#like I thought it was some cool intrinsic power

[jackklinemybeloved]

just caught up on acofaf and andhera’s backstory is SO FUCKING SAD… I want to wrap them in a blanket and give them cocoa…

[thatdesklamp]

Sometime in Summer, Before 2004

set in ‘intrinsic warmth’ canon, because I needed to write something happy and I thought I should share it <3

Satoru can’t believe you don’t remember when you met him.

“This means you hate me,” he says to you, one day, in the Chapel. It’s mid-July, hot and sticky, and the weight of the heat in the air has made him lazy.

He’s got a white shirt on, and he’s pretty sure he’s got some sweaty patches there—if he was with someone else, Satoru would put in some effort to hide them, because someone else would probably think it was gross, but it’s you, and so he doesn’t need to. He likes that about you: it’s one of the many things he likes about you. You know him so well that he doesn’t care about things like that anymore. After all—Satoru flattens his hair down over his forehead—you don’t care about his new haircut, which he hates more than anything anywhere at anytime ever.

Satoru’s lying on his back with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with hazy eyes. His sunglasses are crooked on his nose, and he pushes them up.

A few days ago, he’d used Limitless to try to throw a pillow at you, but he’d overshot it and accidentally blown a hole in the ceiling. He does feel bad, just a little, mainly because you haven’t stopped talking about how cold the winters are going to be. Satoru would like to tell you that you can just get close to him for warmth, but he hasn’t mentioned it because he’s such a good friend.

He thinks about that, maybe more than he should. He would like it if you could get over your whole touch thing, because he wants to be able to touch you. Sometimes, in the winter, he’ll see you shivering on your own, this huge divide between the two of you, and he just wants to put his arm around you and stop you from being so cold.

You’re always telling him how much of a heat radiator he is—my space heater, you say sometimes, which Satoru likes, because he likes it when you say things to him like that, like you’re staking a claim on him, that he’s your best friend, and it’s not only that you’re his—and so he figures that you should just shuffle closer sometime, and it’d be fine. Satoru hasn’t ever really touched you, and so he doesn’t know what it’s like: and he knows nearly everything in the whole world, so he wants to find out what it’s like at some point.

“You hate me,” he says again, when you don’t respond to him. Satoru looks over at you, pouting. “Why do you hate me?”

You’re cross-legged, leaning against the wall of the Chapel, flicking through a Vogue magazine. You roll your eyes and tut.

“I don’t hate you.”

“Yes, you do.” Satoru makes a big display of being really, really sad. He does this sometimes, because sometimes it’ll prompt you to say something a bit more overt, in terms of your friendship with him.

Satoru tells you all the time how much he likes you, how much of a good friend you are to him, how cool you are and how amazing you both are—but you’re more reticent with your feelings, and so he has to treasure every single time you say something like that.

He doesn’t think you know that he does it on purpose, but at the same time, you have these crazy psychic powers that you can always find things out about him. Satoru often thinks that you can read his mind—you can just look at him, and you know exactly what he’s thinking. It’s kind of spooky, but he’s okay with you having those superpowers, if it’s just you.

And it’s not like you’re going to use it for anything bad. You’re too cool to do that, and you like him. Which is really cool. You like him.

Except he’s pretending you hate him, which is funny.

“I don’t,” you say. You stop reading the Vogue—success! Satoru has claimed your attention—and start fanning yourself with it. “I just don’t remember everything in the world, Gojo.”

“It’s not everything in the world! It’s the first time we met. That’s important!”

“I remember the second time we met. That was more impactful, anyway.”

“How?” Satoru doesn’t understand that at all. “But you’d just met me! How was that not impactful?”

“I didn’t know you’d want to talk to me again,” you say, shrugging. “So, when you did, it was surprising. That’s what I remember.”

Satoru makes a face, scrunching up his nose. “Of course I’d want to talk to you again.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Course I would!” Satoru groans and then sits up, making a heaving sound. He pushes his glasses into his hair and pulls up the bottom of his shirt to wipe his sweaty face. “Agh. Too hot. Too hot, and you don’t remember when we first met, and I’m too hot!”

He looks over at you, feeling a bit petulant. You’ve stopped looking at him, and you’re focusing back on the magazine. You’re not even reading it properly—he can tell, since your eyes aren’t moving. Weird. Satoru groans again, to get your attention back, and you press your lips together.

“Hebi-Hebi,” he says. “Hey. Hey. Look at me. Look at me.”

You do. Satoru grins.

“You’re so mean to me,” Satoru says, and he rolls over to his stomach to get a bit closer to you. “So mean. How are we going to celebrate our best-friendiversary?”

You choke. “What?”

“It’s a thing,” he says, grin widening. “I’m pretty sure it’s a thing. When we became friends!”

“Shouldn’t that be when we became best friends?” you ask. You tilt your head against the wall, seeming to actually consider it. “There’s a difference between a friendiversary and a best-friendiversary, surely.”

“Oooh. Yeah, maybe.”

“So we should remember a date for our best-friendiversary instead.” You hum, thoughtful. “That would be nicer, since that’s more important.”

“So you’re saying we’re best friends?” Satoru asks, goading.

You raise your eyebrows. “Of course we are.”

You say it like it’s obvious. Satoru feels all glowy inside.

“Of course.” Satoru drags out the words, feeling how it sounds in his mouth. “Of coouurse. Of course we are! And you know what?”

“What?”

“Best friends,” he says, waggling his eyebrows at you, “should remember when they first met!”

You blow a burst of air through your lips, clearly pretending to be unamused. For all of your psychic superpowers about figuring out his thoughts, Satoru thinks he can read you pretty well too. It’s funny when you pretend to be all aloof and not like him, when it’s obvious that you actually really really do.

“You’re so annoying,” you say to him. Satoru laughs, and your lips twitch.

Ha-ha! Another success!

Satoru likes it when he can make you smile. It doesn’t happen all that often at all, and so when he manages it, it’s a huge success. It’s one of the best feelings in the world, he thinks, when he can make you smile. It’s only trumped by the times when he can make you laugh, which then is only trumped by the times you call him by his first name.

Satoru is Satoru, but you only ever call him Gojo. Which, yeah, is his name, but it’s also his name to everyone else—everyone else in the world thinks of him as Satoru Gojo, from the Gojo family, heir to the Gojo technique, which is really cool sometimes, but also really annoying and kind of not cool.

But to you, he should be Satoru. You’re the only person that he’s ever met that he’d want to call him Satoru. And so, when you don’t, he feels strange. You tell him often that he needs to get used to not always getting what he wants, but Satoru doesn’t think that he should have to, not really. In his opinion, everything would be better if he could get what he wanted all the time.

“So mean to me,” Satoru says again, without much gusto, because the day’s getting even hotter and he can’t really summon the energy to play out your usual routines.

You seem to be getting tired, too. You’re watching him with a funny look on your face, but your eyelids are drooping and you keep blinking all slowly, the way you do when you’re sleepy.

“Sure,” you say, yawning.

“Can’t believe you admit it.”

“Mmhm.”

“Can’t believe—” Satoru stifles a yawn: he caught it from you. “—that you don’t remember. I remember, Hebi-Hebi.”

“You should tell me, then.” You shuffle down until you’re lying next to him. You’re on your side, looking at him with a faint smile playing across your lips. Satoru feels glowy again. “Remind me, about the first time we met.”

“Should I?” Satoru asks, not caring about hiding his smirk. “Would you like that?”

“Maybe.”

“Then,” Satoru says, as he turns onto his side too, so you look like two mirror images of each other, if someone was looking down from the Chapel ceiling, “I’ve just got to, haven’t I? If you’d like it, then I’ve got to do it.”

Your lips press together, and then all of a sudden you’re smiling, big and wide, the way you barely ever smile in front of him. Satoru feels his stomach swoop. He loves it when you smile. My best friend, he thinks. Mine.

“I guess you have to,” you whisper, and you’re almost shy, almost hesitant. You know that you don’t need to: Satoru, surely, by now, has made sure of that. He’s spent his whole life trying to make you happy, all of his life that he’s enjoyed living. He doesn’t think that there’s anything he wouldn’t do for you, if you wanted him to. He’s certain you know that by now.

“Then I will.” Satoru brings up a hand between your bodies, and he loves how you don’t move away from him, the way you do to everyone else. You trust him, more than anyone in the world. This is what he loves, too: just as much as you are his favourite, he is yours.

Satoru rests his head on his arm, and settles in for a story; you’re watching him, with soft, affectionate eyes, and he is more happy than he ever has been. He keeps thinking that, when he’s with you. And, every time he sees you, he thinks it again. Here you are, listening to him, devoting your attention to him wholly, and you’re the best person he’s ever known.

“So,” Satoru says, so determined to keep your eyes on him, to keep your focus for ever and ever and ever, “it was a few months before my seventh birthday, and I didn’t know that I would be meeting my favourite person in the world.”

[germiyahu]

The way in which people on this site and others unironically with not a shred of self reflection, will say things like "I'm America's biggest hater until a Brit starts speaking!" Like, they understand intrinsically what it's like for an outsider to make blanket judgments about the only culture they've ever lived in and ever known and they immediately decide that their feelings about that are true and valid.

And the response is not even "Well you're one to talk about our problems!" or "Um sweaty things here are far more complex than you understand so maybe leave the criticism to Americans," it's usually just "Rah rah bald eagle screeching go America fourth of July beans on toast OI BRUV!" or some other equivalent mockery of a European (or Canadian/Australian) stereotype.

Even if this is just silly joking, they are performing jingoistic nationalism at the slightest prickling of other Western (usually white) people daring to criticize America, even when it's accurate or in good faith. These Europeans (et al.) aren't even calling for the destruction of America, declaring Americans a dirty evil people who deserve nothing but pain and suffering and any calls to wipe them out are justified and any resistance to that is oppressive. They're just making fun of American aphorisms and the response is unquestioned patriotism. And no other super woke Leftie Americans look at this behavior and say "That's actually problematic." They're in on it.

But these same people couldn't possibly conceive of applying this thought process to an Israeli. That's just a non-starter to them. Like there are based Israelis on this site who are patriotic, who make dank memes and all, that much is true. But I'd say for the average Jew (Israeli or not) to react with extreme jingoism at the gentlest ribbing is just unthinkable. They know the optics of that. But Americans can throw a tantrum about being called out as the hegemonic power in the world and expect everyone to think that's actually really funny and cool.

An American can make jokes about "discovering oil" (the subtext being invasion and devastation) when someone from another country says "Wow Americans don't have electric kettles," but an Israeli can't even politely say "I don't think we all deserve to die because our Prime Minister is a corrupt racist shithead." No that's propaganda and genocide apologia. American privilege is real, I think.

[pencilofawesomeness]

The JJK x TWST crossover that started living rent free in my head >:'D

Random Doodle Edition

Ahem, so, uhh, turns out the characters of Jujutsu Kaisen fit pretty well as Night Raven College students, temperament-wise, and that was all the excuse I needed. Yes the ages get funky but whatever. Happy high school AU except they still get cool powers and Trauma(tm). Just less than JJK canon so I count it as a win.

I also may or may not have written an entire oneshot (here on AO3) for some freshmen Satoru & Suguru bonding, featuring me still bullying Satoru over his funky eyes.

Image Text (and me rambling more) underneath the cut

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Gojo Satoru (of the Jupiter Clan)

Ignihyde Housewarden Year: Junior Species: Sky Dragon (Fae) Club: Movie Analysis Club Unique Magic: Six Eyes—pretty much just like canon Six Eyes. They can see far and wide and out of normal sight, and they can see magic in a highly detailed manner. They are also powered by magic that just, never stops ever, so he can decrease or increase the power/range at will to a degree, but technically, cutting off magic from them altogether will blind him. Also he has an inherited magic that he by no means asked for, which is, sad drumroll, Gate of the Underworld. (There are no shrouds in this AU, just me finding ways to forever make Satoru instrumental to the well-being of the world to his own detriment. I have waaaaay more thoughts about the "Jupiter Clan of dragons" and what that actually entails, but they are still jumbled and shifting, so. Maybe later.)

-

Geto Suguru (of the Draconia Clan)

Diasomnia Housewarden Year: Junior Species: Night Dragon (Fae) Club: Equestrian Club Unique Magic: Magic-eater—can consume and nullify any spell and gain its base magic. With minimum side effects. Mostly. :)

-

Satoru and Suguru are their usual brand of special-grade menaces, being the only two adolescent dragon fae in the world, buttttt they still inevitably become besties. With Shoko too, of course, who has no fear and will mess with them as they see fit.

Suguru is essentially Malleus in this AU, though in Suguru-fashion, he's way more stubborn when it comes to trying to catch up. (Translating him being new to sorcery to being new to technology was surprisingly low-hanging fruit.) Meanwhile I borrowed the Jupiter name/legacy because it was fitting and made the Gojo Clan into a long-lived dynasty of antisocial dragons who fist-fight and deal with Phantoms and recently accidentally became a tech empire, which is pretty close to the Sorcerer Family vibe a la TWST, if I say so myself.

There's definitely a lot of backstory I have in mind for the two of them. Neither of them beat teen parenthood (they are currently Malleus-aged, so 178 years old, but that's still teenagehood for a dragon/fae) and acquired children through various means, much to the consternation of their elders/court. I might develop/write more solid ideas later, but Suguru has a reverse characterization moment when he finds two starved/beaten human children (the twins) and begins his journey of losing all intrinsic racism via love, and Satoru still somehow gets his shit wrecked by Toji (probably a heist gone violent or something) and then finds out he had abandoned children: human Tsumiki and half-fae Megumi.

-

Nobara Orientation Comic:

Nobara: Obviously, I'm going to get ~Pomefiore~ because I'm elegant and graceful. (And a badass queen, of course)

Mirror: The nature of your soul is... Savanaclaw

Nobara, getting dragged away from the Mirror by Maki: HEY WAIT A MINUTE! STOP MESSING WITH ME YOU DIRTY SMUGED HUNK OF JUNK AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I THINK OF—

(Nobara gets her reverse-Epel moment, but she adapts quickly. Especially because she still comes to have mad respect for Maki.)

-

Ieri Shoko

Ignihyde Vice-Housewarden Year: Junior Species: Merfolk (Nurse Shark) Club: Science Club Unique Magic: Reverse—rewinds a target to its previous state within twenty four hours. The longer within the range, the harder/more magic it will take, especially for larger targets, so realistically her range is less. (For example, if someone cracked a piece of glass 24 hours ago, Shoko could restore it, but a day-old wound on a living being would be much harder.)

Making Shoko a mermaid was a joke to myself at first but then I liked it and it spiraled and now Nurse Shark Shoko is unironically one of my favorite things that I have drawn. The joke was right there too, but it's mostly fun to me because nurse sharks are docile and apathetic creatures, for the large part (they are still sharks lol), and I think match her temperament well.

Also when Satoru pestered the previous housewarden enough times to accidentally gain the title for himself, he made Shoko his vice (mostly because he trusted her) to make sure he never had to do the paperwork and the boring parts. She makes him do it anyway. To the dorm, she is less of a vice and more of a "dragon wrangler," which is still extremely appreciated.

-

Zen'in Maki

Savanaclaw Housewarden Year: Sophomore Species: Human Club: Track & Field Unique Magic: N/A—Maki doesn't actually have magic of her own, but she is unnaturally resistant to most magic. She can, however, use magic/cast spells through a magic-capable familiar.

She befriended a phoenix when she was younger, having survived an encounter with a wild youth. (idk what I want the details to be but I think it would be cool if she had some related burns to it, with the idea that these creatures are rare and volatile and hard for normal humans to handle without high magic resistance.) His name is Torch because I don't think Maki would put that much thought into a name, so long as its not completely stupid sounding. I almost named the phoenix Jogo but I refrained for my own sanity.

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Inumaki Toge

Savanaclaw Year: Sophomore Species: Human Club: Board Game Club Unique Magic: Reality Speak—pretty much just how Cursed Speech works but with a world-friendly name. Also it can apply to inanimate objects as well. The power and scope of the command is proportional to the magic required.

Toge gets an overall nicer time in this AU because he doesn't have cursed speech 24/7 and therefore can speak normally. Though the idea of him being able to affect people/bend reality with his words does freak people out. I imagine he had a rough childhood nonetheless, because why not, leading him to be less verbal than he would have been otherwise.

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Okkotsu Yuuta

Diasomnia Year: Sophomore Species: Human Club: Board Game Club Unique Magic: Wraith Pact-maker—he can enhance/bolster a ghost's magic/presence through making a link with himself. It has to be mutual, and it can last for any duration of time, although actively using the link does require magic. The ghost in question gains magic and grounding from Yuuta, and Yuuta can use the ghost's magic, including their UM, if applicable. He can have multiple links, but the first and main recipient of this magic is his childhood friend Rika.

Between her longlasting connection with Yuuta and her brutal death, she is a more wraith-like and powerful ghost. Her unique magic was to copy other people's UMs, which Yuuta can use through her in short bursts.

-

I didn't have space nor solid ideas for unique magics for the Hasaba twins and the Fushiguros, so I didn't do full bios for them. Later, perhaps. All of the girls are sophomores and Megumi is a freshman. Tsumiki and Nanako are sharing their social brain cell and trading stories of stupid things their dragon dads/older brothers/untitled guardians have done, while Megumi is helping budding-gamer Mimiko learn Pokemon strats. I love the idea of them all being friends, maybe after minimal difficulty in the girls' first year, likely on account of the twins being a little Sebek-shaped, in terms of wanting to be The Best Guards for Suguru, etc etc.

-

I technically have way more ideas for other characters and other dorms, but, I will end this here, for now. I am trying to reign myself in lmao.

[punkitt-is-here]

idk i thought the reason ppl identified as bi lesbians or mspec lesbians was due to the fact that they didnt see it as lesbian to date nonbinary people

this is the first anon and sorry for my weird takes im just confused

bc it honestly just feels like instead of bi/pan/omni folks using sapphic/queer/neptunic/etc to describe themselves, they're using something that has at least at *some* point i think meant an exclusive attraction to women/nonbinary ppl/etc. but if not you can correct me ofc

i guess the issue i have is that there are no other terms i know of to describe exclusive liking of women or nb peeps

Honestly here's my thing. The sooner you can accept that labels for sexual identities hold no intrinsic power and are much more like names or clothing or haircuts in that they are ways to express and define yourself then the sooner you will understand why people who have lived outside the cishet binary understanding of sexuality and gender want to play with the intrinsically more flexible nature of being queer. Any and all queer discourse over labels immediately becomes redundant when you understand that 99% of the time the labels will have literally zero affect on how you interact with someone irl. If some people want lesbian to mean exclusively women attracted to women, I get it. But the thing is you're gonna run into lesbians who don't define it that way and there's no way to decide what's the "definitive" take on the word because the end goal of all self-made identities is to label yourself in a way that makes you happy. If it makes you unhappy to identify exclusively as a lesbian, why do it? If it makes you unhappy to identify as bisexual, why do it? If it makes you HAPPY to identify as a bi lesbian and it is literally hurting no one? Why NOT do it? The English language is only trying to get decent approximations of the idea expressed by queerness and these labels were never going to be rigidly defined terms. After all, if we wanted to put all queer people in little clearly defined boxes, we'd just be making CisHet 2. Let yourself live free and realize that fretting over the specifics of how people identify is unneeded stress and jam out with some cool gay people ❤️

[the-au-collector]

So the fact that Christianity exists in Legend of Zelda is endlessly interesting to me. Obviously, it's very different than our version that exists in real life but like... it's just really fun to play with.

Anyways here's my thoughts:

The Ocarina of Time Sages (Zelda, Impa, Ruto, Rauru, Naboru, Saria, Darunia) are saints

So I feel like this doesn't need a ton of explaining. In-universe, the towns in LoZ are named after the Sages so obviously they're pretty important. It doesn't really make sense to me why they wouldn't be canonized. Especially since they all have some sort of powers or holiness anyways due to being Sages.

But Who is Jesus

This one is a little less clear. Since I'm worldbuilding Legend's Hyrule right now (and I love the idea that Legend is Christian) and they kind of really hate the Hero of Time since he failed and all, it can't be Time. I feel like Sky and Sun are a little too intrinsically connected to Hylia and everything. And since Christianity believes in God and not Hylia I doubt they'd make Sky or Sun Jesus (they probably in some way still incorporate Hylia . Most likely, they have a saint based off her or she's an angel. Sky and Sun would likely become saints as well under that logic). So I have a few options:

Option One: process of elimination leaves the hero between Sky and Time as a possible candidate. That would be Four. I like the idea of the whole Christianity thing existing before the timeline split but, like in real life, it didn't get very popular for a few centuries. In the other timelines, it would have fizzled out. But because of Time's defeat, Christianity just gets more popular in the Downfall Timeline. I'm not sure what the exact story surrounding Four would be. I want it to somewhat mirror real-life Christian beliefs, after all. At the same time, I'm kind of on the fence about making the Jesus-figure one of the heroes.

Option Two: Mido is Jesus. There's this theory I saw about Mido becoming a hero after Time's defeat and helping during the Imprisoning War, which is why he gets a town named after him in LoZ. I just think it would be cool. Again, I'm not sure what his story would be yet but at least his is a lot more flexible to work with.

I'm curious about what everyone else things, though? I'm really torn between "Four is Jesus" and "Mido is Jesus." On one hand, Four would be funny, but Mido sort of make sense.

[pickledandjarred]

book recs for aapi heritage month 🕺🕺

a bit late, but happy aapi heritage month! i’ve been getting back into reading this past year after my pandemic slump, so here’s some books that i really enjoyed by aapi authors 

the poppy war trilogy by rf kuang - this series is a fantasy based on 19th-20th century china. it’s hilariously written with some of my favorite characters of all time, and deals with some really heavy topics like colonialism, the effects of warfare, and classism in a brutally honest fashion. i have so much to say about it but that’s for a much longer post-

babel: an arcane history by rf kuang - at this point i will read this woman’s grocery list, she is such a skilled writer and genius storyteller. babel is set in an alternate 1800s oxford university, in a world which the british empire’s power is built upon magic silver. babel unpacks the intrinsic ties between academia and empire from the perspective of someone on the inside and the concept of resistance. it also really hits home to the feeling of disconnect from your native language as a bilingual/third culture kid- overall just brilliant book imo. the magic system is also really interesting (as is that of rf kuang’s other work)- she builds upon the real world to create a fantasy that is engaging, but also very representative of the motifs of her work?? idk how to explain it but 🙏rebecca🙏

you’re the only one i’ve told: the stories behind abortion by meera shah - you’re the only one i’ve told is a collection of stories about abortion entrusted to shah, a medical practitioner who works as an abortion provider. the book humanizes these people and their experiences from a variety of different backgrounds and circumstances, and is a really compelling read. 

we have always been here: a queer muslim memoir by samra habib - we have always been here is a memoir about  habib’s experience growing up as an ahmadi muslim in pakistan, coming to canada as refugees in their teenage years, and grappling with queer identity within an environment where their body and personhood was thought to have been needed to be controlled. habib discusses faith, sexuality, and love through a lens of self discovery and finding community that you didn’t know existed. 

the henna wars by adiba jaigirdar - this book is set in dublin, and follows a young bangladeshi girl named nishat. nishat has fallen for an estranged childhood friend, flávia, who just so happens to be her rival in an upcoming school business competition. and by some luck, they both have chosen to create the same business; henna tattoos. i’m a sucker for fluff so this book got me, but it also deals with appropriation and queer romance (particularly from a 3rd culture experience) quite delicately. nishat’s relationship with her sister was also so well written, and i think was one of the most compelling bonds in this book!

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar - okay i’m still in the process of finishing this book, but it has been so good so far! this is a story about two rival agents moving through a war that stretches across time, fighting tooth and nail for their own victory in a vaguely apocalyptic world. they begin a correspondence that spills into something that could change the course of time extremely literally. the writing style and descriptions are gorgeous, and the fragmented format of letters jumping across thousands of years is a really interesting reading experience. very cool book!

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong - god this man is such a talent- everything good you’ve heard about his work is true and you should go read it rn. on earth we’re briefly gorgeous is written in the form of a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, and tells a story that crosses over 3 generations with it’s epicenter rooted in vietnam. the narrator unpacks how the effects of warfare, immigration and generational trauma have shaped his relationship with his mother and his own life. i’m not doing it justice (not for any of these rlly i cannot elevator pitch books), but vuong’s writing is so beautiful and intimate yet quiet? 💃💃🙏🫶👍🙏👌💃

that’s all i have for now, if you have any recs pls do tell!! to my fellow asian/pacific islander americans, your voices and stories deserve to be uplifted and celebrated without being fetishized, appropriated or pigeonholed. have a great may! 

[homestuck-archive]

Semi-Daily Homestuck Pages:

ROSE: Iss,

ROSE: Prehhhhtay strong I geush?

ROSE: Whups. Guesh?

ROSE: *Guessss.

ROSE: Eheh.

DAVE: pretty strong

DAVE: rose you just bootlegged some fucking rubbing alcohol

ROSE: Pshf. ..

ROSE: Overaeact much?

ROSE: I'm yam completally in command of my faculities.

DAVE: faculity isnt a word check mate

DAVE: this kinda strikes me as a sort of misappropriation of alchemy

DAVE: like fucking with the mystical technology of creation to whip up some moonshine just seems

DAVE: i dunno man

DAVE: tell me you at least alchemized a bathtub first to stir this shit in

DAVE: at least that would be hilarious

ROSE: Iii,

ROSE: Omg, you're right, I messed a golden opportutiny for a puticularly humoroush approach to this endeavor... :(

DAVE: and where the FUCK is my applejuice rose

DAVE: gotta say

DAVE: you really let me down on the aj front

ROSE: I tried!!

ROSE: I tried making it...

ROSE: Is was HARD, Dave.

ROSE: (Sluuurp.)

DAVE: bullshit it was hard

DAVE: whats so hard about applejuice its like

DAVE: the most basic goddamn juice

DAVE: like the square one of juice

ROSE: Yes, tha's the POINT!

ROSE: Apples are stalartingly difficulf to reproduce.

ROSE: We take for granned our ability to take idealized intsances ofeven quie comlicated objects and conshure them from the void.

ROSE: But compalexity implies a heavilly recombinatife nature.. So.. so many things are synesthized from a series of mushh simpler ideas!

ROSE: To those ennities capable of, of conceshualization and absraction, an apple is as closed to being a noshushnally irredushible object as it gets....

ROSE: Ahem. *Notionally,

ROSE: **Irr, ed, ducible.

ROSE: Tell me, hoch shot, what ideas would you combide to make and apple?

DAVE: uh

ROSE: Exaaalley/.

ROSE: Thusis why apples are sush indivisible symbols, when it comes to thefield of ideas and their reducshunistHIC!!!!! reductionishtic essence from the perispective of humans in paticular.

ROSE: Both from a stantpoint of cultrulal and mytholurgical singificence,, and from a pratical one a swell, if you happen to fine yourself acshualy trying to ENGINEEEer one.

ROSE: Why do you thing, HIC!!! Why do you think Adam mand Eve were punished for biting in to one??

ROSE: They attemped to pentetrate an indivisible unit, uf fundamenetal knowledge. To consume the interior of a thought whish cantot be reduced any further.

ROSE: This knowleshe was for BIDDEN..! Hic. So humanity was forever bandished to live in sin, and, hass strive ever sinse to redeem isself from the hubrinse of this innallectual foily.

ROSE: Hahaha! , Foily.

ROSE: *FOLLY. :)

ROSE: Or what about, the tale of Isaac Newdon under the tree?? He was BONKED on the head by an apple.

ROSE: Not reallyan apple though... an atomic idea. An emlemental unit of inspripation itself, id clocked him right on then noggin.

ROSE: And this indivisible notion colliding with hish awareness, much like.. . a high speed partical fired to create a nuculear chain reacation, jarred from the void a more profund unnerstand, HIC, ing of the intrinsic nature of nothiness. Thatis,. Gravivitation.

ROSE: Of course thess stories are acutually bullshit. They didn't happen in realaity. But thef act that they'rare bullshit makes them more inshresting.

ROSE: Men have crefted many stories that are bullshit out of symbols risen from the abyss of coinsciousness withou necesharily knowing whath e fuck they were doing or saying, as they flounered around for some truth.

ROSE: Bust in spite of themseleves they would for howefer briefly cross through a ray of light regarless. Becuss of the sbymbols. Dave.. The symbols hol dall the power.

DAVE: well shit

DAVE: looks like i wandered into a really weird uncharted side of town tonight

DAVE: its called the drunk rose district

DAVE: and i am scared out of my fucking mind

ROSE: For a guay whos's supposedly, an I quote, "so cool,"

ROSE: You relly are almost comically up tight.

ROSE: Here, why don't you have some...

DAVE: no!

ROSE: What a prune.

ROSE: *Prude.

ROSE: Hic.

DAVE: i told you i dont want any of your experimental fucking spacewizard booze

DAVE: id rather not go blind

DAVE: then terezi will have to teach me to lick shit to see

DAVE: is that what you want do you want me licking everything in sight

DAVE: like oh hey mayor SLURP oh fuck youre

ROSE: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ;D

10/25/11

[liquidstar]

Hello!! Goddess OC anon here! Today I would like to borrow your ear for a spot of cosmology! In my universe, all sapient beings have a potential direct-ish line to the gods in their minds. This is because the gods are not entities on their own, but the eventual result of tens of thousands of dead consciousnesses sharing a single thought or aim until a new being is shaped, like a metamorphic rock. Most of these are the result of cultish rituals, except for the protectoress and the seeker (god of knowledge), since that's what's generally needed to have so many people dying with the same intrinsic desire.

(None of these gods have names yet because I want to give them cool and intimidating titles yet am so very very bad at naming >.<)

The universe is a vast number of planets, many of which are inhospitable, lifeless, or in the last legs of their civilization. Travel between them is possible due to the remains of a prehistoric interstellar alchemy-powered civilization. Opening a star gate requires a sacrifice, not always in blood, but always terrible. Many species exist - some emerging from the radioactivity-and-blood-magic cocktail the Alchemeisters left on the planets they abandoned.

The lines connecting mortal to deity exist in almost everyone, but need to be opened. In the case of the god of knowledge, for example, everyone (well, 70% of every sapient, individual, mentally human-aligned species) is born with a logic puzzle in their mind. If they successful find, consider, and solve this puzzle, their connection to the god is opened up. The opening for the god of bloodshed is a sufficient amount of simple violence, one premediated murder, and one betrayal and butchery. Every female child is born with an open link. It's not perfect - there's all the problems of AGAB roles - but it's the easiest way through, especially since souls don't differentiate between humans and eldritch beings, let alone men and women.

The purpose of priests is to help with this psychic connection, help explain the clauses, to link one devotee's conscious to that of the rest of them to make a sort of psychic gathering. (A groupchat of sorts.) The reason the students of the seeker are so predominantly male is because priests will often crack open the hooks a tiny bit for male babies, making it easier for them to find the puzzle in the first place, and then to connect. Higher priests also serve as leaders of these gatherings.

Luna, the trans priestess from before, is also a member of the Seeker's flock, though these days she mostly just goes there to spy. She finds more fulfillment in the pen than the textbook, these days. This intelligence is how she managed to link herself to the protectoress' ladies by hand.

The Protectoress differs from the other gods in a few other ways, especially related to what happens to priestesses after their deaths but this is long enough.

Happy Belated Birthday, as well! All good wishes for your year to come.

i think this is all SUPER interesting and creative lore for the gods, im not really sure what else i could say beyond the fact that im very invested in this system! i am a bit curious abt the way some of the sex biases work and why though? esp since they dont differentiate between men and women but then at the same time they do? it might be on me for not fully getting it tho lol

i really do have to give you huge props for coming up with such intricate and HUGE lore for a system thats cosmically-based. not just terrestrial fantasy but THE WHOLE UNIVERSE its so cool. it creates such a great sense of scale here, like, the way you explain it really does make it seem big. bigger than anything going on on earth that we could really understand. but at the same time everyone has the potential to really connect with the gods on this scale, like the lines you described... its really very cool. the whole all is one and one is all thing.

AND from the little bits of info on other worldbuilding stuff you give its also clear theres a looooot going on for the mortals too. like the alchemisters and radioactivity magic and stuff. theres a lot of complex lore here building on top of itself that i find super fascinating. its awesome!!!

honestly im not great at names either, so i dont blame you for having a hard time coming up with ones to match this scale. i think my only suggestion (from experience) is to not overcomplicate the names. sometimes short and blunt sounds can convey power in just one syllable. its to the point, yknow? so i think thats something to consider when making names that sound grand too... also sometimes its not the name itself, but the context surrounding it! AT managed to make a name as silly as "golb" seem soo serious and important lol. so dont stress too much abt the name itself but what you can make with it, especially with lore this grand! but obvs youd know what fits them the best

and thank you!!! i appreciate it :) i hope your year is good too just in general :p

[twinkskeletons]

Hello!

I don’t think we’ve ever personally interacted before (I’ll probably send this as anon), but I follow you, and I’ve been seeing some of your recent posts on my dash!

Not sure how appropriate this actually is, since we’re complete strangers, but, like I said, I’ve been seeing some of your posts that mention, y’know, suicidal ideation & thoughts of/references to self-harm. (Pls keep reading: I’m not like, yelling at you or anything 😭)

I don’t know how you feel right now, nor do I know if this alone will help you feel any better, but you’re not alone (which, I know, from experience, can sound like bullshit or like it doesn’t matter), but really what that means is that other people have felt the way you do, and they’ve lived (that doesn’t mean they’re better than you, it means there’s hope for things to get so much better for you). I’m not gonna pretend you don’t know that suicide is an ending, not a solution, because I figure you know that. I have no idea what’s going on in your life, and it probably doesn’t mean much coming from a stranger on the Internet, but every human life has an intrinsic value, yours included. You matter, deeply. Even if you don’t feel that way (again, I don’t know how you feel, and, since we’re strangers, I’m doing some guesswork based off of personal experience here, sorry!!)

However you’re feeling right now (even if you’ve felt it for a while), I’ll say what everybody says (because despite it all, it is true): life will get better. It can feel like you’re spiraling out of control, or like everything is off balance, or like you’re completely alone and battling everything by yourself, but it won’t always be like that. People care about other people. It’s how shit works. With that, people do care about you. And they should! Which means that people can be there for you when you’re suffering, if you’re able to clue them in as to how you’re doing.

I don’t mean to offend you, or cause you any further harm, but, if you’re able to, I sincerely recommend reaching out to a friend or somebody you trust or love or care about regarding how you’re doing. I know it’s terrifying to do that for so many reasons, and I don’t have all the answers as to how to make that any less terrifying, but I will say this: If I were to find out somebody I loved and cared about (or even just kinda knew) was dealing with something along the lines of thoughts of or patterns of self harm or suicidal ideation, I’d want to know, if only because I wouldn’t want them to suffer in silence, or feel like they were alone.

If you already have talked to somebody and it hasn’t gone over well - sometimes that happens. But (excuse this example, hopefully you’ll appreciate it rather than hate it) Thomas the tank engine didn’t get up that hill by giving it just one go (I have no clue if that was a good analogy for this…)

I just mean, like, idk. I’ve been in what i imagine to be your place before (the whole nine yards), and I’ve had friends who’ve both been suicidal, had suicidal ideation, and actually passed away by way of suicide, and it’s devastating no matter what. Because they matter to me so much. And you matter. A lot. So please try to ask for help. A support system, no matter how small, can go a long way.

The cherry on top for me is that you run a really cool blog, and I’d love for you to keep kicking around. You seem like a pretty awesome stranger to me.

Keep yourself safe! Long live the car crash hearts, and all that (idk if that was cringey, but hopefully you appreciate it)!

wow thank u.. this is the closest i’ve felt to being cared about in a long time.. i do wish i had someone to talk to my dad says i can tell him anything and he loves me but it always feels hollow because i know it isn’t really true and if i told him the reason i’ve been depressed for close to a decade he’d go straight to my mother and they will both do everything in their power to kill me faster.. my closest human relationship is probably with the counsellor i saw once and due to the waiting list i cant see him again til next year.. i don’t have friends irl or online no one really enjoys talking to me which i get i’m not good at it + this is so lame sorry. thanks for this it’s really appreciated <3

[ohifonlyx33]

Anyway here's some passages about Mal and Alina's sacrifice at the end... Just in case anyone needs to know that Alina losing her powers was a powerful part of the story that added to the thematic narrative, that Mal's death mattered more to her than any miracle, that Mal and Alina BOTH felt an intrinsic loss but it didn't change their very real feelings based on years of friendship, and that the darkling saw Alina as nothing but a vessel for power while Alina recognizes her own inner strength came from her and not her powers.

-------

[...] I held up my hands, pleading with the light and with any Saint who had ever lived. It was no good. The gesture felt false. It was a pantomime. There was nothing there.

“I don’t understand,” I cried as I pressed my wet cheek to Mal’s. His skin was already cooling. Baghra had warned me: You may not be able to survive the sacrifice that merzost requires. But what was the point of this sacrifice? Had we lived only to be a lesson in the price of greed? Was that the truth of Morozova’s madness, some kind of cruel equation that took all our love and loss and added them up to nothing?It was too much. The hate and pain and grief overwhelmed me. If I’d had my power back for even a second, I would have burned the world to a cinder.

-------

Now I understood. I saw what he had done. This was the gift of the three amplifiers: power multiplied a thousand times, but not in one person. How many new Summoners had just been created? How far had Morozova’s power reached? The arcs and cascades of light blossomed around me, a bright garden growing in this unnatural night. The beams met, and where they crossed, the darkness burned away. The shrieks of the volcra erupted around me as the Fold began to unravel. It was a miracle. And I didn’t care. The Saints could keep their miracles. The Grisha could keep their long lives and their lessons. Mal was dead.

-------

“Keep working,” I ordered the twins. “Alina—” “Bring him back to me,” I repeated. I wasn’t making sense. I knew that.They didn’t have Morozova’s power. But Mal could make rabbits out of rocks. He could find true north standing on his head. He would find his way back to me again. I lurched to my feet, and the Darkling strode toward me. His hands went to my throat. “No,” he whispered. Only then did I realize the collar had fallen away. I looked down. It lay in pieces beside Mal’s body. My wrist was bare; the fetter had broken too. “This isn’t right,” he said, and in his voice I heard desperation, a new and unfamiliar anguish. His fingers skimmed my neck, cupped my face. I felt no surge of surety. No light stirred within me to answer his call. His gray eyes searched mine—confused, nearly frightened. “You were meant to be like me. You were meant … You’re nothing now.”

-------

“I feel empty.” Mal was quiet for a long moment, then said, “I feel it too.” I pushed up on my elbow. His gaze was faraway. "I won’t know until I try to track, but I feel different. I used to just know things. Even lying here, I could have sensed deer in the field, a bird resting on a branch, maybe a mouse burrowing in the wall. I never thought about it, but now there’s this kind of … silence.” Loss. I’d wondered how Tolya and Tamar had brought Mal back. I’d been willing to simply call it a miracle. Now I thought I understood. Mal had possessed two lives, but only one was rightfully his. The other was stolen, an inheritance wrought from merzost, snatched from the making at the heart of the world. It was the force that had animated Morozova’s daughter when her human life had gone, the power that had reverberated through Mal’s bones. His blood had been thick with it, and that purloined bit of creation was what had made him such a remarkable tracker. It had bound him to every living thing. Like calls to like.And now it was gone. The life stolen by Morozova and given to his daughter had reached its end. The life Mal had been born with—fragile, mortal, temporary—was his alone. Loss. This was the price the world had demanded for balance. But Morozova couldn’t have known that the person to unlock the secrets of his amplifiers wouldn’t be some ancient Grisha who had lived a thousand years and grown weary of his power. He couldn’t have known that it would all come down to two orphans from Keramzin.

Mal took my hand, curling his fingers in mine, and pressed it to his chest. “Do you think you could be happy?” he asked. “With a used-up tracker?” I smiled at that. Cocky Mal, is charming, brave, and dangerous. Was that doubt in his voice? I kissed him once, gently. “If you can be happy with someone who stuck a knife in your chest.” “I helped. And I told you I can handle a bad mood.” I didn’t know what came next or who I was supposed to be. I owned nothing, not even the borrowed clothes on my back. And yet, lying there, I realized I wasn’t afraid. After all I’d been through, there was no fear left in me—sadness, gratitude, maybe even hope, but the fear had been eaten up by pain and challenge. The Saint was gone. The Summoner too. I was just a girl again, but this girl didn’t owe her strength to fate or chance or a grand destiny. I’d been born with my power; the rest I’d earned.

Not that I hated season 2, but we were kinda robbed of this thematic resolution.

[cannonfullofcanons]

Here's another post regarding one of my portrayals being canon divergent! This time about Yachiru Kusajishi!

If you don't like Bleach: TYBW spoilers, you prolly shouldn't hit that read more.

So! To get straight to the point: Nozarashi is not relevant to my Yachiru portrayal. I don't acknowledge it; my portrayal of Yachiru is not a Zanpakuto spirit. She is, however, an absurdly powerful gremlin with a strong fixation on sweets. I may at some point come up with my own take on my Kenpachi's Zanpakuto spirit just to even things out, but that's something for future me to worry about. Yachiru herself, while still tied intrinsically to Kenpachi, is not a sword.

Yachiru was born in Kusajishi as the result of a fling made in exceptionally poor judgment; she was abandoned behind one of the bars, and survived only through sheer dumb luck. She was abused pretty regularly by those living in Kusajishi -- some didn't like having a kid watching them or even being closeby, some were simply sadistic enough to want to hurt her -- but despite it all, she survived. Her hunger manifested earlier than it did for most Soul Reapers, when she was still a toddler, barely able to even speak coherently.

This hunger first manifested well before she met Kenpachi Zaraki. Her encounter with him was a matter of right place, right time; pure luck. Among his victims in battle were men whom had kicked her around before, and even in her child mind, part of her reveled in the conflict, in seeing their agony as they fell before him. Of course, she didn't recognize that for what it was; consciously, she simply saw a cool sword fight and it caught her interest! She was taken in by Zaraki after this incident, as an adoptive daughter, and her hunger persisted with her growing spirit power.

Yachiru showed herself quite quickly to be unique. As those around them grew up, got taller, even as Kenpachi changed, Yachiru stayed much the same for centuries. Her body aged exceptionally slowly, although her mind was another story. She was devilishly clever, thanks in no small part to Zaraki's teachings. He encouraged her to learn and to better herself, but he never told her what exactly to study -- so usually, she'd studied him, and whatever else she could find that wasn't boring. She became exceptional with battle strategies, and when she grew big enough to fight herself, Kenpachi taught her all she now knows. Neither of them realized at the time just how powerful she was, nor how powerful she would become. Though, unfortunately, her sense of direction has never improved. This doesn't stop her from insisting on leading him to battle.

Her real talents came to light only a few decades before Kenpachi became Squad 11 Captain. She was a terror to anyone who opposed her Kenny, and nearly killed a group of noble boys who taunted her for her poor etiquette the first time they approached the Seireitei. Given the sheer power she had displayed, she was almost arrested on the spot as a threat to the Gotei 13, but when Kenpachi declared his intent to duel the current Squad 11 Captain, potential charges were forgotten. She had no part in the duel, watching from the sidelines with a giddy smile, as always.

Although she maintains Lieutenant rank, Yachiru is EASILY powerful enough to become a Captain. Her power has grown nearly unchecked, and even Zaraki doesn't realize just how strong she is; her power almost dwarfs Zaraki's. However, she has no interest in challenging Kenpachi to become Captain, and doesn't want the Kenpachi title. She's more loyal to Kenny than she will ever be to the Soul Society. Insofar as age is concerned, she's older than most in the Seireitei, but age is not equivalent to maturity. She's still small, impish in nature, and is all too happy to act childish to get what she wants. While actually considered a child by most, she doesn't see much distinction between herself and those perceived as adults, and truthfully doesn't really bother to give it much thought. She is certainly capable of being deadly serious when she needs to be -- but she prefers the opposite. Being serious all the time is boring, and her goal, as ever, is to have fun! And to make sure Kenpachi has as much fun as possible, too!

Post-TYBW, Yachiru maintains her rank, but is now a co-Lieutenant with Ikkaku Madarame! Though Yachiru remains a Lieutenant, she's taken on more duties in the Squad and functionally handles some of the Captain's duties on Zaraki's behalf. Although visually, Yachiru now appears more mature, in personality, she's hardly changed. She's as much of a terror to other Soul Reapers as ever, and delights in bothering the Kuchiki siblings, though now Rukia has her own nicknames: Rook-chan and Ruri. She has also been heard to refer to Rukia and Toshiro as 'shaved ice makers' and 'portable freezers'.

Beyond all this, she continues to do more or less whatever she wants, and generally speaking, neither Captain Zaraki nor Head-Captain Kyoraku bother to discipline her. So long as she isn't hurting anyone with what she's doing, she's generally left to her own devices, for better or worse.

As far as romantic themes go, Yachiru has a very childish idea of dating. Just because she's older than plenty of other Shinigami does not mean she's anywhere near emotionally mature; she is by nature a pretty selfish individual, and doesn't often think long on the feelings of others. She doesn't even give out chocolates to anyone and still expects free sweets on White Day. Her idea of dating is just a bunch of hand-holding and sharing candy! So when she hears about couples from other Shinigami, she mostly just pictures them sharing a big bowl of snacks and being sappy. Kenpachi, having precious little interest in such things himself, never really taught her much in regards to themes of romance, and so Yachiru remains mostly clueless when it comes to matters of the heart. Which is fine - she's more interested in chocolate candy hearts, anyway.

[theovergrowth]

The Wilds, The Overgrowth, and Titus: Summed Up

(aka me actually putting into words Whats Going On on a Larger Scale, and how that is Messing Up Titus in a way he doesn’t know)

TLDR: The Wilds is just the connections of all things to the natural world around them. It didn’t have a plan or goal, The Overgrowth is just Titus’ grief, anger, and aggression mixed with eldritch nature power, made worse by the fact that Titus doesn’t realize that it’s Him, desperately and ferociously wanting things to stop going wrong. It’s honestly just a bad metaphor for the ways grief intrinsically changes you for better Or Worse, and the effects an overly religious and secluded childhood environment can have on one’s growth, identity, and healing as they grow up.

Often, I get kinda messy and vague about The Wilds and The Overgrowth because Titus is also pretty Messy and Vague about them! But I wanted to compile the relevant information about them so I can link it in the about (and also help myself keep things straight as! I am prone to forgetting ideas out of excitement for other concepts). Let’s crack in, starting from the Biggest to the Smallest!

The Wilds: What The Fuck is It?

So many times when I try to answer this, I say things like “it’s a force of nature” or “it’s like a god but also not but also it is” or “it big”! And I stand by all of it but also I should word it better.

The Wilds is ancient, It exists throughout all things and calls to all to return to It. If you’ve ever had that feeling where you get stressed for no reason, then realize it went away once you went outside and felt the breeze, THAT is The Wilds’ Call.

The Wilds, in the most simple terms I can come up with, is the relationship all things, living or not, have to the natural world. It can barely be considered “a being” because It both comes from a multitude of other beings while also being the thing all earthly (and occasionally non-earthly, in the case of The Fae Realm) beings come from. Because of this, some people (ie The Sons of The Wilds, The Commune) chose to simplify it as being just A God, which they worshipped in various ways.

So why did it send The Overgrowth? And why Titus?

The Archfae Stuff

As I’ve said millions and billions of times to the annoyance of those forced to read it, when Macrides (King of The High Desert) died, his soul was transported back to his home realm to heal while the Essence of The King of The High Desert was ejected. This was a unprecedented situation, as he was in The Mortal Realm and had no nearby biological heirs. So, a nonbiological heir would have to do! Thus, at 12 years old, Titus was forced into the position.

So what does that have to do with anything? Well, it made Titus inherently arcane! He had Zero magical ability before Macrides died, but then he got it! Which just happened to also happen in a time of extreme emotional turmoil and trauma. He was in grief, he felt like it was his fault, and he was Immensely angry at The Outside world for what had just happened.

That happened to make him a perfect Host for an Avatar of The Wilds

The Overgrowth: What They Thought

Here’s where we really get to the part where things can get VERY muddled because Titus’ information about The Wilds basically came completely from either Connecting to it or from what he had heard from others on The Commune.

The Sons saw The Wilds as their god and eternal guardian (even if from The Wilds perspective, they didn’t really exist or affect it in a real way). When Titus communed with it, Elder Brother Macintosh referenced an old tome which said that if The Wilds chose a Host, it meant that The End of The Civilized World was upon them.

Titus was also told many times by Elder Brother Ambrose that The Overgrowth was actually a gift, given to him so he could continue what his father couldn’t. He could protect them, but also if that meant ending the civilized world that would be pretty cool. (Important Note: Ambrose didn’t actually believe The Wilds existed. He thought it was just a story to bring people around a common goal and make it easier to keep them complacent. So when The Overgrowth started happening, he had to really shift gears quick to keep Titus and The Sons under his thumb).

He didn’t get many more answers when he was taken from The Commune! In fact, there was a huge effort to keep him from even thinking about it, out of fear that The Overgrowth may awaken once again (we’ll get to what put it to sleep in the next section). This went as far as keeping Titus away from nature as a whole, though that didn’t last long as his foster father (and the man spear-heading his rescue) noticed that he was getting more and more depressed the longer he was kept away.

So they don’t really know! But we can!

The Overgrowth: What it Actually Is

The Overgrowth is an Avatar of The Wilds, yes, but that’s not all! It’s also a culmination of Titus’ grief and rage, which is what wakes it up or makes it stir even while sleeping. This mixture has sort of created a being of The Fury of Nature, as well as Being one of those connections that creates The Wilds (while still being created by it, I know I know it’s messy, but it makes sense to me)

So is The Overgrowth meant to actually End The Civilized World? No. Not really.

Was The Overgrowth a gift from The Wilds? No.

Did The Wilds even understand what it was doing? Not at all.

In reality, The Overgrowth isn’t a being. It’s a condition, one that came from Titus accidentally communing with It when his perceptive and arcane ability was heightened to that of an Archfae. He glimpsed it, it acknowledged him like one would acknowledge a bug landing on their shoulder, then was suddenly forced back into a perspective he could more easily handle at the cost of losing the understanding of what he saw.

But he wasn’t meant to see it the way he did. That, mixed with the high levels of physical ether hidden below The Commune, his new ability as an archfae, and the sudden crisis of losing his father and it being seen as his fault, culminated into The Overgrowth.

Which, yes, means that The Overgrowth is actually more Titus than The Wilds, despite what he believes. Which was why The Overgrowth went to sleep! Titus was run ragged by the time The Final Battle between The Sons and The Outside happened, so afterwards when he was actually hit through all the plants and wood, it was sort of a reality check for him? He looked around, saw his people retreating and leaving him behind, and hid under a bush before passing out.

He was too tired still when he woke in a small town in Colorado, so despite his fear and aggression The Overgrowth didn’t reawaken. But recently, it woke because that old wound was not only reopened, but completely recontextualized his childhood and the atrocities committed in the name of his father’s death.

Then what does The Overgrowth want? It wants to protect Titus, yeah, and it also wants to bring All closer to The Wilds. It wants to strengthen those connections, thus strengthening The Wilds and strengthening itself and Titus in turn.

[treesap-blogs]

Review for “The Brilliant Death” by A.R. Capetta! (..pretty sure their deadname’s on the front cover, pardon that.)

Hello, Tumblrians! I’m just going down the list of books I’ve read but haven’t made reviews for, now. I don’t know if it’ll be in order or not, at least there’s the “date finished” for reference!

With this book, I remember I just really wanted to find a book with a gender-fluid love interest(all I’m giving for context is that TWB sort of had me thinking), and somewhere on Instagram I saw this and flipped out. Also, of all the places that I could find this, my highschool library had it?! So that was pretty funny! I thought I’d come across, like…a hidden genderqueer gem faded into obscurity by the sands of time(and the unforgiving bookstagram algorithm) or something!

That would’ve been pretty cool if that turned out to be the case, right?

The Brilliant Death follows Teodora DiSangro, just Teo for short (I read this right after The Sunbearer Trials, you can imagine the whiplash): a mafia don’s daughter. All her life, she’s hidden the fact that she’s been able to turn her family’s enemies into decorative objects with magic, as everyone in Vinalia believes stregas only exist in fairytales. Then the Capo, the land’s new ruler, sends poisoned letters to the heads of the Five Families, leaving Teo’s father gravely ill! And when things go particularly awry, she realizes she’ll have to represent her family at this meeting in the only way she can in a sexist 19th century Italy-inspired fantasy: Not just pretend to be a boy, but become one too, with the power of her magic. Enter Cielo, a genderfluid strega who can switch sexes and shapeshift into different animals whenever, who journeys with Teo as the two begin to develop feelings for each other. And in the midst of her falling for Cielo, Teo begins realizing how much of her true nature she’s hidden. But she can’t lose sight of her original mission, and with every unveiled sinister secret about her country that’s revealed, she also realizes she’ll go to any length to protect her family.

Eufgh, I had to go back onto Goodreads to remember the summary; this book is so, so forgettable. Which is made even sadder because I was captivated by the summary, and that’s what got me to read it. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought it would, it felt surprisingly boring.

Firstly, THE MAGIC SYSTEM, or the lack thereof. Teo didn’t have a clear limitation to their abilities, except for they were made more volatile by the end of the book(spoiler-y events I won’t elaborate on), and at some point they’d exhaust them. There’s also no aspects of the writing that makes their transformations of their family’s enemies this horrifying or awe-inspiring thing that it should be, like it’s just poof they’re a music box or something now, and maybe it’s just my weird obsession with body horror but also. Come on. So as a result, it was kinda hard to wrap my head around and it felt a little underdeveloped.

Secondly, the handling of gender. I had mixed feelings on this? This was a different part of A.R. Capetta’s gender journey, as evidenced in the different name listed on the book’s cover, and I don’t know if that had to do with the writing of this book but it might’ve. From my point of view, as a nonbinary reader: Gender seemed to be almost intrinsically tied to sex, especially in the case of Cielo, there was more of an emphasis on that being a defining factor instead of also taking stuff like presentation into account(which made for some..uncomfortable sentences). It felt pretty gender norm-y, which I would’ve expected from the macho dudes of the novel, but not really from our genderqueer protagonist. At least by the end, there was more of a dissection/discussion of gender and I felt it improved a bit.

I was also on-the-fence about the romance, which disappointed me because that was a main factor that drew me in initially. It was very insta-lust(romantic feelings weren’t developed until much later), and as a result I felt their relationship moved too quickly until the end. Although, there were a few sweet moments. Cielo put their life on the line for Teo and I’m a sucker for those kinds of love interests. (Cielo was a pretty average “sarcastic, handsome dark-haired love interest”, though. To those who love that kind of thing, you’ll probably eat this up, but it’s not mine. To each their own.)

I also did not like the plot. It felt very typical of the YA genre, only a few months after reading it I’ve forgotten basically all of it except for that there wasn’t a single plot twist I couldn’t predict(and that the mafia aspects didn’t feel very thought-out or well-written). It was also just boring sometimes. The characters feel very flat, side and otherwise, and even the MCs fell into their own archetypes.  

I don’t think I can even give this book the grace of saying “but it’s not a bad read at least”. Giving it some thought it definitely is. I just thought some parts were fun just because I like some corny stuff, so I, fortunately, lost track of the final pages I whizzed through. But it’s definitely not the forgotten queer classic I thought it might’ve been.

Book rating: ⭐️⭐️ ¾/5 stars. Date finished: 03/30/23.

(Book content/trigger warnings: Violence, death, homophobia, sexual content, sexism.)

-Paz, signing off!

[onewomancitadel]

B/S W/J anon still (this is a terrible way to sign off hrgdjfh. Henceforth towers all the way down?). Not a novel this time I just want to say mhmhmhm! I’m tossing the ‘you getttttt iiiiit’ right back.

I cannot for the life of me remember exactly how I found your blog but I did twig the pairing first, yeah. I do recall rifling around in your reverse Ozlem tag like a magpie in a jewelry box, and having been lurking vigilantly since.

Ooh, also. The point you raised about romance intrinsically being embedded in family is very cool because that’s really actually why I would say my interest in romance is routed through family; not solely what you’re born to but also what you make.

The duality of that and the balance between the need for connection, love, and need for independent identity, really appeals to me across all kinds of love. Family and familial have always felt different in scope to me, in an annoyingly nebulous way, very wide-vs-narrow but why; this compare-contrast of your angle and mine has clarified that semantic mental distinction, which is very cool, so thanks!

Loads and loads of appreciation for your thoughts and time. <3

Well I think slowly over time my inbox notification might no longer send my stomach swooping. I checked this whilst eating dinner and I was like, oh thank fuck. Hahahaha

You can be Tower Anon, which is fun because in tarot the Tower can symbolise radical transformation and paradigm shifts. I actually don't know if RWBY references tarot, but I do enjoy thinking of Jaune as the Fool.

I cannot for the life of me remember exactly how I found your blog but I did twig the pairing first, yeah. I do recall rifling around in your reverse Ozlem tag like a magpie in a jewelry box, and having been lurking vigilantly since.

This is so interesting and emboldens me rather dangerously. I mean, I'm always happy to change minds and I always find the relation of that a rather grand rush, but in this case you've got a fresh perspective and I think that's really interesting. I'm glad you enjoy my Reverse Ozlem tag. I do think of this blog as the magpie hoard in my fairy cave. (:

This is where I girlblog.

Ooh, also. The point you raised about romance intrinsically being embedded in family is very cool because that’s really actually why I would say my interest in romance is routed through family; not solely what you’re born to but also what you make.

The duality of that and the balance between the need for connection, love, and need for independent identity, really appeals to me across all kinds of love. Family and familial have always felt different in scope to me, in an annoyingly nebulous way, very wide-vs-narrow but why; this compare-contrast of your angle and mine has clarified that semantic mental distinction, which is very cool, so thanks!

Well, I find the topic rather interesting because the (platonic) found family trope is really common in fandom spaces, but... romantic attachments are found family? That is already archetypally the case. Then again, I have broader issues because I think that the transactional value of romantic love is, well, valued in society and storytelling (ego validation, ownership) but the actual fundamental quality of romantic love (unconditional regard, transformation, connection) is not. So you have people who reject romantic love entirely, when really I am rejecting 'bad' heteronormativity. I value romantic love in real life and in storytelling, and in storytelling I am interested in interconnected character development, transformation, and of course sexual intercourse.

I think though for me there are qualities specific to romance which are familial but also aren't. If we're speaking in the context of Knightfall specifically, Jaune is the character who can reach Cinder because of the specific power of romantic love in the story which can allow for completely transgressing good-and-evil when it seems most impossible and heretical, and because it injects some genuine bias into the matter - can you trust Cinder or does he just love her? There's the potential for some really juicy drama there if they're clever, but this is why I think the secret love affair (heresy!) has the potential to be interesting, because you wouldn't ask this question about friendship, or, if say, they were related in some way (shock family reveal, lol). The thing is as well is that for both Jaune and Cinder moving beyond being children is possible through making adult connections... and Cinder's not had unconditional connections, not someone willing to transgress everything. So to my eyes romantic love here is working in narrative epic scope as well, and I'm interested in the sublime specifically, especially the intensely emotional which has metaphysical/physical consequences, and maybe even divine madness.

I think it sounds like you are interested in the self-actualisation of characters and I think that crosses over with romance quite naturally, probably in ways a lot of people don't really conceive of, because romance is Guy Get Girl, or Girl Get Guy, standing in the background, romance-as-trophy, or romance as a series of non-connected events whilst the writers invent new drama, etc. To your average casual shipper or your average person's conception of romance, this might be a little alien as it's more rooted in narrative goals and needs, and of course my dollies kissing, often and well.

But as I was saying, I do enjoy those relationships you yourself referenced (Ruby-Summer in particular). Part of the reason I think the romance in this story works so well is because the relationships outside of those romances are actually so well-defined, and overall I really enjoy the ensemble cast because you don't get that effect of Jaune/Cinder without it.

Really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your asks and please always feel free to stop by again, especially if you've got any questions or you want to share any more thoughts. I hope you're here for the finale too, because I'd love to hear what you think then. I don't check my inbox until I've watched the episode, so there won't be any chance of you accidentally spoiling me if you want to come say hi and let me know what you think of it all. It would probably do me good too for the emotional devastation that may be wrought. Tee hee.

In the meantime as well of course, if you have any further thoughts on anything I'd love to hear them. Have a lovely evening and take care! Thank you again!

[pomrania]

I read Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, the 5E thing, when it first came out. (Before that, I had a vague knowledge of Ravenloft, and I'd also read some third-party stuff on it, but nothing really stuck in my mind.) I thought it was kind of cool, had some interesting concepts to it, but since I really don't like the horror mood, I assumed I'd never touch it again, unless it was to subvert the concept in some way. Then, a few weeks ago, I started reading all the 2E Ravenloft stuff I could find on archive.org. Once I'd exhausted that -- with the exception of a book I was sure would be blisteringly racist -- I went back to the 5E thing, for comparison purposes; and it's quite interesting indeed.

As I write this particular paragraph, I haven't actually reread the whole thing, just the "main domains" section and some of the "other domains", because I stopped last night when I realized it was getting too late. But I've reread enough that I can start talking about some of it.

First, the overall stuff.

5E Ravenloft is WAY less racist. In two different ways, actually. First, in-'verse. 2E Ravenloft, it said that almost all of the domains were populated by humans, and that the citizens were suspicious of strangers and especially "demihumans" (what 2E called non-human player character races). 5E Ravenloft, NPCs are still suspicious of strangers, which makes sense given the hellhole they live in, but the citizens themselves are a variety of races; where it lists a racial majority, it generally gives two or three.

Out-of-'verse, it's ALSO way less racist, in regards to actual IRL cultures and ethnicities. I should say here that I'm white as hell, I grew up in an area where pretty much everyone was white as hell, and also I am generally very oblivious to things that don't affect me personally (as a result of being just plain oblivious in general). Despite all of that, even I could tell that 2E Ravenloft had some extremely racist ideas baked into it, with how they portrayed domains based on "India" or "China", or the Vistani. (I'm not sure about the "ancient Egypt" one, because by definition it's talking about a culture that was literally millennia ago, but it's a good bet.) 5E Ravenloft, at the very least, is not blisteringly obviously racist. As I said, I am extremely white, so I'm not qualified to speak too much on this subject (unless they ever put out a domain based on an area where most of the populace is the children or grandchildren of Dutch immigrants), but it's better than it had been. And the "culturally-inspired" domains, they each have a coherent THEME to them now, one that isn't intrinsically tied in to the culture; "desire for control and living in a dream" and "power struggles and betrayal between family members" are universal concepts.

The second overall thing here, is that the domains in 5E are separated, as opposed to 2E where they were generally linked, and you could have a map of the landmass with domains as political boundaries. Personally I liked the old concept better, but that's because I like the setting more when it can be "fantasy with a dark side to it" as opposed to "horror"; but a) I recognize an that's a matter of personal taste, and b) the 5E setup would make it much easier to run the type of games that Ravenloft is made for. Plus a few days ago I read a document by someone trying to make sense of the 2E Ravenloft history and geography, and any time you have to resort to "well it was probably a retroactive history that never actually happened, people were just given the illusion of history" or "somehow the Mists distorted space and distance so that these areas are able to border", you know you're dealing with stuff that doesn't make much sense. (Admittedly, that can happen with non-eldritch settings too, where there wasn't enough communication between writers, or even when there was just one writer who forgot what they'd previously established, but meh.)

The third overall change, in regards to the setting, is that the domains are now part of the Shadowfell. Which, they couldn't have been in 2E, because the Shadowfell as a concept only started with 4E. I think that Ravenloft used to be (in previous editions) embedded in the Astral, but don't quote me on that. This doesn't really change much, from a practical perspective, because it deals with stuff too "wide" for a character to likely experience, but I had to get this down anyways.

I'll want to talk about the changes in regards to individual domains or characters, still, but mostly I want to get this bit finished to post so it won't be taking up room in my 'scratchpad' file. That said, some of the domains had a complete overhaul, and some of them had a "continuation"-type overhaul; that is, how they were in 2E, is still how they WERE, but stuff has changed now, time moved on for them. There's probably an actual term for this type of thing, if you know it please tell me. Also, a bunch of characters were 63'd, where they were dudes in 2E but they're ladies in 5E. Which is awesome, but also I noticed how the names were slightly changed to be feminine. Nothing really to say about that, just mentioning it because it went through my head.