Peter

21 yo, he/him, huge nerd, currently mostly Stormlight Archive, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Honor Harrington, The Tapestry

[homunculus-argument]

How long do y'all think it took for people to forget mammoths? One generation, two, three? They got rarer and rarer, until the clan felled the last one that they would ever kill, and the hunters who were there would, for the rest of their lives, keep telling the story of how they once slayed the most elusive grand beast, that was only seen once a generation. And the youths would listen their descriptions of them, and though the description didn't make much sense - there was nothing else quite alike a mammoth that it could be compared to - they listened and thought that one day, they would encounter a mammoth, too.

They might tell their children and grandchildren of this, how the old hunters would tell them of a spectacular beast that one might see only three times in a lifetime, and perhaps kill just once. It must be true, since the clan still has the tusk of one, but no-one alive has seen one.

Their children and grandchildren would tell their own children only vague tales they used to hear the old folk tell, of grand beasts bigger than horses and bovines, the grandest game of them all, but no-one alive has met someone who has seen one.

[orcboxer]

got a crick in my neck and a frog in my throat and a chip on my shoulder and a stick up my ass and now you're gonna stand there puttin words in my mouth? haven't I been through enough?

[weaselknievel]

*introducing myself to the guards who caught me* seized to meet you

[mr-reblogbutton-archived]

David Menlo summoning fire for the first time.

[pilipalabutterfly]

…..folks. It uh…it happened. I know have a vivid knowledge of /why/ I remember that scene as being oh-so-terrifying from my memories. I am pleased to report that it is just as terrifying or horror-esque many years later as a Full Grown Adult as it was when I was a child 👍

[pilipalabutterfly]

I’m not done here, actually. I think part of the reason it was so terrifying was that the build up is so slow? It’s a kind of ‘knowingly walk to your own doom even though you’re pee-your-pants-terrified because the power that commands you far outweighs your own’ instead of a jumpscare or quick sort of horror. Also the fact that (spoilers here) Astorath acts almost more like a disappointed parent than anything else? Like sir. Sir stop acting weirdly parental. You BIT that child’s HAND off. Ahhhhh. I don’t know if I can read this book for a while, I might have to take a break. DANG, no wonder that scene stuck with me as a kid. Ach. Ahhhhhhh.

[pilipalabutterfly]

I WILL talk about this for as long as I want to and NONE of you can stope me. Anyway, I think another reason the scene is so effective is

a) one of the main characters (David) FAILED in his Really Important goal/objective which is always worrisome in books (or at least, in the ones where you want the protagonists to win)

b) we have, in fact, seen David successfully summon and control demons. Yeah, they were lesser ones but the books are Very Firm in establishing that demons and magic and the stuff are David’s area of ~e x p e r t i s e~. Him failing here is not just failing, but failing in an area where his control previously has been shown to be rock solid. And! That leads to the next one in that we’ve had an established pattern for this sort of thing which is thrown off! Disregarded!!

c) The main one (for me). We spend. So much time in David’s terror. And he is!! He is so terrified!!! The actual ‘hand being bitten off’ happens in a sentence, maybe two? The point is, it’s quick. But David’s pov of this? The build up?? We spend out sweet time in that period of tension amd terror and good grief is it effective!

d) decided I had more things to say, actually. Well, okay, just one, but still! Alright, so remember when I was lamenting how creepy it was that Astorath was acting weirdly parental? Okay, so part of the reason why I said that is that Astorath admonishes David (gently, almost) for thinking he could control ASTORATH’S power and says, hold on, lemme grab a quote—

said Astaroth, wagging a long-nailed finger. “For shame. Did you really think you could compel me to come running? That hasn’t been managed for quite some time, my friend. Do you think you should be punished for your arrogance?”

^^says that, and David responds with

“No,” whispered David. “Speak up, child.”

^^^THAT. He says no!! He says no and it DOESN’T MATTER

“No,” repeated David, furiously wiping away tears on his sleeve. “Shhh,” said Astaroth. “There’s no need for that. Come closer.” David stood rooted to the spot. “I had thought you might see the error of your ways, but here you remain stubborn and willful. Must your friends suffer for your arrogance?” inquired the Demon.”

^^!!!?????!!!! LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THAT. THE SCENE CONTINUES AFTER THIS. FOR A WHILE. It is only on the next page that the hand chomping occurs. Just. Ahhh. I’m sorry, this excerpt is just genuinely so incredibly terrifying to me that my brain has uh…not quite moved on yet.

[pilipalabutterfly]

Oh, also regarding the mechanisms of terror for that scene—I’ve been thinking on it (it won’t leave my kind and is holdng me hostage) and one thing that it comes around to again and again is the juxtaposition of the scene. David and the audience’s terror vs Astorath’s patronizing calm is doing a lot of heavy lifting, methinks

[anarchistmemedistro]

[offshoreoilrig]

istheveilbetweenworldsthinrightnow.com

Veil status: normal

Tomorrow's veil: normal to thick

Download the app for convenient, add-free updates on the invisible barrier separating the material realm from the astral plane

[rusholme]

[homunculus-argument]

I’m so sorry for the everything you’re experiencing. The sound you make when you sneeze is literally a cultural thing. Dead people often sneeze silently because they aren’t aware they’re supposed to vocalize. It’s insane that people think that screaming is a genetically ingrained part and are yelling at you about it 😭

I was halfway through reading this wondering "why the fuck wouldn't dead people know that, they've been alive haven't they?" before realising that you almost certainly meant "deaf". I wasn't even questioning that someone here would casually bring up knowing what it sounds like when dead people sneeze.

[homunculus-argument]

Starting a company called Chaste Centaur, that's the opposite of Bad Dragon. The only product we sell is a medical grade body safe caulk that you can use to superglue your holes permanently shut.

[woman-becomer]

All right guys I don't know if it's going to make things better, but action needs to be taken so I have changed the pH level of the entire ocean to negative 100. I'm not a scientist so I don't know what that will do but I'm hoping for the best

[homunculus-argument]

I think going too deep into anything should warrant a balrog. You scroll too far down on your phone when you should've gotten up an hour ago, you've spent all afternoon sleuthing to figure out why your mom's former neighbour whom you haven't seen since you were 15 and don't give a fuck about got a divorce, you've been ruminating the same situation over and over and over, and a big fuckass beast thing shows up to stop you because you have delved too deep and now you have to fight the balrog.

[x-atm099]

[byjove]

I never thought I would be siding with the pope’s involvement in politics and cheering him on. I will say that.

[byjove]

[homunculus-argument]

I used to know this guy who had a bit that he'd habitually do while hanging out in a group, where he'd make eye contact with this really worried "dude there's something I gotta tell you" look on his face and very subtly gesture at you like it's important, and you need to hear this, but he doesn't want anyone else knowing, so you've got to be discreet about it. And he was a good guy and a good friend, so him wanting to tell you something that that he doesn't want to tell everybody could very well be him trying to spare you from embarrassment, or even warning you about something dangerous going on that isn't apparent on the surface of the situation.

And once I'd lean in to hear what he's got to say, he just whispered in my ear: "you're gay."

And he was so fucking good at doing it, that I fell for it every goddamn time.

[homunculus-argument]

Day 101/365 of listing something good I saw today:

Saw a guy with a beard down to his waist, braided in three braids, wearing a long black double-breasted coat and an actual tricorne hat. Legit pirate fit going on. And there's no special event of any kind happening today, dude was just casually walking down the street like that.

[hurglewurm]

could you draw gandalf big naturals..

yes anonymous i will do this for you