#the designer really loved them though and has taken them to hopefully get them into her next panto

[carpe-mamilia]

Tagged by @notyouraveragejulie - thank you!

Favourite colour: blue. Pretty much every article of clothing I own that isn't theatre blacks for backstage is either blue or horizontal stripes or both

Currently reading: Alice Through the Looking Glass, because I re-read Wonderland when we were doing the opera

Last song: Two Worlds (Ebn-Hakia's aria from Iolanta). I have to say that Fedora largely left me cold, but Iolanta is Tchaikovsky and therefore has some bops

Last series: just binged Yonderland again, also showed my assistant Detectorists when she came to stay with me while we were doing alterations

Sweet, savoury or spicy? Would have to go with savoury. There are so many sweets and cakes around backstage, which is very nice and all but does make you rather long for a toastie

Currently working on: Iolanta, the last of the three operas I have been working on as Costume Supervisor this summer. It's been bloody hard work but the end is now in sight, and honestly this one is about a hundred times easier than the other two for various reasons. Assorted pics of Fedora and Alice in Wonderland (by Laima Arlauskaite) below since we haven't had the photos from the Iolanta dress rehearsal through yet.

Tagging: @stoportotouch @fabledquill @mischieffoal @deez-no-relation @aconissa @mothlm @princessprouvaire @truthhux if you'd like to!

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"The Bad Batch" Season 3 episodes 1-3 review

guys, I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch this because I couldn't sleep (although tbf, my room's heater was way too much and distracting my peaceful slumber anyway). Overall, I really enjoyed the start to the final season. I thought the character directions were good, animation was always beautiful, music was great, and the action was fun. There were a few surprises and somethings I wish they changed, but I'm happy.

spoilers not necessary, but it's fair to say that Hemlock has cemented himself as a truly sinister and twisted villain. Everything about him from his VA's performance to actions are perfection. His theme is also very chilling. We've never seen a villain like him in Star Wars.

Spoilers below

Omega and Crosshair right away steal the show for me. Her upbeat attitude even in the darkest of times is enough to breakthrough Crosshair's darkness. And honestly, that's one of my favorite things about Omega: her hope. Although she's a kid and separated from her family, she still finds ways to keep going. She finds companionship in Batcher (who is adorable), talks with Crosshair, makes a straw Lula, and constantly searches for a way out. I love her dearly. There's something about her pluckiness that's so endearing. Side note: isn't it eerie she kinda resembles Emerie with her hairstyle? I think it was intentional and she's a mirror to her.

Then there's Crosshair. He's my favorite character so of course I was excited to see him. I am a big fan of the direction they're taking him in. He's at his lowest and right now, he has to slowly pick himself back up. Although I can see his transition from "there's no escape" to trusting Omega as a bit rushed, I think it works. They've been stuck for months and I like to think that in the time between episode 1 and 3, her visits kept him going. And that's very important. It's implied that she constantly visits him when she can. His body language also speaks volumes. I could talk for a while about that. Crosshair's words hold a sharp bite to them; he doesn't like being emotionally vulnerable. However, his body language says differently. He does trust Omega's direction, he smiles when thinking of Tech, he readily helps Omega up, and he's surprised when Omega tells him he doesn't deserve to be stuck on Tantiss. Crosshair clearly cares about her and his family even though his words try to shield that. AND HE FINALLY SAID OMEGA'S NAME!!! I am not ok with this.

The other thing about Crosshair I want to talk about is his hands. He either has nerve damage from Barton IV, the torture is getting to him, or he has psychosomatic symptoms from his mental anguish. One of the things that's quickly established about him is that he's a sharpshooter. Crosshair is shown repeatedly to make these incredible shots and never miss. And yet, now he keeps missing because his hands shake. I think it's an interesting choice to make. Aside from forcing Crosshair to fight physically and show how cool he is, this choice does emphasizes how fractured his identity has become. When he joined the Empire, he lost his Batcher identity. The Empire stripped him of his humanity. Then, he lost his soldier identity when taken to Tantiss. Now, the only other thing he has, which are his skills, are gone. He needs to slowly put himself back together and I'm excited to see his journey.

Moving on to Hunter and Wrecker. They need hugs so much. One of the things I noticed was that Wrecker was more subdued and quiet. He's always let his inner child out, but knows when it's time to be serious. I really appreciated the mature approach to both characters. Hunter is struggling with Tech and Omega's loss and it's evident. He secludes himself and the pain is felt in his words and body language. Even their armor design shows the mental toll that last season's events have taken on them. Overall, I'm intrigued to see how their journeys progress. They're both kinda stuck and hopefully that will change as they get closer and closer to finding Omega (and Crosshair).

In terms of story, I did really enjoy that we got in the first few episodes. The clone cadet mini arc in episode 2 was really cool to watch as it finally explains what happens to the younger clones. It shows how they adapt with losing everything they know, especially since they're kids. On top of that, we get the start of the "find Omega" mission. Both stories mesh well together and I enjoyed it a lot. The story with Omega and Crosshair was particularly interesting. The monotony of the Empire is on full scale, as is Hemlock's cruelty. My crack theory is that Palpatine is trying to make force sensitive clones. But I think the mystery behind Project Necromancer is really fascinating and spooky. Both Emerie and Nala Se are interesting in because both feel conflicted about their loyalty to Omega and their jobs. I think Emerie will choose Omega in the end though, just like Nala Se did. Overall, I think both stories are intriguing and will hopefully have some great payoffs in the end.

Of course, not everything is perfect. I didn't expect the time-jump or the escape from Tantiss to be that fast. Honestly, I think we could've waited an episode before jumping right into it. It makes me wonder what's next for Cross and Omega since they left so quickly. I also really wish that we got Crosshair's reaction to finding out about Tech. It's implied Omega told him based on what she says at the crashed shuttle. Still, I would've loved to find out his reaction. That's his brother. I think it's fair to say that Crosshair would've felt very guilty. In the time since episode 1, he's probably made peace with it, but I think it should've been included nonetheless.

Those are my overall thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed the episodes as well and I'm so excited for next week. Until then Bad Batch friends! May the Force be with you!

(also, i hope we see Echo next week!)

[acourtofbooksandshadows]

Alliance Maker- Chapter 10

Summary: Nesta, Cassian and Azriel are back and you all have dinner together.

Pairing: Slow burn!Azriel x Afab!Reader

Warnings: Sadness, death, power, swearing, fire and that's it I think.

Word count:1213

Masterlist Series Masterlist

“We got you a gift.” Was the first thing you heard as you sat down for dinner. You glanced at the others sitting around the table. Nesta and Cassian sat by each other, Azriel on the other side of Cassian. Lucien had just wrangled a ball from Zas and plopped down in the chair beside you. 

“I don’t think it’s my birthday.” You never really knew when your birthday was. Had never celebrated one when younger. But you did celebrate the day your dad had saved you. Though that was a day that only the two of you had knowledge of. The day had also not been celebrated since before you were taken from the woods in the mortal lands. You thought of your father as you often did. Thought about hopefully seeing him again one day. 

“Ember, are you ready for dinner?” You heard your fathers deep voice coming from the kitchen. You put a placeholder in your book and got up eagerly. Your footsteps were silent as you made your way through the small house. Your father was standing with his hands on his hips behind the table.

He had a wide smile on his lips as he looked at the spread he had made. There were all your favorite foods lying out on the table. An equally wide smile adorned your lips as you took in the sight before you. He pulled a chair out for you before settling in on his own next to you. Then you both dug into the food in front of you. It wasn’t much but you wouldn’t change this for the world. You’d just finished the dishes and were walking out of the kitchen when your father came into sight. 

“I love you Ember.” The sentiment had a lump forming in your throat. You tried to hold back your tears but they ran down your face like a steady stream anyways. He held out his arms and you shot into them. 

“I love you papa.” He ran a steady hand along the back of your head and you took in a big breath. Smoke and leather clouded your senses and your sobs grew louder. He had been a safe place for you since he saved you the night you were left for dead. He held you until your sobs stopped and then you both read in the living room by the fire in the hearth. 

When your name was called you broke out of your memory. “Sorry.” You muttered the word quietly, the skin on your chest had started to heat and you rubbed at it soothingly. Until a dark tendril came to wrap around your wrist and you let out a refreshed sigh. 

“After your display of power we thought it wise to get you something to help control it.” Azriel’s shadows brought a box to the table at Cassian’s words. They slid the box across the table until it sat in front of you. It looked simple, black obsidian with a few intricate designs of swirls adorning the sides of the box.  

“Are you going to open it?” Nesta was becoming impatient, you brought a gloved hand up to the box and ran your fingers along the material. You were happy for the gloves lacking fingers as you felt the material that was smooth along your fingertips. 

“No one has ever gotten me a gift before.” While you and your father had celebrated before it had always been with your favorite food and dessert. You had never been well off enough to afford gifts. His job as the town blacksmith was only so rewarding. You flipped over the latch that was on the front keeping the lid closed and set your eyes upon three gems as the lid rose. 

You looked at them curiously and realized the resemblance to the siphons you’d seen Cassian and Azriel wore. Though the ones lying within the box were black, a beautiful obsidian, that matched the partial color of your wings perfectly. That matched the shadow wrapped around your wrist just as well. You picked one up delicately and sent a flame up through your fingertips, a gasp left your lips as you saw the flame get locked within the stone and pulse. Another wave ran down your arm into your fingers then was once again locked in the stone. 

You had expected it to feel like your power was being dragged from you but instead it felt like it was being amplified and dulled all at the same time. You blinked as you realized what exactly was happening. It was being honed for use, it was building up until you needed it, building up within the stone so you wouldn’t fear losing control again. A single tear slipped down your face that another shadow was quick to wipe away. A breath left your lips as relief slowly ebbed into you. You gathered another one into your other hand and let your power slip into it. Your shoulders sagged with the weight of some of what was bottled inside your body locked itself away in the stone. 

“Thank you.” The words fell from your lips as you grasped the stones within your hands. You finally looked up and Azriels eyes were studying you. Studying you in a way that made you feel small yet bigger than life all at the same time. He nodded his head at you once and you mirrored the action in return. 

“Let’s eat.” Cassian’s deep voice rumpled and you were thankful for the distraction as you slipped the stones back into the box and closed the lid. 

“Do you guys have a blacksmith in town? I don’t think that was on the tour today.” The question came from you after dessert had passed and the group of you sat around sipping on wine and whiskey. 

Cassian had been feeding Brok and Zas pieces of food off his plate which had earned him their interest and now they wouldn’t leave the Illyrian alone. Brok had climbed into the large males lap and settled in nicely. Which was a funny sight because the hound was massive and you were surprised the chair hadn’t snapped under his added weight. But Cassian didn’t falter and had taken joy in petting the hounds head as he napped. 

“We have one in town, yes.” Nesta’s eyes worked over your frame curiously and you looked at her in a bored yet mischievous manner that was so completely you. 

“Why do you inquire about one?” You shrugged your shoulders at her question. Cassian and Nesta glanced at each other as they remembered the weapons she had made not long ago. How deadly they had turned in her doing so. 

“Miss the art is all.” She gave you a nod, she knew how much you had helped your father around the shop and she was sure you missed the attachment to the man. 

“I can take you tomorrow if you’d like?” Lucien spoke up beside you and you were going to turn and accept his offer when another voice spoke up. 

“I’ll take her.” Azriel said simply and the discussion was left at that. No one dared question the order from the spymaster. His shadows danced along his skin excitedly.

A/N: Not very long but I'll make it up to you with some Az and reader next chapter. Thank you all for reading as always likes, comments, reblogs and follows are much appreciated.

Tags(open): @wolfsbane44 @moonlwghts @maddietheshoe @hyemishii @fanboyluvr @kmc1989 @acourtofinkandpapyrus @luvmoo

[watercloud7]

- [ ] Turtle tot Raph headcanons

- [❤️] Eldest sibling syndrome

- [🐢] I red a fic where splinter had PTSD and depression from all those years in the battle nexus, he would disassociate for ages Some times more then a week just sitting there on the couch, watching commercials, completely spaced out and i agree.

- [❤️] Splinter would have to be gone for days atta time, gathering supplies and what not.

- [🐢] When he’s awake and present he’s an amazing dad, he plays and feeds and looks after them. He has a folder for each of his sons on how to best care for them individually.

- [❤️] But when the episodes start and he can’t wake up at all…

- [🐢] The very first time Raph had been terrified but quickly designated himself as his baby brothers care taker during splinters “ absences”.

- [❤️] Whatever kind they were.

- [🐢] He’s the oldest and he spends the most time with dad, he’d be careful to pay attention on how their father looked after their little family so Raph could replicate it when he had to be in charge.

- [❤️] Raph read everything his father wrote about him and his siblings, all the information splinter gathered on them and how each liked their food made and other specific needs.

- [🐢] Baby Raph would Cloths and feed and play and comfort and reassure that dad was coming back.

- [❤️] Either from top side or from another depressive episode.

- [🐢] He would put up a brave face and smile for them, covering up his fear of being abandoned and having to take care of everything without really knowing what to do.

- [❤️] This one time splinter had gone for so long they almost ran out of food and Raph had to pretend like he wasn’t hungry so his baby brothers would finish the last pot noodles they had left.

- [🐢] he cried himself to sleep on the long period of time where splinter is out of it or just straight up gone.

- [❤️] Sometimes when all his siblings are asleep and he doesn’t wanna worry them he sneaks into splinters room and curls up on his lap wishing he’d come out of it soon.

- [🐢] Raph got really scared of them running out of food and his sibling starving, or simply something bad happening and not knowing what to do.

- [❤️] When the inevitable happened and one of splinters outings/ episodes lasted long enough that they really did run out…

- [🐢] Raph decided to break their few household rules and leave the sewers in search for food.

- [❤️] Splinter had taken him topside once, not to far from the lair, showing him the ropes briefly, just in case.

- [🐢] He gathered his crying siblings together, they were all very anxious and upset at the idea of being separated from both their primary caretakers.

- [❤️] Despite one of them still being a literal child.

- [🐢] So Raph put on lu jitsu movies for them and covered them up in heavy blankets because he knows that always puts them right to sleep.

- [❤️] And hopefully, they’d sleep long enough for him to go and come back with food.

- [🐢] The entire time he was out looking, his heart felt like it was at the bottom of his stomach.Being away from his baby brothers like this made him feel sick, and the thousands of horrible scenarios running through his mind of them waking up or getting bored and wandering deeper into the sewers or simply hurting themselves, plain in simple did not help.

- [❤️] He was so scared of getting caught by a human he almost runs back to his little family, but he just couldn’t let them starve like that.

- [🐢] He’s still the big brother.

- [❤️] That’s actually the first time they ate pizza, after Raph brought a couple back all by himself. *saw a bunch of nice smelling flat carton boxes on a delivery scooter unattended and just swiped them*

- [🐢] Raph also hand fed mikey for a really long time cause Mikey loved sitting on his lap and claimed the food tasted better when Raph made airplane noises for him.

- [❤️] Even though these memories bring him pride for being able to protect and look after his brothers they’re also a massive source of trauma and the root of his separation anxiety.

- [🐢] Whenever splinter came out of his episodes or topside he’d always make up for it with big breakfasts and presents and kisses and hugs.

- [❤️] But that was only when they were really small and Raph would cling onto him for days afterwards for comfort.

- [🐢] He’d praise and love up on all of them but especially on Raphael because he wanted to let him know how proud and thankful he was to have such a dedicated and responsible son.

- [❤️] Eventually though Raph got bigger and more experienced, him taking care of everything for days or even weeks atta time wasn’t a challenge anymore, it wasn’t scary anymore.

- [🐢] It was simply routine. If Dad was out, Raph was in.

- [❤️] So splinter didn’t feel the need to “ make up” for his absence, because Raph always has it covered without any kind of complaints.

- [🐢] He still lets Raph know how much he loves and appreciate him though, he’s just less expressive about it then when he was a child.

- [❤️] His sibling, especially Mikey run to him for physical affection when they’re really upset. But then again Mikey is clingy with all of his big brothers.

- [💙💜🧡] Leo, Donnie and Mikey only have positive memories of their childhood and remember those episodes as something fun because Raph always made sure they were never scared.

[anime-grimmy-art]

Day 4 – Buddies

Zet – Cry is Zet’s trusty partner since forever and oh boy has this poor cat been through a lot. Cry is a bit of a stickler for the rules and tries to keep situations under control, which is hard when his huntress keeps running headfirst into danger and (accidentally) insulting authority. Still, despite all the migraines he’d gladly lay his life down for his huntress. Way later, on a long journey from the mainland back to the New World, Zet stumbles onto Kamura and meets the veteran Palamute Rev. He’s a jaded old dog whose hunter had died long ago and despite all his skills had refused to be taken in by anyone. Somehow, he and Zet resonated, and despite his better judgment, Rev joined Zet and Cry for their adventure.

Mei – I’d say her buddy is Navirou, I guess? While they do butt heads sometimes, cos Navirou is very overdramatic and Mei just wants to avoid conflict, she really grew close to the weird Felyne. He can be kind of narcissistic, but Mei knows he cares a lot about her and even through danger, he never left her side. He’s also one of the only few individuals that didn’t have expectations of her since Navirou didn’t know her grandfather, so Mei found she’d often cling to Navirou’s point of view.

Chidori – Nyaba and Shibe have been with her since she was a kid, but she hadn’t seen the two for years when she was training at the Guild. But ever since she’s returned to Kamura, the two haven’t left her side. Nyaba is a very calculating Felyne and often gets called a Melynx cos she likes being a trickster. Best support you could ask for though. Shibe is a very chill Palamute since he is a very different breed from most of the dogs Iori takes care of. Not to say he’s useless in a fight. He isn’t the fastest Palamute, but he has insane endurance, like his master, and knows how to hit hard.

Day 5 – Monsters

Zet – Zet doesn’t really have a favourite monster, but she does prefer those that go “head first, thoughts later” as these monsters are very predictable and comparably easy to deal with. As for association, Zet would love to not have a link to this monster, but she sadly has strong ties to Fatalis. She had to face this monster before and almost lost her life in the fight, it was a miracle she managed to survive. After her recovery she had been sent to the New World as the Guild found her too useless (and too dangerous) to keep around, but in the end, she was forced to face the beast once again, but this time hopefully for good. I’d be amiss not to mention Xeno’jiva though, cos, ya know, Sapphire Star and all. I do personally link it and Zet together, even more so if we go with the route that Safi’jiva is the same dragon. I do love a good rivalry between hunter and monster. Also, also, if Zet had a monster-sona, it would be Velkhana.

Mei – Oh, Mei has a fondness for all monsters, really. She loves all her monsties equally, but some of her children just need/want more attention so these are kinda extra special. Of course, you have her lil baby boy Ratha, the monster fate tied to her, and Mei would not give him away for anything. Then she got her problem child Asparagus, a young and overactive Astalos. He’s like a bug dragon puppy that’s just teething, so he gnaws on everything and anyone, but Mei just finds it so adorable she would let him chew on her arm forever. Last but not least are her calm, broody ones, Apple the Anjanath and Legume the Legiana. These two are rather mild mannered but both very cuddly and affectionate. Since they’re the level-headed ones, they, along with Ratha, usually keep the rowdy bunch in check.

Chidori – As Mei is sunshine incarnate, so is Chidori Gargwa incarnate. I took a lot of inspiration from Gargwas when designing her, and her nervous and flighty demeanour also really reminded me of them. As for favourite, she likes the more chill and non-threatening monsters, at least the ones that don’t look threatening. Monsters like Tetranadon, Pukei-Pukei and strangely even Espinas (when it is asleep).

[sea-owl]

I dont know much about The Selection so forgive me for the out of context plot but imagine KSP running to find a secret hide out the second they step foot in the castle and run into each other, where they bond over their shared disinterest of the brothers and united in their desire to raise their levels. I can imagine them agreeing to use the Selection to gain popularity without having to marry any of the brothers and hopefully up their levels. But obviously it backfires because their blatant disregard and disinterest of the brothers is what draws said brothers in like 'oooh pretty lady does not like me? SHE'S PERFECT'

And so for the entirety of the Selection (or maybe after months of denying their desires then finally admitting their desires), the ABC Brothers are running around chasing KSP with their tails wagging, and a shared brain cell revved up to the max. All the while their future wives chosen contestants are doing their best hiding, dodging and pushing the other contenders to them in a futile effort to throw the brothers of their trail.

Also, DEFGH are laughing their asses of on the sidelines at the tomfoolery their brothers are making and to up the chaos, half of them are matchmaking while the others are c0ckblocking their brothers (and vice versa) just for funsies.

To be honest, this isn't so far out of the norm from the book. So for some context for those not familiar with the Selection, our main characters meet when America, our female lead, has a panic attack her first night and tries to get out to the garden but they're not allowed outside on their own. The prince, Maxon and our male lead, sees this and demands the guards let her go out, that he'll be with her so it's allowed. She actually kicks Maxon in the groin at one point during this first meeting, and the man still falls in love. They strike up a friendship and a deal that while she's still in the competition, she'll basically be his inside informant. So much potential before Aspen made it messy.

In our au this is how I see it working out.

So Kate, Sophie, and Penelope live in neighboring territories so they travel together to the palace. They talk about their jobs, bookkeeping for Kate, maid for Sophie, and dancing for Penelope. They all shyly admit to one another that they're mainly in this competition to help raise their quality of life within the caste system. They also confide in one another while either chose their prince at random or someone else chose for them.

Kate has an excellent mind for business, and an excellent reputation as a bookkeeper, but due to her being a 4 she can't really rise any higher than where's she at. She relaxes by doing watercolors.

Sophie has a passion for art and finds comfort in it, even though so many look down at he for being a 6. She doesn't really care what she ends up doing after, maybe she'll teach, she's just relieved that she made it this far and automatically now a three.

Penelope dances as a 5, performing with her younger sister Felicity who sets up paintings for Penelope to move the paint around as she dances. Though her real talent is in writing the story she and Felicity does. She is thankful she could consider pursuing it further now that she's a three.

They're thankfully taken together to the same makeup artist and designer to get them ready for the first day of interviews. They keep talking to one another and thankfully keeps all of them calm, less likely to clam up when the official cameras turns on them. After each girl's interview they are left to their own devices for the day in the shared drawing room where each girl can hang out in, and their official meeting place. They are given out a schedule as well, meal times, one on ones. social events, classes to teach them things such as palace etiquette.

The girls are also happy to find they will be rooming together. Usually each girl gets their own room but since there are triple the contestants this Selection it was decided that one girl from each princes' selection would be rooming together until enough girls were eliminated to spread them each to their own rooms.

With the news, Kate, Sophie, and Penelope made a pact that they would look out for one another so long as they were in the competition. None of them think they'll be here that long, especially when it's time to pick the ten Elites, but they are already planning on some collaborations and friendships for their future. They're basically gonna network for all their worth while they're there.

Unknown to any of the girls the judging of the Selection has already begun. The royal family and the three of the princess' fiancés sat in a private drawing room where they watched each girl from the official and unofficial cameras.

"Well those three have some sense," Eloise laughed as the unofficial cameras picked up on three of the girls' conversation. "They don't want any of you."

"Eloise," Daphne swatted at her sister.

"It is rather interesting," Simon said, speaking to his best friend, Anthony.

"It is indeed," Anthony said.

Notes were being made on each girl, Gregory and Hyacinth would call out if any comments from the public online were of any interest of the girls.

It did not escape the others notice though that the three princes kept their eyes trailing back to a certain camera.

[thenotsosecretdiaryofbiyu]

2024年7月13日— Longshan Temple

Today I did something that I’ve been dying to do for a LONG time: go to a Taiwanese temple! The most exciting thing is that I got to make some offerings, make a prayer, and ask a question to one of the deities there! (Well, technically I’m gonna say I offered the prayer to the Heavens in general because I’m pretty sure it goes against my religion to pray to another deity OOPS– don’t tell my pastor plz). My offering was simple, just a pack of some cakes I bought from the temple and the snacks I brought with me in my bag today (some chocolate gummy candy and some chocolate chip os hehe), and I prayed at the spot designated for the deity of romance! Thankfully, I didn’t feel too pathetic though because at least there were a bunch of other desperate singles in the little area too, all praying with their hands pressed together alongside me. After the prayer, I asked a question (which I will NOT tell y’all because a girl has to have her secrets) and I threw the divination moonstones to get a celestial response– it said yes!! So hopefully, things are looking up for me in the romance department! God, and all my friends, know I could use some luck there lol. The cool thing is that I got to take my offerings with me, which is something I did not expect in the slightest! I guess it makes sense though, because it would likely just go to waste otherwise if they weren’t taken back by the offeror.

Off topic, but I realized this morning that some of the things I bought yesterday at the night market were fakes (one little Kuromi journal I bought literally said, “Where do you want to go todag?” LOL)! I don’t mind though, I think it’s funny and I’m sure my bestie won’t care and will love it even more now hehe. I’ve also noticed that there is an absolutely INSANE amount of corporate collabs going on in the capitalistic sphere over here! Yay!!!! I came across a Sanrio themed Seven Eleven today while I was walking around and just its existence blew my mind, and then before I took the MRT home, I grabbed myself some cupcakes from the Pokemon + Mister Donut collab going on right now! The States of course have their own collabs but it’s much, much rarer than it appears to be over here. There’s even a Hello Kitty + Watsons collab for Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary! I got the required points to do so, and then I bought one of the mystery bags! ( 一開始我以爲可以自己選擇想要買的手提包，可是原來是隨機的！無法選擇險要的，是由天命決定。不幸的是送給我的手提包不是我想要的。雖然還是看起來好可愛，但是我可能還要再買一個來嘗試得到想要的設計。）I got the Hello Kitty design, but I really wanted the Cinnamoroll one, so oh well.

The weather here is intense, but I’ve noticed that I don’t actually mind it! The hot weather just feels normal to me because of Florida’s unforgiving heat, and I’m actually happy that it rains here more than Florida! So far, it’s definitely rained here every day since I’ve arrived, and even as I’m typing this, it’s thundering. I had lunch alone today, and it was tons of fun! I went walking around, looking at all the tasty stores and cool little shops and I decided on a Bao place run by a sweet old lady!

Academic Reflection

To be honest, I’m not actually sure how many/which readings we were supposed to do today LOL, but I started reading the one titled “Hot and Noisy” and it’s had some relevance to the activities I’ve done the past few days so I think it’s a good place to start. What really stuck out to me from that writing was how contested the position of the 夜市 is, and how much that both surprised me and made immediate sense. Because I come from a culture where night markets are practically unheard of, I just assumed they were a normal, unthreatened aspect of the culture in Taiwan because I knew nothing about them. The reading showed me how jeopardized their position in Taiwanese society is, and how because they are becoming increasingly regulated, they are at risk. From first hand experience, the lack of government regulation is apparent because as I type this, I’m sitting next to the counterfeit Sanrio journals I bought and using some 來自夜市山寨產品的筆 to annotate the readings lol.

One of the lines from the song mentioned in the article also stuck out to me, the “buy as much as you can so Taiwan will have a miracle.” Although I know it is specifically talking about the night markets, it certainly pertains to the shopping environment in Taiwan as a whole too. The little receipts, which all give you a chance to win a lotto, prove that. It’s clever and makes sense, because it encourages the gambler in you to buy more, which stimulates the economy. It’s certainly worked on me, because even as I spend a little more than I’m supposed to on cute cupcakes, the little number on the receipt I got made the purchase feel just a touch better.

#I’macaptialistforthecutepokemoncupcakes #idbuythecounterfeitsAGAIN

[ceourdefil]

hello, hello everyone! (^..^)ﾉ   i’m soul ( she/her, 22, est ) if you've seen me before, pretend you didn't! anaïs is still very a work in progress as i've taken a break from roleplaying for a while and i'm still getting back into the grove of things! apologies if her background makes no sense, i'm more than happy to explain her again. i have disco.rd avail and i'm fluent in yappanese, so please never hesitate approaching me about plots or threads! :3  

is   that   mishti   rahman?   oh,   no,   that’s   anaïs   sarkar,   a   thirty-one   year   old  aquarium   curator   at   fish   frenzy   aquarium   in   valparaíso   who   uses   she/her  pronouns.   they   currently   live   in   viña   del   mar,   and   the   character   they  identify   with   most   is   marceline   from   adventure   time.   hopefully   they   find  their   own   little   paradise   here   in   el   país   de   los   poetas!

PINTEREST.

trigger warnings: mental health and financial trauma.

STATS.

full name: anaïs sarkar. birthdate: june 21st, 1992. ( thirty-one ) zodiac: cancer sun, scoprio moon, libra rising. gender: cis woman. ( she/her/hers )

birthplace: portland, maine. residence: one bedroom apartment with her pet cat affectionately named momo after her favorite snack growing up. orientation: demiromantic/sexual.

class: nouveau riche ( in her eyes ), newly appointed aquarium curator at the fish frenzy aquarium. can be described as a bunny-eared lawyer type; her eccentrics are tolerated because she gets the job done, albeit not all on her own. double majored in business administration and marine biology. runs a small etsy shop where she makes jewelry out of seashells she finds along the shore.

neurological: lacks any sense of social propriety, which exacerbates her cognitive dissonance and emotional dysregulation. probably depressed, but she’ll blame it on her quarter-life crisis and go about her business like usual. experiences bouts of emptiness, unsure of what to make of her identity even now that she seemingly has it all. will put herself in risky situations occasionally.

tropes: big ego / hidden depths, broken bird, and byronic heroine.

tdlr: sea witch / seafaring siren immortalized in a brooding business woman trying to enjoy what she's been reaping! it's hard to forget her, really.

jobless mondays, experiencing jamais vu for the first time, taking up space somewhere you’ve outgrown, simultaneously being your parent’s favorite, least favorite, and only child, stuffing tissue paper in your shoes to make them fit you better, your clothes wearing you instead of you wearing them, raising and soothing yourself, stuck behind playing the cards you’ve been dealt and disappearing forever, finding yourself at your lowest and forgetting it all at your highest.

positives: resourceful, off-kilter, neurotic, cogent, tight-fisted, and tender. ( when she wants to be ) negatives: mendacious and reticent by fault. unreadable at times.

likes: seashells, salted caramel cookies, in the mood for love ( 2001 ), arguing with a smile, fashion houses like yves saint laurent / fancì club / blumarine, jellyfish, satin finishes and metallic shines, five star cigarettes, learning how to tie different knots, ylang ylang scents, bookmarking tweets instead of liking them from people she hates, never finishing anything she starts, simone de beauvoir's ideologies, mutually assured destruction, and letting it linger.

dislikes: imperfection, fingernail tapping, unfunny people, distant people ( even though she is ), and early mornings.

style: hyper-feminine, fond of flowy silhouettes, ruffles, and lace. leans into the siren look with jellyfish like tendrils following behind her in dress form. overdressed constantly, adorning designer brands she knows the average person won’t recognize. prefers muted colors and will always be seen in heels, whether it be pumps, boots, and whatever else. likes to tower above the rest. never seen with unbrushed hair, she maintains her long hair routinely. will do her makeup no matter what the occasion, believes that the more put-together she seems, the validity of feeling that way will increase.

family: born and raised in portland with her immigrant mother, a lightning rod for all of her grief growing up poor; she blamed her mother for not setting up a life that her off-springs could be proud of and even wished fervently that she had never given birth to her. she feels as if her conditions have severely stunted her and she’s been reduced to a machine, only until arriving to new york city did she open herself up to what it means to be a person, much less a powerful person. still doesn’t know much about her father, but got along decently well with her grandmother before her death; she wouldn’t say they had emotional sustenance in their relationship, but for what it was worth, she knew she was preening her for whatever kind of person she choose to be. since individuality was not appreciated nor encouraged in her upbringing, she struggles with her ever-shifting personality and by extension, letting others understand and know her. 

BACKGROUND.

grew up in your quintessential first generation immigrant family; was always aware of the financial burden she was on her mother who didn't exactly shelter her from how hard it was to raise her. it was subtle, it was in the way she knew how much the food in her stomach costed, how much she was wearing on her skin, even down to how much the rubber bands holding her braids together costed. her mother would never explicitly tell her how dire their situation was, but her grief was palpable and children are god's greatest sponges! grasping the concept of money at such a young age put a dent in her head, leading her to have deep-seeded financial trauma. unlike other traumas, hers didn't wax and wane; it stayed stagnant in every altercation with money she had. once the dread stifles, comes the mass consumption— the greed. alwaaaays has a hoard of luxury item packages waiting for her at the post office and obnoxiously over-enunciates the names of the brands she's been buying from to the clerk, she's pretentious like that. :T she will also ALWAYS come overdressed ( like why is she wearing cunty heels and a chiffon blouse on her way to the grocery store? ) so please do not hesitate on having your muses comment on how much of a try-hard she is!

growing up in a port town, she did find some solace in walking along the salty shoreline during late winter during her formative years, watching from the waves rocked to and from the magnetic moon. the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide seemed to synchronize with the rhythm of her own thoughts, feeling quite literally one with the ocean at a time where she felt as if she fell far beyond the realm of being understood by anyone… anything, too. she doesn’t like to admit it, but her love for the ocean had taken a backseat for a grueling stretch of her life, and coming to valpo as another port city is her idea of reconnecting to an affinity that seems to own her as much as she owns it.

going back to her upbringing, she's worked a plethora of odd jobs to put extra money on the table and has honestly seen it all back in portland. though she never strayed too far from the light in how she earned her living, she's not a stranger to how money runs through a community. while school was secondary to working, she did well enough to get into college down in new york city and that's when she realized she's not actually poor ( poor in her mind renders as hopeless, like how her mother was ) she's actually just broke? the american higher education system is cruel to her and the only plausible means of pushing herself through her degree ( you guessed it... majoring in business, like a moth to a flame! she did double-major in marine biology because she knew she would never be able to afford coming back to school ) is having to borrow money from uncle tom. in actuality, though... getting a loan is harder than paying it off, so she learns after finishing up her masters. money / power / anything that will lift her up from the hole she's been born in to her is like that dirtbag boyfriend who tells you time and time again that he'll get better, a loan-shark that grips you when you're at your softest, like ripe meat waiting to be cut through. a bit bloodied in theory? yes! but so is anaïs... ( everyone boos )

and so, she starts off working shitty entry level positions at start-ups that don't give her a lick of social mobility while taking up space ( literally and figuratively ) in the double bed she shares with her mother every night. it's depressing in a way that separates her humanity from her; she feels her lack of existence day in and day out. there's something about working a mundane, uninspiring 9-5 that takes away what being human is to her; as if she's been reduced to an animal, only focused on the hunt of the day and where she's gonna lay her head. that is until the miracle that is her workplace being under investigation for gender discrimination landing her an overdue promotion. from there, her success only grows. her mother is all for it, "you'll finally be able to take care of me," is the sentiment that comes from her, typical immigrant family filial debt bullshit— anaïs never asked to be born and she surely didn't sign up to be a makeshift "retirement plan" ( if you can even call it that ) after years of practically having a tax to how many times she breathes a day. still, she's mommy's favorite ( and only ) and it's an ongoing joke that her mother didn't even want the doctors to cut her umbilical cord.

she's unsure if the person she is now was predestined for her or if she's like this because she finally has the will power to live instead of survive. if her greed and compulsive need to consume has been ingrained into her since birth or if she's just enjoying what is hers by birthright. regardless, she's learned that she's chased her love ( money ) all of her life and it's finally chasing her back. she's heard some whispers of how she has a hefty appetite and that she is not exempt from the kind of hunger she used to chastise others for. you can starve her, but she’ll always come up hungry. there's a gradual build up to the amount of gall she has nowadays.

that’s when she finds herself in valpo, a half baked attempt to reconnect or truly connect to who she thinks she’s meant to be.

PERSONALITY.

you can never quite know anaïs; she's very mouthy yet there's a twinge of sincerity in everything she says, even when she's being deceptive. she vehemently denies being vulnerable, unwilling to see any slight in the position she holds amongst the web of contingencies that is her life. she'll listen to anyone, though. she never stopped being a sponge for other people's grievances and insights, which is why she's willing to take into account even the most unreliable sources because there's validity in their experience and perception. pathetically intense underneath all of her glamor, all of the chest-puffing and high-heel clicking is to hide her self-pity and deliberating hatred for what she's been handed in life. oddly enough, it drives her, too. still, she won't be caught giving anyone her sob story. in fact, she makes up a different background for herself every time someone asks her about how life was like for her before valpo and yes, she does keep track of what she told to who! veeeery unserious and unfiltered; believes that "ingenuity" like hers must be reckon with. upon interacting with her, you can definitely tell there's something fundamentally wrong with her, but she can still hang!

as for plots, i'm rawdogging it as in i'd love to see how she would fit into your muse's story and i'm always down to brainstorm our own specially crafted plot. :3

[hxhhasmysoul]

Hi..... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series (until now)? Thanks....

Characters:

Itadori Yuuji

I like to quote this post by @/lets-curse-each-other a like the starter explanation to why Yuuji is an absolute masterpiece as a character and also the best boi. This post not only shows the peak of the iceberg that is Yuuji's personality but it only hints who much attention Gege gives to his characterisation.

I also love Yuuji because he's written in quite a unique way for a protagonist of a shounen manga, ie. more like a shoujo manga protagonist, and I wrote more about that here. His character journey is absolutely stunning, at every point his teenage beliefs that he developed to deal with his loneliness and the loss he has suffered, get questioned, rhetorically and generally attacked. He constantly needs to deal with his worldview and coping mechanisms being shuttered. And he still manages to be caring, to retain so much of himself.

And lastly I like his character design, it works really well both when he's really cute and when he's taken to his limits.

Kenjaku

They are the absolute fucking worst. They are an amazing plotter, like on a reread it's absolutely stunning how well their plans are prepared, how we see them perfect said plans. I have massive, massive respect for Kenjaku as a villain. They are such a manipulative lair. During my first reread I started compiling a file with all their scenes where I wrote whether I thought that they were lying in that scene and how because my ADHD wouldn't let me sleep, I kept thinking about them.

I love their mad scientist vibes, it's so sad no one wants to listen to them explaining their evil plans, and no one wants to nerd out with them about cursed energy (I'm looking here at you Tengen and Sukuna). Though to be fair, they kill the person who'd've likely been the most into such nerdy conversations, namely Yuki.

Of course it matters to me that they're Yuuji's mum. That makes their character even more juicy and horrible. Their whole twisted connection to motherhood is chefs kiss.

Nobara and Hana

I'm putting them both here together, despite them never meeting in the manga, because for me they both embody the awkwardness of being a teenage girl just on the opposite sides of the spectrum. There is a lot of societal stigma put onto teenage girls. Starting from how they should be.

Nobara is trying to define womanhood for herself while also clearly not being versed in issues of modern feminism. it feels very fitting for a girl her age. Some of the things she likes that are appropriate for girls from the society's point of view and some that are not so much, so she lands at girlboss feminism.

I also love that her reason for joining the Tokyo school is very much not jujutsu oriented. She's not there because of the politics of the clans like some many other students, or because it was join or die.

I hope that Nobara returns, though I'd be also okay with Gege just letting me grieve her at this point.

Hana is trying to orient herself through a crush she has on a guy who saved her life long ago. A guy she doesn't really know but she has created an image of in her head, it's a purely parasocial relationship so many teen girls have. Now I think Hana will be on her journey to reorient herself, build her self image outside of Megumi.

I low key hope that Yuuji will pop Angel's soul out of Hana and set her free, Hana not Angel, that 1000yo selfish sorcerer should join her ilk in the dumpster of history where they are all hopefully headed.

Yorozu

She's a rabid Sukuna simp so like mega relatable ;) But more seriously I love her powers, how much thought she put into them. She's an amazing jujutsu nerd, another friend Kenjaku could've had if they put her in a different body, one Sukuna wouldn't want to kill.

I love her creepy wedding plans but most of all I love that she's pursuing Sukuna for status. The things she wants of him are so appropriate for a Heian woman to want. It's a really cool bit. And she has the classic het relationship energy of "I can fix him". That's why you don't indulge in heterosexuality, kids.

I wish she actually joined the villain cast and remained there longer, she had amazing energy.

Sukuna

Another jujutsu nerd, but he's like embarrassed of it or something because he pretends he's not one. He's very above that nerd shit but also that's how he is the strongest and how he wins fights. He's amazingly not self aware. It's the same with his being so detached when he's very clearly capable of having really healthy relationships with others like he has with Uraume. He just chooses not to. He does have a bit of an edgy teen vibe which is funny in a 1000yo guy. Maybe that's why he's so irked by Yuuji. ;)

I absolutely love how he fights. He puts on a feral demeanor but underneath he's full on analysis and calculation.

He also makes the second best faces in the manga second only to Yuuji.

And his original form is very scrumptious, very thirst-inducing.

[fatratbabyy]

hi! i really love your designs, the colours are always really well done anf the characters are full of life.. and i love how your rewrites give the characters complexity and make them really interesting to me, much more so than canon(though i am a fan of some ideas introduced there, they don’t quite turn out in ways that make sense to me)! i’ve been wondering a few things about helluva troupe for a while however and hopefully the answers aren’t spoilers, lol.. in HT, what is Fizz’s involvement with the ‘troupe’ and what is stolas’s involvement too.? i wish you much luck on your work as it is lovely to see! (also apologies for my silly username)

Thank You!

Thank you so much that means a lot!! waaAahee! It makes me happy to see people interested 🥺👉👈

With Fizz it's,,, a bit Fuzzy, because hilariously he's the whole reason I made this AU among other things But I ended up makinh him a sorta side character antag again because while originally he was going to be part of the main crew from the start of HT's storyline, as I went along in trying to write I saw some cool hcs about his star clown days and so I thought to use the more canonized view- mostly in that he's a star clown during the events of HT instead of dropping the show life to join Blitz in I.M.P. That previous version is why you see him in the I.M.P references- and hinty hoo that ol version isnt completely null and voice to the current HT

ANYWAY so yeah- While Fizz isn't as much a main character as he was he still has a great deal of importance to the story and themes I want to express in HT. When it comes to him and the Troupe itself, I could best describe him as one of the biggest foils or parallels to the main cast. Just,, he's this golden image that represents their every want fulfilled. For Blitz especially given their thick history heehooo. (That's not to say this 'golden image' is entirely as it seems btw...)

Now it sounds much like canon I know but I like to think I'm taking a different direction with it- It's not really just the "haha you suck with relationships, fuck, shit, pénis im doing better look at my good relationship" nonsense cuz for 1. Fizzarozzie does nOT exist anymore- its Mamzie now 😊 (Mammon + Ozzie) and 2. The themes with Fizz and really most of HT has less to do with the melodramatic romance "will they wont they" of Stolitz (which isnt really a thing either) and more the struggle impoverished and oppressed peoples experience with success, failure, identity, community, family, status, history, trauma, etccc. Specifically, because I am an indigenous person from Canada, a lot of the themes are drawn from my own experiences, knowledge and history as an indigenous person. Though with execution, creative liberties were taken to make the fact they're in Hell clear btww-

That very likely did nOT answer jour question but i amn,,,stoopi 😭😭😭 simpler answer i suppose maybe by chance would be Fizz is an eventual antagonist to I.M.P. Specifics and how it happens and wheNNN?? Im still not sure yet if im honest- been really busy the last year or so and so Ive hadnt had any time or energy to work as much on writing all the things! ;u; thats probs disappointing to hear cuz plaNNing and all is important if you're gonna post story stuff at all,,, but !! I do hope to work more on the story this year so i can wrap up all these floating ideas into a Concrete line of stuff cuz truly all im missing is the middle pieces. Maybe an HT comic will be real this/or next year! 👀🏃

ANYHOOT ONTO STOLAS! i rambled a bit too much about Fizz cuz im still figuring him out- Stolas might be a bit shorter cuz his role is sweet and simplisticerr.

So, Stolas is an antagonist. He and Blitz still have an exchange sort of deal, but the deal is Blitz gets to keep the grimoire for I.M.P if he handles Stolas' "errands" and gives it back on the full moon with ofc none of the uh,,hawny stuff, obv. Blitz kinda keeps this deal under wraps from the rest of I.M.P because for him, it hurts his pride to admit he's in need of some big guy's help. And Stolas is somewhat aware of this. And so, Stolas is this looming, cruel threat that Blitz carries the burden of cuz he's stubborn as fuck whilst the rest of I.M.P remain ignorant.

Some bonus notes that dont really have to do with Stolas involvement with imp but jus how stuff ive changed with his canon influence the story diff than canon; so, Stella isnt a thing anymore. In general the Goetia work much differently- majority of the Goetia being the children of Ozzie instead of Paimon (who is Stolas' sibling now btw too) and the Goetia being thousands of years old instead of fucking 30- Also! While Via is existant she is but a baby instead of a moody teen,, ties heavily with Stolas' motives and how he operates as a character, royal, and Goetian and felt it would work better with how HT Stolas is as a character than it would otherwise.

Also no worries about the username! I dont like canon stolas much either lol,,;

I apologize if this didnt answer much 😭 feel free to let me know if you wanna hear about somn else gwahgh 🏃

[nobodysdaydreams]

Hello! You mentioned enjoying well-written science fiction and fantasy books in the 5 things that make you happy. What are some of your favorite books in those genres?

That's a great question! The sad answer is that while I love sci fi and fantasy, I haven't had the opportunity to actually sit down and read any in the past few years (due to life things), but hopefully I can get back into it soon (I say as I casually take on a million other things).

However, I can talk about some of the books that I've read in the past that have left the biggest impression on me, and as I was thinking about it-

-I realized that one of these books perfectly leads me into an unhinged rant about one of my MBS theories involving Nicholas, Nathaniel, and SQ. Which I thought you might enjoy.

The book in question is "Double Identity" by Margaret Peterson Haddix. (I'll try to talk about the plot while being as spoiler free as possible).

The premise of the book is that a 12-year-old girl named Bethany discovers that she is a clone, created by her scientist/doctor parents, Hillary and Walter (I forget if one or both of them was a scientist or doctor, it might have just been her dad). They created Bethany when their older daughter, Elizabeth, died in a car accident at the age of 13. Basically, they were sad that their daughter died, so they decided to create a clone to replace her. Bethany, however, does not find out until age 12 that she's a clone or that she ever had an older sister. There's a lot of other stuff in the background involving other family members, this other guy, and some shady financial stuff (creating human clones is expensive), but what I've told you is the basis of it, and I won't spoil anything extra in case someone wants to read it.

Now, I read this book a long time ago, and I mean like over 10 years ago, and yet it has really stuck with me. Not only because of the cloning premise, though that is interesting, but also because of how the book shows just how far the grieving parents go to "recreate" the daughter they lost. For example, when Bethany is around three years old, her parents take her to the pool and "accidently" dunk her under water. Bethany happens to instinctively take a breath of air before going under, opens her eyes underwater, and loves it, later going on to swim competitively. However, Bethany's parents seem very unhappy about this. It's later revealed that Bethany's sister, Elizabeth, the sister she was cloned from, was also taken to the swimming pool by their parents and accidently dunked under water around the same age. Since that day, Elizabeth refused to go near water and devoted her athletic talents towards gymnastics instead. There's more examples, but it becomes creepily clear that Bethany's parents were trying to copy Elizabeth not just in her DNA, but in her life experiences, trauma included, and were very unhappy when things didn't work the same way they did the "first time around" (which. Being doctors, you'd think they'd understand that's not how it works, but they are also portrayed as being really unstable and in grief, especially the mom). The book also raises interesting ethical questions around the idea of "designer babies" and how selecting what genetic "traits" we want in our children can turn from good things like preventing fatal diseases to things like eugenics, capitalism/commercialism, and at its core, just another way of projecting our own values, ideas, wishes, and goals onto our children before they are even born and deciding a future for them that their environment and life experiences might steer them away from, possibly for very good reason.

Now, what does this have to do with an unhinged MBS rant?

If I was a normal sane person, absolutely nothing, but my brain is broken, so I find unhinged MBS rants everywhere. And this book leads me to a theory about SQ that I ultimately abandoned but will share here in case anyone is interested: That SQ is a clone of Curtain (and by extension, Nicholas, since they are identical twins, and as Miss Perumal points out in Season 1 "share the same DNA").

This theory does have some evidence supporting it and there are a few cool things they could do with it.

For example, we know that Curtain misses Nicholas and has always wanted a family, so it would make sense for him to either make a clone of himself as a "mini me" to be his own family since he believes no one else could ever love him (which is actually similar to one of "Double Identity's" subplots, spoilers again sorry), OR if he wanted to make a clone of Nicholas- a clone that "wouldn't leave him this time" - he could use his own DNA since he and Nicholas are identical twins.

Some more evidence supporting this theory are the fact that the actor who plays SQ kinda looks like the actor who plays Curtain/Benedict and the fact that the show states that SQ's birth dad was a neuroscientist who used to work with Curtain, but says nothing about SQ's birth mom (this would be a clever hint at Curtain making a clone to replace Nicholas- since he and Nicholas used to be close and Rhonda and Number 2 mention Nicholas giving neuroscience lectures). Further evidence is the fact that Milligan leaves Curtain's employ because as Curtain states "his conscience" wouldn't allow him to keep working there. So it's possible Milligan found out about Curtain's plans to clone himself a kid, deemed it unethical, and that's why he was brain swept.

There's some cool stuff the show could do with this theory/AU. For example, we see SQ as a teenager and the twins as kids (through flashback), but we don't see the twins as teenagers and we don't see SQ as a child. So, after doing a reveal where we the audience discover SQ is a clone of the twin's DNA, the show could show flashbacks of the twins as teenagers using the actor who plays SQ (Ricardo Ortiz) as the actor for both Nathaniel/Curtain and Nicholas. They could also show flashbacks of child SQ using the actor who plays the twins when they are children (Luke Roessler), or an actor who resembles him (since child actors do age and they might need to recast depending on the season they wanted to do the flashbacks). This could be a really fun opportunity not only to show the versatility of some of the young actors in the cast, but also to establish more connections between Nicholas/Nathaniel/SQ and convey the message that even though SQ is like the twins in a lot of ways, he is also his own person, who isn't an exact copy of either one of them.

However, I ultimately decided to drop this theory and ended up never posting about it because it seems very unlikely.

Despite the previous evidence I presented, I don't believe there is enough to support it. First of all, SQ is older than Kate, and Kate was three when Milligan was brain swept, which means that if Milligan ethically objected to Curtain cloning himself SQ and raising him to be a copy of himself or Nicholas, Milligan wouldn't have found out about this until SQ was older. Which is technically possible, but seems less likely (and also how would Milligan have randomly found out that his boss's elementary school aged kid is a clone?) Furthermore, they mention Milligan being an chemist, Garrison being an engineer, and SQ's birth dad being a neuroscientist, but there is no mention of Curtain or anyone in his employ working in biology or genetics specifically, which casts doubt on the cloning theory. We don't see anything in Garrison's lab that would suggest that or that she or Curtain have done any research involving cloning or genetics in the past. Also, if SQ was a clone of the twins, he would likely have narcolepsy, and yet this is never suggested or even hinted at in season 1 (I suppose it's technically possible they were saving that for season 2 but just couldn't get the actor back, but we have no way of knowing).

Anyway, sorry for ranting. I hope you like the book rant as well as this crazy unhinged AU!

[bonesandthebees]

Bones!

I just read the new chapter! (and for some reason thought it was a good idea to go on tumblr before, but I immediately clicked out once I realized, "oh yeah, that's spruce anon's analysis the chapter, I should probably read the chapter before I get spoilers"). Bones works fast, but spruce works faster apparently. Props to spruce.

It's so amazing! I feel like your work is always the perfect balance of hurt/comfort and usually is defined with "it gets worse before it gets better" because authors love to put us through angst.

I'm not trying to analyze the chapter. I may be going into the writing and publishing world, but I'll save all that for the literature buffs. However, the way my eyes widened when I read "But Wilbur couldn’t bring himself to go." I had to reread that line three times. Also, black heart anon also pointed out that Wilbur/The Pythia has also been using "he" a lot more. And I didn't notice the other "Wilburs" in the narration until I went back, but it just feels so natural now. I love the purposeful name choices.

I know that you've mentioned some personal religious trauma has somewhat inspired Wil's situation, and that sounds awful. Even though you've said that yours was awhile back, I want to thank you for putting such vulnerability in your works. I wish religion wasn't like that. I'm a religious person, though I like to say I have a "faith" rather than a "religion" because "religion" seems too stuffy for me; it just makes me upset when there are people who have faced trauma from religion because for me, my faith is an anchor and keeps me grounded in my God, but I know so many people have not been given as nice of an experience. Religious toxicity is a real thing, and it needs to be addressed, and hopefully and eventually, fixed, though that is a long and hard road.

I couldn't figure out the snake reference, but then I just looked up "snake dsmp" (because I'm a cheater and impatient and don't like not knowing), and then it all clicked into place, and now I'm excited. And worried. I'm sure it'll be great! Thanks for such a great chapter!

- 🐼

(for context for everyone else on my blog this ask is referring to ch 16 of glass. yeah I really fell behind on asks lol)

props to spruce their analysis is so great!! whenever I open up my inbox to a wall of asks from them I get very excited

aaa thank you so much! I definitely try to keep things balanced. I never want my fics to feel like it's just angst for the sake of angst with no glimmer of hope in sight (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my preferred style).

very glad you're enjoying the purposeful name choices. I'm so happy I decided to go with the narration choice of using only 'the pythia' in the beginning of the fic because it's making this part so much more interesting to write.

I do want to clarify my bad experience with religion isn't severe by any means, and the inspiration i've taken from it for wilbur's situation is very very loose. it's more just me connecting a lot of confused feelings and questions I had about religion when I was still part of that group and applying them to a radically different and more intense fictional situation. I'm very glad that religion can be a positive thing for so many people, so I'm happy to hear it helps you so much! it's just not something I ever desire to return to

if you're still not sure about the snake go back and reread the first chapter of glass and pay attention to a certain characters outfit/design choices :)

[snek-panini]

I'm somewhat late posting this one, since I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but this was Binderary Book #3! A bind of Pray for Us, Icarus by Atalan. I'm not sure this fic needs any introduction from me, but suffice it to say that it's wonderful and involves retelling the events of canon with a memory loss twist. It's one of those fics that exists in undeniable conversation with canon; you can't really separate it from the canon without losing a lot of meaning. This fic is so good it gives me story hangover when I read it. It gets pretty angsty in parts but has a happy and totally satisfying ending.

I tried so many new things with this bind, and most of them came out really well! I'm a little in love with it. More pics and process talk below the cut!

One of the reasons I waited to post is because I never got a response from the author when I reached out about binding this one. That's only happened to me once before, and last time it was on an orphaned work so I expected it. Hopefully they don't mind that I've posted pics.

The cover on this one is faux leather. It was my first time working with it and I loved it. Feels really nice, looks beautiful, holds a fold well (this brand, anyway), and takes glue and embossing powder like a champ. The front has a 3D cutout that I made with layered sheets of thin cardboard, then covered over with leather and pressed into the corners. That's another first for me (my other cutouts were all 2-material windows) and I loved it so much I did it over again on my next bind (not done yet--pics are coming). I did press too hard and tear the material in one spot; the gilding around the title is there to cover that. The other issue I had was with the rose stamp on the front cover--turns out this stuff is way more slippery that I expected, and it got shifted while I was pressing it, trying to get the details to take.I didn't notice this until after using the heat gun, at which point it was too late to re-do it, so now I'm living with it. Not ideal, but we live and learn.

Top view, spine, and endpaper. The only design choice I made on this volume that I'm not nuts about is the blue endbands. They're...fine. But I didn't have one available that was better, and I haven't taken the leap into making my own yet. They're not that bad, I just don't love them.

Title on spine! This is another first, possible because of the material. The book cloth I usually use doesn't play nice with the embossing powder so I can't use it on the cloth spines that I usually prefer. But the faux leather works fine with it, so I went for it here.

Endpapers are scrapbook paper, a really nice shade of light green that didn't shop up well in the photos. Trust me, though--they look fabulous with the green ribbon bookmark and the brown leather. Rich and warm and lovely. The case on this fits really well, which is something I continue to struggle with. At first I thought it was too big again, but in hindsight I think it's perfect actually.

Interior shots! I...still need to up my game on the title pages. I did for the bind that came after this one. I find I like the box though. Keeping that.

The illustration next to the chapter title is a sprig of rosemary. Memory loss is a major theme in the story, and the quote "rosemary for remembrance" comes up prominently in the first chapter, so I thought it was appropriate. There are a lot of flowers and plants in this story, and I really wanted to feature all of them, but finding coordinating artwork of them all was too big of a challenge so only two made it in: the rosemary and the rose on the front cover. The rose was a rubber stamp and the rosemary was a free image I found online; all I did was resize it. The same image appears at the beginning of each chapter. I finally figured out how to prevent Word from making all my images blurry, so there will be more included artwork like this in future binds.

That's a wrap! I love this bind. Like a lot. I want to show it to everyone I know but I don't want to explain fanfiction to them so it's here. My next Binderary bind is almost done and will be shared in a few days, (it needs its cover attached and to be titled) and then I owe someone an author's copy before I launch into another fanbind. I already have plans for it though. Can't sit still too long.

[berisims]

2, 12, 35 for Faba AND 22, 55, 56 for Morgyn!

OHOHOH let's get this party started 👀

Reminder that I'm still taking questions from this post so go crazy. I love coming up with headcanons for my little pixels.

Anyways, this is gonna get long (as usual lmao), so all answers are found under the cut:

L. Faba

2. What’s their biggest regret?

Being careless and unprepared during the conflict with the ancients. Although it wasn't entirely her fault, she firmly believes that this is what caused Simeon to impulsively jump to her aid and lose a hand in the process. Had she not been distracted, she would have been able to deflect the attack herself and Simeon would have never had to act as a shield.

This conflict has been briefly mentioned in the Sages' introduction posts here, here and here, but I'll eventually go into more detail as I start posting the story I'm writing (which will hopefully be soon 👁️👄👁️).

12. What’s their ideal vacation like?

Anywhere but the beach. L. does not tan, so overexposure to the sun will basically make her look like a lobster out of the sea. With this in mind, she'd much rather prefer to spend a full two weeks somewhere surrounded by nature (think Henford-on-Bagley), preferably on her own. Though she certainly wouldn't mind to have Morgyn tag along. As much as she enjoys the calm a place like that provides, she also knows she'll quickly get bored of it and the young Sage of Untamed magic is the perfect person to keep things interesting.

35. Do/did they want children?

Heck no. Despite loving to teach, L. literally cannot stand to be around young children. It's not that she doesn't LIKE children, she just has massive mental breakdowns whenever around them.

"Why are you crying? Oh god please stop crying. No, that's spider venom, you cannot drink that. Get your hands off my hair. Why are they sticky? WHY ARE YOU SWIMMING IN MY CAULDRON, WHO BIRTHED YOU, SIMEON HELP-"

ᎷᎧᏒᎶᎩᏁ ᏋᎷᏰᏋᏒ

22. Are they a dog person or a cat person — or something else?

Morgyn is 100% a dog person and absolutely adores bigger breeds. They actually have a dog of their own, named Asmodeus. He's a Dobermann who looks a fair bit intimidating but is nothing more than a silly goofball that accidentally breaks way too many things around the house.

Behold, the beast himself and a casual Morgyn after a hard day's work. Not my best screenshot, but I really wanted to share this cute moment <3

55. Who do they look up to most?

Tess Dyer, the previous Sage of Untamed Magic. Or at least they used to, before she disappeared without a trace. She was practically family, given that she'd taken Morgyn under her wing when they first showed up at the Magic Realm as a teenager, with the aspiring dream of becoming a spellcaster. Not only was she an incredibly gentle soul towards Morgyn, she was also the most powerful spellcaster at the time. Highly respected and incredibly patient, but undeniably strict all the same. At this point it's safe to say that Morgyn has followed in her steps and the spellcaster community regards them in a similar manner today.

56. What do they smell like?

When they're not swimming in some expensive designer fragrance? Something close to cinammon and burning firewood. It's an incredibly comforting scent that a certain someone enjoys a little bit too much eheh I wanna start posting screenshots of the two of them so bad but I need to write it down first so it makes sense, hELP

[writeblrsvoid]

I’m just gonna rant a bit

so I decided to sign up for a Halloween writing exchange, where my gifted has a lot of great requests for their fic. And it only needs to be a 1k one shot which is not that big, in comparison to what I have done before. Like that’s what 100 words a day to be turned into my Halloween right? And I have managed that before.

But due to my irl work (nearly a dozen commissioned pieces) which does have a looming deadline for a VERY well known organization that’s sort of internationally known, and will have a good monetary gain on my part. And due to IRL emergencies I will be having to double my workload to support the person I know who IS having those emergencies.

a single commissioned piece has taken me 12+ hours to create. And that is still without quite a few pieces to work on. My relative has been getting well again, but they do believe that they will be able to finish in time for this deadline and they have yet designed the templates for their commissions. I feel they are wildly optimistic of this with our already extended deadlines.

to meet the deadline I have around 6 weeks, but more likely 5 as I will have to do the finishing steps for my pieces. This means I need to finish steps two and three for each piece by week 5.

so I will need to do one piece a week if I ONLY did my commissioned pieces.

but I will probably have to do my relative’s pieces as well, and that adds nearly a dozen more pieces for me to do. Designing. Placing. Actually working on the stuff. Then the four other steps on top of that. And then, I gotta ship that stuff. And any other things I can squeeze in if I want to be generous and or payed for the extras.

which means around 3 pieces per week, and that’s best case when I will hopefully be able to do 2 a week.

currently I am working on my 5th piece, with my first piece needing only 30ish minutes max to have it ready for the next step. My third piece is unfinished as I need time away from it which will need a couple more hours work.

and then I have a short workshop later, birthdays and a second western holiday I have to do. On top of the other non work IRL stuff

this has made it hard for me to set aside time for a voluntary works. Which I don’t like, and have put about 30 words into and have basic ideas for every single suggestion. Which is better than nothing, but I still feel as though I’m getting nothing done and I do not want to drop out as this would be my first exchange with another person. And I do know that I must do what is best for me and etc, but I committed to the exchange.

I know that I have a certain style of writing that I can do that is quick and prompt, and I do love this style very much. But it has never even broached 400 words! I don’t know what to do.

the mod of the exchange has said that the word count can be broken up between stuff, but nothing is really speaking to me. my ‘Clicker’ style has potential for one of the ideas, but I have no idea for it more then dispatcher and ‘recording the events for training purposes’

the other idea I have for the Clicking style might not make sense as it follows people before electronics. Maybe breaking the count up between each character?

I just hope I don’t get burnt out in either project because I haven’t been able to really find a story that scratches my brainrot right or engage with a story to enjoy it.

I’m not to sure. Sorry for a rant that isn’t entirely a writing thing

I hope that you figure it out. Don't forget to rest! Especially during such a stressful time. Yes, it's important to make your deadlines, but you won't make them if you're not taking care of yourself. Drink fluids, eat food, get rest! <3 you'll figure it out, I'm sure. Trust in yourself.

🤍

Best wishes to you, Nons!

[juniperleafdelivery]

I truly don't think you deserved the aggression you received in regards to the Stanley contest, and I do apologize on behalf of all that. It was just supposed to be for the sake of fun and stay as a silly game after all, and it was clear you were also just trying to have some lighthearted fun.

However, I did just want to swing by and shed a bit of light on the other side of the competition and the lashback that stemmed from it, not to excuse any insults thrown around or actions taken, but to convey that this didn't really come from a place of pettiness or any particular desire to make you feel bad, at least as far as I can tell. To paint the scene, your admittedly simplistic cat Stanley design was put up against an alternative, interpretation of the same canon source; a fat, transfemme character of color, which obviously deviates from the canon quite a bit, and was recently put under fire for such on the op's blog outside of the contest. All that, and it seemed for a minute that said rendition was losing to your cat Stanley, which struck more than a few chords. Hopefully you can see what I'm getting at, not to throw around accusations, but those being traits that often get needlessly discriminated against, especially in regards to redesigns of canon characters, it appeared as though others were willing to vote for any other design that wasn't those things, even if they visibly varied in dedication.

Of course, that's not your fault. This isn't in any way said to fault you and I truly do hate that you had to face that negative outcry directly as though it was, or even be ridiculed for what's a very innocent design and concept made for the sake of fun. This message was just to reach out and speak on behalf of the other side's dilemma so it didn't seem so black and white and red all over. Hopefully I've been able to convey that and you understand a little bit. Regardless, I sincerely hope this whole mess doesn't dissuade you any and you can still go and have your fun past this. You seem like a very nice person and it's clear that your design comes from a place of love just the same, so I hope that much you can still enjoy.

May your week improve past all this!

* Hey, anon, first of all, thank you so much for taking the time to send this ask. I admit that I didn't stop to consider the other side of the competition, and it's really wonderful of you to come in and try to explain what may have happened.

* After some thought, I do realize that those people's comments weren't meant as a personal insult to me. They wanted the other design to win, and I understand that sentiment. And while I was a little offended by the criticism my Stanley received, I don't deny that he's very simple. I mean, I designed him that way for a reason — simple designs are easier for me to draw, and just what I like.

* But I had no idea that the other design was attacked for deviating from canon. Having to deal with that kind of stuff is terrible, and I'm really sorry that it happened to them. I see why the possibility of my cat beating their design purely because of prejudice stirred up some emotions.

* I'm not sure how much of this makes sense. If you understand none of it, then that's alright. Just please know this: I bear no ill will towards those who think my design is low effort. While I personally don't think that, I can see why others may say that.

* Again, thank you anon for this ask. I still love my little cat Stanley, and The Stanley Parable. And I hope everyone reading this has an awesome week :)