#locus other time

[locusfandomtime]

The maths fandom is wild. “Real” and “imaginary” numbers? I think you mean canon and non-canon. You guys seriously go “this is my number oc his name is i and he is the square root of -1” when in numbers canon lore it’s actually impossible to square root a negative but sure whatever. “Complex numbers”? I think you mean a character x oc ship. “f(x) = 3x - 5”? That is self-insert fanfiction.

[locusfandomtime]

I’m in an arty mood, and want Zed to win, so send me an ask with proof you’ve voted for Zed and I’ll sketch whatever you want! (in a similar style to this and this) Mainly aimed at hermitcraft characters but y’know, I’m happy to draw whatever little guy you please

ROUND FOUR - SEMIFINALS

Zedaph/Worm-man: nominated from Hermitcraft. Headcanoned to be bigender, transmasc, transfem and multigender (she/he/they/its pronouns)

JuannaFlippa: nominated from Quackity SMP. She is a character played by an admin and not a MCYT, but is canonically transfem and uses she/her

[nzoth-the-corruptor]

Xal'atath

[greenleaf4stuff]

(screenshots taken from the reveal trailer and the trailer cinematic)

(I am going solely off of the vibes I got from the trailers with this)

[locustime]

my thoughts on the mob vote

[everythingsinred]

when i say i studied english because i couldn't major in gakuen alice, i'm only half joking... i mean obviously i love reading and i love literature and all that but there's professors who teach tolkien's work, who specialize in one particular author and write thick analytical books about poets and the like. studying english or literature in general as an academic often means gaining specialty in one or two authors. there's academics ceaselessly devoted to beowulf or to the iliad. if it seems like i have encyclopedic knowledge of ga at times, that's because this work is one i've decided to fixate on the way my professors have fixated on nathaniel hawthorne, emily dickinson, shakespeare, or henry james. that's all.

[robertreich]

Friends, After Trump and Vance’s disgraceful treatment of President Zelensky last Friday, some of you might feel ashamed of America. You might even feel ashamed to be an American. The proper locus of shame is Trump and Vance. I’m ashamed that they, along with Elon Musk, are now leading our nation. I’m also ashamed that their Republican lackeys in Congress are enabling and encouraging them. I’m ashamed that Democrats in Congress are so supine. Yet I urge you not to give in to the sort of resignation or cynicism that believes nothing can be done — that we are powerless and have no choice but to watch our nation and everything it has stood for be hijacked by Trump, Vance, and Musk. We have enormous power and many choices. When the American people understand what is happening — as they are beginning to — no Republican in Congress will be safe. Even now, majorities of independents and Democrats, and even some 30 percent of Republican voters, believe we must stand with Ukraine. The fundamental choice has not been as stark since World War II: democracy and freedom, or dictatorship and tyranny. Trump and his sycophants are siding with the latter. The rest of us must loudly, proudly, and boldly proclaim our allegiance to the former. Trump is emboldening the dark forces of dictatorship everywhere. Taiwan is reporting more Chinese military drills around the island. Europe and all free people around the world must rally at this time of American emergency. If the United States won’t seize Russia’s frozen assets and put them into an account for Ukraine to pay for further arms, Europeans must do this and let Ukraine buy from European defense contractors. A final thought. What we are witnessing from Trump and Vance and Musk — their bellicose bullying, their outright lies, their fear-mongering, their disrespect and disdain for others, their emboldening of dictators around the world — is not all bad if it awakens America. The more Americans see and absorb the horrors of this regime, the greater the likelihood we will mobilize against it. Not all of us, of course, but the great majority. As bad as this regime gets, it will clarify for Americans what is happening to this country, and what we must do to get it back on the track toward social justice, democracy, and widespread prosperity. Yes, the regime is harming many innocent people. Its lawless cruelty is sickening. But there will be a reckoning. I have always believed America is not a nation of bullies. We have protected the vulnerable, comforted the afflicted, granted refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution, and given voice to those who otherwise would not be heard. These ideals are found in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Emma Lazarus’s poem affixed to the Statue of Liberty, FDR’s second inaugural address, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” sermon at the 1963 March on Washington. They connect us with previous generations of Americans who risked everything —some of whom sacrificed their lives — to preserve democracy and achieve a greater good. Do not feel shame in America. Feel pride in the ideals we share. Feel honored that you are an activist warrior on the right side of history. Feel strength in our conviction. Feel power in our cause. We will prevail against Trump — against his bullying, his brutality, and his barbarity. What are your thoughts?

[locusfandomtime]

thoughts?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The CFPB is genuinely making America better, and they're going HARD

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

Let's take a sec here and notice something genuinely great happening in the US government: the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's stunning, unbroken streak of major, muscular victories over the forces of corporate corruption, with the backing of the Supreme Court (yes, that Supreme Court), and which is only speeding up!

A little background. The CFPB was created in 2010. It was Elizabeth Warren's brainchild, an institution that was supposed to regulate finance from the perspective of the American public, not the American finance sector. Rather than fighting to "stabilize" the financial sector (the mission that led to Obama taking his advisor Timothy Geithner's advice to permit the foreclosure crisis to continue in order to "foam the runways" for the banks), the Bureau would fight to defend us from bankers.

The CFPB got off to a rocky start, with challenges to the unique system of long-term leadership appointments meant to depoliticize the office, as well as the sudden resignation of its inaugural boss, who broke his promise to see his term through in order to launch an unsuccessful bid for political office.

But after the 2020 election, the Bureau came into its own, when Biden poached Rohit Chopra from the FTC and put him in charge. Chopra went on a tear, taking on landlords who violated the covid eviction moratorium:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cfpb

Then banning payday lenders' scummiest tactics:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/29/planned-obsolescence/#academic-fraud

Then striking at one of fintech's most predatory grifts, the "earned wage access" hustle:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

Then closing the loophole that let credit reporting bureaus (like Equifax, who doxed every single American in a spectacular 2019 breach) avoid regulation by creating data brokerage divisions and claiming they weren't part of the regulated activity of credit reporting:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

Chopra went on to promise to ban data-brokers altogether:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/13/goulash/#material-misstatement

Then he banned comparison shopping sites where you go to find the best bank accounts and credit cards from accepting bribes and putting more expensive options at the top of the list. Instead, he's requiring banks to send the CFPB regular, accurate lists of all their charges, and standing up a federal operated comparison shopping site that gives only accurate and honest rankings. Finally, he's made an interoperability rule requiring banks to let you transfer to another institution with one click, just like you change phone carriers. That means you can search an honest site to find the best deal on your banking, and then, with a single click, transfer your accounts, your account history, your payees, and all your other banking data to that new bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

Somewhere in there, big business got scared. They cooked up a legal theory declaring the CFPB's funding mechanism to be unconstitutional and got the case fast-tracked to the Supreme Court, in a bid to put Chopra and the CFPB permanently out of business. Instead, the Supremes – these Supremes! – upheld the CFPB's funding mechanism in a 7-2 ruling:

https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/05/supreme-court-lets-cfpb-funding-stand/

That ruling was a starter pistol for Chopra and the Bureau. Maybe it seemed like they were taking big swings before, but it turns out all that was just a warmup. Last week on The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner rounded up all the stuff the Bureau is kicking off:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-06-07-window-on-corporate-deceptions/

First: regulating Buy Now, Pay Later companies (think: Klarna) as credit-card companies, with all the requirements for disclosure and interest rate caps dictated by the Truth In Lending Act:

https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/06/cfpb-applies-credit-card-rules

Next: creating a registry of habitual corporate criminals. This rogues gallery will make it harder for other agencies – like the DOJ – and state Attorneys General to offer bullshit "delayed prosecution agreements" to companies that compulsively rip us off:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-creates-registry-to-detect-corporate-repeat-offenders/

Then there's the rule against "fine print deception" – which is when the fine print in a contract lies to you about your rights, like when a mortgage lender forces you waive a right you can't actually waive, or car lenders that make you waive your bankruptcy rights, which, again, you can't waive:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-warns-against-deception-in-contract-fine-print/

As Kuttner writes, the common thread running through all these orders is that they ban deceptive practices – they make it illegal for companies to steal from us by lying to us. Especially in these dying days of class action suits – rapidly becoming obsolete thanks to "mandatory arbitration waivers" that make you sign away your right to join a class action – agencies like the CFPB are our only hope of punishing companies that lie to us to steal from us.

There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world right now, and much of it – including an active genocide – is coming from the Biden White House.

But there are people in the Biden Administration who care about the American people and who are effective and committed fighters who have our back. What's more, they're winning. That doesn't make all the bad news go away, but sometimes it feels good to take a moment and take the W.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

[theophagie]

Premise one: I feel that this is rather well-known information by now, but still. Mandatory clarification that "mastery" is a concept that's improperly employed by the eng localisation (likely out of commodity), though there is at least one instance where the translation closely follows the jp text. Semantics Important

Premise two: I'll reference a couple of things from other games because they retroactively help recontextualise Riku's behavior in part, but the story that KH1 wants to tell does stand on its own regardless of their inclusion. He's just my special boy ok

Having said that. Rivalry!

Much of the conflict between Sora and Riku is shaped along the lines of what makes a hero. In light of this, it's only fitting that KH1 is the game that most closely follows the structure of a fairy tale, but that's a story for another day. I think that the initial uncertainty on whether there'd be a sequel really pushed the devs to, ah, "go ham", because KH1 is both a miniature coming of age story for Sora and the setup for many elements that will recur in the future. At the core of this idea is one world in particular, but I think that it's better to set the stage first

Home sweet home

...... Well!

Destiny Islands is a weird, fun place. I feel that many people remember KH1's prologue through rose-tinted glasses of sorts, "the simpler, better times before...", but to me it owes much of its charm to the tension between the location that it's set in (a child's dream playground, a pseudo locus amoenus even, if will) and the events that take place during it. Sora, Riku, and Kairi have been making preparations for something for some time now. The other kids don't quite know what, but they suspect that it's something dangerous - which it is. And Sora is a fourteen-year-old boy who's constantly compared and made to feel inferior to his best friend, who has been acting strangely and cruelly for a while without anyone understanding why. Growing pains...... Being on Destiny Islands at this time feels like being on a precipice. The game is really effective at capturing a certain Vibe of adolescence (this idea of being stuck in the middle of two opposite forces), but when it comes to Sora and Riku over time the unease between them develops from mundane competitiveness (however hurtful in its actualization) into a bigger conflict, one that's tied both to their characters and to the broader narrative of Kingdom Hearts

The notion that Sora can "always rely on Riku" specifically is super important. The other kids tease Sora because they perceive him to be weak and unreliable compared to him, and Riku... Well, Riku has internalized this belief as well in his urgency to just grow up and just leave already, or at least he tries to fool himself into thinking that he has, when really

One might wonder what it is exactly that led him to close himself off and double down on adopting a cool, cocky persona, but 🤫

Regardless, Riku's longing for strength and independence has quite honorable, gentle origins, ones that eventually begin to shine anew after he's freed of Ansem SoD's influence

Riku feels a certain entitlement to the title of hero, and he isn't entirely unjustified for that, but by KH1's prologue his anxieties and his impatience have already planted some seeds in him, and over time and through the influence of darkness his ambitions get warped into something self-serving rather than something altruistic. It's at this point that Riku is most cruel to Sora. Riku doesn't forcibly deprive Sora of the keyblade just because the Kingdom Key was originally his and he really wants it back, Riku does it because he actively wants to bring himself up by disempowering Sora. Like he says, this isn't rivalry anymore. It's viciousness, and it's why it's no mistake that this event keeps being referenced to this day, in varying degrees of subtlety

Nomura tells us that all that Riku does to save Kairi, he mainly does out of regret for his actions ("He's a surprising immoral guy"), and who am I object to the Word of God, but I can't help but think of it as a misguided attempt to prove himself. He is the hero! He is! Not Sora! Not Sora, who is younger and smaller and needs him to look after him.........

When the reality is that Sora scares him a little, Sora absolutely disarms him without even meaning to or being aware of it. And so Riku shuts him out, he shuts him out and he also tries his best to keep their dynamic as unbalanced as possible, because that's what allows him to both feel secure in his role and keep Sora dependent on him. Because what is it that Riku fears might happen if Sora were to realise that his presence isn't something that he needs in order to pull through?

... Yeah. It's really no wonder that this is what Maleficent latches on to in order to manipulate and corrupt him

As stated before, contrarily to Riku, Sora enters the story as an underdog, a normal boy who gets saddled with a task that wasn't meant for him - with having to be a hero - out of need, but it's no surprise that Riku's light can acknowledge Sora before he is ready to consciously do it as well: Riku is harsh on Sora to cover up how inadequate he makes him feel, and in turn those feelings of inadequacy are a reflection of his profound understanding of just how good Sora is

Riku's changes for the worse don't go without repercussions on Sora's state, which is why much of his journey throughout KH1 is split between two goals: an altruistic one - finding his friends, as well as helping Donald and Goofy on their quest, and a self-serving one - being acknowledged by the people around him. Hey, those are familiar words

It's an uphill climb, one that's made really evident by his time in Olympus Coliseum in particular. His rashness gains him his own turn at being directly mess with by a thematically-relevant villain, too

It's not surprising that Sora reacts with cockiness to the situation that he finds himself in: for what's probably the first time in his life, it's him that everyone is relying on, and he lets it go to his head a little. Not enough to distract him from what's most important, but just enough to feel the sting of Riku's jabs (who is very much projecting whenever he opens his mouth about this topic)

Their reunion in Traverse Town is a miniature minefield, because Riku's immediate instinct is to re-establish himself as the leader-keeper, and Sora's way of shutting down that thought is... a little bit of everything. On purpose, in my opinion. It's childish, it's a little arrogant, it's show-offy, it's kind of ridiculous, and it's a challenge to Riku's authority, one that he doesn't take well at all, least of all when he starts seeing in Donald and Goofy the realisation of his irrational fear of being abandoned by Sora

Sora is naive, but his inability to comprehend Riku's feelings has nothing to do with it and everything to do with his attunement to the bonds between people. They're the source of his strength! It could never cross his mind to doubt his connection to Riku, his best friend, least of all to consider it expendable or contingent on external factors

This unshakeable conviction is what defines Sora's progress, and it's what ultimately defines his path of heroism and makes the keyblade go back to him despite Riku's claim over it. Not fate or predestination, but belief and love for other people, so much love that it's detrimental to his own survival and that is also his way to hide just how little he thinks of himself even. Sora's story isn't that of a seemingly average boy who one day comes into his destined role, it's that of a boy who tenaciously fights for others and earns the right to wield a power that he was originally only granted out of necessity

I feel that this is what Riku's goodbye to Sora wants to get at

Pulling away for a second to say that no matter what, of course Riku genuinely wants Kairi to be safe, and the fact that Nomura doesn't even see it as the primary cause for his actions splits me between befuddlement and "Riku and Kairi have a complex relationship" hubris stocks. Even so, what I see in this line is also the renewed fulfillment of Sora's one selfish desire: acknowledgement. Acknowledgement from the person who most wanted him to be and remain a helpless boy on the sidelines, acknowledgement from one of the people he cares most deeply for, acknowledgement from someone who was meant to be a hero. Allowing himself to get sealed in the Realm of Darkness is not Riku's final act in KH1, Riku's final act in KH1 is to step down from his designated role and finally accept Sora, encourage him to be the hero that he couldn't be

[strangelittlestories]

Once upon a time, I was a Chosen One.

—

The spell spins through the air and I duck just in time. It turns a section of the wall behind me into a fractal skeleton of brick-shards.

—

Since all that was taken away from me, I had always expected to die forlorn, wistful and alone. But I had hoped that it wouldn’t be *today*.

—

The brick skeleton opens its red ribcage to swallow me and I scramble away.

The second mage's spell catches me in the shoulder. My tendons unwrap and attempt to burst out of my skin to strangle me. I push them down with my dwindling anima and they settle grudgingly back into place.

—

I’m getting ahead of myself. You may be wondering how someone becomes an ex-Chosen One. Well, being a Chosen One does not - contrary to popular opinion - make me special. 

I feel the absence of The Embrace constantly; like I’m stuck in the moment on a rollercoaster where your stomach falls away. This does not make me special either. There are a handful of other former avatars scattered about and I know they’re not doing well either (I scry on them from time to time). And besides, we hardly have a monopoly on the churning loss of purpose. 

—

I throw my anima into my fists. I don’t really have any to spare, but I’m done for if I just play defence.

There’s no clever working here, no cunning curse or complex incantation. I just ball up my hand, crush my spirit until it’s solid, then punch it out. The air ripples in a line of force connecting me and the second mage. It catches her in the stomach. I feel agony erupt as she collapses in three different planes.  

It is not nearly enough.

—

I have learned since I left the Mycelial Coven that yearning is a warm and open hearth. All are welcome to sit by the fire at the centre of the yawning void, staring at the flames until they burn the whole world away.

It is worse because I still think it’s correct. We designed The Embrace to be a temporary measure. A distillation of collective power, drawn from a collective of magicians distributed  across continents and consciousnesses.

Sometimes a crisis demands a champion. A single point of focus. A locus of amassed anima from around the world. It is given freely, and this avatar is Embraced; girded in belief, love and enough magic to jumpstart a star.

—

A third mage arrives. He is holding a curse above his head that spreads across the sky like wispy cirrus clouds made of animos (that rancid slurry of tainted spirit). The strands descend and wrap around the three of them, propping up the second mage like a puppet.

They surround me. Strands of sticky, bile-black poison rear up to strike.

I reach for The Embrace to help me. Of course, it is not there.

—

When I accepted The Embrace, I knew it was a once-only deal. It’s too much power to let any one person wield longer than one catastrophe. You get one quest. One war. One singularity. One chapter of the story where you’re the most important person in the world.

And if you survive, you leave the Micelial. That’s the deal. If the collective relies too long on an individual, it makes them a king. If an individual stands above the collective too long, it makes them a god.

So you save the world. You get gratitude. You get support. You get therapy. And you get shown the door.

I still think that is the right call.

But it’s not exactly helpful when you end up back in the life-or-death tangle again.

—

The curse wraps around me like a lover dripping venom.

My tattered anima burns to vapour as I try to stop it seeping into my skin.

I keep reaching. The Embrace is not there. It never will be again. But I reach still, grasping for the place where power once was.

And *something* answers. It offers me infinity. It gives me a price.

There are many sources of strength in the world beyond those made by the Mycelial Coven. The Embrace is only special because it is *benevolent*.

But I do not want to die. So I say to The Something: “Yes.”

[shoot-i-messed-up]

ship ask game!! bruhal?

Ahhh my roots.

Ship It/Don’t Ship It

What made you ship it?

Let me b real rn. Fabularasa's fics. I loved their superbat fics and on a whim decided to try their batlantern, even though I didn't like the ship at the time, and...well, let's just say I was convinced.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

The banter. I know, I know, basic answer, but the banter is lowkey unmatched, especially when taking the vibe from Justice League: War. God, they just have so much chemistry in the DCAMU and for what.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Lowkey I think people focus too much on the bickering/chemistry side of the relationship (which I know I just said I liked but anyway), and not enough on Bruce and Hal's history, which really enrichens both of their characters. Bruce, I think, really looked up to Hal and had a pretty amiable relationship with him until Hal got Parallax-ed and then suddenly Bruce's faith in Hal was shattered, and it took soooooo long and soooo much effort for that trust to be rebuilt, but it's a super interesting dynamic also because they're (to their own consternation, I imagine) very, very similar in some ways and very, very different in others.

I think they both have very interesting relationships with control and fear. They both watched a parent or both of their parents die at a very tender age due to a violent circumstance that was far out of their own control, and they had very opposite responses to it. Bruce decided to dedicate his entire life to making sure nothing like that ever happens again. On the other hand, Hal sees what happens with his own eyes the worst possible thing that could happen if a situation spirals out of control, and he makes his peace with it. Bruce fed into his fear, and Hal released his. (By the way, literally canonically, the reason Bruce cannot be a GL despite having the willpower to do so. He refuses to release that fear because it drives him. I don't think he'd know what to do with himself if he did release it.)

This dynamic is turned on its head with the destruction of Coast City. When Hal watched his father die in a crash landing, he thought he saw the worst possible thing that could happen, dying, but he realizes that being the one--the only one--to survive is far, far worse.

So Hal tries to get revenge on the Guardians, destroys the Corps, and kills billions of people across the multiverse all in the process of making his own universe where everything's perfect, the "way it should be." I know I've made my fair share of jokes about him having a god complex, but I think it has less to do with Hal thinking he deserves to be a god and more with him wanting to have absolute control so that he never has a situation like Coast City happen ever again.

Oliver does say "It's true...absolute power does corrupt absolutely, even Hal," but I don't really think it was the absolute power that made Hal like that. Hal did have so much power after absorbing the Guardians' knowledge and the chronal energy from the Anti-Monitor or whatever, but I think Ollie got it the wrong way around. Hal had the willpower to keep himself and his OP-ass powers in check for all those years, and he snapped before he got the Guardians' powers, not after.

I think this was an in-character misread of Hal on Ollie's part, and I don't know if this was on purpose or if I'm reading it correctly, but like, yeah, of course Ollie would attribute Hal's Parallax-ing to the temptation of absolute power, rather than the desire for absolute control, because the Big Event where Ollie's circumstances spiralled out of control (i.e. the island), it went really really well for him. Like, made him a hero, good for him. Definitely something to be said about the differing levels of locus of control for Hal, Bruce, and honestly every other superhero ever actually.

I think Bruce recognizes that dark desire in Hal, and he's afraid of it (and therefore very distrusting and disdainful of Hal even after Hal becomes the Spectre to redeem himself and after Hal is revived) because he knows that it's something in himself as well. Let's be real, if Bruce had even a fraction of Hal's powers, he'd be corrupted within, like, a day. I swear there's a plotline in a comic somewhere where he gets Superman's powers and is literally corupted within 24 hours.

I think this is also partially why Hal sacrifices himself to save the world from the Sun-Eater and why he keeps trying to sacrfiice himself over and over for the lives of others. Not necessarily just because he thinks his life is worth less than others or because he's just heroic like that (although I do think those play into it), but becuase he's scared to be the only survivor again. At least, that's how I see it.

I do love a good "we're each other's character foils" ship, and I feel like it could be played around with more than it is currently.

[babey-fruit-bat]

Ut te mihi Juno

Caracalla X F! Reader

Summary: Caracalla presents a surprise gift for your wedding, hoping it will be to your liking Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Winter Solstice, Yule, and glad tidings to all my followers or readers! Hoping you have a delightful holiday season no matter what it looks likes or who you celebrate with!

🕊️🌿💍🕊️🌿💍🕊️🌿💍🕊️🌿💍🕊️🌿💍🕊️🌿

The dawn cascaded through the large windows of your room in the imperial palace. Your gaze drifted open to the golden embroidered gown hanging in the windowsill. There wasn't much time to ponder the day's events as your handmaids flooded the room preparing a steaming bath with lily, rose and locus. You were ushered in as breakfast was brought up. A spread of cheeses, breads, fruits and a light wine was served, and as you ate your mind drifted to the memory of Caracalla. The first day you met so vivid in your mind, as if it was yesterday. It was a grueling process of selection, that quickly became easy within the first week of your arrival. You were selected along with five other noblewomen as choices for the young emperor to sort from and select a bride. You'd attended meetings, parties, formal and informal gatherings both as a group and an individual to see how well he might take to each of you. By the end of the week, it was time to attend the first gladiator tournament. You'd accompanied him as a group to not only show off his selection of brides, but to view how each of you would attend an event he cherished so much. You'd been fitted in a cobalt gown and filed in last, Caracalla standing by as each lady found their seat before taking his own. The heavy fabric snagged beneath your sandal, and you found yourself caught in his arms before your soft skin could be marred by the rough granite of the Coliseum. His grip lingered on your body for a few moments before he released you to find your seat.

It was practically tangible the jealousy that coursed through each womans veins as he kept turning to sneak glances at you during the game- the feel of your prefect skin burned into his mind. He had to have you. From that day forth an obsession with you erupted from within him. He could not eat, speak, nor dream without his brain plagued by your scent. He surprised the Senate by having every other noblewoman removed from his party of admirers. He desired only you to accompany him, always insisting you take his arm. Geta, who wished to consider a more rational proceeding had to share his concerns to his brother, who promptly shut him down, "She is entirely perfect- she fit beneath my arm as if the Gods crafted her just for me- you just don't understand." Despite initial discrepancies no one could deter Caracalla- he was determined to make you his empress, his eternal companion, his woman. His love for you had become all consuming- and the wedding arrangements consumed much of his spare time. He consulted you for most of it, agreeing to a winter wedding in January- to honor the Goddess, Juno, in hopes of a blessed and fruitful union. Each detail had been crafted to honor of you both. An ornate hall was trimmed in gold, and sapphires glittered from every corner of the ceiling. White silks lined the floors underneath tables with rows upon rows of the finest delicacies. Vases with floating candles and peacock feathers lined the tables. The opulence and detail in each piece was nearly overwhelming to your senses.

Billows of incense wafted through the temple, scents of frankincense, myrrh, and pine delighted your senses as you made your way to the holding room before the wedding. You slipped into your gown the white fabric melting onto your skin in silken pleats. Your maids tended to any finishing details adorning you with a collared necklace encrusted with diamonds and sapphires from the far East- the last gift delivered to your room from Caracalla before you'd become his. The groom paced frantically around the room, servants sent away, just him, his brother, and beloved pet- Dondas. He was brought along to help ease Calla's growing anxiety, but not about his marriage to you. He tugged at the golden pieces littering his garb groaning for time to move faster. The deep red robes swished around his feet clinking and jangling softly as his pace increased. "Brother, you've checked with the servants twice and you've ensured everything's been delivered?" Geta rose with a huff, his wine nearly sloshing out of his cup. "Yes, Carcalla, she's right here, the servants just brought her in as you finished dressing."

They both ventured over to a stand containing a large dome covered in cloth. Dondas peered closer trying to uncover it with the familiar sound of a creature hidden from view. "And you're sure she'll like this brother? I have yet to see you acquaint your darling lover with the stables or any of the animals' grounds- perhaps she will not share your love of beasts."

"You speak in lies and doubt, Geta, you do not see her eyes, powerful, understanding, and unyielding... like Dondas." He smiled looking to his Capuchin- who squeaked in amusement nibbling on the bowl of nuts and fruit specially brought to him. The pair paused gazing at the creature, happily unaware of the impeding events about to unfold. "Right... I suppose you would know her best- I only hope once she weds you, she does not have to vie for your attention alongside Dondas." Geta said with a lilt, focus back on his brother. "Certainly not- My jewel will be the most coveted in Rome! The most envied and cared for in imperial history- Just as Dondas is. I have no doubt she'll accept this offering as well, one perfect enough for my wife." "And there's no time like the present- Come now Caracalla, the priest is ready to start." With that, Geta guided him to the altar to start the ceremony. Time seemed to stand still as you glided down the aisle. Guests lined the rows of seats eager to catch a view at the empire's newest family member. As you reached the end of the aisle Caracalla took your hands in his, both repeating your vows in tender speech and promise. His warm hands felt firm on your hips as he pulled you in for a feverish kiss, desperate to finally claim you as his own. An astounding array of cheers followed as guests poured into the receiving hall quickly being served a bountiful round of courses and drink upon drink was filled and refilled.

Before the night concluded and guests started to make their way home Carcalla stood before the crowd determined to capture everyone's attention. He had indulged heavily in the party's whimsy and substances passed around on sliver platters, vases, and cups. You'd had your fair share too ending up in your new husbands' arms most of the night mimicking the stories spread far and wide about young lovers and their affectionate nature. "Great celebrates! We thank you for coming in celebration of Rome's glory, of victory, and great love found within it-" A round of cheers and raised glasses concurred with Calla's statement. "I wish to present my wife with one more precious gift. One more declaration before the festivities end, and I have you, my dear empress all to myself this night." His gaze met yours and darkened as low murmurs and a few celebratory cheers were heard from the husbands in the hall. Dondas leapt up to join him on his shoulder, chittering before ruffling his master's hair. "Bring her in, I cannot wait any longer for this!"

A fanfare of servants was summoned into the room by horns throwing a parade of flower petals down to meet you, leaning down where to sat until the strange dome was eye level. You carefully removed the sheet to find the most precious creature. Another Capuchin monkey, a female, dressed in a gown identical to your wedding gown, adorned with a ribbon tied loosely around her neck. The tiny moneys eyes peered into yours seeking warmth and refuge after spending so much of her day kept away from the festivities. You popped the latch as quickly as possible and cradled her close to your chest. "Oh, Caracalla, I really don't know what to say-" His eyes flickered with doubt for a moment, his mind returning to the words of his bother earlier. "She's just perfect! Not only for I, but Dondas, now he will also have a dear friend to spend his days with!" Your face was brighter than ever as Dondas crawled his way up to your shoulder to sneak a peek at your new pet. "We will have to name her, a name fitting for an imperial pet, a title she'll be worthy of..." Calla paused searching his drunken brain for names befitting a creature meant to represent so much to him. "What about... Juno?"

He paused to ponder your choice ""Hmm, Juno? As in the queen of the Gods?" "Yes, it's perfect- Juno will favor us as we have honored and favored her during our union- our future will be blessed, happy." Your decree fell to his ears in a hushed tone, keeping the intimate moment between yourselves and pets private from the prying ears of guests. "It really is perfect, isn't it?" He agreed taking your hand in his pressing a soft kiss to inside of your palm. Calla stood once more on top of the table, Geta rolling his eyes hoping he'd fall off. Caracalla swayed steadying himself before commanding the crowd to his attentions again. Your eyes glittered in amusement with his display of affection and devotion.

"Citizens- we delight in sharing our other newest imperial member with you tonight- Hail Juno!"

@certifiedcodbabygirl @s-lverwing

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Positive and Negative Characteristics

POSITIVE. Mental strength: This ability is acquired by focusing on things under personal command, which reinforces the internal locus of control.

The behaviors that lead to mental strength are identified below (Morin, 2013):

Mentally strong people don’t feel sorry for themselves; instead, they take responsibility for their own life.

Don’t give away their power to others and thus maintain control over their emotions.

Individuals with mental toughness embrace change and are open to being flexible.

Control is placed on things under the person’s influence, such as their attitude.

Pleasing everyone is not a priority. While being kind and fair is important, making everyone happy is not.

There is a motivation for making calculated risks.

Focus on the present and make plans for the future.

Try to make better decisions in the future and try not to repeat previous missteps.

Demonstrate an ability to appreciate and celebrate the success of other people.

Don’t give up after a failure; instead, they keep trying until they get it right.

Tolerate being alone and staying in silence.

Don’t feel that the world owes them something; instead, they create opportunities for themselves by utilizing their own talents and merits.

Real change takes time, and mentally strong individuals understand this, so they’re patient.

These behaviors are positively supported by characteristics such as:

Tenacity: not giving up when things get tough or when problems arise

Confidence: belief in personal ability to find solutions to challenges

Optimism: the perception that the odds are in one’s favor

Adaptability: openness to new inputs and ideas

Self-Awareness: the ability to shift perspective

Reliability: following through with promises and goals

Responsibility: owning up to personal mistakes and errors

Wellbeing: making personal mental and physical health a priority

These and other characteristics help contribute to strong mental health (Half, 2016).

NEGATIVE. The opposite of open-minded, calm, conscientious, and agreeable characteristics are those defined by judgment, neuroticism, and an external locus of control. Some behaviors that fall into this category are:

Inability to accept setbacks

Lack of clarity and decision-making

Low capacity for critical thinking

Failing to build strong interpersonal relations

Always staying in the comfort zone

Helplessness and absence of persistence

Tendency to lean toward pessimism

Weak imagination and an inability to visualize desired outcomes

(Cardone, 2011)

Individuals with high scores in neuroticism often display narcissism, have inflated egos, and are emotionally distant, angry, hostile, and inflexible. These people tend to display the behaviors above.

Yet one key preventer of such negative traits, according to some studies, is self-control. “The more conscientious or prudent people are–no matter their other characteristics–the less likely they’ll be drawn toward harmful or illegal activities” (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2016).

Therefore, by increasing one’s self-awareness, individuals can spot their shortcomings and adopt habits to help balance out their personality traits. In turn, this helps them thrive.

Source ⚜ More: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[starcurtain]

i am soooo sorry if you’ve already been asked this. however, do you have any ratiorine fics you’d recommended??? i haven’t been that intrigued by aventurine’s characterisation in a lot of the ones ive read and was wondering if there are any you have particularly enjoyed, as someone who understands him so well 👍 if not no worriesss

Someone else asked this earlier as well, and I started trying to put together a list of recs, but I struggled so badly because even though I leave kudos or comments, I virtually never remember to bookmark fics, so there's all these fics whose plots or writing I remember as being great, but... what were the titles... I always flounder to find fics again anytime I want to try to make a list of recommendations. (There's also the fact that even if I post a ton about analyzing characterization in canon, my standards for fanfics are... not that high. I'm definitely the "read whatever I see that day" type. 😂)

But here are just a few I could remember, and maybe I can come back and add more to the list later:

Ratiorine Fic Recs

Nagare's "deal with me" - An AU about wish-granting witches that captures the experience of Aventurine being cursed/blessed very well, in my opinion.

Chashmish's "On the Circumvention of Ethics" - I think this is probably exactly what Aventurine would do in canon, post-Penacony.

JMGAngel's "Friendship and Other Related Disasters" - The ratiorine is actually just background in this one, but since you mentioned Aventurine, I really appreciated this fic taking time to include interactions between Aventurine and other characters which I haven't seen much (if ever) in other fics.

vahveroinen's "Open Circuits" - I was a big fan of the "Rota Fortunae" short, so a RF AU fic is also a treat. After this, I feel like a lot of the Ratiorine fics I enjoyed are already really popular, so I'm not sure I need to recommend them even, but I did also enjoy these:

Irisinally's "Of broken nightmares and rotten memories" - A very cool AU scenario with interesting world-building.

katraa's "fermat's last theorem" - Even if you see the plot twist coming, it's a great reveal.

profligate's "a dissertation on affection as a logical locus, by Dr. Veritas Ratio, Ph.D." - Another interesting AU, and I appreciate that the author allowed Aventurine to both do his job and do something good.

greenery_0's "the appeal of domesticity" - For when you want something really light-hearted and cute. To finish off this post, I also want to take the time to plug two Ratiorine fics that were inspired by Ratiorine posts I made! Please go send these guys some love for taking their time to write things inspired by my silly Ratiorine ramblings!

Thetinir's "Apex predator" - AU playing on Ratio and Aventurine's alien biology.

Suidice's "Work-life Imbalance" - Internal IPC messages tracking the evolution of Ratio and Aventurine's partnership.

[locusfandomtime]

we gotta start using “t4t” for more than just romantic/sexual relationships. where my t4t archenemies at. able to understand eachother in an undefinable beautiful way and living in spite of what society expects them to be and also hating eachothers guts. this isn’t an enemies to lovers or a toxic codependent relationship or whatever they just genuinely fucking despise eachother completely platonically and are also trans. 2 seconds away from ripping eachothers throats out and not even in a sexy way