#Or is it like; one text amongst so many that no one reads because they're old and specific and not in line with others

[villainessbian]

wait, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are gendered terms?

[musashi]

You think the brand of people who hate MVK and call him neglectful also hate Misty or does she get a free pass as a Girlboss(TM)

no, they're just as bad to misty (but weirdly fine with morgan?)

honestly the person i compare misty to isn't mvk, it's miles. miles and misty both did the same thing (jouhatsu) but miles is forgiven, rarely held accountable, lauded as morally complex or untouchable because he's twaumatiiiiized but misty is demonized always and forever as a neglectful, absent mother whose love is worthless because of the choice she made.

i've never met a single person in this fandom with a favourable opinion on misty, it's fucking depressing as all hell. meanwhile no one gives a shit about morgan who canonically beats her fucking daughter (amongst many, MANY other things)

how the aa fandom chooses to declare parents abusive has nothing to do with the parents and everything to do with how easy it is to project onto their "victims." case in point:

misty fey: morally complex in canon. maya, while not super popular, is growing as projectionbait due to her self-worth issues & the fact that she's often shipped with franziska who everyone is inexplicably horny for. VERDICT: ABUSER.

morgan fey: abusive in canon. beats her youngest daughter & controls her access to the outside world. manipulated all three of her children into committing attempted murder for her. iris is not projectionbait because she is viewed primarily as a threat to narumitsu and thus despised. dahlia is not projectionbait because she is not mentally ill in a sympathetic way, instead exhibiting severe cluster b tendencies and being "one of the bad ones." no sympathy is given to dahlia despite the fact that she was clearly a severely mentally ill child in need of support. pearl is not projectionbait because people's only perception of her personality is "child" and nothing more. VERDICT: NOT ABUSIVE, SIMPLY A CHARISMATIC VILLAIN.

blaise debeste-winner: abusive in canon. berates his son every single opportunity he gets. i am almost certain he does worse by the end of the game but have not yet finished it. eustace is not projectionbait because he is a narcissist and that is not one of the acceptable mental illnesses, see dahlia. VERDICT: NOT ABUSIVE.

manfred von karma: not abusive in canon, I AM INVITING EVERYONE READING THIS MESSAGE TO COME INTO MY INBOX AND DEBATE ME ON THAT POINT RIGHT NOW. DO IT, COWARD. cartoonishly evil. ridiculously so. so evil that it loops back around into being hilarious. morally complex in that we are rarely allowed to know what he is thinking, and so many interpretations of it arise, rightfully so. miles was made to be projectionbait. punitive view on justice that all the fucking catholics on this website share. canonical post-traumatic stress disorder. attractive young gentleman. shippable with the protagonist. severe guilt complex. deep-seated self loathing. would identify as an "anti" if he were on fandom twitter. depending on your interpretations of canon, suicidal. franziska is debatable projectionbait--being like dahlia in that she is the 'wrong' kind of mentally ill--but she inches ahead into a firm yes because she is a burning-out gifted kid and, again, annoying lesbians on this website want to have sex with her. VERDICT: MANFRED VON KARMA INVENTED CHILD ABUSE AND IF YOU COME AWAY FROM THE TEXT WITH ANY KINDER INTERPRETATION ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS KIDS WE WILL UNPERSON YOU ON TWITTER.

i could go on, but i love myself, so i won't.

[chobani-flip]

buddie goggles and why you might enjoy wearing them more if you acknowledge them

so yeah, i think the buddie goggles are a real issue. (ive had them too, fellow shippers, no judgment) like, is it possible that buck and eddie will at some point start a deeply fulfilling romantic relationship? yes. is it what's happening on screen right now and what the show is 100% suggesting is imminent? no. sorry, it's just not.

look, the thing with analysing and interpreting any text is that it's very much about finding things that the text is doing, what could be there, looking at it from different angles and choosing to focus on certain aspects: that's why you have feminist readings of X and queer readings of Y, etc

but if you go looking at a text with the intention of looking for authorial intent and secret messages the author is leaving that only you and the fandom can pick up on correctly? that's such a slippery, tricky slope.

consider:

simply communicating ideas face to face to one single other person can often end in misunderstandings

communicating ideas in writing?... well, we live in the pissing on the poor era of the internet, don't we.

like, how many times have you read/written something, looked at the comments and gone: but...that's not what's there? like, interesting that you see it, but also, i don't know where you got that from

see where I'm going with this?

there is so much that goes into the making of a tv show besides the script and actors' delivery that i am absolutely not an expert on: costumes, set dressing, blocking, lighting, editing, soundtrack...

taking any of those aspects and analysing it and looking for connections is my favourite thing to do and read about and...

ngl, watching the show and looking for buddie in all of them is so much fun. i love it, it's what got me into 911 in the first place.

but i promise you, the moment you stop acknowledging that that's what you're doing, that what you're doing is a Buddie reading of 911, and instead proclaim it as the one single truth? that's when you set yourself up for a wild and not always pleasant ride.

and this isn't about having or not having faith in the writers or buddie or the one they call tim, and honestly, it's kind of telling that the word "faith" is used so often.

it's about accepting that while watching a tv show, we're all putting ourselves in a position of observing the shadows of plato's cave with binoculars on a low-visibility day. (ok. that's a really pretentious twatty thing to say, but i'll leave it there because i think the image is funny. ) and no amount of media literacy is going to give you a clear insight into the minds and intentions of all of the people creating the show (can we please stop shouting at people to get "media literacy" if they disagree with our interpretation of a text, even if what they're saying sounds dumb)

now, i don't know if yall were here for the TJLC thing back then, and I am absolutely not saying that what the Sherlock show did and what 911 is doing is in any shape or form similar, however, on tumblr and amongst the fandom, the lead-up to season 4 and then the secret fourth episode fallout felt exactly like what some parts of the 911 fandom are doing now. so... just take care, friends. and don't be dicks to people who disagree with you over a ship.

[singular-yike]

So what's the deal with everybody's favorite spoopy mirror Mitsumo?

It's been a while since my last post, hasn't it? I'm glad to be back doing another one

I've been busy with my Len'en Tweet Collection project recently, a thorough translation of all tweets related to JynX and Len'en! Check it out if you'd like, but it is mainly just for archival purposes, any info will be logged on the Len'en wiki eventually.

Now! Back to our topic of the day. One might think that there won't be much going for this stage 1 boss, especially since they don't even contribute to the world-building much, unlike Souko.

I thought that would be the case as well, but as I did my research, I found that there's actually still quite a bit to go through with them. So, let us take a dive into this silly-looking mirror and their tagalong!

Visualized Mental Scars — Mitsumo (and Terumi!)

Name: Mitsumo

The name Mitsumo (照雲) is a simple one, comprised of two kanji meaning "illuminate" (照) and "cloud" (雲) respectively.

These are likely taken from the first kanji in shouyoukou (照妖鏡) and ungaikyou (雲外鏡) respectively, the type of object Mitsumo is/inhabits, and the youkai Mitsumo is based on. More on them later.

Name: Terumi

Terumi (輝美), Mitsumo's little tagalong, also has a simple name, the two kanji meaning "shine" (輝) and "beauty" (美) respectively. This name is also a pun on the Japanese word for "mirror", kagami (鏡), as the two kanji can be read as kaga and mi respectively.

Background: Evil-illuminating Mirror

The only concrete piece of information we have about Mitsumo, is that they are a "evil-illuminating mirror" youkai.

An "evil-illuminating mirror" (照妖鏡 CN: zhàoyāojìng JP: shoumakyou) refers to enchanted mirrors originating from Chinese legends that are able to reveal a youkai's true form or magic.

In Japanese tales, they're more often known as "demon-illuminating mirrors" (照魔鏡 shoumakyou) or "youkai-felling mirrors" (降妖鏡 gouyoukyou).

And that's all we know about Mitsumo. Notably, it's not even clear whether they are the mirror itself or a spirit inhabiting the mirror.

Abilities

Project Trauma

Mitsumo is known to have two major abilities, chief amongst them is their ability to "project trauma".

The verb used in the original Japanese is utsusu (映す), which refers to the action of a mirror capturing a reflection and showing its image upon its surface. But also to project something, like onto a TV screen or onto a wall.

So we can surmise that Mitsumo is able to show whoever looks into them their greatest trauma, destroying their minds and taking them over as a vessel.

When this happens, that headband with the tiny mirror apparently manifests on their victims head, and Mitsumo gains total control over them. This is needed because, being a mirror, Mitsumo cannot move by themself much, and thus requires assistance.

Producing Clouds

As we can see in BPoHC though, Mitsumo and Terumi ride on a tower of clouds to fly about and fight the protagonists.

This is revealed in a Kanae stream to be an ability they employ when they're getting ready to fight, as it allows them quick escape should their vessel get struck down in battle.

However, this apparently consumes much youkai energy, so Mitsumo prefers to avoid using it if they can.

Mythological Basis: Ungaikyou

Mitsumo is likely based on the ungaikyou (雲外鏡 mirror beyond the clouds), a youkai first seen in the 18th century artist Toriyama Sekien's Illustrated Bag of One Hundred Housewares (百器徒然袋).

Above: Toriyama Sekien's illustration of the ungaikyou

Not much is known about the original ungaikyou, not even what it can do, simply that it exists, at least according to Toriyama.

However, as you can see from the illustration, the mirror rests on a tower of clouds (or mirror stand that is designed to look like clouds), and has a rather silly face in the mirror.

This design is quite heavily reflected in Mitsumo, with the clouds they produce and the many eyes on the mirror.

Origins

The accompanying text for this entry reads:

In my dreams, I thought to myself, "The so called 'evil-illuminating mirror' is able to capture upon its surface the forms of various bizarre things, so when I think about what happens when its shadow is captured, what came to me was this youkai."

It is frankly unclear what Toriyama means by this, though what is agreed on is that this likely suggests:

This youkai is likely invented by Toriyama, if inspired by a dream.

This youkai is likely based on the evil-illuminating mirror.

Not much can be gleaned from this, so we could try turning to its name instead. Ungaikyou, the "mirror beyond the clouds".

It's been suggested that perhaps the name is a reference to the Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海經), read sengaikyou in Japanese. It's a classical Chinese text that notably features a great number of descriptions of Chinese youkai, over 350 of them.

Additionally, it's been suggested that the "beyond the clouds" bit of its name refers to the "clear skies", which is further a metaphor for how the evil-illuminating mirror is able to reveal the true form of things, unobstructed by illusions.

Abilities

While Toriyama does not give any description to what the ungaikyou actually does, later writers have expanded upon the youkai and gave it a variety of somewhat similar abilities.

In the 1997 Dictionary of the Monster (幻想動物事典) by Takumi Kusano (草野巧), he gives the ungaikyou the ability to "show humans the image of a youkai they could become".

In the Illustrated Compendium of Youkai (図説　妖怪辞典) by "Youkai dot com" (妖怪ドットコム), the ungaikyou is given the ability to "control other youkai whose form has been reflected in the mirror".

These two abilities can be seen to combine into Mitsumo's ability, showing whoever peers into them a horrifying sight and then taking over their body.

Nature

As mentioned, there's not much we can tell from Toriyama's original depiction, but many later interpretations group it, and in fact every youkai in this book, into a group of youkai known as tsukumogami.

The word tsukumogami (付喪神 gods/spirits that posses [things that are] ruin[ed]) has been applied to applied to many different things, so what it specifically refers to isn't exactly 100% clear-cut.

In general though, the modern understanding is that they are objects that have existed for 100 years and thus become alive, gaining a spirit of its own.

For the most part, modern interpretation of the ungaikyou considers it a tsukumogami, often of an evil-illuminating mirror.

While there are 2 major examples that differ from this, they clearly do not relate to Mitsumo, so I've elected to omit them.

As far as I can tell, there's nothing that directly indicates that Mitsumo is actually an ungaikyou, let alone a tsukumogami, so there's nowhere we can really go with this, unfortunately.

Mini Theory: What is Mitsumo?

I have a small, not very substantiated theory about Mitsumo that I thought I might as well share anyways.

This theory is based on 2 major facts:

Mitsumo seemingly has a torii shrine gate with them, though warped in a malicious direction, judging by the horns.

Mirrors have long been objects of worship in Japan, popular as shintai, an object in which the gods' spirits dwell, at Shinto shrines.

My little theory goes, that Mitsumo was once worshiped as some sort of god, likely thanks to them being an evil-illuminating mirror, helpful in combating youkai and dispelling evil.

Mitsumo could have been a god that dwelled in the mirror, or they could simply be the mirror's own consciousness once it got old enough and gained a spirit.

Nevertheless, when worship of Mitsumo eventually faded away, they felt betrayed by his followers. These negative feelings eventually boiled over, corrupting them and transforming them into a youkai.

It is, after all, often said that youkai and gods are two sides of the same coin, the difference being only in whether they're worshipped by humans or not. Sometimes, one being can even be both at the same time.

That's all this theory is, that Mitsumo was a god whose worship faded, their resentment towards this transforming them into the malicious youkai that we know today.

Ending

And that's all I've got on Mitsumo, not a lot, but not little either.

They're a rather straight-forward character, all things considered, and yet they still have an air of mystery about them, it's the wonderful charm of Len'en, really. Let's hope that we'll get to learn more about them in the future~!

As usual, I hope you enjoyed~! :)

[sotwk]

Behind the Scenes: SotWK's Writing Process

Welcome to a little "behind the scenes" of my attempts to keep my growing list of WIPS and story requests/ideas organized!

My Fic and HC Requests are (for the most part), always open, and open to Anons. Occasionally, I also invite requests in relation to writing events or games. Needless to say, I get quite a lot of requests, and I am both flattered and thrilled by that.

However, I also work full-time (albeit always in front of a computer), and I have two little kids (who attend preschool, whew), so I have much less time to focus on writing than most creators here.

But I love writing, and I love using it to make people happy even more. My rule is, I will accept any requests (that reasonably fall within my guidelines, but I can be flexible!) as long as you can wait patiently for me to deliver on them. I always give my best effort to make it worth your while, and I will never ignore your request or give up on it without checking with you first (yes, this includes Anons).

I have no wait list. I do not work on requests "in the order they were received". I work on whatever story speaks to and cooperates with me that day, and that means shuffling amongst up to five WIPs at a time. That's simply how my brain works, unfortunately.

All my fanfics / your requests are always, and forever will be, FREE. They're gifts I am honored to give.

I am constantly saying, "I'm working on it" or "It's on my list", and I would like to offer just a bit of proof of that. So, especially for those who have been waiting a long time (and those who might have to wait even longer), I present my Google Drive's Organized Chaos to show how I keep all those WIPs in check:

Drafts in Progress: Stories that are closest to completion, and the ones I am currently trying to focus on.

Drafts on Hold: Drafts that I have started, but have stalled, so they're on the back burner for now.

Headcanons: I usually draft my headcanon requests straight on Tumblr, but sometimes they go on here.

Ask Screenshots: Where I save Asks that I responded to/deleted, but I needed to save the text for the sake of notes. Also lovely Asks that I save for posterity.

Valentine Event: I received so many Asks for this event that it required its own folder.

Gifted Graphics: Always hoping for new contributions to this one! (not subtle enough?)

And now, for my Fic Tracker Spreadsheet, which tracks ALL Tolkien fics I write, both requests and my personal projects:

I redacted the "Requestor" column to preserve some surprises. I track the estimated "Status" aka percentage of completion as a way to motivate myself, because getting to that blessed 100% is the Holy Grail for me!

WIP: Every fic that's on the "front burner" and I'm actively fighting to complete.

Requests/Concepts: Contains details of all requests and ideas I have which will eventually jump into the WIP tab.

Valentine: Remember how I said I received so many responses to this event? Yeah. I'm still determined to finish them all, though!

To Read: Yup, I track all the fics of friends that I intent to read here, too. That's how important those are to me.

I truly hope all this info doesn't scare anyone off from sending in more requests! I hope this gives Readers/Followers a little more faith in me and show that I take all requests I receive very seriously. They are the most important part of what I do as a fanfic writer.

I may be slow, but I'm committed and determined!

If you have any questions about the above, or about your requests, I'm open! Please keep sending in requests! Thank you for your support and patience!

Link to my FANFIC REQUEST GUIDELINES

Tagging some of those folks who are currently waiting on requests: @quickslvxrr @laneynoir @ladyweaslette @scyllas-revenge @lathalea @g-m-kaye @absentmindeduniverse @aduialel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @blueberryrock @the-phantom-of-arda @tamurilofrivendell @achromaticerebus @klytemnestra13 @glassgulls @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @guardianofrivendell @a-burr-a-hobbit @literary-eclair

[babbybones]

Ok i have a kinda dumb question that i am having trouble finding answers for, but what is the deal with Fandom (the site/company with all the wikis) sorry to ask but the name is so painfully generic i am having trouble finding info rip

@hope-punk put it pretty well in the replies of my post, so I hope they won't mind me quoting them here

if you've tried to look up a media specific wiki, you'll probably have found a Fandom wiki. That's Fandom with a capital, because they're a specific company. They operate a large wiki system that invites people to make wikis for whatever they want, and boast being the platform for many major wikis like the Minecraft wiki and Zelda wiki. However, going on a Fandom wiki will quickly make apparent the bad side of using Fandom wikis,

Fandom forces large, intrusive ads, auto play videos, the whole works onto the page, to the point where it becomes extremely unpleasant to use. In addition to this, they limit what you can do with your wiki compared to independent wikis or even other wiki networks, forcing large yellow sidebars and limited layouts. There's also pushes to make it a kind of social network with comments and such (which is… not what a wiki needs, at least in the format forced).

In addition to this, Fandom the company is quite frankly rabid in their push to consume or subsume fandom, hobby and media platforms. They recently acquired amongst other companies, Gamespot and GameFAQs, as well as other wiki platforms in the past. It takes a concerted effort to try and remain out of the grasp of Fandom the company, such as the wild steps the Blaseball fandom took to escape that someone added, or the Nintendo Independent Wiki Network

some other notable Fandom Crimes:

They purged LGBT-related wikis in an attempt to merge almost all of them into One Single LGBT Wiki, which is a nightmare idea considering the LGBTQ+ community is not a single unified monolith. Microlabels that were previously documented on the now-purged wikis were not considered notable enough to be documented on the merged wiki, and were instead directed to the Ezgender Wiki, placing an undue burden on wiki staff who weren't consulted about any of this in advance

On popular wikis, they'll sometimes put auto-playing videos on wiki pages outside of the wiki editors' control. These videos can contain spoilers or irrelevant/inaccurate information

Acquired Gamepedia, a competing wiki farm, and forcibly converted all of those wikis to Fandom's format. This is why Zelda Wiki, a founding member of the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance, is now on Fandom

Acquired and shut down Strawpoll.me

As I alluded to in the original post, you don't really "own" your wiki, and if your wiki makes Fandom a lot of ad revenue, they have a vested interest in keeping it up and running. If you make it obvious that you're trying to migrate or shut down such a wiki, they can simply get rid of you, replace you with new mods/admins, and revert anything they deem "vandalism" (basically, all signs that you were trying to migrate)

edit: can't believe I forgot to mention this but they've worked with the U.S. military

also reading Fandom wikis on mobile looks like this:

(id in alt text)

[grimmed]

oc + acc promotion!!

Name: Taeus

Age: Unknown (adult, presumably in their 20s)

Species: Buzzinga

Hobbies: Journaling, exploring, collecting, playing music!!

Likes: Anything spicy or sweet, warmth, being around others.

Dislikes: The dark, cold, silence.

Positive personality traits: Optimistic, helpful, kind

Negative traits: Jealous, cowardice, quick to assume

--- more info below (long texts + link ahead) ---

Biography:

Taeus is one of the few(?) Buzzingas still out there, Taeus loves to approach people and make friends! Their open approach and easy going attitude really makes them seem more like a normal monster than a myth, especially considering how active they are with other monsters from other islands.

they're quick to get onto people's good side, though ignorance truly is a killer for them. They try their best to see the good in everyone, and treats everyone the same, because they don't see a reason to be mean to others. Even when around rude monsters, they try their best to be respectful and smile through it all, they treat everyone the same in hopes they'll be treated with the respect they give others, but it doesn't always happen. They don't like being vulnerable around people, they want to be seen as someone who is reliable and strong, so when they're upset, their instinct is to run away as fast as possible, they believe that if monsters see them cracking under pressure, they will see them differently.

They wish to find someone they can trust opening up to, but they just don't know where to start. While they are happy for and admire it, they are jealous of others who are able to express their emotions freely without worrying what others think. They are easy to scare, they are absolutely horrible with anything scary (even though a lot of monster tales are intended to freak monsters out, and that just so happens to be something they're very interested in) or anything sudden, they always plan ahead before setting out to adventure, the idea of getting lost in a place where they can't access their abilities freaks them out too much (and yes, this has happened once.)

They are often quick to assume given by appearance, voice, and the like. They are not explicit about this unless they feel nervous, and try to be as open minded as possible when it comes to communicating. They're pretty good at this, and their initial beliefs usually go away after a few minutes, but sometimes they'll slip out their thoughts/former thoughts without thinking.

Abilities:

- Musical abilities, well thats a given. They aren't super confident in their musical ability, but they're moreso focused on having fun then anything else.

- They can create portals to other islands.

- They can fly! (...Obviously)

- Their music *can* have a soothing effect if played right.

Fun facts:

- Taeus is one of the youngest Buzzingas to exist right now

- Taeus loves to collect flowers! They will often press them in to keep in their journals

- (headcanon) Buzzingas cannot survive in cold climates, and do very poorly when somewhere that is cold. Taeus is not an exception, let's just say their visit to cold island wasn't the most fun.

- They love to sing, but don't do it often.

- Their favorite color is teal

- They like to read in their spare time, they usually read what monsters recommend them.

-----

thats my rp acct! yes i had to make a new one because i realized making a side blog doesnt make it an actual account oops 😭 but it exists so feel free to follow and everything!!!! thank you for reading :)

[rollercoasterwords]

oh!!!! happy 100k words wfrau!!!!!!! she's getting bigger (<- like you would speak of a puppy). how long is it supposed to be & how far along are you? and also... would you like to share a snippet you like (from any chapter ofc... no pressure if no it's completely understandable)? what do you enjoy the most about writing it? bc it seems like you're having fun & it's so nice to see someone enjoying a hobby so openly online... especially writing... there's this conception that writers don't actually enjoy writing (the whole 'forcing myself to write' bit) and i'm curious to hear your perspective on it!! also!!!!!! i hope moving will be easy & fun & the world will be kind to you with the change <3 i keep telling myself 2 read marx but i can't find any good translations to my native language and reading it in english is making my brain go grgrgrgrgr like an air conditioner on its last leg so alas it might have to wait... so true for liking iced drinks they're really the best!! i've heard someone say it's childish but i think they just live a very miserable hot life in the august heat drinking their hot coffee instead of putting some ice cubes in it :) it's funny you say that about fav line because it's definitely my fav fic of your writing & the ending of it is soooo beautiful i get back to it every time i need to feel something!!!!! that song line is beautiful too omg... and well the weather is hell everywhere at least the world is all suffering together :( i hope the atmosphere isn't suffering too much :/ honestly i am a big 'i would rather be hot than cold' believer because i am from a hot country so i know how to deal with the heat but you know what i'm sure the chill can also be intriguing to some... not me though... i hope the winter will be kind on you <3 thank u for letting me invade ur ask box i am creating myself a room here for now i think. anyway. love and hugs!!!! <333

hello!! she is indeed getting bigger <3 if i had to guess right now i'd say i'm maybe...possibly nearing the halfway point of the fic, plotwise? but honestly it's really hard to say lol. i've got 2 more story arcs to cover in part 3 (plus finishing the current one), and then part 4 is gonna have like...2 or 3 story arcs as well, plus an epilogue. so it just depends on how long it takes me to cover all that ground!

and yeah i'm having a lot of fun writing!! i know what u mean abt the whole "ugh writing amirite" bit that writers do lol and i'm sure i do it sometimes too...i mean i think tone varies a lot and many people who complain about writing still really enjoy the activity, but i do think there is sometimes this self-flagellating tendency amongst some writers to act like writing is meant to be this strenuous, emotionally draining activity like ur...idk sisyphus w the stone or something, and if you're writing something 'easy' or 'fun' you're somehow a lower caliber of writer than those who Nobly Suffer for their art, etc...which i think is dumb lol. suffering doesn't inherently make art any better or more noble

& thank u 4 the well-wishes w moving!! i'm mostly nervous about getting to my flight on time lol i have to go into work the literal day before i leave and then catch a train across the country at 5am the next morning 2 get 2 the airport...not going 2 be fun so i'll take all the well-wishes i can get !!

sorry 2 hear u can't find marx in ur native language :( it's hard enough 4 me 2 understand reading in my first language i cannot imagine trying 2 parse it in a second language...maybe it might be easier 2 find one of his (or engels') shorter texts 2 read? capital is a monster but i started off with a few shorter pieces ('socialism: utopian and scientific', 'principles of communism', 'wage labour and capital,' 'value price and profit') which i found helpful! also there are lots of secondary resources of other people breaking down + explaining marx's work; maybe there's a good source in your native language that could give a summary/overview of capital? there's no one right way 2 learn, it's just abt finding what works best for u!!

iced drink supremacy 4ever truly <3 me myself & i we can only enjoy a hot beverage if it's very cold outside...otherwise i am simply thinking well why would i do that 2 myself... & thank u!! happy 2 hear u like the lines!! v happy w them v proud <3 & also appreciate the well-wishes re: weather i cannot relate 2 the hot-weather preference i much prefer cold...or at least i used to i grew up in a relatively cold climate but then i moved south 4 university so at this point i'm going on 6 years of living in what is categorized as a "humid subtropical climate" & i think my winter tolerance has been all but destroyed it hardly ever drops below freezing...but hot&humid weather is still my least favorite i think i would prefer icy-cold winter + mild summer but i will be actually putting that theory 2 the test this year so!! who knows maybe my hubris will be my downfall...

& of course!! u are welcome 2 stop by + chat anytime...in my heart we are drinking iced beverages 2gether <3 also as requested here is a snippet from ch 14:

“Don’t,” he tells her, firmly, “Don’t say that. I don’t—want you involved. If they ever did anything to hurt you…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” She stares at him, eyes ablaze. “And how do you think I feel? Knowing that they only pick on you because—” her voice falters, cracking, “Because you’re with me?” Her lip is trembling again, tears threatening to spill over from her eyes. Sirius shakes his head, helplessly, at a loss for what to do.

[cringedaddy]

Character info idea dump for me to come back and read... it's almost all talk to text and incoherent babble. Read at ur own discretion? It's probably almost unreadable to someone who doesn't know what I'm talking abt.

Dr. Katz is a scientist that works for the cult and lives in the underdark. He lives in a home that looks so strikingly human and out of place amongst the caves high on a cliff near a waterfall. Inside are the mad ramblings of this doctor strewn about on pieces of paper and in journals. Most of these details scientific concepts or religious ramblings or theory In general hes very erratic but very excitable and hopeful for the future despite the future being a very very grim sounding place. He believes that the end of the world has already come and that it there is a rebirth in the midst. He firmly believed that the call leader is a messiah They're to lead them into what he calls the grand rebirth Into a world that is going to run on immortality and new ideas He believes that without suffering there is no meaning to life But he also entirely believes that undue suffering and unneeded suffering should be purged. He believes and often States that humans are living in the shadow of death which he finds appalling and he looks forward to the days where that is no longer a fear, But he also believes that 1 must die to live so he very much believes that all humans will die but should not live in the fear of death. That all humanity and this immortality that is to be the new normal is only reached through death, He firmly believes that all humans must and should die and that that 1st initial death is your rebirth. He himself was running from death for many many years after the war so much so to the point he had started to kill other people because of his body Betraying him with age. He was a child when the war 1st started 50 years ago as a child he grew and he lost his family he has a lot of mental issues because of this, He very much loves his family despite the kind of person he is. And he believes that they love him and they did but if they knew the person he had become they would be disgusted with him. He has no concept of that. As it stands he is completely dead now as he has also underwent this new rebirth as his philosophy changed in life. This philosophy actually stemmed from the fact that he constantly had to kill people and take their pieces to continue living. He 100% found it exhausting and wondered how killing others could TRULY be the way to ones own "salvation". But he had no idea how ELSE to achieve this "immortality" until somewhat recently when he "perfected" the method to induce the "rebirth" after death. This didn't come without a price, many failed attempts lay behind him and many mutilated creatures that are no longer human exist because of his hubris. He has killed some of the worst ones, but has kept some of the ones that are not as detestable to him. A flesh golem that is a product of his early attempts has been tasked to guard his home. Once he was confident in his method he had it done to himself as well, confident in his philosophy. But just like every single "rebirth" he came back wrong too. He does not view this as a flaw of the process, but part of it.

[kellofbones]

Null's WIP Writing Thingies Story 1:

And just a reminder these are mostly unfinished. Some if these ideas I think I'll pick up again because they're almost always things I really did like/found interesting, but for whatever life or mental health reasons just gave up on. I could go into the story behind several of these stories, but I'll do that another time.

ANYWAYS without further ado,

♤ The King's Staff ♤

Satan x OC, Male OC/MC, Magic, also featuring Solomon and Lucifer. Originally written 4/22/22

The Wizard Solomon had encountered many strange items amongst his travels but none so puzzling as this had he yet discovered until now. There upon the eldest demon brother’s desk lay a long wooden staff with a serpentine design coiled around the upper half, ending with a faintly glowing iridescent gem held within the mouth of a dragon. He felt a strong sense of deja vu, but he had no way to place it.. It could by all means be a possession of the demon lord himself, but there it sat in the House of Lamentation with no one ever batting an eye before this day. Strange how it never caught his eye before yet here and now he stood fiddling his cold hands as he ignored whatever the eldest demon brother was saying. Of course, the keen-eyed Lucifer stopped within seconds of Solomon’s distraction.

“Is there something you wanted to say, Solomon?” Lucifer asked, tilting his head with a raised brow.

“Actually,” Solomon said, pulling his eyes away finally, “Do you have any books about old magical items?” He asked, walking over to the desk as he lightly brushed his fingers over the metal scales wrapped around the wood. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, yet strangely I feel as though I should know it..” 

“I’ve had Satan scour his library. He hasn’t come back-” Before Lucifer could finish, the door opened. There stood the blonde fourth born demon with a book in hand. He walked over to the desk and set the book down, opened to a specific page, pointing to the familiar illustration. 

“Is that it?” He asked, looking over the staff curiously. “It’s a little different in the illustration, but..” Solomon took the book in his hands as his eyes scanned the words written in an old language. “.. I think so. Why is half the text missing?”

“You tell me. That's all I can find on this staff.”

“Odd.” Solomon said softly. He narrowed his eyes as he read what little text there was.

The Staff of Kings

This staff is said to be the one wielded by the sorcerer.. lf is.. the only thing left after his historic, city-destroying battle... become the royal sorcerer, however Minvon stopped him before... d be brought to fruition... The.. imself claimed it as a beautiful piece to hol...

“Huh..” Solomon muttered, narrowing his eyes as he tried to make out what little he could. “Staff of Kings.. Why is that familiar?” 

Satan raised a brow. “I know that story. Sort of, anyway. It was wielded by some evil sorcerer called.. Ah, what was his name..?” He put a hand to his chin.

“Cedric Morgan.”

“Yea!” Satan exclaimed. “Wait, have you heard of it too?” Satan asked, tilting his head. 

“I knew his rival.” Solomon said, staring darkly at the staff. “The staff should be destroyed. It should have been long ago, but for whatever reason, Sir Selvyne refused.” He looked away, crossing his arms. “That man was nothing but a curse I’ve heard.” 

With a huff, Lucifer tilted his head as he looked closer at the staff. “It’s very well made. I can see it being a great conversation starter as a decoration.”

“How did you even come upon such an evil item?” 

“Lord Diavolo gifted it to me once. He believed it as I did, a lovely decoration. I hadn’t really had the time to put it up but..” He shuffled. “I took a look at it this morning and felt..” He furrowed his brows, leaning in a bit closer. “Something’s..”

Solomon’s eyes widened as he quickly grabbed hold of the staff. “Don’t. It’s like a sickness, burrowing into your mind. I’ve seen men go insane over this thing.” He said, holding it sideways. “If it’s so evil why did no one ever destroy it?” Satan walked over, staring closely at the staff. “It’s nothing special, aside from maybe the gem in the middle-”

“Don’t touch that!” Solomon yelled. “The sorcerer told me never to touch the gem. It would cause irreparable harm!” The blonde huffed. “I’m a demon, Solomon. I don’t know about men, but I can probably handle whatever it is..” 

“Satan, I really don’t think-” 

“Hush it.” The blonde said, snatching the staff. “Gems are the power, so if we remove it then the staff itself can still work as a fancy walking stick..” His fingers wrapped around the gem ever so gently. Then everything went white.

Satan stood, wide eyed as he stared down at his hand unaware of the papers and items now flying over the room, and Solomon frozen as if he’d been paused. 

Lucifer quickly glanced around. “Satan..” He mumbled. “What..?” 

Satan closed his eyes. He could feel something coursing through him, a voice talking ever so faintly. “You..” He mumbled. “Want to be free..” 

Lucifer quickly stood only to find his movements slowed heavily. “Satan..!” He called out, widening his eyes. “Wait-!”

Satan’s eyes shot open. “Cedric.” He said, turning to Lucifer. “He’s alive.”

“.. given what Solomon said, we should notify Lord Diavolo right away if-”

“Lies.” 

“What?”

“They’re lies.” Satan said, looking down at the gem, and the snake with a dragon’s head which had come to life. “The sorcerer was.. Wrong.” 

“How do you know he’s-”

Satan gripped the end of the snake’s tail, which stuck in the middle of the staff where the gem once was. “I’ll let you ask him yourself.” He said, ripping the creature off of the wooden frame. 

The resulting shockwave caused the office to become even more of a mess. Satan opened his eyes, noticing a pile of books upon his back. He groaned, pulling himself up slowly. Lucifer had fallen over his desk, and with all that blood in his head from the position he felt dizzy just lifting himself up. 

“Satan..” Lucifer muttered, glancing around. “Are you alright…?”

Solomon shot up from the floor, shuffling back urgently against the wall at the sight before him. Satan pulled himself up more, looking to that same spot, as Lucifer finally spotted it. 

There in the middle of the floor, with the gem of the staff now shining brightly, a rather skinny man lay. His hand twitched.

“No..” Solomon mumbled, glaring at Satan. “What.. What did you do..?!” 

Satan blinked, watching the man’s head slowly rise to face him. Red eyes stared toward him half asleep, before they opened wide. He scrambled up to his knees, moving up and using both hands to grasp one of the demon’s.

“You..” He spoke, though his voice had a hoarseness to it. “You freed me.. I..” He lowered his head, shaking. “Thank you..” He choked on a sob, covering his mouth as he lowered down even more.

He was elvish in appearance with the characteristic pointy ears, his skin light with a pink undertone. His silver hair was tied back into braids, with silver rings separating the braids from the loose hair. He wore a tattered linen shirt and long tan pants with no shoes.. He looked almost like a homeless man with his sunken, gaunt fearures.

Solomon raised to his feet, taking the staff off the ground and holding it away from the elf. He narrowed his eyes.

“You.” He said, his voice lowering. “You have some nerve deceiving a demon to release you from your...” He paused. “Wait.. you were in there?” 

The elf lifted his head, turning to Solomon. “My staff.. I was trapped.” He said, moving backward. “I..” He gulped. Satan could feel the shivering worsen, only then noticing just how skinny this elf was. He wrapped his hand around the elf’s, pulling them both to their feet. 

“.. Cedric, right?” To which the elf nodded. Satan stepped in between him and Solomon.

“May I have the staff back?”

“I’m not letting it go back into that fiend’s hands.” Solomon retorted. 

“He’s no fiend.” Satan lowered his head. “I don’t know exactly what it was but when I touched that gem I connected with him. I could.. Feel him, if that makes any sense. He was imprisoned, Solomon.” 

“That doesn’t change anything!”

“Why would Sir Selvyne never say such a thing? If you or any of his colleagues knew, they would have destroyed it to remove all traces of him, right?”

Cedric blinked, looking to Solomon with narrowed eyes. “You knew Minvon?”

Solomon scoffed. “I worked with him, yes. He told me all about you and your horrible plans.”

“I don’t recognize you at all..” Cedric sighed. “Of course.. He’d tell the story that I’m the bad one..”

“What story?” Solomon raised a brow. 

“Minvon Selvyne was a liar and a cheat.”

“How dare you..!” Solomon shoved the tip of the staff into the elf's chest, knocking him back. Satan quickly shoved the sorcerer back, yanking the staff out of his hands. ".. Lucifer, get your brother under control. Now." Solomon growled. The eldest brother glanced between the two and shook his head. 

"Satan." He said calmly. "I don't know what exactly has been told to you but given we know Solomon better, I'd recommend we trust his-"

"Absolutely not." The blonde demon shoved the staff into Cedric's arms. Cedric blinked, confused, and picked up the gem from the floor. He sighed. 

"Here." Cedric said quietly, handing both items back to Solomon. "You can hold these until you feel comfortable returning them. I'm.. out of practice, anyhow." He said quietly, crossing his arms. "We need to tell Lord Diavolo." Lucifer said. 

Satan turned to Cedric with softer eyes. "Are you okay?" Cedric nodded. "Just.. hungry. The staff left me in a sort of.. stasis. I was there, mostly, but I never got hungry or tired. All I could do was read." He chuckled softly. "I got lucky with the books, I guess. They would change every few months. I have a.. bit of an idea of how the world has changed." 

~ end ~

Author Notes:

Honestly, if I were to revisit this I would definitely rewrite it. As of right now I can say I dont have a full grasp on Solomon as a character and I really do try not to mischaracterize these guys, or any canon characters that I write. It's why I tend to stick to my own characters, honestly.

I feel I could better describe the connection that Satan shares with Cedric given it feels a little bit too.. rushed? I guess. I do want to do a proper story with Cedric as he is another oc of mine whom I really enjoy the story I've made for him so far.

Can you believe I got it from a home mod for Skyrim?

[wildjuniperjones]

what is your favorite aspect of worldbuilding?

Oof, what a choice!

When reading other's work, I enjoy seeing the aspects of world-building that I'm not that great at on display, things like cosmology, science, and linguistics. C. J. Cherryl is a great author for linguistics world-building.

Personally, I really like figuring out the sociology of a culture, especially what their norms and customs are around other topics, like food, technology, magic, etc., and how the relationship to these changes over time.

Example below the cut, because I was feeling verbose again.

Starcrossed makes liberal use of feystones (essentially smartphones), but much like here, it's not appropriate to use them in the middle of conversations, and not everyone has access to the entirety of the airspace (essentially the internet). Tasks are siloed into facets (apps) that require a technician to change, so only the most used facets are going to be engraved with the appropriate sigil. Typically, these are the ones used for sendings and missives (calls and texts).

Amongst the Goblins and the Fishes, which takes place roughly 300 years prior to Starcrossed, has a different relationship to communications. There are readily available handheld mirrors that do one thing only - sendings (basically video calls). They aren't cheap, but they're used often enough that soldiers above the rank of private would have one for field use, if their assignment required it. They're more ubiquitous in the military, but are kept by returning veterans and are available to the middle to upper classes. Because the mirror is one-sided, you can have conversations with people without showing your face, simply by covering the surface with a cloth or facing it away from you. Preventing sendings from reaching a particular mirror is accomplished by touching cold-forged iron to the surface, and many pocket mirrors have a needle-like armature that can be slid into place to prevent unwanted sendings, such as on a covert mission, or in an important meeting. These mirrors are also used more broadly as surveillance devices in high-end shops, and larger versions can broadcast to multiple devices at once, for government announcements, or news and financial reports. Less expensive messaging is done by messengers, trained birds, or a variation of semaphore.

The Silver Hand takes place roughly 600 years before Amongst the Goblins and the Fishes, and there are only a handful of very large magic mirrors spread across the world, mostly in Europe. There are specific spells that can communicate across vast distances, but only a handful of people know them, and they guard their secrets. Most are in service to various kingdoms or major religious institutions (similar to the Catholic church, although that doesn't exist in the same way as in our world). The usage of the mirrors or the spellcasters' abilities is relegated to the uppermost echelons of power.

Wow. I wrote this instead of the other thing I'd meant to write (about how food and drink are handled in this world, which would've meant explaining more about the planar intrusions and how they affect the inhabitants) and it still ended up being very verbose. I guess I'm in the mood for exposition?

Anyway, thank you very much for the ask!

[btsgotjams27]

safety zone | jhs

when you forget to rsvp to j-hope's listening party, you take it upon yourself to make it up to him.

✨ title: safety zone | ✨ pairing: hoseok x ceo f!reader ✨ word count: 5.3k | ✨ rating: m/18+ | minors dni ✨ genre: strangers-to-lovers, idol!au, mutual pining, pwp, smut ✨ warnings: alcohol consumption, cursing, kissing, oral (m,f receiving), fingering, consented sex, unprotected sex, mc is on the pill, they're both clean, use of the word slut, sex against the wall, I also suck at writing smut, so I apologize in advance ✨ outfit for the night ✨ a/n: this started as a convo with my friend Ana when the JITB party was happening and it turned into this one-shot lol. enjoy.

The invitation to the party of the century was waiting inside a brown package outside of your door when you arrived home from work, but you wouldn’t get to open it until the day after. You grabbed the box, not thinking anything of it, didn’t even care to see who sent it because you always received so many gifts from companies and reps trying to sway you with their products. It was just another box amongst your other pile of boxes. You'd get to it at some point.

Another Thursday, full of meetings. The most dreaded day of the week, so close to the weekend, yet so far. And one may wonder why you’d say yes to being the senior editor of a fashion magazine, and sometimes you ask yourself the same question. Well, because you love the hustle, the adrenaline rush from a deadline, and mostly the freedom of creativity…you love that aspect of your job. The other part of your position included mingling with people in the industry, schmoozing with the rich and famous. Sounds like a dream, right? WRONG. Celebrities were the worst, it was hard to find people you actually liked and could connect with, without someone wanting something in return. Sure, you held a position of power, but at what cost? No friends and long work hours? The closest friend you had was Ari, your assistant, who knew the ins-and-outs of your life, but that was only because it was her job.

Ari knocked on your office door before peeking her head in. “Hey boss…I received an email from HYBE today and they haven’t received your RSVP for the ‘Jack in the Box’ album listening party tonight.”

Tonight? You looked at the clock in the corner of your screen, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Perking up from your laptop screen, your eyes widened at Ari’s statement. “I don’t remember receiving an invitation.”

“They said a package was sent to you last week.”

Shit…You’d been so busy that you didn’t have a chance to look through your packages. “They sent it to my apartment?”

“Yes…” Ari scrolled through the tablet in her hands, “it looks like j-hope personally sent it to you.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. You closed your laptop. “Get them on the phone. NOW.”

She grabbed her phone from her pocket and immediately dialed, and handed the phone over. It rang a few times before someone on the other end picked up, directing you to Mi-na who was in charge of the event tonight. While on the phone, you expressed how terrible you felt for not responding sooner and that you would of course be there at the listening party.

When you hung up, you glanced up at Ari who was sporting a smirk. “What?” You asked, giving her the side-eye.

“You mean you haven’t been texting the one and only Jung Hoseok, aka j-hope, from BTS - the biggest band in the world? How could you not know about this party?” She asked with a curious expression.

You knew his album was coming out, you’d been on the set of his photoshoot, not even a month ago, but you didn’t know there was a listening party. “No…he’s been busy and so have I…and when would I have time to text him?”

Ari grinned, “Mmhm.”

“Besides…he left me on read.” You weren’t bitter about it. You weren’t! He was a busy guy being a worldwide superstar and you were busy running a magazine. You thought there might have been some sort of chemistry the last time you were on the set of his photoshoot, but maybe you read the signals wrong, maybe he wasn’t flirting with you - he was just being nice.

The listening party was being held on the 19th floor of the HYBE building. It was smart to do so, you thought - doing things on their terms and no one else’s, and that’s what you admired about HYBE and their business model. They took care of their artists unlike other companies you knew.

Arriving at a private entrance in the parking garage, you stepped out of your car, dressed in leopard print mini dress, black combat boots and leather jacket. It was good enough for j-hope’s party, right? You threw whatever you had in your closet. There was literally no time to go and shop for a new one.

As you walked through the sliding glass doors, you checked in at the front desk. The receptionist handed you two badges, one printed with the ‘Jack in the Box’ album cover and the other was a white key card. You didn’t think anything of it, stuffing the white key card in your jacket pocket and the other laced around your neck.

When you reached the 19th floor, the party was already in full swing: the bar fully stocked, a line forming in front of it, a few groups forming here and there dancing as the DJ played old school hip hop tracks along with some of today’s latest hits. It was everything you’d expect from j-hope - the vibe, the atmosphere, it was very him.

Your phone suddenly buzzed, breaking you out from your amazement at this listening party. The stupid little green purse you chose for tonight was probably a bad idea, it had no space to hold anything - just your driver’s license, a card, lipstick and phone. But of course, Ari suggested, “the ridiculousness of a bag determines a person’s importance.” Important? You were hardly important. It’s not like you were Anna Wintour.

When you finally dug out your phone, you double tapped the screen, it was a text from Ari.

Ari 8:12PM

Say hi to Jungkook for me

and j-hope too! Have fun boss! 😘

You rolled your eyes and looked up from your phone to scan the crowd. Jungkook wasn’t hard to spot with his tattoos on full display. He was sitting near the stage next to Jin, sharing a drink, and watching a group of dancers show off some moves. You chuckled and shook your head - biggest stars in the world and you found it cute how they stuck to one another, probably a comfort thing, you understood it. You didn’t respond to Ari, rather you just stuck your phone back into the small confines of your green bag.

The line for the bar began to wither down, which called for a drink. The drinks for tonight were, of course, Jack in the Box themed. They were all named after the album track list. When you reached the bartender, you were undecided on your choice of drink.

“Try Pandora’s Box,” a low voice whispered next to you. You glanced over to see RM leaning against the counter, observing the crowd.

“Ah, got it. I’ll take a Pandora’s Box,” taking his suggestion. Just a few minutes later, the drink was in your hand. When you took a closer look at what was actually in it, gin, honey, mint, and lime syrup - you turned to RM, “Thank you,” nodding your glass to him. After taking another sip, you introduced yourself, pulling a business card from your jacket pocket, handing it over to him.

He held it in between his fingers. “I know who you are,” he grinned while taking your card and taking a sip of his drink.

You raised your eyebrow, “You do?”

He nodded his head, “Mmhm..your name has been dropped here and there around this building.” This made you wonder why your name was floating around and from whose lips.

“Have fun tonight,” RM said before starting to walk away.

“Call me when your album drops!” You hollered in his direction, in which he turned back around, smiling and waving your business card in the air, indicating that he would keep in contact.

When you received the call from HYBE themselves asking if your magazine would feature j-hope for the month’s cover, you, of course, accepted with no hesitation. Your magazine was up and coming, and to have a big star featured in it was something to not waver on.

The night continued on as you mingled your way through producers, dancers, singers, etc. You wondered where the man of the hour was - maybe he was making a late entrance, everyone would continue to wait for him anyway. The bartender went heavy on the gin in your drink, almost causing your bladder to burst if you didn’t find a bathroom right away.

You wandered down a hallway, hoping you went the right way to find a restroom, but instead you found the man of the hour, leaning with his head back against the concrete wall, quietly muttering to himself.

When he saw a figure coming towards him, he glanced up, grinning from ear to ear when he saw it was you, “Thought you weren’t going to make it.”

Your eyes crinkled at the sight of Jung Hoseok, though he was absolutely a nervous wreck from the looks of his deep breaths and sighs, you found him rather cute and adorable at this moment. “I’m here,” you said, before mirroring his position against the wall. “You okay?”

“Nervous,” he chuckled softly. “Never done this before.”

Nodding your head, you understood where his head was at. His first big solo project and it was just him, no members to shield him if there was any disappointment or fighting words to come his way. Not that j-hope needed to worry about that, because from the interactions and short conversations you had with him, his art spoke for itself. It would soon be a masterpiece that the world could have a piece of, a piece of j-hope, a piece of peace.

Pushing yourself off the wall, you stood in front of him, trying to get him to look you in the eye. “You’re gonna do great,” you stated, grabbing the lapels of his jean jacket, letting your fingers linger longer than expected from either of you. Quietly, you tapped on his chest, feeling the heat radiate from his body.

A small smile left his lips, “Glad you’re here,” he spoke before finally getting the courage to look you in the eye.

“Me too," your expression now mirroring his.

Another figure dressed in a black suit and tie began making their way towards you and j-hope, prompting you to quickly step away from him. J-hope cleared his throat as the man walked towards him, whispering something in his ear. He responded indistinctly before glancing your way and smiling. “Looks like they’re ready for me. We’ll talk later?”

“Yeah…I’m looking forward to it.” You said as he walked off, making his way to the stage.

Like you expected, j-hope’s album was incredible, full of life, deep lyrics, some fun tracks, some tracks that hit you in the gut - you wouldn’t expect anything else from him. This album was a momentous occasion, and he should be so proud of it.

Once he went through a listen of his full album, there was a sense of relief on his face. Countless people came to congratulate him, as did you when the night was ending.

“Are you…heading home already?” He asked, trying to pay attention to you but others kept interrupting.

“Yeah, I was thinking about it.”

So many others continued to get in the way of your conversation, he gestured for you to wait for a moment while he politely bid farewell to his guests.

Once the crowd calmed down, he made his way back to you, leaning in so only you could hear him, “Do…you want a tour of the company?” J-hope asked, biting his bottom lip, wondering if he was too forward with his question.

The corners of your mouth went up and you licked your lips, a shameless chuckle escaped too, "Sure, I'd love a tour." 

You’ve seen your fair share of music labels and their company but none as extravagant as HYBE’s. They really thought of everything when it came to what their artists would need. From their own hair salon, quiet rooms, gyms, dance rooms, cafe, even a greenhouse (which was input from RM himself).

“This is um, quite impressive.” You remarked as the two of you turned the corner with Hoseok leading the way. “And where are we heading off to now?”

He leaned in towards you, “It’s a secret.” Smiling as he pressed a code to get into the elevator, which you found remarkable. You guessed they didn’t want just anyone to be walking through these hallways - made sense.

The two of you entered as the elevator doors opened, J-hope scanned his card before pressing the '6' call button. You leaned against the wall opposite of him, trying to avoid each other's gaze and suppress small smiles. "What?"

He shook his head. "You look really pretty tonight," he said, biting his bottom lip again. He's never been this forward with anyone, but little did you know you had him wrapped around your pretty little finger. He was just too scared previously to make his move.

Shying away from his comment, your eyes flickered to your boots before glancing back at him. "You know how to make a girl blush, J-hope," noting as the apple of your cheeks began to warm up. Some parts of you wondered if things would have progressed differently if you weren't stubborn and just texted him first, even though he left you on read.

“Just call me Hoseok or Hobi…j-hope seems too formal,” he giggled. You smirked, letting the informal name roll off your tongue.

The elevator dinged, opening up to an empty hallway. Hoseok gestured to follow him, you couldn’t help but try to peer into the other studios labeled for RM and SUGA. After RM and SUGA’s studio doors, you arrived at Hoseok’s studio, the last one down the hall.

You stood in the middle of his studio, taking in the vibrant decor. He indicated for you to sit in his chair, which you did. "So this is where all the magic happens huh? Hours upon hours here, dreaming of big things." You quietly tapped on his desk, before swiveling the chair around to face him.

"Or hours upon hours of sitting and doing nothing," he chuckled, because there were countless days like that. He took a step closer towards you. "What did you think of the album?"

"Loved it. Wouldn't expect anything other than greatness from you," you flirted at him, causing him to shy away with a smile, revealing the cutest little dimple.

“Do you have a favorite song from the album?"

Running through the tracklist in your head, you thought about the song that stood out to you the most, they were all great, but this one was magical. You held your finger to your cheek, tapping on it. “Equal sign, that one is my favorite.”

“That’s a good one. Do you have a favorite lyric from it?” He asked, trying to pick your brain or was he stalling because he was nervous being in the same room with you.

“Not so different, you and I…looking for love in a different light…”

He watched the words roll off your tongue, “Oh–not so different hm?” His feet shuffled closer towards you.

You shook your head, looking up at him, grinning like an idiot. "And are you looking for love?"

He leaned forward, placing both hands on the armrests beside you, causing you to draw back slightly. He was close, extremely close. "Maybe.." Hoseok continued exploring the details of your face, from your eyes to your nose, then lingered on your plush lips. "What about you?"

A breath hitched in your throat as you explored his features too, watching the small dimple appear now and again when he would smile, and you never noticed the faint beauty mark on his upper lip, making you wonder what his lips would feel like against yours. Your stomach fluttered at the thought of his lips.

Snapping out from your daze, you explained, "I don't know…the last guy left me on 'read'," referring to the last interaction you had with him. Again, not upset. He's busy. You're busy. Things didn't happen like you wanted them to, but maybe tonight would change that.

Hoseok clicked his tongue, "That's rude." His face now leaning in closer to yours, so close you can feel his breath, so close you imagined the things he could do to you with that mouth and tongue.

"Very…" you quipped at him, biting down on your bottom lip, curling your fingers underneath his chair as you inched forward to him.

"The last girl didn't RSVP to my party," he said, avoiding your eyes and instead, lingered on your parted lips - curious to know how your rose tinted lips would look on his neck, maybe even on his cock.

"Also rude of her…" you stated, knowing that he was referring to you. It wasn't your fault, per se…

"She didn't RSVP, but she did show up and now she's in my studio." You couldn't help but blush when he said that. So you weren't crazy, because he was thinking about you after his photoshoot. Maybe he had been too excited to have finally found someone he connected with and didn’t want to be overbearing, therefore trying to minimize contact with you, only to find out later you really wanted him to chase after you.

Playing dumb, you asked, "Is that right? Is she hiding somewhere?" Pretending to look around his studio, chuckling at your silly remark. You were just glad the two of you were on the same page now - that the two of you were definitely into one another.

His eyes darted from your eyes to your lips again, "Mmhm…she should come out to play."

You softly giggled, "What game are they gonna play?" Your hand now toying with his necklace, urging him to come closer.

He chuckled, "How about a game where I get to kiss her?"

"Kiss her hmm?"

He slowly nodded, watching your every move, waiting for you to give him the signal to move in.

"Only if you don't leave me on 'read' again."

Hoseok hung his head down before looking at you once more, "I promise you that won't happen." And he meant it.

"Okay…" you whispered, eyes focused on the little beauty mark on his upper lip, before traveling up to his gaze. Licking your lips, you gently pulled him by his necklace towards you. Your lips faintly in contact with his, closing your lips on the beauty mark you so wanted to taste.

He closed his eyes, turning his head to the side to deepen the kiss, pushing you back further into the chair. You cupped his face, continuing to entangle your lips with his, and you couldn't help but lace your fingers in between the hair curling on the nape of his neck.

The two of you let out a moan in unison once you pulled away. You stood up, pushing away the chair from underneath you, his hands now gripped onto your waist, and yours snaked around his neck. He began to pepper kisses down your jawline, then your neck, leaving small traces of himself on you. Tiny whimpers grew louder as you became desperate for more of his touch.

"Hoseok…" you mewled as he continued with his kisses. You began backing him up against the wall, needing to show him how regretful you were for not responding to his invite sooner.

He removed your jacket, letting it drop to the ground, mouths connecting once more, his urgency to feel all of you. He broke the kiss, asking if he could remove the straps of your dress. You responded by letting them slide off of your shoulders, revealing your bare chest.

"Fuck, you're so sexy, better than I could ever imagine," he groaned at the sight, taking his hands in yours, you brought them to cup your breasts - his hands warm and soft against them. He kissed you again, now letting his tongue dance with yours, and his hands in full control - kneading and caressing your breast and nipples.

You suddenly pulled away from him, getting down on your knees, beginning to unbuckle his belt and undo his button. He quickly looked down at you in this compromising position, didn't think he'd get to see you like this so quickly. He didn’t want to let his mind wander too far off - scared he’d blow his load before you even got your mouth on him.

"Thought you were mad," he panted, "and that's why you didn't RSVP." His head rolled back as you shimmied his pants then his underwear off, letting his thick cock spring out. "Ah–fuck," Hoseok gazed at you, all wide-eyed, ready for him to fill you up.

You grinned, "If I was mad, I wouldn't be on my knees right now, would I?" Your hand finally wrapped around his hardened length, pumping it a few times, making him hiss at the sight of you. Faintly, you dragged your tongue along the underside of his cock, running alongside the prominent vein, bringing it to the tip where a small dribble of pre-cum started to form.

“Shit–baby–you’re going to be the death of me,” Hoseok moaned, his hands tugging at his own hair.

You giggled at the cute man of the hour, “Already? I barely did anything.”

“You’re doing a lot–” he beamed. "Driving me absolutely insane right now."

"Good–" you chirped before licking your lips and taking his cock into your mouth, causing him to groan and knit his eyebrows together.

He wanted to keep his eyes open, he did. He wanted to imprint this memory into his brain forever, but your mouth was all consuming, making him forget who he was, and where he was.

You continued bobbing up and down his cock, letting your mouth go further until it would hit the back of your throat, triggering guttural groans from Hoseok. "Wait–don't wanna cum yet," his voice quivered as he looked down at you. His hand caressing your cheek, eyes pleading for this to continue in other ways. He wanted to make you feel good too.

Hoseok took your hand in his, making you stand up and switch positions with him - it was you against the door now. "Wanna make you feel good too," he whispered before placing a kiss in the crook of your neck, then your collarbone, moving it along to take a mouthful of your tit, making you gasp. His tongue flicking against your pebbled nipple, while the other was being pinched between his fingers.

"Hoseok, please…touch me," you pleaded with him. While his cock was in your mouth, your pussy clenched around nothing, you wanted to give all your attention to him, you weren't expecting anything in return but he stopped you earlier than you wanted.

"You're a needy little slut, aren't you?" He asked as he pulled down your undies, letting it drop down to your ankles. Slowly, his fingers dipped into your cunt, gathering your juices to rub your clit.

Surprised to hear those words from his mouth, but it was all the more exciting too - it turned you on even more. "Mm.."

"Say it."

You cleared your throat, "I'm a needy little slut."

"For who?"

"For you Hoseok, only you."

"Good–" he repeated your words from earlier before shoving two fingers into your pussy without any warning, making you yelp and fall forward against him.

"Fuck–Hoseok–"

"You're so wet for me already."

"I was wet the second I stepped into his building," you confessed with no shame whatsoever. You were excited to come to the party, even more excited to see Hoseok.

He flashed a grin as he continued pumping his digits in and out of your pussy, causing the most lewd noises to echo throughout his studio. Thank God it's soundproof.

"Hoseok–ah–" your expression twisted as he pumped faster. "Need you–inside me–now," you said, panting harder than before.

"Can't," he said, "No condom."

"Don't care," you chirped, making his eyes widen. "I'm on the pill, and clean - haven't had sex, been almost a year." Sad to admit, but true.

Hoseok abruptly stopped pumping you, just to make sure he heard you correctly. "Shit–I get to have you raw?"

"If you want to…yeah."

He studied your face again, just to confirm if this was really happening. You leaned in, connecting your mouth with his, telling him yes, you're sure.

Hoseok pulled away, growling into your ear, leaving small bruises onto your neck. You really were going to be the death of him, letting him have you raw.

His cock still erect and poking your thigh, you took it upon yourself to stroke him again. Now guiding his cock towards your entrance, rubbing his tip with your juices, getting yourself ready for him. Spreading your legs apart, Hoseok held his cock, just slightly letting the tip in, causing you to whimper.

"Shit–baby, I'm not gonna last long," he whispered, his head leaning against your forehead, nose nuzzling yours.

"That's okay," you reassured him, as long as you could fuck him now, you didn't care how long it would last. You kissed him again, letting your tongue play with his, as he writhed underneath to get you into a good position. You slipped your underwear away from your ankles, so he'd have better access to you, widespread, on your tip toes as he lifted you against the wall, pinning you, as he pushed his cock into your pussy.

The pair of you moaned together, he held you against the wall for a moment before steadily thrusting into you. Like he said, he wasn't going to last long if you went raw.

"You're so tight–" he grunted as he began fucking you against the wall, causing your head to bump against it every now and then. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he watched your eyebrows knit together in pleasure. It's also been a while for him since he's fucked anyone.

"Ngh–Hoseok," you whined before he abruptly set you down on his leather couch, causing him to slip out of you. Another whine left at the loss of his cock.

He let you watch as he undressed himself, then he placed himself in front of you, slipping you out of your dress and boots. Hoseok wanted to take in the view of you, memorize all your curves and beauty marks. "Beautiful," he whispered before getting down on his knees. "Can't wait to see how sweet you taste."

You propped your head up to flash him a smile before covering your face. Now that you were completely naked, you felt embarrassed at the fact you were fucking Jung Hoseok in his music studio.

He wrapped his arms around your thighs, pulling you towards him, peppering kisses along the inside, making his way down to your pussy. You could hear soft chuckles coming from him, it was fun for him to see you squirm at the slightest touch.

His mouth then found your clit, slowly licking it, trying to figure out how many licks until you'd reach your high - it was pure torture, your legs quivering and shifting underneath his tongue. Then he began to lap between your folds, and every once in a while darting his tongue in your entrance making you cry out his name.

The yearning in the deep pit of your stomach started to rise up, edging you closer and closer to climax. As you continued to squirm underneath, Hoseok placed his two fingers inside your cunt, repeatedly pumping it in and out of you, bringing you over the edge and into bliss, legs shaking and convulsing as he rode out your high.

Propping yourself up to see the damage, Hoseok looked up with a grin on his face, wiping away your juices from his mouth. "So sweet," he murmured.

You sat up, pulling him down for a kiss, tasting yourself on him. He's right - so sweet. Smiling into the kiss, you told him to lay down because you wanted to show him your appreciation. He was intrigued and ready for whatever you wanted to do. He was game.

He laid down, hands behind his head, intently watching you straddle him. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of you, couldn't wait to keep having more of you, explore what you liked, loved, and what you'd be willing to try.

You stroked his length, bringing it to your entrance again, rubbing his cockhead with your juices before letting yourself bottom out on top of him. And fuck–this position was much better, you could feel all of him inside your walls.

Hoseok closed his eyes, groaning and breathing heavily as you began to roll your hips, then slamming yourself down, bordering him closer and closer to his climax - it had been building for a while already. He was trying his best to hold onto it, but once you were riding him - it was over.

He grabbed a handful of your ass, smacking it noisily, making you grin at his touch. You didn't make him out to be like this during sex - actually you had no idea at all, but you loved it. You leaned down to kiss him, and he wrapped his arms around you as he began thrusting roughly from below, whispering filthy things into your ear, causing you to moan. He continued slamming harder and harder into you, lewd noises from his cock hitting your pussy repeatedly filled the air, you bit down into his shoulder to muffle your moan.

"Baby–I'm gonna cum so hard for you," he whispered into your ear.

"Please, cum for me Hoseok–" whining back at him.

He moaned shamelessly, panting heavily as he reached his orgasm, painting your walls with white, hair now sticking to his temples as he laid his head back. He laced his fingers into your hair, lightly tugging you back so he could give you a sloppy kiss. As you laid on his chest, he grazed up and down your spine with the tips of his fingers, making you slightly shudder.

You couldn't help but chuckle at the fact you just fucked Jung Hoseok - in his studio of all places. This was definitely not your intention when you showed up at his party. You lifted yourself up, the two of you grinning like idiots at one another.

Hoseok cleared his throat, "Well um, I think that was the highlight of my party."

When you got back to your apartment, you found yourself still smiling like an idiot. You were sure your doorman knew exactly why you were so happy.

Tonight's party was perfect. More perfect than you could have imagined.

Setting down your bag and taking off your boots, you stared at the stacked pile of packages sitting next to your dining table. You walked over to find the package that Hoseok had sent the week before, wondering what could possibly be in it.

Grabbing a pair of scissors to cut it open, you found a white box, scribbled with the artwork from his album, and a small lever on the side - you assumed it was a jack in the box. You began turning the lever and it began playing a melody from his album. Knowing what would pop up at the end, you braced yourself for the inevitable, and our popped the character from his album artwork. Attached to it was a crinkled note, handwritten by Hoseok himself, it said, "Hope I get to see you. Let's also go out on a proper date and get to know one each other better - Your hope."

You grinned at the note, if only you opened your package earlier, then you would have known he wanted to take you out, instead of you just showing up to his party and fucking him.

You 1:27AM

Can I pencil in a date before

Worldwide superstar j-hope

jets off?

Hoseok 1:28AM

Absolutely. See you in a few hours? 😏

You 1:28AM

Come over for breakfast?

Hoseok 1:29AM

What's on the menu?

You 1:29AM

Me.

Hoseok 1:30AM

Mm..exactly what I was craving.

[ichoosechoasandbeingqueer]

Hi, friend! Ever since I read Bold, I can't stop thinking about that dagger Narni gifted Fili. The description of it and the technique behind it was just *chef's kiss*

"The daggers blade was a ladder damascus pattern and as he flipped it around in his hands, he discovered it was coated so that the metal shone a gorgeous Durin blue in direct lighting. It was a rare skill amongst blacksmiths to make the colour shine through and he had never seen it accomplished so well on a blade before. The pommel was made from some sort of bone or antler and sealed with a resin so it would not crack, darkening to a gold colour at the hilt that displayed the head of a lion. The prince moved closer to the light had gasped at the detailing of the sculpture. The lion’s mouth held a snarl and a braid adorned each side of its mane to match his own. He traced his fingers over the smooth blade finding no rivets or delamination in the steel and a sharp sting struck his fingertip as a bead or red dripped onto steel. It was as sharp as ice and now christened with his blood."

It's just so beautiful! It doesn't leave my mind. Because of you, I started researching the Damascus steel again and the lost technology behind it and it gives me a sense of wonder, like the first time I've heard of it. I think of your writing every time I need to write about weapons and it feels like an unattainable masterpiece!

I was wondering, do you happen to have headcanons for dwarves and their favourite weapons (what they look like, the materials and making techniques)? Maybe another one for Fili, as well as Kili and Thorin, or anyone else you'd like to mention.

No pressure though!

I just cant with you @feeweeeee, your complements always make me so happy and I'm touched that something i have created inspired you so much!

I have so many headcannons and the day off of work, so here you go! I hope it suffices your question, if not feel free to send me another ask with more specifics.

Dwarves defiantly have their own style when it come to weapons. They're a secretive lot and would keep their techniques and tools to themselves. Thicker blades and weapons where they fight up close are defiantly a theme, they are also much heavier rendering most of them useless to humans (and for that particular reason most times). While an elf or orc could pick up a dwarven weapon easily enough, a normal human would struggle, and with dwarven settlements always so close to human settlements it’s a safety feature that most smiths with put in. They are not strangers to humans turning on them while trying to trade.

I headcannon that the dwarves of Kazadum, while being friends at the time, also had a way to forge weapons so that elves could not use them (a physical aspect that made it difficult for them to grasp the handle without harming themselves) but when their homeland was lost, so was the technique. It was a secret that even some of their own kin did not know, the books and texts written on it being in code that only the royals and their most trusted blacksmiths could understand. This is how no one else could use it, even if the orcs could learn Khuzdul, they still would not be able to read the coded instructions.

Their blades are also stronger than man not just because of the way they forge them, but what they forge them with. Not unlike our own Norse smiths and Vikings, they would crush up the bones of the animals they hunted to add iron to the steel. There is also a mineral specific to the deepest caverns of middle earths mountain (a biproduct of mithril in Kazadum and from the Arkenstone in Erebor) that adds strength to any metal. They also use this strengthen metal for architecture and structure further in the mountain where the walls are under more pressure and weight.  

Dwarves are also very observant race. The beads and braids in their hair confirm this, each one having a meaning and reason, it being their gender, craft, kill count ect. They also forge messages and words into the designs on their weapons. Some have simple things like the words ‘courage’ or ‘strength’ in the patterns. Others have messages for if they fall in battle and their weapons are found instead of their bodies. Simple notes like ‘forged and wielded by Lord Kilvar’ to poems and requests to their loved ones for after they die. When the company was hiding from Smaug and they come across the bodies of their kin, Bofur picks up a weapon and read from the hilt, “If this sword has left my grasp, then I have reached the halls of my maker. May there be someone left to bring my corpse back to the ones I love, my dear Helja, and to pass on this sword on to my daughter Hlin. May it serve her better than it did me. Lay my bones down somewhere soft. Somewhere quiet. My battle is now over and I wish you good luck on yours,”. It took Bofur four years to find Hlin, but was honored to reunite her with her father’s weapon.

Now to our individual dwarves.

Thorin

Our mighty king would use a longsword. This two-handed weapon with double edged blades and a prominent cross guard is mainly a thrusting blade. Slashing attacks are still effective if the opponent has low to no armor, but heavy armor can damage the blade if used that way. There are many different techniques to use this sword, most relying on body strength or ‘wrestling’ your opponent making it good for dwarven fighters, or, my favorite because I can defiantly see Thorin doing it, holding it by the blade and using the handle as a hammer to hit your opponent. Just imagine Throin looking at the camera like on the office with the most deadpanned look on his face and then effectively flipping his sword around and just bonking someone on the head.  

Thorin would favor a Kukri knife, a bent one-sided blade. While being an efficient weapon it is most commonly used as a multipurpose tool. It can be used to cut wood, dig into tough soil, cutting meat and vegetables, hunting and skinning animals, the narrower part of the blade can function as a smaller knife and the heavier and wider part of the blade can be used as an axe. In our world Nepal it was commonly a tool for the fields and home. Thorin finds it not only practical but moving, connecting to it on a spiritual and emotional level. As he worked and slaved in the towns of man, and fought and worked beside his people who had nothing after Smaug, it was a humble and respectful knife that he felt connected to. A weapon of the people.

Thorin isn’t one for show but he has a soft spot for the fantasy style writing down the middle of the blade look. He likes a clean sliver blade (no Damascus, it hurts his eyes and doesn’t like how unpredictable the pattern will turn out) and a simple handle made of steel. The most extravagant thing on his sword is a shaped cross guard and pommel in a dwarven pattern. He has his personal sigil centered in the cross guard where the blade meets handle. His sword is very heavy and would not be able to be wielded by a human (even Kili struggles to swing it around).

Pic 1-A Kakri Pic 2-A Longsword Pic 3-Example of a simple decorative cross guard and pommel (picture it a bit longer though)

Also, as a bonus- a weapon I don’t think they would use but defiantly should: Twin sais

Fili

I think Fili would use twin Viking Seax with the straight side sharpened. These weapons are shorter than your average sword and rather similar to what he uses in the movies. They are a thrusting and slashing weapon and the pointed tip gives off a very dwarven vibe to me. Historically speaking from our world these swords were often crudely made due to people’s money, location, technology from the time, ect. But as Fili is a prince and heir to the throne (not to mention his love of his blades), he would take his time and most likely embellish his blades with different patterns/writing like modern blacksmiths do.

He would also favor a dagger design something between a Acinaces and a Pugio. I can’t find the dagger I have in my head for Fili (it might not even exist tbh). It is a double-sided blade with a heavily decorated hilt and pommel and the actually blade is wider than most other daggers.

While I don’t think he would colour his weapons like I had the blade in my story, he would enjoy using Damascus patterns (herringbone and feather the most) and seeing how the metal combines and twist together with his guidance. Unlike his uncle, Fili likes being in control of his steel and still having the patterns unpredictable and wild, discovering once the blade is finished how it looks.

As for the handles he would use woods or bone for his daggers. While not always to most durable or strong they are very traditional and can be easily customized and decorated and he takes pride in creating not just a sturdy weapon, but a piece of art that shows himself through his designs. It’s a balance he likes to test and experiment with, beauty vs practicality. Because Viking Seaxs are a lighter blade (because they are shorter in length) he has a steel handle (as these handles are heaver) with a leather herringbone knot wrap (to help with grip and stop his fingers slipping onto the blade as it has no guard.). Also, for design, he would leave the little tassel at the end purely for show. Throin and Dwalin hate it because it can get in the way but Fili refuses to change it. On every weapon he’s forged, he puts his personal sigil on the end of the pommel.

Pic 1- An Acinaces knife Pic 2- A Pugio knife Pic 3- A Viking Seax with a straight blade edge

Pic 1- Herringbone Damascus Pattern Pic 2- Feather Damascus Pattern Pic 3- Herringbone knot wrap

Also, as a bonus- a weapon I don’t think they would use but defiantly should: Shurikens

Kili

Kili likes to keep his opponents at a distance so no knives or short swords for him. If we exclude his bow and focus on bladed weapons, he would use either a War Rapier or a Amanremu.

The rapier is a thrust and cut weapon and those used for war rather then those in the hands of civilians had a thicker blade. They are light and fast and for Kili who doesn’t carry as much bulk and muscle as some of his kin but is fast and nimble on his feet, it’s a perfect weapon. They also have a metal hilt that wraps around the hand for protection. He likes this because when he had started training with Fili as a pebble, the elder had slipped and cut one of his fingers accidentally and it had traumatized them both a bit. No permanent damage done, but there was a whole lot of blood. Thorin forged him a rapier with a large hilt to stop it happening again. It’s a comfort thing.

The Amanremu is a single edged blade with a rounded edge at the tip. It is thinner at the handle and thickens out at the tip where the weight is carried used to enhance attacks. The handle also has a forked (unsharpened) pommel used for blunt attacks if one gets close enough. There’s really no solid reason I headcannon him with this sword except for the fact that he would look really cool using it. It just gives me Kili vibes.

Kili likes decoration on his weapons but more natural and curved lines than a traditional dwarven design. His tastes for weapons (as is his taste in romantic partners) is very elvish. Less harsh lines and corners and more vine and curved patterns. He likes a small amount of Damascus patterns on the steel, mainly loose twist patterns and that leave room for the silver of the steel to shine through. His handles are almost exclusively hard woods and he likes to burn his dwarven patterns there instead of on the metal. Its also where he adds his personal sigil.

Pic 1- A Rapier Pic 2- An Amanremu sword Pic 3- Loosely twisted Damascus Pattern

Also, as a bonus- a weapon I don’t think they would use but defiantly should: A Kama or Scythe

Dwalin

Dwalin is a Dane Axe darrow. Twin Dane Axes (with a few modifications to the handle so he can wield both at once). He knows it’s not always as handy as a sword or knife but he would go into a fight with his bare hands before giving up his axes. No one actually knows why and Balin learnt a long time ago not to question it (he seemed to have forgotten it was their mother’s choice in weapon. You see, being the eldest, Balin was always out with their father for hunting trips and lessons, and they used swords. He bonded with their father much more than the younger, and as Dwalin was always so much smaller than most his age, he started his trainings later. Being left at home led him to be bonded much more with their mother as a pebble. When he went through his growth spurt at forty and finally begin training, he refused to use anything but an axe).  

He would also have a basic Bowie knife on him at all times. It’s much easier and quicker to slip out of its sheath that an axe. It would be a shorter knife with a large curve and an S shaped cross guard.

Many would not guess it thanks to Dwalin’s tough looking exterior, but the darrow has a knack for crafting beautifully decorated weapons. He’s not a fan of Damascus patterns but would absolutely acid-etch his Bowie knife with a blue tint. He’s also a fan of double diamond leather wrapping. Seriously, its on all of his weapons, even the bottom of his axes. He doesn’t flash overly dwarven designs but he likes to add hidden pictures in his works when he does include them. He once made a knife with a cookie hidden in the artwork. Another weapon he added a lion paw (a gift to Fili for his fiftieth birthday). 

Pic 1- A Dane Axe Pic 2- A Bowie Knife Pic 3- double diamond wrapped handle with an S cross guard

Also, as a bonus- a weapon I don’t think they would use but defiantly should: A hook sword  

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Hey there! So I stumbled across your post for Jaskier being the son of Mac Lir, and while I'm absolutely thrilled that you're enjoying your research, I'd like to very gently correct you in saying that what you're looking at is Irish mythology and not Gaelic! I've absolutely no idea where you're from (and could be making a complete fool out of myself), but I think other countries see Gaelic as an umbrella term for Irish/Scottish/Welsh culture. Which always feels weird since we never use it ourselves over here at all and view each as very separate and different from each other, though there are some similarities.

I also love that your having a great time fusing mythology with the Witcher since there's actually a lot of Irish/Irish language (Gaeilge) influence in the show/game itself! Off the top of my head, there's Dol Blathanna (Blathanna literally = flowers in Irish), Ard Skellig (Literally great/big rock/island), Clan Tuirseach (clann = family, tuirseach = tired), céad míle fáilte (a saying we have here and still use = a hundred thousand welcomes), I think a few of the sword names and much more! Though their pronunciation is very off with a lot of it. Because of that, including Irish mythology (or Scottish/Welsh since they also have some influences in the language of the game/show) makes so much sense and is such a joy to read whenever I see it!

So basically, keep researching, keep writing, and if you can, try not to lump us all in together! And please know none of this is supposed to be discouraging at all. Twas a very cool read!

Thanks for this, Non. I'm British with my Irish roots in Cork. That part of my family do use the word Gaelic as shorthand when talking about the countries oppressed by the English, perhaps because of its common usage as such. It's never intended as a homogenous term to erase the uniqueness of cultures, but rather to denote unity and a feeling of common ground rooted in stories and a history shared.

Is it outdated? Yeah, probably. But I'm not going to tell them how to talk about their past and their culture and their feelings about it. The same way I wouldn't tell a trans person from the 70s or 80s not to use transexual.

They also include Cornwall under the umbrella of Celtic for obvious reasons, but they're all rabid historians and they never bother explaining that to anyone.

MML is Irish (and as noted in a previous post the connection was made by Lady Gregory, an Irish poet in the early twentieth century), but the Bodach, which I was researching, also appears heavily in Scottish folklore (as noted, appears in Walter Scott's novel, Waverley; he's a Scottish novelist). I'm sure if I had a rummage around in the Welsh branch of it, I would find the Bodach again.

I also wrote Will o' the Wisp, which was a homage to one of the stories told to me by my nan many moons ago. The author's note contains references to sources and some information on the specifically Irish influences (although my Scottish friends assure me they have a tale almost identical).

Edit: I text my aunt to ask her for more information. It's 7.20am so I got some choice words, but amongst the cussing me out she talked about people of the Gaels (expected) and an alphabet called Ogham (which I'm gonna look at). Another branch of research.

[rai-knightshade-art]

Young Jedi Knights!! Or, ok more accurately they're old enough to be New Jedi Order/Fate of the Jedi/etc etc era but I'm ignoring, like, all of that. So.

@lizartgurl you know that scene we low-key talked about? I drew it 😅 nothing like a good set of parallels in your star wars fan art!

And I'm also of the opinion that Zekk's dynamic with the twins when they were younger is basically 50% Off Makoto and Nagisa, so i present Zekk, explaining one of his many adventures to a pair of kids that i will explain below the cut because their story is... Complicated, and started literally a decade ago 😅

More details and closeups below the cut, image IDs in Alt Text as always!

So i don't think I'm gonna get into the full "story" for these kids on this post, I'll do it on the next one, but I'll give you the lowdown on the kids themselves and the inciting incident:

Roughly 10-ish years after the Shadow Academy incident, a raid on a cloning facility by Zekk, Anakin Solo and a handful of other Jedi goes spectacularly sideways when the "theoretical" genetics experiments they were expecting turned out to be four very real younglings with a startling resemblance to certain key Jedi Knights. It'd been run in secret by Brakiss (who totally survived the destruction of the Shadow Academy don't even worry about it) as a way to revive his Dark Jedi efforts. He "procured" the DNA needed while the Shadow Academy was active from successful (and nonsuccessful) Dark Jedi, and decided if he couldn't kidnap his way to having his Dark Jedi, he'd make them instead, starting by combining the DNA of his Darkest Knight and that pesky Solo girl (she was annoying but extremely powerful, a perfect candidate for the project). The project continued in secret for 10 years before Master Skywalker caught wind of it and sent in a Jedi task force to take it down. Imagine their surprise when they find four kids in amongst the scientists and stormtroopers!

Starting from oldest to youngest, they find:

Ani: 14 (physically, 10 chronologically), eldest of the "test tube" kids, the biological son of Jaina and Zekk; he inherited their love of mechanics and all things spaceflight and wants to be a pilot when he grows up. The defacto leader of the group by virtue of being oldest. Dotes on his baby sister like nothing else, but is otherwise very standoffish and closed off, hiding behind sarcasm and rude quips in order to protect himself and his little family. Had a force vision when he was 5 of a dark haired woman calling for someone named Ani, and decided that that would be his name (rather than the number he was given).

Bail: 10 (physically,6 chronologically), biological son of Jacen and Tenel Ka, very quiet and studious. He read as many holobooks as the scientists would let him have (and snuck as many as they wouldn't), and is a regular fountain of knowledge if you can get him to open up. He's particularly interested in the histories of the Jedi from long, long ago. Named himself after an old politician he read about from the Old Republic, said to be a friend of the Jedi.

Marai: 8 (physically, 4 chronologically), biological daughter of Jacen and Tenel Ka, she's a regular chatterbox, asking as many questions as she can get away with from anyone who will listen. The only time she seems to quiet down is when she's gardening; she has an affinity for plants, able to sense them and help them grow. She has a particular fondness for carnivorous plants, a fact which the other kids find a bit unnerving but she swears they're harmless to humans! ...probably. None of the others know quite why she decided to call herself Marai.

Jasa: 5 (physically, 1 chronologically), biological daughter of Jaina and Zekk, the baby of this rag tag little group. She's a bright ball of sunshine and cheer and boundless energy, able to cheer up even the most dower of her stormtrooper guards. She sees the good in everything, not fully realizing the extent of what's happening around her but also keeping hope alive in the older children, especially Ani. Similarly to her older brother, Jasa also had a Force vision when she was 5, hearing someone call for a Jasa and taking the name for herself.

Of note: the kids' growth was programmed to be faster than normal up until age 5, when it slowed back down to normal; they reached the equivalent of age 5 within about a year of their "births". As such, their apparent ages and their chronological ages are off by about 4 years

The concept for these kids was started about 10 years ago, when i was 14 and had just started reading the Young Jedi Knights books that I'd gotten from my dad. I really loved seeing fankids at that time, so I'd decided to create my own for my favorite ships! But, of course, i was 14 and "edgy" and I'd been reading the Maximum Ride books too, so i decided, Regular-ass fan babies? Nah. Secret lab-grown fan babies? Yeah. And the original 6 Test Tube Babies were born! (Yes, i said 6, not 4; i originally included a pair of Anakin/Tahiri kids with the Jaina/Zekk and Jacen/Tenel Ka kids. I took them out for this iteration though cause a) I'm not even really sure I ship them now, and b) i don't remember how the kids came to be initially but with this backstory using Brakiss, idk how he would have Anakin and Tahiri's DNA, so. Rip to Zeke and Bekka you will be missed.) I might share the og designs for the kids in another post some time, but for now, here ya go! (And if you've read through this entire explanation, thank you and kudos, but also my condolences. 😅)

[maes-chocolate-cookie]

bat quirk (quirk ideas series)

i'm bored and i want to finish my bat oc so here are some curiosities (oc is hawks lil sister and tokoyami's gf)

"Bats can live in a variety of habitats including deserts, woodlands, caves, suburban communities and cities."

you can adapt in different places/situations, hardly getting stressed. same goes for tokoyami and hawks since they're both urban birds

"Because they are nocturnal, they hunt at night and roost during the day in trees, bat boxes, under eaves and in buildings where they can gain access through open spaces in roofs, attics or walls.

Most active in the spring and summer, many bats migrate or hibernate during the winter."

this one is self explanatory but anyways, you and tsuyu start hibernating when exposed to low temperatures, since you're nocturnal aizawa and present mic let's you sleep on classes

"They have fairly good eyesight, but do navigate and find food primarily by using a sonar-like system called echolocation."

many people see you and immediately think you're blind, sometime you mess around with them doing things that a blind person couldn't say like reading.

"Scent plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of territories and colonies. Bats have scent glands around their throat (called gular glands) and toes, which are used to mark themselves and members of their colony."

you usually mark people you like with your smell, but you always make sure humans can't smell the scent.

"Vocalization is important for socialising bats – calls have been associated with general social communication and conveyance of threat."

frequently when you are with hawks and/or tokoyami (mission or not) you speak in a sound range almost indistinguishable to humans that humans can't hear, great strategy for capturing villains

"Vampire bats are amongst the most sociable of the chiropterans. Indeed, the extremely rare phenomenon of reciprocity—the idea that favours are done and returned at a later date—is currently known in only a handful of organisms, vampires being one such group. In vampires, this reciprocity is blood-sharing.

sources"

even if you're not a vampire you share your food with the most loved ones beeing picky on who to give it (family and s/o are priorities). you have bat friends who constantly crawl to your bedroom to see you.

"nocturnal flight protects bats from visual predators, exposure to the sun, high ambient temperature, and low relative humidity. The large area of naked wing skin might mean that bats would absorb rather than radiate heat if they were active during the day. They would also lose body water required for temperature regulation and would then be forced to forage near water or somehow retain more water (and thus more weight) in their bodies during flight."

normally you are sent in night missions since your night perfomance is way better than the day-time one.

https://www.paws.org/resources/bats/

https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/bats-behaviour-social-structure

https://blogs.unama.br/noticias/medicina-veterinaria/o-sentido-da-audicao-nos-animais#:~:text=Nas%20aves%2C%20a%20audição%20é,que%20a%20encontrada%20nos%20mamíferos.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/bat-mammal/Natural-history#ref51404