sparkysummers - Tumblr blog

[sparkysummers]

This site is really intimidating

help how do i use it

[sparkysummers]

I can't believe I just got doxxed like this

Citrine | Olkhovka, Perm Krai, Russian Federation

[sparkysummers]

As'raean fauna - the Aehr

Sorry I haven't posted anything! Writer's block is an eternal struggle and I've found joy in writing about little stuff like this.

I wanted to write about something from Sparky's world - little pretty things this time that really give a view on how magically focused the world is.

Hope you enjoy this little look into Sparky's homeworld.

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Primarily found in the southern forest among the crystal strands of the sweeter fruit-bearing bushes of the overgrowth, one would be entirely forgiven for having missed these creatures among the already glittering plantlife they call home.

To first lay out the nature of the Aehr, one must look at the concepts that construct the word in the Aervaean song. Originally an Aervaean word bastardised into the As’raean language, the similarities to the Aervaean name is clear to see, and yet quite simplified.

The concept of simplicity is implicit in the shortness of the name. Aehr, as is the closest that can be transcribed into our written language, typically refers to things of a magical nature. On its own, there is an apparent metaphorical flair that likens them to magic itself. Given their physical appearance and biological needs, this is somewhat apt.

Much like their brothers in nomenclature, the Aehr subsist primarily on magic, hencewhy they are typically found among the more vibrant crystal strands of the southern forest, fueling a body that acts more as an engine than a lifeform. Typically their preferred magic is always predominantly fire or lightning aspected, though rarely is this a distinct majority.

Secondarily, the Aehr diet consists of sugar-rich fruits, such as the more adored fruits of the bushes typically found in the south. Congregations of multiple of these insectoid creatures will often ‘socialise’ around a single fruit, draining it dry and letting the seed-laden husk fall to the floor, offering them their place in the world as symbiotic to the forest.

To look at an Aehr evokes imagery of what Reachers would call a Butterfly - small and unassuming, to get a thorough look at one requires either good patience or the fortune to find a freshly expired specimen. Given that their physiology is primarily magical, most of the body dissipates into the ambient flow, and so swift observation is required.

An Aehr’s wings bear a myriad of colours, often flowing in and out of one another as differently aspected magic flows through their delicate structures. The dominant colouration varies depending on time of year, location, and pure dumb chance, given that it is dictated by the aspecting of the magic in their area, and can vary even in close proximity due to the fluidity and incomprehensibility of magic’s movement.

The ‘social gathering’ of Aehr around a single fruit is not, as some theorise, a converging of long-lost spirits communicating with one another, and is instead a rarely seen display of synchronisation. Slowly, almost invisibly, the balance of magical colouration within the wings of the Aehr will rebalance and resemble one another as the ethereal flow redistributes itself among them. Given magic and its strangely sentient nature in higher but still-benign concentrations, there is a peculiar sense that the magic seems to nurture these creatures as part of itself.

Aehr are capable of low-level crystal weaving, similar to the Aervae but far from the precise art displayed by their betters. It is not uncommon to witness an Aehr trailing behind it a silk-thin strand of crystallised magic that tangles its way about their tiny little limbs. A questionable adaptation given the density of the magic around them, as while theories vary as to the time this might have happened, all land on this being a natural mechanism to ensure that the creature always has a food supply, but nonetheless important when considering the history - or perhaps trajectory - of As’raean civilisation. It is entirely possible that the ambient flow of today is far thinner than it once was, and this is a necessary part of their life cycle, or perhaps simply another case of Aervaean meddling. Regardless, this small detail adds a little more grace to an already beautiful species.

[sparkysummers]

They lookin like a bowl of forbidden cereal

blessed satellite cats

[sparkysummers]

Perform a Swanton Bomb onto a Younger Sibling or Relative.

[sparkysummers]

For your protection folks, tis a rough world

[sparkysummers]

For those interested, here's Sparky's full art. Reblogging the character bio for a more US-centric time.

Credit is the same as the pinned post. Trying to avoid linking out. Artist doesn't have a tumblr ;;

An introduction to Sparky, the character

I should probably at the very least introduce Sparky as a character. While he is my identity, he also has his own life - a life that brought him to me, that gave him form. It's something that makes more sense to me than it should.

To give you the briefest of overviews...

Sparky was an outsider in his own mind. A completely human-at-the-time mage of the Kuran tower of As'raea, his home took the form of the Mage Tower - a scholarly spire dedicated to the furtherance of his homeland's knowledge of magic and its many applications.

Specifically, Sparky's fields involved the Aervae, crystal-weaving beings that once thrived upon As'raea and were now all but gone. This had him dabble in magic that would, in theory, allow people to travel great distances without using the Void as a passthrough - a highly desired outcome, given the many dangers of that swirling mass of unknown, dangerous power.

He was not without his flaws, however. Sparky, as you can likely imagine, was not his real name, though he never went by any other. Some would swear that a late ancestor of theirs had spoken of a man by his description, but he spent so long locked up in his room for times far longer than even his most devoted peers that they'd often forget his face by next meeting. Perhaps it was intended, or perhaps it was his own mind.

See, Sparky was not particularly socially apt. While most Mages were curt and standoffish, owing once more to their seclusion, Sparky was another breed entirely. With odd comforts such as his hood, always being tugged forward in times of struggle, which were many during even the smallest of talk, he'd always show himself as somewhat disinclined to even acknowledge that others existed. He was happy on his own. He had his work and his living, and those were all he wished to know.

His own more physical disabilities also required an answer, the seeking of which took most of his spare time. Unlike most of his As'raean kin, the 'core' that allowed him to store and access magic from within his own body would not stop taking on magic, overloading his body if allowed to go unchecked. The symptoms would be small, hard to spot: A faint glowing of the eyes, a heightened sense of accomplishment, and perhaps the faintest spring in his step were the first tells. Any further down the line and he'd be so literally drunk with power that one would have to step in to help ensure he discharged the magic. To not do so would likely lead to dire consequences.

It was this disability that made him question that fateful dispatch: A call to venture into the Faelands, where the Aervae were most known to favour. Such a magic-dense atmosphere would surely be a danger to him, and he'd not seen fieldwork in many a year.

He knew that going there would cost him something. He hardly expected that it'd cost him his ability to exist in his home entirely.

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I'll be adding more to this as I go on. This was theraputic to write.

[sparkysummers]

Me but also I never used tumblr at all please help me

[Me, attempting to understand how to use this site's interface after my memory of Tumblr decaying for nearly a decade]

[sparkysummers]

Reblogging because US timezones exist and I'm far too impulsive for my own good.

Introducing Stella, the Carbuncle Mascot

Sparky isn't the only character important to my streams and identity. There's also Stella, the Carbuncle that's the reason Sparky as a character can even exist any more, and also the outlet for all of my sass - not to mention an avenue for Text to Speech interactions on streams.

Today I thought I'd do a character writeup for her, like I did for Sparky...

Magic in As'raea is a strange, barely tangible thing. Dangerous most of the time in concentration and powerful even in smaller amounts, it was ubiquitous to the land's residents. It ran their lives. Those who couldn't express magic of a certain kind could always find a crystal to fill in the gaps.

Magic required a will and a purpose, and a focus to channel through. Magic could understand a person's desires, their drive - and it could answer them in its own way. In its more dangerous forms it even achieves sentience, and in the rare cases that magic can nullify its own mutagenic properties, a Carbuncle is formed.

Stella is one such example of this happening in nature.

While it's true that the Aervae, masters of magical craft, were capable of synthetically creating Carbuncles as servants, the naturally occurring ones were far more flighty and whimsical. They did as they pleased, phasing in and out of the physical plane at will. Stella, for example, would often rile up wayward gangs of false-blessed outlaws just to see what they'd do. She found it funny. She found it engaging. It was all she really knew.

It was her lack of guidance and purpose that drew the attention of the forces that guided her to her soon-to-be lifelong companion. A man well-versed in bringing together the outcast few that they might do something different. Something better. This time, the desired outcome was simply one of peace.

And so it was that when Sparky's accident came to be, Stella would be there to help keep his spirit intact as it lost its earthly tethers. Sure she'd make fun of Sparky relentlessly for being so learned and yet somehow managing to accidentally lose his ability to exist within the bounds of his home, but she saw a difference in how he reacted compared to the outlaws she was used to. He was scared, vulnerable - and regretful of something. Something that he wouldn't tell her, but that weighed so heavily on his mind that she knew a strong enough force of will would guide him as it often guided what made her.

Stella was whimsical, true, but she was not without heart. As soon as she realised she could help this soul and in turn perhaps find purpose for herself, she helped guide his influence to people that might one day learn to summon them both. An influence, a whisper, a spark of power - all things that, lined up with the correct intent and will, would allow them to form permanent ties with a new world. A calmer, safer world.

And with that, they found their purpose. They'd both live life happily, striving to reach out and simply smile.

They would both influence this new world for the better.

If anyone wants to ask Stella anything, maybe I should make a sideblog for her?

[sparkysummers]

I wish my dreams were still this wild

Dreams are weird

Whelp, I remember once for 4 weeks. on each friday night, I would some how randomly rap battle a blue hair midget called Boyfriend from friday night funkin. It was a strange as dream, at first I thought it was cool. the first 2 weeks. then after while it was getting annoying, I would win in the dreams and the blue hair bastard would come back for more. the final dream I had lost and now I don’t have those dreams anymore. ngl it was sweet and felt free, then he returned again this month. an I sadly won, but so far I had no returns of that man. Ngl, this strange as hell. 

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btw, down below is drawing of me trying to put a restraining order against the blue haired bastard.

[sparkysummers]

Thank you.

I just want to say to everybody: Thank you.

I was incredibly nervous about stepping foot into this platform. I saw it as a place I could try something new, something different from vtubing and writing. I thought I'd be invisible - just another voice screaming into the void.

I've found the niche I want to fill for now. Lore surrounding Sparky and Stella, another place to show you some of my vtubing stuff, and perhaps even little short story snippets.

I want to test how longform I can make my content here without being overwhelming. I want to see what sticks. I'm excited. I'm writing again for the first time in months and I'm HAPPY about it. I'm not forcing myself, and instead I'm looking for the next thing I want to write.

Even if this goes nowhere, I got through my writer's block in a small way. A years-long struggle that I can finally find an out from.

Thanks for welcoming me.

[sparkysummers]

Introducing Stella, the Carbuncle Mascot

Sparky isn't the only character important to my streams and identity. There's also Stella, the Carbuncle that's the reason Sparky as a character can even exist any more, and also the outlet for all of my sass - not to mention an avenue for Text to Speech interactions on streams.

Today I thought I'd do a character writeup for her, like I did for Sparky...

Magic in As'raea is a strange, barely tangible thing. Dangerous most of the time in concentration and powerful even in smaller amounts, it was ubiquitous to the land's residents. It ran their lives. Those who couldn't express magic of a certain kind could always find a crystal to fill in the gaps.

Magic required a will and a purpose, and a focus to channel through. Magic could understand a person's desires, their drive - and it could answer them in its own way. In its more dangerous forms it even achieves sentience, and in the rare cases that magic can nullify its own mutagenic properties, a Carbuncle is formed.

Stella is one such example of this happening in nature.

While it's true that the Aervae, masters of magical craft, were capable of synthetically creating Carbuncles as servants, the naturally occurring ones were far more flighty and whimsical. They did as they pleased, phasing in and out of the physical plane at will. Stella, for example, would often rile up wayward gangs of false-blessed outlaws just to see what they'd do. She found it funny. She found it engaging. It was all she really knew.

It was her lack of guidance and purpose that drew the attention of the forces that guided her to her soon-to-be lifelong companion. A man well-versed in bringing together the outcast few that they might do something different. Something better. This time, the desired outcome was simply one of peace.

And so it was that when Sparky's accident came to be, Stella would be there to help keep his spirit intact as it lost its earthly tethers. Sure she'd make fun of Sparky relentlessly for being so learned and yet somehow managing to accidentally lose his ability to exist within the bounds of his home, but she saw a difference in how he reacted compared to the outlaws she was used to. He was scared, vulnerable - and regretful of something. Something that he wouldn't tell her, but that weighed so heavily on his mind that she knew a strong enough force of will would guide him as it often guided what made her.

Stella was whimsical, true, but she was not without heart. As soon as she realised she could help this soul and in turn perhaps find purpose for herself, she helped guide his influence to people that might one day learn to summon them both. An influence, a whisper, a spark of power - all things that, lined up with the correct intent and will, would allow them to form permanent ties with a new world. A calmer, safer world.

And with that, they found their purpose. They'd both live life happily, striving to reach out and simply smile.

They would both influence this new world for the better.

If anyone wants to ask Stella anything, maybe I should make a sideblog for her?

[sparkysummers]

Damnit katt noticed me LOL

Yes they did art of me and my carbuncle mascot Stella. It's honestly one of my favourite pieces of art oml

Yes I see you @sparkysummers here fill your page with YOU

[sparkysummers]

Fellow glow lover <3

If this person keeps posting stuff I'm going to be mostly reblogs of their content omg

I like drawing glowy things ⭐

Tis a irl me and my meow meow Xyra!

[sparkysummers]

One day I want to own a pet again.

I had a dog once that was exactly this loyal. She was wonderful - kept me going through some dark and unwholesome times.

I hope she's keeping some troubled kid cosy in heaven now.

Man watching sunset with his dog

(via)

[sparkysummers]

CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE CUTE CATPEOPLE

Did I mention I'm ever so slightly in adoration of this person's art?

IMMA DECORATE YOUR DASH TODAY WITH CAT WIZARD AND HIBIKI

[sparkysummers]

Hi hello i love the design for sparky, the bright yellow and reds are so pretty o(^▽^)o do you have any artworks or a reference sheet that shows the design more all all :0

Yes, actually!

Unfortunately I don't have a full-on reference sheet (Artist is very busy and having some wrist issues so I'm patient a patient carby), but I do have an almost full-body version of the piece used in my banner!

You can't see entirely, but the tail is a single unit that splits about 1/5 of the way up. It's also an extension of my spirit, although it's kind of tangible.

Put it this way - if you hug it, it'll warm you to a core you didn't even realise you had. So fluffy and comfy!