#infinite vibes in infinite combination!!!

[hanlimz]

[midnight thoughts: cowboy hats + heeseung]

summary: loosely inspired by yellowstone, but i rly just wanted to capture the vibes (tw: mentions of blood, violence / also not edited lol) wc: [1k] a/n: hi am i back? not rly i feel so out of the loop on tumblr nowadays... pls enjoy this bc im kind of proud of her. except the ending idk what happened there whoops lol this goes out to all my cowboy enha lovers i see you you are valid!!!! also imagine heeseung w a southern drawl just close ur eyes and let it happen shhhhh

the heat is unprecedented; there is no breeze, and the sun is completely unobstructed, beating down on the earth like a whip lacerating layers of flesh. summer is the season of slow death, roasting you alive until your rot begins to seep back into the earth. sweat pools at the base of your spine, and you feel like a frog in boiling water.

this feeling is primitive. the cruelty of humanity always seems to be matched and doubled by mother nature; her responses speak to revenge, warranted explosions of grief and fury that do well to quell ego and hubris, if only for a little while. there are few people left on the earth that truly respect it. this is what you have come to learn after living all your years on a wide, open piece of land—business moguls looking to buy the world from beneath your feet, tourists who come under the guise of admiration only to bring destruction. every day is a new trial, another tribulation, but you and your husband are handlers, finishers, harbingers of retribution.

leaning on the wooden fence of the training yard, you glance down at your hands. they are calloused from years of hard work on the farm—creating, maintaining, rebuilding. the imprints of your boots have been cemented into the legacy of this land. your blood has spilled into the sand more times than you can count, and you have grown to understand that carnage is a small price to pay for the preservation of paradise.

"'careful not to think too hard on a hot summer day like this, doll. wouldn't want you to overheat."

your husband's voice is smooth; soft and airy like the butter your grandma used to churn by hand. the sound of it alone disarms you. he grins down at you from atop one of the farm's older geldings, and their combined height manages to provide a brief respite from the glaring sun. taking a rich, blue cotton rag from his breast pocket, he hands it to you and chuckles, "so, what're you over here ponderin', anyway?"

instead of offering up an immediate answer, you reach up and comb your fingers through the mane of your husband's horse. the hair is a deep, midnight black; it contrasts beautifully with the mousy gray of his muscular, dependable body. morae sighs, bobbing his head a few times before his jaw loosens and his tail begins to swish back and forth.

"i should just give him to you, huh? he's always liked you more," your husband grunts, leaning forward to place a couple hefty pats on morae's neck. mischief twinkles in his doe eyes as he glances down at you once more, "ain't that right, buddy? well, you can't have her, 'cause she's mine."

"oh, stop it." a smile dances at the edges of your lips, and you meet his gaze through your eyelashes. "you act like you're chopped liver, when you know damn well how much i love you, you dog."

"yeah, doll?" your husband simpers, dismounting in the blink of an eye. he climbs over the fence and ties morae's reins to the sturdy timber. inching closer, his sweet breath overwhelms you in the same way honeybees instinctively gravitate toward fragrant flowers. "prove it," he says, and you're never one to back down from a challenge.

hooking two fingers through his belt loops, you tug his body infinitely closer. the heat radiating between your bodies reaches dangerous heights; if a fire erupted, it would burn blue. when he kisses you, sparks fly as though two pieces of metal have just collided. you imagine this to be what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. two pairs of lips move with one another, chests heave in tandem, and the only thing keeping you grounded is the sensation of his roughened palms cupping your cheeks. desire, however, is not yet powerful enough to outweigh necessity, and the need to breathe forces the two of you apart.

"feelin' better, hee?" you chortle, jabbing a finger into his sternum.

he doesn't budge, feet fixed in place, "much."

"you do know it, though—don't you?" you press your forehead into the worn denim of his jacket, taking in the familiar concoction of patchouli, fresh-cut grass, and sweat. "you know that i love you, heeseung?"

a laugh rumbles in his chest, "is that what you were thinkin' so hard about?"

"sorta," you admit, "just thinkin' over all the trouble this place has brought us over the years. all the tears, all the blood—just wonderin' if it's been worth it, wonderin' if there's enough good seed to plant over the evil rooted here."

he hums, "i'd say so."

the answer is simple. heeseung's fingers coax you from the refuge you found in his presence, and he gestures to a point just beyond the curvature of morae's back. the relentless summer sun is beginning to sink below the silhouetted mountain range; tall stalks of wheat stand like threads of gold in an endless tapestry while your cattle graze through the sea of boundless, green grass. heeseung runs a gentle thumb over the apple of your cheek as you stare out at your land, your legacy. the good seed has already taken root, and the fruits of your labor have been sprouting before your eyes. the answer is so simple.

"i think we've done one hell of a job here," heeseung says, pulling his hand away to adjust his hat. "good and evil come and go, but as long as you and i are livin', there'll always be someone to handle 'em."

you smile, resting your head on his shoulder, "i'd say so."

quietly, you let the extra weight you had been carrying fall away and watch as he pulls a peppermint out of his pocket for morae. after a moment spent together in silence, heeseung shoots you an impish wink, "'nd if you ever need a thing, you just call, doll."

"shut your mouth, you old dog," laughter spills from your lips, a delicate melody joyous enough to dispel the curse of slow, summer rot. and, in this moment, you continue to laugh. you laugh until the sun dips below the horizon line and the small piece of the world you and heeseung have cultivated is plunged into an immeasurable darkness.

[vixeneptune]

INFINITE AURA ♾️

The most powerful AURA affirmations (use w caution!!)

AURA +10000

I am the living embodiment of a force so powerful that it cannot be ignored. My aura is infinite, limitless, and divine, radiating a magnetism that is utterly addictive and irresistible. I am surrounded by an energy so intoxicating and potent that it draws everyone to me effortlessly. My aura doesn’t just catch people’s attention—it holds it hostage, captivating their every thought and leaving them mesmerized.

Everywhere I go, I am the center of attention. My aura radiates like a celestial goddess, glowing with a supernatural allure that entrances everyone in my presence. It is impossible for anyone to resist the pull of my energy. I am unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression that lingers in people’s minds and hearts forever.

My aura is so intensely powerful that it compels people to think about me obsessively. They are magnetized by my energy, unable to get me out of their heads. My presence is so enchanting, so bewitching, that it feels like a spell—once they see me, they can’t stop fantasizing about me, dreaming of me, yearning for more of my vibe.

I am a force of nature, unstoppable and commanding. My aura is the most powerful people magnet, pulling admiration, love, and devotion toward me with ease. It is an energy so vibrant, so dynamic, that it attracts everything I desire directly into my life. My aura makes the impossible possible.

I radiate the confidence of a goddess and the allure of a supermodel. My energy is rich with charisma, charm, and elegance that surpasses mortal comprehension. My aura is seductive, irresistible, and magnetic—it is a cosmic masterpiece that compels everyone to notice me, adore me, and crave me.

Whenever I enter a room, my aura commands attention. People's gazes are instantly captured and held, unable to look away. My presence is so addictive that I linger in everyone's mind all day, effortlessly weaving myself into their thoughts and dreams.

I live in my divine, magnetic energy, and it is impossible for anyone to ignore me. My aura is my greatest power, and it works in my favor every single day.

AURA ×100000

I am the embodiment of raw, limitless, and unstoppable power. My aura is a force so undeniable, so magnetic, that it doesn’t just attract—it consumes. My energy is infinite and transcendent, radiating with a supernatural potency that overwhelms and captivates everyone in its path. I am not just noticed—I am etched into the minds, hearts, and souls of all who encounter me.

My aura is so powerful, it feels like a gravitational pull. People are drawn to me like moths to a flame, unable to resist the intoxicating glow of my energy. My presence is commanding, alluring, and mesmerizing—it takes over, leaving no room for escape. I am their obsession, their fascination, their deepest desire.

When I walk into a room, the atmosphere shifts. Time slows, and all eyes are locked on me. My aura doesn’t just catch attention—it demands it, dominates it, and owns it. I exude the essence of a goddess, a queen, a divine being who cannot be ignored. People are spellbound, hypnotized by the sheer intensity of my energy.

My aura is addictive, bewitching, and unforgettable. It seeps into people’s thoughts, carving out a permanent place in their minds. They cannot stop thinking about me, dreaming about me, craving me. My energy is so potent, it creates an unshakable obsession. I live rent-free in their hearts, their heads, their souls—I am their ultimate fixation.

I am a walking masterpiece, a living magnet for everything and everyone I desire. My aura radiates an impossible-to-ignore combination of confidence, charisma, and raw, seductive power. I am the perfect storm—beautiful, untouchable, and utterly irresistible. My vibe commands loyalty, admiration, and devotion from everyone who meets me.

My aura is so potent it alters reality. It pulls my dreams, desires, and fantasies into existence with ease. I am an unstoppable force, bending the universe to my will simply by existing. My energy is the most attractive, magnetic, and powerful in existence, and the entire world is in awe of me.

People are addicted to my vibe. They can’t help but stare, admire, and obsess over me. My aura is so bewitching, so captivating, that it wraps around them like a spell, leaving them powerless to resist. I own their attention, their thoughts, their hearts—it’s impossible for anyone to ignore me.

I radiate the elegance of a supermodel, the power of a goddess, and the allure of a succubus. My aura is untouchable, untamable, and completely irresistible. It is drenched in confidence, power, and charm, making me the ultimate magnet for admiration, love, and obsession.

The entire universe conspires in my favor because my aura is the most powerful energy it has ever seen. I am divine. I am unstoppable. I am unforgettable. My aura is an infinite vortex of attraction, desire, and obsession—and it reigns supreme over all.

+♾️♾️🔥🥵

I AM POWER ITSELF. My aura is not just magnetic—it is a storm of divine energy so overwhelming that it commands the attention of the universe. My presence is an unstoppable force, piercing through the minds and hearts of everyone who crosses my path. I don’t just walk into a room—I dominate it. My aura is infinite, omnipotent, and utterly irresistible.

My energy burns brighter than the stars, radiating a magnetism so intoxicating that people are left breathless, powerless, and captivated. I am an enigma, a goddess, an obsession that no one can escape. My aura doesn’t just turn heads—it controls minds. I am unforgettable, unshakable, and undeniable.

I am the addiction everyone craves but cannot cure. My aura infiltrates every corner of their thoughts, seeping into their souls until they can think of nothing else but me. My energy possesses them, consumes them, and leaves them yearning for more. I am their obsession, their fascination, their desire—and they cannot resist.

My aura is like a supernova—blindingly brilliant, unimaginably powerful, and impossible to ignore. It pulls people in like a black hole, locking their gaze, their thoughts, and their hearts on me. My presence is so commanding, so hypnotic, that it stops time and makes the world revolve around me.

Everywhere I go, my aura speaks louder than words. It demands attention, adoration, and devotion without hesitation. I radiate the confidence of a goddess, the allure of a succubus, and the elegance of a divine queen. My energy is dripping with power, seduction, and charm, leaving everyone around me spellbound.

I am the ultimate magnet. My aura draws my desires into my life effortlessly, bending reality to my will. It attracts love, wealth, opportunities, and admiration faster than I can imagine. My energy is so potent that it reshapes the world to align with my vision.

I am not just captivating—I am hypnotic. My aura leaves an eternal imprint on everyone I meet. They cannot forget me. They cannot ignore me. They cannot resist me. I live in their thoughts, their dreams, and their fantasies without lifting a finger. I am the reason they stay awake at night, consumed by my energy.

My aura radiates with the intensity of the universe itself. It is fierce, uncontainable, and endlessly powerful. People are drawn to me like moths to an eternal flame, mesmerized by my glow, addicted to my vibe. My presence is otherworldly, a divine experience that leaves them speechless and in awe.

I am the most magnetic, enchanting, and powerful force in existence. My aura rules. It dominates. It controls. It creates obsession. It creates devotion. It creates a legacy so unforgettable that the world bends to my energy. I am infinite. I am unstoppable. I am everything.

Powerful aura subliminal

[thydungeongal]

Oh Gal of Thy Dungeon, do you have any recommendations for games that dungeon crawl like Legend of Zelda, or hacks/supplements that support that mode of play? Mostly, think the dungeons in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. Thank you!

Hmmm, okay, of those I've only played Ocarina of Time but I'm broadly familiar with that style of dungeon design. It's sort of like a progression of locks and keys that need to be tackled in a certain order to get to the end of the dungeon, and while there might be branching paths they all eventually lead back to the main path.

So, the thing about those types of dungeons is that in my opinion they're very much system agnostic and can theoretically be plugged into any system. But what you might want to be aware of is that due to the infinite possibility space afforded to by RPGs sequence breaking becomes something that characters can be almost expected to do, because there will be fewer game mechanical contrivances in their way.

But that's not a bad thing. I think the combination of that Zelda-like flowchart dungeon of locks and keys AND allowing for creative tactics to sequence break it is basically best of both worlds. For an example: I once planned a dungeon for D&D where one of the obstacles was a very typical Zelda style big boulder in a corridor, but one of the treasures I placed elsewhere in the dungeon was a pair of gauntlets of ogre power which would grant anyone enough strength to lift that boulder. But if a character had had other means of overcoming that boulder (like a stone shape spell) then hell yeah.

Game Maker's Toolkit has a good series on the dungeon design of the Legend of Zelda series which you can use right now to help you think of dungeons the way Zelda handles them:

So okay, you can easily do Zelda style dungeons in pretty much any dungeoning fantasy game, but if you want a game that absolutely captures the aesthetic and vibes of the Zelda games I recommend Break!!

First of all, it has very much a flowchart approach to dungeon design already, which pairs nicely with Zelda dungeons, and it is explicitly inspired by classic video games, including the Zelda series. Heck, instead of hit points Break!! characters have hearts. It is pretty much perfect for that sort of thing.

[ghostsofmalenia]

LADS x lana del rey songs

content: slightly nsfw, it's just headcanons, most of them are just a little sad

a/n: this is my first post on this account! i'm a huge lana fan (like seriously), so this post is kind of just thought vomiting about the love interests, who i love equally btw before i get any accusations. anyways if yous enjoy this, lmk and i will gladly make a part 2! i could do an unreleased tracks version asw, i have a couple in mind.

SYLUS

honeymoon

this feels slightly obviously. the lyrical themes relating to his second life in the criminal world, the danger of his work, his power, combined with the soft, gentle instruments throughout the album. every day in this relationship feels like you’re newlyweds, no matter how little or how long you’ve been together. title track can be seen as explicitly sylus— a mysterious, dangerous man, with enemies, but still a complete enigma.

burning desire

cruising on his bike, passion, fire, this is sylus. trying to reach him on a deeper level, and he knows, it’s the heat of the city.

religion

also feels like a given. when you’re with him, he’s your world. and everything revolves and him. but it’s the same for him, everything is just about you, every song, every weather, every feeling.

ZAYNE

chemtrails over the country club

this soft, gentle affection that you get with him after a long day. reminiscing on when you were really young and would play together— this song does also give that, they loved each other as children, drifted only to come back so strong.. energy. and it’s a simple love sometimes like this, talking and laughing, and it’s just a moment of peace despite your chaos filled lives— you find each other.

pretty when you cry

lyrically, it’s not exact— but… just hear me out, this is just how it feels to be desperate for him, waiting for him to come home after a late night, or HIM waiting for you… and he keeps such a relaxed, indifferent face before he leaves, that’s not how he was acting when he was on top of you 10 minutes ago! when he was calling you his pretty girl, wiping the tears from your face. and sometimes after waiting, and waiting for him, he messages to say it’ll be another few hours. oh. my god. you’ll wait, for him, you would wait, because no one does it like he can.

let me love you like a woman

let’s travel the farthest distances for each other, let’s cross fucking skies and oceans just to hold each other. you and him together is just pure perfection. and i bet his words would sweep you off your damn feet.

RAFAYEL

13 beaches

okay, you are his love across LIFETIMES, over centuries. you exist in this ballroom of his mind, every time raf has to wait for you to reincarnate.. he goes to one of these safe places, an empty beach, where he can dance with you again in his own peace. and it hurts to have to wait for you, but this is just how it has to be, because he aches and yearns for the love you have together.

freak

FLAMES so hot that they turn blue… you’re his muse, and your time together is infinite, energising, electric. yall freaks

the next best american record

70s in spirit 90s in his state of mind. ugh, you guys just make each other. his art is all for you, about you, he will always end up back in your arms. also ‘something that i never knew i wanted’ babe it’s him you lost your past life memories again!

XAVIER

music to watch boys to

this one is mostly off of vibes. some of the lyrics i feel match his royal background, the song sounds luxurious and fabulous but honestly? it’s so relaxing it puts me to sleep. ik xavier is a freak too but mcs love with him reminds me of like just softly being together, listening to music and holding each other like you’ll never get a chance to ever again.

without you

all my dreams and all the lights mean nothing without you… 💔 your love is deadly.. i’m sobbing to this song with xavier. just everything.. it’s so him, this desperate yearning…

say yes to heaven

again, same as first.. just this relaxing tone, this eternal patience that xavier has, he’ll be there, waiting for you. all he can hope is that you keep choosing him.

CALEB

dark paradise

sigh. this one feels like he’s JUST exploded. it’s like you can feel his presence near your body, all around you. you know you have to be strong, but you can’t help but dream of him every night, and every time you open your eyes and he’s not with you, it feels like you’re being hit by a truck. just the thought of never seeing him again is agonising, but then…

venice bitch

you’ve been away from each other for a little while. now you’re older, more mature, and you’ve both changed in a way. but you still want him to come over, that never changes. let’s have a little nostalgia for old times, FINALLY.

brooklyn baby

this one’s for my girls who headcanon caleb as an avid guitar player.. this song for me is also based off of vibes. you BOTH don’t care about anything but each other, what else matters? you’re both beautiful, fun.. this is the dreamy relationship that you both always wanted, ESPECIALLY caleb. relax after those years of pain and suffering..

dividers by @uzmacchiato <3 so pretty

[hms-no-fun]

you were on cohost? i guess too late now, how was it for you?

cohost had its fair share of problems and i could often find the community there a bit too tumblr-core fingerwaggy if you know what i mean. but the site's dead now so it's kind of a moot point. what i find myself reflecting on most these days are the positives.

first, no numbers. i think their no numbers policy was probably a bit over-aggressive, but it quelled some of the rat race popularity contest aspect of social media that often makes it so tedious. i liked their tag tracking system, their robust content warning options, and the absence of infinite scroll. what i miss most about cohost is that their text editor supported CSS, which led to people programming elaborate text effects and puzzles and games in-site that harkened back to the days of flash animations. there was something in this combination of elements that drew out a rebellious creativity in users.

cohost came at a time when social media was across the board feeling terrible (and it's only gotten worse hahaha), particularly as someone who makes shit that relies on you clicking links that take you away from the website or app. algorithms hate this and punish it. users also just seem kind of lazy and disinterested in using the internet so much as letting the internet happen to them passively. but when a post of mine went viral on cohost, people engaged with it. it wasn't just likes and shares, it was comments and additions. it felt like a place that (at its best) encouraged actual conversation and the development of new ideas among like-minded peers. when my posts did well and i included a donation link, people gave me money. it felt genuinely like a website that COULD support professional blog work in a way that was more customizable even than substack yet still RSS friendly, and the Following tab which let you easily see posts of specific users was a REVELATION, like a mini RSS reader within the website itself.

but the enterprise was unsustainable for various reasons (not all of them outside the dev crew's control) and the haters got what they wanted. now our big social media alternative is bluesky, a website that dares to ask the question "what if there was another twitter?" the answer is that it fucking sucks. i hate microblogs so much dude, why on EARTH are we still acting like these disambiguited 300-character-limit posts are the most preferable means of social communication online??? why would you set out to make a better twitter and then deliberately choose to replicate literally every aspect of the user experience that encouraged low-information high-drama conflict fabrication? WHY WOULD YOU MAKE A VERSION OF TWITTER WHERE YOU CAN EASILY LOOK UP THE ACCOUNT OF EVERYONE WHO HAS YOU BLOCKED AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A FEATURE NOT A BUG???????? i just don't get it. i don't even get the optimism of the early adopters. i've seen people decry the post-election decay of the platform like "of course the cishets come in to ruin a community that was defined by trans & queer people" i'm sorry HELLO???????? from literally day zero bluesky was aiming to be a hands-off centrist IPO-friendly tech startup, there was never anything structurally embedded within the platform itself to keep this kind of decay from happening, you just happened to be on there when there were dramatically fewer users most of whom were curious tech enthusiasts. seriously, how have we not learned this lesson yet? you can't define a digital culture by the vibes of random user behavior! unless you have LAWS and GUIDELINES whereby you fucking BAN people for being shitheads, unless you enforce an actual code of conduct and punish bigoted speech and design a system that encourages constructive conversation, you are always always ALWAYS going to wind up at unhinged facebook boomer slop!

the death of cohost and the utterly predictable decay of bluesky are a big part of the reason why i've been posting so much more on tumblr. this is like the last bastion of anything even remotely resembling the old web, with its support of longposts and tagging and how easy it is to find random hobbyists doing cool shit you never knew existed before. like, yeah, you have to search that shit out and tailor your feed to not drive you crazy, but that's what i like about it!!! i am an adult with agency who understands that life is complicated and as such i expect to have to put some work into making my experience with a website positive! but in the hellworld of the iphone everything is walled garden apps for aggregating content where the content and its creators are structurally established as infinitely replaceable and uniquely worthless punching bags to be used and cast aside. everyone's given up on moderation and real jobs don't exist anymore especially if you happen to work in the "creative economy" IE are a writer or critic or artist or hobbyist of literally any kind. we've given up on expecting anything from the rich moneyboys who own and profit immensely off of the platforms whose value we literally create!!! especially now with the rise of "AI" grifters, whose work has ratcheted good old fashioned casual sexism and racism and homophobia up to levels not seen in such mainstream spaces since the early 2000s.

i like tumblr because i don't have to use a third party app to get & answer asks at length, and because it is a visual artist friendly platform where i won't be looked at funny for reblogging furry postmodernism or transgender homestuck OCs. it is a site that utterly lacks respectability and that's what makes it even remotely usuable. unfortunately it also sucks! partly it sucks because this place was ground zero for the rise of puritanical feminist-passing conservatism in leftist spaces, so it's like a hyperbolic time chamber for brain-melting life or death discourse about the most inconsequential bullshit you could ever imagine. but it also sucks because it's owned by a profit-motivated moneyboy who has consistently encouraged a culture of virulent transphobia and frequently bans trans women who call this out. so like, yeah, this place is cool compared to everywhere else, but it is exactly like everywhere else in that is also on a ticking clock to its own inevitable demise. the owners of this website will destroy everything that makes it interesting and will EAGERLY delete the nearly twenty years (!!!!!!) of posts it's accumulated the instant it will profit them to do so. this will be immensely unpopular and everyone will agree it's a tragedy and it won't matter. the culture and content of a social media platform is epiphenomenal to its rote economic valuation. i mean, obviously it isn't, zero of these massive tech companies would be what they are if so many people weren't so eager to give their time and labor away for free (and yes, writing a dumb dick joke on tumblr IS a form of labor in the same way that doing a captcha is labor, just because it's a miniscule contribution in an economy of scale doesn't mean you didn't contribute!), but once a tech company reaches a certain threshold its valuation ceases to be tethered to anything that actually exists in reality.

all of which is why i remember cohost with a heavy heart. yeah, it was imperfect. it was also independently owned, made with the explicit goal of creating a form of social media that actually tries not to give you a lifelong anxiety disorder so it can sell you homeopathic anti-anxiety sawdust suppositories. for the brief window of time when it was extant, i was genuinely hopeful for the future of being a creative on the internet. part of why i spend so much time on godfeels, a fucking homestuck fanfiction with no hope of turning a profit or establishing mainstream legitimacy, is that my readers actually ENGAGE with the material. what brought me back to using this website consistently was precisely the glut of godfeels-related questions i got, and the exciting conversations that resulted from my answers. meanwhile i put so many hours into my videos and even when they do well numerically, i barely see any actual engagement with the material. and that is a deliberate design choice on the part of youtube! that is the platform functioning as intended!! it sucks!!!

what the memory of cohost has instilled in me is a neverending distaste for the lazy unambitious also-rans that define the modern internet. i remember the possibility space of the early web and long for the expressiveness that even the most minor of utilities offered. we sacrificed that freedom for a convenience which was always the pretense for eventually charging us rent. i am thinking a lot these days about what a publicly funded government administrated social media utility would look like. what federal open source standards could look in an environment where the kinds of activities a digital ecosystem can encourage are strictly regulated against exploitation, bigotry, scams, and literal gambling. what if there was a unionized federal workforce devoted to the administration of internet moderation, which every website above a certain user threshold must legally take advantage of? i like to imagine a world where youtube isn't just nationalized but balkanized, where you have nested networks of youtubes administrated for different purposes by different agencies and organizations that operate on different paradigms of privacy and algorithmic interaction. imagine that your state, county, and/or city has its own branch of youtube meant to specifically highlight local work, while also remaining connected to a broader national network (oops i just reinvented federation lmao). imagine a world where server capacity is a publicly owned utility apportioned according to need and developed in collaboration with the communities of their construction rather than as a deliberate exploitation of them. our horizons for these kinds of things are just so, so small, our ability to imagine completely captured by capitalist realism, our willingness to demand services from our government simply obliterated by decades of cynical pro-austerity propaganda. i imagine proposing some of this stuff and people reacting like "well that's unrealistic" "that'll never happen" "they'd just use it for evil" and i am just SO! FUCKING! TIRED!!!!

like wow you're soooooo cool for being effectively two steps left of reagan, i bet you think prison abolition and free public housing are an impossible pipedream too huh? and exactly what has that attitude gotten you? what've you gained by being such a down to earth realist whose demands are limited by the scope of what seems immediately possible? has anything gotten better? have any of the things you thought were good stayed good? is your career more stable, your political position more safe, your desire to live and thrive greatly expanded? or do you spend every day in a cascading panopticon of stress and collapse, overwhelmed to the point of paralysis by the sheer magnitude of what it's cost us to abandon the future? you HAVE to dream. you HAVE to make unrealistic demands. the fucking conservatives have been making unrealistic demands forever and look, they're getting everything they want even though EVERYONE hates them for it! please i'm begging you to see and understand that what's feasible, what's reasonable, what's realistic, are literally irrelevant. these things only feel impossible because we choose to believe The Adults (and if you're younger than like 45, trust me, to the ruling class you are a child) whose bank accounts reflect just how profitable it is to convince us that they're impossible. all those billions of dollars these fuckers have didn't come from nowhere, it was stolen from all of us. there is no reason that money can't and shouldn't be seized and recirculated back into the economy, no reason it can't be used to fund a society that is actually social, where technological development is driven not by what's most likely to drive up profits next quarter but by what people need from technology in their daily lives.

uh so yeah basically that's my opinion of cohost lmao

[tozettastone]

Strong Haruno Sakura Fic Recs*

*As based on my own recent reading spree. I have read so many fics. These are just the ones I think you guys might really like. I've listed them by mood, because of course you need to be in the right mood for the right iddy fic! (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

--

If you're looking for a "Dark Sakura" vibe and fics in which she falls out with her team or village, try:

The Infinitely Curious Woman by chararii (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542602)

Notes: Features a Sakura who becomes inspired by Orochimaru's good works! It has some grammatical and stylistic quirks that will not appeal to all readers, but the content is very fun. The fic isn't too long and the Sakura & Tsunade relationship is compelling and good to chew on.

Believe Me When I Say I Carry All My Sins by Honestly Neptune (https://archiveofourown.org/works/15103049)

Notes: WIP. Features a dimension-hopping Sakura from the worst timeline, who arrives in a slightly less bad timeline in which no Uchiha massacre took place, Minato is Hokage, Orochimaru runs the Konoha hospital, and Sakura herself has been dishonourably discharged from the shinobi corps. This is a fairly novel plotline where the characters' activities change the canon storyline. Also, not to be incredibly predictable but: HIDAN. MY BELOVED. He shows up late and is a fairly one-note character but his straightforward zest for death is so fun. (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

--

If you would like fics in which Sakura has a totally divergent background and very little resembles canon except the general setting, try:

Kiri's Team 14 by Alphum (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640414)

Notes: WIP. Features a wildly AU timeline that readers mostly experience through implication. The characters being from Kiri is novel and fun. The development of Sakura's power is effectively the plot. Baby InoSaku flirting is also very cute.

Waves by IncompleteSentanc (https://archiveofourown.org/works/10894947)

Notes: Featuring a Sakura who dies and is reborn in the past as the heir to the leader of Uzushio. She dreams of the future (which is her past life), so it's kind of a Peggy Sue with extra layers. The writing style favours drama, which might be good or bad depending on what you like.

--

For those iddy fics that really just focus on the character growing in skills and power:

Roots Run Deep by Vulpecula_et_Anser (https://archiveofourown.org/works/36704950)

Notes: Features a cute "chakra genius" version of genin Sakura. She gets adopted by Kakashi's ninken (and they teach her to bite). It is one of those fics in which characters are a bit more emotionally aware than they are in canon and they can articulate their feelings and motives clearly, which some people love and some people don't. It has novel missions and the technique-related worldbuilding is fun. It's a WIP and it left off last year in a slightly odd place.

Learn To Lean On The People Who Love You by Captainwittyoneliner (https://archiveofourown.org/works/41736657)

Notes: WIP. A Kakashi & Sakura fic in which Sakura is an unlikely genius. Both Tsunade and Kakashi take her on as an apprentice after the rest of her genin team leaves the village. The vibes are great fun and I am sooo weak to a Kakashi/Gai background pairing.

Rotting Roots and Falling Dead Leaves by Blushinrose (https://archiveofourown.org/works/50816944)

Notes: WIP. It's one of those fics in which the main character manifests weird powers, and also one of those fics in which Kakashi becomes more involved in her mentoring. In combination this is fun. The premise is that Sakura sees ghosts (and learns stuff from them). This is one of the ones I really liked! I like the way the "scarier" ghosts are described and there's something quite satisfying about the whole "building up skills" arc of this one.

--

If you want fics that have a focus on Sakura's character development, you might try out:

A Lesson in Humility by aobears (https://archiveofourown.org/works/11171910)

Notes: It's character driven and not plot driven. This is an iddy, no-massacre ItaSaku fic focused on Sakura's development (both of her powers and her character) and it has a lot of mental illness stuff in it. While her mental health struggles are not portrayed totally unrealistically or anything, I think people should steer clear if they don't want to read about depression and discontinuation syndrome and all that stuff.

Icarus (protect the flames) by ginoeh (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24968347)

Notes: WIP. I love it when we get to see some novel ideas for missions! This one features a wistful mood and a Sakura who is learning how to be a tracker. It does contain some grammatical quirks, but I think they're pretty easy to look past — none of them are the kind that actually prevent understanding the text, if you know what I mean. There's some fun exploration of the setting going on here too. I'm into it.

--

If you're in the mood for an early-series Team 7 centric fic in which Sakura gets to be more competent than in canon, you should read:

The Pack Survives by ihopethelightwillshineupon (https://archiveofourown.org/works/34985914)

Notes: This fic has a very linear plot with few twists or turns. It's about the characters working to survive after a mission goes south. It contains loads of Sakura and she has to step up and take charge in some challenging situations.

Freedom in the Eyes of Another by Oroburos69 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/236240)

Notes: I know loads of people have read this one because it's over ten years old, but I reread it this week and it turns out it's still a banger so if you haven't, give it a shot. The premise is that after being captured during the Wave Mission, Sakura misinterprets one of Kakashi's (supposedly final) orders and subsequently fucks a load of people up. Perfect premise, really. It's an extremely "Capture and Torture Recovery Fic," but it does feature plenty of additional plot details that all make good sense . It's novella length, self contained, and makes a good "one sitting" kinda read.

[ziggystardust78]

Why Benedict Bridgerton Is the Best Bridgerton: A Masterclass in Handsomeness, Charm, and Pure Unadulterated Vibes

In a family brimming with handsome men, sharp wit, and undeniable charisma, one Bridgerton rises above the rest, not because he tries, but precisely because he doesn’t. Benedict Bridgerton, the second son of the illustrious Bridgerton family, is not just the best Bridgerton; he is the Bridgerton to End All Bridgertons. He is effortlessly charming, devastatingly handsome, and refreshingly rebellious, embodying a magnetic energy that no other sibling can rival. This thesis will argue, with irrefutable evidence and a healthy dose of admiration, that Benedict Bridgerton is the superior Bridgerton, the most attractive, and the most charismatic, proving once and for all that second sons should never be second choice.

Exhibit A: The Looks of a Renaissance Painting

Benedict Bridgerton doesn’t just walk into a room, he saunters, looking like he was plucked straight from a Caravaggio masterpiece. His features are the perfect blend of aristocratic elegance and bohemian nonchalance, a rare combination that allows him to look equally breathtaking in both a perfectly tailored waistcoat and a hastily unbuttoned linen shirt after an evening of painting. Unlike his older brother Anthony, who exudes a brooding, burdened energy (as if he’s single-handedly holding up the entire British economy), Benedict carries his attractiveness with a casual, almost effortless grace. His beauty is neither overwhelming nor intimidating; it is simply a fact of existence, much like gravity or the need for afternoon tea.

Exhibit B: The Charisma of a Man Who Knows How to Hold a Paintbrush (And Probably a Woman’s Heart, Too)

Benedict is not just a man of looks; he is a man of art, creativity, and soul. While his brothers are busy with their Viscount duties or rakish conquests, Benedict is out there embracing life. He immerses himself in the arts, attending clandestine soirées, mingling with artists and intellectuals, and, in general, exuding the kind of effortless coolness that makes other men question their life choices. A man who can paint? Irresistible. A man who can paint and has a sense of humor? Downright lethal. His charisma is that of someone who knows his worth but doesn’t need to announce it—unlike some Viscounts we know (Anthony, darling, we’re looking at you).

And let’s not forget his flirtation skills. Benedict doesn’t merely flirt—he converses with an amused smirk and twinkling eyes, leaving his conversation partners slightly breathless and wholly intrigued. There is an ease to his manner, a confidence that suggests he doesn’t take life (or himself) too seriously, making him infinitely more attractive than the men who spend half their time brooding by the fireplace.

Exhibit C: The Energy of a Man Who Knows How to Have Fun

Benedict Bridgerton radiates “I am here for a good time, not just a dutiful time” energy. While some of his siblings are drowning in responsibilities, duty, and their own emotional repression, Benedict has a refreshing joie de vivre that makes him stand out. He doesn’t just go through the motions of high society—he questions it, pokes fun at it, and sometimes outright ignores it. He’s the Bridgerton most likely to sneak a flask into a ball, charm a dowager out of her jewels with a witty joke, and disappear into the gardens with a mysterious (and undoubtedly lucky) companion.

Moreover, he’s fun without being reckless. Unlike some of his more impulsive siblings, Benedict doesn’t make bad decisions—he makes interesting ones. He explores his passions, challenges societal norms, and does it all with an air of relaxed confidence that screams, “I know I’m fabulous, but I’ll let you figure it out on your own.”

Conclusion: The Undisputed, Unbothered, Unparalleled King of Bridgerton Handsomeness and Charm

While the Bridgerton family is blessed with an unfair amount of beauty and wit, Benedict Bridgerton stands apart as the true King of Charisma, the Duke of Handsomeness, and the Earl of Effortless Charm. He is the most handsome because he embodies the perfect blend of aristocratic elegance and artistic soul. He is the most charismatic because he possesses the rare ability to be both utterly charming and completely unbothered. And he is the best Bridgerton because, quite simply, he is the only one who looks like he’d be a joy to drink wine with while discussing existentialism at a scandalous midnight gathering.

Thus, I rest my case: Benedict Bridgerton is the ultimate Bridgerton, and if you disagree, you are simply incorrect.

Argue with your mama. 😌

~ E. V. Carlson

[lorddocmarten]

🦇Tips for Dressing Goth on Low-Spoons Days🦇

Note: I am low-support needs disabled, and what works for me might not work for you. I am not a doctor and cannot offer medical advice!

Black hair, baby. I dye my roots with $1.25 men's beard dye from the 'tree now, so that's pretty cost-effective, and you don't have to do anything for your hair to look 'goth'. I wouldn't recommend a mohawk because for it to look maximum cool, you have to style it, and that can take a while. My haircut now is shaved on the sides with short bangs and it looks goth even if I don't style it. It requires minimum maintenance, too.

Pre-layered accessories. Many necklaces- especially ones marketed for 80s costumes- are pre-layered and you only have to work with one clasp. Maximum style for minimum effort. You can find layered necklaces on Amazon, at Halloween stores, and I've even seen them in the costume section of thrift stores. There are also bangle stacks that function the same way.

Strega Fashion and Lagenlook- this might work for wheelchair users, depending on how long your flowy elements are. Lots of tunics and skirts and sweaters and fancy hooded tops, etc. Think of a dark, witchy vibe. Very comfortable and can be easy to style with clothes-you-find-at-Wal-Mart, and relatively cheap.

Nails. I LOVE having long dark red nails for maximum 'spoiled vampire prince' vibes, but sometimes having acrylics or press-ons can be too expensive, impractical, or maybe too femme for you. Whatever the case, I have more recommendations than your standard black nail polish- there's silver nail polish that makes your nails look mirror-like, red nail polish of all shades, purples, etc. For a more masculine, deathrock look you could experiment with dark, zombie-esque greens, or even neon shades to stand out against your darker clothing. Painting my nails can be hard for me due to my coordination issues, so I keep Q-tips nearby and soak them in acetone to clean up the edges.

Eyeliner- they sell jumbo eyeliner sticks and you can basically roll that about your eyes, smudge with your finger, and call it done in about one minute. I have yet to find a sharpener to go with mine, which is unfortunate, but these would seemingly be the way to go when you don't have the spoons to pull out the white base and all that.

Shave your eyebrows. Not necessarily for everybody, but it gives a more alien or 'more human than human' vibe to your look without makeup and makes me look infinitely more goth even in jeans and a t-shirt. YMMV.

Piercings, if you want them, can get them, won't affect your job, etc.- these always look pretty alternative especially when combined with each other. These combined with the black hair will do the job for you, in my opinion. I currently only have my ears double pierced but plan on getting my septum done soon.

[weepingtalecowboy]

The linked lovers (literally lol)

Fanfic prompt : A thing many people tend to kinda ignore about Ravio and link is how they are essentially the same person from parallel realities

And that got me thinking if they are the same person is there another reason for why Lana just took one of them

So what if the only reason they can exist in the same place is because of the way lorule and hyrule react to eachother

Like if the Portal that Hilda summoned kept both realities combined in some way then technically they would not be the same person in one realm

Until the gate fully closes

Then it would probably go break the rules of reality because one person couldn’t exist twice in one single reality

So what if when linked universe happens legend and Ravio go together

But because the rest of the timeline doesn’t include a gate to lorule they kinda collapsed into each other

In order to make them one entity who can exist in the other Hyrules

One of them simply gets beamed into nothing and gets to watch from the other's eyes in a kinda of nothingness state

Because the easiest way to fix a paradox is to remove one equation

They can simply not exist in the same reality at the same time one has to go

Is infinitely easier than “technically because both lorule and hyrule are combined they are both still in their own realm until the mirroring realms are not connected which is when things get complicated”

So while the chain all ended up in the same place legend just spawned next to them looked at his hands then around and then proceeded to have a mental breakdown over Ravio being stuck in his head

It was an interesting first impression to say the least

Then over the next few weeks legend and Ravio try to figure out stuff while Ravio looking through the eyes he isn’t in his mind and he cannot hear legend's thoughts so legend unfortunately has to speak out loud to be heard

So now with a group of people he kinda has to quietly talk about what is happening when he really would rather scream indefinitely

It is even worse that Ravio wants to see wars and the others and interact with them WHILE they both have no idea how to deal with this weird situation

Until they realize that they can switch their positions and make Ravio be there while link is in the background nonexistent

But the thing is they have no idea how to tell people where legend went…

So they pull a Wolfie twilight move and conveniently appear when the other disappears from existence to do something

But that probably seems more suspicious but hey ,at least Ravio gets to see his friends again

The chain meanwhile is genuinely curious about the enigma that is legend because while freaking out about eight other people all named link is totally acceptable and even surprising that nobody else has overreacted when that happened

But talking to yourself and having complete one sided conversations with yourself (four had a suspicion that moment)

Also looking into a mirror and telling yourself that you look beautiful while looking like you want to cry (then they proceeded to make the wrong conclusion and think legend's self worth is nonexistent…it is but that’s not why he is crying over his reflection)

Ravio is in a similar predicament but he in comparison to legend gives the vibes of a very self centered narcissist when he tells himself in any surface known to man that he is good looking today and literally never drops his ridiculous purple bunny-eared mirror (made for this very occasion) even in his sleep

if not for legend being a mess nobody even assumed that any parallel self stuff is happening when Ravio proudly announced he was married they thought it is another Ravio eccentric … then failed to explain how he isn’t married to himself.. when he really IS

Four meanwhile kept trying to figure out if legend is also capable of splitting

And literally just went through it when they arrived in legend's hyrule and legend kinda spawned next to legend and they hugged each other (first hug after like weeks of not being capable of interacting with each other in meaningful ways lol)

Four then totally got the feeling of not being capable of interacting with the colors (even funnier with jojo's four swords link specifically as the colors are kinda just split into different parts of four but four nonetheless)

But also couldn’t really understand how Ravio and legend can look completely like themselves when combined

Then he proceeded to stick his nose in (Vio style) be a problem

And be the first to find out the mess thinking that he actually was interacting with a successor of the four sword… not an amalgamation of two different yet same people who have completely different lives

Like this angle is a bit worse than the four sword situation (even when the four swords palace drama was revealed on accident)

But also when the chain ended up finding out the interactions were pretty much awkward at first because legend and Ravio just up and go keep changing from on to another when they specifically wanted to both speak with someone

Wars hearing gossip from Ravio while legend keeps beaming in to throw his five cents in (or have Ravio interpreted every bit of banter legend throws in by himself without legend pushing him out for just pettiness)

Ravio be like : “then I was like-by the way legend thinks your hair isn’t pristine enough-*proceeds to continue with gossip totally not trying to scam wars”

While wars is just sitting there like : :o

And getting really worked up over his hair because Ravio definitely toned it down Legend would never call his hair pristine so what the hell did legend call his hair instead

-

By the way tumblr really hated me to upload my unfinished draft lol so if anyone saw it before it was finished

… no you didn’t

[starry-bi-sky]

Cannon Danny, Danyal Au and CFAU met, waht does each other think of the other and do they get along?

I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE WITH FRIENDS IN DMS! WOOO I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! beCAUSE.

Cfau Danny and Canon Danny get along, but Danyal and Canon abso-fucking-lutely do not. It's hillarious. Danyal is appalled that this fucking white boy is another version of him -- that Al Ghul arrogance and pride really shines through here, you can’t get rid of all of it.

Cfau Danny is a sleeper agent, honestly. I'm putting all three of them around the 15 age range because any younger and CFAU won't be as Sleeper Agent. Him and Canon get along pretty well because they’re both pretty similar to each other when CFAU's not in active grief. CFAU is a bit rough around the edges, and canon is surprised by his smoking habit and sharp tongue, but he’s a relatively friendly dude. Just snarky and no-nonsense at times, and intolerant of bullshit.

However the moment a ghost fight starts?? BAM. he shifts into a house of horrors who can and will rip out your throat with his teeth. Banshee boi haha. Canon is floating there all “???? HUH???” watching as Danyal and CFAU full on tackle the opposition.

Canon Danny watches in 4k as Danyal hunts Skulker down mercilessly and tears open the “damn poacher’s” suit with his bare hands. Vlad is only safe because he isn't showing his face (yet).

Frankly all of canon’s rogues are gonna have a blast meeting CFAU and Danyal. They’re both two different flavors of unhinged violence, and they’re on the opposite side of the spectrum. One is an elegant storm of blades with years of fine-tuned practice, and the other is the brutality of the backstreets and Gotham’s cruelty; messy, bloody, and merciless.

Canon and Danyal will eventually start getting along, but they’re pretty — well, correction, Danyal is pretty hostile to canon at first. Its a combination of tension, stress, and frustration with canon and what Danyal perceives as canon’s incompetence. Danyal struggles to understand how canon is anyway a version of him beyond the name and halfa status. He starts understanding better when he sees Phantom fighting and sees his resourcefulness and quick thinking.

I have this funny mental image of the three Dannys all in the quad at school (with Sam and Tucker). Danyal is sitting on the table giving off Major Gargoyle vibes, warding off Dash and other bullies through pure "Little Orphan Tom Riddle" Energy alone, while CFAU is standing off to the side with Canon showing him how to throw a proper punch. Sam and Tucker are staring at Danyal, or they're just casually eating their lunch.

Dash isn't going near Danyal with a ten foot pole, but he'll try his chances with Sleeper Agent CFAU who, despite the "edgy" smoking thing and more alternative style, acts and looks almost the same way "Fenturd" does. He gets socked in the jaw the moment he goes over and grabs CFAU's shirt, and CFAU releases the full verbal force of Crime Alley's fist down unto him.

----

To properly answer your question:

Canon Danny: Thinks CFAU is pretty cool, and views him as kind of like a cooler, terrifying version of him. He's off-put by the smoking thing and totally thrown off by CFAU being a banshee. He's only heard from word-of-mouth about them, and it sounds like a shitty existence to be in permanent grief. He's glad he's never had to fight one.

If this is purely canon Danny and not DPxDC adjacent-canon Canon Danny, then he's glad that Gotham doesn't exist in his world because holy fuck that place sounds like the home of nightmares. But he also kinda wishes there was a Jason in his world, the guy sounded like a really good friend if CFAU is to be believed, and Danny needs more of those in the world. He's infinitely more grateful that Dan is nothing like how Rath sounds. Because Rath sounds like something straight out of an apocalypse movie. (Granted, Dan could be argued to be the same, but he gives off more 'generic supervillain' vibes.)

He thinks Danyal is an asshole at first who needs to get that stick out of his ass, along with his head. But once they start getting along, he finds him rather funny and enjoys his dry wit, along with CFAU's. He's unnerved by Danyal's willingness to kill if necessary, but he admires his dedication and love for his little brother (if Danyal brings him up). He knows he'd be in the same boat with Jazz or Ellie if he was in Danyal's shoes. He recognizes that their core fundamentals ring the same, even if the both of them tend to show it differently.

CFAU Danny: Thinks Canon is pretty cool too. Is thrown off and very unsettled by the idea that Jason might not exist in this world, and that he and this other Danny aren't friends. He genuinely just. cannot comprehend the idea that well, and if he thinks about it too hard he's going to go into a Banshee-Grade Level Grief Spiral and nobody is gonna wanna see that. Soothes his own nerves by telling himself that this other him will meet Jason eventually.

Kinda thinks Danyal is also a jerk, but he recognizes that it comes from a place of fear and general self-defense. He's seen other kids do similar stuff in crime alley where they completely close themselves off from other people -- hell, he does it. It's a safety mechanism, so he's more empathetic with him. They're not buddy-buddy with each other at first, but they're certainly not hostile like Danyal is with Canon. Is entirely baffled and thrown off by the fact that Danyal is related to Bruce fucking Wayne when Danyal tells them about his brother Damian. Can't help but ask about Jason and if he's alive, and is insanely jealous but so happy when Danyal confirms that he is.

Danyal Al Ghul: Homie hates this fucking white boy at first. Canon Danny's general playful behavior and inexperience drives him up a wall because he's incredibly tense and in an alternate dimension. He unintentionally slips back into a League Training mindset, and criticizes Danny's every move during a fight. He eventually apologizes, but just like his father, it's like pulling teeth because he's emotionally constipated. Canon asks Danyal if he was in pain while saying anything, Danyal readily admits to yes, he was. But not because he wasn't sincere about it. Afterwards, Canon still kinda annoys him, but once DAnyal reframes his mindset into viewing him more like a civilian and being more like Ella, rather than being an alternate version of himself, his mistakes become easier to bear.

likes CFAU! They both took one look at each other and thought "wow there is something Fucking Wrong With You" and instantly shared solidarity in that. CFAU is still a sloppy fighter in Danyal's eyes, but he recognizes his own bias, and at least CFAU is ruthless and swift with it compared to Canon. He silently.. mourns??? pays respects?? He Has Somber Emotions about CFAU being a banshee, and offers him basically the Danyal Equivalent of "that's rough, buddy". He's very weirded out about how neither of these Daniels are related to his father, and are not Damian's brother. Has no idea who this "Rath" and "Dan" are because he doesn't (to his knowledge) have an alternate evil self.

[tawked]

So one of the things I like about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which I think is somewhat underappreciated in the audience because it clashes hard with the utopic vision of the future, is that the Federation is in many ways still systemically and culturally ableist.

I think this is explored best in S02E06's "Melora," obviously.

This episode starts off with Dax being shocked that the replicator contained a schematic for a wheelchair, because no one has needed one in three hundred years. Bashir answers that no no no lol, Federation replicators in fact cannot make wheelchairs based on their built-in libraries, and that the wheelchair is a schematic that their incoming wheelchair user coworker sent over to have replicated for her on arrival.

The rest of the episode explores how this utopic vision of the future that the difficult-to-accommodate disabled are not a part of has absolutely de-normalized the cultural concepts and accommodations surrounding some disabilities, thus creating complex and seemingly anachronistic institutionalist-era realities in the space future.

This is, to me, deeply interesting because it highlights a very real conversation around pursuing cures against pursuing accommodation.

It's basically acknowledging the threat of the Gattica style shit currently engaged in by dudes like Elon Musk and these freaks

(for those who don't recognize them, these are weird pro-natalist yuppies who claim they've done shit like genetically engineer their kids for high IQs, a scentifically impossible thing. they are, unsurprisingly, very racist but in a SoCal-Berkeley way.)

becoming so normalized in society that we effectively engineer out the majority of "defects." Everybody starts off with a happy healthy life as defined not through accommodation and infinite diversity in infinite combinations, but through the elimination of variation that would necessitate different cultural practices, different architecture, different understandings of life worthy of life, blah blah blah.

It's not "in the brilliant shining future nobody has to be disabled," it's "in the brilliant shining future the disabled aren't allowed to exist, and we don't have to think about them" lol.

But! Geordi LaForge!

Well, Geordi is born blind in a context where blindness can be perfectly accommodated, debatably even cured, via his wundervisor and / or surgically implanted eyes. In fact, in the movies, which do not exist sorry, Geordi gets them eyes stuck in and in so doing even loses the cultural signifier of his blindness, as well as situational considerations of blindness.

Further, Geordi is in this unfortunate weird space a lot of disabled characters in science fiction are, where his prosthesis is considered cool enough that it passes some kind of ableist vibe check wherein the character is no longer necessarily received as "disabled" by the audience. It's a cool cyberpunk thing, and thus loses its audience association with disability in many ways, ala Adam Jensen's sword arms or the unexplored nature of voluntarily cutting off one's limbs to replace them with robot parts in Cyberpunk 2077.

Geordi "can do things," he just "has to do things a little differently." The "a little differently" here is defined as "wearing a thing on his face" and not a different process or method. We never see how Geordi lays out his quarters or prepares his uniform, tools, whatever in a way that makes it all more accessible for him; he readily assume the first thing he does in the morning is plug his visor in. Glasses.

It's a fun cosplay idea in a way a wheelchair isn't.

The thing is, when Geordi is without his visor, he's fucked.

I don't just mean the episode where he's trapped in a island with a Cardassian or whatever, I mean on the fucking Enterprise. Say they're in a crisis, he falls over, wangs his noggin on a console and breaks his visor. Look at the open layouts with no handrails leading anywhere, no braille or layout signage posted, nothin'.

How the fuck is he going to find his way to the turbolift?

These are not accessible environments for a blind bloke. These are accessible environments for a sighted bloke wearing glasses.

The thing to consider as well is, we know Geordi's blindness is absolute. Blindness in real life is pretty diverse, actually, and many blind people do have some vision. Not Geordi. So, all the lights that communicate where to go in a crisis mean fuck all to him.

And, considering how often the Enterprise is in crisis, crew members are cut off from each other or the ship, the practical realities Geordi has to deal with on away missions that are simply never accommodated - it becomes apparent that Geordi is considered effectively the same as any sighted crew member.

His disability accommodation is individual and his responsibility. Nothing is provided by Starfleet except, perhaps, new visors and free visits to Beverly.

The same criticism exists for my man Hemmer,

who is played by blind actor Bruce Horak, yes, but who exists in a similar state to Geordi. I doubt they considered Mr. Horak a consultant on blindness and how a blind crew member would work in their series, because again, his blindness is accommodated for by magical future thing that doesn't fucking exist. In this case, psychic senses or something (idk I've never watched nuTrek sober).

If you look at the environments he's in, or the situations he deals with on away missions, sans those Daredevilian supersenses he'd be shit out of luck.

They're so adverse to giving blind characters so much as a cane.

I'm not saying the inclusion of blind characters is bad or that we should not engage in these fantasies of disabled characters being able to live and work equally to able-bodied characters without the need for accommodation, necessarily. I'm certainly not saying every blind character should have a sighted support following them around or a dog or whatever. My criticism is not of the blind characters' individual accommodations not being up to my arbitrary standard as a sighted viewer lol.

What I am instead attempting to hightlight here is that the shows seem adverse to engaging in disabled / accommodative environmental design or in the more complex, social realities of disability, and that's something that the episode "Melora," the wheelchair user episode this post is about lol, addresses in depth.

Julian is a future space doctor who doesn't know how to comfortably talk to someone in a chair. That only happens in a universe where doctors don't encounter wheelchairs in their professional lives. That's a reality brought about specifically by the comfortable eugenicist realities of the future, where although due to a war the Federation draws the line at "enhanced" individuals, it obviously voluntarily engages in liberal eugenics to the effect of eliminating disabled life in many meaningful forms. Its society, where doctors seem to need an aide like this to do their jobs properly:

And idk! I think that's neat. I think that's a powerful flaw in the utopic vision of the future that Roddenberry and the others probably didn't intend originally, and that DS9, commendably, attempts to explore.

Especially because Julian was a lil autistic boy who was forcibly cured through similar treatment, and correctly identifies that this means the him who existed before was drastically altered for his parents' fear of actually accommodating him.

anyway this post was brought out of me by some dickhead saying Melora "breaks the setting" for them lol. bro they fought a eugenics war, they definitely didn't come out of that culturally unchanged. you're just scared of wheelchairs. fuck u

[teethmongerrr]

Finally making a post about my Mettaton and Spamton thoughts...

I had a big ol drawing i was gonna make but i don't think I'm gonna finish it any time soon :( ..... this is going to be disjointed and long so buckle up

first of all... what the hell i was on about

here (edit: also i realize now i phrased MTT's part weird. He doesn't realize hes ever seen Spam in person.)

and here

they have one in person run in far far before Mettaton gets to know Tenna.

the encounter is pretty anticlimactic all things considered. A young Mettaton has a run in with Spamton trying to sell him something dubious. I think whats so fascinating to me about the whole thing is that they had this chance encounter at eachother's rock bottom.

This is likely the first time Mettaton has been outside in weeks and he would rather die than have anyone talk to or even glance at him. Then the worlds most unsettling man tries to sell him snake oil.

genuinely. (i know this sounds ridiculous) I think Spamton's sheer bad vibes freaked out Mettaton so deeply that it played a little bit into his decision to leave home. It certainly wasn't the Catalyst but the encounter was part of his compounding feeling that something had to change. (MTT still would have been a little freaked out if Spam didn't have bad vibes. to be fair.)

It was the combination of being confronted his utter inability to handle social stress and his fear of ending up in a remotely similar spot to Spamton that struck him. Left the brief moment lingering in his head for days.

From Spamton's perspective. This encounter was just odd.

He's used to people brushing him off or even getting nervous in his presence. But Mettaton's demeanor took "looking like he's being held hostage" to a new level. He just completely froze.

Spamton uncomfortably ran through the vast majority of his spiel before being suddenly interrupted by a mumbled excuse to leave.

Made him feel. Bad. To say the least. His salesman charm had completely dried up huh?

SECOND OF ALL. THIS THING

this stupid ass thing has been in my brain for OVER A WEEK.

do you guys know the love square. don't ask me about miraculous i don't know shit or dick about it i just know this.

well this is my infinitely stupider version where instead of them having different personas its just them in the past and future because they're both unrecognizable. and there is only bad feelings. a loveless square.

bigshot Spam has no opinions because He's never seen Mettaton in his life.

i'll probably talk even more about them. i just needed to get this out of my system or i was gonna die and crumble to ash

[dartagnantt]

Chirurgeon Roguish Archetype | The doctor will see you now. You might not see them, though

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

This is a subclass I've been meaning to make for a while now. Those who have played pathfinder 1e may know of the Vivisectionist Alchemist Archetype. This is not a conversion of that, but I am borrowing its vibes. Someone practicing surgery that has more familiarity with the concept of bodies than actually bodies. While I do not replace medicine checks with nature checks, I do use sneak attack for healing… which is the same thing, right?

Bonus Proficiency

I don't believe that medicine is within the list of skills that rogues can get access to. Nor do I believe that the kind of background that would lead to a character that would take this archetype would get it either, so this was a no brainer. Also, in following with my preference to adding diversity to skill abilities, and sort of a reference to the vivisectionist, Dex to medicine. You need a steady hand, you see.

Bedside Manner

This is similar to song of healing, but because I don't want to step on the bard's toes nor did I want to deal with a scaling dice. But while this isn't big and exciting, battle medicine seems more balanced for a later level, besides 2d6 wouldn't be that great here.

Battle Medicine

I'd prefer this to be a 6th level feature, but you know that rogues aren't allowed to have nice things. This is inspired by the pathfinder 2e feat of the same name, with a slightly stricter limitation. I still think pathfinder wanting HP to be functionally infinite, so 1 per day per person.

Bolster Companions

Well, battle medicine is limiting, I admit, so have a little boost.

Rapid Revival

Cunning action raise the dead (non magical)

Sawbones

I mean, if your medicine comes from your knowledge of anatomy, it stands to reason that your stabbing skills would improve with you improved medical knowledge. Flawless logic

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $1 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

And your House, Too!

The Conjoined

Feats: Resoled

Assassin: Rehired

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.

[zahri-melitor]

If you were to break the period since Flashpoint up into 3-4 eras, specifically based on how they handle Batfamily relationships with each other and the broader DC, how would you do it? (If such a question interests you.) Also, what dynamics would you highlight as shorthand for that era?

I've had a play around with it, and while I can break things down into more micro trends, there's really no reason not to use the New 52-Rebirth-Infinite Frontier breakdown for the post Flashpoint relationship differences.

If I were being picky, I'd probably start the current era at Joker War in 2020 rather than at Infinite Frontier proper as a better Batfamily marker in and of itself, but we're only talking a couple of months difference either way.

New 52 (2011-2016):

Basically, this is the 'characters don't feel like themselves' era, because the dynamics have so wildly shifted for almost everyone (Damian and Kate excepted). It's a period that feels extremely focused on everyone's relationships to Bruce in particular, with only one or maybe two other major interpersonal relationships shown outside of that.

So you see everyone generally grouped into pairs even during events. Jason mostly appears with Tim. Dick spends time with Damian or with Barbara. And so on. They don't get jumbled up together in different combinations much, or have opportunities where a bigger group are working together.

There is a pivot around mid 2014 in this era (around issues #30-34) that moves various Bat characters back to feeling like they have interpersonal relationships, rather than largely being satellites around Bruce: Robin Rises, the two Eternals, and Robin War in particular are the best examples of this. And a lot of that has to do with the fact Bruce from Zero Year onwards sort of stops being an active character in the broader books, as we transition into particularly Superheavy onwards.

But generally, a lot of this whole era feels really empty in terms of Batfamily relationships that are not with Bruce, and part of that is because it's so uncertain which ones we're expected to be assuming from Flashpoint still exist (and then with those assumptions often destroyed by writers contradicting each other), and part of it is that they don't really have proper crossovers until Batman Eternal. Sure, The Court of Owls and Death of the Family happen before them, but both are heavily focused on Bruce and simultaneously keep everyone from interacting with each other much.

In terms of how the Batfamily reads: it feels VERY pared down. Only Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian and Babs are relevant, and Tim's only barely so. Other characters might move in and out of storylines but they don't really have any attachments to the rest.

Rebirth to Joker War (2016-2020):

I think the most noticeable thing about this period in terms of Batfamily relationships is the tension it has from trying to re-expand the timeline back out.

Some characters (like Jason and Damian and Kate) have personalities and relationships that are essentially identical to their n52 ones, or only with a minor "we added back in all the most relevant preboot stories" change. Some characters (like Tim) got rebuilt into their preboot form, but with everything that happened earlier being hazy. A lot of the others (like Dick and Barbara and Bruce) were uneasy grafts: Dick had his childhood with Bruce back but he and Babs were still only about 22, not the age they actually were at the end of preboot. The age gap between Jason and Tim remained out to about 4 years, while Tim to Damian tightened to about 3 years.

There was a lot that was sort of in a hazy 'we are taking vibes from this but there's no certainty' for characters, because there were only a few hard reboots and mostly everyone was just repointing characters in the direction of their preboot personalities and relationships, rather than explicitly kicking n52 out of continuity.

So it felt like a lot of interpersonal relationships were once again a go, but they got reruns to re-establish them for audiences. We literally see plots like Tim Seeley redoing the Dick and Helena romance so that they could once again be exes, we see Barbara and Jason Bard retreading and recreating their pre-COIE relationship status, we see Cass needing to establish relationships with everyone, we see Tim have to explicitly have Zatanna remove a block so he can remember Young Justice, etc.

There is also very much a focus on a nuclear family read of found family. It's Bruce And His Kids, and the most obvious encapsulation of this is everything around Tom King's Batman run and its focus on the BatCat wedding. The more complicated relationships between characters who mentored each other or had relationships that weren't referenced off Bruce still hadn't really returned. You get the impression that Dick and Tim are brothers as Bruce is both of their father and they were both Robins, rather than because they have a whole personal relationship that doesn't require Bruce at all, and so on.

There was also a lot of book siloing going on, honestly. The start of Rebirth assigned every Bat character Their Title (or maybe at most 2) and that character largely did not appear outside of their assigned title, and when they did it was mostly only cameos. So we got to see various Bats mixing when assigned to the same title, but they didn't cross over much.

There's also the difficulty with the period that both Tim and Dick cumulatively spend a lot of time off page and out of the rest of the Bat books between Mr Oz and Ric Grayson, and Damian was in the process of disappearing off right when 5G got canned. So there's not really many solid points during the whole 5 years when everyone is actually around at the same time, which also consistently leaves a gap in various dynamics.

Infinite Frontier Onwards (2021-now)

If I'm frank, the era since Joker War ended and DiDio's firing has been characterised by a lot of writers spending a lot of time re-establishing the primacy of pre-Flashpoint for character backstories, personalities and relationships (not you, Jason).

If Rebirth was DC trying to work out how to attach the fandom's favourite character traits, personalities and storylines, back onto characters who had been stripped down, IF onwards has been a lot of outright "we've stopped trying to make things line up and have soft rebooted everything. For preboot characters you SHOULD be able to jump on to their current stories if the last thing you read was before Flashpoint".

So, via the 'all possible backstories are accessible to choose from' we have seen a lot of straight out restoration of old dynamics. Not everyone got restored immediately; Dick got his everything back in 2020 while Cass had to wait until 2023, for example. But characters now actually have relationships with each other again that don't require them to think about Bruce! Tim and Babs can be thick as thieves in Nightwing in a story because they have lots of history together! Barbara and Cass have a proper big/little sister relationship again! People call Barbara for help and information! Dick can hate Jean-Paul and know why he feels that way!

The Future:

The final question to ask is "so when does the Infinite Frontier era end?" in terms of Batfamily, and I think the answer is that we're currently at a transition point that will become more clear in a year or so as to whether we're shifting out of it right now.

In particular, the vibes of what is happening around Batman as a title right now feels like we're about to hit a shakeup.

Characters have pretty much all now integrated where they were as of Flashpoint into their modern characterisation and are starting to move forward in stories again, rather than spending lots of time re-establishing things.

[lacunammmm]

May I ask about your thoughts about the quirk Singularity Theory? I personally never liked it, because it's another thing in the series that contradicts itself. If quirks would get stronger and stronger with each generation till everything eventually implodes in itself is something that sounds interesting until you remind yourself that All For One, the quirk, exists. A power that can steal and give quirks without limit, store and use the quirks without a limit, combine them with no problems and potentially more I don't know about or care to research, because that alone is far too op for one quirk to do, that isn't about warping reality.

There's two ways to look at this. The first is that AFO is an exceptional quirk, because the Shigaraki twins were born from patient zero of the quirk phenomenon. Their power is an enabler of the singularity, enabling them to collect all of the powers their mother's "disease" created. The second is that the AFO quirk itself isn't really anything special. The ability to give and take quirks is only as good as your ability to actually do all of that. It's similar to Aizawa's quirk. Erasure is very strong in a context. But all it does is turn off other people's abilities. AFO fits as an early day quirk where abilities were simplistic. Is AFO "strong?" Yes. Does it require immense effort and danger to use it to its full potential? Also yes. Objectively speaking, when compared to insane abilities like Overhaul, Rewind and New Order, the AFO quirk, and even OFA itself for anyone who isn't Izuku or All Might, pale. AFO and OFA are quirks that offer potentially fantastic, unlimited power through things mostly outside of your control. The earlier OFA users weren't anywhere near as good or as strong as All Might and Izuku got to be. For them, OFA was just a death curse and an infinitely scaling power that got better with practice and training. But a power like Overhaul just offers fantastic power from the start. You can destroy anything you touch, and rebuild anything. You don't need to go steal power, or build up power. Overhaul would probably defeat every previous OFA user except for All Might 1 on 1. He would have killed Izuku had he not twisted fate with Eri's help and his defeat still required Izuku go 100%.

As far as the quirk singularity goes? Fantastic idea, but the execution was comical. The story put a doomsday scenario in front of us and then doesn't care to resolve it. No doubt if this does get addressed, it'll be in one of the MHA movies. Or a spin off, if we get a Boruto style MHA continuation. As it stands, only the villains cared to try to do something about this. -A villain from the Humanrise movie wanted to commit mass genocide to kill quirk users in the hopes of stopping this. -Everything Doctor Garaki did was motivated by his desire to avert this. All For One was his solution to this problem. So, what are the heroes going to do about it? Positive vibes, I guess. And it somehow worked. What was the point? To be a power boost for Izuku and Tomura to make for a better final battle. That was the point. It provided Tomura with a regenerating body that would enable the other characters to all get shots in on him and make it look like they were doing something until Izuku arrived. It kept him alive despite him being under the effects of Erasure nearly the whole time. Real talk: I believed the quirk singularity was how they'd "redeem" Tomura. Given that Yoichi said that the AFO quirk could be the kindest power of all, and the threat of quirk users going out of control could be contained by taking their quirks... I thought this was leading to an easy lay up where they blame every bad thing that's ever happened in MHA on AFO, and then Tomura and Izuku team up to kill AFO and then hug it out after. We get pardons for the League members in the name of reconciliation and healing, and then the ending is Izuku as the number 1 hero, and Tomura as the former villain who decided he didn't need to destroy anymore. And then the author kills off Tomura as well as the AFO and OFA quirks, and what? Are we supposed to just accept that the MHA universe is doomed? Is that how this universe ends? If people with bodies like Tomura are born and who have quirks even more powerful than his Decay, what do the heroes do about that? The series talks about a sharp decline in villains. But nothing about people's quirks. The whole point is that if your quirk goes out of control, you aren't even trying to hurt anyone. It'll just happen. They magically solved the majority of crime that plagued their nation off screen but then just forgot to do anything about the Armageddon that's certainly going to happen. I'm being silly, of course. Nothing is going to happen. Consequences are for villains.

[linkons-most-wanted]

Decoherence reaction 💫🍎

I had my gems and stamina saved, so of course I had to get both memories immediately and watch them today 🥺 There will be spoilers below but Tumblr mobile doesn't respect the "keep reading" content break so I'm gonna try to make sure this is long enough and spoiler-free before the break. 😅

While I kinda wish the event had a mini game, I love how beautiful and thematic it is. Having moments in the main timeline that sort of quietly mirror the myth timeline is always just, yes, yum.

Alright, from this point, DECOHERENCE SPOILERS BELOW.

Okay, first off, this myth is so sci-fi and I LOVE that we're getting something futurey! I also love the medieval and fairy tale vibes, it's just great to get the variety and I think Caleb's such a good character for it.

Science!

First off, the name of the myth Decoherence, specifically references the concept from Quantum Mechanics. I'll dig deeper into it and get the verbatim quotes as I add the myth to my lore database, but for now, recall how the experiment summaries mention issues of quantum entanglement between them and planet-ending consequences if their energy is allowed to resonate too much. Caleb mentions an "interference module", and in quantum physics, Decoherence describes when "interference effects are artificially or spontaneously suppressed". Note here that "interference" in quantum mechanics means that one particle can affect the other. So, poetically, decoherence describes the way that the modifications are preventing MC and Caleb from being together.

Creation and destruction

But it goes a layer deeper. MC and Caleb's power is "from the same source" and their powers are Destruction (destructio) and Creation (creatio) respectively. Creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin, and many religions and belief systems venerate both gods/concepts of creation and destruction. For example, part of what Yin & Yang represents is creation and destruction.

Notably, the "energy signature" of Caleb in CN is 新生 which is more directly translated as "rebirth". I think this is a notable nuance because then both A-01 and X-02 have had "rebirth" energy, which foreshadows their rebirth into the main timeline. I trust the localization in tha I agree that "Creation" is clearest in setting up these themes, but I think it's worth noting that it can also be understood as "rebirth", especially since MC specifically mentions feeling a "sense of rebirth" (iirc during her vision at the end, but I'll have to double check).

Primordial chaos

So, what is the shared source of creation and destruction? Primordial Chaos itself. Creation and Destruction cycle around each other, sustaining life as we know it, and whenever they are truly combined, all that can exist is the infinite void but also infinite potential. I'm pretty sure it's early in this myth that MC/A-02 mentions thinking that she and Caleb are perhaps destined to always orbit around each other--this is a reference to the cycle of creation/destruction, which is also explicitly mentioned in the excerpts from the Philosian history book.

And not only that, but when MC and Caleb have their shared fate of destruction at the end of the Loneroad Together kindled scene, we see a celestial phenomenon begin at their location--something akin to a star exploding. But then MC has a vision right after of new stars being born, and a voice saying "let's go home". So, we see that when Creation and Destruction are united, the world ceases to exist--but the cycle still continues and the world is reborn from the chaos/void again.

It's subtle, but I think this supports the idea that the writers are setting us up to see Philos and Earth as a time loop. By having the events of Philos be in the "future" but also happen "before" the main timeline, you set up the idea of a loop/ouroborus. Caleb/X-02 "remembers" earth but is also heading to earth. The main story also has specific mentions of the Traceback II being caught in an "endless loop" as it attempts to get to Earth.

Power exchange

What I also think is so beautiful about this story is that both MC and Caleb here are vessels for that power. Either can hold the power of creation or destruction--it's not specifically gendered. Though Caleb ends up carrying the more "taboo" power of destruction, he started with the power of creation, and it's specifically because he had that creative, compassionate power that he decided to take on MC's fate of carrying the power of destruction.

We're in this together

On a very personal level, I love that this iteration of MC refuses to let him die by himself. She understands that their fates and their powers are fundamentally interconnected. It's absolutely no criticism of the story, but both of Zayne's myths and Xavier's Shooting Star myth have this theme of the LI abandoning/leaving MC in order to save her, and ugh, it kills me. (They made me cry, they're such good stories, but whyyyyyy) So I loved that MC here was like "absolutely not, what kind of life will I have if I lose my only friend?"

Comparing to other myths

Overall, I think this myth was exactly what we saw on the wrapper. Especially with one of the Kindled moments being pretty clearly the end of the story and them dying together (I say this as someone who's very familiar with the tropes here, not that it should have been obvious to everyone) I got the setup and the arc that I'd expect.

It's an interesting contrast to the other myths, which I felt like kept me guessing more. It may just be the bias of tropes I'm familiar with, or that they kept the story more straightforward here (but it's still very impactful, don't get me wrong).

Notably, we now also have both Sylus's and Caleb's myths seeming to depict Philos's end-of-days, which hints at parallel timelines and perhaps that the 6th LI's Philos myth will also be apocalyptic.

What's in a name?

I immediatley had the sense that something was getting lost in translation when MC names Caleb in the first part of the myth. In EN, they decided to have her basically come up with an anagram that took me like, waaaay too long to figure out: "Calming, encouraging, bright... Caleb".

In CN she just says the name, 夏以書, Xia Yishu. (In simplified CN it's 以昼, Yizhou, per the wiki.) Notably, 夏 (Xia) is the character for the adjective form of summer (!!!) which relates to that being such a key theme for them.

以昼, the simplified CN name, translates as "daytime", literally "by day". (書 can also mean "day" but it has more alternate translations so the machine translation struggles with it)

So, as she stands out in the daytime summer sun for the first time, she names him, "Summer Day" 🥹 Just.... MY HEART.

Brother, where art thou

Saving the best for last--when I first finished the myth, I was surprised there weren't any brother/sibling references. Then I went "hmmm I bet there" and sure enough, here's how Caleb introduces himself to MC the very first time he talks to her:

CN: 我是X-02,你的哥哥。 MTL: I am X-02, your brother.

哥哥 of course being gēgē, i.e. "older brother".

When they're talking about why he wants to take her places, he says this:

CN: 哥哥就是要帶妹妹去她想去的所有地方。

MTL: The brother wants to take his sister to all the places she wants to go.

妹妹 being mèimei, i.e. "younger sister"

Notably, the CN also mentions the AI can only "strip keywords" it knows about--the EN is a little more vague, I think Caleb says it can only "erase memories" it knows about. So, the CN sets it up more clearly that the AI system gives her the two keywords to erase. And those are X-02 and... you guessed it... gege. Brother.

So towards the end when in EN he asks "what does 'friend' mean to you?" yeah, he's asking "what does 'brother' mean to you" 🥺

What I especially like about the brother/sister titles in this myth is that they're clearly symbolic--they're from the 'same source' but they weren't raised as 'siblings' in any meaningful way. (neither of them really had a childhood to speak of.) There's instead this more interesting question of, "with this intensity of love/bond, are we family? what does that mean to us?" and that's a theme that runs throughout their relationship. Notably, I'm of the opinion that couple is a family--so I love the way this theme explores naivety, love, devotion, etc.

Final thoughts (for now)

I'll be eagerly awaiting Farewell Dreamscape as we progress through the event, and will probably have more thoughts when that's out!

For now, I'm looking forward to diving deep into Homecoming Wings as I add it to the lore resource and looking for all the connections there.

Until then...

...Let's go home. 💫💕