#choosing to include them in a positive light is political

[the-dot]

having a thought but dont have words and don't want to open myself to disk horse and i'm too tired to really be coherent. thoughts in tags because i'm a coward. this post was originally about how e*rovision trying to say their event isn't political is idiotic. it kind of got away from me because i've slept maybe 6 hours in the last 2 days

[sweetiepoison]

Famous Baby (blurb)

The Concert

Song: “Silent” by Ashley Kutcher

The amount of times Auston called you overrated was roughly the same amount of times you called him self centered. So you never expected him to use one of the tickets you gave him for your show on himself, but there he was, surrounded by the five other ticket holders.

“Hey.” You greeted as politely as possible knowing this was his family surrounding him.

“Hey, these are my sisters Alex and Bre.” Auston first introduced you to the two girls you’ve seen in pictures.

They both sent you a wave and a smile which you thought was as far as it was going to go, but the younger one pipped up.

“When Auston gave us the tickets and told us he was friends with you, we didn’t actually believe him at first.”

“Bre.” Auston’s tone came off as a warning.

“Oh did he?” You laughed looking over at Auston for an explanation.

“I never used the word friends.” Auston clarified.

“Yes you did!” Bre exclaimed, “He surprised us with the tickets at a family dinner and when our nana asked who you were he said you were friends and a really talented singer.”

Your smile only grew as you gently nudged Auston’s arm, “talented huh?”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“Sure it is.” You agreed sarcastically, but put an end to it by turning your attention to the younger girls who were the main reason for the invite.

“Hi!” You smiled brightly greeting the younger girls in front of you. They couldn’t be older than 10.

“This is Gracie and this is Paige.” Auston introduced the two girls.

“It’s so nice to meet you both, my name’s (y/n). I’m so exited that you could make it tonight.” Despite your best efforts the girls remained quiet and needed lots of prompting from there mom to talk. Nevertheless, you continued to talk about the show and asked them questions as well.

Auston would rather do skating drills before he ever admitted that he liked watching you interact with his family, but he did. The way you told his cousins the first song you were going to play but they had to promise to keep it a secret and how you included his sisters in choosing your outfit, those little things stuck with him.

Shortly after your introductions it was time for them to head to their seats and you to finish getting ready.

“Alright, popstar, let’s see what kind of overrated concert you put on.”

“It’ll be the best one you’ve ever been to, Matthews.” You reassured him.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Auston warned you.

“Sit back, relax,” you smiled “and most importantly, enjoy.”

“I’ll try.”

“Oh you will.” You sent him a playful wink as you watched him walk away.

As your opener finished up on stage you took the time to compose yourself as best as you could. Despite years of performing you still got nervous before every show.

With one last final look in the mirror and a self encouraging mantra you were swept up by a stage manager. He held your waist as he practically carried you while speed walking down the hall.

“(Y/n) on the move, we’ll be at the starting marker in T minus 20 seconds.” He talked into his walkie talkie as he guided you down the hall.

“Lights have went down and band is in place.” You heard come back through the walkie talkie.

“Dancers are moving onto the stage now.” Another voice informed.

“10 seconds, countdown has started on the screen.” You could hear the screaming from the crowd intensify as your arrival on stage was now imminent.

“(Y/n)’s standing by ready to go.” You looked toward your team one final time to ensure that everything was in place.

“Good luck kiddio, leave it all out there.”

You placed your inner ear in which allowed you to hear yourself while singing as well as cues from the stage managers. “5….4….3….2….1, let’s have a good show everyone.”

As you entered through the side stage the screaming reached a level you didn’t even think possible. You took a second to feel the energy and the crowd before standing in position. You smiled singing your intro song, before taking a pause to greet the crowd.

“Hi Glendale! How are you feeling?” You were met with an explosion of screams and cheering, “It’s so nice to be here with all of you tonight!”

The night continued with you performing all of your tops hits. Song after song left you feeling more excited and satisfied as you fed off the crowds energy. Maybe it was the warm weather or the outdoor stadium, or the summer evening, but this show felt better than the last few. The band was playing at their best, all of the dancers were sharp and purposeful and you could feel that the show was a success even before it ended.

Your favorite part of every show had to be interacting with the audience.

“Okay this next song is about cursing an entire generational line.” You laughed as everyone started screaming knowing what it was from previous shows you’ve done with the same intro.

“It is a tribute to all the boys,” you emphasized the word boys “Not men, boys, because a man wouldn’t act like this.”

“And I want…” you scanned the front row on the left side of the stage, “you,” you pointed at a girl who just about passed out once she realized you were looking at her, “to introduce this next song.” She immediately handed her phone to her friend. “You can talk about a boy who ruined your life or just say you hate men, whatever works.”

You extended the mic to the security guard in front of the stage to hold for her.

“This next song is for all the lame ass boys who fumbled (y/n), it’s your loss, this is ‘Tummy Hurts!’

You laughed as the mic was handed back to you and your band began playing the intro to the song.

Auston couldn’t help but move his head to the beat of your catchy songs and at times he even hummed along to the ones that were on repeat on the radio.

It wasn’t just your voice that was amazing, but the lighting, the backgrounds, the choreography it was all mesmerizing. Auston thought it was overall a really good show. Even during the songs he didn’t know your stage presence was enough to keep him locked in.

“I have a new song to play for y’all if that’s alright?” Your question received a wave of people screaming yes which made you laugh. “Okay, it’s one that I’ve been writing and working on since tour has started. And we won’t end on this song I promise because it’s kind of a slower one, but I’m excited to share it. This is called, Silent.

You felt a mix between anxiety and excitement. You knew they would like the song but this is the first time anyone outside of your band would be hearing it. The thought of being this vulnerable made you not want to perform it at all. But you knew if you didn’t do this now, you would never release the song and it would end up never seeing the light of day.

You sat down on the chair placed in the middle of the stage and began strumming the opening chords on your guitar. Taking a deep breath and closing your eyes you began singing.

‘It’s 6 a.m. and we’re in your bed

And you're just looking at me with everything unsaid

I should go to sleep or just up and leave

I should call a car before I say what I might mean’

Auston’s heart began thumping in his chest. It was just the beginning of the song, but these lyrics were hitting a little too close to home.

Early in the morning with only a few hours of sleep in your system, you smacked Auston in the arm complaining about his snoring and how it was keeping you awake. He quickly shot back with the fact that you stole all the covers. And despite the darkness and your fighting you both laid there facing each other, anger giving way to another feeling. No words were spoken, but there was also an understanding that things were somehow different between you two.

Or is it just a combination of this late intoxication?

And these thoughts won't quit, oh, is it worth the

Conversation of a hopeless situation?

And these thoughts, we're probably better off keeping it silent

The song was actually very easy for you to write, once you got the chorus done the rest flowed. You had a rough version recorded on your phone within two hours.

Nothing can go wrong when you keep it quiet

No one needs to know just where my mind's at

That's for you to guess, I'll keep it private (keep it)

Keep it (keep), keep it (keep)

You continued to sing refusing to open your eyes. You knew it was impossible, but you were scared if you opened them, you would make eye contact with him and that would make it all real.

You want to know, but I keep it close

Rather be the mystery than just the punchline of your joke

You can say the words, or I never will be yours

Rather be the one that got away than have to say it first

You were certain you didn’t have actual feelings for Auston. Whatever you were feeling from that night needed to come out or it would never stop bothering you, so you put it into a song.

My friends think you're no good but damn, I'm biased

But you don't need to know when I've been crying (crying)

I don't know how you keep it cool, I'm dying

Keeping this, you know me

No one knows what happened that night, you never told anyone and you assumed he didn’t either because when you saw each other again for the first time it was like it never happened. He made a comment about how he wished better music was playing when it was your song. To which you replied you wished he would stop talking.

But as time passed and the memories from that night replayed in your head over and over again it became unbearable to not talk about it.

So you confided in your mom. You kept the person and situation very vague, but even that was enough to make you burst into tears. Up until that point, your relationship with Auston was very clear, you didn’t like him and he didn’t like you, but that night made your very distinct relationship blurred.

You slowly faded into the end of the song finally allowing yourself to open your eyes and breathe. From the beginning of the song till now you forgot where you were, but the loud cheers and applause served as a reminder. You quickly wiped away the tears that began to flow and took a long drink from your water bottle. You needed the 3 seconds to compose yourself before speaking in the mic again.

Auston also felt like he was holding his breath during the whole song. At the end, while everyone around him began cheering he felt like he was going to throw up.

The morning after your night spent together, Auston woke up alone. He had the day off, but spent the rest of the day thinking about the night before. There was no denying the moment you two had, but he worked overtime convincing himself that whatever he felt for a split second wasn't real. However, in this moment, hearing you sing about it, it was more real than ever.

Auston's feet were moving before he knew what was going on. He recalled mumbling something to his sisters about waiting in the car, but he didn't wait for a response. The ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart only intensified as he pushed through the crowd. He didn't look back as he walked away from the stage, the away from the stadium, away from you.

[carpenoctem-if]

Carpe Noctem - Intro Post

DEMO - tba

You are a nobody. A supposedly ordinary human in a world full of powerful beings. Your life is all in all pretty average if not bordering on mind-numbing, like watching paint dry... That is until you were kidnapped and tossed into one especially small carriage to be delivered somewhere only the ancients knew of.

From now on nothing will ever be the same and you need to adapt to the ever-changing outside world as fast as possible. All the while trying to decipher your past and with that your part in an every-growing political conflict that borders to develop into an all out war the world has yet to see.

General content warnings: Bigotry & prejudice, horror elements, interspecies awkwardness, explicit language, depictions of violence, injuries, blood and death, explicit sexual content (if selected), flashbacks of a dark past to unveil, sprinkled with some homophobia here and there & general an unfair treatment of people with disabilities.

FEATURES

-> customizable MC (name, pronouns, appearance, identity)

-> semi-set personality due to evolve (MCs reclusive upbringing forces you to start as someone that's not entirely comfortable with other people and as such you'll be able to choose coping mechanisms your MC will use to compensate such a deficit)

-> 5 characters to romance (3 in book 1, not sure if the other two will follow, they'll probably be fully romanceable in book 2)

-> POVs of the ROs included

-> an open-minded author that is inclined to change some NPCs to fully fledged ROs depending on the general opinion/wishes of readers

-> an emotional roller coaster, all in all nothing for ppl that want a light-hearted theme

-> later on you'll be able to choose part of your race (vampyres, merpeople, demons, shapeshifters, phoenixes -and many more) & with that you can determine and further develop your special skillset. Your heritage will reward you with quite different flavour texts for every possible race there is, so yes. It will matter greatly what you chose. And each of the available races will have disadvantages that could prove quite...fatal in certain situations.

romanceable characters:

the master [Alois|Alice|Alix] (m|f|n) 24 winters

An aloof demeanor at the first glance, A has a cold, strangely shrouded gaze. They're reclusive as fuck, so there isn't much the general population knows about them. Oh. And A is your esteemed master -as if any of you actually want this dynamic... A seems to hate you and your position even more, especially the hidden context it supplies to everyone they meet...

A has almond-shaped silver eyes that always seem distant and unfocused. They have defined cheek bones with mostly soft facial features and quite long, silver hair that is often tied to a simple ponytail. A wears fine dark clothing without other prominent features to despict their wealth.

Content warnings for A's route: denial of feelings aka one of the slowest burns imaginable, domestic violence, implied/referenced rape/non-con, anxiety attacks, self-harm, angst & hurt/comfort

the protector [Leto] (m|f|n) too many to count

Leto is a raven-like creature most would describe as monstrous-looking. They are rarely seen and the few moments they are, death is certain. For many commoners it's enough to see one of Leto's black feathers to warrant a swift escape.

Their past eludes them and you have to wonder - why does some antics of them seem kinda...familiar?

Content warnings for Leto's route: survivor-guilt, body dysphoria, angst, captivity & enslavement, torture, ptsd

the assassin [Zane|Zoey] (m|f) 28 winters

Z is everything their mother wanted them to be. Her own personal weapon. One she is now inclined to use for her vendetta against you.

They have dark brown hair with intelligent hazel green eyes that seem to observe their surroundings constantly. Z was raised with stories about you, stories you know nothing about. How can it be that they seem to know more of you and your family than you yourself?

Should it worry you that they sound extremely resolute in stating their sole purpose is to rid the world of your existance?

Content warnings for Z's route: enemies to frenemies to lovers, eating disorder, alcohol-addiction, a tendency of morbid jealousy, past emotional abuse & manipulation

??? [redacted]

??? [also redacted]

more info tba

Small note of the author:

Everything is slow burn in this - even the character customization, cause I want to add those moments seamlessly into the story.

I tend to take my time. You can expect me to heavily focus on the characters and their feelings, with a slight disregard to describing the environment and such. I work with minimalistic efforts to still give a sense of what I imagine everything to be but with the intention to leave fine details to the reader's own imagination.

I'll try to be considerate of everyone's preferences, especially in the more kinky parts of the story. There'll be versions for more assertive characters as well as more passive one's. Though I should add that the ROs all have their own set of bias that they prefer. However there will be growth throughout the story, including that.

The gravity of your choices will intensify throughout book 1, especially as you get to know the Circle and the Court and every other political hive of intrigue.

And yes. You can die. The ROs can die. Almost everyone will be able to at some point, I guess. Though I don't like the idea of writing a total distopia, don't expect me to change my mind regarding that one that easily.

More infos will be added over time. I'll post lore snippets of my sketchbook soon, like the worldmap, the general outlines of the Circle & the Court, the different races and such.

Asks are welcomed.

[multiplicity-positivity]

To our followers:

It has never been a goal of ours to police other people’s lived experience, much less their online experience. However, this is a shift we feel is necessary for us to make.

It is with a heavy heart that we are adding to our DNI followers and fans of @/sophieinwonderland.

Why?

This has everything to do with racism within the plural community. We have seen many conversations circling recently about tulpamancy terminology, its harm, and how it directly negatively affects marginalized groups (specifically Asian/Tibetan Buddhists).

As a white system, we believe it is crucial to center the voices of affected marginalized groups when discussing issues that directly concern them. Because of this, a few members of our system have compiled a list of testimonies from Buddhist POC involving their thoughts on tulpamancy language. We’d encourage everyone to check out that document, which we will link below:

The fact of the matter is, Sophie of @/sophieinwonderland has ignored, brushed off, or flat out denied the concerns and struggles of Buddhist POC regarding their language being appropriated. She has fearmongered to warp this issue into one that centers tulpas as those being discriminated against, rather than the racial and religious minorities whose culture has been stolen.

We cannot stand for this. As a white system aiming to unlearn racial biases and push for antiracism in our spaces, we feel it is imperative to bring this issue to light on our positivity blog and adjust our DNI accordingly.

We are more than happy to answer questions for anyone who is still confused or has concerns. And we will include a small FAQ below a cut to answer questions we anticipate may arise.

Thank you so much for reading, everyone! Of course, we cannot ensure that 100% of our interactions are coming from people who don’t support this user. However, we can rely on the basic human decency and respect of others and trust that they will respect our wishes on this matter. You are welcome to unfollow us, block us, do what you have to do. But we will not budge on this matter until the voices of Buddhist people of color have been acknowledged and recognized!

FAQ regarding this change:

Q) Can tulpa systems still interact?

A) Yes! Our biggest issue is with this particular user’s unwillingness to listen to racial and religious minorities concerning issues that directly affect them. While we are moving away from tulpamancy language ourself, we understand it may take some time for others to make this change for themselves!

Q) What terminology can be used instead of tulpamancy that is not cultural appropriation?

A) Thoughtform, parogenic/paromate, paro/paromancy, willogenic/willomate!

Q) I don’t want to have to choose between y’all and Sophie! What can I do?

A) In this situation, we politely ask you to choose anyway. And if that is too difficult a choice to make, we can make it for you and ask you to go ahead and unfollow us.

Q) What about (x user) who is a pro-tulpa Buddhist Asian/Tibetan?

A) Currently, we have resources from 8-9 individuals expressing concerns over tulpamancy language. If we can hear from a similar number of actual Asian/Tibetan Buddhists stating otherwise, we will happily reconsider our stance. It’s important to listen to people of color when they say something hurts them.

[vesarcanus-if]

Demo: 9/6/23

Your parents are the biggest Vampire mobsters in Vas Arcanus and are the heads of the notorious Florentia Family. On your 25th birthday, your parents gift you with an important role in the family: running Blood Bank, their nightclub and base of operations. Unfortunately, a few years ago your first love, a burlesque dancer at Blood Bank, was murdered. The culprit was never found …supposedly. With your new position within the Ves Arcanus Underground, maybe you can finally find answers and serve justice or revenge.

In the city of Ves Arcanus, you’ll encounter Supernaturals of several different species and work alongside the most powerful families in organized crime: the Arcanus Six. The Six includes the Florentia Family, the Lombardi Family, the Seth Family, the De Mevius Family, the Sundale Family, and the Vatura Family.

Demo Features:

Play as male, female, nonbinary, or transgender; gay, straight, or bisexual.

Navigate organized crime within the Ves Arcanus Underground, and maintain the Florentia’s infamous reputation or run it into the ground.

Work to solve the “cold case” murder of your first love and choose to be judge, jury, or executioner.

Run a popular Vampire nightclub and keep the cops, and your rivals, from sniffing around.

Play as a Vampire in a city inhabited by Faeries, Selkies, Witches, Demons, and humans.

Romance or befriend one of the six gender-selectable RO’s and choose to hook up* with seven of the many side characters

Content Warnings (18+): drug and alcohol use, violence, blood, strong language, optional explicit sexual content, death/murder

Lisa/Leon Whitlock, 27- Faerie

A young director who got lucky and stayed lucky, Whitlock could be your way into important Faerie circles. They’re fun, sweet, and adventurous enough to sneak around with you given the right motivation. Like all artists, they’re unpredictable and don’t seem quite ready to settle down yet.

Alessia/Alessandro “Ale” Lombardi, 30- Vampire

The eldest child and former heir of the Lombardi Family, Ale is no stranger to crime, intimidation, and violence. They’ve used their family’s influence to fund a political career and leave mob life behind, supposedly. They take some time to warm up but are a loyal friend and lover once they do.

Charlotte/Charles “Charlie” Cole, 35- Cambion

After a rough childhood, Charlie became a cop to help troubled youth like them. They don’t love being a cop, but they feel it’s the best way they can help kids. Charlie has turned their life around, but maybe you can persuade them to break the rules for you.

Serafina/Sero De Mevius, 24- Witch

A spoiled rich kid with an Ivy league education, De Mevius isn’t like most mobsters you know. They have an air of mystery and don’t really seem to care about upholding their family’s name. They love to spend their dads’ money on parties, charities, and maybe on you too.

Dion Parker, 25- Dragonkin (half dragon/half human)

Your friend since high school, Dion is just along for the ride as you look for answers. Whether they agree with your methods, Dion sticks around to hopefully keep you out of trouble. Your parents trust them to keep books at the club so they’re always nearby.

Eliana/Elio “El” Rivera, 28- Unknown

El will do most anything for a story, especially when it keeps them alive and out of jail. They are fearless and stubborn as a bull, but that may be a front to hide how alone they feel in Ves Arcanus. El has eyes and ears everywhere in Ves Arcanus, but can you get close enough to learn their secrets?

Sam (they/them) early 20s, Witch*

Tall, lean with some muscle, very short curly brown hair, warm brown skin with vitiligo | A Kitchen Witch from a civilian family on the outskirts of Ves Arcanus.

Jewels (she/her) mid 20s, Fastus (Pride Demon)*

Short, curvaceous, waist length straight black hair, honey brown skin (Indian) | One of Lamia’s top spies.

Tisa (he/him) early 30s, Faerie*

Moderate height, muscular, buzzcut black hair and stubble, light tan skin (Korean) | Lives in Neráida Forest, a friend of Alvina Sundale.

Vance (he/him) late 20s, Vampire*

Somewhat tall, some muscles, short black hair usually slicked back, olive skin | A regular at Blood Bank, he’s had a crush on you for years.

Lamia (she/her) mid 50s, Succubus*

Short, slim, shoulder length blonde hair, pale skin | Former head of the Seth Family, now the most infamous spymistress in Ves Arcanus.

Honey (she/they, transfem) late 30s, Faerie*

Tall, lithe but curvy, long brown hair, tan skin (Brazilian) | Lives in an apartment not far from Neráida Forest.

Jennifer/Jensen Albright (gender selectable) 25, Dhampir*

Long/short black hair, fair skin, septum piercing | Your Right Hand as the Florentia Family heir.

Jeanette Heart, mid 40’s, Vampire

Moderate height, fair skin, shoulder length blonde hair, brown eyes | Your therapist last for the 3 years.

Sebastian De Mevius, 24, Witch

Tall, curly dark brown hair, light brown skin, brown eyes | S. De Mevius’ twin brother and De Mevius Family heir.

Billy Marston, early 50’s, Demon

Tall, brown hair, brown eyes, stubble | El’s editor.

Georgina, mid 20’s, Vampire

Average height, blonde hair, grey eyes | Bartender at Blood Bank.

[straightlightyagami]

i might deserve your fate or worse

⚠️this blog’s url is normally isomorbism, using this url temporarily

hi, welcome to my blog! ^_^ you may want to read this post before following. edited when needed.

links: neocities / cohost / bluesky / mastodon / pillowfort (rarely active on these i just made accounts on everything to see)

invite to discord server on request for mutuals or people i’ve interacted with

free palestine! 🇵🇸

ask to tag (dm or ask) if you want to filter anything!

interests / stuff I post

I like pure math and I'm studying it at university (bachelor). kind of my "main" special interest and has been since I was a kid.

I write stuff occasionally like poems and "fanfiction."

I sometimes make semi-coherent poasts about my miscellaneous opinions on social and political issues, philosophy, etc.

not a fandom blog but I post about things I read or watch sometimes. I like death note (number one fan of light yagami).

general / rules

asks are welcome but I am very slow (as in it takes months sometimes) at answering them. I am not ignoring you I am just so bad at this.

for privacy I don't want to share some things like where I'm from and I would appreciate if you don’t ask this type of question.

you can ask nicely if you need something tagged. I try to keep this blog generally pg-13.

english is not my first language but I'm at c2 level. I generally use american rather than british terms where there is a distinction.

please tell me if you think something I said was mean, bigoted, or problematic so I can improve in the future!

sometimes I will talk or reblog something about the discourse du jour but this is not a discourse blog.

no dni; I may block you if: you harass me or my followers, if I think it's likely that you will, or for other reasons (although I rarely do and mostly accidentally). you can ask to be unblocked.

please make a post or some indication you are not a bot.

do not take any of my posts as a call to violence towards any individual or group of individuals.

do not put discriminatory rhetoric on basis of race, skin color, ethnicity, nationality, assigned sex at birth, gender, sexual orientation, or disability on my posts. I try my best to keep this blog safe for people of marginalized identities.

miscellaneous positions / opinions

you are not required to agree to interact or follow

I'm a socialist (communist-adjacent as in closer to a marxist than an anarchist on most issues, but I don't use a more specific label. I try to stay open to learning about different ideas) and a (mostly classical) utilitarian.

anti-imperialist as in I oppose imperialism by the US and western countries and by other countries like russia too.

I try to have a nuanced view of historical socialist experiments (i am from an ex-socialist country btw).

inclusionist as in I think it's fine if people have any good faith and harmless identities, even contradictory ones. this doesn't include "radqueer" identities. I don't participate in queer discourse.

vegan for the animals and the environment.

irreligious atheist, no longer consider myself strictly anti-theist but adjacent.

not a fan of standpoint epistemology nor do I feel the need to prove I have it worse than someone else. pick and choose which privileged groups you want to implicitly assume I am part of (unless I explicitly state a fact about myself). it’s the internet.

I strongly disagree with the concept of collective guilt or collective punishment.

nationalism is cringe.

I do not want to hear about shipping discourse.

reblog ≠ endorsement of everything the OP ever said. also note I will sometimes interact or follow people I don't agree with on everything or even most things. I will sometimes reblog posts that are interesting but I do not necessarily endorse.

some posts (this section is a work in progress)

why i am anti anti civ

on autism: (x) (x)

on democracy under socialism

socialism vs communism vs regulated capitalism

sideblogs

@this-is-trivial - aesthetics sideblog

@autistic-light-yagami - “roleplay sideblog”

@hashtag-applecore - 🍎

@colibri-coruscans - birds (the other mod is @/rlydsntmttr)

@goncharovpilled - goncharov posts archive

@modularfacade - architecture photography blog

@did-henry-kissinger-die-yet - what it says on the tin (the answer is yes)

@jan-iso - toki pona blog

@wouldkirakillthem - poll gimmick blog

[valeurex]

Is there any other reason why Viserys choose to wife Alicent? And was it truly all Otto's doing?

If you mean any other than repeating what most do ( that she was kind, beautiful, intelligent, etc. ) yes, then there arguably is. I do dive into divergencies based on small analysis which is a factor of great importance but I shall formulate this as solely my HC.

Yes, it was done by Otto's manipulations.

AND

No, I don't think it happened entirely by his plotting, tho yes he does play a significant part in it. Neither CAN I answer directly because I think there's a mixture of both ; my stance here is very conflicting and here's why.

The issue of Otto's orchestration is like adding to the bonfire; you may additionally try to play the wind but you don't know how the fire will behave or which way it will go ...

The main reason why Viserys chose Alicent was because she wasn't vulturing around him like other women did. The show gives us scrubs of this angle but picture yourself in his situation, you're the King, highest autority around, suddenly single and everyone knows you must bring new wife ( and not just simply but enter that kind of marriage that will guarantee production of more descendants in closest period ), there's a lot of prying eyes with one main interest (power) why women would be clawing at you, you're not a hunter but the hunted one. And then there is Alicent, who by that time shows no other personal ambitions, no rapacious power play than her deepest condolences; to help him with the weight of his grief and the way she seemed to be thoughtful about his well-being while bringing little things he enjoyed and would find distraction in ( not herself!! )

He knew her, he knew Otto, he knew house Hightower. Otto served well for years to his family ( mainly -> Jaehaerys ) , so there was nothing like diving into unexplored waters plus this was another way how to secure him tighter by his side ( hah, this was a part of Visery's ambition if anything ). People may call it as they wish but I say it was based on a pillar of whim and comfort he long knew and thought he TRUSTED. The importance of verified inner circle is crucial. It's the: ' I am bound to eternally please everyone around, so why can't I do for once something for myself? ' ahgdjsf . Most politically convenient marriage included only 12-year-old Laena, so we all don't have to guess long why it's a huge no-no for him on many levels.

Interest & curiosity. There had to be handful of moments when Viserys ( after slowly getting used to her presence ) kinda /expected/ her arrival while musing upon her enigmatic side: ' oh, I do wonder what Alicent will think of this. ' Her stance, belief, angle of view ... that kind of conversationally-opinionated curiosity.

Summary? Course of circumstances fragmented into knotting bundle that turned out to be convenient for both parties.

BONUS.

- As for Alicent: we know the girl frankly had no choice because the other two powerful men unfairly decided fate for her. BUT if I dig in to find some positive aspect here - - if she felt that bad in his company she wouldn't continue to go there, she would either complain to Otto where we would see that either he or she would find a way how to swirl out from this mess of a situation. - As for Otto: he may be hyper-ambitious but I don't think he'd push his daughter to Viserys if he'd find him dangerous or unfitting for her by any means ( well, we don't know that don't we? But let's hope not ). - From Visery's perspective - he technically and commonsensically saw her frequent presence in his domain as a green light, and that's pretty much all to put a dot. My point here is that whatever happened between them kinda flourished naturally on pedestal of friendship subsequently building with time, and that highly contributed to his final decision which by all means wasn't immediate but a challenging one to make ...

[vegan-commie]

this paper is phenomenal. some of my highlights under the cut

… killing in itself is not the problem but the act of rendering whole categories of beings legitimately “killable” (or at any rate exploitable; When Species Meet, 80). This is supported by Wolfe’s argument that the concept of species has the function of legitimising “indirect murder,” in contemporary biopolitical contexts, through framing certain forms of killing as ethically acceptable. Moreover, he suggests that the categorization of certain actors (both human and non-human) as legitimately exploitable on a large scale, which occurs within the agricultural-industrial complex, has acted as a testing ground for the techniques of biopower:

Such practices must be seen not just as political but as in fact constitutively political for biopolitics in its modern form. Indeed the practices of maximizing control over life and death, of ‘making live’, in Foucault’s words, through eugenics, artificial insemination and selective breeding, pharmaceutical enhancement, inoculation and the like, are on display in the modern factory farm as perhaps nowhere else in biopolitical history. (Before the Law, 46

“Species” thus functions to separate actors who are legitimately “killable” from those who are not and, perhaps still more seriously, de-politicizes these acts of killing; making it impossible to ask ethical questions about them. This is deeply problematic for two reasons: firstly, it secures an epistemological mechanism that allows animality to be projected onto certain social groups,whenever it is politically expedient to disregard their rights (as touched on previously); secondly, the failure to understand such acts of killing as political means that it is impossible to disrupt the mechanisms of biopower that enact this killing.

———————-

Wolfe’s argument is thus that meat consumption is bound up with the structures guaranteeing the ipseity of the humanist subject and is contingent on animals being positioned as legitimately “consumable.”

Articulated in a Foucauldian register, carno-phallogocentrism thus refers less to the ritualised sacrifice of animals at the behest of the autonomous subject, and more to the way that meat consumption feeds into the discoursesof the liberal consumer-subject: as a manifestation of the freedom to do (or eat!) whatever this subject wants (as long as it is economically productive).

———-

What is key is that any new delineation of this [ethical] community should not be rigid, but create the necessary conditions for further openness and complexity, echoing Wolfe’s closing argument: “An affirmative biopolitics need not—indeed, as I have argued cannot—simply embrace ‘life’ in all its undifferentiated singularity” (104); instead “we must choose [what to include in the ethical community], and by definition we cannot choose everyone and everything at once. But this is precisely what ensures that, in the future, we will have been wrong” (103). In this light, a material practice (such as veganism) that takes a clearly defined ethical position but, in doing so, denaturalises the epistemological structures that support humanist political subjectivities, is perhaps more open than one that seemingly stays with the trouble” but does not create space for identifying, or critically engaging with, the ethical blind-spots that perpetuate humanist norms and values.

[hauntedpenguinobservation]

Carpe Noctem - Intro Post

DEMO - tba

You are a nobody. A supposedly ordinary human in a world full of powerful beings. Your life is all in all pretty average if not bordering on mind-numbing, like watching paint dry... That is until you were kidnapped and tossed into one especially small carriage to be delivered somewhere only the ancients knew of.

From now on nothing will ever be the same and you need to adapt to the ever-changing outside world as fast as possible. All the while trying to decipher your past and with that your part in an every-growing political conflict that borders to develop into an all out war the world has yet to see.

General content warnings: Bigotry & prejudice, horror elements, interspecies awkwardness, explicit language, depictions of violence, injuries, blood and death, explicit sexual content (if selected), flashbacks of a dark past to unveil, sprinkled with some homophobia here and there & general an unfair treatment of people with disabilities.

FEATURES

-> customizable MC (name, pronouns, appearance, identity)

-> semi-set personality due to evolve (MCs reclusive upbringing)

-> 5 characters to romance (3 in book 1, not sure if the other two will follow, they'll probably be fully romanceable in book 2)

-> POVs of the ROs included

-> an open-minded author that is inclined to change NPCs to fully fledged ROs depending on the general opinion/wishes of readers

-> an emotional roller coaster, all in all nothing for ppl that want a light-hearted theme

-> later on you'll be able to choose part of your race (vampires, merpeople, demons, shapeshifters, phoenixes -and many more) & with that you can determine and further develop your special skillset.

romanceable characters:

the master [Alois|Alice|Alix] (m|f|n) 24 winters

Aloof, cold eyes and reclusive as fuck. And your esteemed master -as if any of you actually want this dynamic... A hates you and your position, especially the hidden context it supplies to everyone they meet...

A has silver eyes that always seem distant, defined cheek bones with mostly soft facial features and long, silver hair. A wears fine dark clothing without other prominent features to despict their wealth.

Content warnings for A's route: denial of feelings aka one of the slowest burns imaginable, domestic violence, implied/referenced rape/non-con, anxiety attacks, self-harm, angst & hurt/comfort

the protector [Leto] (m|f|n) too many to count

Leto is a raven-like creature most would describe as monstrous-looking. They are rarely seen and the few moments they are, death is certain. For many commoners it's enough to see one of Leto's black feathers to warrant a swift escape.

Their past eludes them and you have to wonder - why does some antics of them seem kinda...familiar?

Content warnings for Leto's route: survivor-guilt, body dysphoria, touch-starved, angst, hurt/comfort, captivity & enslavement, torture, ptsd

the assassin [Zane|Zoey] (m|f) 28 winters

Z is everything their mother wanted them to be. Her own personal weapon. One she is now inclined to use for her vendetta against you.

They have dark brown hair with intelligent hazel eyes that seem to observe their surroundings constantly. They were raised with stories about you, stories you know nothing about. How can it be that Z seems to know more of you and your family than you yourself?

Should it worry you that they sound extremely resolute in stating their sole purpose is to rid the world of your existance?

Content warnings for Z's route: enemies to frenemies to lovers, eating disorder, alcohol-addiction, a tendency of morbid jealousy, past emotional abuse & manipulation

??? [redacted]

??? [also redacted]

more info tba

Small note of the author:

Everything is slow burn in this - even the character customization, cause I want to add those moments seamlessly into the story.

I tend to take my time. You can expect me to heavily focus on the characters and their feelings, with a slight disregard to describing the environment and such. I work with minimalistic efforts to still give a sense of what I imagine everything to be but with the intention to leave fine details to the reader's own imagination.

I'll try to be considerate of everyone's preferences, especially in the more kinky parts of the story. There'll be versions for more assertive characters as well as more passive one's. Though I should add that the ROs all have their own set of bias that they prefer. However there will be growth throughout the story, including that.

The gravity of your choices will intensify throughout book 1, especially as you get to know the Circle and the Court and every other political hive of intrigue.

And yes. You can die. The ROs can die. Almost everyone will be able to at some point, I guess. Though I don't like the idea of writing a total distopia, don't expect me to change my mind regarding that one that easily.

More infos will be added over time. I'll post lore snippets of my sketchbook soon, like the worldmap, the general outlines of the Circle & the Court, the different races and such.

Asks are welcomed.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Kuvira and Bryke's Problem with Moral Ambiguity

I will be honest with you...I really like Kuvira.

She is probably one of my favorite characters from Legend of Korra. I like her design. I like a lot of the ideas behind her. And I think Zelda Williams did a great job with the character. So I can understand why Bryke wanted to do something different with her and try to redeem her.

Here's the problem. I love Kuvira...but she's also indicative of one of the show's biggest problems. Mainly the inability to commit to a morally ambiguous conflict.

Again, the whole point of Kuvira's character was that she wasn't a wholly irredeemable monster. That her methods, while heavy handed, weren't entirely in the wrong and her heart was in the right place. And we do see evidence of that early on with her forces giving relief to billages, stamping out bandits, and outing corrupt officials. Heavy handed and early warning signs sure, but nothing too over the top.

Then they made her into a power hungry dictator.

Yeah. Kind of hard to sell her as sympathetic when she takes imagery from real life oppressive and fascist political parties and governments.

Sad thing is, Kuvira here is not the exception to this. Throughout The Legend of Korra, we are presented with many antagonistic groups that are responding to some injustice or moral qualm which doesn't paint the current status quo the heroes are defending in a good light. Non-bender discrimination led to Amon and the Equalists. Unalaq was a response to mankind losing touch with the Spirit World. The Red Lotus were spurned by corruption in high places. And Kuvira was restoring order to a broken Earth Kingdom full of anarchy. It's clear that Bryke intended for all of these groups and characters to have some kind of point to generate moral ambiguity. Asking whether or not Korra and Co were truly in the right.

Yet when it came time to deliver, the antagonists were almost always portrayed as being in the wrong and often were portrayed in a way that makes it difficult for the audience to truly sympathize with them. The Equalists and the Red Lotus become terrorists. Amon is a bender with flimsy reasonings. Unalaq literally fuses with the Avatar equivalent of Satan. And again, Kuvira becomes a dictator. While their points are given some credence, the characters themselves always become a final boss for the heroes to triumphantly defeat. Which...muddies the message since it becomes difficult to see the villains' argument when they're treated the way they are.

Now admittedly, it is difficult to write a character like this. Balancing out the character's reasonable and sympathetic traits with the need to be an opposing force to the protagonists who audiences are normally predisposed to root for. So the question remains: how do you go about finding this equilibrium?

While I'm not a professional writer, I can think of at least two good methods. The first is allowing the antagonist to do genuinely good things that seems at odds with their position. This could include a concern for civilians or their comrades, limiting their violence, or throwing themselves in the line of danger for the sake of others. Kuvira does demonstrate this a few times with sending relief to civilians who need it or choosing to face down the Avatar herself rather than ordering her men to do it.

The second is actually giving a concrete reason for why the antagonist is escalating things. Maybe the situation is just that bad where the antagonist feels the need to escalate or is a response to something that the heroes did. Perhaps the antagonist's grievances are legitimate and they have a solid reason to fight. Again, this is explored with Prince Wu's incompetence and the attempted assassination on Kuvira's life by Suyin. While her methods are heavy handed, you could see why she may need to employ them.

The foundations for a solid character are there. If they expanded on that, we could've had a fairly compelling conflict where neither side is entirely in the right nor are they in the wrong.

And then they introduced re-education camps and had Kuvira invent the Avatar equivalent of an atomic bomb.

Uh...hate to be that guy, but why the hell is Kuvira sympathetic again? Especially when other villains who did far less evil get crapped on while she gets a redemption arc in the comics?

glares at what they did with Azula

...I'm sorry but no. Korra wouldn't have ever turned out to be a fascist And trying to say the villain can be redeemed because they're like the hero raises so many flags for the franchise as a whole that I'm surprised they didn't do the same with Ozai. What? He's who Zuko would've ended up as if he went too far.

I get what they were getting at with Kuvira. I really do. And with better writing, maybe she could've been that character I mentioned. The groundworks are all there. But the problem they ran in was consistency and commitment. They failed to keep her sympathy and anti-villain status consistent by making her too horrible to properly feel for. And they never actually committed to fostering this morally ambiguous conflict.

Trust me, I'm not knocking against Kuvira and her fans. I'm really not. I understand the appeal. I even think a lot of her fans have better interpretations and ideas than Bryke (trust me, Kuvira has some pretty good fanfics out there). But if they wanted to redeem who we saw in the series, we needed more than a single comic trilogy. Especially when other characters don't even get a chance at that.

[dmagedgoods]

Please tell us more about Salvadore? 💘

Who is/are their best friend(s) among companions and why?

What is their alignment, and why? How do they feel about it? Do they change alignment at one point?

Where do they come from in Golarion? Do they miss their homeland? How do they feel about their homeland, its politics and current state?

Did they separate from any companions? Why? (Consider killing a companion too for this question)

What would their domains be after a potential ascension?

thanks for how you have been putting spoilers below the cuts. I tried to avoid what might bring them in my question choices, but you never know <3

Ohhh, those are great, thank you so, so much. 🥺💕💕 12 What is their alignment, and why? How do they feel about it? Do they change alignment at one point? Salvadore is lawful good, by decision, and has the discipline to (almost) always follow his principles. Nonetheless, despite a love for order in general, he puts his own set of rules above the individual laws of groups and countries should they be flawed and unjust in his eyes. Salvadore has a strong inner urge to change the world for the better. He always strived for a leading position to make his specific visions of it reality. To justify his own position, he is very strict with himself. Those who choose to lead need to live up to the highest standards, in his opinion. Still, Salvadore has a cruel streak toward his opponents and his approach is utilitarian. While striving to protect as many lives as possible, the end justifies the means to him. If truly challenged, Salvadore can become lawful neutral. ((There also are AUs where he loses his way and slips for dark reasons and becomes lawful evil.)) 24 Where do they come from in Golarion? Do they miss their homeland? How do they feel about their homeland, its politics and current state? Salvadore comes from Absalom. While he developed a strong love for Drezen after a rough start with the city, Absalom will always feel like a second home to him. He especially misses the ocean, the harbor, and his estate. While he agrees with the political fundamentals in Absalom, he always fought to gain influence in the Grand Council - before he had to flee to Mendev and became the Knight Commander - to improve the system and the lives of its people. His own family blocked his attempts wherever they could. Now he is more removed from it all but still has an eye on the developments in Absalom. 29 What would their domains be after a potential ascension? Domains: Light, Leadership, Politics, Discipline Subdomains: Pride, Ambition, Willpower, Diplomacy, Strategy 3 Who is/are their best friend(s) among companions and why? When Salvadore actually uses this word – friend –, he means it deeply and those people are highly important to him, and can be sure he’ll be there for them always. His closest friends aside from Daeran, and together with him his strongest source of support and comfort, are Regill and Woljif. This sounds absurd, I know, but for Salvadore both makes a lot of sense. [The why includes strong spoilers, do not read it yet. The answer to "Did they separate from any companions? Why?" is under the cut for spoilers too]

Regill: After a complicated start, Regill quickly becomes one of his most trusted companions due to their shared views about working morale, efficiency, and discipline. His sacrifice at the hellknight outpost deepens what Salvadore already has seen in him before and would he be asked to describe him he’d also add that he is one of the most selfless people he knows. Highly cherishing his own position and rank, Salvadore understands on a deep level what it must have meant for Regill to give it up for him and to support their shared goal. Regill, on the other hand, won’t call Salvadore a friend out loud. Due to their nature, Regill’s and Salvadore’s as well, their relationship seems very professional to those witnessing it. It’s mostly Salvadore who openly breaks this picture here and there with some words and gestures of appreciation and affection beyond the things they’re working on together and sometimes with well-meant teasing. Of course, Regill usually brushes it off and reminds him to stay focused. That the feeling of friendship is mutual – or as far as Regill allows it – becomes mostly visible in his trust and loyalty after Salvadore proved himself to him many times. Aside from Daeran, Regill often is the first one Salvadore asks for advice in difficult situations. It’s rare for him to view someone as knowledgeable, reasonable, and experienced enough to admit that he can learn from them in certain regards, but Regill is someone he respects and admires on that level. Salvadore appoints him Lieutenant Gouverneur of Drezen. He is in charge of his troops and of ruling when he and Daeran are absent. [I wondered a lot if I should and finally decided to change Regill’s ending slide in Salvadore’s story and think I can justify it with their relationship and the strong extent to which he’s needed. He doesn’t leave and he doesn’t die. And if he even thinks about bleaching further, Salvadore will tell Daeran to mess something up so badly, it will bring back his color immediately.] Woljif: Woljif is a very different case and Salvadore’s opinion of him quite low in the beginning. He continues stealing even in highly inappropriate situations, he ignores some of his orders, and – worst of all – he runs. Still, a part of Salvadore immediately likes his humor, his way of talking, that he is surprisingly capable in what he’s doing. Salvadore is sure that Woljif could become more than the tiefling believes himself. Salvadore doesn’t trust him for quite some time and he feels bad when he has to pretend friendship in the Abyss to guide Woljif away from his demonic side – only to realize not much later that no …, it hasn’t been a lie. Suddenly, he can’t help it, he’s looking at him with affection and softness. Yes, Woljif is even stronger than he thought. Woljif proves him right and Sal is overwhelmed with pride of him when he starts giving up the shady business and uses his newly achieved fortune to support tiefling rights and the both of them (well, three of them, Daeran as well) often do charity projects together. Furthermore, Woljif becomes one of the few who manage to coax out Salvadore’s more playful side. Salvadore’s and Woljif’s friendship only grows tighter after the game and – as the ending slide says as well – Woljif, Sal, and Daeran are often seen having fun together. 26 Did they separate from any companions? Why? (Consider killing a companion too for this question) Sadly, he had to execute Camellia after he discovered her secret. He would have preferred to arrest her but she didn't give him a choice when she attacked. Wenduag betrayed him and he executed her as a consequence. He had taken her with him instead of Lann because he saw potential in her and had been sure to be able to show her a better way.

[princejackal]

The RO List

This is a long time coming.

This is a list of confirmed ROs in the game. So far I’ve focused on love interests who your MC will meet early on in the game. Love interests from other kingdoms like Assyria, Babylon and one of the Aramean states have yet to be included.

In the game, marriage is about political gain. So your MC is suppose to marry for an alliance and not because they simply love the other person. While most love interests can be romanced by both male and female MCs, a marriage will only be recognised between heterosexual couples. But gay couples can have a private ceremony to affirm their relationship.

DISCLAIMER! Your MC can choose not to marry and be single. They can choose to monogamous to one person. Or they can decide to have numerous nameless concubines to bear children for them. It’s really up to you.

Now on to the list.

The Companions:

The first group of ROs are your three companions you’ll meet shortly after getting out of prison.

Name: Najim/Najima [M/F]

Race: Ghoul

Magic Type: Blood Manipulation, Shapeshifting

Description: Your friendly neighbourhood ghoul. N is the one who helps you out after you escape from prison. He/She sees your potential and is willing to go the extra mile for you. N doesn’t mind cracking a few skulls or eggs in order to secure back your throne. But don’t expect them to open up to you in the beginning. N has a past that they’d like to keep hidden.

Political Power: N doesn’t have a family to help you. In fact, N would be reluctant to marry your MC because it would cause a scandal. Even though N is a jinn, they are a wrong type of jinn. Ghouls are not seen in the best of light in the kingdom. Their shapeshifting ability has given them a bad reputation because shapeshifting is mostly used for espionage and assassination jobs.

Name: Leila [F]

Race: Qarin

Magic: Earth Manipulation

Description: Leila comes from a merchant family. But times have been hard for her family as trade routes have been monopolised in the kingdom and only those politically connected to the elites get good trade routes.

Leila is an excellent negotiator and can sell anything to anyone. Like any good merchant she has detractors who accuse her of being a charlatan and swindler who sells fake jewelry at highly inflated prices. But she never let’s criticism get in her way of securing the bag.

Political Power: Leila has contacts around the kingdom. Even though her family isn’t super rich, their wealthy enough and well-connected enough to assist you in reclaiming your throne. They won’t help you out for free but they expect the MC to pay them back.

Name: Zaki [M]

Race: Marid

Magic: Water Manipulation

Description: Zaki is currently a fisherman. He comes from a family of mercenaries. He spent years fighting for others in foreign lands. But he got sick and tired of the bloodshed. After the death of his younger brother, he decided to return to Jinnestan and live a simple life. But his simple life will become complicated when he helps the MC out and gets embroiled in the conflict between the MC and the vizier.

Political Power: Zaki comes from a good family. His family knows how to fight and can help the MC out in a war situation. The tribe Zaki comes from is known for their bravery. That’s why in the kingdom they’re hired to protect caravan routes from bandits.

The Betrothed:

You’ll first meet these two ROs during your twelfth birthday party. Your father wants to solidify your right to the throne. And has decided a good betrothal will put you in a good position.

The player is not forced to marry the person they’re betrothed to. After the incident that occurred in MC’s birthday party, the player is free to choose whoever they feel will secure them the throne.

Name: Raita [F]

Race: [Depends on MC’s Race Choice]

Magic: [Depends on MC’s First Elemental Power]

Description: Raita is your cousin from your father’s side. She’s known to be reserved and mostly keeps to herself. Raita is an excellent gardener and spends her free time tending to the plants in the palace. Surprisingly, your uncle finds Raita to be so non-threatening that she can go in and out of the royal palace without first seeking permission . But even though she’s quiet, she’s aware of her precarious position in court and tries hard to not arouse attention to herself. Raita however makes sure to keep notes on what goes on in the palace.

Political Power: Raita comes from the MC’s family tribe but is from a different clan than the MC. She’s your second cousin to be specific. A marriage with her would solidify your family’s support of you and de-legitimise the vizier.

Name: Qaus [M] (*NB: I’ve yet to change his name currently in demo)

Race: Half-Jinn, Half-Nephilim

Magic: Levitation

Description: Qaus is the second eldest son of the king of Edom. He believes he’s better than his brother and therefore should rule Edom. But his father has other plans. So most of the time his bored and spends reading scrolls from scholars. He longs for adventure and a chance to prove himself to his father.

Political Power: Qaus is a prince. A marriage with him would create an alliance between two kingdoms. Such an alliance would be beneficial for the MC. But it also poses a risk as Edom frequently comes into conflict with Israel and could drag Jinnestan into it if the MC is not careful.

High Risk, High Reward:

So this marriage would be very controversial and has many pitfalls for the MC. But if MC plays their cards right, you can end up on top. So here are two siblings from the second powerful tribe in the kingdom.

Name: Suhail [M]

Race: Hinn

Magic: Wind Manipulation

Description: Suhail is known to be carefree. He loves going out and partying hard. Coming from a very rich and powerful family, he organises a party every week in his house. Most people don’t take him seriously. He’s seen as a goofball, a guy who likes cracking jokes at inappropriate times. And Suhail prefers having people think he’s not a serious threat.

Political Power: Suhail belongs to the second most powerful tribe in the kingdom. During the war of unification, Suhail’s tribe opposed MC’s father and allied themselves with other tribes who didn’t want Arabia to be united. But at the final battle against your father, Suhail’s tribe switched sides in the middle of fighting. They betrayed their allies and launched a surprise attack from the rear against their former allies.

This would hand a total victory to your father. And MC’s father decided to reward Suhail’s tribe for switching sides. Over time, the tribe became more powerful and richer. They’re pretty much distrusted by most people in the kingdom for their dishonorable act. But a marriage with them will give you a powerful ally. So powerful that they could consume the MC in their web if the player is not careful.

Name: Samar [F]

Race: Hinn

Magic: Wind Manipulation

Description: Unlike her brother, Suhail, who enjoys partying all the time, Samar tries to get people to take her seriously. She spends her free time writing and publishing poems and stories. She organises poetry competitions at her home and provides financial support for young artists in the capital. Samar uses most of her income for charitable ventures like building orphanages and giving aid to poor widows.

She’s trying hard to repair her family reputation the best she can. But she can be vindictive. She’ll use her power and influence to crush anyone who mocks or speaks ill of her family.

Political Power: Again just like her brother, she belongs to a powerful tribe. A tribe that could help MC instead of supporting the vizier.

And that's it for now. The re-write is chugging along well

[rinfarts]

Chimeris Ostara Escanor, 15 years old. At that age, she left Orlandor, the kingdom in which she was born, to return to her mother's homeland.

(English is not my native language, so there may be mistakes. Please be understanding)

The main branch of the Escanor family died out from the epidemic that raged on the lands of Meridian. At that time, life was barely glimmering only in the elderly Queen Irel. The concerned elders went after Lady Ostara, the former Princess of Meridian, who was given to a neighboring kingdom as a political hostage. At that time, this decision was justified - in addition to Ostara, the crown had two more heiresses. Now there is no one left.

The lady's self-esteem was definitely flattered that those who once used her as a bargaining chip are now begging for help. But she perfectly understood the degree of danger of the enterprise. The ideal solution for her would be to gain power without getting her hands dirty.

Lady Ostara had a daughter: born of King Orlandor, who had several other wives and a dozen heiresses and heirs. Unwanted. Problematic because of werewolf abilities that had to be carefully hidden.

In addition, the girl had the ability to alchemy, which means there was a chance to pick up a medicine. The high immunity of the shifters was supposed to protect her from rapid infection. So Ostara confronted everyone, including her daughter, with the fact that the young Chimeris would go to the land of Meridian.

Usually, the Meridian's light passed to the heiress at the moment of birth: from mother to daughter. But because of the current situation, he first returned to Queen Irel, and then, on her deathbed, moved on to Chimeris.

__________________________

The story of Chimeris (if anyone is suddenly interested) : https://ficbook.net/readfic/13293038 __________________________

Every time I understand that it will be difficult to draw: both me and other artists who will have to interact with the character. But I choose complicated sleeves for Chimeris. I can't help myself: I'm trying to reproduce the image that stuck in my head.

In the animated series, each of the Escanor had a certain color scheme of clothes, from which they rarely departed (black and red for Phobos, turquoise, emerald and white for Elyon). But there were still such cases (Phobos' earthly clothes, Elyon's coronation outfit). So I took a chance to dress Chimeris in blue.

The idea here is that these are the heirloom colors of Orlandor - the place where the princess never found a home. She will eventually give up this blue in favor of those colors that you have already seen on her in adult form

There is no tiara or other jewelry that princesses usually wear in the drawing. There is only a homemade necklace. Father of Chimeris, who agreed to the indemnity in the form of Ostara, hoped that he would prove to everyone the superior position over the bride's house. And at the same time, he will strengthen his family with ancient blood.

But the marriage ritual and the ritual of baptism, based on magic, time after time put the Escanor family higher. So he refused the first one altogether: Ostara was in an unclear status as a result - either a concubine, or a prisoner, or a valuable guest. The girl born in this couple has the surname Escanor. And the king, having not received what he wanted, later treated this part of the family with a share of neglect and dislike.

There is an atmosphere of matriarchy on Metamoor (in my AU). But we must understand that these ideas were strengthened when all the kingdoms stopped bickering and came together under a common beginning, adopting the culture of Meridian. Until then, each of them had a different attitude towards women and men. Orlandor was quite close to the patriarchal way of life. Hence the power in the hands of the king and polygamy. 

About lilies of the valley. I found a poem (unfortunately I don't know how to translate it without breaking the rhyme). Thanks to him, I have an image of a lily of the valley, as something pleasant, but not striking in its beauty. This image goes well with the life of Chimeris, at least with the stage of childhood and adolescence. Nothing was expected from the tenth princess, whose mother was never able to build a trusting relationship with the locals.

But at the same time, lilies of the valley are deadly poisonous, although you can't tell by their appearance. They should not be touched with bare hands, and a few berries are enough to die. And here is this contrast: the mortal danger from something mediocre is the way of development of Chimeris. After all, as a result, she reached very great heights, having dealt with all those who harmed her or her family because they underestimated her.

In addition, it is a reference to abilities in plant magic and alchemy. Lilies of the valley bloom in late May - early June. I'll just add that her birthday is May 27th.

[mariacallous]

Had the great Maya Angelou been alive to witness Saturday’s climax of the omnishambolic dog’s breakfast of a misbegotten legislative process that took place in the U.S. House of Representatives, surely she would have said, “When a political party tells you over and over again that they have no higher priority than serving Vladimir Putin, believe them.”

Then, again, it didn’t take the genius of Ms. Angelou to get the message. At the critical moment at which they had one last chance to avert a government shutdown, when Republicans in the House were forced to abandon all of their legislative priorities but one, the one they chose to ditch was the vital U.S. aid to Ukraine. In so doing, they sent the world an unmistakable signal once again that the first and guiding loyalty of Donald Trump’s GOP is as it always has been to the Kremlin.

Other messages were sent as well by the week of cringeworthy drama that was to the floor of the House as an untrained puppy would be to the floor of its new home.

Had James Madison, Alexander Hamilton or John Jay been watching, they surely would’ve been compelled to write a new Federalist Paper, likely entitled “On Legislative Clusterfuckery.” Kevin McCarthy, the ragdoll Speaker of the House, was toyed with and tormented by a MAGA alliance that appeared to be made up from a group of particularly inept extras from the movie “Idiocracy.” Neither principles, ideals, nor any sense of responsibility made an appearance during the prolonged floor fight.

Matt Gaetz, the chief tormentor, evoked Shakespeare. But not in a good way. He was more in the sort of character described by Macbeth when he spoke of “an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Gaetz and his misfit supporting cast, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, threatened to oust McCarthy if he did not meet their demand that he break the deal he had made months ago with President Biden to avoid the last government financial crisis. They wanted cuts to critical social programs including child care, Head Start, Meals on Wheels, law enforcement, housing and more. They wanted to cut the salaries of senior officials including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. And they seemed willing to throw millions of government employees—including the military, the Border Patrol, the IRS, administrators of aid programs and others—out of work, thus harming the lives of tens of millions more Americans.

But they also knew that every recent past government shutdown—and all were the handiwork of Republican House majorities—backfired on its authors. And so, just as many had given up hope and every agency of the U.S. government was making plans for a government shutdown that would have begun at midnight of Oct. 1, McCarthy agreed to put forward a so-called “clean” Continuing Resolution that would extend funding for government programs until Nov. 17 of this year. They continued funding at prior levels. They even included funding for disaster assistance and cut a pay boost the House GOP was trying to give itself despite their reckless disregard for their responsibilities.

But something had to be given to the far right. The GOP needed some concession to make it seem as though their childish games had all been worth it. What did they choose? What was the one thing they said would be the last hill they would die on, the one issue so important to them that they would turn out the lights of the U.S. government to defend their position? It was to defund Ukraine aid. It was to settle for, in the words of progressive commentator Josh Marshall, “one sloppy kiss with Vladimir Putin.”

The message that it sent to the world was unmistakable. Economist Timothy Ash tweeted, “Staggering that the GOP, the party of Reagan, has been captured by Russian fascists.”

French writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy wrote that U.S. aid to Ukraine should not be politicized, saying “it is about freedom and democracy, good over evil, right over wrong. Support for Ukraine is essential for the entire free world.”

Yale history professor Timothy Snyder wrote, “Cutting off Ukraine aid makes America unreliable, weakens the cause of democracy, threatens the international legal order, encourages tyrants around the world, and hastens Chinese aggression.”

Liz Cheney, one of the last Republicans with a conscience still standing, pointedly noted that the decision by the MAGA GOP to deny Ukraine funding came on the 85th anniversary of Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 “peace in our time” speech.

It was an apt point. Just as Hitler saw Chamberlain’s weakness as the opening he was looking for, surely Vladimir Putin saw the GOP message for what it was, encouragement for his aggression and his war crimes from the Party of Trump, a clear signal that all he would have to do was wait until the next election cycle and if they won, a GOP-led U.S. would abandon Ukraine, our allies in Europe, and reward Putin’s brutality by extending his reach ever more deeply into the heart of Europe.

Democrats and a handful of more moderate Republicans promised in the wake of the deal that they would seek and expected to get a new supplemental bill that would ensure Ukraine aid continued to be funded.

Let us all hope they are successful and it passes. But the damage has been done. The Putin wing of the GOP and all those who have enabled them made it crystal clear that of all their dangerous priorities, the most important was to strengthen America’s enemies, weaken our allies, and to put democracy at risk overseas just as they are doing here at home.

Nobody is cheering the last-minute deal to keep the government open that cleared the House and then, late Saturday, the Senate. McCarthy, seen as weak before, is seen as even more spineless and at risk than he was. The reprieve that was won is only temporary. The future is uncertain. While the Biden administration and Democrats handled this as well as possible, it is clear that getting anything done in Congress will be very difficult. And while the lunatics from the GOP’s MAGA ward may have temporarily gained control of the congressional asylum, they damaged their tattered reputations even further by achieving not a single solitary thing for any of their supporters—any that is, except their cackling Russian patron whose Bond villain laughter from deep within his bunker home could be heard round the world by all who understand the menace and his Trumpist supporters represent.

[itstokkii]

Hate to be that person that sounds uneducated, but in light of what recent events exactly? Again, hate to be that person 😅

Hello! There's 2 events I'm specifically talking about here.

One blog had agreed with a headcanon that South Korea was America and North Korea's love child. She depicts North Korea as the mother that eventually worries about her child taking over her position and therefore "killing her," so she chooses to kill him instead and live longer, which starts the Korean War. There's many issues with this that I speak about on my post about it, as well as @kimetsunozushi69, @tianshiisdead, and @irithnova 's posts about it. This blog did apologize, but continued to deny she ever blocked @kimetsunozushi69 when they were the first blog to speak about this. Eventually, she deleted her account, and a friend of hers accused us of pushing her to do so, which was never our intention and was done of her own accord.

The second incident is one where an artist drew China with slit eyes and when confronted by @kimetsunozushi69, who is ethnically Chinese, about it, refused to acknowledge it was racism, said things like "be proud of your yellow skin" and accused them of whitewashing themselves. @peonycats pointed out that exaggerated ethnic features are used to distinguish the good guys from villains a lot in media(think of aladdin and jasmine vs jafar and the royal guards and how they're drawn). This artist got political and eventually brought up issues such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the human rights abuses of Uyghur people in Xinjiang, both of which the CCP is responsible for. This artist seems to be blaming @kimetsunozushi69 and @peonycats for the crimes the CCP committed simply because they're ethnically Chinese, and used these horrible events to somehow "win points" in this argument, by saying "i may be racist but your government is committing human rights violations so your opinion is invalid!" She took this a step further by drawing an Uyghur oc, basically using their suffering in real life as a way to "win points" in an online argument.

@peonycats had also found that this artist was transphobic(called the term TERF a slur, when it's just used to describe radical feminists that refuse to include trans women in the fight because they didn't go through the same struggles that afab women have. basically sending the message that "no you're not a real woman" which is transphobic) and islamophobic(she generalized all Muslim men as rapists).

The same person that accused us of being puritanical in the first incident also sided with the artist in the second incident and also refuses to listen to us. She has a track record of generally not listening to minorities as well.

I believe that's all! If anyone sees something missing feel free to add on.

Edit: I'm including this information so you know who to stay wary from, not to send any death threats or anything!

but the OP from the first incident is the deactivated ladycolumbia-liberty and the artist from the second incident is unhonestlymirror. the blog that took both of their sides was myrddin-wylt. so please block them! It not only helps you not have to see their posts, but they will not be able to interact with you. additionally, blocking can also show solidarity and that you stand with the POC fans of this fandom. when we slowly isolate these people from our fandom circles, these circles will become safer spaces for everyone!

[meryton-etc]

directors commentary from any fic!!!! and also ⭐⭐⭐ please infodump about anything about your fics omg

Franziska is not a quiet person. She wishes she were, because it makes things easier for women, sometimes, to be in the corner.

That feeling when you realise that society prefers quiet women and you’re congenitally unable to shut up

Her brother is quiet, except for when he’s performing, be that at work or at home.

Miles Edgeworth would like to be left alone, although he’s showy. He and Franziska are both showy.

He’s constantly on at work, and then at home there are always people to reassure in some capacity or the other. Neighbours, or friends of dear friends, and so Miles Edgeworth is a part to be played.

He’s chosen an important role in an important profession, and there are pros and cons.

There are only a few people with whom he can be quiet. She’s one of them. The Defence Attorney is another.

Franziska doesn’t name Phoenix Wright at all in her internal monologue in this fic. This is because he annoys her, even as she recognizes that he's nothing but a positive presence.

Miles Edgeworth will sit and observe, sip his tea, and think whatever thoughts are filling his foolish brain at that point in time.

He’s thinking either about the steel samurai or tea or his dog or how pleased he is with the layout of his kitchen.

Franziska has never seen the point of observing if there is no corresponding action. Therefore, she comments on what she sees. If she doesn’t, then she is keeping the information for a more appropriate time. The key difference between herself and her brother is how and when they choose to verbalise what they see.

Sometimes Edgeworth sees things and lets them go. Franziska will live her entire life and never once do this.

But there is something about Maya Fey that silences her. They say, in English, tongue tied? Well, then, Maya Fey ties her tongue.

She’s hoping in more ways than one hahaha no but seriously Franzi has no game and doesn’t know how to speak if she’s not talking about work and maybe politics.

It’s not that the observation stops. Franziska’s powers of observation are active always. Even in dreams. Especially in dreams. But Franziska sees Maya, and everything is clear, all at once. Everything you could want to see, or know. She captures the attention – not because of the noise – not just because of the noise.

Homage to Sondheim’s Company – (“not because you’re bright / not just because you’re bright!”). I listened to Company a lot writing this. Bobby reminds me a lot of Franziska in this – learning you need a new language to start talking to people is difficult.

And Franziska doesn’t know how to start speaking. She falters, and lets herself follow trails that peter out into nothing. She tries to answer a simple question and ends up staggering around, spinning in circles, and choking out something nonsensical and foolish.

The Phoebe Bridgers song ICU includes the lyric “I used to light you up,” which is such a good description of how that it feels.

Oh, Franzi? How are you doing?

And Franziska laughs, and shakes her head, and says something that doesn’t answer the question.

This happened to me once. How are you? Oooh, you know, Haha, well, haha, not great!! I think the friend I was with at the time has forgotten. I pray that she has, anyway. I nearly died of embarrassment.

She is awed to be in this space, in the village that Maya leads so selflessly, so fearlessly;

Franziska is experiencing the awe of noticing just how competent someone is while also realising that they're very attractive

to be able to picture her here accurately now, gliding through the wooden hallways, blessing the small roads with her presence, her dedication, her fierce step.

“Rebel Girl!” plays loudly in the background.