#filed under: answer asks

[mekandawn]

How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

LITERALLY it was an elf name generator. I didn't get Caythaes specifically, but a couple names with similar syllables, and I just kind of mashed together the ones I liked. With elf language as, uh... ill-defined as it is, I don't really have the inclination to define a meaning for it.

Mekandawn, on the other hand...

The original concept for Caythaes was that they belonged to a cult that worship the Titans and were dedicated to "bringing them back." Mekandawn was literally meant as "The Herald of the Dawn of Machines," but I honestly didn't know what to do with it story wise, so. Now they're just a Sun Priest who likes machines. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It works.

[heartbeats-exe]

Jiang Cheng didn’t keep Chenqing out of sentiment. He tells himself that, anyway.

He keeps it hidden. Tucked away. Never used. He doesn’t even look at it unless he has to. But he doesn’t get rid of it either. And that’s what makes him sick.

Because it would be easy to destroy. Burn it. Bury it. Pretend it never existed. Like everyone else did. Like Wei Wuxian did to her.

But Jiang Cheng can’t. And he doesn’t know what’s worse — the fact that he still has it, or the fact that he still remembers how it sounds.

Sometimes, when he’s tired or drunk or too close to breaking, he hears it in his head — the low wail of Chenqing — and he feels like a fool. Like a dog still sitting at the door of a house that doesn’t exist anymore.

He would rather be called cruel. He would rather be hated. But not this. Not this pathetic, rotten tenderness.

So he hides it. Like a wound. Like a weakness. Like a secret that would ruin him if anyone ever knew.

[essektheylyss]

Does no one else find it odd that magic that had been inhibited by the Malleus Key keeps being slowly and quietly returned with seemingly no changes to the key itself? Is the Solstice still stuck or is it simply progressing very slowly? Is anyone working on this in Exandria? Can we get some answers about this?

[blushedfemmes]

i was on vacation in the PNW over the weekend and on my first night there i had a dream about sucking on a girl’s tits and got so horny that i woke up with a boner. so logically, i can only conclude that your toxic seductive miasma permeates throughout the whole region. terrific stuff

oh yeah that’s totally my bad… it’s really causing problems actually just ask the butches who live here

[a-dragons-journal]

I don’t know where else to say this since indornaga’s anon asks aren’t enabled, but you did reblog the post regarding using the h slur to describe alterhuman experiences and I wanted to introduce the term “cosexual”. Cosexual as a term originated in botany and is a word that describes the same experience without being a slur. It has slowly evolved to apply beyond the botanical world as well. Why not use the term cosexual instead of the h slur? This is a completely genuine suggestion, not meaning to stir up any drama or anything. I hope to hear your thoughts on it.

Okay, that's the first suggestion I've seen that actually legitimately may mean the exact same thing as (simultaneous) hermaphrodite, so thank you - however, I'm a little hesitant to apply it outside of plants since it originated in botany; I do see at least one dictionary site indicating it can be used in general biology as well, but when I google "cosexual animal" I'm not getting any results, so I'm not sure if that actually is applicable outside of botany or not. There is also still the fact that there's two different kinds of hermaphroditic species, simultaneous and sequential, and cosexual only covers one of them, but it looks like there's another term for sequential (though, again, it looks like it's a botany term, not a zoology term).

Beside that, the point stands - it is the correct term, and while it absolutely is a slur when used on intersex people, that does not make it a slur in every context. Do we not still call apples fruits despite fruit being used as a slur against gay people? Is it wrong to call a wall protecting against flooding a dyke because that's used as a slur against lesbians? Is it wrong to call tailless primates apes because ape is used as a slur against black people? Of course not. This is the same thing. Many slurs originated from words that are perfectly inoffensive in their original contexts and meanings.

No one in this discussion is advocating for using hermaphrodite to mean intersex, or using it on anyone who doesn't want it applied to them. This sentence might get me in trouble, but - calling a species of dragon or sea slug with a fundamentally different sex setup than humans hermaphroditic quite simply has nothing to do with intersex people. The word has been misused and has caused harm, yes, and I'm not trying to downplay or ignore that, but that doesn't make its correct scientific usage retroactively incorrect or offensive. Calling an intersex person a hermaphrodite absolutely is a slur and is reprehensible behavior. Calling a sea slug a hermaphrodite is not.

I appreciate where you're coming from here, and if someone wants to use another term to talk about their kintype's genital setup, that's their decision, but I don't honestly think hermaphrodite should be off-limits because it's been used as a slur against a group of people who are unrelated to the thing being talked about. There's a lot of words that that's true of that we don't hold to that standard. (And, frankly, I've seen just as many intersex people saying that it's fine to use this way and trying to make it off-limits is stupid as I have intersex people saying it shouldn't be used even this way, so while I may have just wound up with a skewed sample by accident (happens), I'm not convinced it is consensus in the intersex community and not just people getting fired up over nothing to begin with.)

[journey-to-the-attic]

God and Ik sitting down to have little, scheduled tea-time chats to nerd out like old friends is SUCH a cute idea!! Cause I imagine God who absolutely adore those moments because coming across someone who treats him like a person instead of a primordial deity are few and far between. God in general just being a bit of a goober with emotional issues and time-blindness underneath all the pomp and circumstance speaks to me on an (ironically) spiritual level. Especially with him misunderstanding IK and thinking she actually thinks a walking mushroom would be cool and getting WAY to into the speculative biology of making one, then presenting her with one at their next scheduled chat. He even starts bringing a (metaphorical) notebook to start jotting down ideas for what she may like lol.

don't get me wrong ik DOES think the walking mushroom is cool as hell, she's just worried about the havoc it may wreak on any ecosystem it enters. i do think she's supportive of (this hypothetical version of) god having a creative outlet, she just disapproves of His various crimes against angelkind

i do think god's #1 hustle to garner approval from ik (what with the celestial realm thing) would be to make custom little creatures for her to play with, and he gets character development and a little humanisation as a present for his troubles

he makes so many and when ik has to leave he's like "alright into the vault they go :)" only to be slapped in the face by "ANIMALS DO NOT EXIST FOR ANYONE'S PERSONAL PLEASURE" and learns to contemplate the horrors of being artificial life. ik makes him read frankenstein and he comes out of it like "Damn............"

[sir-fenris]

(ps i know its like. way too early to break out recovery arc/rescue scenarios. BUT. cant stop thinking about rubies delta encountering cyrus….)

Heeyy <3, this was a while ago, and I remember I wanted to answer this back then, but... well, things happened, and I couldn't make this invitation in the middle of all that chaos.

I already did a roleplay with @floral-comet-whump with Cyrus (he died on the first path, and we had to rewind, btw 😅😓 second path had a better ending) so... it's not too soon <3

(Easter egg, the beginning of this ask is reference to that roleplay)

If you want to do a recovery/rescue scenario with Rubies Delta and Cyrus, I'm all for it <3

This is an invitation, not a demand (っᵔ ᵕ ᵔ)っ♡ you're free to decline too.

-

[tennfan2]

Listened to Will Work For Feedback and I am so impressed with how good it is! The gradual slide down into trance with the pacing you used in the file is so natural, and what's really stirring my neurons is how toward the end when you're giving the feedback suggestion, your voice has this incredible knowingness to it. There's just that extra bit of intentionality, the amount of time spent on the suggestion, your pacing, the sound of your voice, it feels like not only do you know exactly what you're doing, but that you know that I know that you know exactly what you're doing and you know it's going to work and that is just so. amazing. It's that certainty that really drives it into my brain. I like leaving feedback just kind of in general for a number of reasons (not to invoke a 'be the change you want to see in the world' classroom poster but...) but after listening to this file, I feel not only like I should and would like to, but also that it's inevitable. I enjoy listening to your files so much, and I think both your voice and delivery are so pleasant, and your diction and timing are perfect. The subtle but significant shifts in all of these to draw forth the intended effect are so skillful! You're genuinely one of the best hypnotists I've encountered on the internet (and thus at all) and I'm continually impressed by your knowledge and implementation of the subject

… holy hell, this is really nice. Thank you!

(Fun fact, I have probably gotten less feedback on this file than any other I’ve made, which is both ironic and scared me off putting suggestions in my files for a *long* time.)

[neims-skeleton-obsession]

not a question but the Frank Sinatra version of The Girl From Ipanema is my current voice hc for Skulduggery and I felt like sharing that with a skeleton enthusiast

I know in theory he’s Irish and would thus have an Irish accent. But I can’t bring myself to disagree with you anon so fuck it yeah I’m gonna read his voice like that for a bit

or alternatively he just does a freakishly good Sinatra impression

[agardenofbasil]

https://pin.it/3hjNuve9A

https://pin.it/6t9enygOH

https://pin.it/1A5lFOm5p

https://pin.it/FjGhQr2cx

https://pin.it/7Mk55THOl

https://pin.it/5jDLJqiUH

some pepi pics that cheered me up after that horrid game so i hope they make you happier too!! <3 (im not even an atheltic fan but that game sucked ass, and yes i use pinterest as a coping mechanism 💁🏽‍♀️)

Aw thank you for all these little pictures. Can you believe I actually haven't seen these? Especially that last one and the one with Inigo. :')

That game DID suck ass, I'm putting all of Athletic into time out, except Sancet (he's injured so he's already on time out haha.)

Pinterest has some interesting photos on it, so I totally see it as a coping mechanism :') very interesting photos :')

[mekandawn]

When was the last time Cay cried, and what was it for?

"Ahhhuuuuhhoooohh... I cried last night because- because I had phantom pain in my right foot?" Caythaes hedges, eyes glancing to the side. "I mean, there was- there was also the Despair(tm), but- Honestly, everyone knows about that."

They shrug.

"I- I don't talk about the phantom pain in my prosthetics much, and- and the shitty part about that is that- is that I can't really take medicine to- to make it go away. It's- it's the worst in my foot, but- but it goes all the way up to my hip, where- where I'm still fleshy. The- the fingers in my left hand have- have been really achy lately, too. And that elbow, too."

"My- my arm tends to be okay, mostly. It's background noise that- that I can mostly tune out, but- but my leg gets to me, es-especially when I'm trying to sleep. My- my foot feels like it's being crushed, and last night there- there was a burning sensation up the arch and over my heel. My ankle was- I could feel it throbbing, and- and it was like my leg was cramped all the way up. It sucks and- and it frustrates me to the point of tears, but."

Another shrug.

"What can I do?"

[moe-broey]

both book 4 and 7 are full of Artistic Choices that Hate You

LITERALLY THEY HATE ME PERSONALLY‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️😭😭😭😭😭

Yoshiku. Yoshiku. I just want to Talk. Please.

Godddd it's been a long time since I've drawn anything Book 7 related, but. I almost -- no. Wholeheartedly. I want to say Book 4 is worse. ONLY because there are some really specific things happening artistically that for SOME reason. Just feel fundamentally incompatible with me and what I DO. As an artist. Like. BEYOND all the common criticisms of Yoshiku's work, generally/broadly speaking.

Like. I don't even know exactly what it is. To pinpoint it. But the color palettes. Fairy themes in general. Hhhhrghhhhhh IT'S TOO........... VAGUE??????? I WANT. MORE DIRECTION. Something more natural!!! More nature-y!!!!! LIKE I'll admit, my designs have a bit of vagueness here and there too... Miribilis has the strongest design I think, in that you can tell, at least her bloomers, are a specific kind of flower petal. I want more of THAT. And one step further, if it were MY CHOICE. I would make the wings actual butterfly/moth wings....... which is an angle I was taking w Moe's resplendent idea. Taking more inspo from real life rather than the magic-y aesthetics of the dream realm.

And the color palettes..... I feel like I have gained perspective, Doing This. They pallettes actually do work. It's just placement, maybe? HOW you apply it? And realizing that yeah, okay. Plumeria and Triandra DO have distinct pallettes, actually. Plume is more red/magenta, Triandra is more blue/purple (BUT! Base outfit is dominantly black. Which is fine. But that draws your eyes to her reddish pink hair. Which is the same sort of color Plume's dress is/her dominant color. And w the blue accents on Plumeria, and blue not being As Strong on Triandra in comparison, it just. It blends together.)

Also forever and always. WHY are BOTH Peony and Mirabilis' eyes purple........... YOU HAVE FOUR CHARACTERS!!!??! YOU COULD PICK. ANOTHER COLOR. Honestlyyyyy when I get to my Peony redesign, fuck it. I'm giving her blue/green eyes. Aquamarine, kinda. Because the overlap THERE would Make Sense. The blue tone ties back to Triandra, and having it be sliiiightly green leaning would make it like, Oh. Oh. Oh, if you weren't looking so closely, if they were styled similarly. It really WOULD be easy to mistake her for Sharena. Same effect as the orange gradient vs Sharena's pink gradient.

Also just. For the love of god. He needs shape language to live. I will DIE without shape language. And I GUESS the outfits Are Shaped........... they are. Shaped. I will stand by base Mirabilis' dress is cute, and I think Peony has some nice shapes. But. Please............ DIRECTION. THEMES. YOU NEED. DIRECTIONS AND THEME.S. PLEASE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Sorry. I promise I'm not being a hater serious style, I'm genuinely just whining and airing out my artistic woes LMFAOOOO 😭😭😭🥲🥲🥲 I do feel. Uniquely Cursed. By Book 4.

[spotaus]

Flesh Anon again.

So like, the only thing I can imagine now due to the Nightmare and ccino addon is just pantry renovations shortly after Nim fucking dies right?

So it's just ccino taking mental notes like "Okay, this is beef. This is staying... that's... pork, right? Yeah, alright.. and this?" And he just points at human flesh and the cooks and staff have to stutter and stammer out that "Well, that uh... that's... that's uh... human flesh... the late Queen never really, um, cared about the origins, only the price and this was... this was quite expensive so she decided it was fancy.... and elegant..."

And Ccino just stands there

Absolutely motified.

Welcone back Flesh Anon! Good to have ya! And. Ohhh yeah. This is tasty 🙏

They definitely took some time to rework everything, but the kitchens were like top of the priority list because. Well. Night was always a fussy eater and now as an adult... not much has changed! So Ccino takes the time to start reorganizing like you said and they get to that point and the chefs have to explain it and. Ccino is unamused to say the least, mortified to sat the most.

He's still new to the whole managing other people thing, and he's still got that instinct to not accidentally step out of line, so he's a deer in the headlights before processing and going, "The King won't eat that, we should just... throw it out." And. I mean. Ccino's the boss here so they toss it as told. (It isn't until later that Ccino lets himself process that and get queasy about it-)

Nightmare never knows that Nim ate it or considered it a delicacy. When Night was freshly King, info like that would just add to his stressors, and he got to keep a hint of blissful ignorance <3

[caffeinatedopossum]

Conversation I just had with the person scheduling my therapy (it's at a place that offers disability services so they were asking about that):

Person: oh you're disabled? Were you in a car accident or something?

Me: ah, no, I have a genetic condition that makes my skeleton fall apart

Person: oh geez okay. Do you have to use any mobility aids? Like can you walk?

Me: uhh?? Sometimes? I can walk but not reliably. I can't do anything reliably which is like the whole problem because people don't think of disabilities as being so variable.

Person: wow I don't even think I'd be able to get out of bed, not knowing wether I'd be able to walk or not that day...

Me: oh well I have this pro gamer strategy where laying in bed hurts more the longer I lay there so eventually it will get so painful that I HAVE to get up haha 🙃

[musical-chick-13]

My sincerest apologies to Akane Tsunemori, who is the latest victim of my "Every Character I Like Has OCD, Actually" crusade.

[bugwolfsstuff]

I don't think I'm kind. I think I'm nice, or at least nice in the loosest definition.

I think a kind person would not want to lash out and hurt people back as much as I want to sometimes.

I think a kind person would not question whether I truly feel empathy or if I just don't like the social consequences of hurting someone as much as I do

Niceness is a better descriptor because you don't need to be good to be nice. It doesn't have the ramifications that kindness has. And even then i'm not always nice.