#albeit reworded

[dailydemonspotlight]

Mizuchi - Day 22

Race: Snake

Alignment: Neutral

April 19th, 2024

Serpentine monsters are a common sight in mythology; whether it be the great Dragons of yore, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, the aboriginal Rainbow Serpent Yurlungur, or even the classical Ouroboros. However, Japan loves snakes in mythology. We've already covered one in Yamata-No-Orochi, but there are so many more, whether it be the adorable and hilarious Yokai Tsuchinoko, or, in the case of the demon we're covering today, the legendary water serpent, Mizuchi.

Mizuchi is rarely seen throughout the tremendous amounts of tales that make up Japanese mythology, only mentioned in the Nihon Shoki (the oldest still-remaining text of Japan's history, dating all the way back to the Yōrō era) as well as appearing in a single Man'yōshū poem. In spite of this, Mizuchi has been the topic of many scholarly debates, eventually being bastardized through history into everyone's favorite root-chakra destroying turtle, the Kappa.

Mizuchi, however, is not originally from Japan- its name is actually a transliteration from several Chinese glyphs, particularly several glyphs describing different dragons, serpents, and monsters of Chinese mythology. Admittedly, I don't know much about Japanese, but one of the kanji used to spell the name Mizuchi implies that it's a snake, but it first-and-foremost means "Water spirit." The word, in English, can be broken down into "Spirit-of-Water," as Mi- means water, -tsu- (the way that it is pronounced) effectively means 'of,' and -chi is a suffix that describes a spirit. Due to this, Mizuchi's origin as a Chinese myth makes it very, very hard to track down much of a solid origin for it, given that it originates from what was effectively a way to match how it sounds to how it's spelled.

Now, in terms of mythology, Mizuchi was first referenced in the Nihon Shoki- as the story goes, under the reign of Emperor Nintoku, there was a fork at a river that contained a great water serpent that would be a very deadly nuisance- it attacked random passersby, spat venom at anybody who came near, broke apart caravans, and was generally just a prick. Eventually, fed up with this, a man named Agatamori approached the spirit with a challenge- he tossed three Calabashes into the water and challenged the spirit to see if it could sink them. If not? Mizuchi would face a swift death. The dragon, perturbed, obliged, yet was unsuccessful, meeting a demise by the hands of the man.

Later on, Agatamori found his way to the fellows of the mischievous snake, and in a move as genocidal as it was unwarranted, slaughtered the entire clan of Mizuchi. The lake below was filled with their blood, later becoming the noted "Pool of Agatamori." However, in spite of how apocalyptic this may seem, it turns out that there are more recollections of Mizuchi in the mix, and this tale was but one of many.

The god of the river recorded in Nintoku 11 is also commonly seen as a Mizuchi. A dam being built along Yodo River was subject to an attack from an unknown force, completely breached. Confused, the Emperor commanded a rebuild of it, only for it to be breached yet again. This happened time and time again, and eventually, the Emperor saw a solution to his problem through a prophetic dream. Bringing two men to the riverfront, he offered them up to the River God, but one refused. Likely recognizing the circumstances, the man demanded to see the divinity of the snake by trying the age-old calabash trick, tossing a set into the river and daring the god to sink them. Unsurprisingly, the Mizuchi failed, and likely grew to resent calabashes for the rest of its life.

The last example of a Mizuchi in classical Japanese mythology comes from the Man'yōshū, a collection of ancient poems that have been passed down from generation to generation. In one of them, a poem composed by Prince Sakaibe, he describes a short and intriguing tale regarding a Mizuchi. In quote, "I could ride a tiger to leap over the Old Shack, to the green pool, to take down the mizuchi dragon there, if only I had a sword capable of doing just that." The story regards a mizuchi dragon as being almost common knowledge, bringing up as many questions as it does answers- however, the way it regards it in such a casual manner may play into why Mizuchi are so scarcely mentioned.

If everyone knew about mizuchi, then they wouldn't feel the need to record it, right? The casual cadence of the poem seems to give light to the idea that mizuchi were a common sight or concept in ancient Japan, and it may have to do with their later bastardization into Kappa. In some areas, kappa are given a name incredibly similar to a mizuchi, such as "Mizushi," "Medochi," or "Mintsuchi." Past this, a common trait in Kappa stories lies in their hatred of calabashes, something which is similar to the distaste Mizuchi have for calabashes in both stories they appear in. Some historians speculate that mizuchi and kappa were in the same general 'clique' of water dwelling monsters.

God, that was a lot. Mizuchi are confusing. However, in terms of the SMT series, there's a lot less to comment on; their appearance as a water spirit in the form of a snake is faithful, and their design is as simple as it is elegant. They appear to be made of clear water, almost like a rushing river in the form of a snake. Throughout the series, Mizuchi are a common sight in the early-mid game, even appearing as a boss in Nocturne. Their specialty in ice skills, the closest thing SMT has to water skills, is almost obvious. However, overall, there's elegance in simplicity, and Mizuchi is just that.

[starry-bi-sky]

a half-ghost--? no- no wait, that's a changeling. that's even worse.

so i'd like to preface this by saying this stems from me going entirely off the rails thinking about tales of the passerine-- which is frankly quite on brand for me to think of one au, and then develop it so far left ways that it makes another au entirely.

bUT. Context! Danny's ancestors sometime before they immigrated to America had a fae marry into the family. This had its Side Effects. Naturally. The Fentonnightengale responsible for this charmed a fae thanks to their swagless nature and awkward demeanor, so instead of getting eaten the fae thought it was cute instead. The fae marrying into the family had an affinity for music, but that kinda repressed itself by accident -- blame the salem witch trials.

By the time Danny is born, the fae blood has become so latent that it really doesn't show up anymore other than the Fentons Eccentricity and obsession with the supernatural (a latent desire to return home to the fae realm - aka infinite realms). There's an unnatural charm surrounding the fenton that really only creeps almost every human within a visual radius, and Danny is no exception.

hoWEVEr. the accident that turned danny into a halfa in one timeline did no such thing in this one -- it just reactivated his latent fae blood, and reactivated it with a fervor. Effectively turning Danny from a human into a changeling.

Danny just thinks at first that he's a half-ghost -- only to realize later on from Clockwork that he's not one at all. He's very much fae -- which is a wild discovery for Danny to make. It also means his rogues are quite a bit more intimidated by him. Fae are above ghosts in the Infinite Realm Creature Hierarchy, no matter how powerful they are. A fae can still Steal the name of a ghost, so Danny's rogues are rather skittish/unsure around Danny until they realize he doesn't know he's a changeling -- after that, many of them vow to try and keep it secret amongst themselves.

Danny's 'ghost' form is rather birdlike, and in human form his appearance warps to match his comfortability. When he's alone with his friends he starts taking on unnatural features. -- his blue-green eyes brighten and his pupils elongate, his teeth sharpen, and his ears grow longer and animal-like. His hair softens to be more feathery, his nails sharpen. In general he takes on more 'bird-ish' features. At school, around his parents, and when he's stressed, tense, or scared, he looks completely human -- an instinctual survival mechanism.

As a ghost, he has large, pretty wings that gradient from black to dark purple-blue, with a shimmer across the feathers that resembles the aurora borealis. His limbs elongate, his legs becoming bird-like and his talons grow on both his feet and nails. His ears vaguely resemble a rabbit's, although they don't flop down like one. All his teeth sharpen. Razor sharp chompers, capable of biting through bone. His eyes take on a greenish-hue, but otherwise remain the same color, albeit his sclera becomes blue-ish and his pupils become diamond-shaped and white. Rings of seafoam blue circle around his iris, creating a reflective sheen. He makes chirping, creaking noises, and when he speaks there's a faint overlap that is very enchanting.

Overall he's rather beautiful in a terrifyingly inhuman way, its hard to take your eyes off him. He has a lot of feathers. He's very drawn to singing and music in general, and gets into music sometime after his accident. He likes flutes/ocarinas/woodwinds the most, followed shortly after by strings, and then piano. He also slowly loses the ability to lie -- which is really annoying and also terrifying until he learns how to reword himself and become a better wordsmith.

SInce this stemmed from an older brother dpdc au, its gonna stay an older brother dpdc au alsfh. i'll just get to the dpxdc part in another post since i wanted to get this off my chest first

[volo-omnia]

I'm gonna be honest I've been mulling over the cut dialogue post for the entire day because what I want to know is the direction of the developers.

Part of me isn't sure whether if the cut dialogue was cut content for the sake of cut content (i.e. time/budget limitations, it was too much/unnecessary for the scene, etc) or whether it was a change in tweaking Volo's canon character. (i.e. making his villainy closer/a foil of Cyrus.) (for the most I'm still not sure if the cut dialogue is considered "canon" or not, but for the most part until we see official content that contradicts it I will consider it as "canon" Volo.)

Because I don't know about you, but it's really telling something about his character.

I'm a descendant of the ancient Sinnoh people! I revere Arceus, the almighty god, and I will demonstrate his power to all living things in the sky, the earth, the sea! Yes! As the avatar of Arceus, I will house that power and bring its gospel to Hisui! I won't let you, an outsider with no history here, get in my way!

Okay so, this passage is the part I want to delve into. A couple of points:

"Avatar of Arceus" - this pretty much explains the Arceus cosplay in the final battle. I mean it was assumed already if you know how iconography and symbolism works, but it pretty much plainly explains that Volo sees himself as a god or in the very least, as a standing representation of Arceus itself in the physical world.

"I will house that power" - again this is just a rewording of what already exists in the final scene, where Volo states he wants to "use Arceus' power to create a new better world". Note he doesn't say he will defeat Arceus, or kill it. I know it's common interpretation in fan circles that Volo kills/takes Arceus power, but it's important for us to remember that canonically, Volo DOES NOT want to kill Arceus. His reverence may be strong, and he does have this weird religious ecstasy brainrot, but he does not wish to actually kill it. Volo is a religious zealot.

And the parts that are bothering me the most are these lines:

"I will demonstrate his power to all living things in the sky, the earth, the sea! / ...bring its gospel to Hisui!" - this part is what I'm ruminating on the most. Because with this passage, it's making me rethink all of my previous interpretations on Volo, and I fear we may have been misinterpreting him this entire time.

This is again where I want to emphasize I don't know for sure if this is a character rework or cut content, because here Volo makes no mention of a "better world" by using the power of Arceus.

Because yknow what that sounds like right? Like Christian/Catholic preaching. Specifically the word "gospel" is used here, and he makes mention of "demonstrating his power to all living things". Like spreading the word of God? He makes no mention of this gospel of Arceus being love or light however, which makes me worried what this implies...

And this is what's bothering the most about this. Volo from this dialogue, may not be a saviour wishing to create a better world without suffering because his God designed a flawed world that included those things.

Volo is a religious zealot that believes the world is flawed because of other people, not because his God made a flawed creation. And that the cure to removing this suffering is recreating his own biblical flood and killing everyone and spreading the word of Jesus Arceus.

That's why Volo has a hard time trusting others in Pokemas because other people are sinful/backstabbing and cannot be trusted (albeit heavily influenced by whatever Traumatic Thing™ happened in his villain backstory that as of writing this, has yet to be revealed) but if this is canon to his character, it's a HUGE difference from what we were all interpreting. He's not staging a divine coup for the people, he's your Catholic pastor that believes if you don't believe in god you're going to hell. He's the holy crusader that is willing to hurt entire groups of people in the name of god, believing this harm he's doing is "righteous" because he's doing it for Arceus.

If this is what Volo's idea of a "better world" was like the entire time, damn I really hope he loses and gets a redemption. A world where everyone follows the gospel of God through force? Maybe there's a reason he's a villain.

[strangledwires]

I made this video! Tumblr won't let me upload it, so I uploaded it to YouTube instead. I thought it'll get a bigger audience there, anyway.

This is a comparison of the PlayStation 2 version of Tekken 4's beta release and final release. There are not many differences between the two, however, the prologues are different. The narrator's dialogue is different in the beta. It's slightly longer. He also does a different voice. (In Beta, he's raspier & whisper-y, in Final, he's deeper and clearer) Interestingly enough, other than some minor repositioning, the text on the images is the same as the Final's. (So that means the spoken narrator does not match the text) Although I've only played through Kazuya's & Jin's, I'm gonna assume all prologues are different.

This beta is from June 13th, 2002, 4 months before the Final Release.

It's understandable why the prologue dialogue was rewritten and voiced. In the Beta, he makes many redundancies, they're unnecessarily long, or statements that are better reworded.

Another difference I noticed, albeit an even smaller one, is that in Tekken Force, the enemies' names are slightly different. In the Beta, they all have an underscore somewhere in their names. In the Final version, the underscore has been removed.

If I notice anything else different, I'll post it. If people are interested, I'll also record all the beta prologues.

In case it's hard to hear what the narrator says due to his quieter voice, or because it's confusing due to the text saying different, I will put a transcript below the cut. Anything in italics indicates it's different from the Final version.

KAZUYA'S PROLOGUE

Defeated by Heihachi and thrown into the mouth of a volcano twenty years ago.

Kazuya was brought back to life by G Corporation, a biotech firm making revolutionary advances in the field of biogenetic research.

With G Corporation's aid, Kazuya investigated the biomechanics of the Devil Gene within his body by subjecting himself to genetic experiments. Kazuya believed that once he unlocked and controlled the power of the Devil Gene, he would be powerful enough to defeat Heihachi and destroy the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Twenty years later, the Tekken Forces attacked G Corporation's research facility without warning and succeeded in stealing research data from the Mishima Zaibatsu. Kazuya learned that he was also a target in the attack.

Infuriated by Heihachi's interference with his plans once again, Kazuya was determined more than ever to seek revenge against Heihachi. Kazuya instantly recognized the announcement of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 as a trap set by Heihachi to lure him out.

Despite this knowledge, Kazuya enters the tournament - it was his chance to defeat Heihachi.

JIN'S PROLOGUE

Brisbane, Australia.

A city crowded is buildings, new and old.

Nestled amongst the towering buildings of this city was a small dojo where Jin trained quietly, his face covered by the hood of his jacket.

Day after day, Jin trained in the traditional art of karate.

Ever since Heihachi's betrayal, Jin loathed everything about himself, his Mishima bloodline, his fighting style, the Devil Gene in his blood, everything.

He unlearned the Mishima-Ryu fighting style, thanks to the dojo master's training, and mastered traditional karate.

Jin's thoughts burned with desire to destroy the evil Mishima bloodline: the bloodline of his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, and his father, Kazuya.

One day, Jin heard rumors that the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was announced. Without hesitation, Jin hardened his resolve to enter the tournament.

[kapisonozaki]

on the satoko phone call situation in minagoroshi

recently on this platform, i've taken notice on how people have also found discomfort in the phone call scene in minagoroshi. it was a feeling i felt too while reading minagoroshi, and i wanted to give my own two cents on the situation.

i think a rewording from rika was definitely necessary. she was being unnecessarily cruel to satoko while trying to motivate her, which is even noted by the narrator ("Rika's words were suddenly toned with malice, penetrating Satoko's heart the moment she thought she was saved."). but i think the point of that was to show how immature rika really was, paralleling shion's own words, albeit a lot less obviously selfish. something that rika takes pride in this whole arc is about how she believes she knows satoko better than anyone else, even herself. and considering the messages of saikoroshi and this arc as well, i believe that this immature belief is meant to be refuted. because even though rika is a century-old witch, she still only has the amount of life experience that a middle schooler does. she's still young, and she doesn't truly know how much her words can hurt satoko.

the way that satoko's beliefs are referred to as an "atonement for her sin" by so many characters in the series is problematic, but the biggest factor to consider beforehand is that most of the time, the characters are referring to how satoko views her own situation herself. she views her own situation as "a way to atone for her sins," and she even admits to genuinely believing this in meakashi as well as not refuting rika when confronted about her beliefs during the phone call scene. i fully believe that at the very least most of the characters that refer to satoko's situation as "atonement for her sins" are only speaking on her terms, and the characters who do mean it, particularly rena in tsumihoroboshi and shion, only refer to it in such a hurtful way because of their mental states. especially since both rena and shion have their own sins when it comes to satoshi, with rena's sin being her fueling satoshi's paranoia with her religious psychosis, and shion's being self explanatory. their harshness towards satoko when it comes to that is a projection of their own self-hatred for being unable to prevent and even worsening satoshi's situation.

and about the danger that satoko poses for herself by listening to the advice from her friends, i feel like we only need to look back onto tatarigoroshi for what happens when satoko doesn't reach out. even when saved before teppei pushes her over the brink, her mental state is already so bad that she starts inflicting harm onto herself in place of teppei, a painful irony considering how she believed she needed to endure pain if she wanted to be saved. the point of higurashi is that these kinds of risks are worth taking, and that change is needed to prevent a stagnant sadness. along with that, higurashi is also about how trying to change everything by yourself will end up fruitless, and that the risks that are taken by trusting people are worth it, a theme heavily present within every arc of higurashi.

despite rika's selfish and painfully hurtful words, i don't think that she was trying to victim-blame satoko. if she was, she would be affirming satoko's self-harming behavior, encouraging what satoko said while she was being tortured by shion in meakashi, saying that she deserves to be suffering to atone for satoshi. but rika is also trying to speak on satoko's terms. she's trying to show her that the only way to truly be happy is if she reaches out and believes in her friends. it just happens that rika believed that she also needed to speak on satoko's level, if that makes sense. she needed to convince satoko that she had to reach out to her friends, even if it meant she had to appeal to satoko's guilt. and again, we need to keep in mind that rika is only truly as mature as satoko is. these are flawed characters, and children at that. they aren't always going to use the perfect words to convey how they feel, and they're both learning what it means to truly be friends with someone.

with ryukishi07's experience as a civil servant, i have no doubt that he knew what he was writing during this scene. he likely has experience with child abuse victims with a complex who needed that complex to be fulfilled if they were to believe that they needed to reach out. and even though the situation of minagoroshi is highly idealistic, there is a heavy level of sad realism that can be found in its story. and even with that idealism, the message that ryukishi wanted to tell us through these characters can be found. that the things that seem like miracles can be made simply by taking the risk of reaching out, and that what we perceive as an unchangeable destiny, a fate set in stone, can be torn through as simply as wet paper. whether or not you believe the message is realistic is up to the reader, but i heavily believe in the meaning that ryukishi had behind it.

i can definitely see why people would be uncomfortable with the way ryukishi decided to present satoko's abuse like this, and i completely empathize with the people who found discomfort in his portrayal of abuse. but i believe that there was a meaning to the words he chose, a reason to why he wrote his story this way.

[oscarealejandro]

No one asked but I'm going to give my soapbox spiel on Tua and his recent injury.

If you expect the NFL to take initiative and prioritize a player's health over revenue than I can only admire your obliviousness; they're a business nevertheless. I realize that despite their PR-saving attempts at showing support for various causes, it's hard not to notice how insincere those efforts are. Meaningless sayings that are etched into the end zone like "End Racism" and "It Takes All of Us" are not only hollow cop-out statements that belittle tragedies, but when you use these phrases on your merchandise at a markup, it's obvious where your head is at. I will always look at the NFL as the greedy coldhearted corporate shill that they are.

This is the fourth concussion (that we know of) since Tua has entered the league in 2020 and I want to emphasize that he is only 26 years old. This isn't a question about Tua's toughness, commitment to the sport, or anything else that people are speculating on. This is a young man who is putting his entire life on the line every single time he steps on the field. Watching him go down after making a routine (albeit unnecessary) attempt at pushing against a defender to secure a win for his team made my heart sink. He's a talented and intelligent quarterback who surely knows that he should have slid but the competitor in him refused to give less than 100 percent effort. He's blinded by his love for the game and it shows. This is not a gripe against Tua but rather a reason for the NFL and NFLPA to consider removing the decision from his hands. Professional athletes tend to share an obsessiveness in their respective sport that they often misinterpret as their sense of self. Winning or losing a game could be the determining factor for whether or not they consider themselves to be a good person. We as fans know that, that is far from the truth but unless you are that person it is nearly impossible to convince them of such.

Football is a brutal sport and the potential repercussions are well known. We all watched as Damar Hamlin, the same player who Tua rushed into, literally died on the field 619 days prior from commotio cordis caused by a hit in the chest. There's an unspoken understanding that these people are sacrificing their lives and health for our entertainment but when someone demonstrates repeated behaviors despite multiple preventive measures, there needs to be a conversation had regarding their future.

There's not much else I can say that has not been reworded by many but I want to share this video that distinguished sportswriter, Jeff Pearlman, posted where he talks about Walter Payton's experience playing in the league - specifically dealing with injuries by any means necessary. I wish Tua the best no matter what decision he makes and I hope that he lives a full life with minimal lasting effects from his injuries.

[0rdovician]

Two Stud Redemption - Poob Info

Some of these are subject to change, either by adding new ones, rewording ones as I get better ideas, or removing some entirely.

Poob:

Age - 24

Birthday - February 29th, 2000

Gender - Nonbinary

Pronouns - They/Them

Species - Partygoer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to being born on a leap day, they never get to celebrate their real birthday, having it occur either on February 28th or March 1st instead. However, they adopted the idea their birthday is "everyday," which is where they got their nickname, Poob.

They are NOT 6 years old, do not be a funny guy!

Born AMAB, transitioned as nonbinary in their mid-teens.

They are demiromantic asexual. They wouldn't mind a romantic relationship, but they're too busying partying to actually engage in it.

Their wardrobe consists of mostly their main outfit duplicated 30 times due to those silly shirt and pant stealers! However, the occasional seasonal outfit is there too.

The younger adoptive sibling of Pest. Poob adopted him when they were a child, thinking the (at the time) beetle larvae was cute. No one was aware Pest ended up being a hybrid.

They REALLY like pretzels. They don't really know why.

They went to Two Stud Camp when they were 8 and vaguely recalls seeing a blue Gnarpian deep in the forest.

Their voice sounds like Spongebob.

Poob is actually a partygoer that evolved to become a much more docile (albeit slightly unsettling at times) than their wild counterparts. This docile behavior is likely a result of the Level 11 Effect. Any similarities to a typical noob is the result of convergent evolution and many mistake them as such.

Poob originally came from the backrooms as well and escaped when the elevator came one day. It's implied that they know Clover.

[aotoreiki]

I feel like my rules are sooo long now but Jan 2024 update:

Added section about not being chronologically locked or locked to IRL time passing (will post this under cut for reference).

Added part about being more likely/motivated to try interacting with people who I see in my activity at least sometimes.

Ummed and uhhed about it some more but did end up adding a point mentioning Jak Is Autistic.

Minor rewording or expansion/clarification of some points, but those rules themselves have not changed.

Since the section about timelines is new, I may add to or reword it later. (I feel like there may be something I missed in it but I can't think of it right now.)

Point about timelines:

Doesn’t follow a locked timeline, or time passing IRL. E.g. muse has a birthday each year but does not “age” unless I specify such (the way I treat time passing in roleplay is kinda like this post). RP threads tend to follow a sense of chronological order, albeit mostly specific to each muse, but this isn’t dictated by the IRL time that passes between them, and isn’t locked either. Events may be referred to as having happened and form a loose chronology, but it’s as flexible as I and whoever I’m writing with need it to be. The timeline is more important primarily for events happening prior to the default verse, and for in-depth plotting with others, like muse relationships developing over time. Roleplays can occur at any point on a timeline. Seasonal RPs can happen at any point IRL-time.

[baizhuo]

hi ! i said it before but i will say it again ! in lieu of pride month , that is ...

its insufferable of having to be babied constantly on just my sexuality alone but invalidating my concerns and chalking up my asexuality & mental health like it isn't a big deal is extremely damaging and toxic so please don't do it , thanks ^-^

also below IS a repost ( albeit slightly reworded ) but !!!

if you ( read : cis person ) fetishize trans people ( or non - cis people in general ) , know that i don't like you because you make me , a non - cis person who struggles to be taken seriously with their identity , very upset due to your ( maybe unintentional ) ignorance . you're not an ally , you're not being helpful . & i will not be welcome individuals like that here . this goes beyond real people too . if you fetishize it for your muses , that's just as bad , & you're still not an ally , you not trying to understand us . it's a poor excuse to feel like you're being inclusive .

also gender is not always overt . just because somebody looks or acts masculine or feminine may not always mean they identify that way .

another thing : it is never okay to use a derogatory term towards strangers in a very demeaning & patronizing way ( name calling to demonize somebody you barely know in general is wrong ) . the excuse , ' well i dont know them personally ' or ' i dont say that term to my friends ' , is not a valid answer . you are still a horrible , horrible person . & very stinky but not in a fun way .

dont be a shitty ally . its not fun when you force stuff like that . the purpose of pride is to make people feel comfortable & safe to come out when they are ready on their own terms . let people take their own steps . thanks !

another also .... perhaps a hot take but i do genuinely , honestly , and truly believe that cis characters and individuals are valid as well . the whole point of pride is to be accepting of everybody regardless of identity . everybody SHOULD be treated EQUALLY . nobody is neither above nor below another .

just thought i would share some thoughts . because i think it is very needed & necessary , and im tired of staying silent while i witness some .... less than desirable comments coming from some during pride of all times .

[our-blood-is-our-ink]

🌹

I WAKE UP AND MISS THE FIC SHARING STUFF D<

....

Two more for good measure.

🌹🌹

I am genuinely shocked, albeit pleasently so, to have found some decent concepts deep in the drafts while searching for things to give you.

This one is from the LMWID rewrite that... Ugh, I think I'm going to have to write this one out of order the more I stare at this, but anyways

And then we have the Salem!Agatha fix it

Oof... Some of that is going to be reworded a bit HOWEVER I really like it so far

And then we have the fic I started for the immediate happenings after Agatha's trial

Which is much better than I anticipated being so... I might finish this one up.

[againstboredom]

WHY I DON’T LIKE THE LAST CHAPTER OF BLEACH

It’s because, the characters  I loved and invested in, are all dead.

Yes, older people with their names appear in it, but the persons I grew attached to, are no more.

Everything turned into a telenovela, not that telenovelas are bad, but I dind’t turn to Bleach to see one, ok?

The reason why I give ichime a pass, is because of the dreastic change that a decade produced in me. I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago. I don’t have the same love, the same goals and I’m not where I imagined I would be.

Yes, in ten years alot can happen, and people change their preferences or simply settle as they mature.

But I hate when you go the realistic route suddenly in a work that never really was that way before, where the power of good always triumphs. A cynical world presided over by a cadaver that doesn’t answer prayers or offer any redemption, where sad souls still turn into cannibalistic hollows, where the human world is still a cesspool of evil, disease and inequality, where after you die you get the reword of a few centuries in a medieval Japanese fair, where only power matters. Nobody, nowhere is safe.

Everything, in the construction of the world, except for the characters seems regressed to pre-SS arc levels. Where are the changes that Ichigo has done to a million years of tradition?

What happen during the decade of silence?

And I accept that ichime has its moments. And by moments, I mean friendly interactions, care for one another, and she obviously loved him since puberty hit her.

But as many , and as deep is also the connection between Ichigo and Chad. Ichigo also protects Chad, is worried for him and doesn’t want hi  to fight arrancar .Remember when he goes with Rukia after D-roy, and he comands Chad to go to safety?

He also has moments with Byakuya,  Renji, Ishida, his older boss lady.

But foe some shippers any type of interaction between two characters is a romantic interaction.

I also think that unintentionally he gave Byakuya and Renji almost as many ho-yay moments as he gave het-yay moments to Ichigo and Rukia?

So why the batos , seeing all the moments between Ichigo and Rukia?

What happened in the decade of silence?

Now, he won’t explain how Ichigo and Orihime came togheter, which I would sincerely want to now, he will just rewrite history that they were always together in their hearts, it just took some time for them to admit it.

How about Rukia? When and how did her friendship for Renji transformed into romantic love?

At least Kishimoto, had the common sense to know that the Sakura- Naruto problem had to be addressed, and did it,albeit not very successfully in my opoinionin Naruto, The Last.

The decade of silence, is a gaping wound in the continuity of Bleach.

A large time skip, is rarely justified and even rarely well executed.You know that is well executed when you can see how they could have ended there. When even if older, you recognize the characters. When it’s not a shameful bait for a mediocre sequel. When it gives you the impression that you lived, or can at least imagine the missing years yourself.

[theweredrifter]

Bold is what changed or was added.

Clarification on nsfw themes and triggers. Adjustment on a few other rules but no real changes, more a rewording.

All NSFW content, albeit gore of any kind or sexual content will be tagged appropriately. For anything sexual it is simply #NSFW and placed under read more, anything that doesn’t fall within the sexual scope, blood guts, triggering themes; It will start with tw. When content like that is posted I will place the tags openly so people can block them. ALL NSFW content should be with 21+ mutuals only.

I do occasionally reblog non-reply posts. Anything from quotes, to pictures. This is typically done sparingly as not to spam my followers, and allows people to sample my writing style.

In Dashboard reply speed, it is just clarified my high activity on dash.

[your-heavily-father]

Involuntary Shadow Work

What advice would you give to your teenage self? What a way to start off any given Friday. Involuntary shadow work anyone? Albeit, an extremely redundant question reworded, we just keep prying into a momentary residency in past disappointments. I mean, check out this post from SEPTEMBER 18, 2023. Im going to take this somewhere else. Not sorry. Over the past year I have done my fair share of…

[reavenedges-lies]

More positively worded ask: we can't be 6th in the Metro for so long, right? The teams ahead of us (with 3 more games played regardless) will have to play each other soon too, there's going to be a longer break in February, and by then we may get key players back. Sid and Geno would be out of their slump inevitably. You've been saying this all along but a lot of things can still happen, W/Ls are never guaranteed, streaks are going to hit every team and still a lot of time

This skid isn't great because in the Metro they can quickly turn into a hole in the standings, however I appreciate you taking the time and not only rewording your previous ask, but going through and making the effort to not drown yourself (or me) in the negativity.

We have time, albeit not a tonne, and the boys will be trying to figure it out this month. They have today and tomorrow here in AZ before the Sunday game, with practice scheduled in the afternoon on Sat. They have a scheduled day off today to wander around Tempe in nice and cool 55-65F (its 58F rn) weather.

[runolllo]

Kyza is officially They/Them:

A POLITE POSITIVE EXPLANATION + FACTS + CONTEXT

I didn’t want to comment on this until it was officially released and I could see it running on my own game, but yes: Fire Emblem Heroes officially uses they/them pronouns for Kyza in English, and doesn’t shy away from mentioning that Kyza has a crush on Ranulf. 

Above: screenshot from Fire Emblem Heroes (2022)

Above: Sharena’s official comments for “Meet some of the Heroes”

There’s been a lot of confusion and fandom drama surrounding the decision to give Kyza they/them pronouns in English for FEHeroes, and this is partly because:

- Kyza was referred to as male he/him in the English Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn from 2007 (also true for the Spanish version). 

- Later on, a number of fans started using she/her for Kyza, explaining that Kyza was probably supposed to be a trans woman in the Japanese Radiant Dawn (because of reasons I’ll be explaining later). 

- Now, Fire Emblem Heroes has changed to They/Them pronouns in English.

I’ll also add that mentions of Kyza’s crush on Ranulf were removed or ‘reworded’ in the non-Japanese releases of Radiant Dawn, but FEHeroes decided to be open and clear about it instead.

So was Kyza trans in the source material? Was Kyza officially gay? Why are people mad or confused? Well, with my questionable skills communicating in English, I’ll try to be as informative and objective as posible:

The short answer is: Kyza is indeed officially queer and has a crush on Ranulf in the source material, which is the original Japanese Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn from 2007. FEHeroes giving Kyza They/Them pronouns in English is correct, since it complies with Kyza using standard neutral Japanese in the source material; at the same time, they/them pronouns is a good way to reflect Kyza’s apparent genderfluidness that is also very much canon in the source material. To top this, in FEHeroes they’ve also opted for giving Kyza a kimono that mixes elements from the typically male and female new year wear.

It’s correct for people to say Kyza in non-binary / genderqueer even when not taking into account the current development in FEHeroes. However, Kyza was only ever confirmed to be queer, never confirmed as gay or trans specifically (but also not negating those two concepts either.) Kyza’s queerness was presented in a positive way in Radiant Dawn, albeit stereotypical (for Japanese standard in 2007). 

Up until this point, I’ve avoided explaining much so that the ‘short answer’ actually remained as short as possible. So now, let’s go with the LONG ANSWER:

The long answer: Fire Emblem 20th Anniversary Encyclopedia describes Kyza as having the body of a man but the heart of a woman (very typical, probably unfortunate, way to write queer guys, gay guys, transwomen, etc. in Japanese media). Kyza’s attraction to Ranulf is confirmed in that book too. Going back to the Japanese game, Kyza’s mannerisms fluctuated in this way:

- Kyza presents themselves as what many would say is ‘somewhat masculine’ when on duty or in public, but still using ‘standard neutral’ Japanese; this is, however, something working women usually do in Japan in general, as using ‘strongly feminine’ language in the work place is seen as informal and unprofessional (as is ‘strong masculine’ language as well, for that matter.)

- When in private or only with Ranulf, Lyre and other friends, Kyza changes their mannerisms to more informal and what many consider “feminine” because, for instance, Kyza uses ‘atashi’ as personal pronoun in this context, talking in what I’ve come to call a ‘big sister’ way (but strictly speaking, STILL using ‘standard neutral‘ Japanese).

Now, ‘atashi’ is gender neutral, as are all the pronouns Kyza ever uses in Japanese (if I remember correctly). It’s just that ‘atashi’ is often used by women nowadays because it sounds... cutesy and nice, supposedly. But, in fact, elderly men are still heard using atashi because ‘only women use atashi’ is a recent thing for some reason. Grown men using ‘atashi’ is often seen as ‘effeminate’ and because of this, often times this is how queer characters are written in Japan, in special (and sadly) if they’re a parody character and not legit queer representation. 

Anyway, the point is: Kyza’s description and mannerisms are all about 'being a man but also a woman’. In Japan (in special in the Japan of 2007 when the game came out) the way Kyza was written is similar to that associated with transwomen as well as queer guys in general (those be gay, bi or otherwise, even crossdressers). The Japanese media still has a tendency to group all of them together. While Kyza’s queerness was always pretty clear because of this reason, this is also why we don’t know specifically if Kyza is gay or trans or otherwise... Kyza could be ANY of those things. 

This is also why a good chunk of the fans opted for using English she/her with Kyza all these years, interpreting Kyza as a trans woman based on the way Kyza is presented in the Japanese Radiant Dawn and their description in the 20th Anniversary Encyclopedia (body of a man, heart of a woman). Even if in the end FEHeroes has chosen to reflect Kyza’s genderqueernes using They/Them pronouns, that ‘transwoman’ interpretation was very legit for all the reasons I already explained, and I can understand why many who saw Kyza that way and thought of them as a trans icon for more than a decade are feeling dissapointed now. However, trans people using They/Them pronouns is not unheard of (on the contrary!) and many of us are fluid about our pronouns too, it’s not like both concepts cancel each other or anything.

Part of the drama going around comes from the fact that Kyza very much comes from the stereotype we already talked about which, sadly, overlaps with ‘okama’ stereotypes as well. If you don’t know what ‘okama’ means, please don’t use the word lightly as it’s mostly considered a slur nowadays.

Luckily though, they didn’t give Kyza any of the stereotypical bad attributes often associated with the ‘gay guy’ trope. Kyza is not used as a “clown gay character” or ‘degenerated gay weirdo’ either (which, unfortunatedly, is pretty common in media all over the world). Kyza also had their own personality and goals outside of having a crush and being queer. Kyza’s queerness was presented in a positive way in Radiant Dawn and other characters never treat Kyza badly for being queer (it’s not like Kyza’s queerness is that relevant in the game anyway, plus Kyza is a very minor character that appears in like 6 scenes only).

I really do feel that given the very few lines and space for development and explanations they have in FEH, settling for they/them pronouns in English is posibly the best decision, since it informs us that Kyza is indeed genderqueer without negating any of the most obvious interpretations, such as Kyza being genderfluid or Kyza being a transwoman.

And all of that said, I want to mention that I don’t have the availability to be replying to messages about this, pluz I already said everything I know about the topic anyway. Feel free to reblog adding comments and correcting me and discussing (politely, hopefully) just don’t expect me to follow up. Thanks.

[intercoursefluids]

Marry Me Part 1

Dick cracks the kitchen door open and takes a picture of the scene.

Marinette kneading dough with a focused look on her face, Damian sitting at the counter occasionally looking up at Marinette before continuing to sketch.

Dick turns to the side, noticing Alfred coming his way and scrambles to hide the evidence of his snooping.

Alfred looks at him, raising an eyebrow before walking in the door.

Dick waits around 6 minutes for Alfred to walk out and away before creeping back over to the door.

Soft instrumental music now fills the air, Marinette humming along as Damian watches her with a soft smile.

Marinette's soft humming fills the air accompanied by Damian's pencil strokes.

Dick pulls out his phone taking a small video and posting it to his personal twitter with the caption “It’s so Domestic!” followed with a crying emoji.

Marinette finishes kneading the dough and starts to form them into little rolls, placing them on the pan as she sways to the music.

Jason arrives just as she finishes.

Dick waves like crazy, signaling him to be quiet, and for once Jason listens.

He comes over peeking through the door with Dick before breaking out into a wide grin, pulling his phone out as Marinette places the pan in the oven, turning on the timer before washing her hands of the flour.

They watch as she hums swaying to the music as she dries her hand with a dish towel when the unexpected happens.

Now to understand their shock, you’ll need some background information.

Damian Wayne would rather gouge out his own eyes before dancing with someone.

So imagine their surprise when their little brother stands up and walks over to an oblivious Marinette, humming softly with her.

He taps her on the shoulder to get her attention before bowing at the waist and holding out his hand to her.

“May I have this dance?”

Marinette smiles blindingly bright before placing her hand in his.

He guides her around the room, spinning her periodically with the softest look any of them have ever seen on his face.

He starts to hum louder than before as he spins her before pulling her close again with a hand on her face.

Dick has to put a hand over his mouth and pass his phone to Jason because he's shaking so much. Tears stream freely down his face as he stifles his sobs.

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Neither brother even jumps at Selinas sudden voice, instead mutely nodding their agreements.

Dick leans back against his step-mom, sniffling at the display of affection playing out in front of them.

“It’s okay Dick, me and Selina are crying too.”

One look at Jason and Selina confirms that they are both in fact crying as they record. Well in Jason's case his eyes are a little shiny.

The song comes to an end as a timer rings.

They break away and Dick takes back his phone, stopping the video as Marinette checks and something in a pot on the stove.

Dick is about to step away when he notices Selina still filming and Tim walking towards them.

“What are you all doing? And why is Selina recording?”

Thankfully Tim seems to notice the secretive atmosphere and whispers not giving away their position to the two inside the kitchen.

“Your little brother is being sweet and I have a feeling that he’s not done being affectionate yet.”

Tim raises an eyebrow crouching down next to the rest of them and pulls out his phone before pointing it through the gap.

“Blackmail kinda sweet or make me cry kinda sweet?”

He turns back to the rest and sees Dicks face before pulling out a handkerchief that Marinette made him.

“Nevermind.”

They turn back in time to see Marinette finish stirring whatever is in the pot and move it off the heat before turning back to Damian.

Hugging him she rests her head on his chest with a smile as a new song starts up.

“Do you want to dance?”

Marinette looks up at Damian with a confused smile on her face.

“I thought we already did, mon chou?”

Damian chuckles softly tucking some of the hair that fell from her bun behind her ear.

“That we did, Habibiti. But against my better judgment I can’t help but find that dancing with you is one of the finer things in life.”

Marinette smirks at him, her hand coming up to grasp the wrist of the hand still cupping her cheek.

“Well then maybe we shouldn’t dance, afterall too much of something you enjoy can lead to an addiction.”

Damian smiles, swooping down to kiss her softly before pulling away.

“Indulge me just this once?”

Marinette sighs heavily, before speaking.

“Oh alright, but just this once.”

Behind the door there isn’t a dry eye in sight, even Jason shed a tear or two.

They start dancing again but not quite how they were before.

Before they were doing proper ballroom dances, now they just hold each other close and sway. Marinette's arms around his neck and her head resting on his chest, meanwhile Damians arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against him with his chin resting on top of her head, both of their eyes closed. The perfect picture of contentment.

Dick snaps a picture before immediately posting it to his twitter with an attempt at a caption that looks more like a keyboard smash since he can’t see very well through his tears.

They sway together for a long while before a second timer sounds.

They break apart, albeit reluctantly, and Marinette pulls the tray from the oven before carrying it over to the counter and switching the now golden brown buns to a cooling rack.

Since she is now facing the door the brothers plus Selina have a perfect view of Damians face from where he stands behind her.

Dick, now coherent enough to take pictures without them being blurry, lets the others film as he takes another picture. Posting it again to his private twitter so the rest of the family can see.

His face is full of pure adoration and love for the girl working in front of him.

“Mon Chou? Can you grab the glaze from the fridge? I need it.”

Damian immediately snaps out of his daze to do as she asks. He places the bowl by her hand before wrapping her up in a hug from behind, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“I love you, Marinette.”

Dick immediately takes two pictures, one with just the hug and Marinette working and another of her smiling after he says he loves her. And just like the rest, he immediately uploads them.

She smiles, stepping away to untie her apron and walking away. Effectively breaking the hug much to their 4 spectators disappointment.

“I love you too, Damian.”

She walks around the counter to hang up her apron, leaving only a few feet between her and the people who are filming them.

She doesn’t make it.

“I think I want to marry you.”

The 4 sharp inhales go unnoticed by the two teens as Marinette drops her apron, spinning around to face Damian with a bright blush.

“What?”

Marinette's voice is barely a whisper, as Damian rounds the island to come stand next to her, taking her hands and accidentally angling them in the perfect view to show both of their faces to the cameras.

“Let me reword that. Marinette, I know I want to marry you.”

Tears start to form in her eyes as Damian gets down on one knee, pressing a kiss to each of her hands before he starts to speak again.

“Marinette, you are so incredibly phenomenal. Ever since the first day I met you I knew I was doomed to fall for you, I just wasn’t prepared for how hard I would actually fall.”

Dick snaps another picture managing to type out a simple “OMFG” before posting.

“You are the only one I have ever been able to see myself spending the rest of my life with, the only one I have ever wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

Tears stream down Marinette's face as Damian looks into her eyes.

“I know that you have been hurt by the people you trusted most, you’ve told me how the people who were supposed to stay by your side turned you back on you.”

Damian sighs, turning her hands up and kissing her palms.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I vow from this day forward that in any way I may accidentally hurt you, even when I try my damndest to prevent it, that I will allow it to be done onto myself tenfold. I will stand by your side but I will never force you to remain by mine. When you want to take the lead I will cover your blind spots and protect you from those who try to blindside you. When you can’t think of a plan right away, or are too overwhelmed to take the lead I will stand front and center to cover you till we make it to safety. My sword arm, my strength, and my knowledge are at your disposal. And my heart and love are yours to take.”

Selina reaches over dick to Jason and Tim, putting her hands on their shoulders as they both cry freely.

“I know I’m not the best at expressing or even understanding my emotions.”

Marinette opens her mouth at his self deprecating tone, but Damian rushes to catch her off guard.

“Even so, the one thing I am sure of is that there will never be enough words to tell you just how much I love you. I will happily spend everyday for the rest of my life, trying to show you just how much you mean to me. And even then it won’t be enough.”

Damian pauses giving Marinette time to let out her thoughts before he continues.

“Oh Damian, I-, but what will everyone think? We’re 16! No one even knows I am with you outside of friends and family. What will we do when people call me a gold digger? I- people in France already don’t like me. I don’t want to drag you through the mud with me by agreeing to marry you Damian.”

Marinette winces, slowly pulling her hands away from Damians. He just grips them tighter.

“Marinette.” His serious tone makes everything go quiet, silencing even his brothers and stepmom's soft sobs.

“There are only two things in existence that could stop me from marrying you and one of them is if you say ‘No’. If the people in France believe that they have any say in what you do or don’t do just because they believe the words of a liar over you, it just proves that they are even dumber than I thought. As for our age? We can be engaged for the two years it takes us to turn 18, or if you want, we can wait longer. I don’t mind. And I’m pretty sure that if someone called you a ‘gold digger’ Jason, Dick, and Tim would put a stop to it before word even got to us.”

He gently pulls her hands back again, kissing her palms as she speaks.

“What's the other thing?”

He hums in question, meeting her eyes.

“You said that there were only two things that could stop you from marrying me, one was me saying ‘No’. What’s the other?”

Damian straightens slightly making sure she knows just how serious he is.

“Death.”

It's silent for a minute, no one daring to breathe.

“Yes.”

It's barely a whisper, hardly more than a breath, and yet it holds more worth than anything else in the world.

“Yes I will marry you, Damian.”

Damian immediately jumps up wrapping Marinette in a hug and spinning around with the before dropping to the ground again.

“I can’t believe you said yes.”

Marinette laughs at Damian, happy tears flowing down her face.

“You asked me!”

“I didn’t think that I was lucky enough for you to actually say yes!”

Marinette giggles again pulling Damian into a kiss that he happily returns, at least before he groans loudly and breaks, instead resting his forehead against hers.

“What's wrong?”

Damian sighs his shoulders lumping before answering.

“I have to tell my brothers and Selina by tomorrow. At least Dick and Selina so they can help me-”

He cuts off, paling severely.

“Dicks gonna kill me. I proposed to you without a ring, and he will skin me alive for it.”

Marinette laughs again.

“I’ll ask him to spare you. Besides, he can’t have me as his sister-in-law if he kills my husband.”

Marinette blushes at him as he smiles.

“Tomorrow, I’ll get the ring tomorrow. I don’t think I could wait any longer than that to finally put a ring on your finger.”

They cuddle up together, relishing in each other's presence.

Dick is the first to stand up, followed by Jason, Tim, and then Selina.

They walk down to the cave, all staying silent as their phones save the videos they were lucky enough to take.

Once they make it the tears start up again, full volume wails coming from dick and sniffles from Jason.

“That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

Dick cries into his stepmother's hair. His brothers following suit.

All of a sudden Dicks phone starts going off like crazy.

He pulls it out annoyed ready to tell whoever is on the other end off for interrupting his cry sesh.

467 notifications and climbing from twitter.

He opens it to the picture he snapped when Damian started swinging Marinette through the air with the caption ‘She said yes! BRB gonna go cry my eyes out’.

He looks at his username with horror, paling considerably as he looks at his family.

“I fucked up.”