#like in the US we tend to think of them as pacifists who don't do blood transfusions

[troius]

You’re welcome. I’m glad that hear all that. Also I feel like yhwach is a fave villain of mine. Which I feel is an unpopular conscientious.

also I still wonder, where in yhwach is the b sound. As in dub and Jpn I hear the Bach when he’s referred to by name.

Oh, I can actually answer this one!

Yhwach canonically was named after the God his people worshiped, which considering his name and the general Quincy aesthetic pretty much has to be the Judeo-Christian God.

Now, the funny thing about God is that there's a reason He's called God, and it stems from an ancient Jewish taboo on using God's true name. Perhaps as a part of an effort to identify God as the one true God, when surrounding religions had many. Nonetheless, God has a name, which is generally given in the Hebrew Bible as יהוה, or YHWH.

You'll notice there are no vowels there. That's because Biblical Hebrew doesn't have any consistent method for indicating vowels, and while later versions of the Hebrew Bible did include vowels, the taboo on saying the name out loud meant that rather than write in the vowels, the transcribers (often rabbis) would instruct the reader to instead say "Adonai", or "my Lord", which is why in English bibles you will often see the small-caps LORD in its place.

Modern scholars, drawing from a variety of extrabiblical sources, tend to think that YHWH was pronounced "Yahweh". But medieval scholars, not having those sources, resorted to using the vowels of "Adonai" as their pronunciation guide. They also pronounced the "י" more like a Latin "J", and the "ו" more like a Latin "V", with the result being that during the Reformation, the name "Jehovah" was used to translate YHWH as the Bible came into the common vernacular.

It's fallen out of favor in recent years, as the scholarly consensus has coalesced around "Yahweh", and most Bibles will simply dodge the issue and use LORD. But you still see it around, most commonly in the name of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian group which 1) aggressively evangelizes across the world; 2) refuses to recognize any worldly authority without the kingdom of heaven, and 3) believe in the imminent unification of heaven with earth and the transformation of the world into a paradise without death.

Jehovah's Witnesses actually have a fairly strong presence in Japan, with 214,000 members that came under increased scrutiny fairly recently. Anyways, "Jehovah" is spelled "エホバ", or "Ehoba" in Japanese, which is where the B comes from (Japanese not having a native "v" sound).

[kujakumai]

would you like to elaborate on the "catastrophic mommy issues"? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on that lol

Thief King is a child raised by a mass of vengeful tortured souls in the ruined basement where they all died, all of whom are in effect a stand-in for family/community/parents. They are all TKB has left, and they are highly protective of him; they seem not entirely within their right minds, not capable of competent childcare, and they give him explicit instructions on how to destroy and take over the world, which he follows enthusiastically.

I think about this a lot, like a lot a lot, and while we don't see much I think its gotta be a very tangled dynamic. When writing him I tend to use "mom issues" or general references to his mom as an emotional stand in because I think she's probably the most likely person he'd remember clearly when he needs a real face, but that's not necessary. All of Kul Elna is Mom for these purposes.

There is a lot going on here, for example:

>Kul Elna does not seem to leave the temple unless accompanied, or at very least they prefer to stay there. This means TKB probably spent a significant portion of his childhood in the same ruins and possibly the same room where he watched everyone die. Cool! Great!

>Kul Elna appears to be only partially corporeal, limited in their ability to do much besides menace, and TKB says they are "in hell" (unclear what that means). I do not think they are up to the daily tasks of feeding, bathing, or taking care of a small child. I think he probably grew up as an urchin mainly in squalor.

The closest real-life analogue to this is, probably, simply a child in the care of someone who is ill or disabled such that they cannot effectively take care of even themselves without support; so you have a situation where no one has done anything wrong, and this family loves each other very much, and the only real culprit is the society that failed them. But you're still going to end up with a kid who is not getting their needs met, is in a situation that is often stressful and sometimes scary, and that will lead to a rapid Adultification where the kid takes on the role of steward without ever having a proper childhood.

>The Zork-raising instructions were given to TKB by Kul Elna. He tells us this. I am less concerned by Kul Elna's obviously Zork-influenced plan to destroy everything than I am its effect on a 16 year old boy who loves them very much because they're all he has left in the entire world. When did they bring this up? Is it recent? Has it been an ongoing plan for years--has TKB effectively been raised on the idea that he is to be Egypt's own destined apocalypse maiden? How fucked up would that be?

Fandom is hesitant, I think, to ascribe anything malicious to Kul Elna or suggest that their relationship with TKB is sinister--which, for the record, I don't think it is, I think this fucked-up little family has nothing but love for this kid in the depths of whatever humanity they have left--because Kul Elna gets such an unjust treatment in canon it makes us incandescent. Yet the same would apply to TKB--if they want the world in ruins and him at the top, how could he even think anything different? After everything the pharaoh did to them, and to you, of the life they deprived you of? Impossible to suggest something different. You can't tell him they're wrong. What's that old softer world bit; I am a pacifist, and I will be a pacifist until I die, or someone threatens my mother.

>TKB does not need survivors guilt to be an unfailingly loyal Mama's Boy to his ghost family (Ghost's Boy?) but he's got to have it. A simultaneous immense guilt for getting out when no one else did; the immense loss of being left behind, like they all went to become this without him; the weight of being the only one left, the only one who can take revenge not only for you but for them, and if you fail then no one will remember any of their names, or yours. One chance. Avenge them or die a nobody. Don't fuck this up. It's your responsibility, like it or not, because no one else can help, and no one else can help because of what your enemies did to them, which is why you need to do it. It's almost self-justifying.

If you want me to editorialize, I don't think he actually cares much about ruling the world, nor does that goal make sense. I think in the back of his little brain he thinks that if he wins he finally gets to join them somehow.

tldr; I think TKB's relationship with whatever the hell Kul Elna has going on is way, way more complicated and nuanced than even he is consciously aware of and you can love someone very much and still fuck them up immensely (arguably a major them of ygo itself). TKB's has such catastrophic mommy issues he literally tries to end the world. We are talking literal apocalyptic mom issues. Cataclysmic.

[ghostbc-headcanons]

GHOULS! what are they?

i'm glad you asked! (keep in mind, none of this is official... i just like worldbuilding and hoarding headcanons)

GHOULS are a species of demon, summoned from hell by the church for many different reasons. a lot of the time they're used for grunt work due to their immense natural strength in comparison to humans, but on occasion they are 'hired' (for lack of a better word) as personal servants (ie, butlers lol), bodyguards, and to help with press if the papas are too exhausted/hungover/busy.

there are also many different subtypes of ghouls! as we know, each ghoul is assigned an element - air, water, earth, fire, and quintessence (and special... we'll get into him as well, don't worry!).

unlike what most people think, hell is not all fire, lava and pits of death. it's actually very geographically diverse, with ghouls sprinkled throughout all of the different climates.

because of this, many ghouls traits are different from one another on account of living in different environments which call for anatomical differences.

these traits exist in ALL GHOULS, no matter the type:

horns, of course! well, as far as we know - a ghoul born without horns has yet to be discovered...

tails!

claws and digital pads on both their hands and feet.

sharp teeth and forked tongues.

magic! this varies depending on their element (i'll probably make a separate post about their magic)

i'll be getting into specifics under the cut cause this post is gonna be LONG !!

AIR GHOULS:

the two major differences in air ghouls compared to the rest of them are the fact that they have feathers, and wings.

most people wouldn't notice the feathers at first glance because they are minuscule, almost like a light coat of fur. they're sleek, range from grey to black and are occasionally patterned (though this is uncommon). they stop growing up to the hands and feet.

with some ghouls, the feathers become more noticeable around their neck and hips. they tend to be thicker/longer and fluffier!

onto the wings - air ghouls are the only ghoul to have wings, since most of the other types are land-bound and as such, wings tend to be a hindrance. they can be made of all feather, but typically are a combination between the leathery, demon-esque wings and bird wings.

some ghouls only have a coat of feathers on the outside of their wings while the inside is skin, other ghouls have a thick coat of feathers that gradually morphs into the bat-like wings. it all depends on genetics baby!

they usually live in places with higher elevations. in fact, a lot of air ghouls who are summoned to earth have experienced sickness due to the sudden altitude differences.

air ghouls tend to be on the speedier side, rather than the tough and beefy side. their social dynamics are also quite different than the other ghouls, as they are more conflict avoidant than anything. a lot of air ghouls do not have many close relationships with their kin, as that's just the way they are raised.

WATER GHOULS:

compared to some other types of ghouls, you'll know a water ghoul when you see them!

they are usually dappled in scales across their skin, but some water ghouls have been known to be completely covered in them. along with that, they have gills on the side of their neck and torso. they do still have lungs, thankfully, but they much prefer to spend their time in the water.

in most cases, they've got swimmers builds - lanky, but lean. long torsos and arms with short legs. but of course this is not the end all be all, water ghouls come in many shapes in sizes just like the rest of the ghouls!

somehow, whether they've been in water that day or not, they always feel moist. hydrated, slick, almost like frog's skin. many humans find this offputting. (copia being one of those humans)

they tend to have beefy tails, built for controlling their swimming pattern.

they live in marshes in hell, and socially are probably the nicest out of all ghouls. they are the kindest to each other and tend to be shockingly pacifistic when it comes to demonkind. familial bonds are incredibly important in water clans.

EARTH GHOULS:

BIG. BIG BIG GUYS. this is all you need to know about them.

i joke, of course. earth ghouls are probably the most normal looking of all ghouls. they're just gigantic, usually over the 6' mark (not even counting how large their horns can get!). they also have huge ass heavy ass tails. like, imagine the weight of an anaconda in tail form.

these ghouls are the ones typically hired for grunt work and bodyguard roles. they're incredibly diligent and stubborn and will put all their effort into their assigned jobs. they're also very strong and could knock a bitch out if need be.

all ghouls are omnivorous, but usually the lean to the more carnivorous side. this is not the case for earth ghouls. they are fantastic foragers and have the most balanced diet of all the ghouls. because of this, their teeth tend to be the most similar to humans! it's not easy to eat berries with a mouth full of canines, so they evolved to have flatter teeth.

an interesting fact about them is that they grow a winter coat of fur. in the environments they live in (forests and mountains), it can get incredibly cold, and unlike fire ghouls they don't have a heater inside their bodies at all time. along with the winter coats, they also hibernate for the winter, huddling together in a closed off space to keep warmth in.

many earth ghouls do not know another ghoul outside of their (typically large) families, especially the ones who live in mountains. they are not particularly social, similarly to air ghouls, but they are incredibly close with their families, similarly to water ghouls. that's part of the reason earth ghouls are seen as stoic at times - friendship does not come naturally to them.

FIRE GHOULS:

definitely the most rambunctious and prevalent of ghouls. if shit's getting fucked up in the clergy, you can bet your ass it's the fault of a fire ghoul.

if earth ghouls weren't so damn big, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them visually. but the second you walk up to them you immediately notice the heat emanating off the smaller one and go, yeah, that's a fire ghoul for sure. if incredibly stressed or agitated, their body temperature can go up to 160° fahrenheit! (but usually it's at 90°)

fire ghouls are the most 'battle-hardened' of all the ghouls. their clans run on physicality and strength, and they fight for their spots in their homes. they have many scars (and stories that go with them), missing teeth, and some are even missing a horn, due to clashing together to fight for dominance. runts, such as dewdrop, are seen as outcasts and not considered useful to the clan, and unfortunately most times they are either exiled or worse - killed.

as mentioned before, fire ghouls are the most prevalent type of ghoul in all of hell. i said that the biomes were diverse and that's true, they are! but there is also a lot of fire and pits of death and volcanos and that's where fire ghouls live. or they live in arizona, which they have affectionately dubbed hell on earth.

because there's so many of them, there's also a lot of them in the clergy, ranging from big to small! while ghouls are typically summoned, many fire ghouls who have been exiled come to earth by themselves. it's easier to fit in here when no one's trying to kill you, y'know?

QUINTESSENCE GHOULS:

not much is actually known about quintessence ghouls. they're incredibly sparse, but also incredibly powerful.

quintessence as we know it is (rather ironically) defined as 'a substance thought to compose the heavenly bodies'. unfortunately, medieval alchemists were half-wrong in this theory - it makes up demons, too.

these ghouls are strange, to put it simply. they don't have any societal standards the likes of their fellow ghouls... they're actually much more 'human', per say. they get along well with humans incredibly easily and even enjoy their company.

they aren't much different from earth and fire ghouls in their physical presence, other than what looks to be glowing freckles scattered all across their skin. some people have said they look to be constellations at closer examination.

though they may seem silly and friendly, it is partially a front. quintessence ghouls know a lot more than they tell us. possibly more than humans could even comprehend...

it is rumored if a quintessence ghoul is angered so deeply to the point where something in their essence cracks, they become a being of pure fury, lost in the ether. supposedly, their physical form becomes nothing but a concept, but no human has come into contact with a quintessence ghoul at their most emotionally disturbed (at least, they haven't lived to tell the tale).

there is one thing that's certain about quintessence ghouls, however:

they do love bananas.

...SPECIAL GHOUL?:

no one knows what the hell he is or where he even came from. a lot of people in the clergy aren't even sure he's a ghoul.

he's oddly mysterious and aloof, which makes people question how much power he actually has. but he's also... incredibly happy to help with the press??? he loves a good joke and thinks humans are particularly endearing. he especially enjoys the music they create (he has a thing for ABBA).

most people know that he's a shapeshifter. he's never used it for anything in malice, mostly to pull pranks on the other ghouls or papa. it's all in good fun!

the weird thing about it though is that no other ghoul in history has been known to have shapeshifting abilities. even the other ghouls are baffled by this at first. when asked about it, he just shrugs and changes the topic.

the ghouls have theorized that he's like, the ruler of all ghouls. or perhaps he's lucifer himself.

it's a mystery that special will not let be solved.

[typingdyslexiaisathing]

A Crime In the Devildom (Obey Me!) fic part 3

Previous Part 2 here. Next Part 4 here.

content: Marzena is assured by her pact demons that she is safe. When she feels anything but safe after that horrid fight. Established relationships, mention of violence, mention of blood, mention of injury, blood, mention of death, mention of nudity for the purpose of bathing.

Solomon had teleported directly to the House of Lamentation to be the one to open the front doors. The group soon filing in for Beelzebub to stay outside and in the air. Marzena nestled close to him as he waited for the all clear. Yet Marzena was getting close to a panic attack. Beel could feel her trembling in his arms as well as the fact her heart was pounding for her ribs to vibrate. So Beelzebub gently shifted his hold on Marzena for her to face the Devildom landscape. Her body turned to the scenery as Beelzebub kept his arms around her chest and waist. "Marzena. Look. We can see the entire Devildom up here."

Marzena opened her eyes to give a gasp of pure wonder. The trembling of her body easing away as she gazed at the sight before her. While Beelzebub nuzzled his nose into the crown of her head. Enjoying how she relaxed in his embrace as she whispered, "Wow. It's so beautiful. No clouds to be seen. Just stars and city as far as you can see." Satan was soon flying up to join them via concentrated wind magic. Soon placing his arm around Beelzebub's shoulder to hum at the sight. "A fine night to enjoy the beauty of our home. Perhaps we should commission Solomon for a flying carpet to use. That way we might sit up here and have a picnic."

Beelzebub hummed at that plan for Marzena to chuckle. Yet she sounded uncertain when she spoke. "Might not work out. I am not a big fan of heights. But maybe we can go mountain climbing for a similar outing." Satan nodded to tell Marzena with loving warmth, "Solomon has given the all clear for the entranceway and the stairs. Asmodeus said we should place you in his room and bathroom until we go through the rest of the house. So be prepared for Asmo to do that threatened hair treatment." Marzena sighed to then have a stray thought and say. "Might as well keep me occupied with a new dye job. I haven't touched up the gold and red streaks in a while."

********

Mammon was currently benched on a stool in the luxurious bathroom as Satan tended to his still bleeding arm. The Avatar of Greed staying quiet as he watched Asmodeus strip Marzena of her ruined clothes. The human soon bare of any coverings as Mammon gives a hiss to clench his teeth. "Shit. Asmo. There's a huge ass bruise right on Marzena's left hip." Asmodeus looked to then give a gasp of pure sadness as Marzena turned to the mirror to check. Which had her blink to then grumble in annoyance. "No wonder my hip is numb. Fantastic. Also. Mammon needs a whap on the head for not closing his eyes." Satan chuckles to reach a hand up and ruffle Mammon's hair. Asmodeus huffing to help Marzena get into the waiting bath. "Please. You told all of us a long time ago you didn't care if we peeked. Just like you don't care if we all end up in a polyamory orgy. For such a serious human, you tend to be very free spirited in certain ways."

Marzena gave a shrug to melt into the bath water. Her sigh escaping before she spoke her mind to them. "My mom grew up in a nudist colony full of hippies and pacifist folks. She made it clear to me I have the right to choose how and who I love as long as I take the time to think it over first. She told me about her every one night fling and group sex lessons in her college days. So I am highly aware of what might happen if I go down certain roads." Asmodeus openly giggles to say with good cheer, "She is a wonder. I loved getting to meet her. Sharon may be a sweetheart. But it's clear she loves to live and party." Satan snickers to then finish with Mammon's arm. When Satan's phone rings for him to put it on speaker for the room. "You are on speaker. What is it, Barbatos?"

The demon butler sounds both worried and angry as he speaks. "Lord Diavolo just had a delivery. One that proves there is more than one serial killer." All of them go dead still for Mammon to cuss out loud. Satan frowning to add Lucifer to the call. So Barbatos continues once Lucifer answers his phone. "A delivery of ear lobes was found at the front doors of the castle. Along with a note that the killings will continue. That the hydra will hunt and devour as they please. We also have been told the demon we arrested has been murdered in his room. Left quite the statement. Exactly the same style of killings as the other victims."

Marzena gave a squeak of pure emotion for Asmodeus to just crawl into the bath while fully clothed to hug Marzena tight. While Lucifer gave a few flinted words in that angelic dialect Simeon used while writing. So Barbatos sighed to then speak up once the line had gone quiet. "I have asked that a few cambions move into the house next door to Sharon's home. They actually volunteered to move in with Sharon to help with her ten adopted rehabilitation dogs. So Sharon is safe in the human world. Luke has been escorted back to the Celestial Realm so Michael might teach him how to craft special angelic relics. All we need do is find this hydra and sunder the evil it poses."

Satan sighed as Lucifer spoke up. The Avatar of Pride sounding deadly serious as he made his point clear. "We will continue with our given plans for most of us to attend the school and keep tabs on the investigations. Thirteen should be contacted to request that she move all of our candles to the most secret place in the three realms. Will mean we owe her a huge favor. But I am fine with that." Barbatos gave a huff of a chuckle to sound highly pleased. "A fine idea. I doubt that anyone might reach our candles to begin with. Yet it would be a perfect prank for anyone to attempt such and find them all moved somewhere else."

Lucifer then spoke directly to Marzena. His words turning molten and soft. "Marzena. No one will be allowed to harm you. We will be with you for it all. No matter the dangers or trials. As we love you, we will defend you." Marzena relaxed in Asmo's arms to sniffle and sob. Hot tears landing in the bath water as she let herself come undone. "Love you too, Lucifer. Love you all."

[redbuddi]

How will you handle the characterization of characters like Sam and Tucker? Danni?

What are some of the biggest changes to the overall story you are looking forward to exploring?

*cracks knuckles* alright here we go!

Sam and Tucker are extremely important to the series, more important than I think people tend to give them credit for, and that importance would be retained in Redux.

Tucker would be more or less the same as the OG Tuck, he's still a big tech geek, still loves meat, is still simultaneously the comic relief and the voice of reason depending on the situation, etc. I mostly plan on just making a few subtle tweaks to his character to flesh him out a bit more than the show was willing to.

Now is the time to mention that Redux will take place the same year the OG show came out, 2004. So the tech that Tucker salivates over will be tech that's dated by our standards, he still uses a PDA like a cell-phone, and carries around a lot of big chunky gadgets like portable CD players and such. While he is mostly a programming guy, he will build and invent things, and will help Danny do the same. He invented Danny's goggles and co-invented the Thermos with Danny.

Tucker is the most emotionally available of the trio, he doesn't always have solutions but he's willing to hear people out, and with his weak constitution he is the least fond of fighting, tho not purely pacifistic. He is the most outgoing of the group as well, but doesn't desire popularity, he's pretty satisfied with his lot in life. He's just a pretty amicable guy and likes to talk a lot. Like in the show, he's been friends with Danny for the longest, and knows him the best.

"Time to hack the mainframe..."

*swats away computer*

"Hello! This is the front desk, right? Sorry, I'm new and no one's told me the company password yet..."

I'd also take out his more wannabe-casanova traits, cause it's just kind of uncomfortable. I see him as more of a jughead-type, commenting on the drama and romance from the sidelines while never himself being too interested in it. He'll still joke about ladies loving him, but it'd be more tongue-in-cheek and self-aware.

Overall he tends to try to outsmart or talk his way out of situations, which can be a huge help, but also sometimes makes things worse. His smooth-talking has a 50/50 success rate.

He has a pretty good relationship with his parents, but can be kind of distant with his Dad, who is pretty overbearing and really wants Tucker to follow in his footsteps as the Mayor. It would be a running joke that Tucker is so disinterested in being the Mayor that he often times doesn't even justify his dad with a response. He will literally just leave if he can tell that that's where a conversation is going.

Sam is probably the character that would be overhauled the most. The OG Sam isn't terrible, but is very obviously an attempt at a counter-cultural character by people who know nothing about counter-culture.

The biggest change I'd make is that she no longer comes from old money. I get what the OG show was trying to do, but even as a little kid I couldn't really buy it or her whole rebellious thing. Not when she still greatly benefited from her family's money.

Instead, she comes from a well-off upper middle-class house, and she hates her parents. Not just because they don't understand her, but because her parents are actually horrible. Her Dad is a lawyer who is always looking for loopholes to get the rich out of trouble, and her Mom runs an MLM selling cheap clothes to desperate housewives (Think LuLaRoe). Her parents don't not love her, but they are deeply terrible people who, at the end of the day, only really care about themselves. Sam has sworn to do everything in her power to not be like them. The only reason she hasn't run away is because they're not home often enough for her to have to deal with them too much.

Danny: "Ow! Watch where you're poking!"

She tries to do as much on her own as she can, up to and including making basically everything she wears out of discount clothes and thrift shop purchases. While she does get an allowance, she doesn't spend any of it, she's saving her money so that she can leave home the moment she turns 18 and never look back. She is more interested in fashion than she often lets on, and dreams of running an eco-friendly fair trade boutique. After destroying capitalism, of course. She designed and made the alterations to Danny's jumpsuit, with the help of spectral thread that Danny had invented for her birthday.

In this series, Sam isn't just a holier-than-thou goth girl, she's a full-on anarchist punk-rock bitch, and she's proud of it. She will always speak her mind when she feels an injustice is taking place, and unlike in the OG series, Danny and Tucker will usually be there to back her up. That said, there's plenty that she gets up to on her own, she has had her brushes with the law, she's gotten into fights, she does not protest peacefully, and she usually doesn't involve Danny or Tucker because she doesn't want them to feel obligated to help her and then get hurt because of it.

She is strongly antisocial, and generally pretty closed off. She is the type of person who will listen to everyone's problems but won't speak about her own unless pushed. She is deeply loyal to and protective of her friends, sometimes to the point of being a little overbearing.

As for Danni, I certainly have thoughts, but I haven't settled completely on how she would fit in to the overall story. I do want her to be in the series, I just need to figure out what her deal would be.

EDIT! Completely forgot to answer the second part of the question!

The biggest change I'm looking forward to is giving Valerie more screen time, haha.

[snow-and-saltea]

People I'd like to know better

Tagged by @paleasamoon (hi tex i love you tex sorry this took a year) (HEH. get it. cus you tagged me last year. heh.)

Last song: just putting on yt music as im reading manga and talking to muwi, and now its playing burn for you, from the bridgerton musical! (i don't know watch or follow it) (it's just a nice song) but i'd also like to recommend this song

Favourite colour: YELLOW!!!! 💛💛💛💛💛💛

Currently watching: my computer screen writing this up

Last movie / TV show: skip to loafer! i was screaming with muwi the entire time bc the story was so sweet and healing and everyone is so sympathetic and cute and we kept being like AAAAAAAAAA I LOVE WOMEN FRIENDSHIPS SO MUCHHHHHH

Spicy/savoury/sweet: sweet! if i could choose a combo, i like savoury-sweet. i like spice but only if i like the flavour! i'm not keen on the actual pain sensation of spice!!

Last thing I googled: hummmm i don't remember... i think a marinade recipe i made yesterday night? i made a korean base marinade for some lamb chops!! i cooked them today and invited my sister to eat with us, it was rlly yummy!

Relationship status: single! waves my aroace flag!!! i'm curious about how it feels to be in a relationship but it's not smth i try to actualize LOL i'm content w reading my shoujosei man-ga/hwa/huas <33

Current obsession: idk if i could call them obsessions yet but right now i'm really invested in sousou no frieren (anime only, havent caught up to the manga), skip to loafer (same there), and i'm looking for more wholesome healing stories. although now that i'm going through my reading lists for stories i've dropped, i'm laughing at them fjaksfjkasfj

(i promise this one has proper context bc i usually like pacifist mcs just bc i like politics and connection seeking to be based on a foundation of empathy and kindness. but this one was just so stupid and just a way to establish how good the mc was to the point that i couldn't get immersed in the story bc it was that nonsensical and i wanted to die)

i'm typically fine w mary sues / jane(?) FLs and i even tend to be biased for them just bc there's a lot of misogyny about the subject matter, so i normally don't bat an eye unless it's a writing choice i find unsuitable / doesn't fulfill the potential it could've achieved with an interesting plot.

(btw the context is that the first screenie which this rant also applies to was when some guy caught the baddies and the FL is like "No let's reward them for trying to kill us. they're just misunderstood!! i bet if we try really hard we can all get along!!")

but! i only really like it when it actually does something useful, like thematically or symbolically. like tohru's innate goodness for furuba inline with the sohma's family curse and mitsumi's unending positivity and earnestness that helps the people around her heal from emotional wounds. not that they're mary sues in any way, but since people understand mary sues as "female protagonists who can do no wrong and will be liked no matter what" (even thought their psychology and personality is just genuinely likeable), i think it makes my point clear. there's a way to write a character who is Good and Kind without cheapening them to a naivete that at best, makes the mc pitiable, or worst, is treated like the mc's totally unique worldview of "lets be nice to people and never hurt anyone ever :)" is the end all be all of the story and the solution to the plot. kindness and empathy is a coiled spring that projects you forward, a motivator. it's how you guide your hand and where it goes, not that the hand is never raised. i don't agree that cowardice towards change and the potential promise of conflict is any kind of wisdom >:T plus it kinda puts the shame to the idea of kindness as a legitimate basis for political strategy, and that leads to some set up for a lot of zero sum games i don't care for in this specific story. there is a good story where each character is trying to one up each other politically, psychologically, at all times, but this is not that story and so the tone feels very off kilter.

but yeah!! sometimes a character is just OP and the story is not even having fun with it (aka its not satire or irony), which makes me think they want to take it seriously. and my serious thoughts was that it sucked.

(i just realised this also applies to the first screenie LMFAO it just loops back huh!!)

not gonna comment about the others bc i think they speak for themselves <33 but also the first one of these three is fucked up in the sense that i dont even get where they're going w the story. its a revenge story and the FL uses the ML from childhood to achieve her revenge, but then suddenly when he's an adult she has Feelings for Him and now im like.... okay....? belief no longer suspended. beliefs are like those garter straps that snapped. my socks are like my beliefs. fallen to my feet. they are no longer suspended.

sorry that got off track </33 i enjoy looking into why i dont like things, im in this stage of life where i realise i actually have specific ass tastes!! i always have, but i just realised it very recently a few years back fjskfjskjf

People I'd like to know better (i also wanna include some mutuals who i haven't talked to but i like to see on my dash):

@snickerdoodlles

@fflewddurfflam7

@00uroboros

@perpetualstateofcrying

@pirate-with-internet-connection

💛🐢😤💪

[thefirstknife]

So I was just reading another ask that involved the speaker and it made me think, doesn’t crow get a lot of dreams/visions from the traveler? Could they be leading him into the speaker role and not the vanguard?

It's a common line of thinking, but one-time dreams aren't the only sign of being a Speaker!

Being a Speaker comes with a lot of consistent dreams that persist no matter what. Crow only had a vision in regards to Hawkmoon, but nothing else before or since. A Speaker would pretty much have dreams and visions immediately upon being rezed and would continue having them after that one instance.

Another common trait is having sudden visions and dreams even when not sleeping. A lot of Speakers were consistent in saying that sometimes they wouldn't know if they're truly awake or not and would often lose track of time and space. It's also almost always followed by intense headaches and other psycho-physical health issues. Crow hasn't experienced any of those.

A huge part of being a Speaker after the Collapse is being followed by Ghosts. Ghosts naturally flock to a Speaker and follow them around. Crow hasn't experienced that either.

Something that people tend to ignore, but is fairly important, is that Speakers aren't loners. They are generally very charismatic and able to attract people as well as Ghosts. Crow definitely hasn't had much success with this.

There's also an important thing to remember: the Traveler is awake now. It can send dreams and visions to anybody. It could do that even while dormant, thought with more difficulty, and has sent visions to the Young Wolf and Ikora, for example. It doesn't necessarily mean they're Speaker material however.

And back in the Golden Age (when there were multiple Speakers active at once), it also sent dreams and visions to other people sometimes; most notably, to Clovis Bray, to warn him about playing with Darkness, something that he promptly ignored. Definitely doesn't make him a Speaker.

Unless Crow gets more frequent messages from the Traveler, starts being swarmed by Ghosts and experiences other Speaker-related stuff, we can't really use the Hawkmoon incident as a hint. Things can change in the future of course, but I personally don't see him as a Speaker, personality and interests wise. I think he's definitely being set up to work for the Vanguard and eventually become the Hunter Vanguard, in time.

It's implied that the Traveler sensed another potential Speaker back way before our time. It's also implied that there's a Speaker candidate in Efrideet's pacifist colony. And of course, there's Micah-10, who had recurring dreams about the Traveler and prophetic dreams about becoming an Exo back when she was a human child living on Europa, and as a Guardian became known as a Den-Mother-of-Ghosts because Ghosts follow her. If there's anyone being set up for this in the future, it's Micah-10.

Of course, I have to add the Radiant Accipiter lore where the Traveler itself declares that no more Speakers are needed, as well as our Speaker saying that he knows he is the last Speaker. The Traveler is reformed and awake and it doesn't need anyone to speak for it anymore. The institution of the Speakers as we know it is not needed anymore, but we have to keep in mind that the Traveler is still very cryptic and difficult to understand. If there's ever another "Speaker," it will probably simply be someone who will be there for people who experience visions and messages, to help interpret them.

I will also highly recommend bothering @infinitewarden about his theory of how Osiris will eventually become a Speaker or something adjacent to it at least. Osiris' connection to the Light and the Traveler are beyond unique and he's also been on the receiving end of some Speaker-like incidents, especially when it comes to his prophecies.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Roasting tokrev girls: part 1, hinata (99% percent about her relationship with takemichi because these are the parts i hate the most hhhhh)

these are only my negative opinions and i'm still being negative about them

So i will start from beginning, i think takemichi only liked her because she was popular and loved him not because of who she is and combined with hinas live at first sight its not convincing me that its a type of love that will last twelve years and be healthy at the same time. At some times it even seems that takemichi isn't in love with her but more with the symbol of her: the only girlfriend he ever had, the person he's trying to save, the person that truly remembered him. (Although i think that changed later a little it still has other problems)

the most common critique about her relationship with our hero (i promise i'm going to talk about other things). Takemichi is 26 and she is 14 (i think?) Which makes their whole relationship....weird, i am not going to talk too much about it but it makes me really uncomfortable

I hate the fact that her beating up takemichi is portrayed as funny or deserved by michi the biggest ones i remember are the scene where she beats him up for cheating (i also think the whole concept of this scene is weird but this a whole other matter) or for breaking up with her i don't remember much from this scene but when i read it it was just...uh i don't know why a person like hina couldnt understand takemichi breaking up with her

She has no thoughts of her own about anything other than takemichi and arguably emma this is understandable with really minor characters but she is the reason this manga exists (or is she? Well even if not she was in that role for 3/4 of the story) but she is used in the story like a plot device a few stepps away from being a macguffin

God this is not nearly enough text for a character like hinata but i just can't squeze more if i think of something else i will just send another ask

Side question i would also like to do emma but first i want to reread some moments of the black dragon arc do you know where i could do it?

(last thing if i made you uncomfortable in any even very small way please say)

Ok I do a lot of positivity posts so I think it'd only fair we roast them too, gotta have that balance.

I actually do agree with the first point, I don't think past Takemichi really really loved her, this could partly be because he's only a teenager. But he definitely didn't seem to respect her a lot especially since he was definitely about to cheat on her with Emma before the switch. He definitely seemed to take her granted. I think he did love her in his own way though, after all she was what he thought of when dying. I also think when he first travelled back he wanted to save this idealised version of her like you said, almost like he had nostalgia for his only girlfriend. I do think that changed as he spent more time with her and got more sure of his goal though, it's like travelling back reminded him of everything good about her.

Yeah the violence bit is a little weird especially since she's supposed to be a pacifist. I think that's just Wakui's way of showing her strong emotions, like she was so upset she broke her own character and her own code. Definitely not cool though, it's definitely not a great trope.

Unfortunately she's mainly reduced into the love interest role so most of her characteristics will be based on Takemichi. Especially since she's mainly shown with him.

(Mangadex tends to be the best)

[catachan-jungle-fighter]

John Geist as a RTS Unit

Unit Constructed:

"Old Wolf taking the field personally, this needs a personal touch."

"Geist moving to join the battle personally, make way."

"Enemies all around, friendlies completely outnumbered? My kind of fight."

"Gonna Finish this quick, I want to get back to my vacation."

Selection:

"Did I ever tell you the time I broke a tooth trying to bite a Necron?"

"Command is Vox'ing me, hold for orders."

"You have orders for me to loosely follow?"

"One vial...two vials... three..oh Frag, Orders command?"

Selected too many times:

"Hey, Command stop Voxing me."

"Command, this is my final warning about Voxing me."

"Alright boys, let's go and blow up HQ's Vox setup."

"I'm gonna stab the Commander."

Movement:

"Old Wolf, getting in nice and close."

"Old Wolf, they won't even hear me coming."

"I got on my good running boots for this one."

"I don't need to be fast, I just need to be faster then everyone else.'

(Stealth) Movement:

" Silent and Sneaky, best way to move."

"Time to see if I still remember those lessons."

"Matriarchs take me, I'm actually better at this."

"Easier than dancing in one of those monkey suits they call a formal uniform."

Sent into Foliage:

"Reminds me of home, just less plants trying to eat me."

"I'll fall asleep in here, best to keep me busy."

"Anyone want to hear the one about the Grox and the Sweet Milk?"

"Guess what a Jungle Fighter and a Ork have in common? We both love the color green."

Sent into the Open:

"I'm kind of fucking exposed here Command, send me somewhere else."

"I got my dick in the wind command, give me new orders."

"Fuckers can see me for miles, send me to cover command."

"I feel naked being exposed like this, give me orders."

Attempt to send into Water:

"Yeah, that ain't fucking happening Command, you'd have better chances getting a Night Lord to become a pacifist."

"Unless you have a boat, I'm stuck on this side of the water commander."

"I go into that water, I'm not coming out unless I can walk out from the bottom."

"Are you trying to kill me Command? I can't swim, I fucking sink."

Sending across Ice:

"Careful now... please don't break...please don't break."

"Golden Hunter be with me... this is the stupidest shit I've done since I tried to drink one of my poison vials to clear up a headache."

"Oh by the Golden Hunter on the Throne of Gold, I hate this shit..."

"Oh fuck... was that the ice cracking?"

Funny Lines:

"Anyone ever wonder what a Space Marine tastes like? I'm sure the Cooks can make a damn good Astartes Stew."

"Tried to kill one of those big Eldar Beasties they have following them around to check for boots, didn't find any like the other six I've killed."

"Ok... I might have lost the pin to a grenade, can you check for it?"

"Ok, next person who doses the stew with hallucinogens during Evening Meal, gets to eat the whole pot themself... I'm still seeing shit."

Issued a Heavy Bolter:

"Hmm... I can't hit the broadside of a barn, but if I put enough Bolt Shells down range, then I can't miss."

"I tend to prefer Stubbers and Close Quarters, but I think I can put up with this."

"Thing is awkward to carry, but I can lug it and it's ammo anywhere I need to go."

"Ugly beast aren't ya, ready to eat beastie?"

Issued a Plasma Gun:

"Best to get Tiv and Riv to check this over before I use it, I'm not ready to see if I'll survive it exploding."

"The Administratum really screwed someone over by sending this to me."

"Nasty surprise, but a welcome one on this side of the gun."

"This thing vents towards me, I'm strangling whoever sent this thing to me."

Assigned to a unit of Mad Wolves:

"Good to have my boys listening to me again."

"Hey lads, looks like we are working together."

"Love to see you Wolves, get your gear and get ready for war."

"Get your shit boys and girls, the Wolves have been called and we must answer."

Combat:

"Hostile Forces encountered, shred em!"

"Tear those fuckers a new one, they want to do the same to you!"

"Time to teach you why they say not to fuck with the 6th Section and the Jungle Geists."

"Fuck off and die fuckers!"

Pinned:

"STOP FUCKING SHOOTING AT ME SO I CAN STAB YOU!"

"I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK!"

"SOMEONE, SILENCE THOSE GUNS!"

"MY COVER IS GETTING SHREDDED, SOMEONE KILL THOSE GUNNERS NOW!"

Damaged:

"Fuck...a few more holes then I started the day with..."

"Damn, that stings... come on Old Wolf, your stronger than this."

"I don't think that should be leaking like that..."

"I'm bleeding internally... but that's where the blood is supposed to be right?"

Friendly Fire:

"Dumbasses, I'm a friendly your shooting at!"

"This is why I hate working outside the Wolves!"

"This shit would never happen with the Desert Raiders!"

"If I survive this, I'm choking whoever is shooting at me!"

Death:

"Fuck... tossed the dice and it came up short..."

"Matriarch...I dreamed I was a warrior..."

"Damn it... The Old Wolf shouldn't die like this..."

"Remember...I was called...I answere..."

Low chance ability Proc (The Revenant Wolf):

"The Warp spat me back out, get me back on my feet!"

"Guess I didn't do enough for the Golden Hunter to accept my service, time to get back to work."

"Guess even Death fucking hates me, I'm back to life."

"This wasn't a nightmare? Fuck..."

[crossoverworldtree]

The Problem of an Ever-Expanding Crossover Universe

This is a screencap from Amphibia. Amphibia recently got into the crossover universe via connections to Gargoyles and also brought in several other Disney series. Namely: Gravity Falls and The Owl House primarily among them. But Amphibia also linked a few other things. Some are easy to fit (The DaVinci Code), others are already linked (Hellraiser), and then there's this screencap.

Because it looks like Master Roshi/Kame-senin is in line to audition for the part of an old man in Hollywood.

The world of Dragon Ball is vastly different from that of any other of the crossover series, but if we take it in extremely broad strokes, something can carry over into the Crossover Universe.

So, let's have some fun, shall we?

Here are a few qualities of note:

Turtle Hermit School of Martial Arts (4-Point Quality) The “Turtle” School of Martial Arts is about surpassing human limits in regard to Strength. This philosophy is all about raw power, and its training methods (wearing heavy weights while performing various tasks) reflect this. It has a habit of stunting growth in most humans. In any event, they don’t get much in the way of bonuses directly, but they get some neat tricks. They add their Ki level to their Strength to determine Jump distances and Lifting ability. Their Martial Arts techniques (Ki and Fists) ignore 1 point of Armor Value per level of Ki.

Crane School of Martial Arts (4-Point Quality) The crane school of martial arts is a school of precision and assassination. They focus on cultivating Ki and awareness in its practitioners. Those who become true adepts of the Crane have a +1 to their perception and become unfettered by gravity. Yes, they can fly -- at a speed equal to their normal movement speed, but flight nonetheless.

Namekian (19-Point Quality) Namekians are a genderless race of slug demons from another dimensions (a lot like Pilea). They are powerful, but generally pacifists. They don't need to eat but can do so for decorum's sake. They survive on water alone, cultivating themselves to be one with the environment. Mostly, they are pacificists, and have amassed many Dragon Pearls to aid them with larger problems. Still, there are some warriors among them -- and they can be fierce fighters.

Namekians receive +1 to Strength, and +2 to Constitution and Perception. They can raise their physical attributes above human limits and can have a perception of 7 easily. They have acute hearing, as well as enhanced senses (those ears aren't just for show!). They also recover their Constitution every hour (though some have developed techniques to expand their healing to rapidly regrow limbs, this is learned separately). As stated, they only need water to survive but can eat food if they want to. They have Natural Armor 5 as well. On the downside, Namekians tend to hold themselves to a code of honor (Honorable (Minimal), and ... well, they are green-skinned, elf-eared, have antennae, fangs, and visible musculature on parts of their body. This gives them Attractiveness -4.

Saiyan (15-Point Quality) A race of simian-like humanoids from another dimension. The Saiyans are now all but extinct. Some think this is a good thing as the Saiyans were a race of brutal warriors few could oppose. Once used by interdimensional warlords as foot soldiers, the Saiyans were betrayed and almost rendered extinct. The few who remain are rather potent warriors themselves... for the most part.

Saiyans have a +1 to Strength and Constitution and can raise their attributes above the normal human maximums. They can also have up to 10 levels of Hard to Kill. They came from a world of high gravity and rough living. This granted them Natural Toughness and a Cast Iron Stomach. THey can also Regenerate their Constitution every Hour, to keep them in the fight longer. Trained from birth to fight, they have a +1 to Kung Fu and Acrobatics. But most importantly, they get strong quickly. When a Saiyan is brought to less than 10 Life Points in a fight, when XP is awarded, they gain 1 extra XP. This occurs again if they hit 0 or go below -10. Each can only trigger once an episode. On the negative side, Saiyans have an inclination and obsession with fighting and violence. They have an Obsession (Testing self in fights), and anti-social impulses (Violence).

They also have various Adversaries simply because of their time as evil mercenaries. Many have moved past that now, but the ghosts of the past continue to haunt them.

Oozaru (14-Point Quality)

Under the light of a full moon, some Saiyans can transform into giant monkeys to terrorize their enemies. Saiyans with this ability have tails -- which can be lost, removing the ability to transform. Even when not transformed, their tail is a weakness. Grabbing it (-3 to the test) paralyzes the Saiyan.

When in Oozaru or "Great Ape" form, Saiyans have a bite attack which deals Strength x 3 damage. They also are humongous -- as big as a house. This grants them +15 Strength and +100 Life Points. On the negative side, they have a -4 to their Dodge tests and all targeted attacks against them are at +2.

Super Saiyan (12-Point Quality) Super Saiyan is not a power-up. It's a trauma response. It does take a certain level of spiritual cultivation to achieve this form, but it is not done purposefully. When a Saiyan suffers a great loss -- such as the death of a friend or mentor -- the Saiyan's body rushes to defend itself from that threat. Their body overflows with energy, their hair turns gold, and they become vastly stronger.

They gain +3 to their Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. They also gain an Armor Value of 5, +3 to all Ki tests, and a +1 to their Kung Fu and Acrobatics.

But this comes at a steep cost.

First, it's an alternate form, so the Dual Form drawback applies to all these boons.

More importantly, the Saiyan takes 3 points worth of mental drawbacks to reflect the trauma they suffered.

Flashbacks (-1 to -3)

Emotional Problems: Depression (-2)

Humorless (-1)

Mental Problems (Paranoia) (-1 to -3)

Phobia (events similar to those of past trauma) (-1 to -3)

Reckless (-2)

Insomnia (-3)

Recurring Nightmares (-1)

They also gain 1 level of Cruelty and the Emotional Problems (Anger) drawback (found in Conspiracy X) while transformed, and one existing mental drawback increases in intensity by 1.

Becoming a Super Saiyan is to become a PTSD survivor. It is not done lightly, and it is not a simple powerup. There are no 'levels' to it.

God Saiyan (37-Point Quality) God Saiyans are the result of a ritual where 5 Saiyans give their strength to a 6th in a ritual to give them the power to defend others. This "God" state turns their eyes and hair red, covering them in a red aura.

In Saiyan God form, the Saiyan has +6 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +1 Intelligence, +1 Perception, and +2 Willpower. They also gain Armor Value +10, +100 Life Points (on top of the bonus from increased physical stats). They are also Innately Magical, but have their Ki and Magic already balanced within them.

On the negative side, the power of a god is balanced by the weaknesses of a god: weapons made with or stained by Holly deal Double damage to them and Holly sap and liquids are poisonous to them, lethally (Drains the target of 10 Life Points per round until the ‘size’ of the dose burns out. Regeneration is suppressed while doing so).

The Blood of a Hind and Radium are treated similar to Holly in terms of effects.

Despite the power it provides, Saiyans are reluctant and even resistant to gaining this power for one simple reason: It isn't earned. It's borrowed power, and that is offensive to them on a gut level. Once acquired, they understand the selfishness of this position, but until then...

Saiyan Gods can go Super Saiyan, but this changes their hair from Red to Blue.

On the Dragon Balls:

East Asian Dragons amass power over time and place that power in a pearl. Gathering seven of these pearls will allow a person to call upon the celestial dragon Shenlong, who will craft that raw power into a wish of the caster's request. Depending on the potency of the wish, the person using the Dragon Pearls can be as many as 3, but always at least one. Bringing someone back from the dead is possible with the Dragon Pearls but wishing someone back to life reduces the number of wishes to 2 -- though the number of people brought back doesn't seem to affect it.

But the laws of magic are ruthless. A second chance at life can only truly be granted once with magic. And only to those who have been dead for a year or less.

Oh, and trying to get a pearl from a live dragon is really hard! There have been a lot of dragons over the years, so they can be found without a living dragon present. Once used for a wish, the pearl turns to limestone and becomes magically inert. A wish via Dragon Pearls can only be performed once a year.

Fusion Dance Power Level: 5 (Two Targets (+1), One Action per PL (+0), Self/Touch Range (-1), 1 Minute per SL (+1), Dual Casters (-1), Effect +7, Requirements (Being ‘in synch’ with your partner) (-1), Secondary Drawback (-1)) Quick Cast: No Requirements: Performing a short dance, being in synch with your partner on a spiritual level. Effect: You fuse with your fellow caster. Your new form has the Highest Attributes and Skills of the two casters +1, they share qualities and drawbacks (stacking where applicable – so BE CAREFUL!). This lasts for 1 minute per SL. Afterwards, both casters are exhausted, having a -2 to all actions until they rest. On a failure to cast properly, the mix occurs badly, where the fusion form has the lower of both attributes and skills with a -1 bonus to them. Drawbacks still stack, as do Qualities, but they are stuck like that until the spell wears off.

Spirit Bomb Power Level: 1 (1 Target, Castin Time (6 actions per Power Level) -3, Ki -1, Willpower x 6 (+3) + 6 per SL (+3) damage, (1 extra damage per SL per additional caster) +3, Range (50ft), Requirements of the Caster (“Pure Heart”) (-1)) Requirements: A pure-hearted warrior draws on the power of all living things around them. Sentient beings can add their power to the casting indirectly (by just allowing it), or directly (making a Magic, Ki, or Willpower doubled test). Simply allowing one’s energy to go into the spirit bomb adds 1 per SL damage to the casting. Each active roll adds the success level of their life force test to each success level of the casting. Once gathered, the Spirit Bomb is then thrown at a target.

[goddessofroyalty]

we always see Silco being overprotective of the kids, what about scenes where Vander reminds people he was not always a pacifist and when it comes to the kids, he’s still not.

Also, with O!Mylo, what was it like when an alpha showed interest in him the first time?

Funnily enough I think Vander does the more day-to-day don't mess with my kids intimidation just because he's around the kids that bit more than Silco on the day-to-day. Of course there's also a level of he doesn't actually have to all that much because his reputation already does a lot of it so all people need to do is make the connection that those kids are his kids and then they'll back the hell off. Silco's only really dealing with it if it's his immediately employees or sufficiently serious to require handling instead of just talking to (and Vander hasn't already)).

And, again kind of ironically enough, Powder/Jinx is the one it happens the most with. Just because she tends to attract attention (whether intentionally or unintentionally) generally. And there are probably a few alphas over the years that get either gently informed by their friends that actually they might want to direct their eyes elsewhere because she's the Bar Owner's daughter yeah that owner or not so gently reminded by Vander to take their eyes off his XX-year old daughter. Which isn't to say he doesn't think she could handle them but he is her father and they shouldn't be looking at young omegas like that regardless of who their parents are.

In my head Mylo is the last to present of the family. And like he was nearly-16 when he did present. So his parents are kind of getting used to it by that point. Although being that big older means he's more likely to be a bit more serious about his first relationship which is a bit concerning to his parents (is he going too fast to try and catch up to his siblings) but I do think in this he tends to embody the 'lost middle child' he can be - his parents aren't really all that caught up in it.

[shadowpuppetteer]

Yes, hardcore characters with dark backgrounds are good. But I also tend to like good cinnamon roll characters. They are kind, they are caring, and they have big hearts.

But they also learn to set healthy boundaries for themselves. They learn that despite the world being full of dark things, they can still be good to people. They give edgy anti-heroes second chances. And eventually the right people come along and appreciate the living heck outta these cinnamon rolls. I especially like it when they have to make really tough decisions. They have good hearts but the world is not as black and white as we are taught so they really have rack their brains and come up with a clever solution that doesn't break their big warm huggable hearts.

Aang was my favorite character in ATLA because he was a pacifist, vegetarian, monk who loved animals and found joy in life, but he had this great destiny that went against a lot of that. He came to accept and master the avatar state so he wouldn't hurt the people he loved. He even found a new way of bending so he wouldn't kill the antagonist of the show. He found out about energy bending because he was looking for a different solution to a big problem. Rather than doing the usual slaying the baddie or bashing your problems, he found a middle ground.

Big scary armor on the outside, sweet, polite, cat lover on the inside. This is one of my favorite "don't judge a book by it's cover" examples in anime. He's a good balance to his brother, taking a moment to think things through and try to reason with their enemies. He's excited about all the food he's gonna eat when he gets his body back. He believes in the good of his brother and father. He gives people second chances. And it's much more heartbreaking to learn about how this big sweetheart is alone at night because he can't sleep with a metal body. It makes the Elric brothers bond that much more powerful in seeing what they would sacrifice for each other.

Okay, I can't really choose a favorite character from Voltron because they all work so well together, but when it comes to cinnamon rolls, we gotta talk about Hunk. He may be a scaredy cat with a nervous digestive system, but he's also smart, talented, and his cooking has solved a bunch of problems. Like making those crystal cookies that helped fix the ship's wormhole generator temporarily. Being there for Keith when they all found out he was part Galra. Making cookies for the mislead Altean colonists when they attacked the voltron team. That gesture that reminded them of home opened them up to help out the team. And he's the only dude to make the space goo taste good to the humans in the castle.

Bow is such a big sweetie that has a large amount of passion, intelligence, and patience. He teaches Adora about parties, horses, and all the things the Horde was lying to her about. He makes non-lethal trick arrows, is a great balance for Glimmer with his compassion, and he learns that he can't fix everything. He learns that being a friend can be hard and some things take time to heal. That's an important skill that's not really talked about in stories. Also he speaks dad and that's a great skill to have when deciphering puns.

Thank you She Ra for giving us two cinnamon rolls! Scorpia has got so much to offer with her strength, enthusiasm, and loyalty to her friends. But she also learns about how to identify toxic relationships and to value herself. I loved her story arch because that's a lesson most people have to learn in their lives. And he's not mean about it, she simply tells Catra that she's being a bad friend and leaves. There's no punching, there's no revenge, there's just honesty. Not to mention she gives the best hugs.

Yes I like edgy characters that learn the value of friendship. Yes I like the everyday characters who learn how to fight. Yes I like the shonen protagonists who persevere through failures and hardships to get to their goals. But I adore kind characters who learn about different types of relationships, learn to value themselves, and try to find different solutions to big problems because the lives of others.

[gsirvitor]

I've thought a lot about your Tom Bombadil response and I think his nature exposes a flaw in what Tolkein called "the pacifist response." Tom Bombadil is only able to be a pacifist because he is unfathomably powerful within his domain, at least. I can't imagine that Tolkien would be happy with peace-through-power though. Lots of people tried to use the One Ring for peace-through-power and it never worked out for them. Do you think Tom is unintentionally undermining Tolkien's own philosophy?

Tolkien understood that power is derived from capacity for violence, this is a truth he acknowledged in his works, he himself was not a pacifist. He disliked war, but his characters do go to war when necessary. Mostly defensive battles.

He disavowed war on principle, for he himself experienced the horrors of war, and saw what war turned good men into, which is where we get the allegory of the orcs being corrupted elves and men, corrupted by the evil industry of the war machine that is Mordor.

However, like me, he acknowledged war was necessary in certain circumstances.

Any who lived through World War II, particularly in a country like Britain, which was under aerial bombardment and experienced large-scale destruction, would understand Tolkien’s views quite well: war might be necessary sometimes, but its cost was always high.

Frodo basically wins the war, but he can never go back to the life he led beforehand. He can never find rest in Middle Earth again; the Shire is no comfort for him. He saved it, but he saved it for others, not himself.

The Elves fought against Sauron and supported the destruction of the Ring, but in doing so, they lost what made their realms livable for them. With the failing power of the Three Rings, Rivendell and Lorien no longer provided a place for the Elves to be free from the growing weariness of Middle Earth; they, too, could never find rest again.

And Tolkien showed the physical devastation of war frequently throughout his works.

In Fellowship of the Ring, as the Fellowship is passing down the Anduin, they pass the Brown Lands. We are told later by Treebeard that those lands once held the gardens of the Entwives, and were verdant and alive and beautiful.

But Sauron destroyed them during the war of the Last Alliance, and now they were a wasteland, brown and dried and dead, with nothing alive. And that war was more than 3000 years before the journey of the Fellowship.

That war had changed and destroyed parts of the world permanently.

The Dead Marshes are another example; again, this war was 3000 years ago, but the key battle ruined the landscape, and even now you can look into the pools of fetid water and see images of the fighters on both sides who were lost. You can literally see the cost of the war.

Tolkien believed war is sometimes necessary, the evil of Sauron had to be confronted, by focusing so often on the cost associated with war, Tolkien showed he did not approve of any leader, party or government that undertook a war that was not necessary.

And then we have Tom, he had all the power, he had all the security, he didn't need to interfere with the struggles of middle earth because he was powerful, he had seen it since the dawn of Arda, again, Tom is not a character, he is a force of the world, what does the wind care for the struggles of men?

What doomed those who sought power from the rings is that power corrupts, Tom doesn't need power because he is power, it's why the ring held no sway over him, he was beyond it, he was happy simply tending his land and loving his wife, it's why the Hobbits were so resistant to being corrupted by the one ring too, all they wanted in life was warm meals, good company and a peaceful life, they didn't seek power, wealth or fame, they sought the shire life, a life similar to Tom's own, minus the power.

So no, I don't think Tom undermines Tolkien's philosophy.

[evokersapprentice]

A wizard's initial studies of the martial classes

First off, a disclaimer. I am a relative novice to DnD, and part of a table of relative novices. Our DM is a little more seasoned (paprika, mostly), but I know he goes easy on us in some areas, given our inexperience. None of our builds are particularly optimised, and I'm fairly sure they started out as off-the-rack starter character sheets. I speak from a place of profound ignorance, and my future options are limited by my ignorance so far.

But I'm just about starting to learn. It's been too long, far too long, feeling our way without actually knowing what we're doing. We went from just trying it out and not being sure we would like it, to not knowing how long it would continue for, and now we're hooked but well behind on our reading. There's a lot of information for a newcomer at a table of newcomers, and I'm finally trying to swot up on the details beyond the immediate 'what do I do now' in each situation.

A lot of that has been learning about other classes. I feel like for half of our campaign I've barely remembered the extent of my own capabilities, let alone the rest of the party. They just have their turn and move in mysterious ways. Dice are rolled on the other side of the table, numbers are called out, and hit points move around whilst I'm trying to think about my next move. I play a wizard, and the others tend to grumble if we're still shuffling through our spells by our turn. It seems a lot easier when you only have a sword and one thing to do with it.

That's the sort of dismissive attitude that it's easy for a wizard to have. It's in character, too. When you're a genius who can reshape reality with the sheer power of your intellect, a big guy with a blade seems a little primitive. At relatively low levels, I gain the ability to fly, or turn invisible, or reanimate the dead, or whatever. You get to hit the goblin with your sword a second time per turn? Good for you.

But as I said, I'm learning. We've had a bit of time between sessions, and I've had the chance to read up on some guidance on other classes. It's useful for considering multiclassing, but mostly it's given me a real appreciation for the work the others do. There's obviously a practical relevance in being able to strategise around them, and it's appalling that none of us have really taken the time to ask what the others do so far, but it also makes me admire them.

We have a fairly standard party. Human fighter, halfling rogue, gnome druid (replacing our original cleric), high elf wizard. The druid I still need to work on. As a spellcaster she should be the easiest to understand, but then her strategy is probably the most complicated. She's a pacifist who focuses on healing, battlefield control and summoning, which for me is great because it frees me up for setting people on fire (my subclass is also evocation, which fits that nicely). But I don't really know her choices for that big concentration spell, and certainly don't know what her options are for each turn afterwards.

It's the martial characters I've been reading up about. First, the fighter. He just runs up to the bad guy and starts hitting them. I didn't even know how melee damage worked, but it doesn't seem like much. He's wielding one-handed with a shield ('sword and board', I'm learning), so a normal rapier does 1d8 + DEX or STR modifier. As the party tank he's had to spread across DEX, CON and STR ('MAD' as I think they say) but manages a +4 to DEX.

At Level 9, he's therefore doing 8.5 (4.5 + 4) damage per attack. He has the extra attack ability, which takes him up to 17 per turn on two hits. He can double it again once per rest, which is fun, but otherwise that seems... fine. When I got fireball at Level 5 I could do 28 damage to a whole pack of enemies from 150 ft away. At Level 9 I can summon a swarm of flying daggers which can do 65 damage per turn (again assuming hits) plus my action. I can do a whole host of things.

There seem to be a lot of snobbish wizards out there. I see them on the forums. One of the more commonly referenced resources is a guide by a guy called treatmonk which purposely plays up to this, with wizards as gods, the tank as a 'Big Stupid Fighter' putting himself in harm's way, the rogue as the 'Corpse' who stupidly has to scout ahead and put himself in danger. I suppose I previously just found them a bit basic.

Since I gained access to fourth level spells (i.e. Polymorph), I've had a simple test for the strength of my martial colleagues. As I can turn any of them into a Giant Ape to do their melee attacks (two attacks of 22 damage each for 44 per turn on two hits, with far more HP to absorb hits), they effectively need to justify why they are a better tank or damage dealer than a big gorilla, which feels a bit condescending, but there you are.

Even more damningly, it's usually felt like an obvious choice. The longsword doesn't do 22 damage per hit. The Giant Ape has more power and more health. So for the first few combats, I've been benching one of my party and replacing them with an animal. It's only now that I've looked into what else they can actually do, and learning more has made me appreciate all the wonderful things about their builds.

So, the fighter. Ours has focused on maximising his AC, which has been simple but effective. Whilst I try my hardest to avoid being targeted, thanks to the combination of low AC, low HP, and the need to maintain concentration, he actively courts the danger. Whether one big bad or a whole group of minions, he does his best to draw all the fire to him, because he can take it: attacks very rarely hit him, and when they do he can usually suck it up (or even heal himself, in case of emergency). He's our human shield.

That alone is incredibly effective, and probably more so than any buff or healing spell we mages could provide. He'll save me and the rest of the party dozens of HP per encounter, and sometimes per round. Just as importantly, he preserves concentration on my spell and whatever the druid is doing for another round. The 17 damage he does is just a bonus.

Except it also isn't just 17, because if any of the enemies do decide to run for a softer target he gets another 'opportunity attack' as a reaction. On top of that, our fighter has taken the Sentinel feat, which may not be necessarily the best thing in terms of optimising his output, but makes him even better in this role. Even slippery enemies who disengage can be stabbed in the back. Those who try to run lose their movement speed and are left in range for another attack next turn. If they don't run and just happen to reach one of us in range, they also get stuck. He's fairly consistently able to do another 8.5 damage per round and keep the rest of us safe from the minion wanting to break the front line.

Oh, and in flanking the target he gives anyone else advantage if we want it (more relevant when we have smaller summons/allies), and certainly lets the rogue sneak attack on every turn. Just as a bonus. Finally, all of this is just factoring in a bog-standard lump of metal. He actually has a couple of magical swords which let him do far more damage (per attack, i.e. three times a round), whereas the items I've found as a wizard don't really let me augment my spells to the same degree.

The rogue has been a similar revelation. He was previously my main target to be polymorphed, purely because he's so unassuming: this is just the little halfling we send to scout ahead of us, I always thought. A non-combat lock-picker and skill merchant. He's not meant for the heat of battle. Let's put him somewhere safe, like inside a massive gorilla suit. I didn't ever realise that he can hit as hard as any of us, and is one of the hardest to hit.

I don't think I'm actually alone in this one. When I look at rankings of the best or most powerful classes, rogues (or 'rouge', as it is spelt with alarming frequency) are consistently towards the bottom. It may be that they just don't scale too well to other levels, but my experience is that he's been plenty helpful thus far. A lot of early adventures need somebody who can sneak or get us through locked doors, and he can do that, whilst having the charisma and dexterity skills to get out of various other sticky situations. I suppose that spells make a lot of that redundant, but they're a precious resource in a combat heavy day. Out of combat, he's probably been the most competent amongst us.

I never really noticed him in combat. He just seems to dash around, occasionally stabbing someone, and I assumed he'd be doing far less damage than our main fighter. This was when I though the fighter's purpose was to be a sword, rather than a shield. The rogue is the sword. With a rapier, he can do the same damage as the fighter per attack, or better: 1d8 + 5, as he could afford to focus on DEX. That's 9.5 per attack, which was just about in line with my expectations.

But then he gets to sneak attack. Rather than attacking twice, he can do a bonus 5d6 damage on a hit where he has advantage or an ally in play, which is virtually always the case with our tank up front. That transforms a hit to 27 damage, each and every turn. More than the fighter's two attacks. As much as my third level fireball, per target, and that's something I can only do a few times per short rest. He can do this all day. This is just with a normal sword, of course. In reality, he has magic weapons that let him do even more.

On the other side of things, he's incredibly slippery. As a rogue, he can dash, disengage or hide as a bonus action. In the early game, he would therefore duck in and out of melee each turn. He then took the Mobile feat, which means he doesn't provoke opportunity attacks anyway. I first thought this was a wasteful choice, a bit of duplication with a slight bonus to speed, but he's now free to run much further in and out (dashing with double that bonus) or hide after attacking (and as a halfling, he can hide behind the fighter). He's a melee attacker who almost never gets hit.

I'm assuming that the sneak attack scaling doesn't keep up with the extra attacks, which is why the rogue isn't generally rated highly overall. But in this stage of the game, he seems to have it made for someone who just wants to stab people: do lots of damage, dodge the response, repeat. I'm now wondering if I can get him a ring of spell storing to cast a concentration spell for me, because he might be less likely than me to get hit.

In fact, I've even caught myself wondering if he's better off turning me into a giant ape for the start of a fight, so I can conserve my spell slots and help the party better with a bit of tanking: doing more damage and shielding them better than I'd do with most of my actual spells. With the druid having left me as the designated blaster, I'm honestly not always sure I'm any better than a gorilla under my own test. The tables have well and truly turned.

This is how far the mighty have fallen. Ape punching does seem to be better than fireball, unless there's a nice group of targets lined up. I could give the fighter advantage by flanking, give him constant opportunity attacks by making me the target for attacks, and soak up 157 HP of damage from a big bad (protecting him, the rogue and the druid whilst she pins them in place with concentration) before reverting and doing something wizardy to finish them off. It's a scary thought, and I try not to dwell on it too much. I have my own concentration spells, I say to myself. Shiny new fifth level ones. They'll keep me relevant.

Don't get me wrong: I'm still a wizard supremacist. When I see takes that go the other way, pushing martial classes as stronger overall, it makes me laugh. From the little I've read about higher levels, a wizard definitely has the ceiling to enter god-like territory. A fighter gets four attacks per turn and the wizard gets Wish and True Polymorph and Simulacrum and almost limitless power. There are any number of avenues to complete domination of that match-up. But here and now, with a monster up ahead? I'm grateful to have such powerful friends here by my side.

[neuro-gal-thoughts]

Supporting Other Women

Does anyone else feel like they're constantly in a conundrum with female friendships?

I recently had a conversation with two new coworkers, both women. We're all in our late 20s to mid 30s, and yet the pair of them said they don't have female friends. Both said other women play into competition too much. Too much gossiping. They get along better with guys.

*sigh*

I want to support and be friends with other women. But when the women I talk to just pit themselves against "other women/girls", what do I do?

If I choose not to be close to them, I feel like I'm participating in ostracizing the "Pick Me's" and it doesn't make them want to interact with "Other Women", only furthering the divide of "Pick Me's/Not Like Other Girls" and "Other Women/Girls".

But often, if I choose to try to get close to them it tends to turn into clique-ish situations. The new friend will often have at least one girl/woman they don't get along with who they gossip about, and then talk down other women.

Like, it makes me uncomfortable if a woman passes judgement on a celebrity ("I can't stand Jennifer Aniston. She's only famous because of her looks and her famous dad." Girl, we don't know Jennifer Aniston IRL and talking shit about her doesn't make you inherently better than her, why do you have to put others down??? ToT ).

I had a friend who often told me they had a lot of female friends and they were the fun friend who I could talk to about fun things, trade interests with.

I don't know when I first noticed the negative ways they'd talk about other women, but I recall a moment that stuck out to me was when I shared a podcast with her.

She liked the show a lot, she loved the male host....but the female host has an annoying voice.

The showrunners had talked about receiving fan letters about the female host's voice before too so it kind of hit a nerve with me.

I told the friend they didn't have to listen to the show if they didn't want. But I didn't know how to tell them that I found their comment on the female host's voice to come with a shade of misogyny.

Maybe because I knew the friend would see this as me attacking her. She has a lot of female friends and she supports other women a lot. How dare I accuse her of misogyny....are some of the defenses I imagine she would say to me.

I ended that friendship because when I tried to confront them about hurting my feelings, she followed up "I'm sorry" with a list of excuses ranging from she's a bitch and blunt and I should know that, I wasn't very caring to an issue she had a week before (which she didn't tell me had upset her until I addressed with her that she had hurt my feelings), her life is so different from mine maybe I just don't understand what she's going through in her life, how dare I expect her to hold space for my feelings because it's sexist that society expects women to be responsible for coddling other people's feelings.

I felt off and bad that she used sexism as an excuse for being dismissive with my feelings. I also noticed that when she was defending herself she was comparing herself to me a lot ("Maybe you take this hobby too seriously, I'm just trying to have fun" "your life is so different from mine maybe you just don't get where I'm coming from").

I remember when I was trying to reply to her I didn't want to compare her to me, I didn't want to accuse her of having feelings or thoughts I suspected/guessed she might have because I don't know what she was feeling or thinking. But to see that she did that to me...it just made me feel terrible and like she was deflecting accountability.

It was a fear I had would be her reaction and that was why I was hesitant to confront her in the first place. To see my fears confirmed, it was a reminder that someone who invalidates my feelings and thoughts don't need to be exposed to my feelings and thoughts.

I just think...often we are pitting ourselves against each other when we don't need to.

As a non-confrontational pacifist, like, I don't know how to navigate that relationship without it either being me feeling like I have to walk eggshells around someone who says they are a feminist but will always (silently and not-so-silently) compare themselves to other women or me ending the friendship because I felt like our friendship was toxic.

Not to say I don't have any fellow lady friends, I do. One of my closest friends is a woman I've been friends with for almost 2 decades.

I've never felt like either of us pitted ourselves against each other. This friend has told me about her struggles with comparisons to other girls and women throughout their lives but I have always felt this friend is more nuanced and honest. I don't feel judged or like she will hate me when I get insecure and make mistakes.

So I don't know.

I guess, like all people, there are some women I can get along with better than others. But that doesn't mean that I'm doing it wrong.

But God damn, I really do wish I could strip away the comparisons and competition with other women and just have us show up for each other.

I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I wish it wasn't so hard to navigate.

[thedancingwalrus-blog]

For the emoji ask game: 🧐 and/or ❌

Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Yes. Sometimes to the point the story itself doesn't get written. Which I think is a good thing considering a lot of what I tend to write.

I research different cultures and traditions. I research injuries and abuses etc when they come up in my stories. I research different kinds of historical technologies. I research disabilities and queer experiences that aren't my own. I research climatic regions and farming systems and I research cuisines a lot.

Tasty, tasty 'research' yes.

A lot of this is reading that I would do anyway. It's stuff that interests me so it isn't out of my way. I read a lot of nonfiction and I enjoy looking things up.

It's.... Most of the people I write are not like me. Since I tend to write fantasy that can make things a little easier. In the sense that it tends to make it clear that I'm writing a story about- A kid trying to use his magic powers to become the best journalist, for instance. Rather trying to write about The X Experience.

But I figure so long as I'm going to keep writing characters with experiences that aren't mine, I should pay attention to people who actually have those experiences. Because I want people to feel happy about my stories, to feel seen and included.

The other sorts of research, history and climatic conditions and such- A lot of that just happens once I get an idea? One of the current original ideas I'm working on was partly inspired by the development of writing in the Middle East. So reading about the Sumerians and Dilmun is a natural extension of the idea itself to me.

And that kind of research can either really help me stay excited about a story (in the same way re-watching episodes or replaying a game can get me excited about a fanfic). Or I can get so distracted by enjoying the reading that I don't write.

But research is a big part of my process. It gives me ideas. It helps me feel confident that I do have a story worth telling.

That's just me though :)

What's a trope you will never write?

OK so this one is hard because often as soon as I say 'I will never write this' I start thinking about it and think of a way to make it work for me/be appealing to me.

Izaya I am looking at you.

I am unlikely to write a Coffee Shop or High School AU. I could do it. But it would mean reframing the trope away from the standard 'let us set this in a modern US culture' and dropping it somewhere like Cairo instead. Because that's closer to my experience and also more interesting to me personally. I think doing that would probably mean cutting out a lot of what makes those AUs appealing to most fic readers.

Actually I've thought of something- I am never going to write 'pacifists' (air quotes fully intended) as 'reluctant to be violent but we will talk them round to violence with the Righteousness of our Cause!' Because *wow* is that a deliberately offensive reading of an ethical and philosophical position. I'm not gonna insult Bamba and Bacha Khan like that.

I hope we're taking not writing blatantly racist, ableist or queerphobic tropes as read? I don't want to add to that awful noise.

Beyond that- Hmmmm.

I'm unlikely to write a/b/o stories. No objection, they just don't appeal to me.

I'm unlikely to write anything involving Greek mythology. I feel like it's been re-imagined and re-told so many times there isn't really anything for me to say.

I can't really think of anything else. I think I spend a lot more time thinking about what I'd like to write then what I wouldn't write?