#numerous possibilities

[enbycrip]

So given the Rowling stans crawling out of the woodwork to say they are still allies - or worse yet, community members - while still plastering Potter stuff all over their online presence by saying they “separate the art from the artist” after the latest acknowledgment that she is trying to swing Labour in an even more transphobic direction, a short primer on what “death of the author”, which is the origin for that less provocative phrase, actually means.

“Death of the author”, in extreme brief, is an academic construct that was developed at a time when the author as the sole arbiter of meaning in a text was very privileged in the discourse to help people understand that any interpretation of a work is valid *as long as it can be supported by textual evidence*. Your interpretation of a text, as the reader, is as valid as the author’s *if* you can produce just as much, or more, evidence from *within the text itself* that supports your interpretation.

This is particularly useful for students within an academic context.

It is *not* in any sense a reasonable justification to say that one is not *actively supporting* a living artist/author/creator, particularly one who has gained huge cultural influence and financial wealth, by buying and actively promoting their work.

Genuinely, I wouldn’t engage with work from a dead very bigoted artist without acknowledging their bigotry.

If I write about or produce a story set within the Cthulhu Mythos, you had better bet that I am acknowledging Lovecraft’s horrific and pervasive racism and misogyny and the effects of that within the Mythos.

If I write about or do some sketches that acknowledge Degas as an influence, you can bet that I am acknowledging his rampant racism and antisemitism and the fact that his familial wealth which allowed him to have the financial freedom to create the art he did was built on plantation slavery in the Caribbean.

If I write about or paint something with Klimt’s ethereal goldwork as an influence, you can bet I’m writing about his deeply abusive sexual relationships with the women he drew and painted, that he used sapphic eroticism in his work while sexually abusing working class sapphics he paid to model for him, and acknowledging that he had the freedom to produce that work because he got the women in his family to tend to his every whim and perform all his domestic labour for him.

That’s the basic acknowledgment you undertake while engaging with the work of someone deeply bigoted - *even* if they are not directly benefitting from your engagement with their work because they are deceased. The material conditions around how a work is produced and consumed are *always* relevant to that work, because otherwise we miss why, for example, privileged people have the time, resources and cachet to create art and have it be consumed *as* art, while other people never have the resources to do so or have the work they create relegated to categories like “domestic crafts” if it is acknowledged at all.

So just saying “I can separate art from the artist” while financially supporting a living bigot who continues to use your money and the cultural cache you are giving her by doing so to wreak genuine damage on the queer, especially trans, community - that’s basically both completely meaningless and incredibly disingenuous. Particularly when said bigot is *actively* attempting to parlay that financial and cultural influence into making an already very transphobic, racist and disableist political party who are, according to current polls, likely to be running the U.K. shortly, into supporting more actions that *will* materially harm trans people.

[beepmeepmeepbeep]

i love francescas personality this season, i really like how different she is from all her other siblings

[salvidida]

I swear, so much of the 'plot holes' and 'out of nowhere plot developments', even the supposed 'filler' that so many people attribute to fma 2003 would instantly evaporate if even half of these people actually paid any attention to the show whatsoever. Better yet, if they gave it more than one full watch through, since it's a layered anime that absolutely rewards multiple watches.

[nutmeg-on-a-stick]

Haven’t been able to draw in a long time so have this quick wip

[indigozeal]

AT LONG LAST: the interview translations from the Baten Kaitos artbook are finally finished with conversations with composer Motoi Sakuraba and the Japanese voice cast. (If you haven't checked it out previously, this document also contains translations of interviews with illustrator Nakaba Higurashi, scriptwriter Masato Kato, and the producers & directors.)

For many, the interview with Sakuraba will be the highlight, but I personally found most memorable this spoilery bit below the cut from Kalas's Japanese voice actor Kousuke Toriumi, which explains precisely why he was chosen for the role:

In the middle of the story, there's a scene where you betray your comrades; your performance there must have been difficult, wasn't it? Toriumi: I didn't think it was particularly tough! I actually ended up enjoying that scene itself, and when I read it, I thought, "oh, wow, I betrayed them!! Yahoo!"

Congratulations, you absolute, perfectly-cast dick.

[gggoldfinch]

I love 1 (one!) sassy air commander and his slutty little waist

If you hear distant anguished screaming that’s me sorry, I’m just not normal about this dumb guy

(Click for better quality. Do not repost :) )

[corner-master]

A Refuge in the Afterlife?

DPxDC Crossover prompt

One day a message from space is sent to Earth, a call for assistance for the last survivors of a destroyed planet. The Justice League, of course, receive this message and a Team sets out to make contact with the group, ready to offer them whatever supplies they need and perhaps a location to rehome themselves.

Among this team would be one of the Green Lanterns, Guy or Hal, who are of course curious about why this group sought out Earth specifically instead of reaching out to the Corps? The answer to that question being quite simple:

To save the souls of their dead.

As it turns out, with the destruction of their Home World the survivors believe that not only are they at risk of becoming lost souls upon their own deaths, but the very Afterlife dimension that was attached to their world is at risk of ceasing to exist unless they find another world whose Afterlife can take theirs in as well, combing the two as one.

And wouldn't you know it, the surviving priests and/or mystics have received word from their endangered Ancestors that the Earth has a King of the Infinite Realms who may be willing to do just that. Once they reach the planet, they would be so grateful if the Justice League would be willing to help them petition this King for asylum for their people, both dead and alive.

The only problem?

This is the first time anybody from the League has even heard of this so-called King, and now everybody's scrambling to find out whatever they can about this being. And what little they are finding is nothing short of alarming. A mad tyrant who tried to invade the living world?! Yeah, they need to get on top of this fast, before the Refugees arrive!

Meanwhile, Danny just felt a shiver run up his spine and wonders if it's because his dad's latest batch of fudge came out a little too ecto-contaminated.

(Spoilers: it wasn't the fudge).

My personal Head-canon when it comes to the infinite Realms: the reason why we don't see any other religious figures or alien beings, is because Pariah Dark screwed up relations so bad with the other afterlife realms that the infinite realms has become largely cut off from everything else but Earth. Too much greed and trying to conquer shit to be considered a good neighbor, even by demon standards. Doesn't even matter that Pariah's been sealed away, it's still his dimension as long as he exists, and the absolutely hostile environment and denizens there prove it.

The word of today that inspired this post is Syncretism: (via wikipedia) the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths.

[hirazuki]

Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep And carry you down into sleep, Child, the darkness will rise from the deep And carry you down into sleep. (Loyalty loyalty loyalty loyalty Loyalty loyalty loyalty only to me.) -- Mordred's Lullaby

Personal preferred interpretation of *gestures to everything* under the cut! Warning for blatant and shameless conflation of multiple versions of the text with pure, self-indulgent headcanons.

I've gone back and forth on this a lot, but I think I've finally settled on preferring Eol to be both a Dark Elf (i.e. never went to Aman) and a "darkened elf" (i.e. former thrall of Angband/corrupted by Melkor). I know Tolkien changed his mind on both of these later, but I don't find it repetitive at all to have Maeglin also suffer the same fate; I think the cycle is meaningful and adds another layer of complexity to these characters. Also, it would give Eol's "ill at ease" within Melian's girdle and seeking to stay away additional meaning, making it a physical consequence of his circumstances and not only a predilection of his personality. Idk, the more layers and reasons something has behind it, the more enjoyment I draw from it :)

I do like Eol being Sindar and Thingol's kin, but also more alike in spirit and behavior to the Avari than anything else. Witch of the Wilds aesthetic, and more in tune with nature and the land than the Sindar in Doriath. He and Maeglin have always given me a Morgana and Mordred vibe. (fun fact: the mirror is supposed to be obsidian, which is used for scrying.)

He truly loved his son, and his relationship with Maeglin was no more and no less positive/negative than your average father-son relationship -- some minor disagreements as any parent and child are bound to have -- until Maeglin started expressing a desire to see the Noldor; and it was all downhill from there. He still loved his son, however, despite everything, and his attempt to choose death over Gondolin for him was done out of love as well. Perhaps not a healthy love, but a genuine one all the same.

Eol being a darkened elf + Maeglin being born in Beleriand + the "Melkor ingredient" present in all matter outside of the Blessed Realm = a compounded (x3) tendency towards Melkor within Maeglin's spirit that was there since he was conceived. If everyone who has a body that is nourished by Arda (outside of Aman) has an inclination towards Melkor that they can't be free of in their incarnate forms, how much stronger might that be if one of your parents is a former thrall who -- going off of his behavior and tendencies -- still bears the marks of that bond? I like to think that the way Melkor affects his thralls can carry down genetically, even for elves that remain elves and weren't turned into orcs.

I personally prefer Maeglin to not be under an enchantment as a way to explain why he betrayed Gondolin -- I like him being responsible for his own actions! Even if he also never had a chance and was doomed from before he was born. I like the interplay of those two concepts and generally don't find them mutually exclusive -- but I do love the idea of compulsion. Of his pre-existing link to Melkor through Eol and through Arda being used (I prefer this to be Mairon's work, but it certainly can be done by Melkor instead) to sway him. Like, not Mairon actually spelling him and making him not be in control of his body or not being able to warn people in Gondolin because his speech is bound, etc., but like. Mairon slipping certain elements into the fabric of his voice -- he is Ainur; underscoring his speech with Music is no big deal -- to manipulate that Melkor ingredient within Maeglin and make him be more receptive. Compliant. Add to that some carefully crafted understanding as one talented smith who knows what it is like to feel ill-suited to his surroundings to another, a little bribery, and, of course, the ever-present and very real threat of torture -- in delicately balanced respective quantities -- and done.

This is totally entirely self-indulgent headcanon territory here, especially since Mairon is never actually present for Maeglin's imprisonment in any version of the text (to my knowledge) BUT: I like to think that, just as with Maedhros in my headcanons, Mairon formed a kind of reluctant attachment to Maeglin. But whereas with Maedhros it was more of an equal footing type of thing, a grudging acknowledgement of a worthy opponent being cut from the same cloth, with Maeglin it's more of a foster situation. Like: "Here is this very valuable prisoner who we can work with, who -- with a only a small amount of effort -- is amenable to working together and he's the son of a former thrall so there's already a connection there and, oh, he's also a smith? Oh, he's actually pretty good. Wait, he's only 189 years old, idk because I've never cared much for elves but isn't that ridiculously young wtf, he's clearly ambitious and reeling for approval and acknowledgement and will easily take to a guiding hand. Well, there's no one else around but me, I guess I'll take one for the team and the war effort and all that" *accidentally transfers all the instructing instincts he possesses that had previously gone to his wolves now all long dead, he doesn't keep wolves anymore since losing Tol-in-Guarhoth, it's too painful to this strange elf* Again, not healthy, but complicated and messy and invested.

... I did not mean to make it all about Mairon again lmao I am so sorry XD

I'm sure I'll have additional thoughts as I keep re-reading the Silmarillion, or my opinions/preferences may somewhat alter (I still have to sit down and read HoME and Nature of Middle Earth properly, I've only read snippets), but. an overwhelming number of you voted that you enjoyed reading stuff like this so. There you go. This is where I'm currently at lol.

[charliespringverse]

i think it should be possible to scream without making any noise or disturbing anyone or inviting any questions . just sometimes . as a treat .

[found--family]

am i the only one who sensed some jilted lover vibes from jensen? 

[giyuulatte]

i read terminal curiosity 3 years ago and the damage it has done to me is irreparable

[iniziare]

While finally writing a thing, I suddenly remembered that I never shared (I don't think) when I HC Guizhong's birthday to be: the first day of each year, January 1st. Why? Well, I was thinking of the Guili Assembly, and how it seems really rather likely that it was created from the names that she and Morax, at the time, went by (not Zhongli, or... well, maybe that was exactly what he went by actually, come to think of it; why wouldn't he?) Which, to me, is further confirmed by the translation of the area's name's from the Chinese source directly. We have the 'Plains of Returning and Departing' (歸離原), which correlate with the meanings of a symbol in each of their names, the 'Gui' (歸) from Guizhong which means 'to return', and 'li' (離) from Zhongli, which means 'to depart'.

Now, regardless of the perceived nature of these two to others, I think saying that they're intertwined in stone (history) and memory either way, to hardly be far from a stretch at all. Now, keeping the above two translations in mind, and remembering that they put Zhongli's birthday in our western calendar on December 31st, I think January 1st would be a beautiful decision for Guizhong's. He represents the end of a fruitfal year, and she represents the start, or chance, of a new. I love the symbolism more than I can put into words.

[b-blushes]

trail cam-esque photo and my love the blue sky <3 <3 <3

[alchemocha]

Falling asleep thinking about the idea of a very timid and young Ivo meeting a young Stone, softly introducing himself by asking if he likes robots. He’s not good at making friends or talking to anyone really, but he thought he’d try, and Stone just smiles real big and nods enthusiastically. The response is positive but it makes young Ivo flinch and hide behind Java. Shy and nervous and unsure how to proceed.

He quietly tells Stone, or, Samir is his first name, Ivo learns, that he likes to build them, and Samir lights up in excitement, telling Ivo how cool that is, and asks if he can see, if it’s okay. So Ivo introduces him to the little gadgets he’s been crafting and building, and his blueprints for bigger things. He’s shocked, pleasantly so, when Samir starts talking about the different parts, what works well together and little things that could be adjusted for best efficiency, and little Ivo is starstruck that not only is someone engaging with him, but positively, and he knows what he’s doing! He understands his ideas!

No one’s ever done any of those things before, and it gives him a lot of feelings. Has to try not to start sniffling in front of his new companion, but Samir notices anyways, gently soothes his new buddy and apologizes for anything he may have said, but it wasn’t any of that, he was just very used to being alone and not understood at all. Samir gives him a little smile, tells him that he’s often felt similar, but it’s okay now cause he’ll be his best friend!

[diableasura]

Netflix removing the sexism from sokkas character because they though it was an issue of the show instead of a mindset that sokka eventually grew out of and from which his character arc started proves that these live action Netflix adaptations do not prioritise actual characterisation and instead only work towards producing easily consumable and bland adaptations that will give them the biggest revenue.

Yes this includes the one piece live action show as well.

[stellerssong]

18 and 22 for the ask game? [eyes emoji]

18—what’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

cheating this one a little due to my insistence on using fucking incomplete sentences whenever possible. idk though, i liked this one. i know Twilight has ruined watching-someone-sleep as a romance trope, but honestly out of that specific context i do find it romantic, and i was pleased with how the Lucienne-ness of the imagery fit itself into the tenderness of the moment. also We Objectify Werewolves Here, Sir

She feels several new entries write their way onto the end of her internal encyclopedia as she looks at him, addendums to the entries on sigh and sleep and smile. Her breath comes a little fast, sticks in her throat as she files the new information away, lingering on those keywords. Sigh. Sleep. Smile.

22—do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

baby girl YOU know i don’t even know how a given SENTENCE will end until i’m like a solid 45% of the way through it. i am literally just saying words recreationally, if they’re coherent it’s less because of a strict plan and more because of the monkeys-at-typewriters principle.

(real answer: lol no. i start with vibes and wait for an ending to present itself either thematically or in the form of a button for the fic. i am very extremely a pantser in terms of my style, inasmuch as i have a “style.”)