for real

(from here)

I can’t tell what instrument Larxene has. I thought it was castanets and someone else suggested egg shakers but both are not traditional orchestra instruments so it’s really just weird

neat that both Xaldin and Lexaeus are playing the BIG percussion instruments, and both Axel and Saix are playing woodwinds (harp is a stringed instrument too so i make no comment on the strings)

There’s no [x]ylophone pun unfortunately because those huge tubes indicate that’s actually a marimba both Xion and Roxas are playing. There is however a pun in the fact that it’s a KEYboard instrument. also they’re just adorable

actually I just remembered that instrument names aren’t common knowledge, here they are:

Xemnas is the conductor/orchestra director; Xigbar on saxophone, Luxord on trumpet, and Marluxia on trombone (that’s our brass); Axel on flute and Saix on.... it’s hard to see but I think that’s an oboe (woodwinds); Xaldin on timpani, Lexaeus on bass drum, Larxene on... something??, and Roxas & Xion on marimba (percussion); and then Vexen on harp, Zexion on violin, and Demyx on double bass (strings)

Marluxia why are you holding a flower I know you have an aesthetic but you need both hands to play a trombone

There are 3 main instrument sections (kinda) that are the “obnoxious know-it-all” instruments, stereotyped as generally having a superiority complex over the other sections because they’re soooo important look at meeee carrying the melody: the trumpet for band, the 1st violin for orchestra, and the soprano for voice (and the secret 4th, the flute for woodwinds). With that said, of course Zexion would play violin

And following both that and his Mystery Gear in 358/2 Days, it would have made more sense thematically for Xigbar to be playing the trumpet. however the saxophone is the funny meme instrument so it still works

There is NO WAY Demyx is a double bass player. It’s the only instrument besides percussion that you have to stand up for (though some orchestras do have the bassists sit on stools), and it’s much more work to actually PLAY than the other string instruments, by virtue of being much bigger. they tend to play less than most other stringed instruments, sure, but if you want to be sitting around not doing much you’re best off picking a different instrument entirely, especially since string sections tend to require more unanimity in playing than the brass/woodwinds/percussion since there’s more people playing each part

harps are rare to include in compositions. they’re very nice and melodious though. idk what this says about Vexen

generally there’s not enough percussion players to cover every single instrument which means that Larxene is definitely running around to cover all the small parts (whatever she’s holding, it’s definitely percussion)... actually with Xaldin Lexaeus Roxas and Xion in percussion as well she might not have to but she is the speedy one so

--

I hope what Saix is holding is an oboe and not a clarinet because if it’s an oboe we get some more symbolism, as well as some very nice... dynamic between his instrument and Zexion’s :)

you see, the oboe is the instrument that tunes the entire rest of the orchestra. whatever the oboe’s A sounds like will be the A the ensemble matches. one could say it’s the most important instrument

HOWEVER, the first chair of 1st violin is nominally the most important instrument- that’s the “concertmaster”, and they get to walk on-stage after everyone else (but before the conductor, obviously). they’re also important for real- based on the repertoire they’re basically guaranteed to have at least one solo. they sit at the very front, right next to the conductor. in my orchestra the concertmaster has a little biography in the program along with the conductor’s

there’s actually multiple rounds of tuning- the first couple it’s the oboe doing their thing and the other non-string instruments matching, and then the last round the concermaster matches the oboe, and then the string instruments match the concertmaster.

and that’s all so very interesting, isn’t it

and finally

Xemnas is 100% a garbage conductor. To the audience he looks very cool, doing all his sweeping motions, but it’s impossible to follow as an orchestra member, so you’re really on your own because the conductor is not conducting properly and not giving helpful cues

[comradekatara]

ohmygod not to KEEP harping on this zukka/klancr thing but YES you’re right the gender thing. exploring queerness in characters who have already expressed onscreen a complicated relationship with gender can be such a great thing, and like you pointed out both of them share similar “nerdy” interests like poetry, theatre, etc that don’t quite fit their gendered expectations for themselves. sokka canonically likes shopping and matching accessories. and yet for some FUCKING reason the tags insist on having sokka be hypermasculine and zuko be hyperfeminine, for reasons i can only hypothesise are racist to both zuko and sokka (feminisation of the east asian man and the masculinisation of the brown skinned indigenous one, to begin with). it’s so incredibly irritating when both of them have interesting and canon relationships with gender and gender roles/presentations. anyway. will leave your inbox alone now. thank you for your time!!

yeah like i think saying that sokka is “masc” is ridiculous but then ppl will try to compensate for that by claiming that actually ZUKO is masc which is really funny also. they both struggle to conform to this standard of masculinity that has been imposed on them. like obviously sokka embodies some “traditionally masculine” traits (his general aptitude for warfare and all that it entails, his ability to kill both animals and humans, his role as provider/protector) but largely those traits have been honed through years of being forced through circumstance to live up to that standard. just as zuko’s musculature or aggression or anger is his way of embodying a standard he has always felt pressure to live up to. but zuko’s like a wells for boys faggot and sokka’s if a teenage boy was a dyke was an old curmudgeon who yells at the miscreant youths to get off his lawn. neither of them are “masculine” but it’s less about them embracing femininity and more about them realizing that these patriarchal standards are constructed and arbitrary and actively harmful (to them and to the world). which isn’t to say that embracing one’s masculinity is necessarily a bad thing, because i do believe that toph would butch it up more as she gets older and comes to terms with her own masculine presentation. but when people say shit like “sokka goes from performing manhood to learning how to be a real man” i just pause bc like. if anything sokka goes from performing manhood to learning that he doesn’t have to be a man at all (while nonetheless still desperately embodying roles in accord with the patriarchal logic he so deeply internalized that he may never fully extricate, even if he wakes up one day and actually straight up decides he is gonna start identifying as nonbinary or whatever). but like. he’s definitely not buff and stacked and ripped. he gives off sickly orphan vibes well into middle age smh. and also zuko having long hair OBVIOUSLY doesn’t make him fem…. but the blue spirit is basically his drag queen persona and his wrists are so limp it actively inhibits his ability to firebend so make of that what u will.

[nerdalmighty]

hey! so, i just recently started playing baldur's gate 3 after seeing people put it all over my dash for months--and you're one of the people i've seen reblogging a lot of posts about it LOL. so if you don't mind me asking, i was wondering what kind of character do you/did you play as? and do you have any sort of backstory for your tav that you'd like to share?

Hoooooooooooooh my god thank you so much for asking. I have a friend who comes over to watch me play on Thursdays and I make a powerpoint every week to catch her up on what she missed - this week's powerpoint literally has slides about my Tav's background (more on those later). This is about to be long, I'm about to drop ALL my lore so buckle up! AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY BG3 BRAIN WORMS!!!!! I'm glad they convinced you to play 😈

So to begin, I've been in my first ever dnd campaign with a group of friends for a little over a year now. I didn't know much about Baldur's Gate except that it was a dnd video game and that you could romance people. Me, being a Big Fan of Romance And Fantasy was like "okay well I'm in" and my friend actually let me start a game at his house. Through that, I met Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion.

Backing up a bit to my character; I decided I'd put my character from my irl dnd campaign into the game since I already knew her whole deal. I get pretty overwhelmed with making decisions, ESPECIALLY with big open world games like bg3, so knowing who/what I wanted to be really helped me out.

In the campaign I'm in with friends, it's pirate themed, and I play a half-elf bard named Birdie Harp who's secretly half-siren (murder mermaid). To make a long story very short, she was born in the arctic and escaped her murderous pod during a coming-of-age trial where she also lost her siren abilities (hypnotizing voice, breathing underwater, etc).

I've watched a ton of Dimension 20 which is an actual play show on Dropout.tv (an "actual play" is where you watch other people run a campaign of dnd - like Critical Role, which a lot of people have at least heard of - HIGHLY recommend Dimension 20, as I find it incredibly funny and easier to get into than CR because of the episode lengths), and I knew that I really liked the silliness and theatricality of the bard class. I also loved the bards from The Owl House which helped influence my decision as well.

To be honest, Birdie is my first ever dnd character, so she's basically a self insert but with a MUCH more traumatic backstory than me (this IS dnd after all). As for the half-elf aspect, it was more of an "I want to be half mermaid, what's similar to that?" as opposed to a love for half-elves or something.

BACK TO BALDUR'S GATE - knowing I wanted Birdie to be in the game, I felt a lot less overwhelmed to come up with something entirely new - I knew a lot about the bard class having played one so I wanted to CONTINUE playing one (and I've learned even more since playing bg3!).

When I finally got my own game (I no longer play at my friend's house, but in the comfort of my own home), I recreated Birdie and started on my journey in earnest. I'm VERY MUCH someone who likes to be in control and know what to expect, so I've had guides and walkthroughs to help me the whole time - SUE ME! When it came to first meeting Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion back at my friend's house, Gale actually immediately stole my heart - a kind, witty wizard who likes books and cats? Literally say less. I went home from that session with my friend fully thinking I'd be a Gale girlie until I really looked into the other options and saw The Vampire.

Blah blah blah, he's hot and funny, but he can also be incredibly soft, which really won me over in the end. So I've been romancing That Guy.

Through Acts 1 and 2, I wasn't all too sure about this version of Birdie's background - sure she COULD still be that half-siren from the arctic, but the game kept suggesting she was FROM Baldur's Gate. I LOVED the inclusion of the harpies in Act 1 and thought maybe that was a viable entry point for her backstory, but so far, she was kind of just... me? She was making the choices I wanted to make (and a few that I knew Astarion would like lmao), but she wasn't really her own entity apart from me except for her name. She also felt vastly different from that character I'd created for my friends over a year ago. For instance, my irl Birdie currently has a crush on a Gale-type character, but this Birdie is ass deep in Astarion (hey, sorry I said "ass deep in Astarion"). The thing I love about Baldur's Gate 3 is how you can really come up with your own backstories, since the in-game one for your Tav is so vague. It's totally fine to ignore tiny details in the game and mold them to your own headcanons for your Tav, but I was so unsure of what I wanted for this Birdie that I kind of internalized that she was from Baldur's Gate.

HEADS UP! The following has some spoilers for Act 3 and some side quests, so STOP reading if that's something you'd care to avoid (the last 3 paragraphs of this post are SAFE from spoilers):

When Act 3 finally rolled around (which is where I am currently, I only have the one playthrough so far because I become INCREDIBLY attached to things), I stumbled across the Water Queen's House in Baldur's Gate. Ah ha! Now this felt promising.

A temple dedicated to the Vengeful Sea Goddess, Umberlee, and her loyal Wave Servants to serve her. It's ocean themed, it has mermaid undertones, and their goddess is basically evil. Seems like the perfect place to FINALLY insert this version of Birdie. I wasn't 100% sure until I completed the Iron Throne mission and was faced with either handing a (mostly) innocent man over to the Wave Servants, or fighting to defend him.

Here are a few of the slides from this week's powerpoint that I mentioned all the way back at the start, starting with SOME background on the Wave Servants:

Ass and Shart are what I affectionately call Astarion and Shadowheart (Also I got this beautiful "Birdie" art on Pinterest which originated from someone named Dantrelium on Reddit):

Apologies for the small text here, but there are some more details about THIS Birdie here, which I literally made up/figured out earlier this week:

Essentially, this Birdie was born at the Water Queen's House as Kittiwake Crest - Kittiwakes are common arctic birds, which I thought would be a nice little homage to the original character she was based off of. She was raised by the collective of Wave Servants there, the main one being Flood Tide Allandra Grey who seems to be head honcho at the Wave Mother's House (in this reality, she is).

Since Umberlee is such a vengeful goddess, I imagine she asked her Wave Servants to commit unspeakable acts in her name, mainly drownings, which THEY see as merciful, but I think Birdie always saw as horrifying. Who were they to decide the fates of others? I also think that the Wave Servants themselves were abusive during her upbringing to keep her in line (but much like how Nocturne was a light in the darkness for Shadowheart, I don't think EVERY Wave Servant was evil). GOTTA have a classic tragic backstory.

Upon researching Umberlee, I learned that most of her servants are clerics, so in my mind, that means Birdie was raised to eventually become one, with her official title eventually going to be "Seawind Kittiwake Crest." Is she still half-siren/mermaid though? Not entirely sure. This IS a magical world though, so I'd be inclined to say yes, probably.

But when we first meet the Wave Servants, they're singing beautifully for their drowned sister, Holli. I think Birdie REALLY loved music and singing with her sisters and secretly trained herself in bard magic when she should have been learning to be a cleric. It's also a classic trait of bards to hide their pain through humor, so I often imagine the type of stupid things Birdie gets up to to bring herself joy (my favorite headcanon being when you meet Skittle the Rat in Wyrm's Rock prison - he's a rat merchant who speaks exclusively in puns. I think Birdie and Gale would excitedly throw puns back and forth with Skittle while Astarion and Shadowheart begrudgingly (and affectionately) roll their eyes in the background).

Another thing I love about the game is how you can string together your own ideas of how companions react to things between big cut scenes. For example, in my head, in my game, Astarion has really become a Big Softy thanks to how fucking Stupid (affectionate) Birdie acts in life and has drawn him out of his shell, but also runs a tag team scam with her where she plays her lute to distract people while he loots an entire place. Gale is Birdie's partner in crime when it comes to tomfoolery and loves to joke and fool around with her (so long as it goes easy on his knees). And Shadowheart is basically a sister figure who flip flops between sassing with Astarion and joining in on the fun. THEY'RE JUST THE BEST, OKAY? OF COURSE I'M GONNA WALK AROUND WITH A BUNCH OF IDIOTS. I LOVE THEM.

Anyway, back to Birdie's backstory: she always hated the atrocities that were asked of her, and she was looking for a way out, but was too scared to take that step and leave since the Wave Mother's House is all she's ever known. One night, while stepping out to quietly dip her toes in the water, the Mindflayers captured her, and that's where we start Act One, all the way up on the Nautiloid. She changed her name to Birdie to distance herself from her previous life, fully took up the bard class, and the rest is history.

Back to that dilemma with handing over that (mostly) innocent guy or fighting the Wave Servants: with encouragement from the party, they convince Birdie to face her traumatic upbringing and fight the Wave Servants once and for all. At this point in Act 3, she's basically helped every single person with their problems except her own. Here's another slide featuring Ass and Birdie:

That's right folks, Birdie faced her past! But the bad news is we don't get to see Astarion in this (audio from The Adventurous Adventures of One Direction):

(Video description - Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 wearing the Wave Mother's Armor with the following audio:

Guard 1: Whoa, check it out.

Guard 2: Hubba hubba hubba.

Gaurd 1: Nice. I love dudes in skirts.

END VIDEO.) I don't want to tell you how many times I recorded that until I felt like I got it right lol. Also yes, I DID do a scum save where I handed the guy over ONCE just so I could see Ass in this outfit, but Birdie did canonically save Redhammer in my actual save file.

And honestly, that's BASICALLY it for now! My most recent save was after that battle, so I need to figure out if Birdie's going to go back with her party to confront the rest of (or most of) the Wave Servants, or if this chapter of her life is closed.

In an ideal world I'd LOVE to make one of those artsy gif edits of my Tav like this and this, but PS5s make it hard to download clips without uploading them to YouTube first which I don't really want to do.

Thank you SO MUCH for this ask, I had a blast writing it!! Sorry it's so long, I just love this game so much and LOVE talking about it. Please feel free to ask more questions OR chat with me about YOUR Tav! I'd love to hear all about them :)

[fairyhaos]

seventeen and instruments in a youth orchestra

seventeen as different people in my symphony orchestra lmao. inspired by @hannyoontify 's svt as diff band instruments :>

(warnings for curse words)

masterlist

seungcheol

concertmaster. the first chair of first violin. honestly he wasn't going to be anything else, not with his charismatic nature and his power and his leader qualities. the entire orchestra is in awe of him actually, and it's due to his ability to read and play music to an incredible degree (even if he's sight reading it and the notes have far too many ledger lines) that the music actually manages to flow as he drags the orchestra along by playing the violin melody. 

jeonghan

harpist. our harps only come to rehearsal some-odd weeks before the actual performance because they're a) a difficult instrument to bring in and b) their parts are often simply melody decoration or emphasis of melody and we can afford to practise without them. harpists are a little like celebrities when they come in bc they only have to come to half of the rehearsals and also bc they play such pretty-sounding instruments. all in all the harpists are just vv jeonghan coded. 

joshua

first chair of the second violins. literally he is exactly like the first chair 2nd violinist back when i first joined one of my orchestras: the utter sweetest, literally so accommodating and understanding of the new violinists and willing to teach them concert basics etc. but also he just, like. doesn't show up to half of the rehearsals. like seriously the front desk of second violins only has one person for most of the months until it's the day of the concert and boom he's back smiling in his seat like he never left

junhui

french horn. french horn players are the prettiest people ever actually. also there's never a mean word on the conductor's tongue for them. half of the time he's staring out of the window because let's face it, the french horn doesn't exactly have a bunch of stuff to play. but then when they do, it's the richest, warmest, most golden sound ever and it's so beautiful and fills out the melody wonderfully. and then he empties his horn in the middle of the piece for no apparent reason other than he wanted to get the spit out immediately. 

hoshi

trombone. he's that one trombone who plays super super loudly and is, most of the time, very good but when he makes a mistake it's a loud mistake and has the conductor stopping the orchestra just to sigh at him disappointedly. grins innocently like he didn't just make a mistake. even if you don't talk to the trombones that much, you'll know exactly who he is because of how noisy and hyper he is. messes around with the percussion instruments during rehearsal break, has woozi threatening to destroy his trombone in retaliation

wonwoo

clarinet. but not just the clarinet, he's the bass clarinet too. clarinets are so funky and honestly they keep to themselves in their little clarinet group most of the time, but they're super nice people and actually really really funny once you get to know them. also the clarinet just gives so much wonwoo vibes?? i think it's the supporting vibes, the fact that they're not as center-stage as the squeaky flutes but still play similar melodies, with their warmer, smoother sound that is so wonwoo

woozi

percussion. the timpani, the snare drum, the bass drum, the glock, those huge-ass chimes, they're all managed by him. he is the entire percussion section. crazily good at his job too (which is why he's even capable of handling all those instruments) and because of this he's often seen as intimidating and terrifying. snarky, lowkey doesn't give a shit about the conductor especially when he starts badmouthing the perc performance in front of the entire orchestra bc he's just one person doing everything okay give him a break

minghao

viola. gets pissed at everyone who calls the viola "just a bigger violin" because fuck you actually the viola is a real instrument and has its own name. also is just stressed 24/7 for no apparent reason. apparently has loads of other extra commitments like how he's in a jazz band and he's learning the saxophone but he's also an art student with an artist research study due in like two days that he hasn't even picked an artist for yet. even if he's dead on his feet he'll still punch you for calling the viola a fake instrument tho

mingyu

double bass. everyone thinks he's like, the coolest person ever (he plays the double bass!!!) but in reality he's actually just a total loser who giggles whenever someone says they loved his playing. is still a really really good double bass tho. it's hard to tell when it's playing correctly bc it's such a low instrument, but the moment the double bass is out of time the effects can be felt throughout the entire orchestra. he's proud to announce that when he can't play something, instead of playing and messing up he just sits there and doesn't play they part. 

dokyeom

oboe. he has wind instrument fingers okay, but also he's definitely slaying those yearning oboe solos in those gentle waltzy movements. he plays his solo and the entire audience just falls silent, stunned by the beauty of his playing. also he's really fucking loud just like the oboe. i would have put him in flute but there is something more awe-inspiring and powerful about the oboe compared to the prissy flutes who lowk don't know how to sight read properly bc there are so many of them

seungkwan

first violin. he gives the sassy and performance-like vibes of firsts, and is very very passionate about telling everyone just how important the first violin is in the orchestra. does lightly throw shade on the second violins (because wtf No One is able to hear what they're playing) too, like every first violin ever. but he's so so hardworking, and honestly the only reason that first violins aren't scolded during rehearsals is because of how hard we practise, and seungkwan? seungkwan would practise until he could perform it blindfolded. 

vernon

percussion apprentice. he's actually a second violin but apparently handling like 5 different instruments is actually a little difficult for woozi??? so he's offered to learn how to play perc too. ends up being in charge of the snare drum and all the little additional instruments they sometimes have for specific pieces. enjoys it a lot actually and even tho it's not his main instrument he thinks he could get pretty good at playing percussion. his presence is sorely missed in the seconds tho bc one of their actually playing players is gone and there first chair is still MIA 

chan

cello. first chair cello, specifically, because he has such a similar personality to my first chair cello who's just so bright and lovely and outgoing. actually the coolest person ever, everyone loves him. makes an effort to know everyone's names in the orchestra, particularly the little 13 year olds who have only just joined. lets people play is cello during break, tries to teach them and laughs when they make squeaky noises on it. despises the tenor clef with a passion. 

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Hi, I love a lot of your meta and analyses. Especially for Arcane. One thing that's bothering me is what exactly was Silco's reputation among the Lanes in act 1? It's odd how Vander seems to say he's worse than enforcers, and Benzo even calls him an animal and immediately tries to charge at Silco after Grayson's death. But we know that Silco only became this ruthless AFTER his attempted murder by Vander. So during the old times when Vander and Benzo knew him, Silco was apparently a "weak man" who wasn't nearly as violent as Vander. So what gives?

Sure, the "animal" line could just be because of the brutal way he killed Grayson and the enforcers, but idk, the way he immediately charges Silco no questions asked seems to indicate something deeper. It's funny too, because Silco murdered only the enforcers that were arresting Vander, and didn't even want to kill Vander until he rejected Silco's plan and refused to join him. So if Benzo just stayed calm and kept his hands to himself Silco would've probably kidnapped them both. Hell, without Benzo's murder hanging over Vander's head, maybe he could've even be persuaded to rejoin Silco for another try at revolution? But the story needs him to refuse, so ofc Benzo had to die.

I'm just wondering why exactly, if Silco was known as the less violent one before Vander tried to kill him, then why do Benzo and Vander in act 1 treat him like he's been a devil the whole time. Did they maybe catch wind of his unpleasant activities while he was underground and building his revolution plans?

Hi Anon! What a great ask! And thank you, you make me blush. It's nice that my horrendous Arcane brain rot actually serves some purpose somehow x'D

This is a very good question and a difficult one—because of the writers. I'm not sure if they really know or care to make sense of Silco and Vander's past. The timeline is shaky and vague. I think they were happy to leave things quite mysterious. Some of us desperately try to unravel it, but the bulk of viewers took it all at face value and concluded that Silco is a horrible man who did horrible things.

This is not me bashing other fans, all theories are valid, but I must admit sometimes I wonder if the Arcane writers managed to convey their point across. Because I've seen quite a few people theorise that Silco did something truly horrible and 'deserved' to be killed by Vander, despite the lack of evidence or accusation, or the show going to great length to harp about Vander's potential for change, of his "monster within" who caves in skulls with his fists.

(Not to mention the casual fans who thought the sun shone out of Vander's ass because they couldn't see past Vi's pov and didn't do dozens of obsessive rewatches like yours truly).

My point is that their relationship is pretty complicated and there are plenty of dissenting theories. And I think a lot of people go one way or the other precisely around those moments you mention. I'm going to give you my theory, but it's very fanon. I'm genuinely a lot less certain about this than some of my other meta. It's just what gels for me considering how I interpret the rest of the show.

I'm going to put this under a cut, because there's a lot!

What exactly was Silco's reputation among the Lanes in act 1?

I don't think Silco was weak. That's him reframing his trauma. Not just weak physically (like obviously he could never fight Vander off fairly), but for having trusted him. Weak for not seeing the betrayal coming, and not coming on top of that conflict. He calls his old self weak because he must believe in his own progress, his own resurrection into a being who can enact his plans at last. 

I think Silco was a beacon of hope and zealotry. I think he was a propaganda machine. Young Silco united a lot of Zaun under the banner of his dream. He probably worked hard, and led the movement. From the way their dialogue goes, the accusation of betrayal, saying "I trusted you", and the manner of Silco's attitude around Vander, I'm of the (generally not that popular) sentiment that Silco was the leader of the early rebellion, and that Vander was his follower. Most likely his right hand man.

In fic I've theorised that Vander, who tells Vi he used to always be so angry and violent, didn't have a channel for said violence until Silco gave him structure and a purpose. Directed that violence at Piltover, at creating (read, carving out) the Lanes.

Which, FYI, are NEVER clarified. We don't know if it's a business model or a territory or both. Writers truly don't care to explain it.

Anyway, Silco speaks of "our dream" and then uses "brother" with a LOT of irony laced in, in reply to Vander's own use of the term. They used to be brothers in arms and Vander believed in that dream. We also know that Vander used to fight for the cause and claims he's "not that man anymore".

He basically was fighting for team Silco—team Zaun—right until the day of the betrayal.

Then we're told by Vander that Silco had his respect, the Lanes' respect, "but that... was never enough for you". We're also told by Sevika that Vander created the Lanes.

This suggests to me that Silco and Vander created the Lanes together. 

I assume that over time Vander started seeing Silco's plans as too greedy, while leading the Lanes seemed ideal. 'Good enough', if you will. Vander is small minded where Silco is aiming for the sun. One wants too little and the other too much. Silco says they 'shared a vision, dreams of freedom, not just for the Lanes but for the whole of the Underground, united as One'. They used to dream of Zaun together... And then Vander realised Silco would tear the Lanes apart if it would serve his purpose (to attack Piltover). 

I think he didn't believe it'd work (and given what we see of Piltover vs. Zaun before shimmer, it might not have), and realised he wanted to rule the Lanes. Vander would now see Silco's dreams as too dangerous.

I know some people in the Zaundads community who theorised that Vander was influenced in turning on Silco by Benzo or others. It's not my prefered theory.

I think Vander wanted the Lanes for himself, and knew that Silco was too zealous to ever stop. We don't know why he got so (intimately) violent. Why they were in the Pilt. We see Vander first very cold, slowly drowning Silco, then very hot and brutal, once he's been hurt. I think he was very different indeed from the genial Vander we know in arc 1. Young Vander is the guy who carved the Lanes with his fists. The guy who built the reputation old Vander still coasts on. A guy known by foreigners! In short, it doesn't really help to look at him through the old Vander lens. He did what he did..

And THEN, he hid the (most likely black and contaminated) wound from Silco's knife. While Silco wears his scar unashamed for what must be a decade or two, Vander has his arm constantly covered. This speaks of shame to me. We know he had regrets too :

Truly a young, impulsive, violent man, who rushed into a bad decision and has regretted it since. I can picture a young Vander missing his best friend, his guiding light, and yet finally becoming the leader he wanted to be. Curtailing Silco's uprising entirely and settling, at least until his own revolt. 

We know there was only one time where the rebellion went ahead, and that was well after Silco left. Vander, to the assembled Lanes people, says "we crossed that bridge once before". It's the era where he still had Silco's respect, but was immediately followed by his pact with Grayson. Which Silco knew of.

Sorry... I'm rambling to try and get all the details in... Almost there.

Finally we come to Vander holding his (shamefully hidden) wound and saying "there's worse things than enforcers out there, we both know that."

And I'm not sure WHAT HE MEANS!! Like, this is not proof he knows Silco is alive. My personal feeling is that Vander believes there's a chance Silco might be alive, but he's not actively taking precautions like that's a possibility. Silco's attack wouldn't have come out of left field and taken them so completely by surprise otherwise.

There are plenty of things worse than enforcers. Including himself!! He could mean competing chembarons. He could mean someone wanting his seat. He could mean anything, it's infuriating. 

Anyway, I think Vander came back from the Pilt with a bad stab wound and a story. I think he told everyone that Silco attacked him and died. That he turned traitor. Or any other bullshit story. But I believe he did what any new illegitimate ruler does, and shat all over Silco's reputation. Or else cried some crocodile tears over him and called him dead. But Silco never stepped back into the open, so Vander making him persona non grata is more likely. 

Whatever the case, Vander had completely taken over the Lanes by the time Silco was in good enough health to show up.

Did they run into each other? Did Vander scare him off again? I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Vander looks way too shocked when he realises who's showing up at the murder party. This isn't the expression of someone who is used to thwarting schemes. This isn't the Batman's face when the Joker appears with mischief around a street corner.

Meanwhile, why would Benzo react so negatively to Silco? The well respected man who was betrayed (a fact Vander owns up to and APOLOGISES for), who was half drowned and mutilated by Vander's hand... Yet Benzo immediately calls him an animal (which, you're right, could be in reaction to stepping into a mass killing—which, fair), and tells him to "crawl back into whatever hole he came out of."

I feel like this is the reaction of someone who thinks "wow, it's the cunt who harmed my bestie 20 years ago and (insert Vander's lies about him). Who knew he was still alive?"

Meanwhile, Vander looks like it's judgement day. I think he has excellent reasons to be afraid. He stole the Lanes, destroyed Silco's dreams, ruined his rep, drove him out of the Underground... and somehow Silco stayed under the radar all this time? And now he's got killer monsters? Of course he'd be scared. Vander knows how intense Silco used to be, and knows how guilty he himself is. I think he believes all bets are off. Precisely because Silco never had a reputation as a weak man. 

I mean, consider! If Vander was mega violent under Silco's guidance... If they built the Lanes together... If Silco was the leader who helped Vander redirect his rage... Then Silco clearly didn't mind being extremely violent. He didn't mind unleashing "the Hound" on the people who stood in the way of Zaun. 

((I think Silco's "weak" narrative is a self soothing framing device. That he's recontextualising himself, making a philosophy of life. After all, he tries to use these same terms to speak to Jinx about her own trauma, while failing to grasp that while he was at his weakest, Powder was at her strongest. His personal motto of letting the weak die doesn't work for Jinx.))

It's very revealing that Vander says "Benzo stay back!" and Silco says "you never did know when to walk away." Like if he'd stayed back and then walked away, he'd have been fine. I fully agree that this tells us that Vander thinks Silco is only after him. That he wouldn't kill Benzo needlessly. Needless deaths were probably never Silco's style, as someone wanting to 'unite' the Underground. And after all, he's not even here to kill Vander, but to recruit him.

So, yeah... In conclusion (at last lol) 

Silco was never weak, simply too big a dreamer, someone who wouldn't surrender his lofty ideals for the reality of being one of the most powerful men in the Undercity. Ultimately he got in young Vander's way. Vander impulsively sacrificed Silco for his own desire to rule the Lanes. Then he turned around, shameful and regretful, and lied to everyone about it as he usurped Silco's place and became the Lanes' sole leader. 

(I personally theorised in several fics that the last Drop was actually Silco's, and that Vander took over it after the betrayal, partially explaining why Silco never leaves the place after his own takeover. Complicated feelings + it was his and fuck Vander lol)

I don't believe Benzo or Vander have any clue about Silco's plans, and simply react based on what they know and imagine (Benzo based on whatever Vander told him, and Vander based on how fucked he has to be and how insanely dedicated Silco must still be). I believe Vander has a lot of double agents in his midst (Sevika, Syd), and people who've been keeping tabs on him for years. 

Counter-argument : Marcus says he spoke to one of Vander's "old friends" and that he "wasn't always so peaceful". You could think this may have tipped Vander off... But how many people did he leave behind or crush when creating the Lanes? How many people hate him for leading the failed uprising? I think it's still plausible that Vander doesn't suspect Silco's involvement. 

Vander just lacks cunning. Another final argument for him being totally clueless is that he had a direct line to Grayson, and a quick, 'Hey, okay I'll tell you who stole your stuff' pointing fingers towards Silco would have entirely solved the situation for him.

Yet he never is shown to consider it. 

PHEW. I think that covers it?? I think I covered every point? At least that's how I interpret this situation, even though it relies heavily on my own fanon readings of the timeline and a lot of other details. 

If anyone disagrees with this, or wants to double down, as always go crazy. I love me a meta pile on. 

[ryuichirou]

fem!rookvil!!! i’m in love. at that note, what about…strap hcs for fem tops or if they even use them lol.

Anon! I am very happy you liked the fem!RookVil sketch.

And thank you for the opportunity to talk about these girls again lol

When it comes to straps though, you’ll definitely see my bias in this list, because I’m not a huge fan of them in f/f stuff, I guess? But I tried to think about it as objectively as possible, so…

Ace – no one should give this girl a strap because she’ll just start pranking people and being very immature about it. Deuce gets so shocked and embarrassed by this thing that Ace just can’t stop… Maybe they’ll get to try it once, if Ace is lucky and doesn’t get in trouble first.

Trey – she owns one, but doesn’t actively use it. She just opens a drawer, looks at it in shame and closes it. Trey doesn’t even know why she has it, maybe it was a gift (from Che’nya?). Sometimes she wonders if she’ll ever get to actually use it, but even imagining Riddle next to this massive thing is very stressful… baby steps, baby steps…

Cater – I get a feeling she would be the type of girlie not to like ehh phallic stuff much. Even if she isn’t on the receiving end of it. But she did see it once and even held it in her hand, but refused and laughed it off when the person asked if she wants to try it on.

Ruggie – ehhh she kind of… doesn’t… need one? Since you know… she’s a spotted hyena and stuff.

Jack could’ve been very good at it if someone made her use it, but I feel like she thinks that this is too obscene of a thing to do. It’s not like she’s prudish, but wearing a strap is a bit too far for her. Even though someone would probably look at her and think that it looked very good on her…

Azul – I guess she also doesn’t need one because she prefers using tentacles anyway, but even when she doesn’t, the hip movement that requires when one uses a strap is too tiring to her. But also in general she just doesn’t like how it looks – it makes her kind of embarrassed for some reason.

Jade – doesn’t use it, but she does like using randomly available tools, even if there is no penetration. It’s just easier for her to do it while holding a thing in her hand than to strap something onto herself. That being said, as it always is with Jade, if her wearing a strap would freak her partner out, she would do it with a smile on her face.

Floyd – as always, it depends on her mood. Sometimes she really wants to feel the skin, and to move her fingers inside, sometimes she just humps without actually inserting anything and it’s still very stimulating. But seeing a strap-on for the first time and using it sounds interesting and novel enough for her to try it out. I can also see her using it, having fun with it, but then losing it in her room and not using it anymore because eh let’s just wait until Jade finds it or something.

Kalim – this thing makes her giggle. It’s so weird and funny looking, she would probably end up looking at herself in the mirror and laughing her ass off. But if she was to actually try using it, she would be super concerned all the time, asking Jamil if it hurts or not, because it seems like it would. From that point, Kalim is officially banned from strap-city, and this is for the best.

Rook – she owns one and operates it skillfully, but uses it pretty rarely, because it makes her really miss the sensation on her tongue and fingers. She thinks that every it could be useful as any other tool in certain circumstances, but pleasuring a woman is like playing a harp, something something, as if you would play a harp with your tongue Rook…

Ortho – she has a huge variety of attachments for all kinds of stimulation, some of them would technically qualify as “straps” (of different shapes and sizes…), but she doesn’t get to use them as often as she does some other things in her arsenal. She might really want to try it if she sees it used in hentai though…

Lilia – she is so impressed by how the newer strap-ons look. Back in her days, they didn’t have stuff like that, they had to use other things and improvise… She might even come up with a story about how she and her girlies might have invented strap-ons, but she is just trolling. In general she doesn’t use it, but similarly to Floyd, does have it somewhere in her room. Buried under a bunch of random junk…

Sebek – putting on male genitalia to deflower a maiden? This is way too obscene of a concept to even consider. She would be shocked if she learned that this is what people actually do. Scandalized, even. But if someone was to put it on her, smack her back and say “go”, she would do an incredibly good job. I guess this is what it means to have natural talent.

[anghraine]

I think one of the reasons that I've always been deeply annoyed by the conception of Darcy as a brooding, humorless love interest (and inferior because of it) is because I actually really enjoy his sense of humor.

Maybe it's because I don't have much of a sense of humor, myself (so I also find this annoying because of the assumption that not liking most humor is some kind of moral failing). But when I do find things amusing, they're often dry and understated asides that I find really funny. I love, for instance:

“I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow.”

Miss Bingley immediately fixed her eyes on his face, and desired he would tell her what lady had the credit of inspiring such reflections. Mr Darcy replied, with great intrepidity,—

“Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

+

“I am afraid, Mr Darcy,” observed Miss Bingley, in a half whisper, “that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes.”

“Not at all,” he replied: “they were brightened by the exercise.”

I think my other favorite Darcy-Caroline interchange is even simpler, but I do find it entertaining:

“Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp, and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley’s.”

“Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again?”

I also always laugh at the book version of this scene:

“That is a failing, indeed!” cried Elizabeth. “Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me.”

“There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome.”

“And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody.”

“And yours,” he replied, with a smile, “is wilfully to misunderstand them.”

Here, I also enjoy the use of a quite serious contemporary philosophical point (and the fact that he references it in a conversation with a woman at all, tbh), but the sudden shift to banter is what makes the interchange to me.

None of these are like ... haha-funny jokes, but I wouldn't find those amusing, anyway, while these always make me giggle.

[vs-stardream]

up to a certain point the “kirby is a tyrant who kills everything in his path!!!” jokes are vaguely funny, but there’s something really annoying about seeing them parroted over and over, especially by people who think they’re providing a fresh, edgy read on kirby’s character. i get the fun in inserting comedic darkness into a lighthearted series/character (“mario is a war criminal” and similar bdg takes are always great, especially since their point is at least partially to make fun of people who are serious with their edgy takes) but kirby is sort of an easy target, and the jokes get old pretty fast because they’re so one-note.

the worst part is that it demonstrates a lack of willingness to read into the gameplay cycle of kirby at all. like... i know i’m stating the obvious here, but enemies don’t die. they respawn if you get far enough out of frame. and bosses often play a role in the story or gameplay, even once defeated! katfl is a great example of this. but if a character dies in a kirby game, you will know. sectonia’s gone forever, guys! kirby’s definitely capable of killing, but he’s not a murder machine lol

i think it’s more interesting to examine the implications of kirby’s behavior in a way that stays true to the games’ tone. what do all the other enemies think of kirby inhaling them all the time? in my personal headcanon, i imagine they think it’s a bit unpleasant, but just accept it as a fact of life. considering how willing some of them are to be friends with kirby in star allies, i can’t imagine there’s much actual animosity between kirby and the recurring enemies, just rivalry and perhaps some “instinct taking over” type situations.

anyway, i think it is infinitely funnier to imagine kirby as like, a baby who will put Anything in its mouth, even if its parents are like “spit it out!!!” he is for sure very impulsive, a bit mischievous, and perhaps has a slightly alien code of morals. but harping too much on “lol kirby is cute but also a killer” just shows a lack of respect for the character and the story imo

[destinyc1020]

It’s just so exhausting hearing the same conversation from so called Tom fans every 3-5 business days. No one is saying that you guys need to love everything he does but it really does feel like some of you harp on every single thing about the man to a point it doesn’t feel like you’re fans. His agents, his friends, his family, just constant nitpicking. And I’ve never been in an fandom where people truly think they have a say or can control a grown ass man like this. And some of the criticism that you guys have are the same regurgitated criticism that film twitter bros have who have a gripe with MCU. It’s never actually productive or constructive. It sounds like you guys are mouth pieces for that sector who decided to hate Tom 2 years ago because they decided to hate Marvel and he went public with Z. It’s annoying. The man is one of the most successful unproblematic young actors of his generation. He keeps to himself and his family and friends and girlfriend but I swear there’s always this hate train going on him. You have to see how people can get tired of it especially when he’s done nothing to warrant the constant ragging.

Exactly Anon! 💯

It just gets old.... and exhausting 😩 And I think it mainly gets old not only because it's every 3-5 business days, but ALSO bcoz it's coming from people who supposedly call themselves fans of Tom. With fans like these, who needs enemies?? 🥴

It would be one thing if these people were open haters of Tom and just admitted it. Then the hate and constant nitpicking would at least make some SENSE (okay, you're not a fan of the dude.... got it).

But when it comes from so-called "fans" who are following a blog of someone who's obviously a FAN of Tom's, it just feels really weird to me....

Liiiiiiike....

Like you said, Tom is unproblematic, he minds his business, he works hard, he's talented, and he doesn't do anything wrong or offensive to anyone!

Atp, fans can't even enjoy any new project news for Tom, because fans of his are ready to complain 24/7. 🙄

The TCR Filming Announcement came out:

"Omg....I wish Tom didn't take this project on. It's just going to make people with DID look like monsters! Hollywood always does this! I wish Tom would drop this project." (Keep in mind, the series had not even started FILMING yet, let alone come out. 😒)

The FA Filming Announcement came out:

"Ugh!! I HAAAATE biopic films! I'm so sick and tired of them!! They're just Oscar bait films anyway..." 🙄

Tom Simply TALKS about a possible SM4 movie in the works later on down the line:

"I sure hope they don't do another trilogy. Tom needs to STOP playing Spiderman and do more serious indie films instead of getting sucked into SUCKY Sony and the MCU. He's being held back by his Spiderman contracts!!"

A simple TWEET comes out that Mark Wahlberg has said that the script for "Uncharted 2" is has been written:

"Nooooooo!!!! 😫 I hated that movie! It wasn't funny, it wasn't charming, and it wasn't even a 'good' action movie! I wish Tom would drop this franchise and do smthg else!" 😭

All it sounds like in Tom's fandom is this all the time.....

After a while, it just gets tiring.... 😓

[moviesludge]

The MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS show is awful.

I'm usually pretty easygoing and forgiving about movies and tv. I don't know why, but I don't really get upset or something if a show is just okay. I guess maybe it's because it served a purpose of being something new to watch while I was eating dinner or whatever. If it has some action or humor or a compelling narrative or all of the above, it's all for the better.

But I watched the new WILLOW show and really disliked a lot of things about it. There were some good bits, like some refreshingly charismatic funny characters and some fun nostalgia and effects, but an overwhelming albatross around the neck of this show was some unrelenting bitchy whining characters. MONARCH shares this horrible element. Both shows have characters that constantly second guess anything that's said to them, are always being contrarian, are always bitching and complaining about something, are not in any way complex, and are just generally extremely unlikable. I don't know if this is a writer's attempt at creating conflict or trying to illustrate the character's struggles, but it fails in both shows. I stg in MONARCH someone will be like "I think we should do this proactive thing" and one of the moody asshole brother/sister characters will be like "That's the best plan you have? Our dad abandoned us to go off and chase Godzilla for a reason we can't possibly make an attempt at understanding because the only thing that's important about this is our perpetually hurt feelings, and that's your plan? FUCK YOU". And it happens over and over every time anyone says anything to them. It's like okay we get that they're upset, you've established that. Do they have to caustically eat up minutes of every episode harping about stuff we already understand??? And just being generally shitty?

I'm not sure about WILLOW, but I get the sneaking suspicion that whoever is writing MONARCH is a person who thinks all younger generations are spoiled insufferable whiners who are just complaining to hear themselves complain, and don't have any significant real problems. All of the elder characters (like Wyatt/Kurt Russell's Lee Shaw) seem to be stoic asskickers who are proactive and deal with their problems in stride, which while you're watching the show, is a balm against the opposite. If you think it's a good idea to write horribly annoying characters like the ones in these shows in any tv show, you're basically guaranteeing failure, regardless of intent.

Oh yeah, and would it kill them to actually include some fucking MONSTERS in the show? Like there are a few, but for a show called LEGACY OF MONSTERS it sure is 99% people running around jawin'!!

[doubledyke]

Hello, Double D for 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 15, 16. I'm anxious for this.

i'm gonna group these together since they're both for edd and there's some overlap. thank you guys 😁 also as far as my corny ass mood boards, maybe! it's super embarrassing for me but what isn't at this point?? anyway let's see what we've got here for the lizard man

1. why i like or dislike him: i love edd! for many reasons. he's a genuinely kind-hearted person who, much like eddy, usually can't help but show his emotions. i think he's really funny, whether it's his notoriously sassy wit, or just the weird ass shit he does. i LOOOOOOVE his hamminess. he's such a drama queen. oh and he makes a lot of really strange noises that always make me laugh.

2. favorite canon thing about his character: edd is courageous as hell. i think it was moth that mentioned how quick he is to nut up when the time comes to defend his friends. i'll never, ever, ever, ever recover from him standing up to bro. like... what a guy.

3. least favorite canon thing about his character: dude talks too much. and his voice can be a little grating at times lmfao but honestly it's just part of what makes him who he is. and we love him for it!!

6. what's something i have in common with him: oh lord. well i've harped on it a ton before, but definitely the anxiety and ocd. i also relate to his abnormal fixation to headwear as you'd be hard pressed to see me without a bandana or beanie. no idea why, but i feel naked without something covering my dome. there's other stuff of course, but i'll keep it brief.

7. something the fandom does with edd that i like: i'm glad that people are more normal about him these days....lol.

10. could i be best friends with him: y'know i'm not sure. as if it's not obvious, i have a bit of an inferiority complex, so being around people who are super skilled and smart makes me low key want to take a fucking dirt nap lmfao. also i have no interest in bugs and amoebas and shit. BUT i do think edd is a great friend to ed and eddy.

12. what's a headcanon i have for this character: too many to name, same with the other two. trying to think of one that i haven't shared here before... oh i think his parents are loaded and he'd have a big ass trust fund or whatever it is rich parents give their kids. i think that's the only thing his parents would ever do for him that would actually show a modicum of consideration for his well-being. but who knows, they might go back on that if he "annoys" them. or maybe he wouldn't accept the money out of principle? 👀 also, there's at least one instance in the show where it's implied that edd has money to spend on stuff he wants (a case of ed, he bought books at the library), which is REALLY funny to me because if that's the case he could just buy some goddamn jawbreakers... and what, ruin the plot? i know, i know. i'm just saying.

15. what's my favorite ship for this character: him and the pink bastard are the couple of all time

16. what's my least favorite ship for this character: besides the obvious one involving a certain red-head whose chin resembles a tool used for digging, i gotta say eddmay does nothing for me. they look too similar 😂

[rexcaliburechoes]

i don’t think diamant and alfred’s a-support is particularly out of character // literally no one asked

pardon for the typos and occasional salty tone; i really don’t have the energy to sift through every single line diamant says at 330 am, but i needed to get this out of my head because people in general seem to misunderstand why diamant says what he does and what his genuine intent is/could be and i think it deserves some expansion upon. thoughts under the cut:

i actually wanna start in their b-support because i think that adds some important context.

diamant: It's funny... I never thought I'd end up crossing swords with a rival prince outside of a battlefield. [...] It's nice to think that the two of us will come out of this war as friends. alfred: Hate to break it to you, but I'm not so sure that's possible. Things won't always be like this. diamant: They won't? alfred: Afraid not. By the time the war's over...we'll be even better buddies! diamant: Haha! I like the way you think, Prince Alfred.

i think it’s very important to note alfred’s response here. i don’t think he’s a stupid as fans tend to think he is. sure, he can be an airhead, and is definitely a muscle-focused brute, but he’s just as much the crown prince as diamant is. i see a lot of people, in general, downplaying how he actually behaves in game for the “cute uwu sunshine flower boi“ trope (this is a post for another time). “i’m not so sure [we’ll still be friends post-war] is possible“ is such a grounded in reality line. alfred is thinking forward to the future- a future where brodia and firene don’t consider each other allies. it’s possible he was alluding to his illness, as well, saying that “i will die before we truly consider each other best friends“ (this is another post for another time).

of course, he can see diamant’s concern, and recovers rather quickly.

to that end: we know that diamant is much more fragile than he really lets on. it’s emphasised throughout the game. there are so many examples of this textually- explicitly, even!- that are very obvious in his character traits.

diamant, to leif in their a-rank bond: The truth is, I’m not as confident as I may seem. I’ve never told anyone that─not even Alcryst. 

diamant, to ike in their a-rank bond: Improving my kingdom, surpassing my father as king… I’m not sure I can actually do all of that. 

diamant and lucina’s a-rank bond conversation quite literally outlines the anxiety he has in regard to his kingdom’s welfare:

diamant: If Brodia’s remaining forces fall, the kingdom could be destroyed. I can’t bear that thought. lucina: I know how hard it is to leave soldiers behind. For their sake, we must claim a swift victory. Brodia will not fall into ruin, Diamant. Never will you suffer the same anguish that I did. diamant: Thank you, Lucina. That’s reassuring. You may never claim a throne…but you are a great leader.

and that’s not even every single instance in his bond conversations with the emblems, or in his supports.

and... wait... doesn’t that remind you of something?

alcryst, in his c-support with diamant: I can't offer an even match—my skills pale in comparison to yours—but I'll learn what I can. How am I supposed to win against the prince of Brodia? Yes, I am a Brodian prince, but I'm not THE Brodian prince. I'm not you, Diamant.

gee, it’s almost as though the anxiety runs in the family.

but what does this have to do with his a-support with alfred?

well, if there’s one thing that seems to set his anxiety off (aside from his perceived perfection, which is a topic i’ve already covered enough as it is already), it’s the potential of war between the different countries of elyos, and how that directly conflicts with his moral statement on how war is bad and only profits those in power. he can’t help but harp on about it every chance he gets:

framme: Prince Diamant… You said you wanted to bring peace to the world, but… Is that really true? Then why does Brodia keep attacking Elusia? I read the histories of both kingdoms. There are helpless citizens in Elusia that fear Brodia. When you talk about ending war, do you really mean conquering Elusia? Is that peace? diamant: Brodia…is a kingdom of warriors. It does have a regrettable history of seizing territory by force. And it is true that some people in Elusia have been hurt by─and have grown to hate─Brodia. That’s an undeniable part of my kingdom’s past, but I won’t let it be part of our future. It may not be easy, but I mean what I say. There will be change.

timerra: Hey, between you and me…do you think peace is really possible? diamant: Ah. That’s a big question…and one I often worry about myself. Ultimately, as leaders, I think it’s our duty to believe that peace is possible. If we won’t fight to secure that kind of future for our people, who will? 

diamant: Brodia has a lot to answer for. Offering a token like that gem is the least I can do. ivy: It's true. Brodia has invaded our lands many times. I often wonder how my people would have fared without that suffering and bloodshed. diamant: My father was focused on our kingdom's affairs when he began expanding our territory by force. That singular focus is how things have always been done in Brodia...but that needs to change. My father is no longer here, but his influence remains. Change will take time. If there's an easier way, I haven't found it yet.

and so on.

okay, so why does he worry about breaking the non-aggression pact in the first place if he’s so adamant about keeping peace between the countries of elyos?? his support reads:

diamant: As you know, the kingdom of Brodia prioritizes military might above all else. Our kingdom is home to many ambitious people. That might explain those priorities. Our culture also teaches that it's honorable to gain things by force. Thanks to Queen Ève, our two kingdoms have signed a nonaggression pact. However... alfred: You're saying you can't promise it'll last. diamant: That’s right. alfred: What do you think will happen? diamant: I have my own hopes, but I won't just force them upon my kingdom. The will of my people must come first. I have to fight for whatever future serves them best. 

so what’s the big deal? he practically says “hey, uh, yeah, about that non-aggression pact... sorry, but we can’t promise we won’t try to attack you in the future“

but i ask for you, dear reader, who’s gotten this far, to turn your attention to his and citrinne’s support chain.

citrinne: [the nobles are] eager for a response. I've been sent here to ask you directly about your stance on future military campaigns. These nobles are acquaintances of my family. As a noble myself, I can't ignore their demands. diamant: ... [diamant’s textbox pauses here before continuing to the following text] War is profitable. The nobility is expecting to line their pockets for years to come. I, on the other hand, do not intend to wage any wars during my reign as king. citrinne: I'm so glad to hear that. The nobles won't like it, but you can leave them to me.

this ends up getting diamant (and citrinne) into hot water in their b-support:

citrinne: The nobles did not care for your response. I must be cautious in my exchanges with you. Rumors are quickly spreading that my family has been colluding with Brodia’s future king. 

naturally, this gets all nice and wrapped up in a cute little bow in their a-support:

diamant: Don’t panic. I didn’t mention you at all. I made it clear that I won’t wage any wars, but will prioritize a prosperous future for Brodia. That should put a stop to the rumors, right? No more whispers of collusion.

now, i know the focus here is on the accusation of collusion citrinne has levied at her, but i think it’s important to note that the nobles did not care for diamant’s response. furthermore, his end note explicitly discusses how the nobles dis not like diamant’s plan for brodia for the future:

As the new king of Brodia, Diamant ordered a halt to all invasions and worked to reform his people's attitudes on Elusia. Some nobles resisted Diamant at first, but his vision for the future earned their favor. By exporting ore, Brodia was able to shift to a booming, trade-based economy.

let me emphasise this: the nobility does NOT like diamant. at the very least, not at first. he even says how he regrets having to lean on the nobility for financial support... but unfortunately, he will have to burn that bridge when he gets there in terms of dealing with having this held over his own head as brodia’s crown prince.

diamant, to alfred in their c-support: I was drafting requests for funding to send to Brodia's nobles. Our military needs support. Any loans will be used as political leverage in the future. I'm worried...but out of options. 

through this series of textual evidence, we are presented with two facts:

diamant is just as anxious as alcryst about his rule as king and how he envisions fostering peace as his father’s son (he’s just much more apt at hiding it than alcryst).

the nobility does not like him, in spite of his status as crown prince.

so, inevitably, when alfred steps wrong as says “yeah... we’re not gonna be best friends forever“, diamant is very prone to going into overdrive and overthinking this singular sentence... which snowballs into “i don’t think brodia will honour the non-aggression pact“.

diamant’s thoughts and worries about if he will actually be able to lead brodia into a peaceful future- profitable for his country, without relying upon being aggressive in war- quickly spiral out of control because, even if he knows logically it is not true, it doesn’t mean that he recognises it emotionally. alfred tries to reassure him, and it works, actually! it works by breaking him out of that spiral and reminds him that “not everyone wants war, and there will be plenty of opportunities to be loved by your people in peace times, too.“

alfred: I understand. I'm in the same tight spot. That said, everything'll be fine. You've got nothing to worry about. diamant: How can you be sure? alfred: Well, I mean... Everyone from Brodia seems so nice. I can't speak for the whole kingdom, but all the Brodians I've met were nice enough. I don't think they'd want a war over nothing. I think things are gonna work out. I trust the good folks of Brodia that way. diamant: You trust in the goodwill of others? Even the citizens of neighboring kingdoms? alfred: People are people, no matter where they're from. Is trusting in them so bad? diamant: Haha. No, it's not bad at all. In fact, trust might be the most important quality for a leader to have.

"people" can mean "the common people", but given how diamant struggles with the noble court... he likely means the nobles that want to use his need for funding as leverage against him, who want to pit him and citrinne against each others, who don't share his profitable future without war.

alfred can recognise that diamant is having a tough time worrying over his status as prince- about if he'll be liked, if he will rule well, if anything fleeting will ever last- because he understands him as a crown prince to another crown prince. they may not have the same exact struggle, but alfred intimately knows the impermanence of promises, legally binding or otherwise (this is a post for another time).

this is not out of character in the slightest, for either of them. this is a layered interaction exploring the exact minutiae of how both of them perceive the world: one through fleeting impermanence and acceptance, and the other through anxiety and sheer stubbornness,

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: The Steward and the King

New chapter, let’s go!

Dude Eowyn chill out lol

Eowyn: “I’m bummed because I tried to commit sudoku and it didn’t work.” Faramir: “Please don’t do that. You’re too pretty to die. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, we all might die anyway, so you might as well rest up if you wanna be able to fight.” Eowyn: “But they want me to stay in bed. And my window doesn’t look eastward :’-C” Faramir: “Oh! I can fix that! :-D”

AND NOW MERRY AND FARAMIR GET TO CHAT!! DUDE!!

First Bergil, and now Faramir!! This just in: All of Pippin’s friends eventually become Merry’s friends. When am I gonna get my scene with Beregond and Merry, huh??

(I probably won’t but a girl can dream)

Tbh I think the Warden ships Farawyn

Faramir: “I’mma give you my dead mom’s cloak ‘cause it’s beautiful and sad like you”

Faramir: “Man, it’s been great hanging out with you. I really hope the world doesn’t end now, ‘cause I don’t want to lose this.” Eowyn, a genius: “This what?”

This whole scene plays out like a cheesy Bollywood movie. It’s so over-the-top. I love it X’-D

And then everybody MAGICALLY STARTS SINGING AT ONCE

“And his duty was to prepare for one who would replace him” 👀 John the Baptist is that you??

And here we see the healing power of love *throws confetti*

YOOOOOOO WE GET MORE GONDORIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WAIT

Okay so we have trumpets, bells, harps, viols, flutes, and horns listed so far. I’m gonna want to answer that ask more thoroughly at some point won’t I?? ‘Cause I have didn’t have this information before but NOW I DO

Heyyy there’s somebody named Hurin! Hopefully his life has been better than the original one

(I can’t imagine naming your kid after someone who’s best known for having a son with the Worst Life Ever. Like, okay, sassing Morgoth to his face is pretty cool, but is it worth it?? Is it really?? Like the only thing worse would actually be naming your kid Turin. … They’ve done that too, haven’t they?)

ELFHELM!!!

ELFHELM SURVIVED!!

ELFHELM OF DAD JOKES I LOVE YOU

Hahaha hi Ioreth

“They are dear friends, I hear.” HECK YES THEY ARE

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW RIGHT YOU ARE IORETH

Listen one of my favorite tropes is when people in-universe acknowledge the bromance as An Official ThingTM, so this is PEAK. THANK YOU TOLKIEN

Faramir: “I give you my stick.” Aragorn: “No u”

Goodness GRACIOUS that is a whole paragraph of titles for Aragorn. What the heck. Who is it in my notes that always tags Aragorn as “local man has too many names, local authorities report” because you are RIGHT

“Now according to tradition, he should take the crown from his father, but given that his father didn’t have the crown and is also very much dead—”

Faramir: “I give you the crown” Aragorn: “NO U”

And now Frodo does the task of a ring-bearer in an actual wedding, which is to carry the shiny thing to somebody so they can give it to somebody else

“HEY! LET’S HEAR IT FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA!”

Woohoo King Aragorn!

WAIT

HOLD UP

‘ITS GATES WERE WROUGHT OF MITHRIL AND STEEL’??

YOOOOOO!! That’s a 100% METAL DOOR!! In a MEDIEVAL SETTING!! Even WE don’t have huge metal doors for most things, and we’re in the modern age!

First of all, imagine how shiny! Secondly, IMAGINE HOW FREAKIN’ SCI-FI—

BEREGOOOOOOOOND

HELLO MY BOO I’VE MISSED YOU

“And the king said to Beregond: ‘Beregond…’”

Pffft

I must be slaphappy, ‘cause for some reason I find his name being written twice in a row to be very funny

Aragorn: “Okay so you’re not in trouble, but you’re also not allowed to be a Guard of the Citadel anymore.” Beregond: “😨☹️😭” Aragorn: “…Because you’re gonna work FOR FARAMIR! GET PROMOTED ON, IDIOT!!” Beregond: “😧 … 🤩🥳🎉🎊🎈”

Aww haha Aragorn and Eomer hug X-D

Eowyn, to Faramir: “I’ll be back later, I promise.” Eomer, probably: “👀😨😡”

Aragorn: “Pls stick around, friends, I love you guys”

Frodo: “Pippin, you were wrong, Gandalf is keeping secrets again.” Gandalf: “excuse”

Aragorn, excitedly: “LE GASP!! A TREE!!”

Okay so lemme get this straight: Aragorn wasn’t allowed to marry Arwen until he found a tree??

Right. Okay. 🤣🤣🤣

I’m sure this is very symbolically important and whatever but it’s almost 3 AM and I just think it’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all night

GLORFINDELLLLLL

GLORFINDEL HI!!

I’VE MISSED YOU FRIEND!!! 8-D

I guess all these other elves are here too but I don’t really care ROFLOL

This chapter really is the epitome of Tolkien going “oh shoot I guess I’d better include some romance in here huh”

[thegreatobsesso]

snippet from editing today :)

Characters putting on a show of being at odds while secretly scheming together my beloved :D

Callie POV

“It was a stupid joke,” she choked. “He said he’d do anything I wanted and I, I thought it would be funny. So I picked something hard to get, just to see what would happen, I swear. It was really stupid and I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”  “Then where are the goods?”  “What?” She looked to Bennett, who shifted his weight and looked everywhere but her direction.  “The corpseflower petals, dear," the warden said conversationally. "If you don’t intend to use them, surely you’ll give them up.”  Bennett skirted the edges of Prescott’s mind. He knows you have them, don’t tell him you don’t.  “I...” what do i say ?!  I don’t know, I don’t know, give me a second.  But every moment of hesitation was making her look more suspicious. She was on her fucking own. “I can’t,” she said helplessly. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” “Have you lost them?” He tsked at her, leaning back in his chair. “You must think I’m quite stupid, Callie Ray.”  “Let me,” Bennett said suddenly. “I’ll read her. I’ll find out where they are and get them for you, and then we can be done with this.” fuck are you doing ??  Play along. He thinks I’m soft but he’s interested in our connection.  Bennett was right; she caught a glimmer of intrigue in those creepy eyes. “Alright, Mister Bennett,” he agreed, gesturing at her like she was the fucking dessert table. “Be my guest.” 

I love this chapter because it has soooooo many delicious elements:

Callie realizing that just because she did something at Bennett's behest doesn't automatically stamp it with Good and Right Moral Approval

Callie facing the prospect of being sent back to prison and having to own up to herself that she genuinely loves being at Delaney and would miss the people here

The aforementioned trickery where Bennett pretends like he is forcibly reading her mind while he's actually not doing anything at all

And not referenced the snippet above, but Callie actually doubting whether Bennett wants/needs her around and thinking he really is betraying her, when all he's doing is some serious quick thinking and un-Simon-like sleight of hand to convince the warden to leave them alone ;D

I've been fighting off a virus for 5-ish days now, but have been managing to get editing done nonetheless, and I'm comforted by the modest snow cover outside and the promise of more flakes to come in the 10-day forecast. I haven't been on here much, but I hope everyone is doing well :) :) :) :) :)

taglist 😘

@avrablake​ @adie-dee​ @dontjudgemeimawriter​ @ryorine​ @thelaughingstag​ @winterandwords​ @afoolandathief​ @asomeoneperson​ @cedar-west​ @diphthongsfordays​ @lowslore​ @poetinprose​ @cilly-the-writer​​​​​​​​ @harps-for-days​

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