Mellon

Fire Starter

leia organa truly has one of the best bait-and-switch character introductions of all time because when you meet her she's this brave, stoic picture of elegance and justice and always knows just what to say to vader and tarkin and is clad in white like an angel and is this perfect two-dimensional archetype of pureness of heart. and then approximately half an hour later into the film she meets luke and han and she IMMEDIATELY shows her true colors as a sarcastic, bitchy control freak with a massive impulsive streak and a deep mine of hyperspecific insults. 10/10 character design i'm obsessed with her

it’s almost midnight but i am here on Tumblr Dot Com to let everyone know that a fantastic and underused trope is “uses terms of endearment only when under huge amounts of stress.”

Like some character is fairly formal or is just not a pet names person but then they get a panicked phone call from a loved one and the first words out of their mouth are “Sweetheart, what happened?” 

Team “I-only-ever-use-your-first-name” going “Oh, jesus fuck, love, I’m so glad you’re safe” or “Okay, darling, you know I love you but I need some space to fix this giant mess” and everyone around them is like “oh god we have reached Pet Names Level Bad, that’s not good” 

this is the new trope I am championing, I would like it to be the Hot New Thing

The domestic life of Merlin and Arthur (3/∞) Important things to tend to before the council meeting starts

#These two had such an impact on each other–in a weird way it’s Platonic!Hades and Persephone #where she learns to become a better king of the dark sea and dead men than he ever could and he comes to almost admire her for it. #Just… y'all have been sleeping on this relationship. #Elizabeth didn’t retain shit from Jack Sparrow–Will did.  She learned from Barbossa. (via @theimpossiblescheme)

THIS.  Not only is Barbossa far more of a Proper (Cinematic) Pirate than Jack (with the outgrown Errol Flynn hair to prove it!), but he absolutely plays the role of Hades in Curse of the Black Pearl.

While Elizabeth first boards the Black Pearl (here functioning as both Hades’ chariot and Charon’s ferry) more or less voluntarily, Barbossa/Hades does indeed kidnap her and take her to the “land of the dead”—the Isla de Muerta.  The Black Pearl also serves as a kind of limbo, holding men halfway between death and life.  Much like Pluto of old, CotBP!Barbossa is strongly associated with both wealth and death, even more so than the other pirates.  When they get to the “Underworld”, we see that the cursed crew members require a blood sacrifice to regain (permanent) corporeality, paralleling the shades Odysseus encounters who require blood to regain the ability to speak (Odyssey 11.24-50).

By the time At World’s End rolls around, Elizabeth has begun to catch up to Barbossa in terms of piracy and command.  She visits another, more literal Underworld at Barbossa’s side; he knows the way, and she has more than learned from her previous experiences.  It was Elizabeth thinking more piratically—thinking like Barbossa—that made the trip to the Locker necessary, after all.

In the end, she eclipses Barbossa in power and is crowned King, with her own beloved ferrying souls between worlds as she sails the seven seas.  Like Persephone, Elizabeth straddles worlds and holds power in both, and it was Barbossa/Hades who first helped her get there.

(Anyway, this series owns my entire ass, follow for more irregularly scheduled Pirates content and hmu if you want a longer essay on how the Locker journey in AWE is a classical katabasis narrative with a sweet twist on Orpheus’ in particular.  Also Barbossa quotes the Aeneid.)

Some lovely tags submitted to me by OP/@charlesdances:

#and I believe in a way Elizabeth makes Hector realize that it is possible for pirates to be masters of their own fate again #and had no problem in the end after her speech that the ‘maid’ from long ago #is now his king #and now he’s this amalgamation of weird mentor/uncle/man she asked to marry her and the love of her life #and i love how she KNOWS that he’s the only one brave/insane enough to guide them through that maelstrom #and when he responds with gusto she gives this GREAT BIG SMILE #as if to say ‘THERE’S the one and only pirate I know. There’s Captain Hector Barbossa.’

Elizabeth and Barbossa’s relationship is so underrated, I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen any of it put into words. The Hades/Persephone parallel is one I haven’t seen before but hoboy am I here for it.

I’ll blame a lot of factors for why people don’t really seem to understand the dynamics of these four characters. First of all, Jack is not the protagonist (the failing of OST is, in my opinion, that they forgot this little detail). Will and Elizabeth are the protagonists. Jack and Barbossa are secondary supporting characters, whose purpose in the plot is to drive the development of those two. Their influences on Will and Elizabeth are very specific. And when you analyze the relationships, you definitely see a very distinct pairing up. Will and Jack, Elizabeth and Barbossa.

Will needed Jack, because Will needed to learn how to put himself first sometimes, needed to learn to see things from more than one angle and that things aren’t as black and white as they seem. Will needed to see someone strange and confident and dangerous who could inexplicably do good things, who had a good heart (and, originally, Jack absolutely did; the fourth and fifth movies absolutely decimated this aspect of his character, and I will die mad about it) but was still able to be a little selfish. Because Will? Will had no concept of selfishness. Will was perfectly ready to sit and pine over Elizabeth for the rest of his life, to let a lazy, sloppy drunk take credit for all his hard work, to fade into the background and let life happen around him. That was how things were supposed to be. That was how the world worked. Black and white. Right and wrong. At least once more, Miss Swann, as always. I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it. My father was a good man. Will is a good man, but he needs to learn to be a bit of a pirate. A bit selfish. A bit dangerous. And in the end, Will is cursed to captain the Dutchman, a twisted take on the immortality Jack has sought. His companions are dead men, his ship is a ghost. He is a legend. So, in a way, he surpasses Jack.

Elizabeth, though? Elizabeth had no need for lessons on shades of grey. Elizabeth likes pirate stories. Elizabeth loves the blacksmith’s apprentice, and flirts openly with him in front of her own father. Elizabeth is constrained, not by her desires, but by her station, by expectations. By love for her father, because it’s obvious in the film that her desire to please him is out of love, not obligation. What Elizabeth needs is to be shown how to take what you want. How to choose the rules you wish to follow, and hang the rest. She’s a natural leader, born into a world where no one would ever let her lead. Jack is a lot of things, but a leader, he is not. He inspires no loyalty, except in the form of debts to be paid. He keeps secrets from his crew, tells them nothing, trusts no one, and in return no one trusts him. Barbossa, meanwhile, was able to win over all but one member of Jack’s own crew and get them to turn on him. Barbossa had these men follow him for ten years, trusting that in the end, he would save them. Barbossa inspires confidence. He’s honest with his men, and honestly no crueler than is necessary to keep pirates in line. This is why Elizabeth is the King, because she respected Barbossa, watched him, learned from him. And, yes, surpassed him.

There’s something to be said, I think, for the fact that in the end, Will and Elizabeth both matched the two pirates, and then went beyond what they’d both accomplished.

@blackheartedbrigand

@anklesalltheway  OMG thanks for the tag!  These posts are amazing.  And I can’t wait to explore this relationship with you <3   I should have a post for you soon!

When Lucifer’s army of fallen angels climbed out of Hell to invade Earth, and mankind appeared to be threatened annihilation, Stiles left Heaven to fight on the side of the humans. Unlike most of his brothers and sisters, he had not yet lost hope in their God’s creation and refused to witness another flood wipe out the majority of their numbers.

He seeks out Derek, a man whose prayers he always heard but were left unanswered. Derek, with such a pure heart and beautiful soul. Derek, who makes Stiles understand why his Father had created man in the first place. 

One under-appreciated breed of fic writer are the ones who hyperfocus on logistics to the exclusion of all canon shortcuts, and thus usually strike upon an awesome way to flesh out the worldbuilding or characters.

Like, I’m not necessarily talking realism here since often it’s still pretty far from realistic, but more like, “someone has to be running spies in this fantasy kingdom, and we’ve seen the whole royal court, so which background character is it? How does that change these three major interactions?” Or “real life historical nobility did in fact have some things to do that were like jobs, how does this human disaster cope with running an estate?” Or “there’s no reason for a sci-fi robot detective to know how to whitewater kayak, where’d she learn?” Or “if this guy is serving the emperor directly he has to be way high up in the space empire servant hierarchy, why is he doing this menial task for someone else? What’s his motive? Does he perhaps have the secret space telepathy?”

Anyway I’m always DELIGHTED to find a fic or writer who asks these questions because the fics themselves are universally bangers.

person who knows how logistical things works has picked up the cannon, hefted it thoughtfully, and put a single chalk mark precisely on the problem.

Fairy tale nerds of Tumblr I need your help.

I've been trying to find a fairy tale for AGES, this has been almost a decades long quest. I first read it in a Highlights magazine around the mid 2000s, when the theme was "Fairy Tales from around the World." Now I don't know if this is actually an older fairy tale or just one that was made up for the magazine masquerading as a story from somewhere else. I've done my own research and have come up zilch.

So, this story was about a prince that was cursed to be a wolf until he was able to bite a bride the night of her wedding. Well, it just so happens that such a woman is riding through the forest with her new beau, a very uncouth man that calls her his "little chicken." Long story short, a pack of wolves waylay their carriage, the wolf prince bites the lady, becomes human again, and they fall in love and marry.

And what happened to her original husband?

Well naturally he gets turned into a chicken and they eat him at their wedding feast.

Classic.

if anyone knows the title of this fairy tale or where it may have originated, please let me know! I'd love to see if I can read it again.

Update: I've contacted Highlights magazine to get to the bottom of this and they notified their Archive Department of what I'm looking for.

Hoping to hear something back! It would be just my luck to remember this story in excruciating detail only to get the magazine where I found it wrong.

Update: Bad news, I'm afraid. Unfortunately the archive department couldn't find the story in their records so I guess I've hit a bit of a dead end here.

Someone mentioned asking a subreddit to cast a wider net, though first I would have to, you know, actually make a reddit account.

Well, I guess the twenty year hunt continues.

Have you looked at the microfilm on here?

Since it only goes to 2006, I don't know if you'd find it, or if you even want to know badly enough to spend the time going through the microfilm haha.

Actually, nevermind, the heading says it goes to 2006 but it actually only goes to 01, sorry!

I found it! It's called The Wolf and the Wedding by Svetlana Ilyinykh and Rachelle Desimone, and is from Feb 2005. But! It's on a database at my university's library, which I have access to because I work here. But! The little note at the bottom says users may print, download, and email articles for individual use, so:

A Story of Russia

In Ksusha's village of Chudovo, everyone knew the wolf. He appeared at the edge of the forest whenever there was a wedding feast. He'd sit on his haunches and watch the dancing, singing, and eating, his eyes alert and eager and fixed on the bride.

So when it was time for Ksusha Prekrasnaya to marry, she told her funny, beloved, strong Alyosha that they must wed in Budogoshch, a town with a proper church that was some miles away, too far for the lone wolf to travel.

The wedding was elegant and fine. The feast afterward was even better. Ksusha's parents and her grandparents, Babushka and Dedushka, had filled the hall with fragrant dishes of stuffed fish and grilled quail with kissel and scalded spice cakes for dessert. Alyosha ate and drank, ate and drank, and then drank and drank.

Ksusha reminded him, gently and lovingly as a good wife should, that he must stop drinking and take her and the rest of the wedding party home to Chudovo.

Alyosha turned to his friends Ivan, Roma, Dima, Stas, and Valya, who were refilling their glasses. "My wife wants to go home!" the bridegroom yelled. "A good sign for a prosperous marriage, is it not?"

Ivan, Roma, Dima, Stas, and Valya laughed, and Ksusha Prekrasnaya, red-faced, stared at her plate.

At midnight, Alyosha staggered up from the table. "Come, my little chicken," he said, gathering Ksusha and her family into his beautiful troika. His three fine horses snorted nervously at his touch.

"We go!" the bridegroom called, and the horses took off, trotting fast on the road through the forest that led to Chudovo.

The wedding party wasn't yet deep into the woods when the wolves appeared. They stood by trees, silent and watching, as the sleigh moved on the icy path. A lone wolf under a massive cedar howled a greeting, and the wolves began loping behind the sleigh.

Ksusha and her family watched as the path filled with ten wolves, then twenty, then thirty. Soon one hundred wolves followed the sleigh.

Alyosha snapped the whip to hurry his horses. The wolves began to howl.

Ksusha had heard wolves howl before, but never this many and this close. The sound was terrifying, and the bride huddled next to her funny, beloved, strong Alyosha.

"We must stop this pursuit, my little chicken," Alyosha said. "They will tire my poor horses. Hold the reins and keep driving." And with those words, he reached back, pulled Ksusha's grandmother from her seat, and threw her out of the sleigh.

Immediately there was a yipping and squealing, and twenty of the wolves dropped back, surrounding the fallen babushka.

Alyosha took the reins from his Ksusha, who could not speak. Still eighty or more wolves followed the sleigh, now leaping at the wedding party, their teeth gleaming in the moonlit night.

"Hold the reins again, my little chicken," Alyosha said, this time reaching back and pulling Ksusha's grandfather from his seat and throwing him out of the sleigh.

Again there was a yipping and squealing, and twenty of the wolves dropped back, surrounding the fallen dedushka.

Alyosha took the reins from his Ksusha, who could not move. Still sixty or more wolves followed the sleigh, jumping and twisting in the air and snapping their teeth at the wedding party. Alyosha cracked his whip over each horse three times, and the horses galloped faster.

Still the wolves pursued the party. Alyosha handed the reins to Ksusha. He reached back and pulled Ksusha's father from his seat and threw him out of the sleigh. A great yipping and squealing followed, and twenty more wolves dropped back.

Now the wolves began nipping at the horses' legs. Alyosha threw out Ksusha's mother. Twenty more wolves dropped off, but still a small group remained, leaping higher and biting at the horses' flanks.

Alyosha threw out Ksusha's young sister, and at first, it seemed that would be the last of the wolves, for the small group surrounded the sister with a yipping and a squealing. But a lone wolf remained, chasing the sleigh and leaping at the two remaining passengers.

Alyosha tucked the reins between his legs. Ksusha couldn't breathe. As the lone wolf leaped, the not-so-funny, not-so-beloved, but still strong Alyosha pulled Ksusha from her seat and threw her out of the sleigh.

She landed, rolling across the ice in her taffeta wedding gown until she was soaked and dirty. When she stopped rolling, she slowly sat up and found herself staring into the eyes of the lone wolf.

A howl came from the wolf. Then he bit her.

It wasn't a big bite, but it broke the skin on her leg. A few drops of blood appeared, and Ksusha screamed.

"Don't yell so," the wolf said. "I won't bite you again." Ksusha looked up and saw the wolf changing shape. Pointed ears became flat circular flaps, the long nose receded, the sharp teeth shortened, and the fur shrank into fine soft hair.

Standing before Ksusha was a handsome young man. "I am Sergei," he said, bowing low before her. "Let me take you to my castle where I can fix your wound."

Ksusha held on to his arm and limped through the forest. She glanced anxiously around her.

"What is your worry?" the man said.

"The wolves may return."

He smiled. "I am great friends with the wolves. You will never have to fear them again. You see, an enchantress who inhabits this forest changed me into a wolf some years ago after I refused to marry her. Her spell could only be lifted if I, a wolf, would bite the leg of a bride on her wedding day. Since then, I have lived with the wolves and waited to meet my perfect bride."

They arrived at the man's castle. Ksusha trembled as she saw dozens of wolves lying under the trees, licking their paws.

"Don't be frightened, my dear," Sergei said, his arm around Ksusha.

"But they killed my parents, my grandparents, and my sister."

At that moment the door to the castle opened, and out rushed Ksusha's family, completely unharmed and quite happy to see her.

Her father explained how the wolves had surrounded each family member who was thrown from the sleigh, and how the wolves had escorted each to the castle for a joyous reunion.

Sergei asked Ksusha's father for her hand in marriage.

"I'd be most honored to have you for a son-in-law, but it's not possible," Ksusha's father explained. "Ksusha Prekrasnaya is married to Alyosha."

A wolf howled. Sergei tilted his head to listen.

"My friend tells me Alyosha's horses have finally tired, and he is stopped on the path ahead of us. At this very moment, he is engaged in conversation with the enchantress who lives in the forest."

"The one who changed you into a wolf?" Ksusha asked.

"The very same. But she no longer has any power over me. Let us ride to Alyosha's troika."

The wedding party found Alyosha's troika and his three exhausted horses on the road, but the enchantress had disappeared. There was no sign of Alyosha either, although Ksusha did find a bedraggled chicken hiding under the seat. Ksusha picked up the little chicken that smelled strangely of strong drink and tucked it under her arm. She took the chicken home with her, and one fine evening, sometime later, Ksusha popped it into a pot and cooked it as dinner for her new husband, Sergei, the man who once was a wolf.

by Svetlana Ilyinykh and Rachelle DeSimone

@brideofsevenless THIS IS IT!!!!! Oh my god, thank you so so much for researching this! You have no idea how much I appreciate it!

@insanesammi Here's the story!!

Little red has pointy teeth…

Trick or treat muthafuckas, Awwwwooo~

Stiles forces Derek into a hoodie while Stiles gets his werewolf on.  Stiles wanted red contacts but Derek has to draw the line somewhere.  

Desktop Wallpaper Here |  Get a print on Etsy here!

I’ll probably post cards later tonight…

Now to post the version with Alpha!Stiles. 

Merman Merlin for @feuxx 🦈🧙‍♂️

Uhhh au where Merlin glamours aithusa in to a big white dog that he just has now. He convinces Arthur to let him keep it bc it’s “stupid luck won’t keep the bandits from clobbering me over the head forever y’know” which accidentally touches on a secret fear of that exact thing happening that Arthur complies easier than expected.

It maaaay be a bit difficult to explain why the dog occasionally coughs up soot but like,, don worry bout it

Aithusa is the biggest welsh sheepdog Arthur has EVER SEEN like she’s l a r g e. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen one that completely white and wonders how exactly Merlin of all people stumbled upon such a beauty.

The knights have been on a few excursions with her and by gods does she do her job well. During one of the extraordinarily frequent bandit attacks they witnessed this dog absolutely BODY a guy and maul his sword hand to shreds, blood dripping from her muzzle onto her white fur she truly looked like a beast. Merlin made a good effort in cleaning it off- admonishing her for messy habits n whatnot

During mealtimes she targets the weaker willed knights and bullies them into surrendering their scraps. Lancelot in particular seems to have an enduring softness for her, letting her yoink larger portions of his meat directly from his plate. She seriously seems to eat several times her weight in stolen treats it’s a problem.

This dog is FAR TOO COMFORTABLE NEAR FLAMES. poor Gwen almost had a heartattck seeing her stick her face DIRECTLY INTO THE FIREPLACE OH MY GOODNESS Gwen is frantically patting Aithusa’s face with a damp cloth hiding the soot stains from Merlin

Merlin holding up Aithusia: this is my daughter

Arthur: where the hell did you get that

Merlin: hatched her out of n egg.

Arthur: gods, fine- don’t tell me. I feel like I don’t want to know anyways.

@ln-ofx lol

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers (2002) dir. Peter Jackson.

I love the implication of Dwarves knowing neurosciences, because if anyone is going to discover that in a fantasy setting, it is definitely the people that solve issues via axe to the head.

Gimli has a thorough knowledge of the nervous system and is dating Legolas, a flat earther 

ongoing list of merlin characters who deserved better: aithusa