anitzeineko
245 posts
Latest Posts by anitzeineko
This is quite a subjective opinion; but I am endlessly fascinated by how the romanticization (or sentimentalization) of Sebastian and Ciel’s relationship is such a big, important part of Kuroshitsuji—partly due to Sebastian’s own nature as a demon, but also due to Ciel’s character himself.
Sebastian is evil, and he is meant to lure people into damnation. He is the embodiment of a poisonous yet appealing temptation. He speaks sweet, gentle words. He is undeniably physically attractive, and generally, people find him charming. I can go on forever, but you get the gist; all of him is designed to slowly attract and lull people into complacency with him—into not seeing the predatory nature that lurks beneath that gorgeous skin.
This powerful creature, who can kill people with his bare hands, prefers to use sweet promises over threats—finding physical torture less effective than honey; so confident in his ability to understand human desires and tempt any person into the route he designs for them. He presents people with two choices; one of which seems infinitely more attractive than the other—but would certainly lead them to damnation. And it delights him very much when they inevitably chooses the sweeter option. It seems to be essential to the demonic contract that the contractor gets to choose (even if the choice was most likely—almost always—highly uninformed).
Now; if the contractor was an unassuming human who was tempted or fooled by the demon, or if the contractor was someone who’d kill and sacrifice another person on purpose, maybe we would say, “Well, he did that to himself.” Or even, “He deserved that.” But not only did Ciel manage to summon Sebastian by happenstance; he—arguably—did not have much choices other than to agree to the contract; it was either the contract or death at the hands of the cultists.
His consent was highly dubious (not that Sebastian ever cares); he was in a state of emotional distress—unfit to be making choices that would define the rest of his life—not to mention his youth, his vulnerability, and the glaring power imbalance with the predatory adults and demon surrounding him. From that moment on, his soul is forfeit; no matter how many times Ciel states that he is firm on his revenge and that he is doing this for himself—you can always argue that he is only saying this because the choice is either this or death.
Still, instead of highlighting the dubious nature of this agreement, the author shows that despite his young age, he is perceptive enough to read through Sebastian’s lies and see Sebastian’s true nature for what it is, and still “chooses” to have the contract. The author repeatedly, over and over, shows Ciel “choosing” this road for himself, Ciel saying that he has no need for the past and will not look back—and the whole time that Ciel charges unwaveringly into the darkness, Sebastian looks at him and smiles meaningfully.
Since we have no idea what “souls” present in Kuroshitsuji; the concept of what Ciel is actually paying with in order to get his revenge is exceedingly vague—it’s difficult to feel loss over something with an unknown value. This is exacerbated by Ciel’s easy acceptance of his own fate, and the practical logic on how it’s simply fair to pay a servant for his services.
Sebastian, for his part; always revels and delights in how Ciel chooses him. He basks in it, and gloats about it; the dubious nature of Ciel’s agreement forgotten, or frankly does not even seem to compute in Sebastian’s mind. What’s important is that Ciel made a choice; and that choice was Sebastian. We know that Sebastian will eventually kill Ciel, but we may contend that Sebastian is good for him. Sebastian saved Ciel and Ciel consented to having Sebastian. Sebastian gave Ciel the autonomy and independence and protection he desperately needed. And this does not come out of nowhere; as the author too, seems to deliberately romanticize/sentimentalize their relationship—the readers are simply picking up on the context cues.
They are certainly predator and prey; but people may love their appeal as a pair of lovers, like Bonnie and Clyde; or as found family along with the rest of the servants; they are partners-in-crime; soulmates; always understanding each other with just a glance, simply meant to be together, there is no Ciel without Sebastian and vice versa, etc.; it’s all a terribly romantic and sentimental view of their relationship.
The portrayal of Sebastian as a loyal and caring protector (although he is always hiding his hunger and fangs) and Ciel as a brave and pitiable victim resolutely seeking justice (although he arguably never had much choices) are done on purpose to allow their relationship to be romanticized/sentimentalized by the readers who want to root for them. If Sebastian was not portrayed attractively enough; if he wasn’t a handsome, gentle caretaker, who is devotedly loyal to Ciel and protects him from kidnappers and assassins and whatnots (see how he treats Ciel so much better compared to Ciel’s fellow humans?), this romanticization of him will not be possible. Likewise, if Ciel was portrayed as an innocent run-off-the-mill ten year old—instead of a smart one, a perceptive one, one who is “mature for his age”; if Ciel was a regular noble instead of the Queen’s watchdog; one who is meant to be the Earl of Phantomhive despite being born as an underdog (which makes the readers want to root for him and believe him to be capable of besting a demon on the negotiation table)—we will not be reading the contract scene and thinking, “Can he outsmart the demon?” Or even, “Well, certainly this ten year old understands what he is doing.” We would have instead understood the contract to be an exploitation of the child’s vulnerability and circumstances. Instead, Ciel is portrayed as wanting the contract; willing to sacrifice his soul to get his revenge; a fully-consenting party in a mutually beneficial agreement. When Sebastian offers his hand, Ciel consensually places his own hand in Sebastian’s.
What is truly “good” for Ciel becomes a moral dilemma that the readers cannot solve, and Sebastian’s true “feelings” (or whether he has any at all) is never explained. The readers are left to guess and come up with our own theories that will remain unanswered—we insist that Ciel needs and wants Sebastian, that Sebastian cares for Ciel beyond seeing him as food; and the whole thing is so morally dubious, but we are given a lot of incentives to see them in a positive, sentimental light. Every once in a while something may happen that seems to reinforce our beliefs in their relationship, but never fully confirm how they feel towards each other. The occasional “warning bells” reminding us of Sebastian’s nature as a demon are—more often than not—ignored, as the future when the contract ends still seems so far away, and regardless; Ciel is far too dependent on Sebastian to even think of living without him.
The Minimalist Character Sheet
So I am not the biggest fan of those ten page character sheets that include 100 questions like “What’s their favourite ice cream?”. Don’t get me wrong: If those help you with your writing, more power to you! Do what works for you. But I tend to discover all the little details of a character while writing. I only need the fundamental things. Maybe this works for you too!
The Basics
Name: including all nicknames, titles, etc.
Gender
Age
Role in the Narrative
Physical Description: focus on defining features
GMC (If you want to learn more about the concept, check out this post.)
Internal Goal
Internal Motivation
Internal Conflict
External Goal
External Motivation
External Conflict
Personality
Short characterization: internal personality and external behavior
Their biggest failure/issue/flaw: and how it impacts their life/personality/behavior
Backstory: and its consequences, such as triggers
Speech pattern: at least three speech marks that emphasize their personality (if you want to learn more about speech patterns, check out this post)
Behaviour pattern: at least three habits that emphasize their personality
Character Arc: where do they start, how do they change, where do they end?
That’s it! Hope this gave you some pointers on how to start out with character creation.
Have fun writing!
STAR WARS CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA (2021) + Fun Facts:
Adi Gallia is respect for her powers of intuition.
Adi Gallia is a valuable intelligence source to Senate leaders, indicating some kind of diplomat to the Senate kind of relation.
Agen Kolar is known to strike first and ask questions later, he is also a valuable member of the Jedi High Council.
Agen is a master swordsmith, not just a highly skilled sword wielder, indicating there’s probably an entire Jedi discipline of sword-making?
“Anakin’s bond with his teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is strong. They make a dynamic team in the Clone Wars.”
Barriss specialized in tandem fighting and used the Force to keep her actions perfectly in synch with her partner Luminara.
Coleman Trebor is the only known Vurk (from an ocean world) to have joined the Jedi Order.
Depa offers an ordered perspective to the wind-ranging minds of her fellow Jedi.
Jedi Master Mace Windu rescued Depa Billaba from space pirates who destroyed her parents. Eventually, Windu took Billaba as his Padawan. Over the years, they have developed a close bond.
“Kenobi has a healthy independent streak and truly formidable lightsaber skills.”
“The bond between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker is strong as they fight through the Clone Wars.”
Plo Koon, Saesee Tiin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are considered great pilots of the Jedi.
Plo Koon is an awesome fighter and has strong telekinetic powers.
Saesee Tiin has more telepathic powers than most Jedi (who are closer to empathic than anything).
Torgruta Shaak Ti is one of the best Jedi fighters in group combat. Her hollow head montrals sense space ultrasonically, sharping her spacial awareness.
Stass Allie is a formidable warrior, but her talent for battlefield medicine is also impressive. These first-aid skills have saved the lives of troops under her command during the Clone Wars.
Stass Allie and Adi Gallia are cousins.
Yaddle trained Oppo Rancisis.
Yaddle has devoted a lot of time to scholarly interests, and spends much time in the Jedi Archives.
Yarael Poof has a mischievous side and enjoys playing mind tricks on colleagues.
Note: While this book was put out very recently, indicating an intention for these mentions to be canon, I would be careful of taking these as Hard Fact until they’ve appeared in an actual story somewhere (and sometimes they’re already wrong, 2019′s Master and Apprentice shows Qui-Gon was offered a seat on the Council, while this book says he wasn’t). But they are SUPER FUN details to help expand the world in the meantime!
labyrinth: one (preview)
a/n: daemon x rhaenyra x harwin
posting this little snippet because well.....I felt like it...the rest forthcoming this week 🔥
“It’s Laena.” Fresh wails sounded from the floor, Laenor’s fetal body bobbing with his sobs. “She’s dead.”
“How?” Harwin’s voice was taut, ready to defend at a moment’s notice. Rhaenyra shook her head to calm him, let him breathe. She wasn’t sure when it had happened—when she had learned to read his moods like they were her own, and he learned to read hers in return. Sometime around Luke’s birth probably, when she almost succumbed to the melancholia in the months after the delivery. He stayed with her almost round the clock, coming through the passageway in her chambers after her ladies and guard had bid her goodnight. He held her and whispered that everything would be okay. Even though they risked everything for those moments of comfort, for the joy in their sons eyes as they played with Laenor, for the family that would always be stained with his Strong blood, his Strong coloring.
That was why she refused to allow him to return to Harrenhal weeks ago, defying his father and refusing his birthright. Let them talk, she had said, they will whether we're together or not. Abandoning his family to be the lord of a half-destroyed keep while his father kept the king's council was not in his true interest. So he left King's Landing with young Joffrey under his protection while Rhaenyra and the rest flew on dragonback. He was devoted to her, and she trusted him. More than she could say for anyone else in her life.
He reached out to touch her face, drawing her attention back to him and away from the ugly shadows that followed them both.
“Childbirth,” she could barely say it. Her worst fear had come to fruition, not for her, but for her cousin. Her kin in more ways than one.
Daemon’s wife.
Daemon’s child within her.
Daemon.
Where was he? Mourning? Raging? Blaming himself? Probably a mix of all three if memory served her. She hadn’t seen him in years. Shortly after her wedding, he jumped into marriage with Laena and they rode off on dragonback to Essos. Last she had heard they were shacking up with a lord in Pentos, their two girls with them. While she’d seen Laena a few times at High Tide over the years, Daemon had always stayed behind. Hiding from his brother. Hiding from his duty. Hiding from her and those moments they’d shared when she was just a girl. When she swore he was going to do anything in his power to keep her by his side.
But then he disappeared.
A cough echoed off the stone walls. Her page stood at the door, kicking his feet, trying not to look at Laenor’s still shaking form. Rhaenyra nodded at Harwin, knowing her wishes would be followed. He bowed and crossed the short distance to her husband, hauling him up by the shirtsleeves.
“Come, my lord, let us go find Ser Qarl and maybe observe the boys and their swordplay.” Harwin supported Laenor as they left, his loud hiccups and sniffles reverberating long after their departure.
Rhaenyra turned and smiled at her page, steeling herself for what was sure to be an omen for the coming days.
“Your highness, the Blood Wyrm approaches.”
Girlboss/Malewife but it’s always the brunette/ginger duo
waking/rising update
Chapter 11 is now up!
Darius: He's eliminating witnesses.
Aaron: If he's eliminating witnesses, why are Tori and I still alive?
Kai: You're not worth eliminating.
Tori and Aaron: We are so worth eliminating!
Spellbound 5
*Aaron and Tori singing Christmas songs obnoxiously* *Kai being quietly happy* *Ezra dying from sleep deprivation*
Jean: Is something burning?
Lisa, leaning seductively against the counter: Just my desire for you
Jean: The toaster is on fire
Fox's Ultimate Bucket List update
Chapter 1 is now up on AO3, and chapter 6 is up on Patreon!
The Guild Codex Character Theme Songs/Playlists
Tori Dawson: You Found Me - Kelly Clarkson; Legends Never Die - Against The Current
Aaron Sinclair: Second Chance - Shinedown
Kai Yamada: Never Good Enough - Citizen Soldier; It’s Not Over - Daughtry
Ezra Rowe: Demons - Imagine Dragons; Monster - Imagine Dragons; If These Scars Could Speak - Devil Inside (both by Citizen Soldier); Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down; Back From The Edge - James Arthur
Zak Andrii: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Robin Page: The Call - Regina Spektor; Used To Be - Arrows to Athens; Sad Song - We The Kings; Waiting For Superman - Daughtry
Zylas Vhal'yir: I’d Rather See Your Stars Implode - Slaves; Monster - Willyecho
Kit Morris: Be Somebody - Thousand Foot Krutch
Lienna Shen: Fighter - Christina Aguilera
Amalia Harper: Brave - Sara Bareilles
Saber Rose: One Woman Army - Porcelain Black; Angry Too - Lola Blanc; Thank You Hating Me - Citizen Soldier
Darius King: I’ll Fight - Daughtry; Natural - Imagine Dragons
Justin Dawson: Safe Inside - James Arthur Note: This list is not nearly finished - I plan to keep adding both songs and characters. If anyone out there has any suggestions, or other songs to add to existing assignments, or you just want to share your opinion on this theme list, feel free to share them!
A prompt about mirrors please? Thank you!
i knew i had ten million mirror prompts sprinkled throughout the blog so i found them for you instead of taking your request, i hope that's acceptable, big love, - L
We found the mirror in a corner of the basement, ancient, grimy and full length. Three days later the curse expired, and it turned back into a woman.
I put a mirror in the forest, and it drew out all sorts. No otherworldly thing can resist their own image
When we got home, we saw the storm had smashed all of our mirrors. The china was fine. The glass in the windows was intact. But the door was open, and our mirrors were in pieces.
The house was filled with thousands of mirrors. Some were blue, or green. Some held no reflection, and some rippled like a puddle if you looked too long.
‘Shattering a mirror’ always referred to dreams. And it wasn’t seven years of bad luck. It was seven years of no sleep.
They always frightened me, the children with mirror eyes. They appeared mostly in ceremonies, draped in silver and silk, quiet and unblinking.
I found an old green mirror in our attic. “Keep it covered!” said my mother, “It’s the only door left!” *
I sew my wings on every morning after breakfast. You need a sharp needle and two or three mirrors, but by now I’ve got the hang of it.
It’s hard to properly dispose of dark spirits, but any mirror makes a good cage. Each morning I brush my teeth, my reflection crowded between a very long waiting list.
At the age of eleven, my parents nervously allowed me to see the family heirloom. They asked me what I thought of the painting, and cried when I said it looked like a mirror.
I wake up in a house I don’t recognize. In the bathroom mirror, my reflection leans in without me, and whispers: “play along.”
My great aunt owned a Perfect Mirror. Highly volatile and dangerous in the wrong hands, it was one of five.
Monstrous Love
~
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous // Fortesa Latifi, We Want To Be Ruined // Mashmello, Silence // Richard Siken, A Primer of the Small Weird Loves // Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak // Leah Reader, Black Iris // Azra T., via thelovejournals // Florence and the Machine, Howl // Helen Cixous, Stigmata: Escaping Texts // Casey MxQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue // Georges Bataille // Charlotte Bronte, in a letter to Ellen Nussey // Yves Olade, Bloodsport // Andria Zabala, Coffee and Cigarettes // Caitlyn Siehl, Start Here
That is when the first crow landed. It fluttered down, its talons curling around a branch. Then came another. Another. A parade of black settled about the tree, cawing and purring under the stars.
Cynthia Bond, from 'Ruby'
......couldn't resist filling this meme for skk. meme by drawindarwin on twitter
Part of the reason that Han, Luke and Leia work so well as the main trio is that they're all mistakenly under the impression that they're the sane one in a 'two idiots and the voice of reason' trio trope. Like "Somebody has to save our skins!" and someone has to stop Han and Leia from murdering eachother mid lovers spat, and someone has to keep the twins out of trouble involving force nonsense. And they're all equally as much trouble as eachother, but they all think they're the only sane person. And it's wonderful.
You know what’s some crazy $hit?
This fabulous bitch
She makes a shit ton of poses (like 16,000 or some crazy nonsense). I used this lovely lady to draw so much as a teen. Whether it was some nerdy pose for my Mary Sue as fuck OCs
or for full on fight sequences
or for tragic deaths of my OCs in the arms of a totally OOC main protagonist.
this bitch hooked me up.
And with the wildest, craziest stuff that you could see in your head but had no way or resources to reasonably draw like
or this
or this
DUDE! INASNE SHIT!! So I was using her for a pose reference and decided, you know what, I owe this bitch some cash. Lemme dole it out for her. BUT then, I looked and saw she only has 286 fucking patrons!! This chick gives out free shit and spends countless hours arranging these shoots and setting this stuff up.
I’ll fork up the cash, SenshiStock. You’re worth it.
Check out this amazing woman’s stuff, and get knowledged: https://www.deviantart.com/senshistock
Idk why i decided to make this.
AU where A-Qing lives and she be around the same age as the juniors and they be scamming people together
Audio is from Avatar: The Last Airbender
Reblog if you genuinely support asexuals
It terrifies me that there’s so much raging passion in the lgbt+ community that insist on marginalizing asexuals and implying that asexuals don’t deserve to have safe spaces. There’s still so much acephobia so I just wanna know which blogs are genuinely supportive and a safe space for asexuals
Thrawn’s age is both a mystery for us and the crew of the Chimaera
I cannot resist Papa Wolf Silco. So here is a comic I made over break.
for request, may I ask for something with the theme "devotion as violence?"
@achillics, vulnerability
Joan Tierney (x)
Richard Siken, Wishbone
Ada Limón, The Good Fight
José Olivarez, I Wake in a Field of Wolves with the Moon
Lady Gaga, Judas
@bipeds (x)
Tom Lehrer, The Masochism Tango
Yves Olade, When Rome Falls
Florence + The Machine, Kiss With a Fist
Schuyler Peck, Horoscope for the Heartbroken
Venetta Octavia, I Set It in Stone
@heavensghost, Dead Girls Don’t Lie
Richard Siken, Snow and Dirty Rain
Dead Girl Walking, from Heathers: The Musical
Terrence Hayes, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin
Richard Siken, Primer for the Small Weird Loves
Margaret Atwood, We are hard
Everyone on the Springhawk (and the rest of the ascendancy tbh) found Thrawn to be an anomaly. Because while he was extremely annoying, he was also very hot. But anytime someone asked Thrawn out (or propositioned ;) him), he always turned them down, sometimes politely sometimes not. Everyone eventually just came to the conclusion that Thrawn doesn't do romance.
Cut to twenty years later, a human shows up in the Ascendancy and introduces himself as Thrawn's husband and everyone loses their damn minds.
Because somehow Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo fucked off to the Empire, found some ridiculously attractive twink twenty years younger than him, married him and then sent him off to the Ascendancy for safe keeping.
The least 6 portraits.
Lúthien, Fingolfin, Maglor, Fëanor, Aredhel and Ecthelion.
very important question: does ahsoka have her own 501st hoodie, or does she just steal hoodies from any clone bc they’re much more comfy when they’re someone else’s
