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Once again Aabria has said something on the Fireside that has rocked me to my core in its level of depth of analysis of her character and the world.

“In the same way that Suvi’s irateness at the individualness of Orima is based on, ‘I will consider all spirits people and hold them to the same standard because I know a spirit, and I call him brother,’ that realization that Great Spirits do what they do and they're sort of beyond normal morality and applying normal lenses, is inside of Suvi now as she looks at Steel. I think that Steel as the sort of avatar of the Citadel and her disregard for the Grenaux children, like, “yeah, lots of bad things happen all the time,” she is no different than Orima in Suvi’s mind. She operates at the same scale with the same disregard for the individual, and I think if something interesting is being said about nuance, it is something about scale and size of purview, and how that can lose the importance of like individual care and how you can affect life on a singular and specific and intimate basis.”

Brennan: “…I think if you can level mountains and dry seas with the flick of a wrist, it has ceased to matter whether your origin is mortal or spirit … Maybe there's something about that level of power that removes you from the human heart of the world.”

I'm thinking lots of thoughts about this, mainly in relation to the coven witches as mortals with this level of nigh-spiritual power. Especially Hakea, who I feel really sits at that lost-in-the-sauce of scale and purview but eventually gave up and responded with apathy rather than action. But as she was awoken by Ame, she has returned to Steel- or Orima-level "Let's tear that tower down" rather than an awareness of "singular and specific and intimate" life.

It also reflects really interestingly on Grandmother Wren, as another mortal with this level of purview, likely even more so than Steel. It is her station to not remove herself from the human heart of the world; has she done that? From what we know, it seems so. But maybe being the witch of Toma was extremely important to her for keeping that level of intimate perspective. I wonder what she would have become without it. But also, we know that she had failures as a witch, and perhaps some of them did come from being too focused on the big picture of the worlds of mortals + spirits. Or alternatively, perhaps from having this extreme power but not considering the big picture enough. If you have the power to operate at this scale and pull your punches, is there something to criticize there as well? It certainly seems like the other witches think so, but I’m not sure I agree. (Thinking about “I refrain from fights I know I can win all the time”)

Also as an aside, this conversation I think dovetails beautifully with this line form EXU Calamity:

"Are all of you the heroes that you strove to be, or the villains that from time to time you might've been afraid you were becoming? In a world with this much power, what can be said to be the difference?"

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A couple weeks ago I saw a post that said "you know who still has both their parents? Steels kids."

Still thinking about that

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my wbn hot take, i dont think Nif should have an official witch station. because that only comes with being part of the coven of elders, and being a Great Witch (or one's apprentice). there are many many witches who are just witches. and i love to think of Nif becoming a village witch and having a community that adores her. if Nif ever becomes a truly great witch worthy of the coven, it's a long ways away. she can learn some from Ame, but Ame herself is still just coming into her own as a witch!

i understand the urge to think of her character development in terms of titles, though. especially considering all the other witches we've met so far have them. because a number a color everything part of a set put it in a box the box has lines every line is the same

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!SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 49 OF WORLDS BEYOND NUMBER!

skittering up and down the walls lizard fashion when Steel says, “There is a world that comes after this, we are so close, we are SO CLOSE, and the world that comes after is gonna need you; it’s not gonna need ME” because it parallels Brennan saying that maybe when Grandma Wren was around, the world needed a rooster; maybe now it needs a fox

And then Steel continues and says, “And YES, there are hard costs to pay, there are costs that break your fucking heart, there are costs that make people think you’re a monster. And the nicest thing I do is that I pay those costs, so that other people don’t have to.” because it parallels when Sir Curran tells Eursulon, “At their best, a knight is a warrior. Which is to say, one who prizes danger for themselves over the thought of danger for another”

i wanna throw up and die, I AM EATING GRAVEL

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counterpoint to that poll: what was your favorite assigned reading in high school??

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It's good to see you, little brother

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Some Enzo, Cyril, & Vandal fanart becasue they are such fantastic little squad and I'm obsessed with ink demons as a concept. A million variations are running through my mind. CMYK printer ink demons, glitter pen ink demons, tattoo ink demons, highlighter ink demons, squid ink demons???? Beautiful possibilties.

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there is only one number who has ever ate another. there is only one number who has ever died. which one feels worse

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Suvi has the coolest (ehm… scariest) mom!

@quiddie

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Can’t peacefully live with the fact I’d simply let Steel undo my existence and I‘m gonna make it everybody‘s problem ✋😔

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Some time ago (I think in 2021) I had to go see a neurologist over really scary symptoms that resembled seizures. I was a nervous wreck about what I was feeling and had barely slept all week, which seemed to be apparent to the doc’s assistant when I sat down in the exam room for questioning or whatever. Dude was pretty young and soft spoken, around my age. He was laser focused doing something on one of those tablet-laptop Surface things as I spoke, presumably writing down my symptoms.

Midway through talking about my symptoms my voice audibly started shaking as I was describing them, clearly upset.

In the middle of my monologue he turns the tablet to face me, closes whatever program he has open and the wallpaper is this fucking collage of pictures of lord farquaad from shrek, lovingly decorated. Dude just sat there placidly smiling at me until I noticed and stopped dead in the middle of a sentence. We sat there in silence like this for like a solid minute before I started wheezing laughing. Before I could even say anything else or process it he picked up the tablet and wordlessly left the room, and I just sat there dumbfounded until the doctor showed up. 10/10 doctor experience tbh

I didn’t own a cell phone at the time to get a photo so this rendition from memory is all I can provide you

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'yeag' is a typo to YOU but to me she conveys a feeling that 'yeah' does not

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So I'd like you to meet my partners. This is the broken, this is the beaten, and this is the damned.