#the earth kingdom chronicles

[sokkastyles]

The topic of the book came up in my last ask, and then I found this post about the Zuko and Katara scene in the caves. The novels aren't that great lol. Where was any of the compassion Katara showed Zuko hinted at to be about Jet in the actual show? There are plenty of retcons and inconsistencies in those books compared to the show about the characters and their thought processes, so imho it's fair enough to disregard them as meaningful analyses of the character motivations. Either way, I just thought that it was a bad enough take that you might be interested.

Yeah, once again, if you have to point to the novelization and not the source material to make your point, then it's not that strong of a point to begin with. And agree about the novels being poorly written. I do think that part of the reason Katara wanted to save Zuko is because she couldn't save Jet, and given the parallels and foils between Jet and Zuko and their relationship with Katara, I think that's an important point, but it's hardly the only reason, and the novelizations reduce this to "oooh Katara was so mean to Jet" in a way that's rather reductive and feels pretty misogynistic, tbh.

I also think Zuko thinking that he's "as much a victim of the war" as Katara is is out of character. Not because I expect him at this moment to have a particularly strong insight about his complicity in imperialism - his defensiveness is in character because at this point in his journey, he's not yet ready to face the truth - but it's out of character because Zuko also isn't ready to face the fact that he WAS a victim of the war. In the show, the choice to side with Azula feels ina lot of ways like a misguided attempt on Zuko's part to take back his agency after coming so close to realizing the terrible truth of how he was abused by his own family, how his nation took his mother away from him and how similar he is to someone who has suffered greatly because of his people's war. Of course, in actuality, he's losing agency rather than taking it back, but it's difficult for him to admit that he was a victim, especially since Katara doesn't get to follow through on her healing. Choosing Azula is very much a "the devil you know" choice. That's why he throws it back in Katara's face when she says she thought he had changed.

But the scene where Zuko says they have their mother's loss in common in the show never comes across as a justification. It also gets across a range of complex emotions from Zuko: defensiveness, yes, but also guilt, and anger, and pain, and a tiny bit of hope that someone might actually understand, but also fear because he's not ready to be that vulnerable, and sadness and empathy for Katara. The fact that they do that without giving us Zuko's internal monologue is a sign of good writing, and it's the reason why the novelizations, even though they do provide us with an internal monologue, feel flat in comparison. Oftentimes, good writing renders the need for an internal monologue unnecessary.

Also, Aang was taunting him. Zuko deserved it, but Aang was absolutely taunting.

[akiizayoi4869]

The Tale of Azula

This was an all around ok read. Basically summarizes Azula's book 2 experience, with the added bonus of seeing what she was thinking during her scenes. It's not a complete version of canon though since some things that were added in this book just didn't happen at all in the show. Like this:

Or these scenes:

Azula's ship being damaged by Iroh redirecting her lightning into a cliff, and Azula shooting Iroh with lightning during the Chase episode. Both of which didn't happen in canon. Another thing that this author added in was making literally everyone seem afraid of Azula, even people who canonically weren't, like Zuko and Mai.

None of these three were ever afraid of her in canon. Seems like the author really went with the whole "fear is Azula's most potent weapon" in this book and just made it her whole personality.

My biggest gripe with this book though would have to be this:

They messed up the greatest burn in the show. That is unforgivable.

[cillianwilder]

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Verse of the Day - 1 Chronicles 29:11

[ao3-anonymous]

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (05/08/2023)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

[tom4jc]

April 8, 2024 Verse Of The Day

[awfuckward]

kinda want a book w at least slightly older korra going around to the avatars shrines, seeing if she can reconnect w them there at least, before the new earth avatar series happens

just cos for her it was this sort of overarching thing that she wasnt as spiritually successful as she was super gifted in bending, and that never reaaally got any addressing imo. its more meaningful imo that shes able to break through a little on this, even if she doesnt fully restore that connection, before they decide to retcon it w the earth avatar lmao

also her being like hey. the white lotus kinda ARE fucked up. hm.

[heliotrope-journey]

Good evening, vampire hunters.

It was Gelliewich’s lucky day when he stumbled across two pots of gold during a stroll through the highlands surrounding Galicia. Thinking that he hit the jackpot, he stuffs his pockets with the riches he could carry. But when there are lone pots of gold, there’s a huge chance a group of leprechauns have set up camp inches away because no one just leaves a cluster of gold coins free for the taking. Just as soon as Gelliewich filled his pockets, Pwcca stands behind him with his wand handy, threatening to take the optimist hostage. His group has cornered July and an earth mage fifteen minutes prior and though they’re putting up a good fight, a lone leprechaun has them outmatched. The mage’s novice sorcery could not topple his opponent’s aggressive slashes and wolf-like thrusts. Gelliewich smiles, arms himself with a gilded sword he brought with him, and knocks Pwcca to the ground. If there’s anything he loves more than riches beyond his wildest imagination, it’s a good fight. The earth mage, noticing that the battle gained a participant fighting for him in July, gets the confidence to launch a boulder the size of his fist at the leprechaun, bringing him to his knees. Pwcca stands up and raises his wand toward Gelliewich just as the mage ran to his side. It won’t be a short St. Patty’s Day battle, but have you ever known Gelliewich to complain? ;) Photo by Dmitrii Shirnin on Unsplash.

We’ve made some final changes to The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1: Scars of the Past. The hub world has gotten an expansion to include interactions with Frederick’s compatriots and a new area to make room for a tribute to my late brother painted by my sister. These interactions may not spoil much of Episode 4, but it is recommended to play through the previous levels before exploring the new hub. Siegfried Croes has carved a handful of diamond-shaped gems for you to find in order to enrich your gaming experience. They’ve been previously added to Son of a Hustler Book 1 to challenge your platforming skills and we plan to add them in future updates to older installments. Photo by Jonathan Larson on Unsplash.

Hang on! We’re not finished with The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1!

That’s correct. Frederick and co. still have much to do in Baudelaire City before they flee the country. Unfortunately, the game’s executable has become too big to fit the upcoming levels and as a result, it takes a while longer for it to run. To ensure that it won’t overload your PC’s memory, we decided to split The Heliotrope Chronicles Book 1 and larger installments currently in development into four-episode volumes. Volume I may have concluded and it ended on a good note, but there'll be plenty of time in Volume II give the Veiled Nocturne a swift kick in the rear.

Thank you for supporting the Heliotrope Journey series as always and we hope you enjoy this new hub. :)

Sincerely,

WN

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread    

Legend of the Storm Sneezer

quirky middle grade high fantasy about a winged girl with a magical stormcloud that causes trouble

kids with unstable magic in an asylum in a magical forest full of ghosts

she, her best friend, and her time-travelling future selves team up to solve the mystery of the past before it happens again

[cassandraclare]

New publishing announcement!

Hi guys!

I know it’s been a long time since there’s been news about The Wicked Powers. I’ve actually been sitting on information for a long time because I was not allowed to talk about it. It was making me pull out all my hair, so I am super glad to be able to share the following announcement with you: The Wicked Powers is scheduled for publication, and will be published by Walker Books in the UK and Random House in the US.

There’s a bunch more about this announcement, including the announcement of a brand-new YA romantasy series I’ll be doing called In Fire Foretold. That will be published by Pan Macmillan in the UK (same people who published Sword Catcher) and by Random House in the US.

I know there will be a lot of questions about what my schedule is, why things are coming out when they are, whether I have anything coming out next year (Yes, The Ragpicker King, the sequel to Sword Catcher, and also for those who participated in the Kickstarter, those four books) and the overall future of everything Shadowhunter-related. So I will be doing followup announcements to address all that stuff, but first, here are both press release from my publishers in the US and then in the UK with all the info!

GLOBALLY BESTSELLING FANTASY PHENOMENON CASSANDRA CLARE TO PUBLISH  FINAL TRILOGY IN THE ‘SHADOWHUNTER CHRONICLES’  AND NEW DUOLOGY WITH ALFRED A. KNOPF BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS  First book in THE WICKED POWERS to release in Spring 2026

(New York, NY, April 5, 2024)—Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, will publish five new books from #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Clare, whose novels have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, been translated into 43 languages, and published in more than 60 countries. The new publications will begin in Spring 2026 with the first book in THE WICKED POWERS trilogy, the sixth and final series in Clare’s 23-book, young adult fantasy franchise The Shadowhunter Chronicles. Also slated for publication with Knopf is a brand-new YA romantasy duology, IN FIRE FORETOLD. The news was announced today by Melanie Nolan, VP and Publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, who acquired North American rights from Suzie Townsend and Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media in a highly competitive auction. Michelle Frey, Senior Executive Editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, will edit both series. 

Cassandra Clare mesmerized readers across the globe with the publication of City of Bones (2007), the first book in the Mortal Instruments series, and was quickly dubbed the “New Queen of Fantasy” by the Wall Street Journal. The Mortal Instruments became the basis for the far-reaching Shadowhunter Chronicles, an intricately drawn world that has seen global success and has been adapted into both a feature film and television show. The books follow the Shadowhunters, a secretive race of humans born with angel blood, whose mission is to eliminate the demons that plague the Earth. Knopf’s first publishing collaboration with Clare, THE WICKED POWERS (Spring 2026), will follow Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, and Drusilla Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices series as they are drawn into the final massive conflict between the demons and the angels. 

IN FIRE FORETOLD is a pulse-pounding YA romantasy duology set in a new world with entirely new characters. The story centers a young woman who must learn to control her dangerous magical abilities in order to save her kingdom, all while finding herself torn between two brothers—the kingdom's princes, born to a cursed royal bloodline. The publication date for IN FIRE FORETOLD, as well as news of additional books to come from Cassandra Clare and Knopf, will be announced. 

Says Cassandra Clare: "I am delighted to have Knopf and Penguin Random House as my publishers for this last trilogy in the Shadowhunters world. They truly understand what it means—both for the story and for my readers—to wrap up such an epic tale that has been told over so many years. I'm also excited to be launching my next YA series — a kickass portal fantasy that contains a ton of things I love, from a bold and reckless heroine to a magical wasteland filled with terrifying monsters that must be fought, to a love triangle with two very unusual cursed princes. I can't wait for us to bring these stories to the world."

Says Michelle Frey: “Cassandra Clare is a beloved author whose work has a massive following for good reason: she sucks you into a fully imagined world and never lets go until the last, satisfying page. I have long admired Cassie and am thrilled to be working with her on both the delectable final trilogy in the Shadowhunter Chronicles and the heart-stopping new love triangle she has dreamed up with IN FIRE FORETOLD.”

Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

UK/AUS/NZ:

Walker Books will publish three new books, the final trilogy in Shadowhunter Chronicles, the first coming in Spring 2026.

Separately, First Ink will publish a brand new YA duology, introducing readers to a fantastical new world of Clare’s creation, filled with enticing new characters and heart-racing action. With sales figures for Cassandra’s novels exceeding 40 million copies worldwide, translated into 43 languages and published in more than 60 countries, these are exciting and major acquisitions for both publishing houses.

Walker will launch THE WICKED POWERS in Spring 2026 with the first book in the trilogy, The Last King of Faerie. THE WICKED POWERS is the final instalment of Clare’s 23-book, young adult fantasy series, Shadowhunter Chronicles.

THE WICKED POWERS (Spring 2026), will follow Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, and Drusilla Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices series as they are drawn into the final massive conflict between the demons and the angels. The novel marks the beginning of the final trilogy in Clare’s globally beloved series.

Cassandra Clare Says about THE WICKED POWERS: "I’m thrilled to be taking this momentous step in the Shadowhunter chronicles with Walker! They published City of Bones in 2007 and now we will be bringing this huge epic to a close together. With their creativity and dedication, I know they’ll do it justice."

Denise Johnstone Burt says: “We at Walker are immensely proud to have been Cassie’s publishers from the very beginning, when City of Bones launched the Shadowhunters into the world. Since then Cassie has become one of the most beloved writers in YA fantasy all over the world, and with very good reason. Her world-building and character portrayal are absolutely second to none and her books never fail to mesmerise her fans. I am delighted that we will be returning to the world of Shadowhunters once again in THE WICKED POWERS, and know Cassie will bring the Chronicles to a conclusion with her trademark brilliance and consummate style.”

First Ink will publish IN FIRE FORETOLD, a pulse-pounding YA romantasy duology set to delight all fans of Cassie Clare. UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired by Samantha Smith, Publisher of First Ink and Macmillan Children’s Books’ Fiction, Non Fiction and Picture Book List, from Danny Baror and Heather Baror-Shapiro at Baror International.  The duology will be a super lead title for First Ink and will launch with a significant multi-channel communications campaign including national media, influencer and fan events [HBS1] and multimedia advertising.

IN FIRE FORETOLD sees the launch of a brand new world and set of entirely new characters for Clare. The story centres on a young woman who must learn to control her dangerous magical abilities in order to save her kingdom, all while finding herself torn between two brothers - the kingdom's princes - born to a cursed royal bloodline.

Cassandra Clare says about IN FIRE FORETOLD: “I’m so excited to be publishing IN FIRE FORETOLD with First Ink. This story contains so many things I love- it’s a portal fantasy that swings between worlds, where the gritty LA streets exist alongside a dangerous magical world filled with deadly monsters - and a uniquely tough heroine who’s ready to do battle on all sides. Not to mention some gorgeous princes with shady pasts. I know how much Pan Macmillan loves fantasy and how well they publish it so I’m thrilled for this partnership."

Samantha Smith, Publisher at First Ink, says: “Cassandra Clare is a phenomenon author who has delighted and surprised her millions of readers across the world for decades now. As a huge fan of both her YA Mortal Instruments series and latest adult fantasy Sword Catcher, I cannot wait for her to turn her formidable pen to a new, heart-stopping series in In the Fire Foretold and could not be more excited to welcome her onto the First Ink list”

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, Managing Director at Macmillan Children’s Books, says: “ Welcoming Cassandra Clare to First Ink with a brand new fantasy world is very exciting - both for us and her fans.  Her storytelling is second to none and her new duology on our list is the perfect partner series to her brilliant publishing that sits on our Tor list at Pan Macmillan.”

About Walker Books

Home to books for all ages, Walker Books publishes many award-winning authors, illustrators, and literary franchisesincluding Anthony Horowitz, Angie Thomas, Cassandra Clare, Lucy Cousins, Anthony Browne, Patrick Ness, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, and Where’s Wally? by Martin Handford. Walker Books is part of the vibrant international Walker Books Group that includes Walker Books Australia; Candlewick Press and Walker Books US in America and Walker Productions.

About Pan Macmillan

At Pan Macmillan we publish a broad and vibrant range of books for audiences of all ages, from dazzling bestsellers to influential prize-winners; books to inspire lifelong readers and listeners to enduring classics for generations to come. The fourth largest UK publisher, we pride ourselves on publishing successfully and sustainably and are committed to working together to positively impact culture and society at large.

[sokkastyles]

 I’m surprised I’ve never seen anyone talk about this because I think about it a lot, but: Ozai’s smile when Azula grabs the tray.

From the dialogue, they weren’t talking to each other at all before that and this is the first time they’ve been face to face since the war. Ozai might have been wondering whether Azula was still loyal to him, and he ended up getting what he wanted. That smile is chilling.

Also Zuko wanting to give them dignity...both of them. Suki protests, saying they’re prisoners, not guests. Ty Lee has ever right to attack Azula the moment she makes a move and Zuko protests when that happens, too, even AFTER Azula has attacked him. 

The fact that Azula is in a straight jacket highlights the absurdity of bringing her tea, though, and Azula points that out, but she also knows that Zuko was trying to offer her kindness, otherwise she wouldn’t try to use that against him.

And it works. She’s able to convince Zuko that she should be allowed to talk to Ozai alone, “with dignity,” because she knows that’s what Zuko was trying to do. And Zuko also repeats that Azula should be given dignity when he tells the group that she should be allowed to travel with them unbound.

And I have no patience for people who say that Zuko has no right to get angry at Azula later in this comic after she’s taken every attempt he’s made to show her kindness and used that to manipulate and try to hurt him and everyone else around them.

But there’s also something that passes between Azula and Ozai here, and I think the text does want us to notice it because Zuko and Suki and Ty Lee remark upon how they haven’t said anything.

That look that Azula gives Zuko when Zuko tries to bring her the tea...maybe Azula would have accepted it if Ozai weren’t watching.

And Zuko channeling Iroh by attempting to mollify the conflict with tea, something we’ve seen him do before.

Come to think of it, this isn’t even the first time we’ve seen Azula vs tea server Zuko.

I’ve also written before about how Azula drinks tea in “Crossroads of Destiny” that Ty Lee serves her, right before luring Zuko and Iroh as tea servers into a trap. And I’ve written several posts about Zuko and tea, and Zuko learning to accept a life of service to others, something that Iroh accepted and Azula utterly rejects (which is also at the heart of why Azula resents Iroh).

 You can also see that reflected in the way Azula reacts to Zuko in this comic. “Even when you’re strong, you’re weak.” Because to Azula, showing kindness is a weakness.

I’m not saying some of the dialogue here isn’t still terrible. Ty Lee going “Azula, you’re not making any sense!” is clearly just supposed to be a signpost telling us that Azula is “crazy,” but then Ty Lee actually comments on what Azula said a few panels later. It’s weird that nobody in this comic asks Azula who “she” is, especially since Azula is talking about the very person they’re trying to find.

The frustrating thing about the way Azula is portrayed in this comic to me is that hackneyed portrayal of mental illness replaces a real examination of Azula as a character, her cruelty and her hatred and where it actually comes from. Women should be allowed to be awful without it being modified with either a hysterical woman trope or “oh, but she really didn’t mean it,” which is not that far away from the hysterical woman trope in any case.

[fate-magical-girls]

The Varieties of Chinese Mermaids

In the modern day, most people will think of the pearl-crying Jiaoren. However JIAOREN IS NOT THE PERFECT EQUIVALENT OF THE MERMAID in pre-modern folklore.

Chinese mermaids come in multiple types. Most of them can be found in the Chronicle of the Mountains and the Seas (Shan Hai Jing/山海經). Others can be found in the In Search of the Supernatural (Sou Shen Ji/搜神記) or Extensive Records of the Taiping Era (Taiping Guangji/太平廣記).

YUFU/MER-WIFE (魚婦): Zhuanxu was a god-emperor in legendary times, whose accomplishments included sending two of his sons to complete the separation of Heaven and Earth. When he died, fish ate his corpse, becoming half fish and half human women. They live in the Great Wilderness toward the west of China. They combine traits of humans, fish, and snakes. The Classic of Mountains and the Seas states: "There is a fish half-withered, it is Zhuanxu that died and then revived; when the winds blow northward, the sky whips up great geysers, snakes transform into fish, and those are mer-wives."

LINGYU/HILL FISH (陵魚，鯪魚): The Lingyu lived in the northern regions of China, either in the sea or mountain streams. They have human faces and limbs, but fish bodies. They are identified with Chinese giant salamanders or mud carp in the modern day. The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: "The nation of Guye is in the sea, among the Guye mountain range, surrounded by peaks to the southwest. There are great crabs are in the sea. There are Lingyu, which have human heads, feet, and hands, in the sea."

CHIRU/RED RU FISH (赤鱬): The Chiru lived in mountain in the south of China. It was red all over, had a human face, and its call sounded like that of a shelduck or mandarin duck. Eating its flesh protected people from contracting scabies. They are identified with sockeye salmon in the modern day. The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: "Three hundred miles more to the east, there is the mountain called Blue Hill...The Ying Waters emerge from here. Within are many Chiru; their forms are like fish, yet they have human faces, and their cries are like that of a shelduck. Those that eat its flesh will never have scabies."

DIREN/DI PEOPLE (氐人): The nation of the Di People was in the South of China. They were human from the waist up and fish from the waist down. They might have been a mythologization of the real Di People, who lived in western China, spread out from Shaanxi to Gansu. They joined the confederation of nomadic peoples who conquered Northern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The Baima people of Gansu believe themselves to be descended from the ancient Di. The Classic of the Mountains and Seas states: "The nation of the Di People is west of the Jianmu Tree. Its inhabitants have human faces but fish bodies, with no feet."

HAI RENYU/SEA MERMAID (海人魚): The Sea Mermaid lives in the East China Sea. They tend to be around five to six shaku tall. (4'7"-5'6" or 1.4-1.68 meters.) Their upper bodies were that of humans, and they were all very beautiful. Their skins were white as jade, and their tails had no scales, but were covered in fine rainbow-colored hairs. Their hair grew long and wild like horse manes. Their private organs were much like that of humans, and they often sought humans or were sought by humans as mates in coastal communities, where they would live in a pool on their spouse's property. Sometimes they had red feelers or fins on their elbows and backs. Their bodies could not be penetrated by blades, but their fats could be harvested after death to form ever-burning candles. Han Dynasty texts state: "Merfolk have a human-like form longer than one shaku. They are not fit for consumption. Their skins are rougher than those of sharks, and cannot be penetrated by saws. They have little holes on their neck that they breathe through...Their fat is used to light lamps in royal tombs because the fire will never extinguish." Extensive Records of the Taiping Era states: "Sea Mermaids are found in the Eastern Sea. The largest ones are five or six shaku long. They are shaped like humans, with the brows and eyes, mouths and noses, hands and fingers, and heads of beautiful women, lacking in no feature. Their flesh is white as jade, and they have no scales, but thin, soft, and sleek hairs of five colors about one or two inches in length. Their private organs were no different from those of ordinary men and women. Widows and widowers from coastal communities often acquire them and raise them in pools. They mate the same way humans do, and never harm humans."

LOTING YUREN/LOTING FISH-MEN (盧亭魚人): Loting Fish-Men were found in the south of China, mostly around the Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong regions. They had humanoid limbs and humanoid faces with yellow hair and yellow eyes, but scaly bodies with fish tails. They lived mostly in the water, feeding on fish, but also built houses from mussel shells, and their favorite snack was chicken blood. They were a mythologization of the Tanka People, a southern Chinese pariah class who were once forced to live on their boats, as well as the Semang People. Ming Dynasty texts state: "The Jin Dynasty rebel Lu Ting was defeated and fled into the Guangdong region, where he lived a fugitive life on the water. After some generations, his descendants were unable to procure food or clothes, so they went about bare bodied and were called Loting. They would often sail out on the sea fishing for food, and they could all lie underwater for three or four days without dying, for they had already become fish." Qing Dynasty texts state: "Among the merfolk are the Loting Fish-Men, who are very numerous on Dayushan Island and the Wanshan Islands. Their adults are like humans, with male and female. Their hairs are dusky yellow and short and their eyes are also yellow, while their faces are black. Their tails are around an inch long. When they encounter humans they dive fearfully into the water. Often they would float along the waves, which would amaze people, who would they chase them. When a man who acquired one their females did the dirty with her, the fish-woman could not speak, only giggle. After a long while, she learned to wear clothes and eat grains. She was brought to Dayushan, where she went back to the water. These are the merfolk who do not harm men."

JIAOREN/SAMEBITO/SHARK-MEN (鮫人): Jiaoren are found in the South Seas. THEY ARE MER-SHARKS. THEY HAVE INKY BLACK BODIES, WILD HAIR, GLOWING GREEN EYES, AND SHARP TEETH. They are usually employed by dragon gods as weavers, capable of working tirelessly and spinning special waterproof silks. Their tears became pearls. They were first equated to Western mermaids by modern fantasy writers romanticizing the fact that they cried pearls.

WA WA YU/KIDDO FISH (娃娃魚): The Chinese Giant Salamander was often called a "mer-person" in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and described having a cry that resembled a baby's wail. To this day the colloquial name is still "Kiddo Fish".

[creativewaygrace]

Bible Verses About Witchcraft

1 Chronicles 10:13- Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord's word He even consulted a medium for guidance.

1 Samuel 15:23- For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

1 Samuel 22:23- Stay with me. Don't be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life. You will be safe with me.

2 Chronicles 33:6- He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hinnom Valley. He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord's sight, angering him.

Leviticus 19:31- Do not turn to mediums, or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them, I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:6- Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists and prostitutes' himself with them, I will turn against that person and cut him off from his people.

Leviticus 20:27- A man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritists must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault.

Revelation 18:23- The light of a lamp will never shine in you again and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Revelation 21:8- But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

Galatians 5:19-20- Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions.

Galatians 5:19-21- Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and anything similar. I am warning you about these things, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Micha 5:10-12- In that day, this is the Lord's declaration, I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune tellers.

Acts 19:17-20- When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem. And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver, in this way the word of the Lord flourished and prevailed.

Isaiah 8:19-22- When they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the spiritists who chirp and mutter, shouldn't a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead, on behalf of the living? Go to God's instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and looking upward, will curse their king and their God. They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.

Isaiah 19: 1-4- A pronouncement concerning Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt's idols will tremble before him, and Egypt will loose heart. I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians, each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Egypt's spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate it's plans. Then they will inquire of idols, ghosts, and spiritists. I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

Acts 8:9-13- A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while calming to be somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest and they said, "This man is called the Great Power of God". They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time, but when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed

Deuteronomy 18:10-14- No one among you is to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or spiritists, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these acts is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable acts. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this.

Isaiah 47: 8-14- So now hear this, lover of luxury, who sits securely, who says to herself, I am, and there is no one else. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children. These two things will happen to you suddenly, in one day, loss of children and widowhood. They will happen to you in their entirety, in spite of your many sorceries and potency of your spells. You were secure in your wickedness, you said No one sees me. Your wisdom and knowledge led astray. You said it yourself, I am, and there is no one else. But disaster will happen to you, you will not know how to avert it. And it will fall on you, but you will be unable to ward it off . Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly. So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed, perhaps you will inspire terror! You are worn out with your many consultations. So let the astrologers stand and save you, those who observe the stars, those predict monthly what will happen to you. Look, they are like stubble, fire burns them. They cannot rescue themselves from the power of the flame. This is not a coal for warming themselves, or a fire to sit beside!

[hubristicassholefight]

Round 1 Part 1a

John Gaius (The Locked Tomb) vs Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche (Evilious Chronicles)

Propaganda below the cut (Spoiler Warning!)

John Gaius

when you're introduced to him, the main character knows that this is God and she is unworthy. jod asks her to call him teacher and more or less plays with her sense of authority and reality throughout the whole second book, up to and including hiring a friend to kill her and then acting shocked when he actually does try to kill her. harrow the ninth ends with his saint/old friends turning against him and trying to kill him for the way he's been manipulating them. (it doesn't work and he spends the next book as a background character somewhere else, but from what you see, he's lonely and miserable and about to destroy the world and start over again and wipe everybody's memories so they forget his mistakes and forgive him) the third book has a series of flashbacks where he describes how believing he was right and everybody else was wrong ended up triggering a nuclear bomb that ended humanity, then resurrected only what he wanted to live. he literally plays god for years and every time somebody sees his tricks he wipes their memories and starts again so they still love him. there's probably going to be a lot more propaganda so for the 'brought low' part I'll point out that the last book still isn't out yet and I cannot imagine it ends happily for him

Destroyed the world and killed all his friends, and it STILL didn't put a dent in his ego.

was gifted necromancy by the earth in order to save her; subsequently killed the entire solar system out of spite. wiped all of his friends' memories, made half of them metaphysically eat the other half, then let the remaining half die fighting the planets' ghosts. also he turned the earth into a full-sized barbie and she hates him for it. he's depressed as fuck about it now

Riliane

A fourteen year old tyrant princess, possessed by the demon of pride. She taxes and starves her kingdom in order to give herself the fanciest feasts and parties. She executes people over the tiniest issues, even threatening her own twin brother with death for not letting her win a game (she didn't remember that he is her brother). She starts a war and massacres the women of another nation because her fiance broke off their engagement to pursue a peasant girl. She is THE Daughter of Evil.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Isaiah 24:1

Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

Matthew 4:8

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them

1 Chronicles 16:30

Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

1 Samuel 2:8

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.

Joshua 10:13

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

Genesis 1:16-17

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth

[avatar-news]

Update: It’s likely these characters’ voices were being cast for a video game, not a movie/show.

Original post below:

Exclusive: Kyoshi, Rangi, Yun, and more Kyoshi novel characters will appear in Avatar Studios’ first movie/show!

We have a huge Avatar News exclusive for you today... and an Avatar News redemption?!

We can confirm that Kyoshi, Rangi, Yun, and more characters from the Chronicles of the Avatar novels The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee will have substantial roles in Avatar Studios’ first animated movie and/or show, both slated for 2025!

Currently we don’t have details on which of the first-year projects-- the adult Gaang movie lead by Aang and Katara, or the new earth Avatar show-- the Kyoshi characters will appear in. Right now, a solid guess between the two is the show; it would make sense for the previous earth Avatar to feature in the next earth Avatar’s story. However, this is just a guess and the adult Gaang movie could easily have some kind of Kyoshi-related plotline we don’t know about yet (what we do know is that it’s set 12 years after ATLA and has a rumored title of Hidden Kingdom). It’s also technically possible that the Kyoshi characters are for a later project, but the production timeline strongly favors one of the first-year projects. In both cases these are almost guaranteed to be flashbacks/visions/etc. (And based on some other details I can’t share yet, I’m fairly confident this isn’t for a Kyoshi movie/show itself.)

What’s interesting is that our very first Avatar News exclusive report on Avatar Studios’ slate infamously had a Kyoshi movie as the first project. This became pretty controversial for us when it was announced that the first movie would actually be about Aang (gasp, Avatar News was wrong!!!!!!!!), and even though a first-year project about an earth Avatar (just, the next earth Avatar rather than the previous one) later came to light, and we got confirmation a Kyoshi project was on the table, and we explained how all this together could have been the source of confusion that led to the Kyoshi report, certain segments of the internet peanut gallery have continued to hold this against Avatar News. But ohhh no, Avatar News kept its nose to the grindstone and some might say that Avatar News was vindicated by this new information! But Avatar News doesn’t care about petty matters like that, Avatar News is just happy to be here. ^_^

The Kyoshi novels are some of the absolute best entries in the whole Avatar franchise (and by the way, live-action Kyoshi agrees!), so this will hopefully be welcome news to everyone who was super excited when there was a Kyoshi movie and then disappointed when there wasn’t. Currently we’re waiting on F. C. Yee’s confirmed next Chronicles of the Avatar novel, the second Yangchen book, which will potentially be announced this month. What we know F. C. Yee isn’t involved with, or at least wasn’t 9 months ago, is the animated movies/shows. Right now, we don’t know if that’s changed in the time since that interview. We do know House of Cards’ Kenneth Lin is writing the adult Gaang movie, but there’s no crew information for the new earth Avatar show yet. It’s possible F. C. Yee could now be joining that as a writer, especially if that is where the Kyoshi characters will be showing up. But! That’s just speculation for now, and there’s already a lot to be excited about just from today’s news.