#differentiation basic

[moonsidesong]

quick scribble of 14-crush's original color schemes vs how i color them now for funsies. i feel like ive gotten. a little less?? afraid??? of saturating my colors???? four and ahato... you two used to look so pale and sickly... im so sorry LOLLLL

[quirinah]

they are having an argument over whether P=NP

[sesamenom]

Day 6 Objects & Symbols for @tolkiengenweek: Silmarils.

[2demon2slayer]

demon design ideas

[deiaiko]

#19.3 Unravel

It had been some time since Agni felt this nervous. Not even talking with Jinsung Ha recently had made him feel like this. He fiddled with the mask on his hand as he waited for Grace to come back. He had thought hard on how to deliver the news, but he knew that no matter how he phrased it, Grace would be upset. Velt nuzzled under his palm and Agni gave her a few pats, before deciding that she would be better inside her bowl in his lighthouse, just in case the shinsu acted up around Grace after he received the news.

Grace came back wearing the comfiest shirt and shorts Agni knew Grace liked to wear on lazy days. He joined him on the floor, and they ate dinner together. Agni always finished last, so while waiting for him to finish his meal, Grace told him about his day with Bam. Grace was intrigued by how much his way of thinking had changed, and how glad he was to be able to be by Bam's side when he was having a bad day. It reminded Agni of the hidden floor, when Grace faced his sworn enemy.

They left the used bowls on the coffee table and went to brush their teeth. Afterwards, they turned off the light and went upstairs to sit on their bed. Grace's curious gaze never left him, and Agni curled his feet nervously.

Grace was the one who broke the silence. "So…what is it?"

Agni's breath hitched. This was the part he dreaded most. "I talked with the crocodile earlier. Did you know that he could manipulate stone already?"

"Huh." Grace needed a few seconds to let the information sink in. "Didn't Rak learn it on the Hell train? How does he know it?"

"Turns out our crocodile also traveled back to the past like us. He found the young crocodile and taught him."

"What?!" Grace gasped, wide eyed. "That means our Rak is–!!"

"He's dead." Agni quickly snuffed out that hope. They had been in delusion for long enough; it was time that they faced the bitter truth. "He suffered a fatal injury from the explosion. He couldn't have lasted long without proper help." Agni omitted the actual cause for Rak's death, but still kept his words true. "I'm sorry."

"…Oh." Grace looked lost, just like Agni was. His lips parted a little, but they closed before any sound escaped.

Agni gently squeezed Grace's hand, encouraging and comforting as he let the silence stretch on, giving Grace some time to process the information.

"Agni…" Grace whispered, "do you think Hatz and Isu…?"

Agni bit his lip and avoided his gaze, as the nightmare of that day replayed in his mind. He witnessed Hatz get his arms ripped off when trying to protect him. He could still recall the clang of a sword hitting the floor, and Hatz's suppressed scream that gnawed deep at his guilt. He witnessed Isu get beheaded after being taken hostage, the memory of warm blood painting them both still vivid like it happened yesterday. 

Agni refused to acknowledge their possible deaths, because it felt like a nightmare that one day he could hopefully wake up from. He avoided the topic when Grace brought it up, so he wouldn't have to say it aloud and make it real. He had been so hard on himself, because he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he had failed Grace and everyone else involved.

Agni knew this had to change if he wanted to live better, now that they had gotten a second chance. So he swallowed down the lump in his throat that had built up over the years and asked mostly to himself; "What are the odds of their survival?"

"There's always a chance–"

"Grace." Agni looked him straight in the eye. "They were already severely injured before the explosion hit."

Grace fell silent and went still.

Agni felt a pang of guilt upon witnessing Grace's reaction. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap." Agni fiddled with his hands. He realized that he didn't know how much Grace knew of what happened. "My scar…do you know how I got it?"

"I…was told it was from the family heads' battle." Grace looked thoughtful. Agni knew he was trying to be careful with his words. "A stray attack?"

"It could have been worse." The memory of the scorching heat on his skin felt like it had only happened yesterday. He passed out right when he was about to heal Isu, and only found out later that he also lost sweetfish at that time. The days he spent recovering from the burn, to withstand the excruciating pain every second he was conscious, and finally coming to terms that it'd be a permanent scar, was one of the turning points that had changed him forever. Were Grace not there to care for him, he might have ended up destroying himself even more.

Agni hadn't realized he had his left hand clawing on his cheek until Grace pried his hand off and frowned, "You're doing it again."

"Maybe I should wear the mask…" Agni muttered to himself. After all, Grace gave it to him less so he could hide the scar but more to prevent him from unconsciously hurting himself. The only time he could safely take it off was when Grace was around.

Agni bit his lip nervously when Grace didn't reply. He no longer had the courage to look Grace in the eye that spoke so much concern, so he leaned close and rested his head on Grace's chest. "Rak, Isu, Hatz and Hwaryun were trying to get me out of that damned place. But we were caught while escaping, and…it was a bloodbath. I was…too occupied to react to the incoming heat. Rak shielded us from the explosion. And when I woke up…"

"They weren’t with you," Grace finished it for him after Agni trailed off a moment too long.

Agni nodded dazedly, "I've been telling myself that they're still alive, after a blow that could kill rankers. But…who am I kidding? I was lucky enough to survive with just this little–" Agni vaguely pointed to himself– "inconvenience."

Agni felt a hand gripping his arm, and he pulled away to see Grace looking at him with a pained expression. His eyes were glossy and his lips were pulled into a thin line. Trusting his instinct, Agni reached out to gently trace and cup Grace's cheek with his free hand.

"I'm sorry," Agni muttered. "I'm sorry, for not telling you sooner."

Agni silently witnessed tears that streamed down on his love's face. It was a bitter sight that Agni wished he'd never have to see again, that he had tried to avoid for so long by not telling him. He pulled Grace in and held him close to his chest, as if Agni was trying to gather his own crumbled heart back together.

Grace mumbled their late best friends' names as he held onto him tighter, shaking from each breath he took between sniffles.

Agni felt his own eyes sting with unshed tears. He remembered the years he spent climbing the tower together with his old team. Despite their banter being his source of headaches, Agni knew he too had come to acknowledge them as his cherished friends. Only when they were gone did Agni realize how much he'd miss having them around. Seeing the younger them didn't exactly close the gaping hole in his heart, but at least the emptiness was more filled.

Agni squeezed Grace tighter. "We have their younger selves with us now. We will protect them better this time."

Grace only nodded and sank further into his embrace. And Agni planted kisses on his hair, relishing the thought that after everything he had gone through, Grace was still a constant in his life. As long as he had him, everything would be okay.

When Grace started shaking again, Agni caressed his hair and hummed a comfort song they had known by heart. Still, it didn't make falling asleep any easier for Agni, especially not after admitting that his nightmare was very much real. However, as he had been through grief…this, too, would pass.

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[tcfactory]

I'm pretty certain this is not a new idea, but it's kinda relevant for one of the fics I'm writing, so please consider:

The Northern Demon Kings all have an expiration date, because the ancestral power their clan hoards and covets is poison. Some bear it better and rule for thousands of years before it wears them down. Some are not compatible with this horrid amalgamation of energies and fade quickly. There was the rare occasion when the wannabe king died from trying to assimilate the power and never lived to be officially crowned.

Mobei-jun - not Shang Qinghua's hulky ice demon, but his father - has been slowly, painfully dying since the moment he took on the power of his ancestors.

In canon Linguang-jun tells young Mobei (Qinghua's Mobei, our Mobei) that he should die young like his father. Linguang-jun himself isn't very old, likely no more than 10-20 years older than Mobei, so Mobei-jun probably inherited the throne not long before Mobei was born. Mobei-jun doesn't even rule a full century, in the end. He wastes away from the strain of keeping the ancestral power controlled. He neglects his family. He neglects his kingdom. He withdraws from the public eye except for his appearances at court where he has all the means to keep up the illusion of a strong, if eccentric and lazy king.

The king is dying.

It's a secret that weighs heavily on those who know.

Mobei doesn't know until he has to take over most duties of the fading king and he still doesn't know the cause; he assumes it has to be the result of some poison or assassination attempt. Mobei-jun is too proud to admit what he sees as the consequences of a personal failing to his son, although he does write his thoughts down in a series of journals meant for Mobei to find and read after Mobei-jun has passed.

Linguang-jun knows - how could he not? He was barely a teen when he had to start supporting his brother, picking up the slack in administration and rulership where his brother can't. Him dropping off his young nephew in the human world was an impulsive act of lashing out - a teenager having to do too much for his older brother with too much responsibility, coupled with his very young nephew going through a very clingy/annoying/needy phase made him snap and deal with the stressor he had the ability to deal with: smol Mobei. He regretted it almost immediately, but he couldn't admit that it was because of all the stress he was under (and he couldn't have explained it to his nephew without divulging his brother's state of health, which he swore not to do) so he just doubled down on the assassination attempt angle and then stewed in bitter regret.

Mobei-jun, when he finally becomes king, gets author's favorite blorbo treatment which means he can basically rule until the end of the world if he so pleases, but not without side effects. One cannot hold the cumulated power of a bloodline as ancient and powerful as the Mobei clan without paying the price.

But that's an idea for another day.

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

earth doodle I decided to color in class last week

[in-omni-scientia]

OOC post for a sec: I hope the anon who sent me the motor carriage ask yesterday understands what they've done to me. I've been researching cars for the last four hours and I think I might have to invent a brand new steering system just to explain how the Kineema works

[fragmentedblade]

Hmmm...

[compacflt]

This is niche (maybe) but please share more about ice and mav at Oshkosh!! Do they go yearly? Or just the one time? Are they part of any aviation enthusiast communities???

yes yes yes!!! going to air shows is 100% a date for both of them. i feel like: a couple things:

- they’ve both probably seen the blue angels so many times it’s not super exciting anymore, and until they retire & become private citizens it’s also too big of a Thing for them to go, so they try to go to civilian/private air shows if they can

- one exception is fleet week for obvious rzns. They both probably have to do shit for fleet week on the reg. Ice especially

- i do keep thinking it would be funny for mav to do like a two year tour with the BAs at some point but there wasn’t room for that in the narrative so it’s Schrödinger’s headcanon

- before they retire their schedules are super crazy packed & don’t always line up, even if they request certain dates (like each other’s birthdays, Xmas, thanksgiving, Oshkosh etc) off in advance, so Oshkosh specifically doesn’t become yearly until after they retire. But after they retire they do annually fly in to Oshkosh in their p-51. lots of picnic lunch breaks in Reno/Omaha/Boise etc

- theyve been to the big international air shows (farnborough, Paris, NOT dubai for security/gay people issues, etc) together a couple times when they can swing it. (Me looking for any excuse to send them back to europe on vacation) but before they retire it’s also probably a Thing. So Thing-ness (public & Navy engagement etc) has to be accounted for when they’re planning their trip. they do have a responsibility to rep the Navy as best as they can etc etc

- Thing-ness also has to be accounted for when joining aviation enthusiast groups… after they retire & get married hell yes!!! they probably have a ton of civilian aviation friends & are pretty involved. not before their marriage though. It takes a while for them to come out of the hidden little shell they’ve been living in for thirty years & make friends as a real couple. but they do eventually.

[sesamenom]

Prince Elrond of the Reverse Gondolin AU!

he has a great deal more control over his weird powers than canon-elrond, mostly due to having actually grown up with elwing's guidance in gondolin, so he spends most of his time in full minor-maia-form, complete with wings!

[zoeythebee]

Me: oh god this feature is gonna be super wonky to impliment. This code is about to look like shit.

Me 5 minutes later:

[philomaela]

"Though none doubted that Aegon Targaryen was the final authority in all matters relating to the governance of the realm" is an intriguing line, especially when it's promptly followed by explaining how much autonomy and political strength the Queens had.

I think part of of what makes it interesting, is that it is definitely true on some level, but why is it true and to what extent is it true... that's what is interesting? I'm not sure how to explain it, but I think it's incorrect to think that the "historian's" bias only leads to omissions of truth and additions of falsehoods. Here I feel like, there's overall weight given to this statement that comes from the bias.

Because the book pretty often seems to show that they pretty much act in lock step with each other (to the point where it seems like, while Rhaenys is alive anyway, they don't appear to publicly argue), the Queens also sit on the iron throne, which is literally the symbol of power and authority over the land. Visenya is later able to publicly browbeat him and force him to concede when creating the Kingsguard. These things imply a level of political power.

But that's not me saying that Aegon isn't the voice of final authority and power, he very clearly is, just by the nature of him being declared the King. But that's clearly a position his wives put him in, when they landed on the hill, Visenya crowned Aegon and Rhaenys dubbed him King and shield of the people. Aegon is the king, but his sisters are kingmaker, which is a position of authority... except that role gets officially handed over to the Faith. The day the Faith crowns Aegon is the date his reign officially starts which is interesting because it grants the Faith the power to legitimize Aegon's reign over his wives. But even so, his wives sit the throne, the dragon banner is a three headed dragon and Aegon builds his city on the site where he was first crowned by his wives, not in Oldtown.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's an interesting tension here between Aegon, his wives, and the faith, and each group's level of power and authority. And the "historian" doesn't seem to want to interrogate it or question it because it fits neatly enough into his worldview that anything that doesn't can be easily handwaved away as an oddity.

It feels like all three of these groups have power. But Visenya and Rhaenys used that power to grant Aegon authority and maybe they would have been seen by history has having authority as kingmakers as well, but the act of the Faith crowning Aegon being the "official" crowning, means that the Faith gets the authority of acting as Kingmaker. The Faith and Aegon grant authority to each other in a way that leaves out Visenya and Rhaenys (quite literally since they weren't even at his "official" crowning).

[sysig]

Finally doodled HL Mod Stanley <3 (Patreon)

[cubicpeebles]

So I have an Iterator idea and I'm wondering what y'all would think!

So basically, their can was damaged and sunk down below the ground after many cycles. Similarly to Afterglow, most of their can is unusable (I enjoy broken Iterators it seems), and they have difficulties generating enough power to keep the remaining parts alive.

To alleviate this, they have given themself a modified version of rot, using it to consume creatures for energy. The rot does spread and cause minor damage, but it is still a part of them (rather than it being a separate organism). They can feel everything that happens to it, and control it as long as it is still connected. If not, it'll just roam around, or eventually reconnect.

They would most certainly be a little insane, concidering they have no real regard for the wildlife around them, and they do some funky experiments (they could be the iterator who created the predecessors to Lumi). They might even be cannibalistic, sending out rot to feed on the biological parts of other Iterators.

Basically, insane cannibal iterator who eats stuff using rot and lives underground. Let me know if you like the idea! I could maybe add them as an ask-able character on the Afterglow blog if anyone is interested!

[not-poignant]

I was just wondering, in the UTB universe, how are peak alphas differentiated from regular alphas? You say Caleb acts like a peak alpha, and Augus is mild as a peak alpha. So how are peak alphas recognized as such?

Hi hi!

So all secondary sexes (omega / beta / alpha / peak alpha) are determined by a combination of blood + genetics + physiological markers (i.e. normative penis size / presence of certain glands / knotting etc) + active hormone levels - and for peak alphas: a range of unique abilities they have that no other secondary sex possess (like the ability to use alpha persuasion on other alphas, and the ability to use an innate persuasion/hypnosis ability on everyone).

This is why they test Efnisien to make sure he's an omega because of what he says in the beginning of the story - there's a biological component to secondary sex (and we see this too in the story when Temsen talks about normal hormone level ranges in the chapter where he talks about Efnisien's hormone levels).

The genetic / biological components of secondary sex are talked about in the story quite a bit (Efnisien being omega according to both blood tests but also genetically is mentioned around 10+ times).

So Efnisien will always be biologically an omega despite his active hormone levels (and they do have to take that into account when they supplement his hormones/ardolphogen levels, even as they recognise him as an alpha as well - which is about identity and not biology). And Caleb is biologically be an alpha despite acting more like a peak alpha. And Augus is biologically a peak alpha, despite his behaviours. Acting like a peak alpha isn't the same as being one!

As to Efnisien being treated like an alpha, that's partly because he has been scientifically experimented on, mutilated, had organs removed, and changed so much that he just is no longer really exactly anything at all completely. He can no longer make larentin, he no longer has Kaeper glands or lare glands, he developed unique alpha abilities because he was forced onto ardolphogen years before even alphas start producing it in large quantities, etc. And partly because he's been raised an alpha. And partly because he sees himself as one.

Caleb doesn't see himself as a peak alpha, even though he can behave like one. Augus doesn't see himself as a softer alpha, even though he behaves like one.

The answer is both 'with science' and 'it's complicated' depending on the person :D