#she does still care about Aster... probably...

[zestyderg]

The thing about Ostrah is that she was afraid of failure but also never asked for help. She was very harsh with herself, but hid this from others. She did most of her research alone and would push herself hard to get things done, especially forgoing sleep for the sake of her job.

It's not that she was never offered help, she was, very often I might add. Both her coworkers and Dynal would ask her if she needed assistance, or warned her not to push herself too far. Ostrah chose to not get help even when it was obvious she needed it.

Many sleepless nights she stayed at her lab to research as much as she could about Guhnash. She did not want to fail her fellow dinaurians and she knew how catastrophic failure would be.

However, the more she studied Guhnash and the more attempts to exterminate it failed, the more hopeless everything felt to her. Guhnash seemed unstoppable, nothing she suggested worked, and she ran out of options.

If Guhnash couldn't be killed, then there's no point to resisting, is there?

She quickly gained an 'if you can't beat them, join them' mentality, forming her cult and indoctrinating several dinaurians to her cause.

She killed those who tried to leave, deeming them unworthy of living to experience Guhnash's arrival. She tried to get her husband to join her, to help her assassinate Dynal, but he refused, and tried to make a run for it with the then eight year old Aster.

He didn't succeed. She slit his throat and kidnapped Aster, taking them with her to kill Dynal. We know by now that she botched the assassination attempt and got herself killed instead, leaving Aster an orphan.

Aster hates what their mom did, and hates that her actions have affected how others perceive them. They do faintly remember how she was before her downfall, and they know she was loving, funny and kind.

They sometimes wonder what would have happened if Ostrah never did those things. Would she and Aster's dad have been evacuated when Guhnash came? Would they have come to earth together as a family? Would their parents have supported the destruction of humanity? Would something totally different happen?

Guess they'll never know.

[eluxcastar]

The little sisterfication of Signora

── ୨୧：la signora & reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: we're back with the little sibling headcanons let's GOOO

୨୧﹑genre :: fluff

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, young signora, use of signora’s real name, it's more ambiguous how much older reader is, not proofread

୨୧﹑words :: 1.1k

this has been planned for so long, but I struggle SO bad writing Signora tbh Idk why it's not like I don't know how to write arrogant anguished women. I love arrogant anguished women 😭 while I'm on that thought I came to the realisation reader is probably dead with Rostam which was just what I wanted to think. BUT BUT I DID try to sneak some details in so it can still be cute cough witch's flower of blaze

it feels weird every time I use their real names but also calling them by titles when we know their names feels wrong because if it's from the perspective of their sibling who would know and use their name 😔 I think because I'm not used to it I'm like who the hell is MILBURN PENNYBAGS that's PULCINELLA (I had to look up the Monopoly man's name for that joke you BETTER laugh)

all little siblingification posts

Rosalyne was, as children are, young and interested in learning, eager but never quite aware. She loved to trail along by your side as you took her up the mountains to find a patch of flowers, at which point she would plop down in the grass and get to work making herself a flower crown with an extra one so you could match. Since your mother taught her the secret, she had happily taken to it and off to the races she was, linking flowers and matching colours in pursuit of the prettiest arrangement she could make to be her crown.

She long ago decided that Windwheel Asters are among the best, with an interesting shape and fiery red to contrast her blonde hair. Calla Lilies have a similar colour but a bad shape for flower crowns, and Cecilias are too pale to stand out the way she'd like them to. Windwheel Asters are bold and show off her hard work better than any delicate flower could.

Of course, that means she must also find the perfect flower for you, and that's hard work, but she'll never stop trying. Rosalyne read in a book about an extinct flower called the Padisarah, a beautiful purple flower that even the Dendro Archon couldn't perfectly replicate, and decided it would've been perfect for you if it still existed. You suspect that it's only because she can't have it that she wants it, the allure of something mystical that exists only in the imagination.

She settles instead on the legends of a Liyue flower that blooms at the sound of beautiful music—Glaze Lily or something to that tune. Each time Rosalyne makes a flower crown for you with the next best thing she can find, she claims that one day she'll travel to Liyue, and when she does, she'll bring you back one to see how pretty they are as if she has some greater understanding looking at the same picture in her book as you did. Maybe she does.

There is no dream too big, not for Rosalyne. She is desperate for your approval at every turn and wants you to think she's as cool as she thinks you are. She wants to hear you smile with her despite seeming so far away at times. Her phase of being petty and squabbling with you is over at last, and she seeks the comfort of the one person she looks up to more than anybody for a guiding star to turn to—you.

Your parents are both far away future ideals for an older Rosalyne to aspire to be, maybe with that boy she likes, but you are not so distant. You're like her, if only older and barely wiser. She sees all that she wants in you, and it makes her look up to your guidance above all else. Her parents are the annoying rule makers who preside over her life and ruin her fun; you're the fun troublemaker who sleazes the both of you past the city guards and takes her headfirst into the danger of the mountains just so she can play.

Rosalyne thinks of an ambitious future, and your parents tell her to be careful; you tell her to chase it. Become a scholar and do as she pleases. She's more inclined towards your indulgent way of thinking. You have yet to stifle the burning passion she holds but recognise it, and in your mind, it's about as cool as dragons could ever be. It is not the worrisome uncertainty of instability and hardship that your parents think it is.

Her heart is set in a far-off place—Sumeru, the Akademiya, where she feels everything will fall into place like a fairytale. Rosalyne has it all figured out, down to the number of boys she'll reject in pursuit of that boy she has had a crush on since she was twelve.

Even you're not privy to that, subject to Rosalyne quickly closing her diary or turning away from you, hiding the gifts she managed to get him and letters she wrote out but never could quite work up the nerve to send. It used to be only one of the many instances that would have her yelling at you not to snoop, though it has dwindled to being only one of the very few instances, save for accidentally discovering her in the process of procuring your birthday gifts.

It used to be that you would be searching for your missing things, a few of which had disappeared suspiciously close to your birthday and were found the moment you were proudly presented those very items as gifts from your little sister, sometimes with a daring tale of how she acquired it for you. Most of the time, you acted surprised and grateful, maybe even added a comment about how you were glad you didn't have to get a new one since Rosalyne had gone out and done it for you. You hid your annoyance at her habit of stealing your things behind thoughts of how cute your mother thought it was that Rosalyne didn't want to be left out of getting to give you something.

Rosalyne does, however, realise the possible benefit of asking for your help with this boy once she gets over the embarrassment-driven beet-red cheeks and yelling at you. You cannot find her boy and drag him by the ear to her, but you could help her write a letter to him or teach her to wrap that gift she was holding onto. You can do any number of things to help her chances— except talk to him. You can't do that, or you'll give it away with that big mouth of yours.

You're not quite sure how she came to that conclusion.

Her acceptance to the Akademiya came all too quickly. Years seemed to fly by, and her quirks evened out into a young woman your parents were more comfortable sending away to another nation. Their fears of her immaturity and fiery passion dragging her down settled as she did. By the time you were ready to send her away, the encroaching elegance you had seen forming in her younger self blossomed until she carried herself with more confidence and grace than ever. 

Like your parents, you are ready to watch her pursue that dream and come home to see the boy she likes still waiting for her. You make sure she knows you'll be there too, maybe even come visit every now and then and see Sumeru for yourself.

As she leaves, you reveal what you've been hiding for her—a single red flower. You're not as practised at the art of making flower crowns, but you found her this. This is all you can offer that she can carry with her until it wilts away.

CROSSPOSTED ON AO3

[stormsandskies]

//jrwi ep 114 spoilers

finished the episode and holy shit there is so much to think about

Faye Ferins message like what does she mean about her son being “stable” what’s up with her wanting to take over the world? she directly mentioned Aster what’s going on with that?? is she heavily religious? does she know of the prophecy?

Dopplegilly was fucking horrifying, the way he was almost gillion to the point i didn’t notice and Chip didn’t notice is so scary, the fact he can’t perform prophetic screwup, and now he’s just a brain dead husk which is so funny to me.

chip’s unwavering trust in gill too, he went to the bones, let gill barricade the door, and even when he knew no it wasn’t gill he still couldn’t lethally damage him. there’s so much care there, and we can really see how his character has changed since the beginning of the campaign because early campaign chip would have let gillion sacrifice himself, now he begs for jay to save gill over him.

and i think a lot of that comes from the love for his crew, but i also think he knows that he’s slowly falling apart, he dosent have as much time as he lets on. i bet at this point he probably thinks he doesn’t have much more to live for, that he’s a goner may as well save his crew, his family if he goes out sooner rather then later.

also i have a feeling kuba kenta is going to be an issue again soon, that worries me

i also really want to know what all jay found in that room, is it info on Ava or is it about the artificial leviathan?? what are we going to find out when they are slightly safer?

UGH ANS GILLION JUMPING INTO A FIGHT WITH 1 HP AND NO ARMOR FOR CHIP WHEN AGAIN EARLY CAMPAIGN GILL MAY HAVE DONE THAT BUT LIKE OUT OF OBLIGATION TO BE A HERO THIS WAS BECAUSE HE CARES BECAUSE THAT IS HIS BEST FRIEND AND HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIS CREW.

anyways this episode was horrifying and so funny and i loved it so much

[weyrleaders]

here have another one lol the fact that flirting with jax leads to the reveal that yall have been flirting back and forth for ages makes me want to scream in the woods at 3am so thank you for that @vapolis

i have no idea how the prosthetic eyes work so i took some liberties for the sake of what little plot there is

Aster has always preferred to work alone. At the end of the day, the only person you can really count on is yourself. So why risk relying on someone else when they won’t always be there?

That said, he does enjoy working with Jax. They may be acquaintances at best, but Aster does appreciate Jax’s work ethic. He doesn’t have to plan around Ray’s faux impulsivity, or Ray’s knack for wasting valuable time, or the odds that Ray will make a detour to fuck a stranger in an alley. Ray’s unwillingness to do whatever it takes to get results. Ray’s—

Aster sighs. The little fucker’s not even around and he’s still managing to get on Aster’s nerves. And Aster’s fairly certain why that is.

He glances over at Jax. He’s leaning against the ledge, peering down at the mansion below with one hand on his gun. They’ve been waiting for a few hours, but now the guests have started to arrive.

Aster keeps quadruple-checking his gear without taking his eyes off Jax.

“McClair?” He asks, just loud enough for Jax to hear, the first word either of them has spoken since they settled in to watch.

“Not yet,” Jax replies.

“Then we have a few minutes,” responds Aster. Both glocks are loaded and ready, holdout pistol secured in his right boot, holdout switchblade ready to be stashed in his left. It’s redundant to go over it all again. The third time was enough.

Jax is still looking down at the mansion, scanning the crowd as they head inside. It really is strange to see him out of his usual clothes, foregoing designer button-downs for nondescript street clothes. Which are probably also designer, to be fair. Aster wonders how many weapons he managed to fit in his coat.

“Can you please do me a favor and just fuck Ray already?” Aster asks, sliding his knife back into his boot after testing the sharpness.

Jax doesn’t startle easily, and he doesn’t visibly react beyond cutting his eyes over at Aster for a brief second.

“Excuse me?”

Aster sighs again.

“Our staff meetings—”

“It’s hardly a staff meeting with only four people,” Jax mutters under his breath.

“—are getting unbearable. I know you want him, and while I do have to question your taste—”

“You wore a denim jacket with jeans last week.”

“—I won’t judge you for it,” Aster continues. “Please, for all our sakes, take the bastard to bed and get it out of both of your systems.”

Because that’s how Ray operates. Almost always once, rarely ever twice, and Aster can count on one hand how many other hook-ups have become any sort of semi-permanent arrangement. Not because he cares or has any interest, but because Ray’s an over-sharer who never shuts up and Orla has specifically forbidden him from cutting Ray’s tongue out with the first piece of rusty silverware he can get his hands on. He even asked nicely.

Aster is going to lose no matter what, really. He doesn’t know anything about Jax’s sex life and would love for that particular status quo to remain. But having to sit through Ray’s little play-by-play of what they manage to get up to because they’re stuck in the same room would be worth not having to deal with the weird sexual tension that happens whenever Ray and Jax make eye contact across Orla’s desk. At least the detailed summary would only be once. The longing gazes are forever.

Jax glances over again and narrows his eyes before turning back to the mansion.

“How do you think I feel when you fall over yourself to agree with Orla on everything?”

“That’s different,” Aster hisses. “Of course I agree with her, she’s my boss. McClair?”

“I think that’s his car,” he reports. “She said you did well on that last job and you were practically drooling.”

“I was not—”

“As your coworker, I’m telling you—McClair’s here, we have two minutes—that it’s not going to end well.”

“Stop dodging my original point,” Aster says, keeping his tone very carefully flat as he stands. He makes his way to the edge of the roof where Jax is keeping watch just in time to see their target go inside.

Jax makes for the fire escape as Aster takes his original position at the ledge. As soon as Jax is out of sight, Aster taps their joint mission channel on his SocialLink to get his attention. Jax sends back an acknowledgment.

Aster watches the mansion for any sign of movement. His eyes are better, even if he can’t keep up the fancy tricks for long.  Jax is good, but he can’t be expected to watch the front door, the side entrances, and all the windows at the same time.

Jax tracks down McClair’s car once the valet leaves it unattended. It wouldn’t be fair to continue their discussion, since Jax can’t reply, so Aster just hangs back and lets him work. There’s a brief moment where a woman pauses by one of the windows, and Aster zooms in to watch her face and body language while taking mental notes of what she looks like in case they have to track her down later. But she doesn’t show any sign of alarm or confusion and wanders off after a moment, so Aster returns to his patrol.

McClair isn’t actually the target. They’re here for the prototype in his car. Aster doesn’t know what it is, exactly, just that it’s very valuable and very secret. And he’s selling it to Orla for a lot of money, which is in the small case that Jax is supposed to leave in place of the prototype.

It’s not as if McClair can safely meet with any of them without risking his reputation or job—and thus any more interesting toys he may be willing to part with later down the line—so he and Jax are once again on pickup detail. Aster does a lot of that, lately. Mostly because Ray has Orla convinced he lacks the patience for it and would likely fuck it up. Asshole.

“Done,” Jax reports in a hushed whisper.

Aster enhances his vision and hits the override for his eyes so they can move faster. Everyone is still inside and no one has lingered at the windows. The valet is still waiting by the door and hasn’t so much as glanced in the direction of the parking area. It’s still a very long couple of minutes until Aster hears Jax making his way back up the fire escape.

Aster closes his eyes and reverts their settings back to normal, massaging his temples. He’s going to be eating those black market headache meds Echo got for him like candy tonight.

“As I was saying,” Aster grates out, “watching the two of you dance around each other like school children is painful. You’re both adults. Stop making all of us suffer when you know he’s going to say yes before you even finish asking.”

“And as I was saying,” counters Jax, “you should really be careful about throwing those rocks from inside that glass house of yours.”

Aster sighs.

[overallrry]

harry styles series recs

✩ all credit to the authors ✩

series

moonchildstyles

aster (tattoo artist harry)

full story masterlist

harry is a tattoo artist and y/n just wants to know if he's like this all the time or if he just doesn't like her

citrine (witch harry)

full story masterlist

harry's a witch and its been a long time since he's been around anyone new, but there's no way he's getting y/n out of his head

chiaroscuro (vampire harry)

full story masterlist

y/n needed a job but this place is strange and the owner is even stranger

prosecco (older harry)

full story masterlist

harry is just on the edge of 30, and y/n is someone he's sure he shouldn't get involved with. until she seeks him

out, anyway, and he realizes no one has ever really shown her how she should be treated.

gravity (camboy harry)

full story masterlist

y/n hated physics but harry loved it, but both of them have a couple of secrets

jawllines

harry just wants whats best for y/n

1 2 3

Harry can’t decide what’s worse; Y/N fucking someone in her house which Harry was normally the only one invited to, or Y/N fucking someone in their bed and smelling like them for that vague second that wasn’t Pink Petal Tea Cake.

harry thinks y/n is just adorable

1 2 3 4 5

“You’re so sweet; like a berry, Poppet.” 

harry's a real shit vampire and y/n has clue (maybe)

1 2 3

Blowing off his little comment, Y/N slides up besides him, “Do you need any help?” She asks, “And before you go on that spiel about how you’ve handled your own laundry for a whole 3 some odd years, I wan’t to be able to pay you in some way if you won’t take my money.”

Harry thinks on it for a while, nibbling down at his lip, before he slides one of his floral shirts over to her (it’s burgundy, loose, and floaty), “These are hung, but the cotton shirts are just folded.”

“You know,” Y/N works on picking up a hanger in the mass of clothes on his bed, “For 20 something, you’ve sure accumulated a lot of clothing in the last few years. More than Cher,  I’d reckon.”

Chuckling, Harry decides not to ask if 120 years still counted as a few. 

harry is smitten with a human, and y/n hates cranberry juice (a lot)

1 2 3

It probably went on for only a few seconds, but to Y/N it felt like hours until he drew away, and she whines again, having not realized that her nails were digging into his forearm. She lets go, turning in his lap to face him and she sees him licking at his lips. Her head is foggy, and her body feels like Jell-O, and she giggles at the thought of having Jell-O legs before leaning her head against his shoulder.

“You need to drink cranberry juice.”

His voice sounds far away.

Y/N passes out.

y/n is taking care of harry's boss and she's absolutely smitten

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

“S’not that,” he flickers his ash on the ground, blowing out another puff of smoke to the side, and Y/N only notices then from the way that his elbow is placed on the table, his bicep is unintentionally flexing, and she’s staring at the way the fabric strains against his muscle, “You’re just cute, is all.”

Y/N felt her entire body flush hot, eyes widening at how forward he’d been, heart kicking up to ramp against her chest as she darts her gaze from his, mouth hovering open and she doesn’t know what to say. Does she say thank you? Does she compliment him back? Y/N had been out of the flirting field for so long she has no idea what to fucking do in return. 

So instead she swallows thickly, turning to face him again, “You shouldn’t smoke,” she tells him seriously and his brows raised in that way they do when she’s amused him, “You’ve been listening to people hack and cough all day, you’d think you’d been scared out of it by now.” 

He seems to consider this for a moment, his eyes searching her face – for what, she doesn’t know, but searching nonetheless – before he purses his lips, bends down, and buds the cigarette out on the ground, keeping the end nestled in his fingers. Y/N was pleasantly surprised…nobody had ever so willingly put out a cigarette before in front of her, “You look surprised.” Harry comments.

“Yeah,” she answers truthfully, “Um, I just – I really wasn’t expecting you to listen.” 

harry is a grumpy mechanic and y/n can't stop talking

1 2 3 4

he furrow in Harry’s brows deepened, “So your ride wanted to get his cock wet and now you have no way home?”

“It was – really, it was my idea, actually! He was trying to say no to her, but I cut in and told him to go ahead and do it but I lied about having a way home. Don’t think he would have let me take the Uber, you know?” she sighs, scratching at her cheek lightly, “Niall is nice, so he – he deserved to have a good night.”

Harry stared at her for a minute, silently, and Y/N was still making herself twist back and forth on the chair waiting for him until he finally spoke again, “Your self-preservation skills are shit.”

“Oh,” her eyes widened, “Do you think so? I thought that they were at least a little okay.”

gurugirl

tales from a modern incubus

full story masterlist

Harry is almost as old as time and he's got a lot to say. But right now he's hunting for the perfect female to carry his heir (as he must do every century). When Harry meets you, a pastor's daughter, he finds himself strangely obsessed with you in every way but you’re a good girl and Harry is definitely not your usual type. Will the handsome demon corrupt sweet (y/n)?

don't stand so close

full story masterlist

In which Anna has a crush on her best friend's author-dad, Harry Styles, and one day he realizes he feels the same. Nothing good can come of a secret relationship, but nothing good can come from telling everyone the truth either.

lukesaprince

the roommate series

full story masterlist

After Y/N’s best friend and roommate Alex decides to move out, she’s desperate for someone to take her place. Alex seems to have found the solution in a British fresh-to-New-York musician who ticks all the boxes. He just happens to be insanely attractive and charismatic... what could go wrong?

jarofstyles

level up

full story masterlist

Harry has a massive crush on Y/N, the nicest and most popular girl in school or nerdy!harry

dirty business

full story masterlist

harry lands his dream job at his dream company and the bosses wants him (businessman!harry)

lone wolf

full story masterlist

Warmth was something you shouldn’t live without, but he did for quite some time. Power at fingertips would never replace what was missing but when you were a leader, sometimes it’s all you have to go off of. The croons of howls echoing off the trees become home.

Until you get hit with it. Everything you’ve been waiting for, plopped into your lap and you everything falls into place. Or so it should. Love, lust, everything in between. A soul mate granted by mother moon and the fates watching behind a screen.

sk8er boi

full story masterlist

Harry decides to help Y/N with her needs when her boyfriend isn’t cutting it or badboy!harry

teenage dirtbag

full story masterlist

he's just a teenage dirtbag and she hates to loves it or frat!harry

[mysteryloversbookshelf]

“Happily Ever Aster”

What are some of your headcanons on how some of the characters lived happily ever after? We won’t know for sure until being mentioned offhand in future seasons but it’s still fun to come up with ideas. Here is how I vision some of their happy endings. I’m putting it behind the read more in case some people still haven’t seen the season finale yet

Grace and Hannah

It’ll be weird for a minute since Edgar is dead and as terrible as he was I’m sure they’ll still have to grieve him in some way. Once that passes I see them continuing to travel together and maybe Hannah working with Grace in her antique shop. Rather than another yurt, I could see them living in a cozy cottage surrounded by more psychotropic plants. Idk if they’ll marry, but I see them adopting a baby or maybe getting a sperm donor and their baby being weird af like a mini Wednesday Addams.

Feng and Vivian

After news of Edgar’s death breaks out and people check out Kyler’s videos from the weekend, I can see a lot of people flocking to try baobing for clout but falling in love with it. They’ll get a boost in sales and Feng will end up opening even more locations. Now that he has enough money to pay off debts and etc, I see him and Vivian traveling the world together and her teaching him how to live it up. He doesn’t have to play it safe anymore so I could see him and Vivian sending Grace and Zoë pics of them both skydiving and other thrill seeking tourist stuff. Maybe offscreen Aniq and Zoë asked Vivian to help choreograph the first dance at their wedding and it turned out amazing.

Travis

Since he became the house and beat Sebastian, he can afford to fly out and visit Weronika. Does anyone remember what he does for a living? I could see him feeling inspired at actually discovering the crypto scam and taking courses so he can be a legitimate detective. Maybe he will even create an agency to help other people that have been scammed out of their crypto.

Isabel

She may not have been able to hold Edgar accountable for drugging her but she’s at least finally free. Howie is a close friend but maybe they’ll become something more at some point. With her personality I don’t expect her and Hannah to ever have a perfect relationship, but after that moment they shared while telling the mind movie, maybe they can get to a decent place. Probably not though after how she treated Grace.

Sebastian

Yeah he lost a bunch of money and was fired by Isabel, but you can’t keep a scammer like him down. He’s either about to start running cons with his cousins again or he’s going to attach himself to a wealthy older lady like Isabel and live out the rest of her life in luxury before moving on to the next one.

Aniq and Zoë

When they go see Danner in the time jump, are the rings to show that they’ve already married or are they still engaged? Either way, I don’t care to see a wedding. We’ve already been there and done that with Grace even if it did end terribly. I’m fine with seeing hilarious wedding and honeymoon photos/videos and calling it a day. It’s too bad Yasper is in prison because he would have been a really fun best man. Imagine the wedding toast 😂

Danner

Assuming season three will be the afterparty for the premiere of her movie, I hope that the person killed isn’t Jaleel White. Danner has been through enough so that would suck to do that to her character when she finally found what she wants to do in life.

Ulysses

He obviously doesn’t deserve a happy ending after trying to kill Feng. It might be too much of fan service, but the idea of him being cellmates with Yasper and them both performing together for the other criminals is hilarious to me. Knowing him, he’d probably be using his knowledge from his travels to scam the other inmates into giving him money for food and etc.

What about you guys? It would be really cool to be able to compare these headcannons to what will actually be canon in the future seasons.

[vhaerath]

re-reading a couple of early worm interludes and i have some thoughts about empire eighty-eight

controversial take but i think elements of empire 88 are appropriate to worm as a work and their existence as a faction would not necessarily worsen worm as a whole. the problem is with including a faction of white supremacists just to emphasise how bad they are is that these characters of colour have the most head-tilting stereotype traits and characteristics ascribed to them that make the inclusion of a white supremacist faction seem even more sus

purity i think is a really great example of what i mean. we understand from her interlude that shes genuinely not a good person, despite the love she has for aster, and the goodwill she has towards theo when she removes him from kaisers care. at the same time she ruthlessly targets asian-americans who were probably forcibly recruited into a gang and when we’re seeing things from her perspective in her interlude its just little racist quip after racist quip. her trigger event is one of my favourite little word of gods; purity was sixteen when she crashed her car and was trapped there for days, stuck in the glare of the sun, slowly starving and delirious from dehydration. her state got so desperate that she was hallucinating imaginary threats. on a fundamental level wildbow understands that white supremacy is exactly that; hallucinating imaginary threats and lashing out.

its honestly fine that purity gets this kind of treatment, and is fleshed out as a person. its fine to explore what kind of thoughts go through a neo-nazis head and give them human character traits like a love for their family. it ties right back in to the central thesis of worm; the cycle of abuse, how trauma warps you, what justice means and what it means to escalate violence against your enemies.

BUT the problem is none of the villain gangs opposed to empire 88 really come off as looking as well-rounded as e88 does after alls said and done. wildbow is truly never beating the “wrote skidmark” allegations. holy fuck does anyone else remember the scene where kaiser smugly tells skidmark that he doesn’t disrespect him because he’s black he disrespects him because he’s an irredeemable drug addict. the abb are the most developed faction against e88 (that isnt the undersiders) in the early parts of the story, and even then oni lee and bakuda get glacked pretty early on. lung is the character who gets the most development out of all of them and its good development, hes a very interesting character who i could rotate in my head for days on end, but his aggression and anger is still characterised as ferality, compared repeatedly to an animal. esp ironic when lungs schtick is that he really really has a complex about being chinese/japanese lol. NO YELLOW PERIL SENTIMENT WHATSOEVER

[esoteric-mantra-stuff]

Iulius and Augustus (A Starry Night Story)

Here's a cute little story inspired by a dumb thing my friend said. It's a two parter so hopefully I'll have the second part up soon.

CW: Mentions of child abduction and some of the events from AoIS

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You poke at the sizzling meat, careful lest it burns on your skillet. The smell of cooked lamb wafts up to your sensitive nose, and your stomach rumbles accordingly. Were it up to you, you would have eaten the meat as you found it, but your little companion does not have enough wolf in his blood to digest raw meat (something you unfortunately discovered after he got sick and you didn’t know what to do). The boy stares at you as you cook. Hungry little eyes follow your hands as you turn each cut of meat over. He’s cautious of you, but at least he will accept any food you offer him. You can’t blame him for his mistrust.

After all, you are his abductor.

What stories did his mother tell about you? What did her children know of the father that stalked them in the night? Of the monster who would rip their family apart, were it necessary to bring the Age of Stars into existence? Maybe she kept you a secret, a family embarrassment her children would only be able to wonder about. You would be okay with that, perhaps, being forgotten by her. Despite being a traitor, her pups need her, and you….

You….

It’s frustrating. You know the hatred isn’t there anymore, yet your mind will not let you conjure the thought of forgiveness. The statements: ‘She took the Fingerslayer Blade in a misguided attempt to protect you.’ and ‘She loved you.’ are both logical, as veridical as ‘one equals one.’ they’re impossible to deny. You want so badly to let the pieces fall into place, but the curse of your very being stops them from doing so. What’s more, the moment Lady Ranni asked you to bring the boy to her, to use him as a tool to kill the Two Fingers, you folded like a wet sheet of paper. You wanted to protest, plead with her to leave them alone, but what did you say instead? “It shall be done, my lady.” without hesitation. What a pathetic creature you are, less than a worm, less than the scum of the earth, you-

“It’s burning.” A tiny hushed voice breaks you out of your spiraling. You stop yourself from swearing before taking the slightly charred meat out of the fire and into a wooden plate. “Sorry….” you mutter as you pass the boy his share (the less burnt one). Aster accepts your offering, taking small and careful bites with his little muzzle. You’re glad he’s eating, at least. For the first few days after you took him from his mother’s camp, he would not stop crying, to the point that he would not eat. You felt awful about that. A young pup of about 5 or 6 years old is growing and needs nutrients. Worse still was knowing that you couldn’t console him other than by reassuring him that he would return to his family safe and sound. As much as you wanted to, you couldn’t turn back. Lady Ranni would never allow it. Now the boy is calm, more curious about you than afraid. You can’t decide if that’s for better or worse. You don’t bother restraining him, as he does not attempt to run away. If only the Lands Between were safer for a young pup, maybe you would be okay with letting him escape to find his mother, then deal with Ranni’s ire at your incompetence. Her words would be easier to deal with than the gnawing guilt currently eating you alive. She’s always been the type to use the Silent Treatment, anyway, that or attempting murder.

You chew the burnt mutton, grimacing at the bitter taste in your mouth. The boy looks at you, or rather, he looks at your open jaw whenever you take a bite out of the meat. His tail wags curiously at the sight of your fangs. Aster’s teeth are relatively tiny, a mouth full of little needles that would probably cause more pain than injury. You would know as he bit your finger the other day, and the scream you let out would have given anyone a reason to be concerned. If his’ are needles, yours are knives. Big enough to tear away at flesh and bone alike.

As a general rule, you avoid biting during fights. It’s not honorable, and you’d rather avoid being compared to a wild animal, but to a little pup, it must be exciting to get an idea of how big and dangerous one’s mouth can get. A smile tugs at your lip, and you make a show of biting down on your meal, the burnt flavor now slightly dulled. Aster laughs a carefree giggle that makes your tail wag, though your guilt still weighs on your shoulders. Maybe you can pretend to be Father and Son for just a moment. After this is over, you won’t see him again. You can’t, not after what you did. Your frown fades into a smile as Aster attempts to shove as much of the mutton into his mouth, his little fangs unable to tear so much meat away. It’s adorable, though you hesitate to say it out loud. You hope that Aster forgets all the tears he shed on the way here as he grows older. You hope he continues to laugh like this forever, even if you don’t get to see it. 

—-----------------

Aster does not speak much, mostly walking by your side in silence. You had offered to carry him on your shoulders, though he refused. His tumbling steps made you feel nervous about his well-being, but he never slowed down or fell like you thought he might. Now and again, you would catch him grabbing onto your cloak for stability, so you offered to hold his hand if he needed it instead. He was wary, of course, but he did take you up on your offer after some deliberation. His fingers are so tiny, a little mirror image of your rougher padded digits. It’s adorable.

You eventually reach the Three Sisters after doing your best to avoid the Fingercreepers lurking in Caria Manor. Adula greets you as you arrive, bowing her head in respect. Aster hides behind you, peeking at the dragon with some trepidation. “It’s okay, she’s a friend.” You reassure the boy, but he just hides under your cloak. A sigh escapes your lips as you dismiss Adula with a hand motion. The dragon doesn’t stop to ponder the small furry creature hiding behind you, and she takes off into the skies, kicking up dust and grass in her wake. You peek under your cloak and behind you at the pup currently hugging your tail. “Don’t worry, Aster, she’s gone.” You say, offering your hand to the boy. Aster ignores you, staring up at Ranni’s Rise, clearly uncomfortable with the derelict tower. “... scary.” he says, hiding behind your leg. You tilt your head as you look at the building over. Now that you think about it, Ranni’s Rise does have a rather ominous look to it. Perhaps you’ve simply grown accustomed to it, or maybe it’s just that everything related to your lady seems to have its imperfections scrubbed away in your eyes. Perhaps it is you who is strange for not feeling apprehensive.

Aster clutches your leg, and his face presses against your thigh. You can almost feel him trembling through the plate and the leather of your boot. “Aster….” you nudge him gently, but he does not release your leg; if anything, his grip tightens. If Seluvis were alive, perhaps he would jeer (or cackle) at the idea that a child could so quickly and effectively immobilize you. “Aster? Are you okay?” you nudge him again to no avail. Well, this is a problem. What to do? Grabbing Aster and forcing him to enter with you would likely be the most straightforward answer, but something about that just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Children don’t deserve to get treated like misbehaving animals, and being afraid isn’t something they should be punished for. Coercion might work, but you can’t think of anything Aster might like. If only you knew him better. You try to remember how your mother might have helped you if you were scared. She was always the better parent, not that the competition was ever stiff. Radagon was not dad of the year material, even on his good days. (The irony of history seemingly repeating itself is not lost on you.) There was this one time you were afraid of swimming, and your mother said… hmmm. Okay, that could work.

As calmly as you can, you put your fingers over Aster’s, petting the fur on the back in a soothing motion. You try to keep your voice as calm as you can. “Aster… I understand you’re afraid of going inside. It’s maybe not the most welcoming place, but… I assure you that nothing bad will happen… I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” You say, feeling Aster’s grip on your leg weakens just a little. You gently pry him away from your leg, and he lets you. His faded lavender eyes look slightly red. He’s been crying. You kneel in front of him, wiping away what remains of his tears with your thumb. “Ni allwn fod yn ddewr os nad ydym byth yn ofni.” You say, repeating the words your mother once said, only to be met with a tilted head and a little frown… Shit. You’re such an idiot! Of course, he wouldn’t know any Liurnian. You feel your cheeks slightly redden at your mistake. You’re about to explain what it means when Aster pipes up. “... Dw i'n dy garu ti?” It catches you off guard, and you sputter for a moment. The boy merely stares at you, an equal mix of concern and amusement in his eyes. “Y-you… how did you…?” You manage to say, the marbles in your skull still rattling around. Aster looks down, and a sad look crosses his eyes. “Mum says it sometimes… it sounds like what you just said.” His little ears fall back, and he wrings his hands together. Thinking of his mother must have worried him. “... she said it with a smile but smelled like tears… I don’t get it, and she wouldn’t explain.” He falls silent.

Even when crouched down to Aster’s level, he looks up at you, his tiny body still dwarfed by your massive one. To think she would not only remember what little Liurnian you taught her but would choose to tell her children she loves them using your tongue. That’s… Well, that’s something. “To be honest, I don’t understand it either….” You admit, ruffling the fur on Aster’s head, causing him to let out a little giggle. “But it means your mother loves you very much… and I’ll make sure you see her again soon.” Aster smiles; it’s a cute and dorky grin. You smile, pushing the thoughts of his mother and her strangeness into the back of your mind. It doesn’t matter anymore to you, does it? Why do you care that she remembered? You’ll never see her again, not that she’d want to see your sorry mug. Stop thinking about impossibilities and concentrate on your mission. Your tail is a traitor that wags when you think about her, and you would do well to chop the bloody thing off.

—----------------------

Ranni was not particularly glad to see you. She hadn’t been happy to see you for a long time, though today she was particularly unhappy with your presence. You don’t understand what you did to earn her disdain. You chose to stay loyal to her, didn’t you? Shouldn’t she be happy that you would honor your oath to her above everything? Even though you wanted to be a father, the Age of Stars needed to come. Ranni knows this, yet your relationship with her has not been the same since that day the Fingerslayer Blade slipped out of her grasp. You don’t understand her; maybe you never understood her. Still, loyal hound (or lap dog perhaps) that you are, you stay by her side.

You will take Aster to the Moonlight Plateau tomorrow morning. He should be able to slay the Two Fingers keeping Ranni bound to this land. Once it was over, you would return Aster to his family. Then… Well, then you’ll have to find something else to do. Maybe, if you’re lucky, Aster’s mother might be kind enough to chop your head clean off your shoulders. It would certainly make things easier. For now, you get to spend the night here at the tower. Aster was still a little scared but followed you into your chambers. His little fingers wrap around your index as you show the boy where he will be staying.

“Are you comfortable, Aster?” You say as you tuck the boy in your bed. Crouched by his side. He looks so small compared to it. A tiny fluffy head poked behind a sea of sheets and blankets. Aster yawns (complete with a familiar whine at the end) before responding. “Uh-huh….” You run a thumb over the fur of his head. He closes his eyes and leans into your touch. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me then. Goodnight.” You stand up and would have made your way to the stairs if not for the hesitant look on Aster’s face, clutching at the sheets and looking at you and away like he wants to ask something. It would seem there is something wrong. “Aster? Did you want something else?” If he wants a glass of water or a snack before bed, there’s probably something around here he can eat. Or maybe he’s concerned about sleeping in a stranger’s bedroom for the night, though now that you think about it, has he ever been in a bedroom before? You didn’t think to ask, but maybe he hasn’t. Is that what has him uneasy?

Aster cuts off your runaway train of thought. “... are you really my dad?” He asks in an almost embarrassed tone that makes you feel increasingly silly. You kneel back by his side of the bed, trying to keep your tone calm and comforting even though your face feels a little hot. “I… I am, yes.” You say. It’s not worth explaining to a child that even though you’re his father biologically, you do not get to call yourself that after what you did. “Is that all you wanted to know?” Aster shakes his head, his little fingers still clutching the sheets. He’s steeling himself to say what he wants, like a warrior before a duel, to the point that it’s starting to make you uneasy.

“... Why….” The boy finally says. “... Why don’t you and Mum talk anymore?” The tone is not accusatory but stings you almost like it is. It’s only natural a kid would be curious, but honestly, you were hoping to avoid it for as long as you could. Aster sees your ears crumple, or maybe how your eyes dart away and pushes on, knowing he will get his answers. “Mum told me you fought, but… Why… Why can’t you make up? Aren’t people supposed to say sorry after they fight?” Aster looks… almost betrayed. As though the knowledge that adults are more complex is baffling to him, like the fact that the world is messy and full of irreconcilable differences is too wide for his little mind to comprehend. You don’t know how to respond to his question, as frankly, that’s not something a child his age would be ready to understand.

When you fought, it was because you felt she had betrayed your and your lady’s trust. She took the Fingerslayer Blade and potentially tried to turn you into a traitor, or so you thought. As the years passed and you gave it more thought, you concluded that maybe your Tarnished lover had a reason to think as she did. Lady Ranni, for as much as your mind would never allow you to see her in a bad light, had no intention of saving you once the Two Fingers took hold of your mind. Realizing how little it meant to her stung, but the years since the Fingerslayer Blade was stolen made it clear the sister you thought you knew was long dead, buried under an icy glare and heart. You’d still give your life to her, and the Tarnished was wrong for trying to force your hand, but you wonder if maybe you’d feel otherwise if the curse of your very being was lifted. It scares you as much as it entices you, the dark thoughts of betrayal that every cell in your body seems to reject, yet they persist in your mind. Besides, it must not have been easy seeing you try to destroy yourself. if it was you in her shoes, you’d definitely….

…

Yes. You would have done the same for her… you can admit as much to yourself. You turn to Aster’s little inquisitive eyes. He's been silent, but you felt him picking at your expression with his eyes, trying to unearth the details of the story from your facial movements alone. “... Adults sometimes forget that they need to say sorry. When someone hurts you, it can be easy to forget the other person might have been hurt too….” You explain calmly and reassuringly. “She did something that upset me, and I wasn’t ready to forgive her for it then… I… I then said some things that….” Hurt her beyond what you could do with a sword or fang? Threw her love for you in the mud and dug your heel in? Projectile vomited the worst combination of words you could think of for the sole purpose of causing her emotional pain? Go on, pick your poison. “... that I won’t repeat, but they upset her back… a lot….” Coward. “Then… we went our separate ways and never saw each other again. She would have her cubs in peace, never having to bring up the past or think about me again.” Except for the part where you threatened to hunt her down and told her to give her children up for adoption. Let’s leave that part out for the 6-year-old, shall we? “... It’s okay to not forgive people sometimes, Aster… not when they’re… bad guys… like me.” Silence falls in the room as you finish your muttering, inconsistent explanation. It’s better this way. She has a new life and little pups that depend on her while you’re a bloody mess. You do not deserve any of it, especially not after abducting a child.

Aster stares at you, not shocked or upset. He has that doe-eyed puppy-dog look to him where you’re not sure if a single word you just said was processed in his mind. Rude. You dropped some pretty heavy stuff back there, did he not think much of it? “Aster? Is something wrong?” You ask the boy. He looks away, staring at your desk and the items on top. “But… Mum thinks about you all the time….” He looks back in what you know understand is a look of confusion. “She always says she wants us to meet you one day, and that our dad is super strong and brave….” She… she said that? W-Why… Why would she say that?! Aster goes back to fiddling with the hem of the sheets, looking down at them like they were the most interesting thing in the room. “Umm… please don’t tell her, but the other day I heard her talking to herself and she said she wished you were there to help out… So, uh… That means you’re wrong about my Mum not wanting to see you!” He finishes, staring at you with a little accusatory glare. You’re still reeling, lost on how to respond. So despite all the awful things you threatened to do, she still thinks of you like the noble knight you pretend to be. Then again, it was always just a weak excuse, wasn’t it? The real problem here is, and has always been, you.

You finally manage to push out a single: “... huh.” After a tense moment of silence, earning yourself the tiniest slap on your muzzle. “Ow! Sorry, I was just… surprised.” You say, rubbing the sore spot on your muzzle. “If… if that’s true then I guess… I don’t have any excuse….” She doesn’t have the Fingerslayer Blade anymore. Your reason for hunting her down is over too. Still… Can it really be so simple? Surely you can’t just waltz back to her and sort things out. Wars have been fought over less and yet… “Are you scared?” Aster’s voice returns you to reality, his face tilted in concern. “Are you afraid… of mum?” He asks in a most sincere way that makes you feel pathetic. You look down at your hands, so large comparatively, and yet it’s like you’re the kid in this situation. “... I am… maybe.” You admit, not bearing to look at those eyes. You can’t stand the thought of lying to him right now. Faded lavender that reflects your insecurities like a mirror. You don’t jump (it’s more of a jolt) when the boy’s hand touches the fur in the back of yours, rubbing at the fur in a circular motion. “... if you’re scared… we can go to her together. I’m not good at a lot of things, but I can do this.” You smile. It creeps up from deep within you, a smile of genuine happiness, something you don’t think you have felt for a long time. Are you gonna say no, after a vote of confidence like that? You look back at the boy, who smiles back at you, simple and dorky. “Well… alright.” You say. “When we’re done with this, your mother and I can have a chat.” You hear the little thumping noise of Aster’s tail, trapped under the sheets. It’s worth a shot, at least. “Mind you, I can’t promise it’ll go well. She won’t be happy that I took you without permission.” You remind him, though it hardly dampens his enthusiasm. “Oh, but I’m having so much fun!” The boy says, ignoring the criminality of what you did. Maybe when he gets older he will understand.

After that you put Aster to bed again. The pup was reluctant about going to sleep, but his ever increasing yawns made it clear it was past his bedtime. You turned off the lights, snuffing out each candle, letting the room go dark save for the faint glow of glintstone from the crystals that grew everywhere. “G’night, dad.” Aster said as you stood up and were about to leave. You could’ve said something else, something that still kept the pretense of distance about your bond, but instead you said the one thing that could seal your fate. “Goodnight… son.” From then on you were doomed. Absolutely screwed. Completely and perpetually. Don’t let your wagging tail fool you.

[wildflowers-of-trolberg]

003: Hilda

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: She's my favourite character of all time. I don't think I can understate that; I love Hilda with all of my heart, and I haven't been this attached to a character since I was about 14 XD

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Frida primarily, but I also like poly Hilda/Frida/David and I have a couple of crossover ships for her :))

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Johanna - when their relationship is firing on all cylinders (see The Bird Parade, The Troll Rock, The Black Hound, The Deerfox, or The Yule Lads) they have one of if not the best parent-child dynamics in all of media. Johanna isn't perfect, but that's part of what makes her such a good mum; she accepts when she isn't and makes up for it; and Hilda's not perfect either but she still loves and supports her. I can really only think of one other series that handles a parent-child bond as well as Hilda does, so it's something really special to me. Also Alfur and Tontu my beloved :))

My unpopular opinion about this character: I have like 3 of these but I think probably the biggest relevant one atm is that her dad has zero place in the show, at all. Some things are just better left unsaid; Johanna is a single mum who does the best she can for her daughter, and as a parent, she's the only one Hilda needs; any answer they could give about her dad (and I know exactly what answer they are giving about her dad) undermines the whole dynamic between them unless the concretely say that he's not in her life and doesn't matter, which they won't. There's nothing they could say about her dad (within the tone & target demographic of the show) that would be better than the implications of him not being mentioned. Hilda doesn't need a father, she has plenty of blood and found family to take care of her, and who she is shouldn't be dependent on some hitherto-unseen extra character. I think Season 3 has decided to introduce him because of all the questions about him, and I think it's a mistake that this show will struggle to recover from in terms of quality and meaning.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I've written it more times than I can count and I have two more ideas at least, but Johanna acknowledging she was too harsh on Hilda and that their arguments in Cauldron Island/Fifty Year Night/Stone Forest were her fault. We're past it now, and it seems Johanna has gone back to the character I love, so hopefully this won't be needed, but I still wish it had happened.

Favorite friendship for this character: Frida and David - actually I think David specifically he is such an incredible friend and he really deserves the world. Also Twig :))

My crossover ship: Erin from The Secret of Black Rock, Aster from Aster & The Accidental Magic, and I could see her having a one-sided crush on Greta from Greta and the Giants. Non-romantically, I have given her sibling dynamics in various AUs with both Simon Laurent and Hazel from Infinity Train and I am deeply attached to both of them.

[astererer]

Vern’s ref has been updated!! Again!!! Some info on him under the cut :))

Voiceclaim: Julian Barratt

Like Aster, Vernon was gifted a Rookidee as a child. Unlike Aster, however, he followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a cabbie. Cares a lot more about traditions than Aster does in general — he’s very proud of his family and does not want its legacy to die out.

Has always been protective of his younger sister. During Aster’s second gym challenge attempt, Vern was apprehensive but supportive of her taking part. Would show up to all her battles and help usher her away from people trying to interview her post-match when she would get overwhelmed. Was distraught when Aster decided to leave the region to get away from the league, because how could he look out for her if she’s in another region? Has since dialled this back, still cares a lot about his sister but knows she’s her own person with her own life.

Never had a rebellious phase. Part due to his parents not being particularly strict in the first place, part due to having spent too much time caring about the well-being of other people that he forgot how to act out, and put up a more stoic (and polite) front when doing anything he considers “public facing” (so his job, hanging out with friends, leaving the house, etc). Probably why he gets so stressed so easily — he’s not always very good at putting himself first, until someone actively disrespects him or someone he cares about. Just because he’s willing to look after people doesn’t mean he’s a doormat or lacking in self worth.

Softens up considerably whenever he is with family, and maybe a couple of close friends. Still probably the most serious person in the family, but he’s more open about sharing his hobbies and able to actually be enthusiastic about things.

Very easy to wind up. Flirting with Vernon will cause him to mentally short circuit and his initial reaction will come off to other people as anger or irritation, especially as he’s likely to drop any politeness and tell them to “piss off”. He’s not actually either of those things, he is just very bad at handling attention of the more amorous variety. A bit repressed. In an actual relationship, though, he’s capable of being very tender and affectionate. Would like to settle down and start a family at some point.

Lifelong history nerd. Currently doing a part time BA in ancient and medieval history through an online university course. When a work shift is going a bit slow, which is often, outside of weekends, he’ll spend time listening to history podcasts or getting through one of the various books he’s collected over the years. Man could tell you everything about ancient Hisui if you asked.

Works nights because while the hours are less social, the pay is slightly better. His sleep schedule is a bit fucked as a consequence, but he doesn’t mind. Days off are dedicated to sleeping, spending time with his team and getting that degree.

One of his regulars is Leon. Vernon does not dislike the man, he is friendly, polite, and does not expect Vernon to chat with him constantly. He could also sense that Leon did not enjoy being champion as much as he seemed to in public appearances — based on how Aster dipped so soon after she was handed the title, he can’t say he’s surprised. Never said it out loud but he was pleased for the former champion when he took over as league chairman, he seems much happier now in Vernon’s opinion.

Miscellaneous info:

Has kept up with every single one of his sister’s matches outside of Galar. If it’s been televised or streamed, he’s watched it. He’s very proud of her — may have cried when she became champion all those years ago.

Tends not to show it in front of other people because he thinks it’s a bit embarrassing but he adores and spoils his team rotten. Other than Roddy, who is both a best friend and coworker in bird form, his pokemon are all companions and exist to be babied. Roddy is still pampered out of work hours though :)) Vernon has a series of those corny 80s pet photoshoots of him and his pokemon on display in his apartment. He loves all his beasts so much and they love him too.

Camus and Shelley were both originally Aster’s pokemon. Camus came into Vern’s possession through a trade — both siblings caught an Applin and traded with one another during Aster’s gym challenge. Shelley was a gift from when Aster was in Paldea as a teenager. Shelley is actually a bit over levelled for Vernon so doesn’t really listen to any commands, but she enjoys his company and they both enjoy being in tidy spaces, so she allows him to cuddle her when she feels like it.

Bit of a neat freak — Joyce and Shelley help him do a weekly deep clean of his apartment together, which is sorely needed when living with two other people who do not clean. When he visits Aster, she has to physically restrain him from trying to do the same for her home. She likes organised chaos. Leave off it.

[spaceshipkat]

A/ster queried Lightlark for 10 years and was rejected for 10 years. She's 27 now, which means she wrote Lightlark at 17... and I get the feeling she edited very little if none at all in these 10 years. Just like Mess wrote ToG when she was a teen.

The book definitely needed a couple more rounds of editing at the very least. The writing is juvenile (teens are so smart! start treating them as such!), the rep virtually non existent (one relevant character is poc and gay, yay tokenism!), the misogyny ("pure", not like other girls protagonist, the slut-shaming). These are deep issues with the author's and editor's mentality and aren't easy to get rid of. But more editing would've definitely improved the writing style, at least.

But the publisher was in a hurry...

10 years of rejections, then A/ster makes a viral tiktok and bam! one week later she's contacted and signed by a publisher. The hype continues, A/ster sells the movie rights. The publisher does everything in their power to ride the wave and publish the book as quickly as possible.

Less than a year and a half from that tiktok, Lightlark is published... after 10 years of rejections.

I'm sorry to sound like an asshole, but rejections happen for a reason. Yes, agents want something that's easy to sell, the industry churns out books like a fast food chain, creativity isn't always welcome... but sometimes your writing is just bad? This wasn't a case of Lightlark being "too mold-breaking", too creative to have a place and a market in YA. Not at all. It's just like any other YA I've read by super hyped authors.

Something something publishing is a business that only cares for money and hype

A/ster also acts like this is her first novel when it's not. I understand it's her YA debut, but she acts like her duology doesn't exist. I know her agent dropped her because the duology wasn't as successful as expected and A/ster couldn't stop talking about the Lightlark project, but still.

The biggest issue is that people were promised a "diverse Hunger Games meets ACOTAR". Diverse being the key word. And people were really excited because A/ster is Latina.

Her parents are both millionaires, she and her twin sisters were given money to start their various businesses, but her mom does come from Colombia. So even though A/ster is a rich, privileged, young pretty girl (like most YA authors atm) people were excited. Especially poc.

Baiting diversity is just so low 🤢🤦🏾‍♀️

the timeline is, as i understand it, more along the lines of she’s queried various books for years (and anyone—not you, anon, but i’ve seen a lot of people throw doubt about this—saying it’s unrealistic that she queried for a decade bc she’s only 27 is unfair, and i can use myself as an example bc i too am 27 and have been actively trying to get published since i was 17, having written books from the age of 12) and then signed with her first agent for her middle grade books. those released in 2020 and 2021, but the numbers weren’t doing so hot, probably thanks to the pandemic. Aster meanwhile was writing Lightlark and refusing to work on anything else, even though her agent said no to Lightlark many times (which is a fair thing for agents to do! they know the market better than any writer, so if an agent says “no, work on something else bc this won’t work in the market,” you should take that under serious consideration). bc Aster refused to work on anything else and her agent didn’t want Lightlark, they parted ways (which is also a fair thing, however much it might suck; besides, knowing what we do of Lightlark, i can see why her first agent said no), after which Aster went on tiktok and made her viral video and then, presumably, queried Lightlark with that under her belt. that then got her a new agent, who also then used that viral video to sell Lightlark to her editor, and from there to foreign publishers bc she has like a dozen of them now (or at least did when i last checked).

so yeah, all of this definitely comes down to the publishing industry seeing an easy dollar and deciding to run with it. if they spent more time on edits to make the prose more elegant, the world-building and plot more cohesive, clean up the bad elements you listed, anon, and made the characters more realistic, i could see why publishing decided to publish the book. it does have a premise that would bring a lot of people in (hence why it went viral and why so many people are excited about it) but the premise doesn’t do as promised, and very few of the things Aster claimed were in the book in her various tiktoks are actually in the book, so people feel and very much have been lied to. the ratings on goodreads say more than enough, i think, especially since a good number of the one star reviews are based on those readers having actually read the book/listened to the audiobook (i read a lot of them, so idk why people in various places are acting like most of those one star reviews are people just being mean to Aster).

and to be fair, an author and their publisher acting like an author’s new book is their debut isn’t unheard of. my best friend had that happen to her (though not bc her technical debut was bad or its sales didn’t do well) and i’m sure countless other authors have, too, even if the author doesn’t publish/re-debut under a pen name. it could happen for many reasons, but especially when sales don’t do well and it’d be more marketable to have an author be introduced as a debut vs an established author with mediocre sales. and from what i’ve seen, she still posts about her MG debut on her insta? or at the very least she hasn’t deleted those various posts about it. but, granted, i don’t pay attention to her tiktok so it’s completely possible i just missed her acting like her MG debut never happened.

either way, there’s a lot of hurt she caused by making readers expect things she promised were in the book, not only from a plot/trope standpoint but as an author of color promising to write a book for readers of color who wanted an ac0tar where they actually exist and in center stage. it’s no surprise to me she’s getting a lot of flack for that. like you said, diversity baiting is fucked.

[splashink-games]

Using Poppets to Explore the World(s)

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is a first-person dungeon crawling JRPG. Using puppets created by her apprentice Luca, the Dusk Witch Dronya explores the Labyrinth under the town of Refrain.

What awaits in the labyrinth is a plethora of worlds, monsters, and levelling up!

Spoiler warning for the story and postgame below the cut!

So I've been wanting to play Labyrinth of Refrain for a long while now. Probably about as long as I've waited for the N1RV Ann-A release, but this one's actually released so- Here we are, I guess.

To clarify, unlike all the bad reviews, I only had one crash and it was cause the game was trying to use my stupid integrated graphics instead of my actual gpu so there's that. Never had an issue with stability.

To start with gameplay, it's what you'd expect from a game of the genre. There's a lot to take in heading into it: puppets, pacts, covens, the dungeon exploration. As someone who's played Mary Skelter and Etrian Odyssey, I thoroughly enjoyed the mechanics.

I think the classes felt a little shallow, with some being obviously better than others. By the end of the game, I was thinking of ditching Marginal Maze (the mage class) altogether while having a team of Gothic Coppelias (crit-focused class) and Aster Knights (the all-arounder) instead because their skills are immensely useful for long fights. Or choosing Aster Knights over Shinobushi (DEX-based class) because the Knights can tank better. As an aside, the resistance skills in the classes felt like filler, simply because I could just have equipment to increase them and I could have much better skills instead.

The most interesting mechanic to me was the Pacts and Covens. I didn't think it'd be so satisfying to have that many units attacking. Plus the different effects of each pact and formation are interesting, though the formations are also a little lacking since there's only so many ways to form your brigade. The pacts having the magic was also nice, since I could mix and match the skills with the puppets.

I had an issue with the magic/Donum not being all too useful until late in the game. And even then, I wouldn't use it unless I had a particularly difficult or a boss fight ahead of me. Two things stood out to me for this, one being that I couldn't restore Donum in the labyrinth and two being my attacks were just stronger than the skills most of the time.

The dungeon exploration was fun too! Albeit the red damaging spots were annoying. The breakable walls added a cool thing to look out for in each floor. Mud exits were extremely useful, despite it being kinda bad for farming mana.

The game itself wasn't so hard, but I don't think that's a huge problem. On normal, the fights and dungeon crawling offered an adequate amount of challenge while still letting me breeze through. I think my fun focused on optimizing my puppets and enjoying the story.

Speaking of story, it was wonderful and I'm glad it didn't flop for me since I poured over 70 hours into it. Well, I guess I wouldn't have poured time into it if the story flopped. And for all its missteps, the story does a fantastic job of developing its characters including all their flaws and relationships.

The Dusk Witch Dronya is a great look at a character who gives no shits to get what she wants, but despite being a ruthless person, she still has a soft side for Luca. We get to gradually understand her goals and uncover her history with various characters. Her relationship with Luca and Isara are especially well-written, I think. With Luca, Dronya's both a guardian and mentor despite her actions towards the child. And with Isara, an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers? An unrequited love, enough to care for her orphaned child.

The narrative twists itself at the end, revealing an array of information that changes how you look at things. Luca is a soul witch. Dronya is a puppet. The Funas are also puppets. Furia, who you hear from some characters earlier in the game, is Baba Yaga and rightfully assumes her role as the main villain again.

The game, while it hides a lot from the players, is still able to tell a cohesive story while developing characters.

As for the art and music- well I kind of drowned out the music in all honesty. It happens when most of the battle music is the same and you're focused on getting through to the next story point.

The (Japanese) voice acting, however, was very nice. At times a little overacted but I thought the voice cast matched their characters.

The art is in the usual anime-style and its quality is top-notch. I liked seeing the motifs between the characters shown in different ages (Luca, Dronya, Marietta).

The 100% wasn't too hard to do and it was all new content! The hidden bosses had some annoying quirks, like needing a specific pact to make the fight easier, but overall offered a level of difficulty that was nice! I didn't even need to fully optimize my puppets for it.

The post-game story was also refreshing. I'm a pushover for good(?) endings. It lets you tie up some loose ends in the alternate timeline and find out a little more about Mezzaluca.

For those looking for a good story and a lot of unit optimizing, this is a game for you!

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[abidethetempest]

mega 3-in-1 rise and fall retrospective post!

(because i forgot to do them for the last three chapters..... oops) literally one person i think is cool liked my post about bringing these pack and I am Not Immune to peer pressure so I decided to do the ones I missed right away lmao

Chapter 10

As I said in the authors note on this chapter, this one was hard for me. Mainly because I was writing it while working on my conlang and then I got too excited abt the conlang and kinda forgot to write the chapter,,,,, I honestly can't remember if there was anything cool or important I wanted to highlight for this one. Rereading it now, I don't see anything to point out in particular. I mostly had fun writing Risen being kind of a menace with her lack of self preservation, and having Erikses go into mom-mode at the end.

Chapter 11

Aster

oh hey look that guy again. i'm sure he's not gonna cause any problems at all :)

no but in all seriousness, I do really like writing about Aster and how Risen feels about him. It's cool to have him be seen as a very real threat, esp in a game where as the player I feel like this unstoppable murder machine 90% of the time. Risen also has to worry about the lives of the House, who are most definitely not going to get back up if Aster kills them like she does. She's already prone to paranoia when it comes to him, so tapping back into some of her fears after a few chapters of relative peace was refreshing. (For me, anyway, I'm sure it sucked for her.) Excited to show you guys her growth as a character thru dealing w Aster and also to get to the more exciting bits of this arc.

I Wish Erikses Was My Mom

need I say more? Erikses is kind of my favorite character (okay maybeeee she's tied with Aakse tbh) and I just love writing her interactions with Risen. I was concerned that it would feel like her relationship with Risen moves too quickly from "tentative ally/mentor figure" to "i have been adopted this nice crab alien" but I eventually came to my senses and realized this is my fic and I can do whatever I want.

I do honestly feel like this was the right time to have them get closer, and not just because I want to write cute bonding times. I'll probably elaborate on this more in that sidefic I have planned; Erikses is someone who has always wanted to be a mentor and parent figure but it simply never worked out until now. Now Risen is suddenly thrust into her life, and Erikses has come to care about her beyond the initial "honored guest who I owe a great debt to" dynamic.

Writing that hug healed my soul. Erikses is best mom confirmed.

Chapter 12

all caught up now!

The Nightmare

ehehehe I bet I got some of you with that little fakeout huh >:3c sorry not sorry. It wasn't in my outline, but I felt like I wanted to show that, even tho Risen got some nice comfort from her alien mom Erikses last chapter, she's not instantly cured of all fear. But now she has Erikses in her corner if she ever needs someone to remind her its still gonna be okay.

Traveling Songs

A thing that has been in my brain since almost day 1 of this project is the idea of group songs being big in Eliksni culture. Traveling songs are specifically meant to bring good luck on your journey and keep everyone entertained (and awake) during all that damn walking. Also the sound of large groups of people singing together just does something to my brain okay.

Erikses, let me see what you have? A knife! NO!

Everybody's favorite scribe stabs people in her free time, go queen. This cultural detail is another one I've been kicking around for a long time. I think it came more out of the Long Drift than Riisborn Eliksni culture. Everyone needs to know how to fight, because the universe can be an incredibly cruel and hostile place, especially after the Whirlwind. Even scholars like Erikses traditionally are trained in some kind of weapon, tho their skills are usually more focused on self defense.

Risen Can Change Her Knives Now?

This is not a Risen-specific ability! (Actually none of her abilities as a Guardian will ever be hers alone, just a matter of skill, age, and practice.) I headcanon that Guardians can change the form of their Light-based summons (Hunter knives, Titan hammers, Golden Gun, Dawnblades, etc.) to fit their own personal tastes or fighting style. Within reason, ofc-- a Golden Gun will always be a gun, but maybe some Hunters make it a sniper instead. Risen wants her knives to look like Erikses's and in a quiet environment, with time and focus, she can do it. This is a lot harder during a fight, but practice makes perfect.

Embroidery <333

Once again, R&F is secretly just me gushing about every fiber art I know/want to learn forever. Embroidery is one I want to learn real bad; I do cross-stitch already a tiny bit, so I think I could do it in theory, but it just looks like magic to me ughhhh so cool.

Erikses choosing to share her art with Risen is a significant act in Eliksni culture, and somewhat formalizes their teacher-student relationship (we have not gotten to my cultural concept of iksabas yet but when we do I will have so much yelling to do about Erikses and how she makes Risen a member of her family thru the act of sharing her language and her craft with her).

whew okay thats a long boi in the soup but there's three chapters worth of retrospectives!

[hazbincalifornia]

I got a few asks about the stalker thing on retrospring, tossing them over here:

Anonymous asked: Is her stalker a goetia? Someone too into her and her “exotic” looks and parentage? Who might be harder to accuse so to society opinions

(I mentioned the idea of giving Stellaluna a stalker on tumblr) I’m still toying with the idea, but I think I like that best right now! Either way, I figure it was someone she’s brushed by in the past, either by sleeping with them or one of their friends once, and trying to just sweep what happened into the bin like with everybody else doesn’t work because once they have a taste, they want blood- and they think they’re entitled to whatever they want because of how the rest of their life has served what they want on a silver platter.

She runs through people like a knife through butter, but one of them (one that has power greater than hers and who’s more generally respected) snagging and trying to drag her back because they want to keep ‘the freak’ could be one of the ways things get Really Messy and why she ends up realizing she needs to cut shit out and stop acting the way that she does. (It especially wouldn’t help if they’re potentially several years older than her.)

xxx

Anonymous asked: Very alarming: Stella getting a stalker, also alarming but somehow horrific in how unexpected it’d be: Aster getting a stalker

Ooooo boy that would be rough. Already I was trying to think of how Stellaluna would get out of it, but Aster is in an even more losing position, especially if his stalker also happens to be another royal- even if they're below him (like a marquis) most royals don't treat him with his proper position anyway. Stellaluna's sort of used to this kind of shit, even if not to this extreme, but Aster isn't used to people caring about him in any real capacity besides his family/friends.

Actually, that might make it even worse: He thinks they genuinely respect him and his work, so he's happy to tighten the bond at first, until he realizes that they're trying to suck up all of his free time, and any attempts to untwine as he starts getting creeped out just has them trying to pass him off as 'ungrateful', even though he knows he didn't tell them about that last movie night, so how did they know?

He probably ends up going to Stellaluna if this happens after hers (and I hope it would, considering he's only 15 when she manages to break out of her reckless behavior...) and she is furious that anyone would dare try and get their claws in her baby brother.

[asterroses]

Give me 🙏⚡ and 💰 for Aster Rose!

WAHHH LEX . . . 🫶🫶🫶 🙏 Is your OC religious in any way? Why or why not? Do they have other beliefs that govern them in any way? he's not Technically religious . he's never been involved in it but he does respect religions . he finds it . . . difficult , to believe in Something like That when his entire life has been so out of his control , except for his career n schooling . hes not really a believer in most things to be honest , although his belief in "safety" really drives him forward most days ⚡ What are your OC’s phobias? Is there any reasoning behind these? How do they calm themselves down after getting scared? What are they like when they’re afraid? Is there any chance of them overcoming their fears? [CRACKS MY KNUCKLES] this guy can fit so much trauma and fear in him . in all seriousness , he is deeply afraid of sudden noises , sudden appearances especially on his blindside , and LOUD noises . like car engines , things that causes metal to make noise , and saws . he hates saws . theres many things that caused those fears especially , the biggest one being thrown from a moving car [explains the road burn scar on the side of his face] but others are just accumulation of things that have happened to him over the course of the years . he doesnt calm down after them , he genuinely does not have the time , so he just forces himself forward , unless he has a panic attack in which case he just Shuts Down . :'] hes jumpy , snippy , and can get downright rude n mean when hes afraid but its his defense , he cant let ppl get too close when hes like that . who knows what they'll do . and honestlyyy probably not , i dont think he'll Get Over his fears cus there is just a lot of trauma to process there and i dont think he'll ever process it all , but i think it gets easier to manage . especially when hes with his partner / boyfriend / detective guy [their relationship is so . hard . to explain cus theres so many STAGES] 💰 If your OC had all the money they could ask for what would they do with it? Where would they go and what would they buy? Are they the only one who benefits from this wealth? the first thing he'd buy is another cat tower for lucifer , so she can see out the windows of the apartment [he loves his cat] . the second thing is a shit ton of plants , he loves gardening and taking care of plants and flowers and all sorts of greenery . im not sure if he'd go Anywhere , especially alone [he is much too paranoid] but i think he'd go on a short roadtrip , he's never been on one thats not at the cost of another person's life , and he wants to go on it with the people he loves and cares about . and no , he'd share his wealth , he wouldnt know what to do with an abundance of money [which is true , he is a surgeon and still doesnt know what to do with the money he makes . hes saving it ! for some reason !]

[jess-p-edits]

OC Superlatives Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @aschlindartroom!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I really liked this one! I’ve been behind on Tumblr a bit, so if you’ve already been tagged, just take this as a “hi!!!!!!”: @bloodlessheirbyjacques, @tc-doherty, @tryingtimi, and @italiangothicwriteblr!

Most arrogant: King Agares Crestwall for sure. Believes that magic is evil and all other world leaders are, at best, naïve to the point of being delusional and leading their people into chaos. He thinks he’s the only “sensible” king left. Despite this arrogance, Crestwall as a land is so behind in terms of magic and progress, he’s a bit of a joke, internationally, if a pretty aggressive one with a well-trained military.

Most humble: Fahad!!! Despite being Salma’s identical twin brother with nearly the same background, education, etc., deep down he thinks she is way more fit for the position they are both striving for, a seat on the New Nobelian council. He makes a lot of jokes about being the “older” brother (by minutes), but he’s got wicked imposter syndrome.

Most charming: Honestly, it’s tied between Godric and Astor Astoria. Godric has more of that effortless charisma and any charming begins and ends with him trying to get you to like him, while Aster, who is very charismatic in his own way, usually has some ulterior motive to charm you.

Most aggressive: Alise Foxglove, but like, politically, not necessarily physically (though she probably wouldn’t be against throwing hands with tax evaders lmao). She’s fixed the world economy after magic suddenly entering the world totally threw shit off balance, and she is NOT going to let you fuck it up!!!!. She gives a Devil Wears Prada style speech where she shuts Krieve down HARD when he implies his kingdom is unaffected by what she does because Crestwall isn’t a part of the Alliance. She also managed to bully an immortal counterfeiter into working for her lmao (Aster, see above). 

Least talkative: In a world full of people who never shut up (dialogue is my absolute, hands down favorite thing to write ;A;), Shield Warden Hoff is the voice of reason….when he does speak. Definitely a guy that prefers to listen and observe, but because he is so careful with his words, people tend to be more likely to listen. The classic strong and silent type.

Most relatable: I think this one definitely depends the most on personal preference, but I’m hoping people relate to Jaisse well as her POV chapters tend to be the longest so we are “in her head” the most. She’s a monster hunter for a living, but still has a dry sense of humor about things. Cares deeply for her loved ones, even if she can be a bit socially inept at times, and any political fluency is due to the fact that her mother is the elected queen of Correlaine. But then everything with her mom brings a whole host of insecurities (see immediately below).

Least relatable: The Queen-Elect of Correlaine! Immortal, retired monster hunter turned world leader. Due to a tragedy shortly after the Hour, she’s the last living immortal in Correlaine. She poses a fun writing challenge as I’m deliberately trying to make her feel “out of place” and distant. Being responsible for her kingdom and how it's still being impacted by a magical upheaval that she bore witness to a century ago, she has people’s best interest at heart, but has more and more of a difficult time perceiving them as individuals.

Most ambitious: Salma. While she can be just as full of self-doubt as Fahad, she tries to overcome it by just taking a ton of initiative. Salma is the type to try a bunch of things so she has more successes under her belt (even if those naturally come with a lot of failures!).

Most easy-going: Tempting to put Godric here again, but probably Brawl Warden Noa. She’s very competent in her position as one of the wardens, but personality-wise, she’s definitely not as serious.

Most high-strung: KRIEVE. The man has never left his home kingdom before and the entire plot centers around him leaving it. Even before the story, as the commander of the king’s guard, he’s very exact and meticulous and has probably relaxed maybe three times in his life.

Most pretentious: Minister “Human” Lars Biershire. Has read all the books you haven’t, and could politic in his sleep. (So when Jaisse clowns on him by doing shit like naming her horse after him so she has to call him “Human Lars” he’s always ready to blow a gasket.)

Most cheerful: Godric, Fahad, and Salma AS A COLLECTIVE, during the exchange. They are all having a blast while Jaisse and Krieve are just staring murderously at each other while this exchange plays an integral role in their relationship with their respective sovereigns.

Most patient: Beast Warden Sylus. Probably the nicest warden by far. He trains up all the animals that the Correlaine monster hunters use, but he also trains service animals for civilians as well!

Most diligent: Lots of diligent characters lmao. Lars, Krieve, Salma, Alise are probably tied.