#or even deeply explores it with the character

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

So I know you have that post w the big list of black woman authors, and at least a couple times people have added authors that are in fact Not women, so I was curious… do you have a list of black non-binary authors you’d recommend?

yeah absolutely!

obviously my #1 ride or die is Akwaeke Emezi, although I do want to be conscientious to emphasize that while Emezi does use the word transgender to describe themself their self-concept is also deeply tied to the specifically Igbo concept of ogbanje, which they wrote about here. their first novel, Freshwater, is a work of autofiction that delves deep into that part of their life, but all of their work is gorgeous! they've got a a gorgeous novel called the Death of Vivek Oji about a family trying to make sense of a mysterious son's mysterious death, a wiiild romance novel called You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, a sort of grimy, dark thriller set in Lagos called Little Rot, a heart-shattering memoir called Dear Senthuran, and even some YA novels. they've also been teasing a high fantasy series for YEARS and god, I am ready. being an Akwaeke Emezi stan is the gift that just keeps on giving.

Eloghosa Osunde is a visual artist and friend of Emezi's. their debut novel, Vagabonds!, contains multiple overlapping stories of queer lives in Nigeria, with the titular vagabonds doing their best to live beyond the notice of the laws that criminalize queerness. they've got another novel, which I believe is called Necessary Fictions, coming out this year and I'm super excited for it.

C.L. Polk is the author of one of my very favorite fantasy/mystery trilogies, which begins with Witchmark. the setting is a sort of a gaslamp fantasy set in not!England, and each book has a new main character pursuing a delightfully queer love story and also organizing against societal ills. these books said FUCK the patriarchy and MEANT IT.

Rivers Solomon writes resonant, eerie genre fiction; of faer books that I've read, one is called The Deep and explores the collective grief of mermaids who are descended from enslaved Africans who jumped off of slave ships in the Atlantic, and Sorrowland follows a queer, pregnant teenager's escape from a Black separatist cult that honestly reminds me a lot of Octavia Butler's work.

I actually JUST listened to a brand new novel by Bob the Drag Queen (yes, she's nonbinary!) called Live in Concert: Harriet Tubman, which takes the zany premise of Harriet Tubman miraculously coming back to life (Do Not worry about it) and deciding to drop a mixtape with the help of a washed up gay producer and turns it into something really heartfelt. it's a little messy, but it did make me almost cry several times. I strongly recommend listening to it narrated by Mx. the Drag Queen to really get the full effect.

also on the memoir front, I have GOT to shout out George M. Johnson's memoir All Boys Aren't Blue, one of the MOST consistently banned and challenged books in America baby!!! and all because it deals with real shit like sexual violence, the pressures of masculinity, and a child realizing they may not be growing up to be the boy they're expected to be. it's really moving, I can't wait to pass my copy to my nephew when he's the right age to take it in.

[ecideras]

First of all, I want to make it clear: I don't intend to distort Tolkien's canon, much less force this theory on anyone. What I'm sharing here is just a free interpretation, born out of a desire to explore the silences, between the lines and poetic possibilities that Middle-earth offers us. The theory that Celebrían could be the daughter of Galadriel and Sauron may seem daring, and it is, but it doesn't seek to deny the original work. On the contrary, it is an exercise in affectionate imagination, which tries to shed light on characters that are often forgotten or underdeveloped. I am deeply grateful to anyone who takes the time to read it. May this text be an invitation, not to a truth, but to a journey.

Celebrían: between light and shadow

Ever since I began to explore the Tolkienian Legendarium and the vibrant culture of its fandom in greater depth, I have been struck by a theory that, although controversial, has provoked me intellectually in an intense way: the idea that Celebrían, traditionally the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, could, in an alternative universe, be the daughter of Galadriel and Sauron. This hypothesis, although not canonical, led me to revisit the character and her relationship with the world around her with a more critical, more symbolic and — why not? — more human.

Before any argument, it's important to emphasise that, yes, the canon is clear: Celebrían is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn. However, speculative fiction exists to allow for new perspectives, and Tolkien's universe — rich in mythology, symbolism and universal themes — offers a fertile basis for interpretations and reimaginings. The idea of a half-breed, half-maia, half-elf is not new in Arda. Lúthien, daughter of Thingol (elf) and Melian (maia), is one of the greatest examples of how miscegenation can generate powerful figures, not only in mystical power, but in emotional and spiritual complexity.

Why, then, would it be impossible or "perverse" to imagine Celebrían with this dual heritage?

In the canon, Celebrían is a marginalised figure. We know that she was married to Elrond, had three children and was captured by orcs and deeply wounded, which led her to leave Middle-earth. However, little is explored of her psychology, her inner conflicts and her journey as an elven woman born of the oldest lineage.

By proposing that she be the daughter of Galadriel and Sauron, I'm not advocating a replacement of the canon, but rather a possible expansion within a creative headcanon. Celebrían, in this scenario, would gain a layer of depth that would make her more interesting — not a corrupted character, but someone who carries the burden of a dual origin. A being whose essence is both light and shadow — and who, by choice and will, follows the path of light.

Wouldn't that be deeply Tolkienian? Tolkien didn't create flat characters; his works are, above all, about moral struggle, free will and redemption. Boromir fell. Frodo almost fell. Gollum was redeemed, albeit by accident. Gandalf and Galadriel were tempted. And even Sauron, one day, was just a maia serving Aulë.

The argument that Elrond would never accept Celebrían if he learnt of her half-maia heritage, from Sauron, seems to underestimate the character's nature. Elrond, who is himself the fruit of a mixed-race union (son of Eärendil and Elwing, therefore with elven, maia and human blood), is one of the wisest and most tolerant characters in Tolkien's work. His life was marked by difficult decisions and unconditional love — including, later, allowing his daughter to choose a mortal destiny alongside Aragorn.

If Celebrían were Sauron's daughter, that wouldn't define her as an evil being, and such thinking is reductionist and ignores one of the central pillars of Tolkien's Legendarium: free will. In Arda, evil is not inherited as an inevitable genetic curse, but arises from the choices made along an individual's journey. To reduce Celebrían to her ancestry would be to dehumanise her, denying her agency and complexity. After all, Sauron himself was not born corrupted — he was initially Mairon, a maia dedicated to order and creation, who fell of his own free will. If he had the freedom to choose darkness, why couldn't his supposed daughter choose light? Such an essentialist perspective reinforces a deterministic logic that Tolkien fought against with vigour in his work. Celebrían, even with a dark lineage, could be — and perhaps precisely because of this — one of the greatest proofs that light can be born from the midst of darkness, and that good is not hereditary property, but a personal achievement. The real narrative strength of this headcanon lies in the fact that she chose, despite her origin, to live a life of compassion, wisdom and motherhood. Wasn't it precisely this kind of moral strength that would attract Elrond? A spirit that has transcended its dark heritage — and is therefore more worthy of love?

Furthermore, the union of Celebrían and Elrond in this context would become even more significant: two beings who carry the weight of an ambiguous lineage, but who together choose to perpetuate hope.

The pessimistic view that "if you have a child of a corrupted being, you will have a corrupted being" contradicts everything Tolkien says about legacy and choice. Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen would not be "cursed" by their heritage, but enhanced by it. Arwen, in choosing the fate of men, honours the path of Lúthien, her ancestor — she is not corrupted by her heritage, but made noble by it.

What this headcanon offers is the opportunity to see these children as reflections of complexity. Arwen, for example, in choosing mortality, may not only be repeating Lúthien's story, but also freeing herself from the weight of a dark past that she carries. Elladan and Elrohir, known for their impetuosity, could have this read as an expression of an inner fire — perhaps inherited, but channelled for good.

It's important to remember that Tolkien's work recognises that even beings with great power — like the maiar — are susceptible to free will. Gandalf chose to protect. Saruman chose to dominate. And Sauron chose to corrupt. Power alone does not spell doom; it is how it is used that defines destiny.

The comment I read about this theory — "do you realise the metaphysical aspects to which you are literally condemning Celebrían?" — carries with it not only a legitimate fear, but also an interpretative limitation. The criticism is not without foundation: indeed, carrying Sauron's blood would have implications. But why do we assume that this, necessarily, means corruption?

Celebrían was not a "dark Lúthien", as has been suggested, but a new entity — moulded by her mother's choices, her father's rejection, and her own decision to follow the light. Lúthien was also a creature of immense power. If Celebrían inherited something similar — an enchanting power, a voice capable of healing or disintegrating — it would only make her richer narratively. There is no contradiction in imagining a powerful, but restrained, gentle Celebrían, marked by the ancestral shadow but determined to live in the light.

The fear that this will erase the "canonical" Celebrían — who is already quite forgettable — is understandable. But fandom doesn't have to be a binary battleground between the "real" and the "invented". We can — and should — coexist with multiple readings. Celebrían's half-maia headcanon doesn't deny its traditional version; it simply proposes a symbolic, tragic and redemptive alternative.

To defend the idea of Celebrían as Sauron's daughter is not to deny Tolkien, but to recognise that his work is so rich that it can generate multiform interpretations. This version isn't for everyone — and nor should it be. But for me, it represents something profound: the strength of a character forgotten by the canon, who gains, through the shadow, a new place in the light. And this is perhaps the most Tolkienian of narratives.

[adamanteine]

thinking deeply about reworking her vampire verse and the concept of a mermaid verse is also in my head so ramblings under cut 🤠

so for vampire verse…… there was a movie made by an iranian producer that paralleled the life a vampire to the west instead of the east and suggests the unreality of life in a western world driven by a capitalist drive for profit, drifting from any moral basis and then the movie "a girl walks home alone at night" that challenges orientalist binarism and when analyzed it was said that the trick of both movies is to make the vampiric taking of blood seem preferable to capitalist creation of human misery and both feature vampires who not only drink blood but ALSO seem to drink up virtually any artifact that comes along in their quest to feed an insatiable culture lust and i thought that was so interesting. it also suggests, in a sort of reverse orientalism, a binary opposition between the “authentic” world of iran and the world of the west and these movies actually concern themselves with the cross cultural concerns btw the middle east and the west.

it also shows culture as the embodiment of capitalist decadence— even if their capitalist cities seem to be emblems of postmodern decadence and decay in general. BUT the containment and purification of femme sexuality is displayed in this specific group of films as well and when you look up the genre of horror and think about the monstrous feminine, the films challenge the pure/monstrous dichotomy set up by society and in the iranian moves, the characters have the veil in common, employed differently in both films as a way to explore the “shocking” and “abject” of the femme body in two very different societies. the notion of hybridity and the in-between explored in both films becomes an important way to reject and problematise these polarisations and those are things i’m looking into paralleling into this verse

speaking of shams specifically in this verse….. so there are no actual vampires in the middle east or iran but in iranian folktales theres a character that ppl call pat matar that is comparable to the strigoi and is more of a shapeshifter than a vampire but the thing about her is that she makes victims willingly offer their blood before she kills them and then collecting their memories 👁️ the victims are also found smiling with no wounds and just a drop of blood on their lips and ppl have compared her to the nezāneh (which is another shapeshifting ghoul) so i can connect those two and reworking her verse a little to make it fit since i want to focus on middle eastern gothic a bit more

ON TO THE MERMAID VERSE…… in "julnar the sea-born and her son king badr basim of persia" it was said that mermaids enchant sailors with their songs. but those who follow these mesmerizing melodies often find themselves unwittingly led to peril 😼 and in persian folklore, the mermaid is known as the maneli, or the peri derya’ee. the latter transliterates to the "fairy of the river". in medieval manuscripts, the mermaid was often depicted with wings. but, unlike british folklore, where sirens are evil, the peri derya’ee was believed to be a good omen, like all other peri's in persian legends. they also believe that capturing a mermaid brings good luck and that pearls are formed from the tears of the merfolk SO i’m having visions and you will be hearing about this 🫵

[uniquethingtastemaker]

It's all ir nothing (I say as I obsess over characters instead of studying math)

Jade is one of characters I find most interesting in twisted wonderland, but I also like Floyd, Malleus, Idia (my long lost twin), and obv Vil

Rook is also interesting, in his own ways

Moooooood. Escapism at its finest. I understand and relate lol (this turned out to be way longer than i expected but this is fine lol. Also low key off adhd meds but we still posting anyways)

Jade is an amusing character. He's hilarious. I love how he teases and pokes fun at Azul. His sense of humor is entertaining. He has such cute and fun quirks. Sometimes they’re deadly (rmushrooms), but that’s part of the fun

Floyd is entertaining. Ngl, in Azul’s Dreaming of You, he’s the best side character. He's the MVP. He’s so fun to write for. However, I’m curious to see how he’d act in a serious situation or in true emotional distress. @solxamber did a fantastic job in her "Let's Break Up" series, so I intend to talk to her and dissect her thoughts lol

Malleus was a character @solxamber got me into lol. While he isn’t my favorite, he’s a fantastic central character in the canon story. He’s very cool. I want to figure out some ancient fae magic to help him keep track of time. I aim to at least assist the man in finding a long-term solution to his time management problem in my fanfics

Vil! I love him so much! It’s why I put him in his place in every fanfic he's in. Actually, in Rook x Observant Reader, he's the main reason the couple doesn't get together faster. It's nothing nefarious. Rook and Reader just have a silent agreement that Vil takes priority. Our favorite model needs help, and he's on a time limit. Besides, both of them care deeply about their friends, which is so sweet. It just goes to show how much love and attention I put into Vil in this fanfic. I hope that Vil lovers will like it just as much as Rook fans. Perhaps I can convert people into appreciating our favorite hunter more... According to my friends, I'm very persuasive

I'm also trying to ensure that the audience doesn't fall in love with Vil romantically in Rook x Observant Reader. I hate when that happens. I'll go back and check. From what I remember (bro, this thing is so long, I forget stuff. I go back to read parts of it and pause, because I don't remember writing that. However, it's good, so I'm not complaining. The surprise keeps the fanfic fresh and interesting. It’s just wild), I do a good job of establishing a familial bond. I mean, you saw the Vil milf post. That man is the mom of the group and it shows. Even when Vil gets his act together, Reader still throws in a friendly jab. To me, it signals "we're friends now, so I get to bully you." Besides, I ensure that any emotional scene between Vil and Reader, Rook plays a key role. I hope that comes across, but I will review it

Oh, I'll also say that Vil's Dreaming of You is one of my favorites so far. I'm so intense about this fanfic. Every time I think about it, I burst at the seams because I'm so excited. It's so good. It's delicious. Again, I fangirl any time I think about it. However, Riddle's and Azul's are coming out first. I made a promise and I'm honoring that lol

Idia is relatable on a spiritual level. He's my boyfriend's favorite, which makes sense. He's a mechanical engineer who likes video games and anime... However, Idia is funnier than my boyfriend... I'm the funny one in our relationship. He made the mistake of saying I was funny once, and now I hold it over him. I never say he's funny. I always say he's cute when he make me giggle

I have some of Idia's Dreaming of You. I know, it's a new one/update! It's comedy-oriented, and I love it. When I think about this one, I laugh.

Rook! My spirit animal lol. If you can't tell, I love Rook. I'm writing a novella or novelette for him, so... I think it shows how dedicated I am. He's a complex and interesting character. In my Rook x Observant Reader, I aim to uncover and explore the intricacies of it

I also have the concept of Rook's Dreaming of You... When it's next to the Observant Reader fanfic, it pales in comparison. However, it is still well written and amazing. I had to really dissect his dream and the intent behind it. At its core, what does it say about Rook, what does he value, and what makes him happy? I explain and show that in the fanfic. However, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. I'm always curious

Also, thank you for interacting with me! Sorry, this is so late lol. Been busy with real life. However, I love talking with people with the same interests as me, so keep the interactions and comments coming!

[petalsandpeonies]

Ok. This is going to be wildly unpopular but oh well. I'm deeply concerned about the obsession with fascists within the marauders fandom.

You can head canon what you want and I'm not going to yuck your yum. I like fics that ask the question 'what if' and explore redemption arcs for morally grey characters.

However, I'm really worried about the large number of people that romanticize ships like Moonwater and Jegulus, etc. Especially at the detriment of other characters.

So much of the jegulus fandom seems to dislike Lily. (Almost every time I engage with the marauders fandom I see Lily hate). She is demonized in sooooo many fics. Do we ever stop to ask ourselves why we're so comfortable treating a muggleborn woman so poorly? She's subjected to systemic prejudice and extremism that treats her like an outcast and a second class citizen and it ultimately gets her killed. Treating her as an antagonist is just lazy writing at this point.

Meanwhile Regulus, while a compelling character based on the limited canon information we know, is glamorized to be a character that is misunderstood, a victim of abuse, someone who never actually believed in blood prejudice when we know very well that he lived a life that supported and upheld the systems that discriminated against muggleborns. Which is much more important than whether or not he joined the death eaters willingly or reluctantly. He was not a good person, but his last living act was, that's what's compelling and interesting about him, but it doesn't make him a hero or something he wasn't.

As a society we seem to be a lot more comfortable lifting up characters that are supposed to be rich, beautiful, and pure blooded rather than characters from lower classes.

I think this comes from our desire to idolize and sympathize with rich and successful people while demonizing those of poorer socioeconomic classes. We tend to assign moral value or superiority to those in the upper echelons of society as if they're more deserving of their success or fortune, and thus our time and attention. We have been socialized to have a preference for thinner people, more attractive people, people with more money, and this is reflected in the types of literature and stories we read as well as the types of characters who get the most hype. It's something we need to be cognizant of and actively reflect on.

What is with the obsession of pairing characters like Remus with pureblooded death eaters? Remus would never be with someone like that. Lycanthropy can be ready as an allegory for Aids (think about when these books were written), again subjecting him to dating characters who most likely thought less of him and more importantly turned a blind eye to the systems that oppressed him is inherently cruel and an unhealthy power dynamic to advocate for.

People can read and write what they want, but please ask yourself in a world where right wing extremism is sweeping across the US, countries in Europe (like Hungary), etc, should we enforce narratives that sympathize and even romanticize oppressive characters? Are we intentionally ignoring the need to build out stories for characters of more diverse backgrounds?

Not every story can tackle every sort of prejudice or make political commentary, but the next time you read a fic that plays with harmful stereotypes maybe take a step back to think why this might possibly be wrong and what it says on a larger scale about us as a collective whole.

[whinlatter]

It's very smart what you are doing with Hermione and her parents in Beasts. It was jarring to me that by the end of DH, Hermione is the singular person that goes through the war that is never touched by grief and probably still can't see the thestrals. She's not close to Sirius or Fred or Tonks or Remus lbr. We were just supposed to believe she gets her parents back and goes back to her hunky dory life. It didn't make sense to me, everyone else is deeply grieving who they have lost and we were supposed to believe that Hermione just hides her parents and gets them back later. So she lost nothing? And then JKR said she graduates with Ginny and gets her 7th year too. So she didn't even sacrifice that. It was extremely dumb writing and thinking on JKR's part. But since you are dealing with actual realistic repercussions of powerful memory magic because utilized by an inexperienced teenage girl, it makes so much sense now. Hermione would grieve too, because of the unfair choices she had to make and the consequences she'd have to live with forever.

thank you very much anon, i really appreciate that! sometimes i think that if i read more romione-centric fics i'd probably find 1000 other authors doing similar things with hermione and her parents storylines, but for now - ignorance is bliss.

i think you raise a set of really good points here, points that speak to an important problem with hermione at series end, which is that she's gone through traumatic experiences, but that a) none of them really receive much attention or come to any consequence for the plot and that b) hermione doesn't really get to have that much of an arc in the canon series beyond the resolution of her romantic relationship with ron.

sometimes i think about which characters would be a good protagonist of a post-war fic narratives, or sequels in some form, on the basis of them exiting the canon series with a set of unresolved tensions that would be fun or interesting to play with. (to be clear these are not necessarily fics i would write, just ideas that could hold water). beyond harry, on my running list there are several men - kingsley, for instance, percy, george, my beloved boy dean - but mostly a lot of women. this is because the vast majority of female characters get little by way of satisfying character arc in the main series.

(no doubt there was some misguided feminist intent in there: some notion that women are innately better than men, so don't need to change or grow or improve that much; men just need to clock that they're great etc etc - but still, it is frustrating. luna is a trigger for everyone else's growth (they stop thinking she's a freak and come to view her as a person...); tonks, too, is a trigger for male growth and self-acceptance. ginny's tension is resolved in that she wins the hero's heart (hardly feminist, and i say this as a hinny fan), but never meaningfully gets to revisit or get any closure on the defining experience of her character's life, despite the fact the series crests with the destruction of another horcrux with gryffindor's sword with ginny present (the circular arc is right there!) molly weasley's worst nightmare comes true and it means not a single thing; fleur remains hot (though proving she is not as vain as everyone thought... terrific). of the baddies, narcissa's arc has some satisfaction (even if it ends with her obligations as a mother trumping all); petunia's moment of wavering hints at something interesting but goes unfulfilled. but for the most part, most (surviving) female characters at the close of the series exit stage left with no canonical resolution to a central tension, positive or negative, in ways that at least give fic authors reasonably good fodder to play around with in trying to explore post-canon narratives.)

of these, then, i think hermione is a very strong candidate as a protagonist of a post-war fic. i don't want to diminish what was significant about hermione as a female character - it genuinely did mean something to have a protagonist that was an unrepetantly bossy girl who outshone the boys at every turn and made no apology for it, much as we take that for granted as a trope in YA fiction now - but she does not get a satisfying personal growth arc by the end of deathly hallows. the idea that hermione is supposed to go back to hogwarts for her eighth year is in fact rowling's way of saying oh yes, hermione went back to her old life, and slayed. but wouldn't going back to hogwarts after a year away, when the school had altered beyond all recognition, after a genocidal war against hermione and her peers and after the torture and abuse of children by authority figures hermione traditionally reveres, be kind of shit and hard and worth exploring?

of course the other core tension of hermione with which the series ends with the issue with her parents. earlier in DH hermione says if she survives the war, she'll go find them and set their memories back, and we are supposed to accept that as an unproblematic action that wouldn't cause any tension or come with any pricetags.

one of the things i find most interesting about hermione is that she is consistently absolutely ruthless (marietta etc). in the case of her parents, she literally seizes the agency of two human beings and plays god with their lives in the name of a greater good. i mean - slay! but that's fucked up! and mental, even if was necessary! and wouldn't it be so interesting to imagine it wasn't actually all happily ever after when hermione clearly thinks undoing her actions would be so neat? so i'm having a lot of fun imagining how the cookie might crumble in that particular scenario - what happens when the dust settles, only not where it's supposed to, and hermione has to reckon with the choices she made (for good reasons!) and the consequences of those actions for the people she loves.

that said, because in beasts i'm most interested in exploring ginny's unresolved tensions at series end (and the hinny tensions within them), i often find myself thinking: i can get hermione to a place of progress in this narrative, but for her, the dam would most likely properly break much later in life. i think, in a fic, hermione's arc would be its most interesting as a proper adult later on in her career , perhaps when she is minister. here you could play with an identity crisis of her as a muggleborn minister in a post-war wizarding world, grappling with motherhood and marriage, taking on a series of tests that no-one, really, can ever ace. i suppose this is a bit spoilery for hermione in beasts, but i do think in the space of a post-war year, the idea that hermione's situation with her parents could ever be more than something shaky and tentative and tricky at the end of AY 97/98 is unimaginable to me. i'm hoping to get her to a place where she has made progress in some directions - in her friendships, in reconciling herself to her relationship to school and authority - but it is more interesting to me to have her still with lots of learning and growing to do in later life (even if i won't trying to write that fic!)

[flwerfield]

A Change in Tides (Tim Drake x Male reader) Character info

AN: Happy finals week to anyone taking finals!!, good job and congrats for making it so far, I've had to take a small step back but now I'm ready to write and learn some more lol. This is more of a character info before i finish up the chapter.

⋅°₊�� ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧

Stellar Anchor is the reader's unique ability, centered entirely around a single soulbound weapon—Celestial’s Edge—a mythic sword forged from a collapsed core star. It appears in bursts of starlight and gravitational distortion and can only be wielded by its summoner. The blade houses a rotating star core, allowing for gravity-based abilities like slashing shockwaves, impact-heavy strikes, and high-pressure cuts.

The sword can orbit its user, creating a gravitational shield or battlefield disruption, and its Starflare Strike channels intense heat and pressure into a radiant slash that burns through barriers and repels foes.

The reader's Solar Veins glow golden-red during heightened emotion, enhancing their strength and precision. They link the reader to the sword, allowing it to be reforged if broken. Overuse results in visible strain—light bleeding, glowing skin, and overheating.

Though powerful, the sword’s strength depends on the user's emotional clarity. It isn’t limitless—more divine instrument than cheat code. The reader makes no other weapons. Just this one: a starborn blade that defines them—graceful, radiant, and overwhelming.

⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧

Origins:

The kingdom of Velorion, born from the remnants of a fallen god, is known as the Kingdom Beneath the Sea of Stars. Nestled in a tranquil ocean trench where constellations shimmer through sapphire waters, Velorion is a kingdom of breathtaking beauty—its cities built from pale crystal, flowing silver reefs, and mirrored stone that reflects the sky even in the deepest dark.

Legend says the star-god Asterion fell here, his dying light absorbed by the sea and woven into the blood of Velorion’s royal line. His fall gave birth to a kingdom touched by the cosmos.

His dying light splintered, seeding the royal bloodline of Velorion, the Crown of the Sailing Stars. To each heir, he leaves a single divine gift, shaped not by duty, but by the soul. 

You are its newest king. young, warm-hearted, and unmistakably divine.

The people of Velorion love you deeply. You are their sun beneath the sea—bright, bold, and sincere. You speak with compassion and confidence, your smile often the first thing to enter a room. You laugh easily, speak truth plainly, and carry yourself like someone who believes in softness without surrender. But there’s more to you than charm—beneath your golden aura lies the quiet gravity of someone born to carry stars.

You wield Celestial’s Edge, a blade forged from Asterion’s broken core. You summon it with a thought, and its glow casts shadows across the ocean floor. It is yours alone to command—a weapon of legacy and power, proof that your bloodline still burns.

The other kingdoms aren't as kind. They call you the God-Touched King, the pretty boy of the deep, a prince playing god. They mock your elegance and brightness, seeing softness where there is control. 

⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧ ଳ ‧₊° ⋅⋅°₊‧

AN: Chapter 1 should be out soon, let me know if you think of any changes or something you would like to see explored in this story. I'm still learning so help or guidance is appreciated.

[hellspawnmotel]

Seeing as your also getting Catti-pilled like the rest of the fandom I’d like to ask you if you’ve heard about the theory of Catti havung been responsible for Kris’ possession due to a willing ritual on both their parts.

Idk how likely it’d be, but a part of me hopes it could happen since not only would it make Catti more interesting and important as a character, it’d also be a very interesting thing to explore as well, Kris perhaps at one point wanting to have been possessed for whatever reason. You don’t really see much “willing possession” in media, at least not enough, so DR potentially tackling deeply and seeing how that’d tie into the whole existential conundrum of Kris and ours relationship would be highly interesting.

cmon man this is the fifth time you've sent this exact ask. if I don't answer something it means I either don't have anything notable or interesting to say, or I just haven't got around to it yet or haven't figured out how to respond, not that I didn't see it. this keeps happening too, it's the third or fourth time ive been sent the same message about deltarune over and over.... please in the future just like, be patient or accept that I might not answer. I'm very flattered that people want to know my thoughts and I enjoy talking about them when I have something to share, which is why I keep anon open, but I don't enjoy feeling like im going to be pestered with the same question until you get what you want.

also im not really even sure what you were looking for here, just for me to say I agree? yes I have seen that theory I think it's been around since before chapter 2 released. and I've been pretty certain that catti is going to be important for long before now, I didnt have to catch up with everyone else lmao. I just didn't have any thoughts on it that I could make into art or haven't already shared, or were different from what's already been said.

im sorry to be blunt about it but this is getting kind of ridiculous and I dont want it to keep happening a week from now when we get a lot of new information. I will share my thoughts in my own time on my own terms

[serahadmoni]

True that. I mean, I feel like I've probably explored the Bodhi as a reflection trope and that's fine and interesting enough when it gets to not only the root of the why but how that impacts his psyche long-term. To be "disposable."

[RE: Restoration - I will try not to get too into the weeds because only a select few are likely to be interested in how the proverbial sausage is made, but…YES. It's a framing device that is tangentially important to the plot down the line; however, the entire point is to juxtapose Chief-of-Staff Bodhi with Restoration Addict Bodhi to both highlight how they are different but also how they aren't. It probably makes more sense within the context of the larger (which, the offshoots and twists and…if I keep delivering bite-sizes we're going to be chewing until I'm 80, maybe, it's gotten INVOLVED because there are things I want to say that I didn't know I needed to.) Either way, his role as Xaden's second isn't really material in the long run, it merely is a fact that exists. There are threads that occur because of his role as Xaden's second, but those are his threads and not Xaden's.]

I truly, madly, deeply don't want Bodhi to be the brother even if I have written him that way and I suspect strongly he is. And I absolutely agree that from what we've seen of Bodhi and the subtext I can glean from his character, unfortunate and necessary is the only thing that makes logical sense. I haven't watched any post-OS interviews, mostly because I have a complicated relationship with the text. But if she has implied that he turned because he felt inadequate? I don't know what to do with that unless the author is hiding the character from herself intentionally like you've said.

I do love the idea Bodhi's intentionally private around Violet - for the metafiction of it, of course - but also because of what could possibly mean for the text.

There's a larger meta about Xaden and Bodhi stewing in the back of my brain that leans into a potential dynamic I don't know that I've seen anywhere, but it has to do with something Liam says to Violet early on in Fourth Wing about how women either want to kill Xaden or screw him. And that…

Maybe part of the reason Bodhi's private around Violet is because he doesn't want to risk getting too close. Because he's an emotionally intelligent dude and can see how Xaden feels about her, yes. But also, maybe the reason Xaden freaked out about the flight jacket disproportionately is because he was fine for a roll in the hay (la la la he's the heir and if I'm in with the heir then I can get X, Y, Z, A, B, C that has nothing to do with Xaden himself.) Temporary. What if Bodhi has always been the one with quiet, steady, loving relationships and Xaden - who has faced rejection on multiple fronts and given himself wholly to his duty - is actually a little bit jealous. The other tidbit that feeds into this is how openly flabbergasted Xaden is when Violet says he's beautiful. That he's a good man. I just…

Thought vomit. Sorry.

when they ask whats your biggest fear but you cant say

wanting to have more bodhi durran screen time but theres the risk of rebecca turning him venin and then i'll bawl because i know he's most likely to be the second brother and i wanted screen time just not in this way 😭 i wanted more of his personality his friendships his childhood his mother maybe even a love interest ??? the thing that gets me is look how intertwined violet and xaden are they'd die protecting each other, he hurts when shes hurt and vice versa- he turned venin and her entire trajectory changed. but for bodhi? other than garrick and imogen and his loyalty to xaden who's gonna hurt for bodhi??? whos gonna miss him and worry for him and look for his cure?? whos gonna save him when he can no longer recognise himself??? like it all feels surface level and can you imagine if he sacrifices himself or something or ends up dying i don't know and then we're stuck with the realisation that bodhi durran only ever existed for xaden and not even himself

so instead i just say spiders

[p1zzaparty]

i wrote an entire post about my feelings about the saturated need to label queerness constantly and how everything needs a perfect box/label and to only STICK to that box and never leave otherwise youre a fake bad queer but tldr i love queer media that actually never labels the character and their feelings are never given proper verbiage because sometimes people just dont have that kind of vocabulary!!!

[bumblingbabooshka]

Thinking about marriage/women's rights on Vulcan Some may think that T'Pring not being allowed to divorce Spock was because he was going through the pon farr but if she were allowed to divorce him at all she probably would have done that a long time ago, confirmed by T'Pol when she's speaking with Koss, who isn't suffering from the pon farr. She says that he can choose another mate (without invoking a fight it seems: note the difference between a 'mate' and a 'challenger') and after he makes it clear that nothing she says will change his mind about marrying her, she finally threatens to declare a kal-if-fee. It's clear that Vulcan women cannot divorce/refuse to marry a man they've been betrothed to under any circumstances if A) He himself doesn't consent to ending their marriage or B) She doesn't have someone else waiting in the wings to be given to in his stead. Though, if the challenger she selects fails to win the fight, she'll have to marry her betrothed anyway unless (again) he decides he doesn't want her after the challenge. That seems like an incredibly unfair system, heavily biased towards men. SNW is an alternate universe in many obvious respects but most egregiously in that T'Pring has a lot of non-canonical agency over her relationship with Spock. It's interesting to me that Vulcan society has women in many positions of power and treats women as equal to men from what I've seen despite these laws. We don't really see Vulcans exhibiting a misogynistic attitude towards women in general but in TOS (perhaps because of its general writing style but it's still interesting to note) both Sarek and Spock take on patriarchal attitudes specifically regarding wives. Amanda says that 'of course' Sarek commands her because "he is a Vulcan and I am his wife." It's worthwhile in my eyes to note that she specifies 'wife' instead of attributing this attitude to women as a whole. Again, with TOS' writing style it wouldn't be out of place for her to say "he is a man and I am a woman." Spock, while in a pon farr induced irritation, states that it's "undignified for a woman to play servant to a man that isn't hers" - again implying that there's something specific about being a Wife in Vulcan society which is different from being a woman in general and demands subservience to a husband. This could perhaps stem from the extreme sense of ownership that Vulcan law has permitted men to have over women. A woman legally cannot point blank refuse marriage. There is no option which guarantees she won't have to marry her betrothed other than death. When T'Pau speaks of T'Pring she refers to her as being 'property' and Stonn, before being interrupted, states he's made 'the ancient claim' - we don't know what this is because he gets cut off but it's obvious they're both using the language of Vulcan law. Men are permitted true freedom to choose. If a woman wants to choose someone else to be with there is no option available to her other than the kal-if-fee which might result in the death of the one she wants to be with. And, if her lover fails, her husband can still just decide he wants to marry her and she'll be forced to. T'Pring gives two scenarios: One where Spock 'frees' her and one where he doesn't - it's still ultimately his decision which is clear when he ends the conversation with "Stonn, she is yours." This again isn't just because of the pon farr as T'Pol also goes through this. Koss can choose another mate and when the option is talked about there's no implication that this would result in any sort of fight (both by the casualness of its mention and by the fact that there's no formal word for it unlike the kal-if-fee.) Also, the fact that Koss does eventually grant T'Pol a divorce and it's all fine means that T'Pol isn't lawfully required to have another man waiting if her HUSBAND doesn't want her. It's ONLY required if SHE doesn't want her husband. Tradition must take precedence over individual desire UNLESS!!! You're a man. Then it's fine. Like, your parents might not be happy but legally you're golden.

[audliminal]

It's barely the end of the first day of school, and three faculty members are dead. Nobody knows much yet, but supposedly the six freshman who all managed to get detention on the very first day of school were involved and, if the rumors are to be believed, two of them actually died. In a dumb fight in the cafeteria against some animated corn. Kipperlily rolls her eyes when she hears it. They're clearly a bunch of losers who are going to either drop out or get someone killed before the year is out, but that's not really her problem, is it?

Still, just to be on the safe side, maybe their party should spend some time in the woods behind the school, and get some practice in with rats and things before they find themselves involved in a fight like those dumb detention kids did.

It's a month into the school year, and Kipperlily's starting to get the hang of things. She's feeling comfortable in a fight now, they've been killing rats and twig gremlins in the Far Haven Woods as often as they can manage, and they're getting really good at it. They even have a name now, the High 5 Heroes, chosen by Kipperlily herself, of course.

Meanwhile, Kipperlily's pretty sure the kids from detention actually killed someone, though nobody seems to be talking about it. Kipperlily doesn't care what anyone says, she's heard multiple people say they saw members of their group talking to Penelope Sam and Johnny spells, and then the day after Johnny Spells gets killed in a fucking car chase, the rich kid, who's literally the son of a pirate, has a mysterious new motorcycle? It's all far too suspicious.

It's the week after winter break, and Kipperlily is stuck in the stupid guidance councilor's office, talking about her dumb feelings. Unlike the Bad Kids (and what kind of stupid name is that), who apparently had an adventure dropped in their lap within minutes of the first school day ending, Kipperlily has been waiting months and still nothing has popped up. Plus Oisin and Ivy keep joking about changing their party name to the Rat Grinders.

It's dumb. Who would want a party name that's based on some joke? Besides, she already chose the name. So why on earth would they change it now? At least Lucy seems to agree with her about it.

It's just days after prom, and Kipperlily is sick of everything. The stupid Bad Kids apparently crashed prom and literally defeated Kalvaxus, Emperor of the Red Waste. It's honestly bullshit. A dumb group of kids that couldn't even make it through one day of school without getting one third of their party killed, and they're being credited with saving the entire continent? Kipperlily's been digging into the Bad Kids' history with every moment of her free time, trying to figure out how a bunch of dumb untrained kids managed something so huge. And she thinks she might have cracked it.

Kristen Applebees is literally Helio's Chosen One, and apparently Adaine Abernant is the new Oracle of the Elves. Kipperlily doesn't know what Fig, Fabian, or Gorgug's deals are yet, but if rumors are to be believed, then Riz Gukgak's dad was eaten by the very same Kalvaxus. Clearly the entire reason the Bad Kids are succeeding is because of their personal histories.

And to make matters worse, Oisin and Ivy managed to get the rest of the party to go along with the stupid Rat Grinders name. and Mary Ann didn't even have a reason for it! The only one who voted with her was Lucy. So now they've got a dumb name and no real adventuring prospects, and all the while, a bunch of kids who skip classes and get arrested are somehow getting perfect grades with no effort.

It's sophomore year and everything is terrible. The Rat Grinders meet every day to kill rats in the woods and it's dumb and boring, and not even a little bit difficult anymore, and she has to go to weekly councilor sessions with Jawbone, who's an ally of her rival adventuring party, which. Aguefort already clearly likes them, and even before he was resurrected they had managed to get two of their allies positions in the school. Which has to be an unfair advantage. And now Fig's dad is the vice principal rather than the lunch lad. It's really no wonder they never seem to get in trouble for skipping classes or any of their other bullshit.

At least she can use their connection with Jawbone to her advantage. Every meeting with him, she mines him for new information on the Bad Kids, who have been doing absolutely nothing so far this year.

It's sophomore year and The Rat Grinders are going to finally get their chance! Porter and Jace have approached her with the opportunity of a lifetime! Porter even said she shows a lot of promise! He doesn't even seem to take issue with his anger, and he says that he's going to help her become an amazing adventurer. All she has to do is accept this weird little rage star thing and start worshipping some dead god of rage. Kipperlily honestly isn't that much into religion, but this is the first interesting thing to happen to her all day. She's already working to convince Lucy to change her god.

It's sophomore year and even as Kipperlily is finally making progress, the Bad Kids are still showing her up. Somehow, they ended up fighting the Nightmare King himself, defeating him and somehow in the process, Kristen Applebees managed to ressurect a dead god of her own. It's bullshit and literally the only reason they manage to get back in time for the end of spring break is the direct intervention of the principal again. Plus now Fig has somehow managed to become an Archdevil and start dating Principal Aguefort's daughter. As if she wasn't already a rockstar.

It's sophomore year and Kipperlily's going to make the Rat Grinders the best adventuring party at Aguefort, even if it kills her.

It's junior year and the Bad Kids seemed determined to ruin her life. It's bullshit. They literally didn't even know who she was before this year, and they seem determined to ruin everything she's working towards. On the first day of school, they all collectively decided that Kristen was going to run for school president, seemingly as a bit, the exact second that they find out she's running. And immediately on meeting her they made fun of her fucking name for literally no reason.

It's junior year and everything's going to plan. Kristen's been expelled, and the Bad Kids are taking The Last Stand, and they've got the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the Bad Kids for good. And yet somehow Kristen fucking Applebees manages to ruin their fucking plans perfectly, spotting her out before she can succeed in killing the proctor and Buddy. Instead she has to kill Buddy and let Oisin take her away before the Bad Kids can do anything. So of course the Bad Kids get a literal perfect score on The Last Stand, and now they've all aced their classes for the whole year.

It's junior year and they're summoning a dead god. It's junior year and they find out as they're casting the spell, that the name they'd gotten was fucking wrong. It's junior year and despite all their preparations the Bad Kids have managed to get to the gymnasium with all their stupid fucking votes. It's junior year and Kipperlily is at least going to kill Riz. It's junior year and Riz literally dives into lava.

It's junior year and Kipperlily's going to kill Riz. He thinks he's hiding, but she can see him, and she's going to have to close with him, but this is her opportunity, and then she's in the air, and he's got her in a hold person spell, and she's falling, and she's in the lava, and it's so hot, and it burns, and then it's all gone.

It's junior year and Kipperlily is dead. It's junior year and she's in a world of crystal spines and lava, and in the reflections of the crystals, Kipperlily can see everything. She sees herself in those wretched meetings with jawbone, kicking at the leg of the chair, and she can see Jawbone asking her every fucking time, what can she do to become a better adventurer. As if it was ever in her control. As if she ever could have done anything. As if it wasn't all about her backstory the whole time. As if she weren't the boring daughter of two boring people. As if she had ever had a chance.

"Did you ever try?" She hears a voice ask. And then Ankarna is there. The god that she tried so hard to kill. "Did you ever really try to become a better adventurer, or did you just wait for it to happen to you?"

"I did everything I could!" Kipperlily insists. "It's unfair, why should they get all the advantages?"

"Were they really ever advantages? Or did you just decide they were?"

"You think those idiots deserved their success? All they ever do is screw around!"

"That is not what I have seen of them. Nor have I seen any better of you. Of course, you did your schoolwork and you did it to the letter, but when did you ever challenge yourself? When did you ever take a risk? When did you ever seek out a task that was more than what you felt certain you would succeed at? Would you have even have the courage to take part in Porter's plan if he had not personally trained you, ensured that you were all as powerful as possible? You insist that the Bad Kids are only successful because of their tragic history, but what of Gorgug? There is not one thing in his past that drives him and yet he has succeeded at doing things no one else has ever managed." Ankarna stares long and hard at her, and then she is gone and Kipperlily is alone again. With nothing in her death but her own thoughts to keep her company.

[the-woman-upstairs]

Glen Powell is not working his ass off to bring romantic tension and visible yearning back to movies only for his kissing scenes to be left on the cutting room floor!

[waddles-ex-machina]

Hiiii! So, I just started interacting with the fandom I realized there's a lot of Johanna x Kaisa shippers (Sketchbook is the name ship?), and I wanted to know what's the appeal of the ship cus it never occurred to me to ship them lmao

Anyway, all in good faith! Thank you if you answer it, but it's fine if you don't!

Hello! Welcome to the fandom!

That’s a totally fair question, I’ve been a sketchbook shipper for years so to be honest shipping them is just second nature to me now, but let me uhhh try and remember some of my (and the rest of the fandom’s) reasoning. gonna put this under a cut bc it got kind of long I’m sorry 😭

Soo my favourite reason and the thing I never shut up about is that Johanna and Kaisa fulfill VASTLY different roles in Hilda’s life and in the show itself - Johanna is coded to be this very safe stable character for Hilda who isn't all that into her adventures (I know she breaks out of this image later in the show, but it’s still a big part of her character. like. for the most part she just wants some peace at home with a cup of tea please) and Kaisa is there specifically to enable Hilda’s adventures and point her at the dangerous thing. and character dynamic-wise, this is just. very funny. POV you’re a single mother just trying to see her child to the next birthday and the weird lady at the library keeps giving her books that can raise the dead. they’re at such odds by design that it sets up a ton of potential for how they could start off on the wrong foot (enemies to lovers babeyy) or have to try and meet each-other in the middle. and they’re both involved enough in Hilda’s life that it really feels like only a matter of time til they get thrown together by one of Hilda’s shenanigans

also, design and personality-wise they have an “opposites attract” kind of vibe I think? for instance Johanna is outwardly very friendly and a bit of a people-pleaser, but takes absolutely no shit when Hilda is in danger, and Kaisa puts up this dark mysterious persona, but deep down is quite insecure and anxious (and also more caring than she lets on - you can tell she’s also got a bit of a soft spot for Hilda when the kid isn’t actively trying to steal swords) so it’s fun to imagine how Johanna and Kaisa’s personalities could play off each-other when they have such different outward appearances but are more similar deep-down.

Theres also some fun angst reasons off the top of my head:

Johanna has had absolutely nothing but bad experiences with magic and Kaisa is an actual witch, and is partially responsible for some of those experiences (tide mice, etc). you can spin like 1 million scenarios out of this and people already have and it's great bdhsgdjh

Johanna has spent most of her life being abandoned by the people she trusts (her parents, Anders) and Kaisa has been shown to (unwillingly) shut people out and withdraw for fear of not being good enough. You could read them as both having difficulty trusting and maybe being able to help eachother through their insecurities together

to steal a very good point I saw @the-hilda-librarians-wife make a while ago, they’re both outcasts in their respective communities - Johanna struggles to fit in with the other parents and isn’t shown really having any friends in the show, and Kaisa gave up being a ‘proper’ witch to be the keeper of the books, and the other witches clearly look down on her as a result. They lead vastly different lives, but do have similarities that they could connect over and support each-other through.

ALSO - now we know Johanna is also magical and lost a part of herself from having her memory wiped - there is that potential for them to find the things that they’ve been missing in eachother. Kaisa deals with all kinds of magic shenanigans as her day job and could arguably do with some peace and someone to lean on, but she isn’t shy about magic/danger/any other weirdness. Johanna has an adventurous side that was repressed along with her childhood memories for years that still feels very distant to her. They could help bring these things out in each-other and bring a bit of balance to each-other’s lives.

And, coming back to what I said about them having different roles in the show, it’s just very fun to picture them as a co-parenting duo for Hilda. normal mom & chaotic mom. Hilda would be absolutely unstoppable

Finally, imo Kaisa is absolutely a lesbian (years ago I made a joke post on here saying smth like “did the Hilda team know they were making a wlw icon here” and someone from the team replied with “yes” JDKHSJ) and I’ve been in the fandom long enough to know the effect that Johanna has on those, I rest my case 😌

I hope that explains it kind of!! also if anyone else has any other points to make for why they like the ship feel free to add on!!

[infinitelyweary]

Has anyone endlessly dissected Armand's subtle Marius shade yet

[frogsafterdark]

i have so much deep lore when it comes to my zosan ocs and just older zosan as a whole

i want to make more art and write some fan fics to flesh out the ideas I have but my art block has been pretty awful as of late.

the idea that's in my head rn is about the first baby, Mari, and how there's no way Sanji didn't react badly to the news. I think with his family baggage, the news of "whoospie we didn't use a condom! you're a father now!" would trigger Sanji's worst tendencies. I love soft Papa Sanji but in my heart of hearts, I think it would be something he has to work for.