not actually grackles

she/her, 30s. babylon 5, worm, trek, analysis, other stuff. democracy enjoyer. SV, SB, AO3

[gracklesascendant]

memes are in #memes

read analysis I repost in #analysis

read analysis I wrote any% in #my meta

[stagbeetleboy]

I was gonna describe Palpatine’s spaces as like the bloody insides of a large beast, but the more I thought about it

…Palpatine’s office is a womb right? Its where Sidious’ perfect apprentice is developed. He’s nurtured in this space by Palpatine until he Anakin leaves it reborn Vader.

Like there’s really so much to say about Palpatine and yonic symbolism.

He’s also almost an anti-mother. With Anakin only knowing a mother’s love, and both of his major conflicts being about saving his mother and the mother of his children, Palpatine is a perversion of both. With Palpatine eventually replacing both Shmi and Padmé. Initially taking a nurturing role throughout his conflict over his mother, and eventually becoming the person Vader is most dedicated to through his conflict over Padmé.

Shmi’s child (Anakin) dies and is reborn Darth Vader. Idk it’s just paired with the raw bloody entrance like outfit we wears. They’re in this red organ like office and Vader is being born through Sidious. Its almost a gory birth scene.

Then there’s like the inverse of Anakin with his mother happening in this scene. With Palpatine arriving on time.

[bucketofdeltav]

...okay I had to read the words 'Palpatine and yonic symbolism' with my own two eyes so now you do too. I wish I could find one single thing about this to dispute but I can't.

[stagbeetleboy]

I was gonna describe Palpatine’s spaces as like the bloody insides of a large beast, but the more I thought about it

…Palpatine’s office is a womb right? Its where Sidious’ perfect apprentice is developed. He’s nurtured in this space by Palpatine until he Anakin leaves it reborn Vader.

Like there’s really so much to say about Palpatine and yonic symbolism.

He’s also almost an anti-mother. With Anakin only knowing a mother’s love, and both of his major conflicts being about saving his mother and the mother of his children, Palpatine is a perversion of both. With Palpatine eventually replacing both Shmi and Padmé. Initially taking a nurturing role throughout his conflict over his mother, and eventually becoming the person Vader is most dedicated to through his conflict over Padmé.

Shmi’s child (Anakin) dies and is reborn Darth Vader. Idk it’s just paired with the raw bloody entrance like outfit we wears. They’re in this red organ like office and Vader is being born through Sidious. Its almost a gory birth scene.

Then there’s like the inverse of Anakin with his mother happening in this scene. With Palpatine arriving on time.

[bucketofdeltav]

...okay I had to read the words 'Palpatine and yonic symbolism' with my own two eyes so now you do too. I wish I could find one single thing about this to dispute but I can't.

[fuckyeahsinclair-deactivated201]

N’Grath concept model and various N’Grath concept art found HERE

[gracklesascendant]

getting to know you tag game

thanks to @thatpegasusmedley even if I went somewhere completely different than intended

last song: Mina the Hollower OST, A Sinking Feeling. like the Shovel Knight OST but if there's was more sassiness? romantic era classical? Castlevania? tango? dunno. easily my favorite chiptune album this year

currently watching/playing: Need to play Deltarune Chapter 5 but I always get obsessed so I've been holding off to spend time writing. I've tried to keep the depths of how bad I get off this particular blog. Need to watch Widow's Peak next.

current obsession: Babylon 5. Also learning how to write, plot, and all the little fiddly things that go with it. Or at least, what I need for my own process, which I've discovered is not straightforward. Had several big breakthroughs this year and yet I'm still trying to get to a place where the whole process doesn't take me so long and all the weird stuff I want to do makes sense... Soon, perhaps!

currently reading: A City on Mars (nonfiction) for Mars worldbuilding ideas and an editing book. For fiction, want to start on Murderbot soon. And of course the Babylon 5 page of AO3 lol

Special mention to dogblud's Lyta Ivanova Kosh character study Like Any Tolerated Pet for repeatedly punching me in the face with completely novel messed up stuff at every turn. absolutely fantastic Kosh art too. though much like Plastic Prism Void I did have to be in the right place to enjoy it

Also just read Plastic, Prism, Void, a literary fiction trans magical girl messy relationship book from the bad guy magical girl's perspective. Also everyone is middle aged. It was amazing and fantastically polished, even if I needed to be in the right place mentally for it (main character is unhappy and pretty messed up and it's extremely realistic about those ups and downs).

currently working on: indulgent Babylon 5 fix fic SI. There WILL BE a trash SI during canon fixfic in this fandom someday after I finish it if I don't die of embarrassment first

Also it's SUPER political just like the source material ;)

Most SIs don't mess with canon much! they put their SIs after canon (that post canon Shadow one playing supervillain to the Alliance) or don't give them enough power to matter (that really old one where the SI crushes on Garibaldi and hangs out with Delenn). also to even start you need to settle on a B5 timeline. AND a lot of events are nation state level, not easy to change, and there are a LOT of threads.

except for getting the B5 command staff arrested by their fascist president. THAT one is dead easy

Or I would be if I could get the right timbre in these relationship beats... So instead I'm working on a (2nd!!) AU of it where everything goes wrong wrt the Psi Corps and my OC is trying to flee Mars. The character dynamics are much easier, the goal for each arc is much more straightforward, and it's far more self contained. I don't plan to publish anywhere, but it's certainly a great place to learn all the fiddly bits I need to write my other trash, especially regarding pacing and plotting.

last search: jms Babylon 5 worlds. needed to check something in the character bible

TAGGING: @dodger-chan @janeways-coffees @parvori @lochley @fisularae @andothren @astra-the-dragon and anyone else who wants to. very low pressure cause it's lots of words. or if you want to use it to talk about unspeakable wip that's good too

[paradigm-adrift]

I accidentally did a Wikipedia binge about 1st wave feminism and fashion and stumbled upon the 1890s bicycle suit. Do people know about this? Why didn't anyone tell me about this? This is dope as hell.

It's old-fashioned. It's modern. It's butch. It's femme. It's snazzy. It's practical.

Wikipedia talks about the bloomers and the leg-o-mutton sleeves, but I'm also noticing a lot of these outfits have absolute supervillain lapels, which I also like a lot.

[mimosa-sexypeople-contests-2026]

Tumblr Sexyman Contest 2026 Final Round

Senshi (Dungeon Meshi)

Ryland Grace (Project Hail Mary)

Mr. Ant Tenna (Deltarune)

Voting ended onJul 20

Tenna art by @9Aaaalt29 on twt

[esfirraaa]

Saw these pieces of Supergirl by Peach Momoko for the first time today and they're like, the MOST accidentally Victoria Dallon I have ever seen in the wild. That's HER, you can't tell me otherwise.

[cityelf]

I hope this email rules you all. I hope this email finds you. I hope this email brings you all, and in the darkness binds you.

[half-man-half-lime]

HUGE red flag by Bonesaw tbh

Nobody talks about this but her art is actually SUPER problematic.

First off, ONE of her guerilla sculptures, the anatomical piece she put up in the walk-in freezer of a rec center in Brockton Bay was APPARENTLY made with unethically sourced materials.

Not only that, but her red mist piece was put up all across Brockton Bay without consulting the city for environmental concerns, and was actually toxic, which hurt the most marginalized people in the city.

Then there's her "underwater" piece on sadness she set up under the harbor, which has the same problems as both of the pieces I mentioned, but also apparently had a widespread effect on the mental health of a LOT of people in the area.

Honestly I can't believe she hasn't been cancelled already. It really says things about people's priorities that they're okay with this, and I'm lowkey judging you all for it

[hawt-me33]

Coming into a fandom late

[baxterdamus-deactivated20130513]

Coming into a fandom early and watching it become an angry clusterfuck

[valorious]

Being in a dormant fandom that suddenly comes alive again after a new book/movie

[leatherpatches-deactivated20150]

Don’t forget about those who come in the midst of a fandom war. 

[fauxmoux]

Accuracy at its best

[street-of-mercy]

Being in a fandom and not even knowing there’s a war going on…

[my-reylo]

all of this shit…lol

[nerdsagainstfandomracism]

When You’re Not In The Fandom But You’re Nosy AF

[not-so-secret-nerd]

When you get into a fandom only to discover it’s dead

[jupiter235]

This gets better every time I see it. 

[sageblackrose95]

@fuboos-mess

[inverted-mind-inc-sideblog-deac]

Being in a dead fandom…

[illogicalarchive]

Or being in such a tiny fandom that it feels like youre the only one

[erilias]

The accuracy hurts.

[fanfic-yes-please]

Being in a fandom that had a shit ending.

[it-is-bugs]

When you’ve been fangirling long enough, you’ve experienced all of the above.

[sweetferalbaby]

Being in a fandom meant for kids.

[teaganvamp]

This just gets better..

[hamboj2]

@mi-kleos

[thatcrazysonicchick]

When you realize that joining the fandom has ruined you

[knightofbloodcancer]

Fandom hell in general

[morathavictoria]

Yes.

[marvelanimelover]

This^^^ just… ALL OF THIS.

[stop-talking-babe-deactivated20]

Being in so many fandoms that you don’t even know what’s going on

[raise-cain-archived]

THIS IS THE SKULDUGGERY FUCKING PLEASANT FANDOM IN ONE POST!!

[crochanblackbeak]

Trying to recruit people to your fandom

[kateriverameliawolfe]

Annnnnnndddd it’s back

[ishipwhatiship247]

Being in a fandom which has so many antis

[ravenhilarious]

I’ve probably reblogged this before, but that was before these great additions.

[swanqueen-author]

Being in a fandom that actually works together

[commanderunhingedmongoose]

Why is this so true? All of it.

[pillowprincesslexa]

being in a fanbase but all your mutuals suddenly turn into Kpop blogs

[hangingfire]

I always enjoy it when a good post comes around again and has been improved by the reblogs like the years for a fine wine.

[priory-of-stars]

Being in a fandom when shit goes down and everyone has different opinions

[marianagmt]

When you are in a fandom and don’t care for others people opinion…..even if they are right…(believe me, I have met several of those)

[batbyte-alghul]

Being in a fandom you never meant to join

[tirnel-sutcliff-spears]

I love this. and it’s gotten better

[cartoonjessie]

After abandoning a fandom you’re still a little bit emotionally invested in….

[brit-is-bookish]

All of these are me. Lol

[thehikingastronomer]

Being in a fandom on Tumblr

[julietsemophase]

And it reached its epic conclusion

[isa-ghost]

I CHOKED ON FUNDIP

[van-arts]

HISTORY HAS BEEN ENGRAVED INTO THIS POST

[wheatart]

This painting was inspired by some fantastic gyrfalcon photography from https://www.animal-photo-references.com/

[notaplaceofhonour]

pickle me this, batman

[voidandradiance]

the most disorienting thing thats ever happened to me was when a linguistics major stopped in the middle of our conversation, looked me in the eye, and said, "you have a very interesting vernacular. were you on tumblr in 2014?" and i had to just stand there and process that one for a good ten seconds

[booksandchainmail]

#i was in a car with a linguist i had never met before the car trip and like half an hour in he looked at me#after i finished describing a geology thing that was happening out the window and asked if i'd ever spent much time on tumblr#the fuckor of it all#and then we spent six more hours driving#it sure does leave linguistic markers! i'm not sure i'm good with it (tags via @thoughtsformtheuniverse)

[issela-santina]

it is one thing to be a linguist and another to be a linguist who knows enough of 2010s Tumblr to spot one of its enjoyers

[lierdumoa]

Oh! @meret118 see above comment! The use of the word "enjoyers" instead of "users" or "bloggers" -> You left a comment a while back asking, "Does this just mean vocabulary words? Other than blorbo and sweet cinnamon roll etc, I can't think of what a Tumblr accent would be." I almost never see anyone use the word "enjoyer" anywhere outside of tumblr, but I see it on tumblr fairly frequently.

Another one is the verb "perceive" i.e. "don't perceive me" "I am perceiving" "I am being percieved." That's something that feels very specific to tumblr parlance.

There's the thing where people on tumblr have an emotional reaction to something and instead of, or in addition to telling you how they feel about it using emotion words, they will narrate a fictional action in the present progressive tense. "I am gnawing at the bars of my enclosure "I am kissing you on the mouth" "you are going into the soup" "you are getting all of the awards"

I once saw someone use that response format in ... I think it was a restaurant review, or a doordash review, or something like that. It was very unexpected seeing it outside of a tumblr post.

There are a lot of other tumblr linguistic quirks I can't currently remember off the top of my head, but I'll instantly recognize them if I see/hear them outside of tumblr. It's always a bit startling to see them out of context.

[pacificnorthwhore]

[i-wear-the-cheese]

when I was in university one of my modules was about internet slang and for our grades project we had to compile and analyse a small database of 100 words used by a specific community of our choice. I chose tumblr and that's how I stumbled across Gretchen McCulloch's research and discovered that yes not only did tumblr have its own vernacular and syntax (as @lierdumoa demonstrates), it was at the time a crucible of slang and memes probably unrivalled by any other part of the internet. and it's stayed that way! even the very title is McCulloch's book because internet is an example of this specific phraseology.

sadly my project is lost due to the website being wiped from the university database after graduation and my then laptop having a major hardware failure. backup your backups people! but the crux of the entire module was that the internet is full of communities using language not only as jargon for specific purpose but also to signal membership in said community. I even wrote a bit about non capitalisation and punctuation useage as a visual cue on tumblr and how including information in the reblog body or the tags indicated different levels of importance or intimacy of thought

I am holding the side of your face and looking deep in your eyes and telling you that love is stored in the syntax, and that we are rotating words together all at once as we all nod at their new and baffling meanings. if the devils sacrament be tumblr then the devils gospel is our collective voice. thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[weirdchristmas]

I am being perceived.

[gracklesascendant]

who would write a sprawling doorstopper fanfiction with only one canon character in mostly new setting with a garbage truck full of OCs, I think to myself skimming by such a thing on a defunct fanfiction website 15-20 years ago. no one cares about this but the author so why write it

yes who indeed, I think to myself as all my free time is eaten alive by this exact same thing

[homunculus-argument]

Another worldbuilding application of the "two layer rule": To create a culture while avoiding The Planet Of Hats (the thing where a people only have one thing going for them, like "everyone wears a silly hat"): You only need two hats.

Try picking two random flat culture ideas and combine them, see how they interact. Let's say taking the Proud Warrior Race - people who are all about glory in battle and feats of strength, whose songs and ballads are about heroes in battle and whose education consists of combat and military tactics. Throw in another element: Living in diaspora. Suddenly you've got a whole more interesting dynamic going on - how did a people like this end up cast out of their old native land? How do they feel about it? How do they make a living now - as guards, mercenaries? How do their non-combatants live? Were they always warrior people, or did they become fighters out of necessity to fend for themselves in the lands of strangers? How do the peoples of these lands regard them?

Like I'm not shitting, it's literally that easy. You can avoid writing an one-dimensional culture just by adding another equally flat element, and the third dimension appears on its own just like that. And while one of the features can be location/climate, you can also combine two of those with each other.

Let's take a pretty standard Fantasy Race Biome: The forest people. Their job is the forest. They live there, hunt there, forage there, they have an obnoxious amount of sayings that somehow refer to trees, woods, or forests. Very high chance of being elves. And then a second common stock Fantasy Biome People: The Grim Cold North. Everything is bleak and grim up there. People are hardy and harsh, "frostbite because the climate hates you" and "being stabbed because your neighbour hates you" are the most common causes of death. People are either completely humourless or have a horrifyingly dark, morbid sense of humour. They might find it funny that you genuinely can't tell which one.

Now combine them: Grim Cold Bleak Forest People. The summer lasts about 15 minutes and these people know every single type of berry, mushroom and herb that's edible in any fathomable way. You're not sure if they're joking about occasionally resorting to eating tree bark to survive the long dark winter. Not a warrior people, but very skilled in disappearing into the forest and picking off would-be invaders one by one. Once they fuck off into the woods you won't find them unless they want to be found.

You know, Finland.

[mortalstrife]

old old sketch i revisited and tweaked