#rivals worldbuilding

[starflungwaddledee]

Hear me out…Meta Knight and Starstruck

✧˖°.✧ gravity ✧˖°.✧ ɡravɪti (noun) 1. the force that attracts a body towards the centre of the earth or towards any other physical body having mass 2. the degree of intensity of gravity, measured by acceleration 3. extreme importance; seriousness 4. solemnity of manner

[bacchuschucklefuck]

the nsbu table is five DM pets and rekha shankar

[afrophunk]

After Cell Saga (honestly the signs were a bit there in Cell Saga too tbh) the series' core of telling a martial arts story slowly evaporated, and that's probably why they don't know what to do with Yamcha or Tien: The series' core martial artists

"What about Goku and Krillin?" at this point they are simply the fighters whose job is to just shoot the pretty glowing beams. And even those just look the same now

Listen I would rewatch the animation of the Tien and Yamcha fight. Why is that fight more appealing than the entirety of the Tournament of Power

[sisyphean-torment]

ohhh PLEASE pleASE PLEASE i would take ANYTHING from your spore au 😭 ik it’s just one fic so far but it has me on CHOKEHOLD i need MOREEE SO BAD it’s sooo so good yes please snippets please worldbuilding if you want please please 👈👉

“Scar,” Grian said, eyes fixated, corpse held completely still. “What is that.”

“What’s what?”

“The blood.”

“Oh,” Scar said, and his voice went a bit funny. His hand curled tighter into his side, while his other drifted towards the gun. “Just a light stabbing. You know how it goes in politics. I tried to tell them you’d called dibs, but… well.”

Grian took a step forward and the gun was back to being aimed at his face.

“Sorry,” Scar said, and it was a tightness that pitched his voice. Evident as an edge of pain that came with the rough movements. His other hand was drenched in red, seeping between his fingers and pooling on the festering alley ground. “I meant it when I said I’m not planning to die tonight. To you or them.”

Grian glanced at the barrel of the gun, then back at Scar’s face. “And… this is your plan to stop me?”

A shrug, aborted halfway through as Scar grimaced and sucked in a tight breath. “It’s kind of all I’ve got at the moment. You’ve caught me with my pants down. I’m a bit in the nude. It’s indecent actually, so why don’t you walk your cute mushroom butt back out of this alley and we’ll pretend we didn’t see each other until I’ve got a proper way to kill y- SHIT!”

Scar pulled the trigger at the same moment Grian lunged.

[puppyeared]

[secret-engima]

Konoha’s orphan system

BACK AT IT AGAIN BOISSSSSSS. So a few people expressed interest in hearing me ramble about my HCs for Konoha’s orphan welfare system (aka more reasons to hate Sarutobi Hiruzen), so I GUESS I’M DOING THAT. Before we get into this, just know these are 100% HCs that only acknowledge canon long enough to kick it in the nuts. I *did* try to make it reasonably canon compliant so that it could work for multiple aus (yes ppl can use these HCs in their fics if they want, just credit me pls :)) but canon is barely compliant with itself so…

With that out of the way. ONWARD.

The Konoha Orphan Welfare System was established by Tobirama sometime before the First Shinobi War, likely around the time there was a population boom of civilian inhabitants that were not tied to any shinobi clans. Now shinobi clans all have their own system for caring for in-clan orphans (some better, some worse), but the civilians, and specifically the rising population of civilian born shinobi … didn’t have that. If the parents died and there either wasn’t any close family to take them in or the close family that remained were somehow unable/unsuitable for it, then you had kids on the streets and that is both against the literal reason for Konoha’s founding and also a security hazard, so Tobirama set up the orphan system in a way that could be expanded upon as the population required going forward.

The first layer of the system are the Konoha orphanages. While there was likely only one or two to start with in Konoha’s early days, by now there have to be more. Depending on where you estimate Konoha’s total population sits (I have been informed that canon references like- 80k exactly once?? But I don’t remember and I cannot find it on the wiki so *yeets*) I’m going to spitball and say there is somewhere around 10 large orphanages in Naruto’s time. That is probably nowhere near enough orphanages but in CANON we have Literally One so baby step improvements people.

Now, when a child of civilian or shinobi parents is orphaned, there’s a call put out in Konoha (and *only* Konoha, again, ninja security concerns) for relatives who can come take the child. If no one steps forward in a week’s time, then the child is put into the orphanage system. During wartime, this layer of the system tends to get overcrowded for … obvious reasons, especially with refugee children like Kabuto being shuffled into the orphanages alongside born Konohans. Any child from infancy to age 6 (academy starting age) lives in these orphanages under the care of the Matrons who run it, some of whom are civilians, but a good portion are actually retired shinobi (male and female, similar to nurse, the term is gender neutral in this context), I will come back to that in a hot second. Now, during wartime, again, this system can get backed up and so you’ll have kids above the age of 6 still living there as was the case with canon Kabuto. But when *not* clogged by a refugee/orphan influx, the next stage of the system are the Orphan Apartments.

At the age of 6 (or when there are openings during overcrowded times), kids are sat down by the Matrons and given the choice to join the Ninja Academy or not. Obviously since this is a shinobi village they are encouraged to take that route, but they are actually allowed other options, and kids who have things like physical disabilities are sometimes encouraged to stay out of Academy instead. Whether they are in Academy or not, they are then moved out of the orphanage they live in and moved into the Orphan Apartments.

Orphan Apartments are multistory buildings funded by Konoha and consist of a base floor with a common kitchen, common washroom for clothes, and storage room for extra blankets/bedding/etc. The floors above that are small, one room apartments, 11 per floor, as well as a group shower room (the apartments have water closets). 10 of these are given to the kids, one per apartment (barring twins/triplets/etc, who share an apartment), and the 11th belongs to the Floor Caretaker. The Floor Caretakers are all retired shinobi who have some reason for no longer being able to take missions, either ones who willingly chose to retire (rare) or ones who have lost limbs or suffered some other kind of disability and are no longer considered fit to serve on missions above a D-rank.

The Floor Caretakers are in charge of making sure the 10 kids on their floor are fed and healthy, as well as teaching them basic life skills like budgeting their orphan allowance, how to safely use appliances like washers/dryers, how to cook basic healthy meals, etc. They also help them with schoolwork if necessary and crucially, for the Academy students, teach them additional chakra exercises, weapon basics and other skills that the clan children would already have been taught, in order to help ensure the orphans aren’t all left in the dust by their counterparts. For Academy students living in the Orphan Apartments, they will be there until they graduate, at which point they will be moved to a genin apartment complex (there are lots of apartment complexes that cater to a specific rank of shinobi, with each rank having a set rent based on the average “a shinobi of this rank should be able to make at *least* enough to handle this on top of food” income. Of course, if an orphan is adopted pre-graduation, they will move instead into the home of their new family, freeing up the apartment for another orphan out of the orphanage.

Speaking of ADOPTION.

Any child in the orphanage or orphan apartments is up for adoption, obviously, but most adoptions don’t happen until a kid moves into the orphan apartments and has been added to either the Academy track or not. The Floor Caretakers compile regular reports on each kid on their floor to show to interested (and vetted) potential parents. Many clans choose to add new blood via adoption of a promising orphan rather than relying on marriage (though it is likely if the orphan marries later it will be to someone who has the clan blood), and will send discreet shinobi members to observe (spy) on the prospective kids for a second opinion rather than solely rely on the Floor Caretakers’ reports.

Children who are not on the Academy track tend to get adopted out more often than their shinobi counterparts, this is because children who are not going to Academy are instead encouraged to become an apprentice of one of the many professions keeping Konoha running. Adults who take an orphaned apprentice also become their legal guardian in the eyes of Konoha, until they have achieved mastery or reached the age of 17, whichever comes first, and are required to be able to adequately house, clothe, and feed any apprentice they seek to take before they are allowed to adopt/apprentice them.

Shinobi clans will often keep a close eye on non-Academy orphans as much if not more than Academy orphans, as each clan does have civilian specialties to pass on and enough shared resources to enable the adoption fairly easily. Apprenticed orphans are expected to work to pay off their “debt” to Konoha for 5 years, during which up to a third of any income they make will be taxed to Konoha. As apprentices *are* paid during the latter half of their apprenticeship, it’s usually expected that the apprentice will still be living with and at least partially provided for by their guardian/master during those years of service and so aren’t at risk of being taxed right out of house and home or anything. The point is to make more artisans and masters of needed crafts, not create a homeless population that poses a security risk remember.

Orphans who are either Academy students or apprentices can also be Sponsored. A sponsor is different from a formal adoption, and adopted orphans don’t lose their Sponsor if they are adopted down the line. Sponsors are … well basically anyone who has good standing in Konoha and at least *some* money to back it up. These can be retired jounin, retired *ANBU*, civilians who’s family have been in Konoha for at least 3 generations, or businesses who have been in Konoha for more than twenty years (and also aren’t owned by a new resident to Konoha, again, paranoid ninja security reasons). Sponsors can only sponsor up to three orphans at a time. A Sponsor will provide additional funds for clothing, equipment of the orphan’s intended profession (shinobi tools/protective mesh for Academy students, tools for any apprentices of a certain profession), as well as additional learning opportunities.

To use an Academy student for an example, a sponsored Academy orphan will be able to petition their Sponsor for money to pay for better equipment, and if they take an interest in a specific skillset, the Sponsor will use their influence to help procure additional training or mentorship in that skillset. An Academy orphan with a sponsor who takes an interest in becoming a kenjutsu practitioner, for example, won’t have to wait and hope their future genin sensei is proficient in a sword. Instead they can petition their Sponsor, who can then use either money or connections to secure a teacher in kenjutsu. Sponsors, in turn, can expect something in return once the Academy student graduates. For civilian Sponsors this is *usually* just being given priority by that shinobi for any missions they put forth in the future (or a discount for services rendered if the orphan is a civilian apprentice instead of a shinobi). Business establishments also get discounts or priority treatment from the orphans they sponsor. Some businesses that employ shinobi on the regular as security intentionally Sponsor orphans who only want to become career genin or chuunin, since those are far more willing to take “boring” long term jobs than a shinobi looking to climb the ranks and become a jounin (and are less likely to be pulled and sent off on a risky A or S-rank down the line).

Jounin who are retired also use this system as a roundabout way of passing on their skillset or encouraging talented young shinobi without having to worry about actually adopting a kid. ANBU agents in particular don’t necessarily have time or the mental balance to adopt a kid, but if an orphan catches their eye, they can Sponsor them to help them get the resources to excel, whether or not that kid ever grows up to join ANBU.

Okay so. With all that- mostly covered and hopefully I’m not forgetting any gaping holes in my worldbuilding, you might be wondering “how does Naruto’s and Sasuke’s horrible childhoods fit into this???” To which I say:

Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Remember that bit I said earlier? That *all* orphans in the orphanage and orphan apartments are up for adoption so long as they live there? Remember how I also mentioned that *clans* usually have their own in-clan system for dealing with clan orphans and so those don’t get put in Konoha’s system? Welllll.

To start with Naruto: Naruto by rights *should* have never entered the orphan system, since he has a godfather (Jiraiya) and presumably a godmother (I do not know if it’s *canon*, but the fanon I see everywhere is Mikoto, which makes sense considering she was canonically good friends with Kushina). But Jiraiya is a (horrible no good waste of space) spymaster who lives on the road and Mikoto is an Uchiha, which Danzo has been subverting for years and in fact was still subverting *while* the Kyuubi was rampaging everywhere. Iirc he’s the one who ordered the Uchiha to not engage and instead stay back and guard the civilian bunkers, which led to a lot of rumors (that he also started) about the Uchiha’s “suspicious” involvement in the Kyuubi attack. Hiruzen is a pushover when it comes to his old “friends”, we see this in canon, and especially to Danzo, so it’s no wonder why Mikoto was never allowed to claim custody of Naruto even if you fanon that she was his godmother and had a legal right to him.

So what about the other clans? Minato was incredibly popular and beloved, the other clans by rights should have been fully willing to take Naruto in, even with the whole- Kyuubi Jinchuuriki business. But then you have to consider the Politics™ of the situation. Jinchuuriki are considered less people and more living nuke repositories. We see this all over canon, in literally every village. If a Jinchuuriki’s identity is known, they are shunned and feared. So handing Naruto over to another clan would not, politically, have been seen as giving a child into the custody of someone who can raise him, but rather handing *one* clan the keys to immense power that the other clans wouldn’t be able to fight against. Massive power imbalance. Which Hiruzen wouldn’t want in the wake of the Kyuubi attack and then like 3 years later the Hyuuga Incident, and Danzo certainly wouldn’t want because he’s a paranoid old coot who thinks that the only person who can be trusted with ultimate power is himself. So Naruto is, politically, kind of impossible to adopt without majorly upsetting the power balance of the clans.

So. If we want to be *generous* and assume Hiruzen didn’t default directly to sticking Naruto in a shoddy apartment on his own when he was a literal infant, what he probably did was try to loophole his way out of the situation by not revealing Naruto’s parentage to anyone if he could help it and submitting Naruto into the orphan system during the high influx of post-kyuubi orphans in the hopes that Naruto would skate through unnoticed until Hiruzen could either arrange for a civilian family to adopt him or just hope that Naruto can slide by unnoticed in the system until he’s a genin and leaves the orphanage/orphan apartments.

Cue red-eyed t-posing Danzo meme. Because of course Danzo wouldn’t want a “weapon” like Naruto to fall into the hands of cushy civilians. Danzo is at fault for the entire campaign to smear and isolate and then kill an entire founding clan of Konoha, spreading the rumors that Naruto is actually the Kyuubi in human form or other such things is absolutely within his preferred method of isolating perceived problems. So Danzo has a few key people leak Naruto’s existence as Not A Normal Child throughout the village, causing a grieving, traumatized village to pick him as their scapegoat of choice, which meant Naruto would never be adopted by civilians. Because the civilians would either hate him or be too afraid of the reprisal of their neighbors if they went near him. With the civilian option shredded, and also the anonymity that could have let him skate through the orphan apartments unadopted until his genin years also destroyed, Hiruzen’s options are then “have this child raised outside the system entirely” or “give the child to Danzo and Root” and Hiruzen at least had the braincells to realize giving his old friend who has tried to murder him in the past a *whole entire Jinchuuriki* was a terrible idea. So into a slummy apartment all on his own the toddler goes. As for why it was a slummy apartment and not being raised by Hiruzen himself?

*Points back to the clan power imbalance thing*, *points at Hiruzen being a pushover doormat who let Kumo behead a HYUUGA TWIN BROTHER OF THE CLAN  HEAD to avoid conflict*.

As for Sasuke, very similar deal. Konoha’s system was never set up with the total annihilation of a clan in one fell swoop in mind. A mass genocide like that was just- never meant to happen. Sure clans can dwindle and die out during wartime (see- the Hatake clan), but that was not an instant process, there is supposed to be time for a dwindling clan to see the worst coming and prepare for it, make arrangements for what they want to happen to any orphaned kids if the clan adults all die out. Sasuke didn’t have that, and the Uchiha *had* no system in place. Arguably if they had a system for such a catastrophe in mind it likely would have been an agreement between them and the Senju, that either clan would take on the orphans of the other if the worst should happen. But by that point the Senju clan is just Tsunade, who has already run for the hills years ago.

Once again, Sasuke got treated less as a child in need of help and more as a political piece that no one could claim without causing a riot among the other clans for the imbalance. Now I’ve seen different fanon on if Sasuke grew up in the empty clan compound or had an apartment in Konoha, and canon has … literally *both* interpretation depending on *what flashback episode you are watching* so either Sasuke got taken out of the compound and moved into a genin apartment that Hiruzen paid for out of guild (not orphan apartments because again, anyone in there is available for adoption by legal default), or Sasuke just had to suck in up and live with ghosts for 6 years, which did his head NO FAVORS.

ADD TO THIS is Danzo again, who categorically would not want Sasuke to get help of any kind. Because Sasuke is a loose thread that he can’t take care of himself. Canonically, before Itachi leaves after the clan is dead, Itachi goes to Danzo and says something like “you do anything to Sasuke and I will come for your head and air all of your dirty laundry to Konoha on my way in”. If Danzo is seen taking Sasuke into ROOT, or killing him, or harming him, then Itachi will come for him. But if Sasuke is just … benignly neglected by Konoha as a whole to the point of death or defection … well that’s not his fault. His hands are tied.

I could *also* at this point go on a long ramble of my personal hcs that it’s REALLY INTERESTING that Shippudden introduces the glorified radar seal keeping track of any intrusion into Konoha and yet Orochimaru (who has worked with Danzo before to commit inconvenient warcrimes) and Sound Four (who work for Orochimaru) managed to get in multiple times specifically to try to kidnap and subvert Sasuke (thereby taking him out of Konoha without Danzo being to blame and making it far more likely he will be killed by a third party and thus is no longer a loose thread in Danzo’s machinations). And yes I know it’s actually just an example of Kishi’s swiss cheese worldbuilding but I just went on a 3k rant about an orphan system I made up wholesale to deal with those holes SO. But I think I’ve rambled enough for one post so I will leave that there.

[thearchertheprey]

thoughts on weird hats in hoenn

[giratina-and-the-skys-bouquet]

Random F-memories hc's

The reason why the knights look like.. that is because they're meant to stand out in a crowd. While they don't run the kingdom (that's the lord's job) they do serve as a messenger for the peasants to voice complaints or concerns. That means they have to be seen from miles away and be recognizable. Think of it as the world's simultaneous least and most strict dress code ever.

The SEES only began appearing five years ago by the time the plot starts.

The SEEDS actually don't eat the people they make disappear. They're actually scavengers, unable to eat freshly killed folk due to lacking any form of stomach fluid, meaning that they cannot break down the flesh, instead relying on outside bacteria to do the work for them.

Related to the above, SEEDs usually possess dead bodies since they're easier to control than an alive one. Most possessions are accidental, however, since the SEED is just trying to eat, not attach its soul to a corpse/ make a person disappear.

Most possessions are by younger SEEDs (2 months-1 year) since they don't really know what they're doing yet.

Kurode used to have an imaginary friend named "Romenni". Merold often mocked Kurode, but was secretly jealous of said imaginary friend.

Rimicha's kingdom is the primary food export for the Red Continent. (And by food I mean entirely fish. The Red Continent doesn't have much for meat sources other than seafood)

Ceilomort has a big ass family (four siblings and a nephew)

While My Melody's (Merold's) is the biggest in the entire world, Cinnamoroll's (Ceilomort's) is the wealthiest.

I do not care what the 4-koma says, the world is in medieval times. That includes technology and effective healthcare being basically non-existent. That being said, it's a lot more progressive than the actual medieval times, both socially and culturally.

A Fragarian's lifespan is significantly longer than a human (in medieval times). While humans usually live to 31 or so, the average Fragarian lives to 60-ish. (With modern healthcare in the equation it actually shoots up to 140.)

Pikero is OLD. He's 67, yet somehow still kicking. Same with Merold (58) and Romarriche (56).

Kurode is adopted. That's why he looks literally nothing like his brother, they aren't blood related.

The way most kingdoms work is that there's a "main" one (ex. Hello Kitty) The lord controlling the main one is called a monarch. Farther away from the main kingdom, there are subdivisions of the rest of the territory. These subdivisions are smaller and do not count as actual kingdoms, just where "Counts" rule (ex. Charmy kitty, Mimmy, Dear Daniel). However, this is not a universal practice, as some smaller kingdoms would rather tough it out themselves rather than leech off another. (Ex. GAOPOWERROO's kingdom stays out by themselves on the border between the Blue and Red continents.)

If you're a subdivision of another kingdom, you cannot have a knight of your own, you're considered under the umbrella of the main kingdom, therefore that knight looks after yours as well. There are exemptions to this rule however, mainly in the larger and widespread ones. (ex. There is a knight for My Sweet Piano, despite said kingdom falling under the My Melody umbrella)

[bunmellos]

archambeau sibling backstories ♡( •ॢ◡-ॢ)✧˖° ♡

text under the cut

Pavane Archambeau

Age: 24

Pronouns: she/her

Occupation: Performing violinist, wanderer, swordswoman

From: Guillaume, Marion. Traveling the Plains of Marion

Defining features:

Green, orange, white

Gold accents

Gold jewelry with red and green jewels

Stripes

Flowers

Rapier sword

Inlaid Baroque violin

An accomplished professional violinist who was cursed to turn her audiences into flora. On the day of her debut performance in the illustrious Marion National Concert Hall, she prayed that she would be able to make her audience’s hearts bloom. This prayer was answered not by a protective god, but by a trickster creature who chose to give her exactly what she asked for. After a disastrous performance in which every spectator turned into an overgrown forest of roses, thorns, and vines, she escaped to the Marion Wilds. She does not play in front of others anymore. Also an accomplished swordswoman, she roams the countryside, saving fellow travelers from the creatures that lurk in the forest. In emergencies, she has onlookers plug their ears before pulling out her violin and turning all who hear her into a field of flowers and vines.

One day, caught in one of these situations, a heavily injured traveler was unable to cover their ears in time. However, instead of turning to roses, the traveler was mysteriously healed instead. This began to happen more frequently, though the threat of her curse continued to loom over her and those whom she attempted to heal. Therefore, Pavane uses this power only in the most dire of circumstances.

At the same time Pavane discovered her talent for healing, serial disappearances began to occur around the country. Could these two events be connected…?

Sicilienne Archambeau

Age: 28

Pronouns: he/him

Occupation: Maestro of the Guillaume Sinfonia

From: Guillaume, Marion

Defining features:

Dark green, purple, white

Pale, blind-like eyes

Porcelain prosthetic right arm

Perpetual smile

Silk

Gold accents

The young genius of the Guillaume Sinfonia. In the past, many would come for the charming, attractive young conductor and stay for the vividly passionate music he drew out of his ensemble. He was not on stage on the night Pavane was cursed. Standing backstage, supporting her from behind- that was always how he protected his younger sister. That fateful night, he saw the audience turn to flora before she did. As the tragedy unfolded before his eyes, he rushed onto stage. Ignoring his own transforming right arm, he pulled the violin from Pavane’s grip, but it was already too late. Pavane fled the city the next day, leaving him behind to deal with the aftermath.

For months, Ilienne searched in vain for his sister while maintaining his position at the Sinfonia. The city buzzed with rumors of a sullen, eerie woman who drifted from place to place like a ghost, never unsealing the violin case slung across her back. Desperately, furiously, Ilienne wished for something, anything, that could help Pavane find peace and happiness. No matter what it took, no matter what he had to sacrifice; he would damn himself to hell if it would help his sister find meaning again. Once again, the trickster creature answered his wishes literally. For every life taken by Ilienne himself, Pavane could save one with her music. Once Ilienne collected enough souls to build an orchestra of the dead, Pavane would be freed from the curse. Ilienne agreed to the terms of the contract, swearing to never let Pavane discover the source of her newfound strength. However, he did not anticipate the degenerative effect the necromancy would have on his mind, and is rapidly forgetting his original goal of saving his sister…

[the-witchs-cafe]

Would Team Magma Admin Courtney from Pokémon Oras become a witch in Puella Magi Madoka Magica?

If I’m already working on an au, it only feels right to bring it to your trusted polls.

[mantisgodsdomain]

Huh. Looked at some statistics today. We appear to be very, very close to being the single person who has posted the most individual fics to Bug Fables' AO3 page.

[iceiceparis]

Splatoon (headcanon) fun fact!!!:

“Remember how our instructors taught us that Inklings regularly participated in blood sports to sate their bloodlust? Just one look at the average Inkling lifestyle and it shatters that very notion, right?

Well, they taught us that because the dogmatic geriatrics in power see it happen their own home:

Comrades killing others over petty insults to their familys and clans,

Assassinations against leaders for the sake of moving closer to the shogun,

and those whose every waking moment lives yearning for the day they get to pay their gratitude to their people in blood.

They see that, then project their bloodlust onto their ‘enemies,’ not realizing its a problem they created themselves.

Those kids fighting in the Inkbattles, no matter what they say, they arn't and never will be killers, not like us. They haven't lived in a world where you are taught to fear that which you don't know, where that life is a gift only granted to the old whim you treat as a hand of the heavens.

Many would rather mindlessly waste their youth away on meaningless recreactionals than to take care of themselves.

But if you were to raise one behind a gun since birth to believe their only worth in life is derived from is the death of their enemys, it will inevitably causing them to see everything as a stepping stone to happiness and glory.

By the time they truely understand the weight of ending lives, it'll be too late.

A path to death would then become a need they could no longer live without.”

- Unnamed Octarian on the subject of joining Private Military Corperations and Criminal Organizations.

[zuzypiia]

by the way would you guys believe me if i told you I am in the process of literally rewriting the Cold War alongside with World War 1&2 and the French Revolution... for a modern royalty au of rivalsduo + dnf centered fanfic?

[onceuponaneverafter]

What is your book duology about? I'm writing one too and I love meeting other people who write!

hii, thank you so much for the ask! it's always lovely meeting others who write – and so cool that you're writing a duology too!!

right now i'm working on a rewrite of the first book so i'm currently a little lost in terms of what direction i want to take the story, but here's a little list of things i know for SURE will be in my books:

romance and magic! (i mean, just look at my blog, i'm obsessed with these <3)

a fantasy reader protagonist who gets swept up in an adventure just like one of her fantasy books, and she'll do the most chaotic things and make the most of it

found family vibes

elemental powers but with a few twists!

both real world and magical world included, "no i can't go to your magical training thingy, i have work today"

the world needs some serious saving but people can't agree on HOW to do that so nothing gets done and it's a mess

a fancy ball with pretty dresses and dancing and romantic tension

a charming knife wife villain who will kiss your hand before sword fighting you and using the most underhanded moves

characters trying so hard and failing and dreaming and believing and fighting and getting hurt and disappointed and getting back up and doing amazing and horrible all at once and feeling conflicted and being messy and just wanting to be loved and showing each other love and just being human. <3

main couple's magic being linked to each other, except the one who had magic suddenly can't use it and the one who didn't even know it existed needs to now figure out wtf is happening and they're both so annoyed

this ended up LONG hahaha i'm sorry 😭 i love love talking about books and writing so tysm again for sending something, you made my day!! 💗

[risingshards]

Happy WBW! As I continue my reading saga of death and grief, tell me a little about the subject in your world. How is death treated and thought of? How do your characters-- or the world at large-- handle grief in relation to it?

Happy WBW!!! Great question as always 🥰

In Rising Shards, I think culturally death is something that's quietly mourned; a lot of societal expectation tends to be to handle big things like grief, faith, that sort of thing quietly, and it maybe being considered rude/improper to be overt about. Not every place in the RS verse is like this but I reckon it's in a lot of the society surrounding our mains.

In Reborn, a lot of characters are aware their original world was doomed and they likely died in it, so their relation to death is different in having to come to terms that they've already died at least once, and a renewed motivation to fight against the forces trying to destroy their world so they don't have to deal with it again for a long time.

[clever-naming-convention]

Butler Wizard and Maid Witch. His staff is a broom. Her wand is featherduster. He brews potions in a coffee pot. Her familiar is a dustbunny.